Lilith jogged the rest of the way, arriving at the assembly point pretending to be out of breath.
Students were gathered in small groups, whispering about the mysterious figure in the black robe.
Border guards and guild members were much busier.
Lilith’s arrival drew almost no attention.
She scanned the crowd and soon spotted several people wearing joint operation badges.
She steadied her breathing to look more natural and approached someone who looked like the leader.
The representative was standing with a team member in front of an unfolded map.
“Um... hello?” Lilith spoke softly, gesturing to the academy pin on her collar. “I’m Lilith, a student sent by the Holy City Magic Academy for the joint operation.”
Both the representative and the team member turned to look at her.
“Holy City Magic Academy?”
The representative checked the pin, his tone softening slightly.
“I’m Raymond, the adventurer guild’s coordinator for this operation in Gimi City.”
He waved a hand tiredly. “Fall in. Go over to the Holy City academy section. We’re preparing to enter the city.”
Lilith nodded and turned to join the group.
He turned back to the team member. “Count all academy personnel. Once everyone is accounted for, we head back to Gimi City immediately!”
Soon, the roll call was finished, and the group set off.
Almost no one spoke along the way.
Raymond led at the front in silence.
Even the most attention-seeking students were uncharacteristically quiet.
Until they reached a mid-sized inn.
“Everyone, listen up!”
Raymond finally spoke again in the inn’s lobby.
All the students and some guild members gathered around.
“You should have all seen it.”
Raymond’s gaze slowly swept across the crowd. “Just now, outside the border, a powerful existence appeared—someone with strength definitely no lower than Rank 9.”
“He stepped in to annihilate the main force of the magical beasts attacking the border, temporarily resolving the crisis.”
“However!”
His tone turned stern. “That doesn’t mean the mission is over. According to our previous intelligence, not all the magical beasts from the abnormal zones participated in this charge.”
“Therefore, your upcoming mission remains unchanged. Get yourselves together and recover your energy.”
“Remember, your task is to gather information, not to go looking for death deep in the mountains! If you find any signs of something beyond your ability to handle, you must retreat immediately. Understood?”
“Understood...” the students replied.
Raymond didn't expect this group of rookies to be bursting with fighting spirit right away.
He rubbed his temples tiredly. “The guild has booked this entire inn. Rooms have been assigned. Dinner will be served in the dining hall in one hour. Dismissed!”
He ignored the crowd and walked straight to the counter to talk quietly with the innkeeper, likely arranging supplies and intelligence updates.
The students scattered.
Lilith went to the counter to get her key and ran up to the third floor.
Once inside her room, she locked the door, tossed the key on the table, and flopped onto the bed.
“Phew, finally settled in.”
She buried her face in the pillow.
After lying there for a while, she rolled over and stared blankly at the ceiling.
“Did I really cause that much of a stir?” Lilith raised her right hand.
The level of attention a Rank 9 expert received was too high. There were dozens of people there today from different academies; there was no way to keep the news quiet. It would likely spread soon.
An idea began to take root in her mind.
“Right!”
She sat up abruptly.
“I don’t want too much trouble for myself, but... I can have a persona!”
Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that?
A persona entirely separate from her identity as Lilith the student!
That black-robed powerhouse image was the perfect prototype for a persona, wasn't it?
A lone expert wandering the continent!
She could use this identity to explore the world and handle things that would be inconvenient for “Lilith” to deal with.
“Hehehe...” Lilith couldn't help but giggle. The more she thought about it, the better the idea seemed. “I really am a genius!”
This would solve so many problems.
“Lilith” could continue to keep a relatively low profile.
Meanwhile, “Black Robe” could appear as needed to solve troubles or gather information.
Or even satisfy some of her inner mischievousness without worrying about any direct consequences for the academy or her daily life.
This persona might even bring some extra benefits.
For example, she could use the “Black Robe” identity to contact people in gray areas. After all, what “Black Robe” did had nothing to do with her, right?
“Perfect, absolutely perfect!” Lilith rolled around on the bed in excitement, beginning to flesh out the setting for her persona.
She grew happier the more she thought about it, as if she could already see herself elegantly appearing in times of crisis, solving problems with a flick of her wrist, and then calmly walking away under everyone’s reverent gazes—hiding her fame and merit.
“It’s decided then.”
Lilith clenched her small fist and punched the air. “The Black Robe Persona Project is officially launched! I’ll flesh out this identity properly the next chance I get!”
Rate on N.U.
