The Culprit Is Among Us
I saw the first-year students from my group, who had come to eat earlier than the others, collapsing helplessly with blood spilling from their mouths. As Sylvia had shouted, the symptoms the fallen students were displaying were clear: Mana Poisoning. When one is poisoned by mana beyond a certain concentration, the body begins to die, causing the victim to vomit blood like that. It was my first time seeing it with my own eyes, but I knew it well from having read about it countless times in Academy’s Holy Swordsman. I also knew exactly what would happen to those who showed these symptoms if they didn't receive proper treatment immediately.
A voice echoed incessantly in my head, laughing as if mocking the situation.
"Ahahahaha, ahahahahat!"
My heart was pounding so hard I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I was panicked because an incident like this had never occurred in the original story. "Let's burn it all down!" My breathing grew shallow, as if I were about to retch. I was confused because I had never faced such an emergency. "Burn everything to ash!" My hands and feet were trembling so violently that my prosthetic arm clattered against the table. I was terrified, wondering if this was happening because I had changed the fate that was supposed to unfold. "I hate the world that made me like this! So, everything—"
Feeling my thoughts freezing amidst the panic, confusion, and fear, I stared blankly at my trembling hands, then saw Mei collapsed in the seat next to me, writhing in pain. Thwack! A sound rang out. It was the sound of me slamming my own head. After doing that, the voice in my head felt a little quieter. ...Let’s pull myself together. Think about what I’m most afraid of, what I’m most anxious about. Losing someone precious while being unable to do anything—that would surely be the worst.
Biting my lip to regain my focus, I quickly scanned the surroundings. There were twelve students collapsed in total. Including myself, there were only three who were fine. But there was no need to despair like a fool. The two people left besides me, Yoon Siwoo and Sylvia, were the very people who had led and endured until the end even amidst the mana in the original story, which had been far worse than this.
As soon as the things I needed to do were organized in my head, I gave instructions to Sylvia, who was looking at me in confusion after I had punched myself. "Sylvia! I'm fine, so please look after the kids first! You can purify mana, right?"
The power of the Star Spirit that Sylvia wielded was the polar opposite of mana. Because of that, she possessed far superior abilities in mana purification than other mages who handled purification magic. Hearing my words, Sylvia hurriedly emitted light from her hands and began to purify Mei, who was closest, but her expression was grim. "It's possible, but doing it all at once is too much! I don't know how long the others can hold out while I'm purifying..."
The fact that the symptoms were so clearly visible meant their condition was quite critical. She was saying that since the children's bodies were already dying rapidly, there was a possibility they wouldn't be able to hold out until she finished purifying them. However, there was a solution for that, too.
"I think I can handle that."
Yoon Siwoo pulled a large greatsword out of thin air. As he closed his eyes and let go of the sword, it floated in the air on its own and emitted light. Then, in an instant, a barrier unfolded, enveloping the surroundings. It was the Holy Sword of Protection, which had the ability to create barriers. The material of the Holy Sword of Protection was Mithril, a metal that only dwarves could handle. Mithril was lighter and much sturdier than other metals, but above all, it was a precious metal with the property of suppressing mana. Perhaps that was why those inside the barrier created by the Holy Sword of Protection were less affected by the mana.
Having a versatile munchkin as a comrade was truly reassuring.
"If you stay inside this, your condition won't improve, but it won't worsen quickly either."
"...You have all sorts of abilities. But, thanks to you, we survived. Thank you, Yoon Siwoo."
Hearing Yoon Siwoo's words, Sylvia confirmed that the momentum of the children's deteriorating physical condition had subsided, and she began purifying the children with a relieved expression. Fortunately, because we had taken action quickly, it seemed unlikely that the worst-case scenario would occur. Of course, there was no use in me staying there, so I only checked on Mei's face, which was gradually improving thanks to Sylvia's purification, and ran out of the cafeteria.
I informed the teachers of what had happened and requested support by finding people who could purify mana. The cafeteria began to bustle with the people who had gathered. However, the expressions of those who had gathered were all serious. It couldn't be helped. No matter how much the academy was depicted in other novels as a place with poor security that got raided every other day, Aegis Academy had guards protecting the entrance. The guards protecting the entrance of an academy where 95% of the internal members were heroes were naturally not pushovers. Unless most of the available forces were leaked to the outside, like when the incident occurred in the gymnasium, those guards would guard the entrance from the time school started until school ended, and they would patrol periodically once the doors were closed.
Since magic was cast on the academy grounds themselves, teleportation was impossible, and there was no way to enter or exit other than through the entrances. It was a place where ironclad security was maintained, with the identities of people entering and leaving checked one by one by the guards. Yet, it was impossible that a terror attack by mana had occurred in such a place in broad daylight. And the news that had just come from the guards was conveyed to everyone. The guards said there was no record of any outsiders not registered at the school entering recently. Everyone's expressions hardened even more. They were all people who took pride in their work. They were people who believed that those they worked with were surely the same. That was why the truth was all the more painful. However, even if they didn't want to admit it, all the circumstances were saying the same thing. Like the line from a cartoon I saw once, the culprit is among us.
Looking out the window, rain was pouring down in torrents.
An investigation to find the culprit from within began. The three of us—myself, Yoon Siwoo, and Sylvia—who hadn't collapsed despite eating with the students in the cafeteria, were also called in as important witnesses and questioned by the teachers. They called us "important witnesses," but honestly, we were no different from suspects. Still, I thought it was a situation where it was reasonable to suspect even me.
One by one, we began to explain how we hadn't succumbed to the mana. Sylvia, who was taking a break while treating the children, emitted light from her hands at the questioning spot and explained.
"I am the successor of the Astra family. The fact that a contractor of the Star Spirit can resist mana is even written in textbooks. Do I still have to be suspected?"
Honestly speaking, it didn't seem like the teachers suspected Sylvia either. They seemed to think that the successor of a prestigious family, and a member of the Astra family, famous for defeating witches with all their might, would never commit an act of terror using mana.
Yoon Siwoo, who was questioned next, took out the Holy Sword of Indomitability, which looked like a one-handed gladius, instead of the Holy Sword of Protection that was still floating in the cafeteria.
"...It's a sword called the Holy Sword of Indomitability. If you carry it, it improves your recovery, physical ability, defense, and magic resistance to some extent. Mana resistance, too. This thing contains Mithril."
Unlike the performance of the Holy Sword of Protection, the Holy Sword of Indomitability applied only to the individual, but it granted resistance strong enough that one wouldn't be affected by mana in most cases. Because of that sword, Yoon Siwoo could run wild in the original story without worrying about being poisoned by mana. Well, that wasn't 100% either. Anyway, the teachers seemed quite agitated at the mention of Mithril. This was because after the dwarves, the only race capable of handling Mithril, were almost driven to extinction along with their city several hundred years ago, equipment made of Mithril itself had become extremely precious.
With Yoon Siwoo finishing his explanation, it was my turn. And from the moment I was called in like this, I felt that I was in big trouble.
"How did you not get poisoned by mana?"
Among the gathered teachers, the student dean, who looked particularly menacing, asked me in a terrifying voice. I hesitated for a moment before answering.
"...I don't know."
"...You don't know?"
"Yes... I just seem to have that kind of constitution..."
At my answer, the teachers' eyes turned sharp. Honestly, I also thought this was an absurd answer. Even among the people of the Dolos family, who were said to be the most physically gifted, it was rare for anyone to be able to withstand mana with their bare bodies. But I didn't know the real reason, so I had no choice. If I had to guess, I had thought about whether it might be because of the witch's heart fragment embedded in my body, but I wasn't sure, and I couldn't answer like that either. I could see Yoon Siwoo and Sylvia, who knew that, feeling even more restless than me.
Anyway, my answer must have sounded quite suspicious, as the teacher asked me in an even more terrifying voice than before.
"...It seems you're in the Cooking Club."
"...Yes."
As soon as those words came out, everyone's eyes widened. I could tell that suspicious gazes were pouring toward me. The Cooking Club's room was the kitchen. In other words, it was a place attached to the cafeteria. It wouldn't be strange at all if they thought I had set up some kind of device in the kitchen beforehand.
"...You didn't do this, did you?"
"I really didn't."
I claimed my innocence, but honestly, would anyone believe such words in this situation? It was the moment I thought this was a bit troublesome.
"Scarlet didn't do it!"
"...That's right, Scarlet is not the culprit."
Sylvia and Yoon Siwoo, who were sitting in the corner, jumped up and shouted. The teachers' gazes turned to the two of them. It was a fierce look, as if to say that wanting to believe me because of their friendship wouldn't work. But Sylvia didn't tremble at that pressure and spoke calmly.
"The incident happened during lunchtime. Scarlet has been with me ever since she came to school, so she cannot be the culprit."
"Since she's in the Cooking Club, she could have tampered with the ingredients in the kitchen in advance."
"Cooking Club activities are on Fridays. And she was absent from school last Friday because she was sick. The last time she entered the kitchen would have been two weeks ago on Friday, so it's unlikely that something she tampered with in such old ingredients would explode today."
Sylvia defended me logically. It was a grateful thing. My testimony, as the one suspected of being the culprit, might be hard for the teachers to believe. It was much more credible for someone else to prove my whereabouts than for me to tell them myself. Whether it was effective, the teacher softened his expression a little and asked me.
"I see. I'll ask one last thing, so answer truthfully. What did you do yesterday?"
"...Yesterday?"
"Yes. Monday's ingredients are brought in on Sunday. I don't think you tampered with them, but I'm asking just in case. We'll investigate what you did yesterday, and if it matches your statement, you'll be completely cleared of suspicion."
Fortunately, it seemed I was cleared of suspicion. It was the moment I was about to open my mouth, recalling what had happened yesterday. But just then, Yoon Siwoo suddenly spoke up. Sweating profusely, as if he were nervous.
"...There's no need for that. I... I can tell whether a person is telling the truth or a lie. Scarlet didn't lie."
I was surprised by Yoon Siwoo's sudden remark. Yoon Siwoo didn't want others to know he had such an ability. He was afraid that others might avoid talking to him because of it. So, I was grateful that Yoon Siwoo was trying to prove my innocence to that extent, but I was also flustered. He could have just cleared the suspicion by saying what he did on Sunday. However, the teacher seemed interested in Yoon Siwoo's words and asked him.
"Is that true? Then let me ask a few questions. I have a beloved daughter. Does this sound like the truth?"
"It's the truth."
"Hmm, well, you could guess this much by luck. Then the next question. My favorite novel is a romance novel. Does this sound like the truth?"
At the teacher's question, Yoon Siwoo answered with a subtle expression.
"...It's the truth."
"Correct. This is interesting."
The expressions of the people listening changed strangely at the words that a person who looked like he was filming a live-action slasher movie would say something like "How boring." Well, reading romance novels isn't a bad thing...
"Last question. My hobbies are cross-stitching and collecting dolls. Does this sound like the truth?"
"...You're much more feminine than I thought, teacher."
At Yoon Siwoo's answer, the surroundings buzzed. ...Still, well, one must respect personal tastes.
"It seems it really is the truth. It seems like a useful ability for finding the culprit, so can I ask for your cooperation? Instead, as I said earlier, I will clear you and your friends of all suspicion."
As Yoon Siwoo nodded, the teacher sighed.
"Phew, I didn't think you were the culprits from the start, but this is also a thankless job. Who knew it would be this exhausting to have to suspect colleagues or students? How can you think that way about people you're supposed to stand back-to-back with and risk your lives for? Damn it."
The teacher who said that looked genuinely exhausted. I thanked the two people who had worked hard for me. Sylvia laughed, saying that if it was defense, it was Astra's specialty, and Yoon Siwoo looked away, blushing for some reason. After saying goodbye to the children and turning away, I hardened my expression. It was fortunate that I was cleared of suspicion, but nothing had been revealed yet, and the case was still a mystery. I had to catch the culprit. Before they caused another incident.