Chapter 21
Chapter 21
—–CROW—–
“Gerard suddenly committed suicide. He took his own life before we could get anything out of him.”
“What…?”
Was that why Arieta was present? Did she think I might follow the same path as Gerard?
“He wasn’t in a suicidal mood at all. But then, suddenly, as if he were a puppet being controlled, he slit his own throat without hesitation.”
Tia was interrogating me, but I was too stunned to speak. Gerard committed suicide? Why? Was he overcome with guilt? Or had he finally succumbed to despair? Neither made sense.
“And there’s no trace of anything. It doesn’t make sense. I could understand if it was before the incident, but to evade my detection even after it happened means he used a method I don’t know…”
As she said, there might have been outside interference. But who could possibly deceive her absurdly keen senses?
“What method do you think I wouldn’t know? You understand what I mean, don’t you? Successor of the Mage King.”
The situation had become more complicated than I could have imagined. The only powers that could escape Tia’s detection were divine power, demonic energy, malicious intent, and demonic aura. But I already possessed an ability that could draw Tia’s suspicion.
The power of [Observation].
[Observation] allowed me to conceal mana almost completely. Tia could detect the absence of mana and find me, but it would take time. She suspected that this time gap could be enough to commit a crime. Divine power and demonic energy didn’t have mind control abilities, and there were no yokai students powerful enough to control Gerard within Scientia. That left only two suspects within Scientia: me, who could conceal mana, and the daughter of the [Hades King], who wielded malicious intent.
“It’s humiliating. For me, who wields magic like my own limbs, to use mana in a crime is an insult. But I can’t ignore it. That would be arrogance.”
Scientia’s barrier was meticulously crafted by Tia. Unless she allowed it, no outside force could interfere.
“I’ll ask you directly, Successor of the Mage King.”
It was inevitable that I would be suspected. Tia, who had been sitting on the platform, slowly floated down and hovered in front of me, staring. I could feel the burning rage in her eyes. I felt the chilling presence of death, fueled by her blazing emotions.
“Tell me everything that happened, without leaving anything out.”
“…”
“As you know, I don’t like it when someone plays dirty tricks in my backyard. It’s one thing to underestimate me, but these humans are getting on my nerves, thinking they can get away with anything just because I’ve been lenient.”
“I understand.”
“That’s why I’ve kept those shady bastards like you under my protection and declared that no other bastards can interfere in my territory. Why? Because it’s a pain in the ass! But do I really need to tolerate those who try to do it from the inside?”
“…”
“I don’t want to think you’re the culprit. But I can’t deny that you know something, can I?”
Her gaze was sharp enough to make my skin tingle. As Tia said, I already knew of a being that could bypass her barrier and exert influence. I hadn’t thought much of it before, but there was a good chance Gerard had come into contact with that being.
An existence that could exert influence from the outside, ignoring Tia’s barrier.
The ‘outside existence.’
Gerard had probably gone to check on the ruins of Chrysos. And there, unknowingly, he was affected by the ‘outside existence.’
But I couldn’t tell her that directly. The world was still unaware of their existence, so I couldn’t reveal it. Just knowing that fact would make me a suspect. She might actually try to crack open my head.
“I’m asking you again. If you don’t want to die, tell me everything that happened. Who is the bastard who caused trouble in my backyard, and who do they belong to?”
Furthermore, revealing that would expose Eleanor’s existence. Just knowing that Gerard had gone to Chrysos would make Tia question Eleanor. Revealing her identity wouldn’t be a problem, but if, by any chance, Tia discovered Eleanor’s Key… Knowing her, she might decide to kill Eleanor and take the Key for the sake of world peace.
“…Headmaster, I can’t tell you everything that happened ‘yet.’ However, I want you to know that I am not your enemy.”
I met Tia’s gaze head-on. Looking away would be the same as admitting I had something to hide.
“…Yet?”
It was fine. Considering her personality, she might be suspicious, but she wouldn’t kill me. Yes, that had to be the case.
So, I had to endure the fear and maintain my silence.
“Then how about a Mana Oath…?”
“There’s no need. A shallow oath of words is meaningless. Or do you really want to try it?”
Tia’s brow twitched. I’d tried to show sincerity, but it seemed I’d only stressed her out further.
“Tsk…”
Fortunately, Tia’s intimidating aura vanished. She probably thought I was under some kind of restriction.
I hadn’t lied. The proof was that I hadn’t avoided her gaze. If I were lying, I wouldn’t have been able to meet her eyes. I’d overcome that hurdle.
“Fine, if you can’t tell me ‘yet,’ there’s nothing I can do.”
“…Thank you, Headmaster Tia.”
I realized I’d forgotten to breathe; I was gasping for air. Even though I knew I’d be fine, it had been terrifying.
“But you know, Oz.”
But something felt off. Everything had worked out, yet a chill ran down my spine.
“Even so, don’t you think you crossed a line this time?”
“…I was preventing Professor Gerard’s criminal act of attacking the students.”
“No. You don’t have that authority. Since when did the disciplinary committee start policing the professors? Shouldn’t you have reported it to me?”
“I couldn’t tell you the exact details…”
“Right? I know. So, let’s talk about this incident, leaving aside the things you can’t tell me.”
Tia’s hand lightly tapped my shoulder. The weight of it was frightening.
“You said you weren’t my enemy, so even if you couldn’t tell me everything, you could have at least reported that Gerard’s behavior was suspicious, couldn’t you?”
That small hand slowly moved up from my shoulder and began to caress my neck. The sensation was so chilling that I wondered if my neck was still attached.
“You caused trouble, and I’m the one who delivers the judgment. I even warned you beforehand that I’d rip your neck off if you caused trouble, but you ignored me. You took my warning lightly, didn’t you? So, what kind of judgment do you expect? Tell me, boy.”
“Wait a minute…”
“Now, now, don’t move. You’ll really die this time. I’ll just twist it a little. Just halfway.”
* * *
Despite some unfortunate incidents, I survived, as expected. I didn’t die. Or perhaps, I couldn’t die.
“Haa… Stiff.”
I was in the infirmary. Surprisingly, Scientia had an infirmary. It felt more like a church than a hospital, but it was staffed with clerics trained in healing arts. Come to think of it, since combat students were constantly getting injured, it was natural for there to be an infirmary.
Of course, having my neck half-twisted by Tia wasn’t a natural experience.
“Are you alright?”
“Not really.”
A week had passed since I was admitted, and the only visitor I’d had was Eleanor. Arieta was here too, but she was more my attending physician than a visitor. The official reason for my hospitalization was injuries sustained during the fight with Gerard, but the only one who’d actually injured me was Tia.
That ill-tempered lizard.
“I never imagined Master would prepare such a strategy. Thanks to you, my plan was ruined, you know? Stealing the attention that should have been on me, how could you?”
“…”
Whose fault was that? Of course, Eleanor didn’t know why I’d caused such a scene. Still, it was understandable that she was upset. But I wasn’t going to get angry at this poor attention-seeker. This was the result of my actions. It was better that she didn’t know. It was better for her to be sulking like this than to be suffering and in pain.
“Don’t blame me. You ran into Alexios while running away with Lucia and had your cloak shattered, didn’t you?”
“If I’d only worn one layer, I wouldn’t have suffered so much… I almost threw up when his attack pierced through the cloaks.”
“But with Lucia there, it wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Lucia hadn’t hidden her power. Since Baekyang was also around Eleanor, it wasn’t strange that Lucia had that level of ability.
“That bad girl Lucia disappeared as soon as we encountered the Fist King. Traitor!”
While Eleanor was lightly beaten and rolling on the ground, Lucia apparently blended into the surroundings and escaped. Well, since she didn’t know how the situation would unfold, it would have been a problem if she’d been eliminated and caught near a supervisor.
“Oh, there’s an apple. Who brought this?”
“Arieta.”
“…I see.”
Eleanor briefly glanced at the apple with narrowed eyes, then picked up a knife as if it didn’t matter. And she began to peel the apple with practiced ease. It was truly surprising. Had a royal ever peeled an apple before? I didn’t hold such prejudices.
“Why are you doing that to the apple?”
“…Ahem.”
But now I did. To be able to mutilate an apple so naturally… Yet, she continued to butcher the apple without giving up. Didn’t royals feel guilty about wasting food?
“If you can’t peel it, just put it down. I’ll ask Arieta to peel it when she comes.”
“I-I can do it! I don’t need the Saintess’ help, I can peel it just fine. I’m a swordsman!”
Well… From what I could see, she should give up being a swordsman if that was how she handled a knife. Or was she a swordsman precisely *because* she could mutilate things like this? Then wouldn’t that make her a rather vicious killer?
“Master, by the way, you’ve been looking out the window. Is there something there? And how did you know I wasn’t peeling the apple properly if you weren’t even looking at me?”
“…That’s a mage’s gaze.”
That wasn’t what a mage’s gaze meant at all. It was the effect of [Observation]. Still, with her simple mind, Eleanor would probably understand it in her own way.
“That’s… a little creepy.”
She really had no filter. It was embarrassing, so I wished she would just sparkle her eyes and say it was amazing, like usual.
“Are you sulking? Is that why you’re turning your head away from me?”
“No.”
“Then why have you been acting like that? If I did something wrong, please tell me. I’ll try my best to fix it.”
“My neck still doesn’t turn.”
“Ah…”
Eleanor let out a short sigh and then moved to a spot where she could face me. There was no need for that, but the consideration was appreciated.
“…Are you still mad at me?”
Eleanor hesitated, probably because I’d had [Observation] activated the whole time. I hadn’t cared until now, but her reaction now hurt more than I expected. But it couldn’t be helped. Since I’d been hospitalized, I’d had [Observation] deactivated for less time than it was active. That’s how on edge I was.
“I’m too vulnerable right now.”
I couldn’t stand the anxiety. I didn’t know when or where an assassin might strike. Scientia was safe. I knew it was safe. But I couldn’t help it. It was obvious how tempting a target I would be in my current weakened state, hospitalized with a half-twisted neck.
“Are you anxious?”
“Yeah.”
“I never knew Master could be anxious. I couldn’t even imagine you losing.”
“Don’t say such ominous things.”
Didn’t she know that those words were a flag for my comedic misfortune?
Eleanor giggled at my rebuke, then smiled slyly, as she did when plotting something.
“Then I’ll protect…”
*Knock, knock*
There was a knock at the door.
“Oz, may I come in?”
“Yes, Arieta.”
It was Arieta, the head of the disciplinary committee and my attending physician. She occasionally dropped the honorifics, but she generally spoke formally. She was probably still confused by the recent events. And I, too, had started calling her “Arieta” instead of using a title. I still spoke formally, but somehow, it had become natural.
[Observation – Deactivated]
I deactivated [Observation], which I’d had active continuously. My eyes were tired, and I felt dizzy from using it for so long.
“Uh…?”
At the same time, Eleanor, who had been making eye contact with me, let out a sigh. It was a natural reaction, as my demeanor must have changed drastically.
Arieta was one of the few people who could guarantee my safety. So, I could deactivate [Observation] when I was with her.
“Oh, you have a friend today. I was worried you might not have any friends, so this is a relief.”
“…You have a way with words.”
Arieta giggled as if it were a joke and turned to Eleanor.
“You must be…”
She frowned, as if trying to remember, then spoke cautiously.
“You have a sparkling, jewel-like aura. You were with Oz before, right? The first time I met you, and the time you were brought in.”
“Ahem. Well… we have that kind of relationship.”
“…What kind of relationship is that?”
Arieta tilted her head, confused by Eleanor’s confident demeanor.
“Well…”
“The disciplinary committee and the criminal.”
I stated the objective truth, ignoring Eleanor, who seemed about to start spouting nonsense again. Of course, I wasn’t telling the whole truth. Explaining that this was a game world would only extend my hospital stay. And probably change my ward.
“That’s a lie. Oz always lies.”
“…”
What was that now? Arieta’s unexpected assertion sent shivers down my spine. Could the Saintess not only sense lies but also confirm their falsehood? If so, I’d have to be more careful with my words in the future.
“We’re master and disciple.”
“I don’t know…”
Meanwhile, Eleanor started spouting nonsense again. Arieta quietly shook her head at her outburst. Was she trying to detect a lie? But she seemed to have failed. Well, even I didn’t understand what Eleanor was saying. Eleanor’s sensibilities were different from ordinary people. She was the one who truly belonged in a different ward.
“More importantly, Oz.”
“‘Oz’?”
“…Sir. We’ll have to form parties for the first-year joint training soon. Are you alright?”
When Arieta dropped the honorifics, Eleanor cheerfully latched onto her words, as if asking what was going on. Since Eleanor called me “Master,” her respect for me sometimes intensified. Arieta had unfortunately become a victim of that.
More importantly, the fact that we had to form parties already meant things were getting complicated. It seemed the second chapter of the main story was about to begin. Things were progressing faster than expected. In the game, updates were released every six months, so cursing the developers was a daily routine, but reality was harsh.
“If you don’t have a party yet, would you accept me as a member? I was originally going to form a party with the paladins dispatched from the church, but I didn’t get promoted.”
Her consideration was appreciated. Normally, I would have begged her to join my party, but she was being mindful of my status as the [Successor of the Mage King]. If I formed a party with Arieta, we could easily repel the enemies in Chapter 2. Moreover, a party with two SSR-ranked members was practically game-breaking. It was good enough to start playing right away after rerolling.
“Alright.”
“Then…!”
And just then,
“Then with Master, the Saintess, me, and Lucia, that’s four people, right? We just need one more.”
Eleanor barged in as if it were a matter of course.
“Right?”
Her cheerful smile seemed strangely ominous, unlike usual.
—–CROW—–