Dekan's Forbidden Door (Two-in-One)

Dormitory 404 at the Knight Academy has recently become a new campus legend at the Havenlit Academy.

The owner of this dormitory, Dekan, has stirred up a storm within the Kingdom Association in just one semester.

Although, due to the speed at which information spreads, even if Dekan becomes the thirteenth master Card Crafter in the world, he will not be known to the common people in every part of the world.

Dekan was primarily noticed by powerful figures in distant countries.

However, many people around the world have already heard of the name "Mr. D"!

Even Morion, who lived in the Southern Nations, knew of "Mr. D's " infamous reputation.

Although the Resurrection Church did not explicitly state who Mr. D is, their official announcement essentially included Dekan's name.

After all, there's no one else in the world who can fit into this description.

Of course, whether Mr. D really exists, whether he is related to the new top-tier Card Crafter, and whether the Resurrection Church is smearing Dekan are topics for discussion among the masses.

When Dekan was rising to fame in the Royal Capital, many people who were interested in him tried to investigate him.

But now, no one would risk their life to provoke Dekan.

Although most people also know that Dekan could not possibly be the Bishop of Pain.

But before him was the Bishop of Ruin Evans, and after him was the Marquis Roderick.

They had no choice but to be afraid.

Although Dekan had never directly fought these two eighth-tier enemies, and his performance was indeed more of a circus-like support.

But there is no doubt that Dekan successfully orchestrated the enemy's destruction.

The students were worried that they might accidentally offend Dekan.

While they might not be personally killed by Dekan, it's very likely the victims will die without ever knowing why.

Therefore, things related to Dekan gradually began to evolve in the direction of being taboo.

Students often pass by the corridor outside the Dekan Gate in the student dormitories of the Knight Academy.

They were both afraid of Dekan and sometimes wanted to test their courage in the vicinity at night.

Many observant students will notice this.

The door to Dormitory 404 is a little different from others.

First, there's a small dent in the door panel.

Judging from the height, it looks like someone knocked on Dekan's door too hard.

However, this conjecture was quickly refuted.

No one would be so foolish as to provoke Dekan in such a blatant way.

Upon closer examination...

The dent in the door panel was probably made by Dekan himself.

Then.

Many students in the college began to speculate about the meaning behind the indentation on the Dekan Gate.

Some believe this is Dekan's abstract art, "Abyss on the Door Panel".

Some believe that Dekan intended this as a warning to those who might try to disturb him: Don't knock on my door and bother me, or I'll embed you in the door panel.

When the students asked about Croix seemed to be the most talkative member of the Dekan team.

Croix only stated that he didn't know how the dent happened.

The door was already like this when he met Dekan.

Thus.

This only fueled the students' curiosity about the cause and effect.

Another strange thing is the lock on the door of the Dekan dormitory.

The door handle appears to be in good condition.

However, upon closer inspection, it can be seen that it has been twisted and broken.

The lock cylinder must have been completely broken.

It can only close the door, but it cannot lock it from the inside.

Currently, we are in a state where we have the equipment but no functionality.

Anyone who comes here.

With a simple turn of the doorknob, you can open the door to Dekan Dormitory and explore the most dangerous place on campus.

But.

No one dared to try that.

The unlocked door to Dekan seemed many times more Terror than the locked one.

It was as if Dekan was using his favorite entrapment tactics to lure his enemies who had designs on him.

Stepping into this room will trigger a series of traps that will "Bishop of Ruin".

This door gradually came to be regarded by the students as a forbidden object that was absolutely untouchable!

Dormitory 404 in Dekan has gradually become a special attraction that has attracted much attention on campus.

Even students passing by the Knight Academy dormitory building can quickly spot which window belongs to 404 by simply looking up.

Since returning from Tristin, Dekan has not had the school janitor come to fix his door lock.

At that time, Dekan needed Cornelia to help him bring the large stockpile of [Captain Dekan] stored in the dormitory to Tristin City.

Cornelia didn't have the key to the Dekan dormitory.

Therefore, Dekan instructed Cornelia in the communication to forcibly open his dormitory door and remove [Captain Dekan's ] inventory.

After returning to the Royal Capital, Dekan intended to ask the school janitor to make some repairs.

But after two days of living without a lock, Dekan suddenly discovered—

The lack of a door lock is incredibly convenient!

Not only does it eliminate the need to turn the key to lock the door when leaving the house, it also eliminates the need to lock the door from the inside when returning home!

Moreover, whenever his friends came to visit him at the dormitory.

Dekan didn't need to run over to open the door.

Simply saying "Please come in!" is enough.

You can save tens of seconds every day!

Over time, quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes!

So the lock has been broken ever since.

As for safety, Dekan had no worries whatsoever.

Through his time with Cornelia, he realized a truth.

In this world, door locks, or even the entire door, are merely decorations.

Those who can be kept out by the door naturally dare not provoke him.

For those who cannot be stopped, if they really want to get in, no amount of strengthening the door and locks will make a difference using ordinary methods.

Let's just leave it as it is now.

The art of displaying objects is also a form of great wisdom.

Two weeks have passed since I returned to the real world from the Shadow World [The Secret Tale of the Withered Sacred Rite].

The short winter break is coming to an end, and there are only a few days left before school starts.

During this period, Croix has been in charge of overseeing matters at Happy Group.

Happy Group is currently in its initial stage.

Despite the many talented individuals introduced to them by Lord Lampard of Tristin City.

However, a leader who can oversee the organization is still needed.

Therefore, Croix is naturally the most suitable person among the Beautiful Minds Trio.

After all, he is both the major shareholder and the CEO.

Croix will not need to choose any compulsory courses next semester, as he already learned them when he was in the third year.

He also has enough credits for elective courses.

So Croix was quite idle.

He only needs to complete the Shadow World once to graduate smoothly.

Croix plans to stay and teach after graduation.

Therefore, graduating smoothly is especially important to him.

However, for at least the next six months, Croix can focus on being his boss.

Once they successfully bring back Morion, this business prodigy, to serve as the CEO of Happy Group, Croix can finally relax and be a hands-off boss.

Cornelia had the most free time during these two weeks.

However, this was different from when she first arrived at the Havenlit Academy.

Even without study assignments or Dekan acting as her translator, she can now communicate smoothly with others.

Aside from a slight stutter when speaking Norton Kingdom.

She now has her own cat— Cat Teacher (although she shares it with Dekan).

He also has Flora, a good friend of similar age and interests.

Cornelia now often takes Cat Teacher to the Happy Group base to watch Flora's idol training routine.

Then, after Flora finished her work, they went out to play together.

Flora seems to have boundless energy.

If there's still time after practicing the dance, I'll definitely spend time with Cornelia exploring this "Royal Capital where there's always something new to discover no matter how you explore."

After all, the Norton Kingdom is a powerful nation with considerable overall strength.

The historic Royal Capital Heavenlyte City has many places worth exploring.

However, Cornelia is a little worried about Dekan lately.

According to Cat Teacher, Dekan hasn't left his dorm room for two weeks.

I felt so engrossed that I forgot to eat and sleep.

If Cornelia hadn't often spent time with Cat Teacher, she wouldn't have known about Dekan's current state.

He locks himself in the Card-Making Workshop in his dormitory all day.

Even the workshop door was protected by a barrier placed by Dekan.

Dekan had never done this before when developing any card.

Cornelia knew that Dekan was focused on making this card, so she didn't bother him.

Only Cat Teacher will have contact with Dekan.

Its daily task is now to buy Dekan's lunch and dinner and then leave them at the workshop entrance.

Cornelia found it quite strange.

It feels like a pet is taking care of its owner.

However, she quickly dismissed the idea.

If the Cat Teacher finds out that Dekan and Cornelia both treat it like a house cat, it will be very angry.

After returning to school with Flora.

Cornelia just said goodbye to Flora.

Then, carrying the Cat Teacher, they headed towards the Knight Academy's dormitory.

"Time to buy dinner for that kid, meow."

"I'll go too," Dekan said. "He said I can get the [Blood Investigation Ledger] back today."

After leaving the Shadow World, Dekan borrowed Cornelia's Murder Book, saying he would return it to her in two weeks at most.

It seems that Dekan needs to research [Blood Investigation Ledger] to create new cards.

"Okay, let me think about what Dekan wants for dinner tonight... This guy is really strange; his preferences for lunch and dinner are completely different. If he didn't only need one meal, I'd suspect there are two people living in the workshop..."

The Cat Teacher raised its front paws and covered its head, seemingly quite unwilling to remember Dekan's orders every time.

"I... I remember it the same way."

Cornelia often ate with Dekan, so she noticed that Dekan's food preferences were quite strange.

Cornelia, however, didn't care.

On the contrary, I would occasionally try to guess what kind of meal Dekan would like that day.

As the two chatted, Cornelia bought dinner for Dekan and carried her Cat Teacher to Dekan's dormitory.

I gently pushed open his door.

The living room looked as tidy as ever.

Although Dekan hasn't left the house, it's clear he's not despondent.

If it weren't for the sliver of light peeking through the crack in the Card-Making Workshop's door, Cornelia would have definitely had the illusion that Dekan had been away from the dormitory for several days.

Cornelia walked to the door of the Card-Making Workshop, hesitated for a moment, and then knocked.

However, before she could speak, Dekan in the workshop seemed to know who had arrived.

He immediately put down his work, strode over, and opened the door.

The door opened, and Dekan appeared to be looking somewhat tired.

And behind Dekan.

The once tidy workshop is now covered with various blueprints pinned to the walls with thumbtacks.

The workbench was also piled high with various materials and broken, failed product cards.

When Dekan saw Cornelia, a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes, and a smile quickly spread across his face.

"Cornelia, I'm sorry, I was planning to have Cat Teacher bring you the [Blood Investigation Ledger] tonight."

"No, it's okay. Are you hungry?"

Cornelia quickly handed Dekan's dinner forward.

Dekan smiled contentedly and accepted the dinner.

So they all went to the living room.

Dekan ate his dinner, with Cornelia sitting on the other side of the sofa with him.

"How's the production of the new cards going?"

"At the latest, I should be able to try making the finished product by tomorrow."

"Are you really going to make that weird thing you told me about last time, meow?!"

Cat Teacher originally thought it would take Dekan a long time to finish.

Last time at the Tristin Magic Academy, Ice Princess told him that there were some people in the Dekan Kingdom Association who wanted to target him.

Dekan immediately declared that he would not accept this injustice and that once he reached the fourth rank, he would settle accounts with those in the Kingdom Association who had persecuted him.

The overly curious Cat Teacher begged Dekan to reveal his plan to him.

The plan it heard Dekan had was very simple --

Dekan is preparing to create a new card that will make his enemies happy every day.

This is what Dekan called "a masterpiece".

Cat Teacher initially thought it would take Dekan a long time to make this Underworld card.

I didn't expect it to be almost finished.

"Dekan, wasn't the process of making that card dangerous, meow?"

After all, Dekan wanted to create an outrageous card, and if the creation process failed and the card exploded, the explosion could very well blow up Dekan's dormitory.

Cat Teacher has heard that when Dekan was creating [Blood Purification], he almost turned a card that was about to explode into a bomb.

"I'm afraid you'll be scared Cornelia tonight."

"Dekan ..."

Cornelia overheard Dekan and the Cat Teacher's conversation and tugged at Dekan's sleeve with some concern.

However, Dekan simply smiled easily.

"Don't worry, I asked Croix to set up a protective barrier for the workshop beforehand. Even if the card explodes, it won't hurt the neighbors, and I will wear a safety helmet properly."

Dekan's helmet naturally comes with a built-in invulnerability effect: [Crown of Thorns].

The card he's going to make this time is indeed quite dangerous.

If it really explodes, although it won't kill you, the triple pain from the [Crown of Thorns] will knock Dekan unconscious.

We can only wait for Croix to come and rescue him tomorrow morning.

"Okay, see you tomorrow! Good luck!"

Cornelia knew Dekan was busy, so she didn't linger. She picked up Cat Teacher and said goodbye to Dekan.

"Okay, see you tomorrow. I'll succeed."

So, after seeing Cornelia off...

Dekan's relaxed expression turned serious again.

"It's finally time to challenge... the realm above Orange Epic."

He walked into the workshop and looked at his preparations over the past two weeks, talking to himself as if to himself.