Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: 10. Hide and Seek
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A cold wind whipped across the rooftop.
Beneath the endlessly stretching sky, I was carving the final pattern of the summoning circle.
Mana flowed from my fingertips, tracing a glowing blue line across the concrete floor.
The last step remaining was to complete the summoning ritual with blood.
Draw the magic circle with the summoner's blood and write the name of the demon you wish to call forth.
Of course, just writing the name doesn't guarantee a successful summoning.
To summon a demon, you need sacrifices worthy of it.
'Not like the mass ritual in Phirendel.'
Even offering every human in the academy probably wouldn't summon a great demon.
Not that I had any intention or even the slightest chance of doing so.
As I quickly slashed my wrist to draw blood, Kyle kicked open the rooftop door.
Kyle froze at the sight of me.
"...What the hell are you doing."
I paused my motion to cut my wrist and turned to face her.
Pity and anger mingled on Kyle's face.
Emotions so tangled they were hard to discern at a glance.
She pitied Edward while despising him.
"...Senior."
"It's not too late yet. Just catch that bastard, that bastard alone—"
I shook my head in response.
"It's already too late for me."
I continued in a calm voice.
"The human experiments were exposed, and I let his name slip. My life as a researcher is over. Even if things somehow work out... the papers I published will never be accepted by academia."
"Th-that's because I..."
Kyle trailed off, unable to say more.
"I'll probably get expelled from the academy and banished from the empire. Hell, I might even get the death penalty."
Let's think from Edward's perspective for a moment.
Edward stupidly conducted human experiments and got caught by his senior.
And he mentioned the black curtain behind it all.
He failed to complete either properly.
Even if the black curtain is caught, Kyle knows the full story.
Since Kyle was the one who asked for cooperation, it would naturally reveal Edward's deep involvement in the incident.
No matter what, Edward's life was finished.
"So... don't stop me."
Kyle took a step forward.
"Stop, Edward. There's still a chance. I'll help you... I mean it. So...!"
"How exactly are you going to help?"
I let out a twisted laugh.
"How? What can you even do? You think you can take on that guy? Or do you think you can even clean up the mess I've made?"
I slashed my wrist with the dagger. Blood spurted out the moment the blade touched skin.
Thick blood flowed down into the summoning circle.
Now, finishing the circle with this would complete the ritual.
Time was short, so maybe a few low-grade demons at best.
"If I'm going to die anyway, isn't it better to take everyone with me? The whole academy... no, the entire city as my companions."
"Edward, please. Think about it—the research you loved, the discoveries you dreamed of. You're throwing it all away?"
I pretended her plea struck a chord and paused.
I tried to force a tearful expression.
'Nope, not happening.'
I gave up and hung my head low.
"...I didn't want to give up. Not like this. But the world's like that. A goddamn world where only the talented thrive. And..."
I stared at Kyle.
I glared at her with wide eyes.
"You're the one who gave up on me. You abandoned me first."
Kyle's face went pale.
"What are you talking about? I've always—"
"Pitied me. You always looked at me with those damn pitying eyes."
This was my inference of Edward's true feelings, heavily distorted with my own bias—but since the original existed, it was his true heart, right?
"That look in your eyes when you saw me, I felt it every day. Poor Edward, talentless Edward. The junior who can't match your smarts. The junior doomed to fail no matter how hard he tries!"
"That's... not true. I was genuinely worried about you—"
"Bullshit, don't lie to me! You kept looking at me like that every damn day! What?! It's not true? You, of all people, blessed beyond anyone else! How dare you!!"
BOOM!!
The rooftop door burst open again, and guards flooded in. Professors and soldiers followed, all armed to the teeth.
"Professor Retber! Cease the summoning ritual immediately!"
I sneered at the professor who shouted that.
"Would you? Just go die, all of you...!!"
Scoffing at them, I hurriedly finished drawing the summoning circle.
I rapidly sketched geometric shapes and wrote the demon's name atop them.
"Stop that bastard!"
Soldiers charged with spells at the ready.
Power enough to kill Edward in one blow.
The moment I raised a hand for a magic barrier, Kyle yelled.
"No! Don't kill him!"
But it was too late.
BOOM!!
The spell pierced my chest. I felt my body flying backward.
Soldiers rushed in and pinned me down.
I collapsed to the floor, staring up at the sky.
Blood poured from the gaping hole in my chest. I roughly calculated the time until death.
I forcibly extended my lifespan with mana.
30 seconds—that should be enough.
".........Ah."
I let out a small gasp and stared at Kyle.
"If only... if only it wasn't for you..."
Blood trickled from my mouth as I screamed at her.
I wailed so pathetically it could haunt her nightmares.
"If only... it wasn't for you...!!"
Breathing ragged. Even voicing words drained my strength.
"I... I—"
Right before dying, I clearly saw Kyle's face.
I saw her expression.
Exactly the one I wanted.
Consciousness shifted. I awoke again in the warehouse, back in the undergrad's body.
I flung open the warehouse door and bolted.
Speed was life for grasping the situation.
The path to the rooftop was packed with crowds. Students clogged the stairs leading up.
I grabbed one and asked what was happening.
"What's going on right now?"
A student replied with a grave look.
"Some demon summoning ritual. One of the professors tried it and got stopped."
Couldn't go higher. I waited quietly for those on the rooftop to come down.
How much time passed? The stairs grew chaotic.
The crowd parted backward as people started descending.
I stepped aside to check the faces coming down.
"Make way! Everyone, return to your classrooms now!"
"Don't block the path!"
Guards, professors, and Edward's corpse shrouded in cloth.
Finally, Kyle descended with a dazed, broken expression.
"...Professor Mueller."
Blending into the crowd, I savored Kyle's face with a clear view.
It felt great!
I couldn't hold back the rising laughter.
As Kyle passed right in front of me, I let out a snicker.
"...!!"
Kyle whipped her head toward the sound of laughter.
With shameless bravado, she looked around as if it wasn't her.
She didn't spot me and got swept away by the crowd.
I slipped out in the opposite direction.
"W-wait...!"
Slowly turning, I met Kyle's eyes again.
I put on an innocent face just as her attention started drifting away.
Heh.
I mocked her.
Kyle's eyes widened as she recognized the sneer.
In that split-second less than a second, she realized who I was and shouted.
"You, you son of a—!!"
I bolted without looking back.
After breaking Kyle, I went to find Ella.
Ella was training with her sword as I'd ordered.
Spotting me approach from afar, she asked flatly.
"...Where've you been?"
"The academy."
"Why there?"
"The place you need to enroll in."
Ella raised one eyebrow.
She looked like she had no clue what nonsense I was spouting.
Instead of explaining, I scooped her up.
"H-hey! What the—?!"
Tucked under my arm, I took off running.
I explained the situation to Ella as she struggled to break free.
"I just did something pretty dangerous. Impulsively started a game of hide and seek?"
"What the hell...?"
"I won that game. But my opponent won't accept the loss and challenged me to tag instead."
Ella's expression grew more serious as she pondered my words.
She was experienced in these games too. She must've figured out what I meant.
"You did that shit again..."
"Not curious who my playmate was?"
"That's not the point right now. If that person's chasing you, they're definitely trying to kill you—"
Ella couldn't finish.
BOOM!!
Dust exploded outward like a sandstorm. Blue eyes gleamed through it.
[No, it's the opposite.]
The avatar blocking me and Ella continued.
[So hand over that kid...!!]
Broker... no, Kyle charged to snatch Ella.