Sierin stared at Farley.
Although her relationship with Farley had only been limited to small encounters that happened quite often, it was enough for Sierin to know what Farley's true nature was like.
But, ever since they entered the academy, there was a time when Farley started taking frequent breaks and stopped attending classes.
Whenever he did attend, Farley always looked restless.
That happened about a week ago.
Sierin had been observing Farley ever since, purely out of curiosity about what had happened to his mischievous personality.
But... after these two weeks, Farley had completely changed.
He became very diligent—both in studying and training—and it was very consistent.
'What happened?'
Sierin wondered, but the question came without an answer.
Until now—here she was, standing and questioning him directly.
"I'm sorry, Sierin, but I don't know what you mean...?"
Farley's voice made Sierin feel like she might collapse.
But instead of falling, she suddenly dashed forward and slammed her body into Farley's, pinning him against the wall.
"Khah!"
Farley's startled voice rang out from the impact, but Sierin ignored it and stared coldly into Farley's shocked eyes.
"Who are you? No matter the situation, Farley has never called me by the name 'Sierin.'"
That's right—even at the academy, that never happened.
So why did Farley now suddenly say her name?
The answer was simple.
Different behavior, different body language, different way of speaking.
That was enough.
The Farley in front of her wasn't the real Farley.
"I don't know what your goal is, but if your answer doesn't make sense to me, then I'll report you to the academy. You should know I have the authority to do that."
Under that painful pressure, Farley grimaced and struggled to breathe just to stay conscious.
His breath came in short gasps, his expression darkened, and he looked at Sierin with an odd expression.
"Akh—I…"
He struggled to breathe, then continued:
"—didn't come here with bad intentions… Hah…"
Farley bit his lip until it bled.
"Sierin. Let's make a deal."
One of Sierin's eyebrows rose. She gave a faint smile, then pushed Farley's body even harder, making him cough violently.
"Kugh! Agh—!!"
Then Sierin's cold voice rang out:
"Listen. Do you think we're in a situation where we can make deals?"
Sierin didn't know who the person in front of her really was.
That's why she remained cautious—there was a chance this person had a way to escape, and she couldn't allow that.
The corridor was quiet. Fortunately, no students seemed to be passing by any time soon.
Sierin waited for a moment, and then the person in front of her spoke again—saying something that shocked her:
"I'll help you. I'll help you find the Sun Necklace."
Sierin's expression darkened the moment she heard that.
***
I could see the surprise on her face.
I had never anticipated this situation, so I was genuinely shocked and lost my composure for a moment.
At that moment, her arms that were pinning me began to loosen. I broke free and looked at Sierin, who had lowered her face.
The Sun Necklace.
It was the only heirloom left by her mother, the former Empress of the Empire. That necklace was something Sierin had been searching for since she was a child.
Unfortunately, she had never found it.
In the game, there were several routes that would allow the player to obtain the Sun Necklace for Sierin.
In this situation, that was the only option.
I held my neck—it hurt. Even though it was only raw strength, Sierin was undeniably the strongest person in our class right now.
I wouldn't stand a chance if we fought.
"How do you know about it?"
Her soft voice reached my ears—it seemed like she had just recovered from her shock. Of course she would be—she had never told anyone about that goal.
The fact that I knew about it surprised her.
"I have my own secrets. If you truly want to find it, I can help you."
Sierin looked at me, her gaze cold and composed once again. She still looked elegant, even after everything that just happened.
"How can I trust you?"
I grinned.
Looking toward the stairs, I diverted my attention.
"Let's go somewhere else."
Sierin seemed to understand why, so I turned around and walked, the sound of Sierin's footsteps following behind me.
"Who do you think was the last one to hold that necklace?"
I opened a door to a room filled with dust and wooden boxes that hadn't been maintained. In some areas, there were spare desks and chairs.
Sierin entered the storeroom as well and closed the door behind her.
She seemed to think for a moment, then looked at me again and answered:
"It wasn't a person. It was a demon. Ulphas, a notorious demon who once attacked the southern imperial mansion, was the last one to touch it. But when that demon was killed, the necklace wasn't found on him."
"....."
That seemed to sting a little.
Ulphas didn't just destroy the southern imperial mansion. The incident actually happened while the Emperor and Empress were on vacation.
Naturally, Sierin also came on that vacation, along with some of her siblings.
The Emperor and Empress were killed during the annihilation, and Sierin was the only one who survived.
I looked at her face.
Her expression was blank as she spoke about Ulphas. Of course it was.
Sierin wanted revenge and to kill Ulphas—but Ulphas was already dead.
So, she lacked motivation and purpose. But now, she had one goal—no, two.
First, Sierin wanted to conquer the Empire. The reason was still unknown since I hadn't progressed far enough through her route in the game.
But the second reason was clearly to find the Sun Necklace.
With a smile, I spoke:
"Sierin, do you believe that Ulphas is actually still alive and well out there?"
This time, her emotional reaction was obvious—Sierin was clearly shocked.
I smiled.
"Ulphas was never truly killed."
"Don't joke with me."
Her face showed anger now.
"I saw it. Ulphas was killed right in front of me—by my uncle."
Sierin's uncle.
Her uncle was now the current Emperor.
Though I didn't know exactly why Sierin wanted to conquer the Empire, I had my own speculation—and I actually agreed if it were necessary.
Sierin's uncle.
Euclis Ciavallas. He never actually killed Ulphas. He merely made it look like he had.
Euclis Ciavallas was one of the notorious bosses in the game. His ascension to Emperor wasn't just a coincidence after the previous Emperor's death.
He had planned it all.
Euclis Ciavallas made a pact with a demon, sacrificed entire villages, and asked Ulphas to kill the Emperor, the Empress, and Sierin's older brother.
Sierin may not know that truth. But judging by the fact that she wanted to conquer the Empire, she must've realized her uncle wasn't as good as he seemed.
On the contrary, Sierin was highly perceptive and aware that something was wrong.
"Princess Sierin. Ulphas was never truly killed. Do you really think a high-ranking demon would just die and turn to dust like that?"
Blinded by emotion, Sierin hadn't realized something so simple about Ulphas's death.
Lesser demons that are killed will vanish into dust—but named demons are different.
"What do you mean?"
Sierin asked me.
"When a named demon is killed, it leaves behind a Forbidden Core."
Sierin might've seen it—Euclis taking a fake core and pretending it was Ulphas's.
But unfortunately, it was fake.
"Then, how about you check it again? Is the Forbidden Core kept by the Emperor really Ulphas's? You know very well that Ulphas's core holds dense dark energy."
After I said that, Sierin fell silent.
Even though she was highly perceptive, she was still human. Blinded by her emotions, she hadn't realized she had been deceived by her own uncle.
So what will you choose now, Sierin?
I waited in silence. I was genuinely nervous and sweating cold.
If Sierin remained stubborn… the worst-case scenario would be her killing me, or me getting expelled from the academy.
Who knew?
My body tensed up.
I possessed Farley, so this could easily be considered a forbidden act in the Empire. I was certain I would be sentenced to death.
Sierin bit her lower lip briefly.
Then, her soft voice broke the silence.
"Fine. I'll confirm it. If it turns out you're lying, I'll kill you myself."
Our eyes met, and I smiled.
"Once you've confirmed it, please let me know, Your Highness."
That heavy feeling finally left my chest—the suffocating tension that made me feel like I could die at any moment.
For now, I had successfully escaped this crisis.