Proof of Innocence (2)
It was a trap.
An unexpected blow from an unexpected place.
I didn’t know how much the other side had anticipated, or what sort of net they’d cast for me, but there was no doubt this strike had landed like a knife to the ribs.
“That Sian bastard is definitely hiding something! I’m sure of it! At the very least, his skill has skyrocketed over the past few months, so he must be the culprit behind this incident!”
I ignored Verdel’s excited chatter as if he were a fish that had just discovered water.
From where I stood, he was nothing more than a puppet.
A pitiful, worthless puppet being moved from above by someone else’s hand and used however they pleased.
In other words, smashing that idiot to pieces right here wouldn’t accomplish a damn thing.
The world was full of fools, and fools like that were perfect sacrificial pawns whenever the need arose.
Whoever’s pulling his strings from the shadows is probably...
I let my eyes drift toward Letitia.
Her face was disturbingly calm.
More than simply having no connection to what was happening around me, she looked as if she had no interest in it at all.
But I had seen it clearly a moment ago.
The instant I’d stupidly walked into the enemy’s trap, Letitia had smiled at me.
Then I’ll have to proceed on the assumption that Letitia’s behind all of this.
That was enough to judge the situation for now. The real problem was how to get out of it.
Damn it, no matter how I think about it, there’s no easy excuse that gets me out of this cleanly.
That was the truth. If all I wanted was to prove my innocence, I didn’t actually need to waste time listening to that idiot Verdel drone on.
I simply hadn’t suddenly grown stronger out of nowhere, like he claimed. I’d just never felt the need to show my full ability inside Lutra.
But explaining it that way came with more than a few problems.
First, there was no one who could testify that I’d always possessed that level of strength.
Second, Verdel was right about one thing: my power really had jumped abruptly lately.
This doesn’t feel like strength gained from training alone.
I had been swinging my sword every single day, partly because I’d set myself the goal of crushing Eli and the other sisters head-on, but the mysterious force now flowing through my body didn’t feel like something I could honestly call mine.
That was only my theory, of course, but I had a hunch about what this unexpected power might really be.
This...
No matter how I think about it, this feels way too familiar.
More precisely, the nature of this power felt far too similar to someone I knew.
That proud current, flowing without compromise, as though it would never bend to anyone else.
It was unmistakably Cartesia’s aura, the same one I’d felt countless times in our duels.
Then why was Cartesia’s energy swirling inside me right now?
Could this be one of the effects of Life Return? Not just boosting the abilities of the person I’ve chosen, but creating a two-way connection?
But now wasn’t the time to sit around and study the mechanics of my ability at leisure.
“...Is that really true? I’m not saying I believe my little sister blindly, but is it true that your power really did surge all of a sudden recently?”
At Verdel’s words, the student council president looked at me with obvious suspicion.
“That’s not it. What, am I supposed to believe he gained power by sacrificing people? There’s no way Sian would do something that disgusting, senior!”
Cartesia ground her teeth as she answered, but unfortunately the gazes of the student council president and the other students weren’t particularly kind when they fell on me.
“Honestly, I don’t know Sian well enough to say. But I do know exactly what kind of upright and proper student Cartesia is. And I also know that the Sian you trust and rely on couldn’t possibly be a bad person.”
The student council president gave Cartesia an apologetic look, while at the same time carrying the air of someone who had no choice but to push forward.
“But Cartesia, just now, when you looked at Sian, you seemed like you’d noticed something. I’m not thrilled about playing the villain here either, but I think we need to hear Sian out.”
“...Tch.”
At the president’s polite but firm words, Cartesia bit her lip and stepped back half a pace.
She knew it too. If she kept acting like she was close to me, or tried to shield me here, it might only make things worse.
That was especially true considering that, publicly, Cartesia and I were only barely more than “friends but not quite lovers,” and nothing beyond that.
“Sian, I’m not stupid enough to take Verdel’s word alone and decide you’re the culprit. You’ve been at the center of attention lately, so I’m sure your alibi for the time of the incident is more than enough.”
“Then isn’t it a little much to interrogate me like this in front of so many people?”
I answered in a tone that made my grievance obvious, and the student council president gave me a look that said there was nothing he could do about it.
“But once something’s been said in public, I can’t just nod and let it slide. Sian, if Verdel’s account is true, then there’s a good chance the culprit is someone whose power suddenly increased recently. If you’re innocent, could you explain whether what Verdel said is true, and if so, why?”
...
The president asked me that with great courtesy, but unfortunately I wasn’t in a position to answer him properly.
There’s no way I can explain the reason.
If I blurted out the existence of Life Return just to wriggle out of this mess, it would be no different from sticking my head into a tiger’s maw after escaping a pack of dogs.
For all I knew, the moment I left this place, people would be sent from every corner of the empire to kidnap or kill me.
And if I talked about this ability, I’d be insulting Cartesia—the woman who had trusted me and even pretended to be my lover in order to help keep my secret.
As for Arieta, whose condition the imperial family had gone to such lengths to hide, and the fact that I’d healed her with this ability... that was even less something I could ever say out loud.
Could Letitia have been aiming for this exact situation?
It wouldn’t take long to prove that I wasn’t the culprit once a proper investigation began.
But if she’d deliberately highlighted my suspicious points in a public place like this, and then made it seem like I couldn’t give a proper explanation, then the doubt around me would only grow, separate from this incident entirely.
The reputation I’d barely managed to build by standing out in every class would collapse in a single instant, and after that it would be impossible to earn anyone’s trust again.
I didn’t know whether Letitia had figured out my ability and planned this accordingly, but there was no doubt this was a devastating blow against me.
“What Verdel said is not true. Why in the world would I ever do something so foolish? If I wanted to build up my strength, there are plenty of safe methods, like asking my friend for help.”
“Is that so? Then are you also saying Verdel’s claim that your power has recently risen significantly is a lie, then, junior?”
“That’s...”
Lying to get out of trouble is one of the worst things you can do.
Because the moment the lie is exposed, everything you’ve said until then becomes a lie as well.
“I understand that everyone has secrets they’d rather keep hidden. But I still think the priority right now should be for you to clear your own name.”
The situation was bad. No, it was very bad.
Damn it. A month’s worth of effort just went up in smoke.
I couldn’t reveal what my ability was here, so I was just about to say that I’d rather destroy the fragile reputation I’d built with my own hands than open my mouth and expose it—
“No, if you don’t want to say it, you don’t have to.”
A voice came from behind me.
“Trash like that never believes in anything they haven’t seen with their own eyes.”
Clack, clack.
A young man who looked astonishingly handsome at first glance walked toward us.
No, he was absolutely not just some ordinary young man.
People simply did not exude a vicious, suffocating pressure just by walking.
“So let me vouch for him. He’s innocent. Why? Because he and I are the same kind of people.”
And I knew exactly who that young man was.
I had once seen him in the distance during my days as a mercenary in wartime, calmly annihilating an entire army by himself.
The Empire’s sharpest blade, and the one who stood at the pinnacle of all except the emperor.
A man said to have split the world apart with nothing but a single sword.
The Sword of Heaven.
It was Kaiserlik von Orphega, the duke himself.
“You think so too, don’t you, my potential disciple?”