***
"Hey, don't tell me that you're seriously planning to go there now?"
Short black hair, and circular glasses that sat in front of a pair of sharp green eyes, the boy leading a group of 3 boys including himself ignored the question and walked down the hall quietly.
Behind him, a boy with pastel blue hair and Ruby red eyes, and beside him another, an unfamiliar face with short light brown wavy hair and caramel coloured eyes.
The trio moved sneakily through the halls, each wearing a different expression. The leader of the group, seemed intent on getting to the location, the blue haired boy moved with an almost exasperated expression, and the third boy moved with a mix of emotions ranging from awe and excitement to slight nervousness barely hidden behind his attempt at a calm nonchalant appearance.
It didn't take long for them to find the infirmary and just as the leader of the group put his hand onto the cold metal doorknob, he heard a hushed voice calling out to him.
"At least tell us the reason we're here, or what you plan on doing or saying?"
With a sigh, the leader prepared to say something but his words were cut short by a loud thud coming from inside.
Without wasting any time, the door to the infirmary was thrown open and the boys came inside of the room.
They were immediately greeted by the sight of the boy they had come to see, lying face down on the ground, with his body twisted in a way that displayed signs of agony.
Rushing to check the boy and help him, the blue haired boy immediately checked to see if the boy was still breathing and listened for a pulse. After confirming that the boy was still breathing and had a pulse (albeit a fast one) he sighed inwardly and helped the boys pick up the boy and placed him back into bed.
"What do we do now? The nurse already left for the day and won't be back until around midnight."
Sighing as he spoke aloud, he brushed a hand through his hair moving a loose strand back neatly into place.
"Let's just stay here for a while to make sure nothing else happens, when he wakes up we can ask him about it."
The boy with brown hair spoke as he pulled a blanket over the boy. However, before the blanket could be fully pulled, the boy stopped and stared at something.
"Hey, you think this is why he fell unconscious?"
He spoke as he pulled the cover back down and before anyone could respond, he ripped Damien's shirt open.
"H-hey! Are you crazy?! What kind of pervert are you?"
The blue haired boy shot up immediately with a pale face and eyes that flared in anger and embarrassment.
"Huh..?"
The boy looked up with a dumbfounded expression for a split moment before realising the issue and putting his hands up to protest, he was stopped in his tracks by a sudden chill as the air literally turned colder from an ice spear being summoned mere inches away from his face.
Glaring down at him, the black haired boy was now standing with a look of pity and disdain as he prepared to swiftly finish him off, it sent a chill through his entire body as he saw his life flash between his eyes.
"Even if you're into that kind of thing…. Doing something like this to someone unconscious and unconsenting is unforgivable.."
"N-no, LISTEN—"
Now thoroughly frightened and a bit more than a little offended at the insinuation directed at his preferences, the boy opened the shirt more and quickly flipped the unconscious Damien to his side.
There, a dark mark that covered the entirety of Damien's side up to his neckline. The mark looked as though it were moving and had an ominous aura of its own to the point that just looking at it made their stomachs twist.
"W-what the…"
"Is it… moving?"
The boys nodded in disbelief at the sight. Even Cain who specializes in magic and had read all sorts of related books had never come across such an ominous mark before. He even found himself wondering if it was some kind of deadly curse.
"Don't touch it."
The boys froze.
Damien woke up, catching them off guard as he pulled his shirt back over himself and sat upright. His white hair slightly damp as it lightly clung to his neck and the sides of his face and forehead.
"You are.."
Just as Damien intended to ask the boys who they were with his voice that seemed to come out a bit strained and dry, the boys moved from the bed and took turns introducing themselves.
"How rude of us, please pardon our late introductions. I am Cain, Cain Alberich. A battle mage and a new student starting today just like you."
Damien looked over at the boy, tall with a slender but sturdy frame, black curly hair and green eyes that seemed to pierce through the soul.
Following him was the familiar face.
Blue hair and reddish pink eyes that seemed like two very ripe cherries, Adel Pixie stood with a stupid expression on his face, a mix of embarrassment and nervousness as he scratched the back of his neck.
"You already know me but I'll introduce myself anyways .. I'm Adel Pixie, I use the spear… among other weapons. We're also going to be in the same class from now on."
Nodding slightly, Damien didn't even get the chance to turn his head before an arm was promptly draped over his shoulders as a boy leaned in with an awkward, cheesy grin.
"And I'm Neil. No last name since I'm not a noble yet but I get the feeling that you're not the type to discriminate about that kind of thing~ Let's be friends!"
Neil spoke while cupping his face and winking as if posing for some kind of charming effect, however it only resulted in the room going silent for a moment as Damien let out a quiet sigh and shrugged him off.
Neil moved away from the bed, joining the others on the side and were prepared to be scolded but the words that followed were unexpected.
"You three.. you saw it didn't you?"
"..."
"..."
The room went silent as everyone immediately understood what he was referring to.
Despite half of his face being covered by the blindfold, the boys could easily tell that the situation had been a serious one, and that the mark that they saw was something Damien had never wanted to show off.
His expression was as smooth and calm as when they saw him in the locker room and even when he was fighting Adel, yet the pressure as he spoke told them all that they needed to know.
His emotions were on the brink of exploding inside.
"We didn't see."
Cain answered looking directly at Damien who then turned his head in their direction and responded calmly.
"You did, you saw didn't you?"
Cain bit his lip and looked away while clutching his hand tightly into a fist at his side.
"Will you tell us what it is if we saw?"
Despite the other two boys not speaking, their gazes as they shifted between their leader, Cain, and the patient, Damien said it all. They wanted to ask questions too and they were worried.
After all, who wouldn't be worried about their fellow classmate after seeing something so creepy, covering half of their body?
"No."
Damien answered after being silent for a moment. No hesitation or room for persuasion, a clean, simple, straight to the point answer.
"Then no. We didn't see anything."
Damien sat upright in the bed now, with his fists resting on top of the blankets now pulled over his lap. And Cain stared at the boy as if thinking about something. His gaze then flickered over to the two boys, Adel and Neil who shared similar expressions.
"W-well.. since we've—"
"What did you see?"
***
' I'm screwed. They saw it, isn't it bad if other people see these kinds of things? '
I could feel my stomach twisting and a chill running along my spine as I reminisced about the novels I read about in the past, where characters would often get killed or punished if their secret were discovered or told to others. It's the reason why they often went through such arduous lengths to make sure that they kept things hidden and under wraps for as long as possible, even refusing to get treated or healed by others in fear of their lives or loved ones suffering because of it.
' This tattoo, it's something given to me by the Lord of the Protrelli Household in order to bind me and keep control over me. I wouldn't be shocked if he were also able to somehow keep tabs on me as well. That's why I went through so much trouble making sure that no one saw it and even hid it with my ability as much as possible… '
I could feel my head aching as I remembered my worries earlier.
' After my battle with Adel, I passed out and since this body has such low control over magic, the illusion magic I had been using to hide my tattoo wore off as soon as I lost consciousness. It's why I was so relieved when I woke up and still had at least my shirt still on, it would have been a problem if it was discovered while I was unconscious and then I was questioned about it when I woke up. '
"W-well… Since we've—"
Breaking me out of my thoughts that had begun to spiral was the slightly nervous voice of Neil as he began pushing the other two towards the door with a wary smile.
Cutting him off as he spoke, I asked a question to assess the situation.
"What did you see?"
To my question, all three of the boys stopped moving and stared at me in silence.
This time, Neil was the first to turn and speak as he sat down beside me with a serious expression.
"Before we say… could you at least tell us how long you've had it?"
' The others haven't spoken but from their expressions I can tell… they want to know too. '
Shaking my head, I decided against telling them the truth and decided to only give a vague answer.
' Afterall, trusting this kind of information to three kids that I just met… I'd have to either be stupid or naive to do that. '
"I… got it recently. Though recounting the details is…difficult."
The boys stared at me silently, each wore a complicated expression before eventually nodding and sighing.
Neil ran a hand through his hair and Adel spoke.
"It's really… unsettling.."
Noticing the strange expressions they wore as they spoke slowly, eyes darting about as if trying not to accidentally offend, I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at myself.
"You can speak freely.."
"...!"
Clearing his throat and lightly pushing Adel and Neil aside, Cain looked down at me as he took his seat slowly sitting down right across from me. His gaze as he looked at me was sharp and serious.
"A large black mark, reaching from your waist to your neck."
As he spoke he moved his hand closer until he was gripping the lining of my shirt that had been torn open by Neil.
"...?!"
I didn't move, I tried not to react too suspiciously, but truly, I felt confused and unsure of the situation.
"The mark, it was pulsing, and.."
Pulling the shirt to the side, everyone in the room let out a shocked gasp.
"Hey, what is it that you're–"
"The mark, it changed."
"Huh?"
"Woah, it really did."
Now, everyone inside of the room went silent as they noticed the change.
Well, everyone except for Damien of course.
' It changed? No.. it still looks like the same disgusting tattoo as before… well.. at a glance at least. '
Damien had to stare at the tattoo for a bit to realise that it had indeed undergone a slight change. In that, it had become more enhanced.
Whereas before it looked roughly like it was something following the stages of progression starting from She {TN: Originally, 蛇 which means Snake.}
It now looked like it had reached the early stage of Jiao. {TN: Also called Jiaolong, 蛟, basically means the snake has become a water spirit or sea serpent. It then can evolve into a full blown Dragon.}
The outlines of the scales looked and felt more pronounced, and the structure of the creature's body was less like a sketch and more like lineart.
' I don't think such an insignificant and minor change in detail would elicit such a reaction from all three of the children though.. '
"You said it's different, how so?"
I decided to play the part of a concerned and confused boy, being blind, I obviously wouldn't know the difference if they didn't explain in detail.
Catching onto this fact, Cain who had taken the role of explaining began to speak and explain.
"Well, when we first saw it… the mark was more inflamed and black like ink.. "
"Yeah, and it had a pulse, it's hard to explain but looking at it was like looking at something that was alive and shouldn't have been… it was really creepy—
H-huh? Ow!"
Neil had cut in to add his description as well but just as his statement was coming to an end, he promptly received a sharp elbow to his side from Adel who wore a warning smiling expression.
Adel then cleared his throat and then spoke again.
"Not only was it pulsing but it looked as though it was growing, not just inching higher onto your neck but getting wider as well."
"However, now, that dark mark which seemed alive and painful like it was eating from you…"
"It's smaller, thinner and no longer pulsing… it's as if it's gone to sleep or well.. something like that."
Cain spoke with his sharp eyes never leaving my side as he gazed at the mark as if in thought.
Then, as if overcome by something, he reached out a gloved hand as if wanting to touch the "mark" but I stopped him quickly.
"D-don't!"
' I see.. so, it seems that they're unable to see the tattoo itself, and can only see it as an "ominous mark" that's good. I can use this for my image …. However, it's still not smart to parade it around.. just in case someone actually can see it and knows what it is. '
Ignoring the concerned and slightly frightened gazes of the youths in front of me, I thought about my plans going forward.
' So far, I've managed to hide behind the guise of being a "Sickly Orphan" and even became a "Bodyguard", in name at least.. and now I am a student in the best academy in the world. Not one of importance.. I'd say I'm one that just barely managed to meet the requirements to become one. One which passed merely by luck, literally. '
"Damien..?"
'Now that I think about it…
When I met that madman in that forest.
He knew I was a demon. I didn't have horns, wings, claws, or a strong aura… and aside from my sharp fangs and canines and my slit pupils, I look entirely human because of the fact that Damien's powers were nearly completely sealed as a baby.
How did he know? '
"Damien??"
' More importantly, he knew I was a demon, and yet he, a human and a knight at that…. He brought me to the human realm alongside him and even brought me to his master directly.
Is that man… no… those monstrous bastards must be planning something… that's why the head of the Protrelli Household placed this creature inside of me and bound me to the household while playing it off as making me be a loyal dog for his son…
It was a plan.. a plan to make use of me, but for what? How and why? '
"Damien!"
"...!?"
Shaking me out of my thoughts, the faces of the three young boys were all too close for comfort. Panicked expressions on their faces.
I came to my senses and decided to not think about anything else until later.
Looking down, I noticed that my hand had been gripping Cain's wrist so tightly that the sleeves of his uniform were wrinkled and everyone's faces were pale.
"Ah .. I'm sorry- it's just, I don't know if it's contagious and.. I didn't want you to possibly get infected too… I didn't mean to get lost in thought while holding you like this."
I spoke with a slightly sheepish expression as I released Cain's wrist and rubbed the side of my neck lightly.
Cain didn't respond and only stared at me silently while slowly bringing his wrist closer to his chest and then lightly massaging it.
I sighed lightly and feigned tiredness as I pretended to let out a yawn and attempted to stifle it.
Catching this immediately, Adel finally perked up and grabbed the two boys in front of him by the shoulders and pulled them back firmly.
"Well, we'll keep your secret, but since we know, we'll have to finish this chat another time. As of now though…"
He looked at the clock attached to the wall and a small frown forced on his lips.
"Unfortunately it's quite late, we shouldn't even be in here, so we won't hold up anymore of your time.. we're leaving now. Please rest as much as you need!"
As he pulled the boys closer and closer to the door, I nodded slightly and put on my best feeble and polite smile. It must have worked a bit too well however, because instead of immediately leaving, Neil stopped and turned around ducking under Adele's grasp, coming closer again and as if re-enacting his earlier action, he draped an arm over my shoulder and spoke with a warm smile.
"Hey, before we go, we should exchange numbers."
Behind him, Adel's expression, while smiling, seemed to twitch slightly. Next to him was Cain with a slightly amused expression as he brought his hand to his mouth in an attempt to cover it to hide the smirk that crept onto his face.
Slightly annoyed, I couldn't help but sigh.
' I was so close to being free and now I'm being hit on by a teenage boy… What the hell is my life at this point? '
Pushing Neil's arm away once again, I sighed deeply and massaged the bridge of my nose as I looked away from him.
"Sorry Neil, but I don't know you…. Also you're not my type.."
Pffft-
The room went silent for only a brief moment before the sound of muffled snickers could be heard.
In the back, Cain was now leaning against the wall with one hand holding onto the doorframe, holding his body steady as he bent over forward, hunched with his head down in his other hand the sound of him trying desperately not to let out his laughter could be heard.
Next to him, with a slightly tinted expression, was Adel whose shoulders were trembling as he held his head down to hide his expression and yet his pale chubby cheeks could be seen slightly puffed as if he were holding his breath. His blue locks danced lightly across his head as he did his best to maintain his composure.
Meanwhile next to me was a completely beet red Neil, who wore an expression as if he were half offended and half felt wronged. His eyes were wide and his mouth agape, as if his soul had begun leaving his body.
After a moment he recovered though barely, and slammed his hand down on the small table beside the bed.
"Y-you! I'm not hitting on you! I already said we should be friend, s-so"
Unfortunately for him, his flustered reaction and flushed face only proved to make him seem more guilty and unable to hold back any longer, Cain fell to the ground practically hyperventilating from laughing and Adel also let out his own set of laughter before looking up, wiping tears from his eyes as he walked forward and grabbed the defeated Neil who seemed ready to crawl into a hole and never return.
"Sorry, but he's being serious about the number thing. Ah… we've already shared context information with one another before coming here. Since we're going to be meeting a lot from now on, it wouldn't hurt to have a way to reach each other, right?"
' Ah.. we are in the same class from now on.. though I'm way too old to be friends with a bunch of young kids and way too busy… what a drag.. '
After thinking for a while I decided to reject them.
"Sorry, but I can't do that."
Nodding understandingly despite wearing a bit of a disappointed expression, Adel spoke again while collecting Cain and Neil and herding them out of the door.
"I see.. it can't be helped if you don't want to.. but might I ask, why?"
' Well… battle maniac as he may be… he's pretty polite and sensible, probably among the most normal and understanding out of all the characters afterall…. '
Rubbing my neck and yawning for real this time, I lazily gave out an answer that felt suitable.
"Ah .. well, I.. don't have anything to add you with… '
It was true afterall. I didn't have anything since spawning into this world and becoming Damien. The only things I owned were the sigil that I kept, the gold I received from completing missions and bets.. and the blindfold that I received.
' Wait… speaking of money from bets! '
Just thinking about the fact that the red haired bastard— I mean young master Aaron took all of the money including my own, and placed it into his subspace made my blood boil.
' I'll make sure to hound him about it and not let it go even if I have to follow him to the toilet… I won't let him cheat me out of my emergency funds! '
"Wait, are you serious?!"
Breaking me out of my thoughts which has become the norm within a short amount of time, this time the one disrupting my thoughts was Adel.
Adel wore a bewildered expression as he stared at me with his jaw practically to the floor.
"I can't believe there's someone who doesn't have a RuneSlab!" (Basically a Cellular Device but fancy and infused with magic of some kind. Couldn't think of a cooler name but if you can then please comment so that it can be changed!)
Tilting my head in actual confusion, I couldn't help but question Adel's reaction.
However, after asking what the big deal was that almost caused him to grill me about the importance of having one and even insulted me by suggesting that I must have lived under an actual rock if even the commoners knew about and usually owned one.
It was now Cain and Neil's turn to drag away Adel and after finally leaving, I was eventually able to rest.
I had previously pretended to be tired but now after spending over 2 hours entertaining 3 teenage boys with nearly completely fruitless conversation, I felt exhausted and even had to massage a slight headache away.
Lying down, I even felt too tired to think or open my status window to check it again.
So, deciding to leave it all for me to do slowly over the next week, I leaned back and rested. Eventually falling deep into the comfort of the plump white pillow and nurse bed beneath me, I drifted off to sleep, actual sleep. For the first time since transmigration into this world.