Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Right after returning to the Cradle.
I went straight to the chairman Olga Hermode and headed to her office.
At first, I thought about leaving it to Robelia, but I had no idea what kind of price she might demand if I did, so I decided against it.
But the chairman was different. If you paid such an expensive tuition, you had to work for it.
“I clearly said at the start of the semester that my office is always open, and you should come with a relaxed mind. Did you know that was just for show?”
“Who wouldn’t know that? But spilled water can’t be gathered again, so even if it’s for show, what can we do? You’ll have to deal with it.”
“Sigh……”
“Serve tea instead of coffee.”
“Now you’re ordering things I didn’t even ask for,”
Even so, Olga Hermode poured me tea.
The fragrant aroma of black tea accompanied by sweet cookies.
After all, the treatment for a guest wasn’t shabby.
“Did you come just to eat snacks?”
I eagerly chewed the cookies that came with the tea.
It made sense. I hadn’t eaten anything when I went for a proper meal. I was completely drained.
It was only after I got into the Cradle that I felt safe enough to realize I was hungry.
“Phew……”
After substituting lunch with cookies, I explained everything to Olga Hermode, who watched me with a tired expression but patiently waited.
Someone in F-Class was disrupting the atmosphere.
The goal was a coup.
There was likely outside interference.
And I even had circumstantial evidence pointing to who was behind it and which side the external involvement belonged to.
“Hmm……”
After listening, Olga Hermode sipped her tea and let out a deep sigh.
The F-Class coup plan.
No one in their right mind would think such an absurd plan could succeed.
No matter how strong, it would be impossible to beat all the faculty, including Olga Hermode.
They were authorities in their respective fields.
Unless it was a teacher in a non-combat department, they could handle an assault from F-Class easily.
So this F-Class coup would be resolved at the student level.
Then, did those instigating it not realize this?
Did they genuinely believe this ridiculous plan would succeed?
No, the point of the F-Class coup wasn’t success, but the price of failure.
Expulsion of F-Class students.
Cradle’s talent, shaped like gems from rough stones through a year of trials, was the target.
People seek God when in despair. Yes, Eden thrives on that despair and desperation.
Negative emotions like anger and inferiority fuel the power of black magicians. The Under Chain draws them in or uses them as sacrifices.
So there were two likely possibilities, and I drew a conclusion this time.
At first, I thought it was Eden.
Given the recent attacks and lack of reason, I naturally connected them.
But after encountering the cult, I realized they weren’t targeting F-Class students—they were aiming at the Oracle side.
And then there was another faction coming after me.
It was unfair that these lunatics came after someone who did nothing, but if they were trying to overthrow F-Class, I would have been an obstacle.
“So, I helped Johann with his training at the training ground, but I don’t know the student’s name.”
“Yes.”
“I spoke with him directly, and although he’s in F-Class, I still don’t know his name.”
“Yes!”
“I thought of that girl immediately when I found a strand of hair in the dining hall, like a pervert, but still, I don’t know her name. I think she’s the culprit.”
“Yes……! Wait, what are you thinking right now?”
“Well, sometimes it happens. You get hostile toward someone who describes things suspiciously accurately.”
“……”
“It’s common with adolescent students. No need to be embarrassed. Since becoming chairman of the Cradle, I’ve mostly seen jaded students, so seeing someone like you is refreshing.”
Olga Hermode smiled softly.
It was the first time I’d seen her like that, and yet it irritated me.
Lives were at stake, and she acted like a teenager hearing a first-love confession.
“I’m serious.”
“Yes, you are serious.”
“It’s not that. My life is on the line!”
“Of course. Feeling that way isn’t strange. Don’t be alarmed.”
“Are you insane?”
Why did both Robelia and Olga Hermode make me, normally calm, curse in frustration?
“I was attacked by the Under Chain earlier!”
“Yes, I understand. We’ll investigate that as well, so focus on your studies. And just in case, don’t cross any lines.”
“……”
Her tone suggested she knew everything but was letting it slide, which made me uneasy.
Could it really be ruined because of some misunderstanding?
This is insane.
An unexpected obstacle.
Chairman Olga Hermode wasn’t taking my reports of two recent attacks seriously.
No matter what I said, that crazy old woman reduced it to a teenager’s first-love story, leaving me in constant anxiety.
She said she would help, but how could I trust that?
Back to square one. Still, at least it forced me to stay rational.
Strictly speaking, it felt like being dunked headfirst into ice water.
Anyway, I realized the evidence I presented meant nothing.
Just a single strand of hair.
It wasn’t enough to be sure the pink-haired extra was the culprit.
Right……
“Wasn’t it serious?”
“……”
“I didn’t expect Johann to be there either. Well… the food at that dining hall is good. Even if he knew, it wouldn’t be strange, right?”
Unless I saw him myself, I couldn’t confirm anything.
“But Johann is weak, so going outside too much isn’t good.”
Right after leaving the chairman’s office, the pink-haired extra I ran into in the hallway said this.
It was like a warning.
“Then see you next time.”
She left her mark on my mind and went.
Time to summarize.
Who is the traitor inciting F-Class students?
So far, the pink-haired extra is a strong candidate.
But one thing needs clarification.
“Is there a guarantee that there’s only one traitor?”
There could still be multiple traitors.
Deciding the culprit was the pink-haired extra too quickly could cause serious trouble.
So far, I identified three suspects.
First, Jeff.
Second, the pink-haired student.
Third… what was her name? Anyway, there was a girl who looked at me strangely.
Honestly, she wasn’t really a suspect. I just didn’t like her.
And now, she’s completely off the suspect list.
The black magicians from the Under Chain who attacked us hadn’t noticed Robelia.
If she were the traitor, she wouldn’t have ignored such important information.
So paradoxically, she is the only one fully cleared from suspicion in F-Class.
But that doesn’t help much.
Most of those present knew I had left F-Class at Robelia’s call.
No, they had to know.
“……?”
Wait, something’s wrong.
Everyone was there.
Jeff, the pink-haired student, most of F-Class.
So how did the Under Chain not realize I had left?
Could this be just a coincidence?
Or was the F-Class traitor not fully committed?
Questions kept piling up.
Then suddenly, I thought of a solution.
“No, there’s no need for that.”
I came up with a perfect solution.
A few days passed.
I trained in the practice hall every day, swinging my sword.
So much that most students would have already returned to the dorms after training, and I was still swinging.
Anyone who knew me before might think, “Finally, you’ve woken up!”
I had prepared for this in advance, metaphorically loading a tear.
“I’ve been attacked twice. I hate my powerless self.”
Fire.
“How could that happen……!”
“Ah! You were thinking that. We understand.”
“We’ll help, Johann!”
The motivation was there. External forces had created the situation, though I didn’t intend it.
Eden and the Under Chain bastards.
I explained this to anyone asking why I suddenly devoted myself to training.
But would I really?
I was the type to quit after three days.
Honestly, after the first day of sword training, I even thought of giving up immediately.
I had no talent for swordsmanship.
And magic too.
My concentration was weak.
So training anything would have the same effect.
Yes.
All of this was a trap to lure the culprit.
Surprisingly, I used myself as bait, like a protagonist in a story.
And the day came.
“Phew……”
Late at night.
I put down my sword after swinging it diligently alone in the hall.
The visitor I had been waiting for arrived.
A shadowed figure, drawing a cold sword.
I checked the intruder with a firm expression.
“I see you’ve come.”
I knew who it was.
He had already inflicted a serious wound on me before.
With overwhelming talent, the only first-year who could defeat a second-year.
A promising swordsman Eden wanted to make a Paladin of the Church.
I called his name with a trembling voice.
“Dietrich.”
“……”
Sword Saint, Dietrich.
He said nothing.
He merely drew endless sword energy from his blade with a blank expression.
“Hmm.”
Witnessing that tremendous force, I muttered under my breath.
“What the… is that……”
What is that? How is that sword energy? That’s just a lightsaber!
The sight was far beyond what I expected. I reached to stop Dietrich, but…
Clang!
Dietrich ignored me.
In an instant, his sword closed the distance, breaking my sword at once.
A tingling pain ran up my palm. Fortunately, the broken sword reduced the impact.
I had blocked it, at least.
Now, if only I could reach a compromise with Dietrich…
“Wait……!”
Crash!
Trying to resist with the broken sword again, Dietrich’s strike shattered it once more.
“Senior! Don’t worry! I won’t hurt you!”
“No, I said wait……”
“One, two!”
Thud!
A cold sensation.
And sharp pain.
“Argh!”
Dietrich’s sword pierced my body completely.
The next day.
Johann Damus, who had been practicing all night, was taken to the ICU after the intruder’s attack.
Eyewitnesses reported he suffered a penetrating wound from the sword with an incredible amount of bleeding.
He is currently in ICU, unconscious.
The culprit has not been caught.
“Damn…….”
Robelia stiffened upon hearing the report early in the morning.
She was angry.
How dare someone touch her friend?
Of course, if Johann heard, he might have a fit, but for Robelia, this was serious.
If anyone was harassed, it should have been her.
“Bring that culprit in front of me, no matter what.”
She immediately ordered her subordinates.
Anyone who touched what was hers would pay the price.