Spreading Rumors
Alissa’s gaze shifted from Deborah to me. She stared at me now with eyes that saw something far worse than a mere rapist.
“Ha! Look at you, playing the devoted knight. What, does it sting when your obedient little slave gets insulted?”
“Watch your mouth.”
“Oh, did that hit a nerve? So you do have feelings for her. Then why not just stick with that bitch? Why go around raping other women, huh?! You worthless piece of trash!”
Even though I answered calmly, Alissa couldn’t rein in her fury. Insults kept spilling from her like a broken dam. Strangely enough, the longer the conversation dragged on, the more it seemed she was the one bleeding, not me.
She knew it too. She knew there was a truth she had turned her back on, and that hearing it would dilute this burning hatred of hers. That was exactly why she kept spewing venom with such desperate fury—because she also understood how wrong it was.
She really is a tiresome woman.
I let out a sigh and slowly scanned our surroundings.
“Alissa. Are you absolutely certain there’s no one else around?”
“What?”
“I’m asking if you trust your senses. The same senses that couldn’t even detect Deborah properly.”
We were only first-years, and this was the Academy. There were countless people far stronger than Alissa’s perception range—even excluding the professors. If even one of them had overheard this conversation?
If the rumor spread that Alissa had truly been raped by me, and that even Deborah carried the same history, it would be the end for all of us. Alissa would be dragged back to her family, and I… would probably be killed by Roxana.
Even if I survive, my life would still be over. I might spend the rest of my days locked inside the Priuli estate, waiting for the world to end.
Alissa must have caught the implication behind my words. She hurriedly looked around, then clamped her mouth shut in clear frustration.
“Understood? Then be careful when discussing sensitive topics. We’re gathered here because of a rumor, aren’t we? Dealing with that takes priority.”
The past wasn’t completely worthless, but it was still the past. What mattered now was how we overcame the present crisis.
Alissa took a deep breath and barely managed to swallow her rage before asking, “So you’re claiming you really didn’t commit the rape?”
“That’s right. Think about it calmly. You only learned today that I raped Deborah, correct? That alone shows how carefully I protected that information. Yet you believe I’d put on a mask, storm the girls’ dormitory, and commit rape? Does that sound plausible to you?”
“That’s…”
“Exactly. It doesn’t. So there are only two possibilities. Either the rumor is false, or there’s a separate culprit. Both are problematic, of course.”
My instincts leaned toward the first option. If it were the second, I wouldn’t have been singled out as the suspect within mere hours of the rumor spreading. Despite some common points, the way I had been specifically targeted was far too contrived.
Alissa seemed to reach the same conclusion. “So the chance that someone deliberately spread the rumor is high. Now that I think about it, the rumor never specified exactly who was raped. It’s not like there are other victims besides her and me… right?”
“……”
“There are? You filthy trash. This is why you keep making enemies. It’s your own damn fault.”
One particular woman naturally rose in my mind. A beastkin with cream-colored bobbed hair, amber eyes, perky cat ears, and a swaying cat tail who spoke in an affected, cutesy tone.
Could it be her?
Pernia had more than enough reason to hold a grudge against me. But that only raised another question: how in the world had she figured out my identity?
I had left behind not a single clue. If she had found something, it would mean Pernia had played detective. No—even a detective couldn’t create something from nothing. She would need outright divine powers.
I shook my head firmly. “It’s not her.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“…Because I hid my identity completely. There’s no way she knows it’s me.”
“Oh, really? How meticulous. Exactly what you’d expect from a natural-born rapist. Truly impressive.”
Alissa had apparently grown too sick of me to even bother with outright curses anymore. She twisted her lips in open mockery, then ran a hand through her hair in clear frustration.
“Then who the hell is it? Do we really have to run around barefoot digging up information?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
“Ugh… Don’t you have any guesses? Are there really no other women you raped?!”
“None.”
This time I answered without the slightest hesitation. Because this truth could never be allowed to come out. Professor Sara was one thing, but in reality, besides the four of them, I had raped countless women—and every last one of them had died. If Alissa learned that, she might immediately try to kill me in the name of world peace. Even Deborah, who was currently protecting me, might recoil in horror and push me away.
“So there’s really no way out of this? Damn it! Midterms are next week, and I have to waste time on this garbage?”
Just as Alissa was clutching her head in agony, a timid voice spoke up from behind me.
“U-um…”
Deborah, who had been hiding behind my back and watching the situation, hesitantly raised her hand. When everyone’s eyes turned to her, she flinched at Alissa’s gaze, quickly looked at me instead, and spilled what she knew.
“Actually, something strange happened on Saturday.”
“Strange?”
“Yes. I was leaving the dormitory in the morning to head to the Magic Tower when Scadia called out to me. I followed her, and she told me to break up with Luan.”
“…To break up with me?”
“Yes. She said you aren’t the good person I think you are.”
It was truly strange. After our engagement was broken, I assumed she had lost all interest in me. Why would she go out of her way to find Deborah and say something like that?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Alissa answered for me. “What? That woman actually said that? How ridiculous.”
“Alissa. Do you understand what this means?”
“It’s simple, isn’t it? She doesn’t want him herself, but she doesn’t want anyone else to have him either. From what I know, you were the one desperately clinging to her when she wanted to break the engagement, right? But then you suddenly got a girlfriend and broke it off. Looks like she got jealous.”
“……”
Could Scadia really be that petty? I had always thought she lacked manners, but I never imagined she would spread malicious rumors like this. No matter how different the current events were from the game, it wasn’t enough to overturn the core of her character. This was probably just Alissa’s delusion after getting too invested in female political intrigue.
“What are you staring at? Your eyes look weird.”
I turned my gaze away from Alissa. “Deborah, are you suggesting Scadia might be the culprit?”
“Ah, no! I just felt uneasy hiding this information… It might be an important clue, right?”
What an unnecessarily kind girl. There was no need to reveal such a personal matter, yet she had stepped forward anyway. It seemed her talent for magic and her social awareness existed in completely different realms.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “In any case, we don’t have any immediately useful information. Let’s split up and investigate separately.”
“Separately?”
“Yes. Alissa, you wouldn’t want to walk around with me anyway, would you?”
“…That’s true.”
Besides souring Alissa’s mood even further, sticking together would only fuel worse rumors. There was no reason for us to move as a group.
“Good. We’ll each gather information and meet back here after classes end every day. You two go ahead. I’ll follow shortly.”
And with that, our investigation began.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch…
“Haa…”
Inside the student council room, where the only sound was the scratching of pens, a small sigh echoed softly through the quiet space.
Regina, who had been diligently sorting documents, traced the sound to its source.
What’s going on?
Isis had seemed deeply troubled since morning, and even after arriving at the student council room, her mood remained poor. She would be working through paperwork only to stop midway, lost in thought. Regina wondered what could possibly be bothering her so much that she couldn’t sit still.
Since her brother had just left and the two of them were now alone, Regina decided to seize the opportunity. She casually tossed out a hook.
“Isis. Is something wrong? You keep sighing.”
“Huh? Oh, was I doing that? I’m sorry.”
“I’m not asking for an apology. If you have worries, share them. I might be able to help.”
Regina winked playfully. It was a carefully crafted appeal laced with charm, but Isis didn’t seem to notice at all. She stared at the floor for a moment before speaking.
“Regina, have you heard about the rumor circulating among the first-years?”
“A rumor? What rumor?”
“Well… they say there was a rape incident over the weekend. The culprit wore a mask, but his face was apparently revealed during a struggle.”
“Oh my, really? Was he caught?”
“No. But they say the culprit’s face looked exactly like Luan’s. They’re even claiming he’s a transmigrator.”
At the word transmigrator, the imperial princess furrowed her brow. The imperial family had received information about transmigrators from the church long ago. So far she had never heard of any incidents they caused, but whether that meant they were living virtuously or simply covering their tracks perfectly was impossible to know.
Regina rubbed her lower lip with her index finger. “A transmigrator… That’s dangerous, isn’t it? Won’t the inquisitors come after him?”
“I suppose so… But Luan would never do something like that…”
“Really?”
“Yes. I don’t know about the past, but not now. Absolutely not.”
Isis’s faith was rock-solid. Her voice carried unshakable conviction in Luan. Regina’s expression soured slightly.
Something feels off.
Ever since the break—and especially after returning from the family estate—Isis had changed. If Regina had to describe it, she had gained a kind of sensuality. Her skin looked better, and she seemed even more beautiful. While that personally pleased Regina, not knowing the cause left her slightly uneasy. Especially the way Isis reacted so sensitively to anything involving her brother. She had always paid close attention before, but the feeling now was completely different.
“Hmm…”
When Regina let out a small huff, Isis noticed and asked curiously, “Why are you making that face?”
“It’s nothing. So, what do you want to do about it?”
“We obviously have to catch the real culprit. But there’s so little time. Should I step down from student council duties for a while?”
To Regina, those last words sounded louder than thunder.
Step down from the student council?
Since they were in different classes, the only time Regina could freely stay close to her was during council work. If even that time disappeared, she wouldn’t be able to exchange so much as a proper conversation with Isis for who knew how long.
Sensing the crisis, Regina thought quickly and reached a decision in an instant.
“I’ll help you!”
“Huh?”
“I said I’ll help. I’ll use the imperial intelligence division to dig up every detail. In return, Isis, you keep coming to the student council. Understand?”
“If you would do that, I’d be grateful, but… is it really okay? Using the intelligence division without permission might anger His Majesty…”
“It doesn’t matter! I’ll just take a little scolding. No backing out, promise!”
“…Yes. I understand. Thank you, Regina.”
Isis smiled in relief. There was almost no information in this world that the imperial intelligence division couldn’t uncover. Finding the source of a mere academy rumor would be child’s play.
And so, without realizing it, Luan had gained a trustworthy—and extremely dangerous—ally.