Chapter 7
862 Words
The Boy Who Shouldn't Exist
A cold breeze swept across the clearing as my grip tightened around the twin black blades in my hands.
The young man remained comfortably seated on the thick tree branch, one arm lazily resting against his bent knee as though he hadn't just witnessed one of the rarest forms of magic in existence. Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, illuminating his long chestnut-brown hair with a warm golden glow. His black eyes curved into a relaxed smile, yet something about him made me instinctively cautious.
He was smiling...
But he wasn't harmless.
"Who are you?" I asked, keeping my blades raised.
The stranger chuckled softly before jumping from the branch. He landed effortlessly a few meters away, his boots barely making a sound as they touched the grass. The movement was so light that it almost looked rehearsed.
"That's a rather unfriendly greeting," he said with a grin. "Shouldn't you thank me first?"
I frowned.
"For what?"
"For not screaming that the last Dark Magic user is hiding in this forest."
My heartbeat skipped.
So he knew.
Every muscle in my body tensed as mana instinctively gathered around my arms. Leo shifted beside me, his crimson eyes narrowing at the stranger.
"You've been watching," Leo growled.
"I have."
"And you managed to hide your presence from me."
The young man scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"I've had a lot of practice."
Leo's expression remained unreadable, but I could feel the mana around him becoming heavier.
Interesting...
Leo wasn't underestimating this man.
If anything, he was treating him as someone worth paying attention to.
That alone made him dangerous.
The stranger finally turned his attention back to me.
"My name is Troy."
"Troy...?"
He nodded.
"Just Troy."
I searched my memories.
Nothing.
I had read Protecting the Male Lead more than once. Every major noble family, every commander, every royal knight, every important wizard...
None of them were named Troy.
That didn't make sense.
Someone capable of hiding from Leo shouldn't be an insignificant background character.
Unless...
He wasn't part of the original story at all.
"I've never heard of you," I admitted.
"I get that a lot."
He didn't seem offended.
Instead, he smiled as though my answer amused him.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Nothing much."
His casual attitude irritated me.
"I was taking a walk."
I raised an eyebrow.
"In the middle of a forest full of magical beasts?"
"Exactly."
"...You're either brave or insane."
"I've been called both."
Despite the situation, I almost laughed.
He spoke so naturally that it was difficult to imagine him as a threat, yet I refused to lower my guard.
People who looked harmless were often the most dangerous.
"I'll ask again."
I tightened my grip on my blades.
"What do you want?"
This time...
His smile faded.
"I wanted to confirm something."
"What?"
His eyes met mine.
"Whether the rumors were true."
My stomach tightened.
"What rumors?"
"That House Husernien's eldest daughter possesses Dark Magic."
Silence filled the clearing.
So...
The rumors had already begun.
In the original novel, Theletyia's power remained hidden for much longer.
Because of me...
The story was already changing.
I quietly took a step back.
"What if it's true?"
Troy shrugged.
"Then nothing changes."
"...You're not going to report me?"
"No."
"Why?"
He looked genuinely confused by the question.
"Should I?"
"You know what happens to Dark Magic users."
"I do."
His expression softened slightly.
"That's exactly why I won't."
His answer caught me off guard.
No hesitation.
No greed.
No fear.
Just certainty.
Before I could respond, a shadow spread across the grass.
Leo stepped between us.
"You speak as though you understand Dark Magic."
"I do."
Troy's answer came immediately.
Then...
Something impossible happened.
Dark mana gathered behind him.
At first, it looked like black mist rising from the ground.
Then it condensed.
Feathers formed.
A sharp beak emerged.
Moments later, a massive black raven unfolded its wings behind him, its silver eyes calmly studying both Leo and me.
I froze.
"No way..."
Leo narrowed his eyes.
"So you're contracted as well."
Troy scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I was hoping to keep that a secret."
My thoughts raced.
This couldn't be happening.
The novel had stated countless times that Theletyia Husernien was the final Dark Magic user alive.
That fact had driven the Magic Tower to hunt her.
That fact had led to her execution.
That fact...
Was now standing in front of me, smiling awkwardly while a Kemono rested behind him.
Everything I knew...
Was wrong.
Or perhaps...
Everything I had changed had already begun rewriting the future.
Troy noticed my stunned expression and laughed softly.
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
"...I thought I was the last one."
"So did I."
For the first time since meeting him, his smile became smaller.
Almost lonely.
"I've been hiding for as long as I can remember."
He glanced toward his raven before continuing.
"The world doesn't treat people like us very kindly."
I slowly lowered my blades.
Not because I completely trusted him.
But because...
For the first time since waking in this world...
I wasn't alone.
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