The Anomaly's Path

The air around the archway turned cold.

My eyes snapped open. The tiredness in my head was gone as the sudden drop in temperature hit my senses. It was not frost on the stone or ice on the vines. This cold was different. It hit me through my soul perception — the sight I had gotten from Mia.

I turned back, forgetting my plan to leave. My curiosity was too strong.

Moving quietly, I slipped through the dark archway and into the old part of the academy. I climbed up to a higher stone ledge, hidden behind thick vines, and looked down into the empty yard below.

That was when I saw it.

Below, four students from another class had a girl cornered against a cracked stone wall. They were rich freshman nobles. Their clean uniforms had never seen real work. Their faces were twisted with ugly, proud looks.

The girl had long black hair and sharp black eyes. Her uniform was dirty, and her coat was covered in dust. Purple bruises were already showing on her skin. Blood trickled from her split lip, staining her white collar.

Thud!

A heavy, mana-filled fist hit her stomach. The impact echoed through the quiet yard, followed by a dull crash as she was thrown against the stone wall.

”Is that all you’ve got? Come on, commoner,” the leader of the group sneered, stepping forward and shaking his hand. ”Where did all that pride from the entrance exam go? Hand over your academy points already!”

”Yeah, stop wasting our time, trash,” another noble mocked from the side, crossing his arms. ”A gutter-born commoner like you shouldn’t even have that many points. Hand them over, or we’ll make sure you can’t walk to the next lecture.”

The leader stepped up, aggressively grabbing her by the white shirt buttoned up to her collar, shaking her hard. ”You fucking bitch, you’re creepy! At least show some damn reaction! Spit, scream, say something! I hate it when someone doesn’t beg for their life!”

Despite the harsh treatment, the girl didn’t cry out. She didn’t flinch. She just gave them a completely blank, deadpan look, her black eyes staring right through them like they were nothing but minor problems.

I watched the entire thing from the high ledge, completely unbothered. The physical world looked the same.

But to my senses, the air around the dark archway had turned into a cold, empty void. Normally, when someone is being beaten, their soul flares with fear and panic. Human souls under pain are loud, messy, and hot.

But this girl’s soul? It was dead silent.

Through my perception, her presence did not give off any fear. It was cold and still. Like deep, dark space. It felt like a black hole, pulling the warmth from the air around her. She had shut down her emotions, hiding her pain to play out whatever plan she had.

It was a scary level of control.

I did not move right away.

I had no plan to save her. I wasn’t going to play the hero. In The Hero Chronicles, bullying like this happened all the time. The academy knew about it. The teachers knew about it. They all looked the other way.

Their rule was simple: if you can’t handle the pressure, challenge your bullies to a duel or break. Saving people just because you feel like it only slows their growth anyway.

Beside that girl...

”Fucking useless,” the leader spat, growing completely frustrated by her total lack of a reaction. He released her collar roughly, letting her slide down the wall. ”She completely ruined my mood. Let’s go. We’ll get those points out of her next time.”

”Tsk. What a waste of time,” another one muttered.

They turned on their heels, laughing loudly among themselves as their footsteps faded out of the yard.

Once they were completely gone, the yard fell back into a heavy silence. The girl calmly stood up from the dirt.

She didn’t cry, she didn’t curse, and she didn’t show a single ounce of resentment. She simply wiped the blood from her lip with the back of her hand, adjusted her black silk tie, and began brushing the dust off her uniform.

I decided it was time to move. I dropped down from the ledge, my boots hitting the stone.

She froze for a second, her black eyes locking onto me as I stepped out of the shadows. I stood there with my arms crossed, the platinum Primus badge shining on my chest. She didn’t run. She didn’t even look surprised.

She just gave me a quick glance and went back to cleaning the dirt off her uniform. When I didn’t remove my gaze, she let out a quiet, tired sigh and finally looked up at me.

”...Do you also want something, Lord Leo?” she asked, her voice completely flat.

I shook my head, a tired smile pulling at my lips. ”No. What can you give?”

Her lips twitched, but she said nothing, because it was the truth — she had nothing to offer the Rank 1. For a split second, a look of caution crossed her face, wondering if I was the type of guy who was after her body, though she couldn’t read my expression.

”Can I ask you a question?” I said.

She didn’t answer, simply waiting. I took a step forward, putting a finger to my chin, and pointed at her.

”I don’t understand something,” I said. ”Why didn’t you fight back? You are clearly stronger than them. Don’t give me that commoner-and-noble bullshit. We both know you could easily wipe the floor with them, and they wouldn’t dare say anything. So... why didn’t you?”

She stared at me for a long, silent moment. ”...It’s a waste of time.”

I blinked. ”That’s all?”

”Does there have to be another reason?” she said flatly.

I couldn’t help but stare at her. She took a beating on purpose, just because she thought dealing with them was a waste of time. Is she crazy? ”What’s your name?”

”...It’s Malva,” she muttered.

”Malva, I see,” I said, leaning back slightly against a stone pillar. ”And I am Leo. I hope you know who I am.”

”Of course I know,” she replied in a flat voice, her face blank. ”There is no one in the academy who doesn’t know about the crazy Rank 1 who shows up late to ceremonies, insults the whole freshman class, and somehow gets away with it.”

My lips twitched a bit at her blunt description, but I cleared my throat to keep the conversation moving. ”Okay, okay, stop right there.”

Before she could leave, I reached into my void pocket, pulled out a small glass bottle with a glowing liquid, and tossed it at her.

She caught it on reflex.

The moment her fingers touched the bottle, she frowned, staring at the expensive item in shock. As a student, she knew what it was. A High-Grade healing potion. The kind of costly thing normal students, especially commoners, could go months without seeing.

I sighed internally.

I didn’t have any Low-Grade or Mid-Grade potions on me. Mom had only packed three High-Grade ones for emergencies before I left the estate. And now I was giving one to her. I felt a bit bad about it, but it was already in her hand. No point taking it back now.

She looked up, her dark eyes filled with suspicion. ”...Why are you giving this to me?”

I shrugged my shoulders smoothly, a smirk playing on my lips. ”Because I wanted to. Where else will you find such a noble, saint-like, incredibly handsome, and most honest person in this world? Nowhere, right? Of course, because there could only be one of me.”

Malva’s blank expression didn’t change a single bit during my flawless self-praise.

”And beside that,” I continued, suddenly dropping the smirk and pointing my finger directly at her. ”...I need you.”

Malva gave me a long, unreadable look.

Slowly, she opened the bottle and drank the potion. Within seconds, a warm light covered her, and the bruises and cut on her lip healed, leaving her skin clean.

Haaa... There goes my High-Grade Potion. Fuck my life.

Then, she looked down at her dirty shirt. Without saying another single word, her hands moved to her black silk tie, loosening it, and she began slowly unbuttoning her coat.

I completely froze. ”What the hell are you doing?!”

She tilted her head, her expression entirely blank as she pulled the edges of her coat apart, her fingers already moving down to the buttons of her plain white shirt. ”Removing my clothes.”

”I can see that! That’s why I am asking!”

”Are you not after my body?” she asked in a perfect, chilling tone. ”I cannot repay you for that high-grade potion. It is far too expensive. So the only thing I have left to give is this body of mine. If this is the price, let’s get it over with.”

Her fingers casually moved to the next button.

”Stop it! Stop, you crazy girl!” I shouted, instantly slamming my hands over my eyes to completely block out the view. ”If someone walks by and sees me like this, they will misunderstand the whole damn thing! Put your coat back on!”

Malva’s hands paused. She stared at my face with a deadpan, judging look. ”But Lord Leo... you didn’t completely hide your eyes. Your fingers are wide open.”

”Ahem!” I coughed loudly, instantly snapping my fingers completely tight against each other, sealing the gaps. ”What I mean is, I don’t need your body! You can wear your clothes! Don’t go around throwing your body at random people!”

Behind my hands, I heard the crisp rustle of her coat being pulled back over her shoulders and buttoned up.

”...You can look now,” she said.

I finally lowered my hands, groaning out loud as I rubbed my temples. ”I told you, I just need a name. You said you are in the same class as me, right? Then you already heard what that maniac Morgana said during the lecture. I want you to join my team. I want you to make a team with me.”

Malva carefully adjusted her black silk tie, smoothing down the edges of her silver-trimmed cuffs. Her black eyes remained completely unreadable. She was quiet for a moment. Then she shook her head slightly.

”I am sorry,” she said, her voice flat. ”But... I don’t want to join your team.”

She gave a small, stiff bow and turned to leave.

”No, wait,” I said, taking a step forward. ”At least listen to me for a second!”

She stopped. Her back was still facing me, but she didn’t walk away.

I let out a breath. ”Look, I know you don’t know me. And I don’t know you either. But I need a teammate for the competition. I’m not asking you to be my best friend. I’m just asking you to stand next to me and follow my lead. That’s all.”

Malva stood there for a long moment. Then she slowly turned her head, looking at me over her shoulder.

”I know that potion was very expensive,” she said quietly. ”And I don’t think I can ever repay you for it. But I will try. I will remember this debt.”

She paused, her black eyes meeting mine. ”Or... if you want my body instead... you can just ask next time.”

Her voice was completely flat, like she was talking about the weather. Then she turned and walked out of the courtyard, her footsteps disappearing.

I stood there completely dumbfounded, staring at the empty archway.

”What the fuck... who the hell is she?” I muttered to myself, shaking my head to clear the absurdity of the last five minutes.

Later, I would definitely have to ask her again, but right now, I needed to leave before the next lecture started.

I turned around and took a step through the archway, and immediately froze. Standing right there, hidden perfectly in the blind spot of the stone wall, was Roan.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Don’t tell me this bastard was here from the very start...

Roan was staring at me with a sad, tragically disappointed expression, his usual bright smile completely wiped from his face.

”Leo...” Roan said, his voice dripping with dramatic grief.

”Wait... Roan, listen to me, I can tell you exactly what—”

Roan raised a hand, closing his eyes tightly as if he couldn’t bear the pain. ”No, don’t worry. I completely understand. It’s your choice, and I will respect it. It’s your choice if you want to be a cold-hearted playboy who dates and cheats on people.”

My eye twitched, a vein popping on my forehead. ”Roan, I swear to God, shut up! Don’t ever—”

”It’s okay, don’t worry, bro,” he cut me off smoothly, taking a dramatic, sorrowful step backward into the hallway.

”I will take your dark secret to my grave. I will never, ever tell your first girlfriend that you are cheating on her with some other girl in the abandoned sectors of the academy. You have a right to have a harem, bro. As your brother, I will support your scandalous lifestyle.”

”Shut up and get back here!” I roared.

Roan burst into a loud, mocking laugh, instantly turning on his feet and sprinting down the hallway at full speed.

”Roan!” I screamed, chasing after the bastard elf as the bells rang, my tiredness replaced by pure anger.