Chapter 213
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 213
The shock hit me like a physical blow.
“This is…”
Staring blankly at the entry in Roen’s diary, I recalled the events of last summer vacation.
Morefit—a small mountain village I had briefly stopped at on my way to the Devalis estate. There, I had been attacked by the village chief and his son-in-law, Duron. Their motive was revenge for the chief’s daughter, Amy, whom the original Roen had supposedly killed.
At the time, I didn’t know the details of Roen’s past, but I learned from Duron the secret story of how Roen had allegedly fed Amy poison under the guise of medical treatment. Hearing only that, it was easy to assume that Roen, notorious for his "trash" behavior, had simply caused another tragedy.
However...
When I was leaving the village, Amy’s young son thanked me instead.
It was a final message Amy had asked the boy to deliver just before she died.
The chief and Duron’s vengeful fury, and the gratitude of Amy and her son.
These two things were in clear contradiction. At the time, I couldn’t reconcile the discrepancy and simply moved on, but the contents of Roen’s diary finally allowed me to deduce what had truly happened that day.
Shhk—.
With a trembling hand, I traced the words ‘demonic energy detection’ and ‘ley line purification’ in the diary.
Roen didn’t simply kill a woman named Amy.
And he certainly hadn’t intended to use her corpse for some twisted alchemy experiment. On the contrary...
Roen freed Amy from her long suffering.
And in doing so, he saved the lives of everyone in Morefit village. It sounded absurd at first, but it became a plausible deduction the moment I changed the fundamental premise.
[Roen is an evil man.]
That was a premise known to everyone on the continent. But was Roen truly evil? Was he really the villain of the rumors—the one who extorted commoners and used people as lab rats for alchemy?
If that were true, why would he write something like this in his own encrypted diary, a place where no one else could ever see it? What did the contents of this diary truly signify?
“…”
I bit my lip, staring down at the pages.
This diary contains Roen’s hidden, true feelings—the ones he never revealed to a soul.
The words written here might be the only true record of his actions. Contrary to his reputation, could it be that Roen harbored a righteous heart? If I expanded my thoughts based on that possibility, I might finally reach the truth.
“Hoo.”
Letting out a deep sigh, I began to reconstruct the events based on the diary.
According to these entries, it’s true that Roen often left the Devalis main estate to visit nearby villages.
But it wasn’t to collect "protection money" or torment the common folk as the rumors claimed. Rather, it was more reasonable to assume he was working to eliminate threats in each village and ensure the safety of the residents.
The same applied to Morefit. During one of his patrols, he must have discovered that the village’s ley lines were contaminated with demonic energy. He realized this was the true cause of Amy’s illness. Demonic energy tends to corrupt the frail first, and Amy was its primary victim.
So far, this was a simple deduction, but a specific memory surfaced in my mind, reinforcing the theory.
…Come to think of it.
I remembered feeling a strange magical presence the moment I crossed the border into Morefit. It was a very faint sensation, but thinking back now, I was certain. It was undoubtedly the remnant of demonic energy. It lined up perfectly with the mention of ley line purification in the diary.
And then there were the other rumors.
According to the stories, Roen periodically visited villages to confiscate the commoners’ belongings.
This, too, was addressed in the diary.
‘Demonic energy detected in villagers’ household items. Must be collected and compensated with money.’
That single entry explained everything.
Demonic energy tends to cling to objects humans use frequently or those imbued with strong desires.
It was easy to understand if I recalled the various tools Elena used when she performed the Rite of Souls in the dungeon. Tools familiar to humans can act as mediums to either console their grudges or corrupt them. I could deduce that Roen had been periodically collecting these items to prevent the villagers from falling into corruption.
However, judging by the villagers’ hostility toward him, Roen probably didn’t compensate them directly. He likely provided support secretly, using the Devalis family’s name.
This line of reasoning, based on the ley line purification and the collection of items, explained a great deal. But how on earth did Roen manage to purify the demonic energy contaminating Morefit’s ley lines? And by what means could he have understood Amy’s thoughts and the state of her illness at a glance, or detected the faint demonic energy on mundane objects?
The answer to those questions was...
The Dark Spirit, Kavelthar.
I recalled the logs that appeared when Kavelthar hatched from its egg.
It said a broken contract had been re-established.
It also mentioned that sealed abilities would be reawakened. From this, I could infer that Roen had commanded Kavelthar in the past. This also corresponded to the phrase ‘memory investigation results’ in Roen’s diary entry from July 19th.
Kavelthar possessed an ability called [Memory Fragment], which allowed it to read the memories of others. He must have used this ability to read the memories of the ailing Amy. After learning of her true wish—to not bring any more harm to her family—and the incurable state of her illness, he must have granted her a peaceful end.
Furthermore, with Kavelthar’s exceptional ability to manipulate demonic energy, he could have purified the contaminated ley lines of Morefit... no, he could have absorbed the demonic energy clinging to them. He would have been able to detect the faint traces on the villagers’ belongings as well.
“Hoo.”
With a heavy sigh, I concluded my long train of thought. Ultimately, this deduction led to one single, undeniable truth.
Contrary to what is known, Roen not only freed Amy from her suffering but also saved the entire village of Morefit.
He had probably been doing similar things in other villages as well. Given the Devalis territory’s proximity to the Great Wall, it wouldn’t be strange for ley lines to become contaminated with demonic energy at any time.
The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. Roen wasn’t actually a villain; all his actions had a purpose. As I continued my deductions under this assumption, every mystery was chillingly resolved.
“…”
It was a shocking truth that twisted the very foundation of every premise and piece of information I had known until now. If this was the case, I began to wonder if Roen’s other notorious reputations also hid similar stories.
But questions still remained.
[Karma Points +5]
What were these ‘Karma Points’ mentioned in the diary? And why did Roen never reveal his actions to others? There had to be a reason why he kept it a secret, even if it meant shouldering a false reputation.
To solve this mystery, I scanned through all the unlocked entries, but I couldn’t find any more clues.
Is this as far as I can go for now?
In the end, I closed the diary, unable to resolve all my lingering doubts.
*
“It’s been a while.”
The next day. The Student Council Office.
The Student Council Presidents of the Four Great Academies had gathered in one place. We were holding our first regular meeting in a long time.
The second semester of our second year is slowly coming to an end.
With the academy festival over, autumn would soon pass, and winter vacation would be upon us. After the break, everyone would become third-year students. Accordingly, a new Student Council President election would be held.
In academies centered around a single kingdom, like Izelin or Jerome, it was common for a member of the royal lineage to serve consecutive terms as president. However, for the Four Great Academies, where various powerful families gathered, the situation was different.
Typically, a second-year student becomes the Student Council President. Third-years usually step down to focus on their grades and prepare for their fourth-year career experiences. Just as Jeremy, Leonhardt, Gawain, and Agnes had all willingly stepped down from their roles.
But I can’t let that happen.
Freya, Elena, Kiriel, Beatrice. After all the effort I’ve put into these four, I couldn’t just let them hand over their positions to someone else. I would need their cooperation for many things in the future. I, too, had to serve another term as president to ensure my survival and clear the main quest.
Of course, I wondered what kind of madman would run for this hollow title, but you never know what the world will throw at you. To secure a definite re-election, I needed the power of these four.
“I’ll be direct,” I said, my gaze firm and my tone calm. “All four of you will serve another term.”
Then came the unexpected replies. Freya, Beatrice, Kiriel, and Elena answered in turn.
“Very well.”
“I agree.”
“Alright.”
“Okay~”
“…?”
I tilted my head at their reactions.
“…What’s gotten into you? Willingly agreeing with me like this.”
I had prepared some decent bait to persuade them, but I never expected them to cooperate so readily. I was dumbfounded, but also deeply moved. This was something I couldn’t even have imagined when I first became the president.
I recalled that first day I possessed Roen’s body—the memory of that murderous round table. There was the cold Freya, and Beatrice, who was determined to oust me at any moment. There was Elena, who suspected me of being a demon and tried to bring me before a religious tribunal, and Kiriel, who had openly bared her teeth and growled at me.
For those four to be so cooperative now... It seemed the past year of my life hadn’t been in vain.
I was about to ask why they had so readily agreed, but I closed my mouth. There was no need to ask.
Freya, whether she liked it or not, was engaged to me, so it made sense for her to follow my lead. Kiriel had borrowed a large sum of money from me for the academy festival, so she must feel indebted; she wasn't in a position to refuse. Beatrice might have been pleased with the pill I gave her; having solved her long-standing problem, she had grown more favorable toward me. As for Elena, her thoughts were a mystery, but it was safe to assume that besides her—a Saintess candidate—there was no one else suitable to lead the religiously-inclined Seintea.
Having roughly guessed their thoughts, I quickly pulled out some documents. They might change their minds, so I had to get their signatures before they did.
“I’m glad you’ll be serving another term. Now, sign here.”
Kiriel glanced at the document I handed her and asked, “What’s this?”
“It’s a student exchange agreement between the Valerian Academy I’m establishing and your four academies.”
Just as I could attend major or elective courses at other academies, this would allow students from Valerian Academy to attend lectures at the Four Great Academies. Of course, this document didn’t legally compel the four of them to serve another term as president. Still, since the contract would take effect next year, it created a minimal reason for them to be re-elected.
If they were to resign and other second-year students became presidents, I would have to renegotiate this contract with them all over again. Unless they had a reason to mess with me, they would likely choose to serve another term. While the lack of legal force was a drawback, it also had its advantages. It bound the four of them with a non-binding agreement, avoiding any offense, while simultaneously proving that I trusted them.
The four signed the contracts without another word and handed them back to me. After signing, Elena smiled and asked, “Here you go. But Roen, you’ll be serving another term as president too, right? Or will you be transferring to the new academy you’re building?”
“Who else would take the president’s seat if not me? I plan to hold both positions.”
I had to remain president because of the quest anyway. And it was only natural that I would be the president of the Valerian Academy I was establishing.
“You’re going to be incredibly busy, aren’t you? Don’t you already feel like you need several bodies to get everything done?”
“You’re right. That’s why I’ll need all of you to help me.”
I raised my teacup as if for a toast.
“I’m counting on you for the rest of this year—and for the next.”