Time passed, and six days later, Santa Maria College.

The weather today remained very pleasant, as though after months of continuous snowy days, the heavens finally decided to mercifully bestow warmth upon the world.

After a consecutive week of sunny weather, the snow accumulated in the college had melted considerably. Everything seemed as though it had been thoroughly washed, gleaming brightly under the sunlight.

Tomorrow was the departure day, a significant occasion when every student should have been brimming with happiness, ready to return to their cozy homes, warmed by roaring fireplaces, to reunite with their loving families.

However, outside the quiet sycamore forest, a girl with loose, wavy hair wandered hesitantly, visibly anxious.

She twisted the hem of her clothing and frequently poked her head to peer into the depths of the woods. Yet, whenever she heard the faint sound of a violin deep from within, she would retreat in fright, as if some monstrous beast lurked in the shadows of the forest waiting to emerge.

“Come on, Lise. You can do this.”

Clenching her fists tightly, Lise continuously cheered herself up.

“Moen Campbell isn’t scary at all!”

She took several deep breaths to calm her uneasy emotions, and some color returned to her pale cheeks.

Raising her head to look into the forest once again, determination filled her large, sparkling eyes.

Lise was a first-year student, having only enrolled this year.

Originally, she had carried immense anticipation for the unknown life at college. Yet, once she arrived, she discovered that nothing was as she had imagined.

It was all because of that person—Moen Campbell!

Before enrolling, her father and elder brothers had warned her repeatedly to stay far away from Moen Campbell. He was a disgrace to the nobility!

She had heard of Moen Campbell’s infamous reputation. Her cousins, both male and female, had vividly described Moen Campbell's shameful deeds at school. Thus, she had resolutely decided never to have anything to do with the infamous duke’s son.

But after arriving at school, Moen Campbell was everywhere.

He was in the newspapers, the frequent topic of chit-chat among classmates, and was even mentioned during the girls’ innocent afternoon gatherings and bedtime conversations.

At first, discussions revolved around Moen Campbell’s true, terrible nature—how many partners he had casually abandoned, how many hearts he had broken. Lise felt these topics worked well enough as idle chat.

Yet slowly, she noticed a shift in the tone of the conversations among the other girls.

They started talking about Moen Campbell’s charm, his bravery, his alluring physique, and his precious trait of a reformed waywardness. Some even began fantasizing about the possibility of dating him.

But how could this be possible?

How could someone undergo such a drastic transformation?

Her father had once told her that fate was determined at birth.

For instance, those among the nobility were born with the glorious bloodline that carried greatness in their veins. Thus, their destined role was to guide and lead those of presumed lesser, common bloodlines who lacked such inherent brightness.

Even those unrefined, uneducated commoners could shine under noble leadership.

As for someone who lacked even the notion of "glorious blood," whose essence was indistinguishable from that of mere peasants—a family like the Campbells, who had suddenly risen during the empire’s expansion centuries ago—how could they possibly cleanse themselves and transform into an image of noble elegance, compassion, and kindness?

It must all be a facade.

She wanted to expose the lie, yet every time she patiently explained to others, she was met with eye-rolls. Some even went as far as to ridicule her—those who weren’t even of noble birth showing disrespect toward her even though she was always polite and gracious.

It was horrifying. Those people had never been like this before.

Surely, it was all because of that one, Moen Campbell!

The events that transpired recently solidified her suspicions further.

That Moen Campbell had finally revealed his fangs after hiding them for an entire semester. Though she hadn’t directly witnessed it for personal reasons, the accounts from her cousins allowed her to piece together the truth.

“Moen Campbell is a monster—a complete and utter monster!”

Her cousin Lence slammed the hospital bed hard, growling fiercely:

“A monster, do you understand? I’m not just talking about his strength, but the sheer audacity of hiding the truth from everyone! Deceiving everyone like this!"

“From the start, he was holding back! He must have some kind of scheme; he’s utterly despicable!”

“Indeed, despicable!”

Brownkey echoed angrily, “That Moen Campbell is nothing but a contemptible scoundrel. Even if he defeated us, his heart remains filthy. Besides that gleaming blond hair, he’s good for nothing else!”

“Don’t mention his name!”

Doramus suddenly shrieked:

“Don’t mention the disgrace to nobility! My wounds are aching again!”

“What? Blond hair? Where is he?!”

Orzel, from across the room, bolted upright from his hospital bed and roared:

“I want to challenge that bastard again! I’ll avenge my beard—Ah! You—what are you doing? Don’t stop me!”

Before his words were finished, Orzel was swiftly carried out—bed and all—by the nurses and sent to the intensive care unit.

“Doctor! Patient in room eight is having an episode again!”

“No! I’m fine! I’m fine! Let me go!”

“Quick, increase the dosage!”

Watching Orzel’s distant figure, Lise couldn’t help but shed tears.

Why had things turned out this way? Were noble duels not meant to be conducted with decorum and gentlemanly etiquette? Yet Moen Campbell had struck such devastating blows!

He was undoubtedly a demon!

The changes extended beyond this matter. Recently, Lise discovered from her mother’s letter an unsettling shift in the Belland Lower City District.

In previous years, during the snow-covered winter, Lise had followed her mother to the Lower City District to distribute food to the poor.

Although it was merely black bread, seeing the smiles of gratitude on those impoverished faces filled Lise with a profound understanding of the meaning behind the glorious blood flowing within her.

However, according to her mother, this year, all charitable activities by the nobility had been prohibited.

The reason was tied to the newly appointed governor of the Lower City District.

Not only did he forbid the benevolent nobles from distributing food in the Lower City District, but he even persuaded His Majesty to issue an order, forcing many nobles to sell their painstakingly accumulated grain stocks from throughout the year at nearly a loss.

Then, the governor himself resold them within the Lower City District.

Cruel.

Absolutely despicable!

To profit off the suffering of others so shamelessly!

Lise couldn’t help but pity the poor, who this year couldn’t even receive free bread and instead had to buy food for themselves, tears of sympathy nearly streaming from her eyes.

And according to her mother, the governor alone could never have accomplished this feat. Behind this ploy, the Campbell’s strength loomed.

Currently, the only Campbell with influence in Belland was none other than Moen Campbell!

Everything was due to that demon!

Thus, from that moment, Lise resolved herself.

She would confront Moen Campbell.

She would be the hero to save everyone.

She knew she wasn’t a match for Moen Campbell, but she would use her gemstone-like qualities of nobility to make Moen Campbell feel utterly ashamed.

Bringing her thoughts back into focus, Lise finally summoned enough courage.

She stepped forward and entered the forest.

Following the melodic violin music, she trudged along the slightly muddy path caused by melting snow, ignoring her previously pristine dress now stained with mud and torn by branches. Eventually, she reached the source of the music.

She saw the bad blonde man reclining leisurely on a bench, lost in the music's beauty.

His golden hair glistened brilliantly in the sunlight filtering through the trees. The serene and handsome expression on his closed eyes made Lise momentarily lose herself.

In front of him stood a girl, playing the violin. Her music flowed like water, extraordinarily beautiful.

What… What?! Was he forcing someone else to perform for him? How detestable, Moen Campbell!

Lise forcefully shook her head to bring herself back to her senses.

Come on, Lise. Now is the time to showcase the nobility’s elegance, composure, and bravery!

Taking a deep breath, Lise began:

“Moen Campbell, I—”

At that instant, seemingly startled by the disruption, the violin music abruptly stopped, and the girl who Lise assumed must be coerced into playing turned around sharply.

Lise’s gaze instinctively fell upon the violinist.

Hmm, a fantastic figure—better than hers, especially… those. She had never encountered such magnificence among her peers. Was this girl from another noble family?

And her face…

What?

Her face?

This girl… didn’t have a face?

At that moment, staring blankly at the girl’s featureless, faceless visage, Lise’s heart seemingly leapt out of her chest, her blood instantly rushing backward into her brain.

This… This is…

“De...Demon!”

A wailing scream echoed through the forest.

Recalling all of the frightening stories she'd heard growing up, Lise's courage evaporated instantaneously, crushed under an overwhelming wave of fear.

Moen Campbell—he really did associate with demons!

Sobbing quietly to herself, she fled the scene, abandoning her plans for valor.

...

...

“Hm?”

The piercing scream drew Moen out of his musical trance. He finally opened his eyes, turning his gaze in the direction of the fleeing figure. Scratching his chin in puzzlement, he glanced at Lea and remarked matter-of-factly:

“You scared her.”

“I—I did no such thing!”

Lea turned around, still clutching her violin indignantly.

“I'm not scary at all! She startled me first by interrupting my performance!"

“…”

Looking at Lea’s blank, featureless face resembling pure white paper, Moen couldn’t help but let his lips curl into a twitch, murmuring appreciatively:

"Your disguise skills... really are getting more and more sophisticated."

Last time, at least there was a pixelated look; this time, you've gone all out, making yourself look like a blank sheet of paper. Honestly, it’s not far off from those faceless demons in some stories—no wonder you scared that poor little girl.

"Heh, isn’t it?"

Lea wiped her hand across her face, revealing a cute and charming visage. Smugly, she said:

"This is my improved version. This time, there’s no way anyone will spot a flaw!"

...But your actual flaw isn’t your face at all...

Moen cast a brief glance in a certain direction and, keeping his tone neutral, remarked:

"You’ve been so cautious lately. Has someone been challenging you as well?"

"Well… in those people’s eyes, I’ve just become an easy target now."

Lea hesitated for a moment before replying in a low voice, "I don’t really like fighting, so this is the only way."

"What about Ariel?"

Moen frowned slightly and asked:

"With her around, people still dare to mess with you?"

"She…"

Lea bit her lip and murmured softly:

"She’s been focusing all her efforts on training recently."