I've never experienced a significant threat to my life. That applies to both my past and current lives.

Perhaps due to deeply ingrained ideas from my previous life, I've always carried a certain complacency about safety. You could call it a quintessential Korean trait.

Moreover, my daily life hadn’t changed much even after revealing my identity, so I had come to think optimistically. "Tomorrow will likely pass just like today. What will I be doing two days from now? Maybe I’ll get used to the stares enough to answer questions."

I was fully aware of my popularity, and the emotions accompanying it—admiration, respect, and reverence—were overwhelmingly positive. Occasionally, very rarely, I would sense envy or hostility, but they never escalated into actual harm. People have their own thoughts, after all.

But killing intent is different. It’s not merely a positive or negative emotion. It’s a calculated force, an intent born out of reason rather than feeling.

Currently, the odds of a demon worshiper harboring such intent toward me are incredibly high. Thanks to Zenon’s Biography, they had been flushed out of their hiding places and mercilessly hunted down.

Even one of their leaders, Cardinal Bark, had fallen to Kate. It was obvious I would become the prime target for assassination.

Yet, I naively continued my usual routine. While I trusted my guards, I was more influenced by the belief that nothing bad would happen.

Not only did I have Adelia and Kate by my side, but the academy guards and distant overseers like Gartz and Reaper were also watching over me.

Even so, my complacency remained unchanged, and I couldn’t imagine how soon it would come back to haunt me.

Whoosh!

The sharp sound of something slicing through the air struck my ears. I was so distracted by the man who had collapsed from a heart attack that I realized it far too late.

Was it an arrow? I didn’t have time to react before the result became apparent.

Thunk!

"Aagh!!"

The sound of a projectile striking something, followed by a cry of pain, pierced through the air. It wasn’t me, nor Adelia by my side, nor Kate, who had been examining the fallen man.

The noise came from behind us, not too far away.

"Could it be…"

My head spun as I hurriedly turned around, fearing that the attack meant for me had harmed someone else.

Thankfully, that worry proved unfounded. It didn’t take long to realize the projectile wasn’t aimed at me at all.

Instead…

"Urgh…"

A pained groan came from what appeared to be empty air. There, in the seemingly vacant space, hung an arrow, dripping blood onto the ground.

Upon closer inspection, the air around the arrow seemed distorted, as if someone was partially camouflaged. Unlike dark elves, who blended perfectly into the environment, this was the result of a high-level magic spell.

The spell—Invisibility—was specialized for infiltration and assassination. While easy to learn, its effectiveness depended on how long one could maintain it.

This assassin had used the spell to shadow us without detection.

"Isaac!"

Unlike me, who was still processing the situation, Adelia immediately took action. Despite being unarmed, she had the skills of someone who had served as an instructor alongside Nicole and undergone rigorous training under her father.

Failing to execute a surprise attack, the assassin stood no chance against her.

Even with Invisibility, it didn’t matter; the arrow had disrupted the spell, causing their form to gradually materialize.

Smack!

Adelia landed a swift kick to the assassin’s legs. Already weakened by the arrow, they couldn’t even react, toppling over helplessly.

The would-be attacker hit the ground, and Adelia swiftly restrained them by pinning their neck with her knee. The force made even writhing in protest impossible.

"Isaac! Are you alright?!"

Kate, who had been attending to the fallen man, rushed over with a frantic expression. Her face showed pure alarm, as though the worst had happened.

Thankfully, the situation she feared hadn’t come to pass, but it was still severe.

"I-I’m fine. But…"

"Everyone, step back! Quickly!"

Before I could finish, Adelia shouted loudly, directing her voice to the surrounding crowd.

People had already gathered due to the man who had collapsed, and there was no way to ensure this assassin was working alone.

The priority was to disperse the crowd to prevent any further infiltration.

"Ugh…! You bastard…!"

As the Invisibility spell fully dissipated, the assassin’s appearance came into view.

He was a man who looked entirely ordinary—short brown hair, blue eyes, and faint stubble. His physique was lean but suited for an assassin’s work.

But what stood out most to me was his race.

"A human?"

He was human. Neither an elf nor a demon, but an ordinary human being.

Yet, I couldn’t make sense of it. A human capable of casting advanced magic like Invisibility would be highly valued by any nation. Human magic was far less developed compared to that of demons or elves, after all.

And yet, this man had managed to use magic within the academy grounds, where such activities were strictly monitored.

How had he bypassed the academy’s defenses? More importantly, how had he even gained access in the first place?

The questions swirled in my mind, leaving me dizzy.

If the arrow hadn’t hit this man first, I might not even be alive to ask these questions.

It was my fault.

My complacency had nearly led to a tragic disaster.

The world outside my gilded cage was far more dangerous than I had imagined.

"…There’s a filthy aura about him," Kate muttered.

Her voice broke through my chaotic thoughts, carrying a chilling coldness.

Snapping back to reality, I saw Kate glaring down at the assassin with a terrifying expression—one filled with disgust, hatred, and fury.

Even I felt a chill from her gaze. The assassin, receiving it directly, must have felt something far worse.

Yet, to my surprise, the man didn’t flinch. He stared back at Kate with defiance, his eyes filled with rage.

"May the blessings of the light be upon this place," Kate intoned, her voice calm and steady.

Golden light radiated outward from her, forming a barrier of divine energy around us. The barrier was impervious to intrusion, especially by demon worshipers.

Hissss…!

"Aagh!!"

The assassin suddenly screamed in agony. Smoke began to rise from his body as if he were being seared.

It was as if he had been thrown onto a hot, oiled skillet. The man thrashed violently, his cries of pain echoing through the air.

Watching this, I turned to Kate, who coldly remarked, "As expected of a filthy demon worshiper. Rejecting the blessings of Luminous? Trash like this deserves no salvation."

Demon worshipers were those who had sold their souls to demons or otherwise fallen into corruption. Naturally, they reacted violently to divine power.

And Kate, as a cardinal, was their worst enemy.

Even a simple barrier of divine power could cause them immense suffering. In her hands, even their very souls weren’t safe.

"Kate… is he really…"

"Yes," she answered firmly. "That man is a demon worshiper who targeted your life, Isaac."

"And the man who collapsed earlier?"

"There are traces of an artificially induced heart attack. I’m certain this worm was responsible."

"How… how could this happen…"

Shock left me speechless. To think this man had endangered someone else’s life just to create an opportunity to kill me.

As the assassin groaned in pain, Kate continued to watch him coldly, her expression unyielding.

Finally, I realized something undeniable:

Today marked the day I fully understood how precarious my safety truly was.

And perhaps, more disturbingly, the danger I posed just by existing.

"By the way… what did he shout earlier? ‘Father of All Things’? What could that mean?"

Even demon worshipers, it seemed, had their secrets.

***

Meanwhile, at the same time, atop one of the tall cherry blossom trees lining the path.

"So, that’s the second one down."

Gartz, who had been observing Isaac from a distance, muttered quietly as he reloaded his crossbow.

The situation had grown precarious when Isaac’s attention had been diverted to the man who collapsed from a sudden heart attack. Fortunately, Gartz had acted swiftly to avert the danger.

At first, Gartz had suspected the collapsed man might be preparing for a suicide bombing. But that wasn’t the case at all. The man was merely bait, while a filthy demon worshiper crept up stealthily from behind.

"Can’t he be a little more careful?"

Isaac had no idea, but up until now, there hadn’t just been one assassin targeting him—there were two.

The first was the demon worshiper now restrained and being dragged away. The second was someone connected to the academy itself.

That individual wasn’t planning a direct attack but had intended to poison Isaac’s tea, aiming to kill him discreetly. This had been during the meeting with the former chancellor.

"That one was genuinely close."

Gartz thought back to that moment, grateful they had caught on in time to intercept the plot. According to the report, the poison had been added to Isaac’s tea right after the chancellor had left to greet him.

The academy "staff member," or rather the demon worshiper in disguise, had hastily resigned for "personal reasons" after the incident. But the truth of their fate was all too clear.

"I wonder if I’ll finally get my signed copy if I bring this up."

Gartz sighed inwardly. He still hadn’t received the signed copy of Zenon’s Biography he had requested.