Silva shut the door behind her, leaving her master in his room, his thoughts heavy and clouded.
His final word echoed in her mind, strange and biting.
The unfamiliar sharpness of it had startled her.
Was it an insult?
With Eclipse, it should be right?—given his usual treatment of lower-class people like herself.
It would be easy to assume the worst, but there was something different about him lately, something unsettling.
She sighed, her footsteps echoing through the grand hallway of the Academy's dormitory.
Something about Eclipse has changed over the past week.
He wasn't acting like the self-absorbed noble she learned.
The pattern is different.
That was the troubling part.
Her job relied on knowing him inside and out, predicting his actions.
Eclipse, for as long as she had known him, had a routine—a reckless, predictable one, but a routine nonetheless.
He spent his time gambling, indulging in vices, buying shiny weapons he never used.
He lashed out at people lower than him, and he was generally a spoiled, arrogant noble.
But now, his behavior has shifted.
He hadn't left his room in days.
He no longer spent his money frivolously, though he did order strange weapons from time to time.
The usual patterns were breaking down, and that made things complicated for her.
Is it possible he knows about me? Silva thought, her violet eyes flickering with unease as she continued down the corridor.
No, that's not possible… I'm a professional at this–probably the best in the kingdom for this line of work.
She turned the corner, heading toward her private quarters.
The Academy dormitory was old, at least a thousand years, steeped in tradition.
Its stone walls held the memories of long-gone students, legends who had once walked the same halls as Eclipse did now.
It was a place rich with history, where nobles and commoners came together to prepare for a future filled with war and demons.
Silva glanced around, making sure no one was watching her, then opened the door to her room.
She locked it behind her and began to strip off her maid's uniform.
Beneath the plain, modest clothes was the truth of her identity—dark clothing, form-fitting and flexible, with knives strapped to her limbs, hidden but ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.
She caught her reflection in the small mirror, her violet eyes sharp, her expression tense.
Her purple hair, tied up in a tight bun for the sake of appearances, glimmered faintly in the dim light.
Her fingers paused over the hilt of one of her daggers.
"Surely he'd come out to do the trial."
The next day…
In his room, Eclipse stood before his mirror, adjusting his blue suit.
It was the best one he had, or at least he thought so. It wasn't too formal, but still made him look like a noble.
He had spent a full hour practicing how to walk, speak, and most importantly, not insult anyone.
Today was the day of the Academy's trial, and skipping it wasn't an option.
He needed to blend in, play his role, and survive.
"Master?" Silva's voice came from the other side of the door, a soft knock accompanying it.
Eclipse took a deep breath, then called out. "Uhuh."
She knocked again. "May I enter, Master?"
Eclipse scratched his head.
Silva had been acting strange for a maid, always asking for confirmation for every little thing. Aren't maids supposed to just know what their masters want? He thought.
But who knows he never had any maid before.
Maybe that's just how they are.
"Yeah, just come in, Silva," he said, and he caught the brief hesitation on her part.
Her hand lingered on the door handle before she stepped inside, her movements precise as always.
He noticed the way her eyes flicked to him—there was something calculating about that gaze.
If I have this right… She will also be partaking in the trial for my safety. What he can gather from Eclipse's memory, this was a common practice in the Academy. If you have enough money, you could pay someone else to do the trial for you. Of course, the previous Eclipse was planning to hire a lot more people.
I wonder if she can fight well?
Because if she could, it'd be tremendous help for the upcoming trial. If she can't, it's much better to leave her here.
"How good are you in combat?" Eclipse asked suddenly, the question catching Silva off guard.
For a moment, Silva's eyes widened, and her usually composed demeanor faltered. "I'm just a maid, Master. But if there is any danger coming for you, I will try to fight."
Oh, so she 'can' fight. Hm, what do Maids fight with, a broom?What am I thinking, of course not, that is just absurd, Eclipse then remembered an anime character who also happens to be a maid.
"Then you're probably good with knives."
Eclipse reached under his bed and pulled out a set of shiny blades, holding them out to her.
Silva stared at the blades in his hands, her expression unreadable.
"Master…" she began, choosing her words carefully.
Ah, did she feel the dagger was too valuable for her?
Eclipse coughed, "Well, since you're coming with me to the trial, I thought it is better to equip you with a good weapon."
Silva's face hardened slightly. Now her suspicion about Eclipse knowing her true identity,heightened. Not only that he was leading her with a question to talk about her fighting capability. Now he also gave her a dagger which was her most comfortable weapon.
If it is just coincidence, Siva thought, he'd just give me a broom to fight.
Because apparently it was very common for people to assume that here.
But because of her silence, Eclipse took it as if he had offended her again.
"Well, uh, I mean… if you really want to, I guess, ehem." Eclipse added.
It's just the Trial won't be that easy than anyone here ever thought it is going to be. I know because I played the game.
"I will follow you," Silva said, her voice firm and businesslike.
Fuu…
"Good," Eclipse muttered, clearly uncomfortable with the awkward silence. "We should head out."
Silva tilted her head slightly, her expression calm but her eyes glinting with something more. "Where should I put these, Master?"
In your… pocket? I'm sure she is capable of thinking of a place, and is just asking for some sort of validation from me again.
"You know where," Eclipse replied, already heading for the door.
Silva silently gulped, strapping the daggers to her hidden arsenal as she followed her master out into the academy grounds.
A coincidence, that can't be the case right?
After A While…
The Academy was alive with activity, students bustling around, preparing for the trial.
Eclipse, in his expensive blue suit, stood out like a sore thumb among the crowd.
He could feel his Dignity trait working against him already—a throbbing headache starting at his temples as he tried to ignore the judgmental looks from the other students.
He pressed on, knowing that today was different.
His absence would alert his family, and if they realized Eclipse Warbringer was no longer himself, they might conclude he was demonized.
That was a far quicker death sentence than anything the hero could dish out.
Speaking of the hero...
Eclipse's eyes darted toward the center of the crowd, where Caelum Solara stood, the Hero of the Academy, surrounded by his friends.
The perfect Hero, with his radiant smile, golden hair, and aura of righteousness.
He was talking with Lucius, Tessa,Seraphine, and the rest of his companions—laughing, planning for the trial.
It was almost sickening how confident they all were.
That's the guy going to kill me.
"He's so bright it's annoying," Eclipse muttered under his breath.
Before the trial, there would be one last class for the day. They probably hoped that by doing this, it'd prepare the student for more time.
Which Eclipse absolutely needed.