Chapter 101: Resolve (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101: Resolve (4)
About thirty minutes passed...
"...And with that, my explanation is complete."
Finally, Speed Weapon stopped talking. Deep exhaustion was written all over the faces of those listening.
Weapon, who had been stuttering with nerves at first, had babbled nonstop once he got going.
Weapon was probably the only person in the world who could exhaust these three people using nothing but his tongue.
I knew he was talkative, but I didn't think it was this bad...
However, because the content itself was heavy, a cold, solemn air settled over the room.
There were two main points to Weapon's explanation.
First, what had happened during the final exams.
Weapon described the situation back then with vivid realism, as if he had been right there.
Even though I was the one who had tipped him off, Weapon was a natural-born genius when it came to storytelling.
And second, the uncomfortable truth that villains were hiding inside the Academy.
The evidence was the events of the final exams and a list of suspected individuals.
Medea rested her chin on her hand as she scanned the printout Weapon had handed her. Soon, her fine brow furrowed.
Without taking her eyes off the paper, she pressed her fingers to her temple.
"...So there's a high chance these guys are those half-human, half-demon pieces of trash?"
"Yes. Despite multiple reviews, the circumstances of their employment at the Academy, their subsequent actions, and their identities remain shrouded in mystery. It's too early to make a definitive judgment, but they are practically the most suspicious individuals."
"..."
Once Weapon finished his follow-up answer, Medea pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand.
Though she tried her best to maintain a composed front in front of the cadets, she couldn't entirely hide her complicated inner thoughts.
Soon, she opened her tightly closed lips.
"Based on what I just discerned using my Unique Blessing, there is a very high probability that these five are not actually affiliated with the Academy."
As she spoke, Medea suddenly crumpled the paper into a ball.
Immediately, the last shred of doubt vanished from Medea's face, replaced by pure anger.
Since she had activated her Unique Blessing, there was no longer any reason to hesitate.
The Blessing of Cause-Sight.
It was a blessing that allowed her to vaguely observe and discern the cause and effect of any event, and the very ability that had earned Medea the title of "Sage."
On paper, it sounded like a cheat-like blessing that could prevent any incident in advance.
However, it came with the constraint that physical evidence was required.
Simply put, while she could search for anything within her mind, she needed a concrete keyword to start with.
Then again, if there were no restrictions, the narrative of this game-based world would have ended before it even began.
...Well, even so, it's still a ridiculously broken ability.
Part of the reason I had bothered to present that paper to Medea was to cross-reference it using her Unique Blessing.
As the saying goes, look before you leap. There was no harm in being cautious.
Having sorted through her thoughts to some extent, Medea let out a sigh mixed with complex emotions.
"...But putting that aside..."
Medea suddenly narrowed her eyes and stared intently at us.
"How did you cadets manage to print out a list of faculty and staff? Care to explain?"
"..."
At the unexpected question, Weapon's pupils shook violently.
For someone who talked so well, Weapon was a terrible actor. I deliberately ignored his gaze and began weighing my options in my head.
Should I make an excuse, or tell the truth?
I had hoped to gloss over the source of the information. After all, Ryozo was the one who had hacked into the Academy network to retrieve it.
At the very least, a severe disciplinary action would be unavoidable. But if I gave a half-truth or an excuse in front of Medea, she would notice immediately.
Above all, I was worried about Ryozo, who was currently hospitalized. She was not in a good state physically or mentally right now.
If a harsh punishment like severe disciplinary action were added to her plate, it would take a heavy toll on her. It wasn't a legal process, but I couldn't pin the blame on a sick girl.
I quickly racked my brain. Even in my past life, I wasn't highly educated, but I had always been quick-witted.
...
Having reached a conclusion in an instant, I shot a glance at Weapon. When our eyes met, his expression seemed to say, I'm trusting you, Boss.
As if in response, I nodded and spoke to Medea.
"Weapon and I hacked the Academy network together."
"...B-Boss?"
Weapon's jaw dropped the moment the words left my mouth. Medea also looked deeply taken aback as she asked,
"The two of you bypassed world-class security...?"
"Yes. As the President, I ordered it, and Weapon did the hacking. He might not look it, but he's the runner-up of our year. He's smart, so he's incredibly good with computers."
"W-Wait, Boss!"
Weapon's panicked gaze locked onto the side of my face. Maintaining as flat an expression as possible, I continued.
"We are fully aware that what we did was wrong."
"..."
"We wanted to report it first, but time was tight before the break. And we believed that you, Principal, would understand."
Act first, report later.
It meant that if we bound ourselves strictly to rules and frameworks, we would miss our window of opportunity.
Although the phrasing was slightly off, I decided it was best to deflect the point.
Hiding who had attempted the hack and shifting the topic to why.
I felt a slight pang of guilt toward Weapon. But what could I do? I was the President, and when the boss orders, you obey.
I met Medea's utterly dumbfounded gaze, keeping my face as expressionless as possible.
"...Sigh."
Soon, she shook her head, rubbing her temples. A sigh heavy with complex emotions escaped her lips.
"Since your intentions were good, I'll let it slide this once... but don't you dare do it again, boys."
"Thank you for understanding, Principal."
"I'm only trusting you because of what you've accomplished so far, Geomma. If it were anyone else, they'd be facing suspension or expulsion without a second thought."
I smiled faintly and expressed my gratitude for her leniency.
"...I-I survived."
Only then did Weapon lose all his tension, letting out a sound like a deflating balloon.
...Still, he didn't mention Ryozo's name until the very end.
Honestly, if Weapon had protested right away, that would have been the end of it.
Since he had only reluctantly agreed because I asked him to, he must have felt incredibly wronged.
Yet, even while panicking, Weapon never brought up Ryozo's name.
Weapon must have been thinking along the same lines as me.
I offered a faint smile to Weapon, who was wiping cold sweat with his sleeve.
Sensing my unspoken thoughts, he smiled back sheepishly.
I realized once again that he was a truly considerate guy.
While this trait stood out even more because he was surrounded by women with rather flexible moral compasses, there was no doubt that he was just born this way.
Once the brief commotion settled, the Sword Emperor, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
"...But this makes things a bit troublesome. If we were to strike the Elders today—"
Mid-sentence, the Sword Emperor realized we were there and cut himself off, realizing his slip.
As a complex look crossed the Sword Emperor's face, Al'tair spoke with a low smile.
"Lord Sword Emperor, they are involved in this anyway, so shouldn't they know?"
"...Sigh, you're right. I really have grown old, failing to trust them simply because of their age."
"Zieg, you've always been an old geezer. Why act surprised now?"
The Sword Emperor glared at Medea with narrowed eyes at her joke.
Soon after, he let out a small sigh and hardened his expression. It was clear he was about to bring up a heavy topic.
The Sword Emperor turned his head to silently ask for Medea's opinion. She pondered for a moment, rolling her eyes, before nodding.
Having confirmed her agreement, the Sword Emperor paused for a moment before speaking.
"Originally, I planned to head to Cladi's private villa tonight."
"...Elder Cladi?"
Wondering if I had misheard, I asked, and the Sword Emperor nodded before continuing.
"Kang Geomma, the force trying to slander you and your companions was the Council of Elders. And the ringleader among them is a man named Cladi."
"..."
"And we had just secured evidence through the Auditore family and were about to interrogate them. Of course, if I had my way..."
The Sword Emperor let his hand drift to the hilt of the sword at his waist, letting the gesture finish his sentence.
The fact that the hostile force was the Council of Elders wasn't particularly surprising, as I had already heard it from Nox before.
However, unlike before when the ringleader was unclear, we now had a specific name.
But the slight thrill was short-lived as I realized the meaning of the shadow cast over the Sword Emperor's face.
...Even if he knows who the ringleader is, it won't be easy to just strike him down.
No matter how sufficient the evidence was, summarily executing members of the Council of Elders, who were deeply rooted in the Academy, would cause a massive uproar.
It would be difficult even with proper justification.
The backlash from the noble factions centered around the Council of Elders would be fierce, and moreover, the Sword Emperor had recently stepped down from his position as one of the Seven Stars.
No matter how powerful the Sword Emperor was, it was undeniable that his authority was weaker than before.
Even if Medea, the Sage of the Seven Stars, and Al'tair of the Auditore family cooperated, there would inevitably be backlash.
Well, not that the Sword Emperor is the type to care about gossip.
Still, even he would want to avoid actions that might cause trouble for those around him.
Above all, it could indirectly affect his granddaughter, Abel.
Clearing the complex emotions from his expression, the Sword Emperor spoke again.
"Besides, if we rashly strike the Elders, these villains will immediately vanish from the Academy. It would be no different from letting them know we're onto them."
"...Exactly. If that happens, we'll likely never find them. But we can't just leave these old geezers of the Council alone either. I don't care about the others, but I won't be satisfied until I beat that bastard Cladi to a pulp with my own hands."
Murderous intent bled from Medea's eyes.
...It's understandable they're frustrated.
Unless they suddenly raided a spot where both the villains and the Elders were gathered together, they would inevitably lose one of the two groups.
Thus, the most important thing was to gather all that trash in one place, but there was no easy way to do so.
They weren't stupid enough to fall for a message like, [Please gather here by this time ^^].
If only we had a way to summon the villains and a connection to the Elders...
At that moment, a jolt of electricity shot through my temples.
Why didn't I think of her?
Yes, the key to untangling this messy, intertwined situation.
I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed a number.
I knew it was rude to do this in front of my elders, but this was no time to worry about minor details, so I ignored them.
Ring— Ring— Click!
The person on the other end picked up.
– Yes, Lord Geomma! What's going on~?
A female voice that sounded like she was trying to act cute by slurring her words. Ignoring her annoying aegyo, I spoke in a low voice.
"Hey, Choi Seol-ah."
– ...Y-Yes?
"You said the villains don't know each other's faces or names, right?"
– Yes, that's right~
According to what Choi Seol-ah had told me before, they only had a contact person—a villain known as "The Professor"—and had absolutely no private meetings or interactions.
Then again, even with undercover identities, criminals wouldn't exactly be thrilled to reveal their faces to one another.
I organized my thoughts and gave my next order.
"The names I'm about to give you are all villains, so gather them all. You guys must have some kind of regular meeting spot."
– T-That's true, but... what did you say...?
I replied briefly.
"A Letter of Fortune."
Fight fire with fire.
This, too, was a time-honored maxim.
* * *
After finishing the brief call, I immediately summarized the conversation for the Sword Emperor.
In short, it went like this:
Al'tair, who had the authority to deal with nobles, would launch a surprise attack on Cladi's villa, while the Sword Emperor and Medea would raid the location where the villains would gather.
The Sword Emperor looked a mix of bewildered and dumbfounded. And for good reason—after making a quick phone call for a few minutes, I had suddenly rattled off the gathering spot of the villains...
If I told them I'm ordering a villain around like a dog, what would they think of me?
Not just the Sword Emperor, but Medea and Al'tair were also staring at me with dumbfounded expressions.
But I didn't offer any explanation.
There was too much to explain, starting from how I was using Choi Seol-ah, a former villain, as an informant. On the other hand, time was short.
"Let's move first, everyone. I'll explain later."
Everyone looked stunned at my words. After a brief silence to collect their thoughts, they nodded and stood up.
The Sword Emperor touched the hilt of his sword and asked Al'tair,
"How many people did you bring with you from Sicilia?"
"Just in case, I selected eight of our family's absolute elite."
"...Eight..."
The Sword Emperor murmured softly.
No matter how skilled the Auditore assassins were, raiding an Elder's villa carried a massive risk.
Since the knights tasked with guarding the Council of Elders constantly patrolled the villa.
But if they asked for outside help, it would defeat the purpose of a surprise raid.
"..."
I could sense the complex emotions in the Sword Emperor's eyes, which gleamed gold in the moonlight.
I watched him silently before finally speaking up.
"I will go to Cladi's villa with the Auditores."
At my words, all eyes snapped to me.
Before anyone could speak, I said firmly,
"As the victim, I want to go with them. You all know my skills, so you don't need to worry. And—"
Before uttering my final words, I suddenly looked up at the night sky through the window.
I recalled the resolve I had carved into my heart while looking at the moon in the hospital hallway last night.
Great power requires a corresponding position and responsibility.
I took a deep breath and spoke in a low, steady voice.
"—After all, I am the next Seven Stars to succeed you, Sword Emperor."
The eyes fixed on me widened to their absolute limits.
Only the Sword Emperor looked me straight in the eye. Then, the corners of his wrinkled mouth curled upward into a smile.
"It seems you've finally made up your mind."