There Are No Bad Dogs in This World
There is a saying that there are no bad dogs in this world. And since Raul's true identity is a thousand-year-old spiritual beast, a nine-tailed fox, and foxes belong to the canine family, it technically means Raul isn't a bad creature either... 'Hmm, what's the problem here?' Was there a flaw in this perfect syllogism?
"...What the hell did you just say?"
The fox standing in front of me was trembling all over, beyond mere anger. I get it. He thinks he's perfectly fine, but if some stranger suddenly calls him senile, of course he'd be furious.
"That's the danger of dementia." People with dementia often don't realize they have it. It's a disease where judgment and cognitive ability deteriorate noticeably, yet the person finds it difficult to recognize that fact...
"What kind of bullshit is that! I don't know how you figured out who I am, but that kind of nonsense..."
He does have dementia, though. ...Well, I know a nine-tailed fox can't actually get dementia. I was just teasing him a few more times, but I didn't expect such a great reaction. Was this how Lucia felt when she tormented me? If so, I can understand it now.
'It's not like I provoked Raul purely for fun like Lucia does, but...'
Who knew messing with people could be this entertaining? It was my first time deliberately provoking someone, and it gave me a strangely refreshing, almost sinful thrill.
Still, it was about time to stop playing around and get to the main point.
"I'll stop with the nonsense, just like you said."
Then, mimicking Lucia's expression, I flashed an unpleasant, sly grin. From here on, the attitude I needed to take was one of complete composure, as if I already knew every move he was going to make.
"You've come to the academy to steal something, haven't you? And it's something pretty big."
Whether that attitude worked or not, Raul flinched visibly and his eyes widened in clear panic.
'It's been less than five minutes since I decided to follow the original story as closely as possible.'
Come to think of it, this third episode was a bit special, with two major events intertwined. Even if I left the original framework of the episode alone, there were a few places where I needed to step in.
After all, the mastermind behind this episode wasn't a group like the dream demons but a single individual. The variables that arose when I intervened in the episode's story weren't too significant, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
"...!"
At any rate, after hearing what I said, Raul stared at me with eyes full of shock instead of answering. It was only natural he'd be flustered, since I was speaking as if I knew about a plan he hadn't told anyone.
Even now, he looked like he was on guard, wondering if I might interfere with his plans.
"I'll help you. You'll die without it anyway."
I wasn't here to hinder him. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"...What?"
"I'm saying I'll help you with that theft you're planning."
Raul let out a dazed, single syllable, clearly not having expected me to say anything like this. Offering to help with a plan that was essentially a high-stakes gamble where getting caught meant risking his life—he probably thought I was just some crazy bastard.
"It's hard to do it alone, isn't it? That thing."
Deep within Campbell Academy lies the Magic-Engineering Floating Core, the central mechanism that powers the academy's facilities. It handles everything from overall power management to facility operations—one could say it's the alpha and omega of the academy's energy source.
Raul must steal it within the next two weeks.
'Because that's the only way to rekindle his fading life force.'
And I was going to help him with this life-or-death theft with everything I had.
'This is a once-in-a-lifetime matter for Raul, so he has no choice but to accept.'
Raul had literally lived for a thousand years. As I mentioned earlier, the flame of life he had kindled had slowly dimmed over that long time and was now on the verge of extinguishing. In fact, even the existence of this massive energy source known as the Magic-Engineering Floating Core was something he had only recently discovered after tremendous effort.
There was no way he would kick away the only hope he had found after struggling so hard to extend his life, no matter what I did. So if I couldn't stop him anyway, it was better to help him and make him owe me a favor.
'Besides, judging by his reaction, it looks like he doesn't have much time left...'
I'd even brought up dementia to get under his skin, yet he still hadn't attacked me immediately. That probably meant his body was on the brink of death. He could still fight, but doing so would drain what little energy he had left, so he was deliberately holding back.
It was easy to guess his condition just from the fact that this extremely hot-tempered and irritable guy wasn't attacking easily. As I looked at him with that understanding in my eyes, Raul asked with a face full of suspicion.
"Wait, how did you even know about the Magic-Engineering Floating Core? I barely managed to dig up that imperial secret..."
"Is knowing the source of my information more important than your own life?"
Of course, if we were being technical, since Heidi wasn't involved like in the original story, if I didn't help him, Raul had a high chance of dying here. I could just kill him now if I wanted.
But that would create one huge problem.
'The upcoming episodes would become completely unmanageable.'
Raul, having successfully absorbed the power of the Magic-Engineering Floating Core to extend his lifespan, would become a significant force on his own. Not just significant—he was absolutely necessary to safely clear the large-scale episodes coming up, like the Young Sea God's Tomb or the Puppet Show Made of Filth.
"...Who the hell are you?"
I looked at him as he gave a small smile and returned it with a slight smile of my own. He must be dying of curiosity. How I knew he was a thousand-year-old fox, how I knew he had come to steal something from this academy. He probably had a mountain of questions, even if he couldn't ask them properly while watching my every move.
"I'm offering to help, so trust me. If you can't, we'll have to fight, and do you really think you can handle that?"
But all those countless questions surging up could be dismissed with a single sentence.
'If you don't like it, then fight me.'
Fighting someone who knew as much information as I did would be a burden for him too. Having an information advantage essentially meant having the conditions to obtain that information in the first place. And obviously, those conditions couldn't be obtained without ability.
"Your name... is Jack Orlannte, right?"
My name, which had apparently been stuck in his mind, finally slipped out. His tone had softened, as if he was considering accepting my help. I smiled along with him and nodded.
A wise choice.
"That's right. Since we're going to be partners, make sure you remember it."
Raul nodded a few times with a somewhat sour expression on his face. Then, looking at me as if something felt off, he tilted his head and asked.
"But if you know I've lived for over a thousand years, why are you speaking to me so casually?"
...This was ridiculous. I thought he was going to say something important.
"Before I tell the upper management of the academy and get you kicked out..."
"Ah, I really can't take your jokes."
When I spoke with a straight face, Raul waved his hands dismissively. Yeah, that's what you get for acting up. The relationship between me and Raul had to be strictly businesslike, nothing more. No emotional exchange whatsoever. To him, I should remain nothing more than a benefactor.
'That way, I can prevent him from getting close to Heidi as much as possible...'
By maintaining a businesslike relationship and keeping our distance, I could preemptively block any contact between Raul and Heidi. If I let him get too close without that distance, it would only end up drawing Heidi closer to him naturally.
And maintaining this kind of distance was practically essential when dealing with Raul.
'Once this guy starts obsessing over Heidi, the intensity is on another level...'
Raul boasted a much harder, more obsessive attachment than Grayson or Nihil. In terms of danger level, he was definitely in the upper ranks. He was a person of concern, so I needed to keep him within my sight and manage him carefully.
"Then, shall we talk about the details when we meet again in two days?"
So now was the time to put some distance between us. If we kept talking here, it would only increase his curiosity about me. Of course, even from a rational standpoint, Raul needed time to organize his thoughts. And the things we had to do weren't something that could be solved by pushing forward right this moment. Having a proper conversation after giving it about two days of buffer time seemed like the more reasonable approach.
"Ah, sure."
Raul nodded as if he had caught onto my intention, then suddenly pointed toward the entrance of the men's restroom and said.
"By the way, your girlfriend is waiting for you outside. Don't you need to go out?"
"...What are you talking about?"
Where did he get the idea that I had a girlfriend? As I stared at him blankly at this absurd nonsense, Raul scratched his head with an awkward expression, as if to say he must have been mistaken.
He's saying something that could cause a huge problem. You can't just randomly pair people up like that—you'll end up bleeding for it.
"That blonde girl. She's not your girlfriend?"
Well, if someone didn't know any better, they might misunderstand. But the relationship between me and Lucia was far from what you'd call lovers. If anything, it was closer to a relationship bound by schemes, trickery, and manipulation.
So...
"...Absolutely not."
Absolutely. That girl could never be my girlfriend. I hurriedly denied it, clutching my strangely burning face, but Raul wasn't done with his questions. He quickly put on a puzzled expression, completely without malice, and asked lightly.
"You two are always together, and earlier she was even touching your thigh, so I thought you were lovers. Guess I was wrong..."
"...What?"
He saw that? Just how the hell did he see her hand secretly moving around under the desk? I knew I'd get caught one day. That damn Geumtaeyang bitch.
"Ugh..."
As I stood there, my expression rotting in real time from sheer embarrassment, Raul added one more thing while looking thoroughly flustered himself.
"Kids these days sure are open-minded."
...I think I might actually die of shame.