Chapter 6
Chapter 6
After that day, Ariel stopped coming to bother me.
Instead…
"……"
Whenever we happened to run into each other on the street, she would glare at me from a distance.
She was looking at me like I was trash, but well, that was understandable.
Still, this was better.
Compared to when she openly talked to me and kept pestering me, this was much more comfortable.
People worrying about others’ gazes is the same now as it has always been.
If time passes like this, the emotions directed at me will eventually fade.
The longer we go without speaking, the more her interest will drift away.
That’s what I’m hoping for, but we’ll have to see how it turns out.
So far, things are looking positive.
After all, the Cradle has been fairly quiet lately.
The Class F coup seems to have cooled down halfway because of my presence, so from now on I’ll just need to keep an eye on things occasionally.
But…
"Um, Senior?"
"……"
"Do you perhaps have a moment?"
And who the hell are you?
Dietrich was fidgeting nervously.
Even though it was the same kind of behavior, when Ariel did it, it felt cute.
When he did it, it felt threatening.
Well, obviously.
"Dietrich…"
He’s the bastard who stabbed me.
I finally managed to shake off one person, and now some unexpected guy shows up.
"…Alright, go ahead."
I was startled, but I didn’t bother showing it.
I already learned from Ariel that running away doesn’t solve anything.
Excellent.
As expected of the kimchi-jjigae recipe.
"Um… is your wound alright?"
"Yeah. I’m fine."
In reality, I still sometimes wake up at night writhing in pain.
It hurt like hell, you bastard.
But if I say that, he’ll definitely worry even more.
Just looking at him, it’s obvious.
He came here to apologize.
No wonder he gave off a similar vibe to Ariel even though they look nothing alike.
It turns out they came for the same reason.
"I’m sorry. I think I was nervous back then and used too much force."
"It’s fine. That kind of thing can happen during a duel."
Unlike with Ariel, I accepted the apology with a textbook response.
For a moment I thought about getting angry, but that would only make him worry more, so I decided to pretend nothing was wrong.
"No, it was my fault. I failed to recognize someone far inferior to me and used excessive strength."
"It’s fin—"
Wait.
What the hell did this bastard just say?
I was quietly listening and suddenly his tone sounded strange.
Was that some kind of advanced insult?
I checked Dietrich’s face while he kept his head bowed, but it didn’t look like that.
Then that means he just made a rude remark completely innocently.
Actually… never mind.
He can deal with his own life.
I’ll probably never see him again anyway.
"Actually, I have a friend."
"…And?"
"He’s really smart."
"Sounds like an impressive friend."
"Oh, you can tell? It seems you had a friend like that too, Senior."
"…?"
Is this bastard messing with me?
…No?
Maybe I’m just being overly sensitive.
Why would he bother mocking me?
"My friend told me that noble students are usually outstanding."
"So you suddenly unleashed sword aura and stabbed me because of that?"
"Yes!"
"That’s not something to answer so enthusiastically."
Don’t sound so proud.
You didn’t do anything right.
Why are you raising your voice like that?
"…Whatever."
Yeah.
What would you know.
This apology was probably your friend’s idea anyway.
If I push the issue here, I’m the only one who loses.
Since I know who that friend is, getting involved would be a bad idea.
"Anyway, you stabbed me because of what your friend said, and you came here to apologize for it. That’s right, isn’t it?"
"Yes! You’re very smart, Senior."
I don’t care how Dietrich sees me.
Even if he ends up disliking me, he’s not the kind of guy who would stab someone again just because of that.
His way of speaking might be awful, but his nature is good.
There’s no real problem there.
But his friend, Cult, is a completely different story.
"I understand everything. So tell your great friend that things were resolved. That way he won’t worry unnecessarily."
Because he was the leader of one of the massive organizations that trampled over the Cradle.
A gathering of fanatics.
The cult of Eden.
Cult knows everything.
He knows that Dietrich will one day become an outstanding swordsman.
He knows how to resolve the crisis within the Hereticus Marquis family.
And he knows what will happen in the future.
The reason Cult, who once wandered through the back alleys, came to know all of this wasn’t complicated.
"Prophet."
"Ah, please come in."
It was simply because he had been born that way.
Cult himself was a prophet chosen directly by God.
A prophet is proof of faith.
Someone who sees the future granted by God and changes fate.
That is why the fanatics can be blindly devoted to that existence alone.
"You may report."
Cult Hereticus, the leader of Eden, spoke with a languid expression.
"Since Olga Hermod assumed the position of chairman, nearly all of the openings we could infiltrate have been closed."
"That would make sense. Even if there were any, they wouldn’t work more than once. And if we’re going to use that opportunity, it should be at a truly critical moment."
"Yes. Also, the paladin candidate, Dietrich, defeated a second-year student in the class placement exam and entered Class S."
"An obvious result."
Cult smiled at the news of his friend’s efforts.
It was a genuine smile.
Perhaps because of that, one of Eden’s followers assumed Cult was in a good mood and added another remark.
"They say it was an overwhelming victory."
"……"
That single sentence was enough to erase Cult’s smile.
Cult knows everything.
For someone like him, listening to reports is merely a process of confirmation.
Why?
If he already knows everything?
"That doesn’t match my calculations."
Because variables like this can appear.
"…Excuse me?"
"It couldn’t have been overwhelming."
The abilities of the current Cradle students are far beyond normal standards.
Like poison brewed within a jar of Gu.
Within the confined space called the Cradle, warriors who had faced and overcome countless trials gathered together.
They were stronger than most knights.
In truth, Dietrich’s chances should have been slim.
"Strange. How could that have happened?"
"M-Maybe it was coincidence? Perhaps he happened to face a weaker opponent, or exploited a momentary opening…"
"Do you really believe that?"
A weak opponent?
An opening?
Such things had vanished during the countless terrorist attacks that struck the Cradle over the past year.
The weak died.
The strong who showed openings died as well.
Only those who survived it all remained.
"The offensive of the demon worshippers of the Lemegeton covered the entire Cradle. So much blood was spilled it was like rain."
Those who survived that time were those who defeated the demon worshippers.
"The young barbarians committed massacres that one would never imagine from their appearance."
So there was no chance they would show openings to the weak.
"Even aside from that, the Cradle suffered twenty-two attacks. If you count the smaller incidents, there were more than fifty."
And several of those were acts carried out by Eden itself.
"So what does that mean? Are you saying someone among the current second-years avoided all of those attacks?"
"That…"
"Ah, it’s possible. Of course it is. If they could see the future."
Cult can see the future.
In exchange, he is gradually losing his eyesight.
But that doesn’t mean he can easily look into the future whenever he wants.
Even the futures he sees are only fragments.
His true strength lies in gathering those fragments and building plans from them.
But what if a future he had already observed changed?
"Haha! It seems the Oracle has finally revealed her tail."
That would mean there was someone else who could see the future.
"Then the person who fought Dietrich was the Oracle?"
"Impossible. If it were the real Oracle, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to be defeated. She knows I’m searching for her. Would she act so carelessly?"
The Oracle hides herself thoroughly.
And the prophet is obsessed with finding her.
All for the sake of a perfect plan.
If the one capable of changing the future is removed, then no one will remain who can disrupt the future he designed.
In other words, she is a target that must be eliminated for the cause of Eden.
"You said Dietrich’s opponent was Johann Damus, correct? That must have been the Oracle’s mistake. She probably never expected Dietrich to end up facing him in that duel. How could she? Even I overlooked the situation while searching for her."
Johann Damus was originally meant to be one of the countless victims of the terrorist attacks against the Cradle.
Whether it was the Oracle’s intention or not, even she probably didn’t expect saving him would lead to this situation.
Which is natural.
What were the chances that Dietrich, Cult’s card, and Johann Damus, the Oracle’s card, would meet as duel opponents during the class placement exam?
"God is guiding me."
A coincidence that even fate could not interfere with.
If that was not God’s will, then what was?
"Bring him to me. It seems I’ll have to open his head myself."
"Yes, Prophet!"
And so Johann, who had done absolutely nothing, faced yet another wave of unfair misfortune.
I have one particular skill.
That skill is avoiding attention.
More precisely, blending naturally into the surroundings.
It’s something I naturally learned in order to survive a year in the Cradle.
Come to think of it, I never played Promotion Tale that seriously.
I was a casual player.
Because of that, I’m different from those self-proclaimed veterans, the so-called lunatics who claim to remember every event in the game.
The only things I remember are the major incidents.
"Hmm…"
Because of that, I developed a habit of always observing my surroundings wherever I go.
It’s a survival technique.
If I notice even the slightest abnormality, I run immediately.
The reason I’m this cautious is because I sometimes go outside the Cradle.
During my first year, the inside of the Cradle was actually more dangerous than the outside.
But now the relationship has reversed.
The outer defenses of the Cradle are still intact, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of lunatics wandering around outside.
That’s why going out requires a lot of preparation.
"My disguise is perfect, though…"
Unless I plan to spend my entire life inside the dormitory, going outside is necessary.
No one can survive three years eating nothing but dorm cafeteria food.
Freedom to go out.
That’s why I chose polymorph and camouflage magic.
It’s the greatest achievement of my entire year.
It’s already been tested.
I’ve used it to sneak out and enjoy myself several times.
At least, I should have.
But…
"This feels wrong."
Something strange keeps appearing.
Distortions in space.
Movements that look strangely hurried.
The sensation of someone’s gaze piercing into me.
"If it’s this obvious, they’ve been following me since the moment I left the Cradle."
Why?
What did I even do?
If the target was simply a student of the Cradle, there would be no reason to go this far.
I’m not the only student going out on weekends.
Why single me out like this?
But they clearly targeted me.
And not just one or two people.
A group.
The reason is…
"No seriously, why?"
I have no idea.
I can’t even guess.
But I do know one thing.
This situation is bad.
"Hoo…"
I need to shake them off.
All these gazes and this surveillance.
Fortunately, I’m prepared for it.
I know someone is watching me, but I haven’t shown it outwardly.
If I blend into the crowd and suddenly reverse direction after changing my appearance with polymorph and camouflage, what would happen?
It’s the most reliable method.
But I only have one chance to try it.
So I need to start in the most crowded place possible.
"Oh, how much is this?"
"One silver."
"Wow, that’s robbery, old man. You’re selling this for one silver? Come on, give me a discount. I’ll buy two. One’s for a gift."
Pretending to be distracted by random items along the street, I slowly shift my movement path.
Not moving directly.
Instead, letting myself be naturally drawn to interesting and delicious things as I head toward a crowded area.
And the moment I finally arrive at the most densely packed place.
"……"
My eyes meet a clown.
A clown wearing flashy clothes and heavy makeup.
As if he were invisible.
Despite his ridiculous appearance, not a single person around us was looking at him.
The moment my eyes met that strange figure standing in the middle of the crowd, I finally understood the situation.
"Wait… seriously?"
There’s more than one group involved?
The group that has been following me and the clown in front of me are completely separate groups.
Even their approach toward me is clearly different.
One side is secretly monitoring and surrounding me.
The other is openly revealing themselves.
"No seriously, what the hell did I even do…"
Faced with the countless offers of handshakes directed at me, I didn’t know what to do.