Webtoon: Noblesse

(Y/n)'s POV

"Hey (Y/n), are you coming?" Regis asked.

Hesitantly nodding my head, I nimbly reached for his outstretched hand as he led me to Frankenstein's school. Being stuck inside for almost my whole life, I have had very little interaction with other humans.

Upon realising this, Rai had invited me to visit him at a school in which humans attended. I took in the structure of the grounds and compared it to the various buildings that I had searched up online.

Nothing seemed too different but a few presences heightened my already cautious movements. Besides Rai and Frankenstein, there were three other...abnormal 'beings' residing nearby.

Tugging at my hand, Regis led me into the principal's office. After our arrival, the three presences I had sensed before entered the room. Shyly hiding behind Regis, I peeked over his shoulder to inspect the men.

"This is (Y/n)," Frankenstein introduced.

"Is she a noble?" asked the purple-haired man.

"Yes, she is. (Y/n), these three are the security guards, Tao, Takeo and M21."

"N-nice to meet y-you."

"I'm sorry but she hasn't had much interaction with others. She has talked to most nobles but is only comfortable around a few, master and Regis included. I've called you here to give her a tour of the place, but please understand that she may be a little...hesitant at times," Frankenstein explained.

"That's fine with us, boss. Come on (Y/n), let's go," Tao said happily.

I tightened my grip on Regis's hand but he gently pushed me forward. The man known as Tao held out his hand for me to take. Regis flashed a small smile and nodded.

I grabbed the male's hand before I was led away from the office. Walking along the seemingly empty hallways, I couldn't help but risk a glance at the three men during this peaceful silence.

Takeo caught my eye and smiled. I immediately looked down and tightened my grasp on Tao's hand as I swallowed the nervousness rising in my throat.

"So what kinda weapon do you have?" asked Tao.

"T-twin blades."

"Takeo here's a skilled sniper and M21's a werewolf."

"W-what about you?"

"I'm only the best hacker you could ever meet."

"Stop showing off," M21 exclaimed.

"But I'm just stating the truth."

"And I'm only questioning it."

This made me giggle before I could stop myself. The three men looked at me before smiles graced their faces. We arrived at what seemed to be the security room, making me look around in curiosity and confusion.

"We heard from Regis that you were a good hacker. Tao wanted to see your skills...hence why we were forced to come here," explained Takeo.

Tao gently pushed me down into a chair and turned it so that I was facing the multiple computer screens on the wall. After a few clicks, he had directed the commands to display a variety of different games.

"Beat me in these," he said.

"Oi, don't you think that's a bit too much?-"

"N-no, I'll gladly a-accept his c-challenge."

"(Y/n), are you sure? He...tends to go a little overboard with these things," Takeo exclaimed.

"T-thank you for y-your concern, but I'll b-be fine."

Setting my fingers on the keyboard, I looked over at Tao for the signal to start.

"The only thing you have to do is win," he stated before nodding.

I immediately began tapping on the keys and inputting commands to bypass the firewalls he had set up in advance. Hmph, talk about fairness. I sent multiple viruses and bugs towards his screens while trying to win the games.

Having played these games in my solitude, I harboured some experience in the structure of these seemingly difficult tasks. I could feel M21 and Takeo looking between us in an attempt to decide the winner although I doubted they knew what was going on.

Eh?! Why did he have to send such a dangerous virus?! I could feel his smirk from where I sat. This simply added fuel to the fire lighting my determination.

~Some time later~

"I can't believe it turned out to be a tie..." M21 commented.

"(Y/n), I acknowledge your skills but next time, I'll win for sure," Tao exclaimed.

"I-I don't plan on l-losing."

He laughed before pulling me into a side hug while ruffling my hair. A small blush formed on my cheeks as I wasn't used to this kind of intimidate interaction.

Upon seeing my reaction, they laughed, making my cheeks darken the already red colour present. I pouted and cast my eyes away from their gazes.

"We're going on patrol for the remainder of the school day," Takeo said.

"Okay, let's go," Tao replied.

I was left with no room to voice my concerns as Tao once again took my hand in his and led me to the rooftop of the school. The wind blew gently against our faces as we leaned against the fence.

M21 and Takeo had left to make their rounds, leaving Tao and I alone in the silence of the afternoon. Sighing in content, I gathered my courage to thank him for today only to be interrupted by a test subject from the Union.

It had already gone beyond the brink of sanity. He was left with nothing but an enhanced body that harboured something similar to insanity. Tao placed a hand on my shoulder before taking a step forward.

"Let me take care of him. Boss'll get mad if you're hurt," he exclaimed.

"T-that creature is weak. I-I am capable o-of killing it."

"Please, don't dirty your hands with scum like him. It'll be over quickly, I promise."

I lost my chance to protest as he charged forward and got out a whip. Watching closely for any signs of the enemy's possible reinforcements, I didn't let my guard down.

Hearing a noise behind me, I quickly turned around to find two more. Summoning my twin blades, I finished them off with one slash. That was when a suspicious man appeared and pierced my stomach with a knife.

"(Y/n), I've heard so much about you. It's such a shame you weren't able to live up to my expectations," he exclaimed sadly.

"Yuri! Get away from her!" Tao yelled.

"Tao, help (Y/n)!"

Frankenstein appeared in the nick of time and fought off the intruder as Tao ran towards me and pressed his hands against the wound. I winced, finding it difficult to bear the pain.

"Don't you dare close your eyes."

"I-I'm...trying..."

"You're a noble...so use your power..."

"I-I'm weak...Tao."

"No, you're not! Help is on the way. Just hold on until then."

"D-do...you believe in me?..."

"Of course I do, so you have to trust in me too. You will survive."

I smiled through the tears streaming down my cheeks. Tao...thank you...