Chapter 14: Julian de Cruze

A voice as clear and gentle as spring water.

A voice that put listeners at ease and naturally drew them closer.

But to me, it was the voice of a ghost—one that made my hair stand on end and made me want to flee immediately.

“Why are you here? You should’ve come to me right away if you were here!”

“I-It’s been a while, senior,”

I forced myself to speak, my lips reluctant to move.

The person standing there was undoubtedly beautiful.

Wearing a skirt that revealed just a bit of her knees and a fur vest that accentuated her charm, her long, black hair flowed down her back.

Her porcelain-white skin and graceful features made it hard not to lower your head in reverence.

In fact, naïve boys and girls alike had once willingly knelt before her, calling themselves her devotees.

“So now you’ve decided to embrace that preference of yours, Julian-sunbae?”

“Ahnak, really. I told you just to call me Julian. So, how do I look?”

Too good.

That was the problem.

His name was Julian del Cruze.

Deputy leader and first heir to the Cruze Merchant Guild, one year above me and Lowell at the academy, and one of my greatest nightmares.

Yes.

Him.

Despite appearances, he was unmistakably male.

At the academy, he and Lowell were two of the most popular students among the girls.

And even if he hadn’t been, I still knew the truth.

“Young lady, do you know this person?”

The guild members blatantly looked me up and down, clearly surprised.

I, too, was surprised they were calling him “young lady.”

Did they not know?

Or were they simply respecting his preferences?

“Of course! We once spent the night together.”

With that teasing line, all eyes in the tent turned toward me.

“…I asked you not to put it that way.”

Let me make it clear: nothing happened.

And again, he is a man.

Though, he did become my eternal nightmare that night.

Until he graduated, Julian and I shared a dorm room.

Even then, he was as beautiful as he is now.

Though he came from a merchant background, no one held that against him.

He was well-liked, always bright and gentle, and one of the most respected seniors at the academy.

He had no talent for magic, but he consistently scored top marks in swordsmanship and academics.

Not just the other students—even Lowell respected him.

So when we were assigned the same room, people envied me—even the girls.

Lowell was thrilled as if it had happened to him.

And honestly, I was happy too.

The academy was full of talented students, some bordering on genius, but Julian and Lowell stood apart.

They were like the sun.

While others only shone for themselves, they lit up everything and led others forward.

Being close to them felt like an extraordinary blessing.

“Hehe. Still so shy. Even though you were so passionate that night.”

The problem began on the very first night we were assigned the room.

He was kind and treated me without reserve.

He even offered some high-quality wine his family had sent for bonding.

Until then, my only drinking experience was a few sips of cheap moonshine from my father, but I could tell right away how fine that wine was.

We had a great time.

No silly drinking contests like boys usually did—between sips, we talked about our beliefs, ideals, and dreams.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, I also shared a few dark thoughts from deep within.

He listened and smiled warmly, as if he understood.

When the buzz started kicking in, we wrapped up, climbed into our beds, and fell asleep.

Up to that point, everything was fine.

I don’t know how much time passed, but I awoke to a strange sensation.

And there he was—shirtless, straddling me, trying to pull the blanket off.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

At that moment, there was no thinking.

I kicked him off with all my strength and, half-mad, blasted him with spells.

Thankfully, I wasn’t able to concentrate properly, so only weak ones went off—any stronger and I might’ve blown up the room or left a corpse behind.

Julian walked away with nothing more than a few scratches, but from that day until his graduation, I made it a habit to cast protective wards around myself and my bed every night.

I guess you could say my expertise in those spells came from that traumatic experience.

“Come on now, don’t be like that. Let’s go have a drink. It’s been ages.”

He ran up to me and linked arms.

I instinctively tried to pull away, but his grip was firm—it carried the kind of determination that refused to take no for an answer.

Though he was taller than me, he clung to my arm like a child.

It was terrifying, like being prey caught by a predator.

And yet, the softness of his skin and the gentle fragrance from his perfume made my heart flutter—against my will.

I couldn’t help it.

Whatever his gender or intentions, he was the only one in my life who had ever pursued me so openly.

Especially dressed like that—it didn’t matter that my head knew the truth; my instincts responded all the same.

“Come on, let’s go!”

“W-Wait!”

Just as I was about to be dragged off helplessly, Krugle—who had been too stunned by everything to react—finally snapped out of it and stopped us.

“What the hell is going on?! I came to get my horses!”

I silently thanked him.

If it weren’t for him, I would’ve been dragged off for sure.

“Oh, right. There was a dispute over a lost item, wasn’t there?”

Julian briefly inspected the horses and said,

“They’re yours, right, Anak?”

“Of course.”

He nodded, then turned to Krugle with a cold stare.

“Get lost.”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

His voice was sharp and heavy—it sent chills down my spine.

Even Krugle, and everyone else in the tent, froze in place.

“Alright, let’s go!”

And just like that, Julian grabbed me again as if nothing had happened.

I decided to follow him, so long as the place he was taking me wasn’t a bed.

“W-Wait!”

At this point, I couldn’t help but feel a little impressed by his persistence.

If stubbornness were a skill, he would have mastered it.

“That’s it? That guy dragged all that nonsense here, and you’re just going to believe him? Those are my words! You can’t just do this because you know each other…!”

“…Sigh.”

As the yelling continued, Julian let out a short sigh and released my arm, as if he had no choice.

Then, without hesitation, he walked straight toward Krugle. Krugle flinched slightly at the sight of the beautiful figure approaching him directly, and in that moment, Julian’s foot swept Krugle’s left leg.

Then, with his right hand, he grabbed his neck and slammed him to the ground in one swift motion.

It might seem odd for such a slender body to throw a burly, muscular man so effortlessly, but I’d seen Julian do things like that many times.

There were only three people in the entire academy who had ever beaten him in sparring or arm wrestling.

“Ugh… grk!”

Krugle lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain, his eyes blinking in disbelief as if he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

And Julian, looking down coldly at him, said,

“Shut up. Do you have any idea who that person in front of you is? Even if you brought a mountain of jewels instead of words, I’d still believe his.”

Somehow, that comment made me feel… good.

“Wh-Who the hell is that guy?! Are you favoring him just because you’re lovers or something?!”

Lovers?

Who’s lovers?!

“Oh my, lovers, you say.”

Don’t you blush at that too!

“I-I’ll let the other guilds know! The Cruze Guild is letting personal relationships interfere with—!”

Krugle screamed, but Julian just burst into laughter.

“Go ahead. But I doubt the other guilds will be any different from me.”

With that relaxed and confident tone, Krugle turned his head to look up at me.

No, not just him—everyone in the tent was now staring at me, their eyes filled with doubt and curiosity, all waiting for an answer.

I turned my head to avoid their gaze.

At this point, hiding it was impossible, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be the one to say it.

“So shy, honestly.”

Seeing me like that, Julian smiled softly and opened his mouth in my place.

“Everyone, get it together. You didn’t recognize him even after hearing the name ‘Anak’? Strategist of the Second Best Path, the Nightmare of Orsia Hill, the Deceiver of Summons! This guy is one of the companions of the hero who saved the world!”

Not only Krugle, still collapsed on the floor, but everyone in the tent stared in shock.

Yeah, I always hated those looks.

They weren’t just surprised—they were full of doubt, as if saying, “Him? Really?”, looking only at how unremarkable I seemed.

Ever since we gained some fame, that always happened when I was introduced.

No matter how grand the title that preceded me, those skeptical, condescending eyes never fully disappeared.

It was nothing like those stories where a hidden prince reveals himself at the perfect moment in a glorious fashion.

Of course, in a different sense, Lowell had it just as bad.

In his case, even if he tried to hide his identity, he was too obvious.

Even if people didn’t know he was the hero, they could easily tell he was extraordinary.

It wasn’t a twist.

It was more like an “of course.”

“What kind of lunatic would believe you over someone who saved the world?”

In reality, based on experience, if there were no people or evidence to back up my claims of being the hero’s companion, most would probably assume I was a conman.

“Right, blacklist this guy and send the info to the other guilds.”

Julian gave the order, then returned to my side and grabbed my arm again.

“Come on. Let’s go.”

What could I say?

I had no choice but to follow where he led.