novelraw Chapter 19 : Chapter 19
Chapter 19 : Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Unpredictable
“What is this? This scrap of paper.”
“I’m not interested, so why don't you just go on your way?”
The ones who reacted to Ered weren't Joffrey, but the lackeys he commanded.
“Small fry, step back for a moment.”
“What, you bastard?”
“Such an arrogant brat!”
I guess words really won't work.
“…Stop it.”
The one who restrained the lackeys was Joffrey.
“Don't stop us, Joffrey. He’s the one who picked the fight first.”
“Yeah. Seeing us as easy targets and—”
“I told you to stop, you bastards!!”
Joffrey shouted, the veins in his neck bulging as he slammed his fist onto the desk.
The classroom fell into an instantaneous silence.
“Damn it….”
He steadied his ragged breathing.
His eyes were shaking with anxiety.
“Jo, Joffrey…?”
The lackeys’ voices were bewildered.
Ered ignored them and pulled out another note, shoving it into Joffrey’s hand.
I had written the promised time and place on it.
I was returning the exact same thing the fellow had done to me.
Since there are many eyes here, Joffrey wouldn't be able to spill the truth.
Ered intended to interrogate him slowly in a place where others wouldn't know.
It would be better for the fellow as well.
“You’d better cooperate quietly.”
Ered whispered lowly into his ear while passing by Joffrey.
'Unless he's an idiot, he won't ignore my warning.'
It’ll be the end for him if the truth of his collusion with the subversive elements is revealed.
It’s not just Joffrey who will be finished.
His precious family will also spiral toward catastrophe.
***
Various exercise equipment was lined up.
The Physical Training Room.
As expected of a prestigious academy, it was a wonderful facility.
A scale spacious enough to accommodate more than a hundred people simultaneously with room to spare.
Ironically, it was also the most neglected place in this prestigious academy full of bookworms.
'That is the reason I chose this as the meeting place with Joffrey.'
The lights were off in the physical training room.
Especially now, with the curfew imminent, there were no students exercising.
Ered opened the locker room door.
Joffrey was there.
He was pacing back and forth while biting his nails as if anxious, but upon discovering Ered, he bit his lower lip.
“How is it? The feeling of reuniting with a person you thought was dead.”
When Ered asked, Joffrey flinched.
“…Dead? Who? You?”
“Are you going to feign ignorance now?”
“Th, there’s no way! It’s true that I put the note in your locker. But I didn't even know what was written on the note!”
It’s the truth.
Ered read the emotion in Joffrey’s eyes.
'Well, I did expect that.'
I had only tested him just in case.
'When I reunited with Joffrey, he didn't panic upon seeing me.'
Usually, if a person you thought was dead appears before your eyes, you’d be surprised.
In other words, Joffrey was nothing more than a messenger.
“The note you gave me had a time and a meeting place written on it. When I went there, some guy appeared and aimed for my life.”
“I, I understand how you feel. You have every right to suspect me! But it’s all a misunderstanding.”
Did he think his voice was louder than he intended?
Joffrey hurriedly lowered his voice mid-sentence.
“I have no connection with those guys… no, it’s not that I have no connection, but at least it wasn't because I liked following their instructions.”
“Were you blackmailed? Just what kind of weakness did the young master of a grand noble family have caught?”
“Those guys are the kind of people who have nothing to fear in this world. They even possess abilities that don't even follow common sense….”
It seems Joffrey did see something.
Seeing as he knows that they possess extraordinary abilities.
“Those guys, they operate strictly wearing masks. There probably aren't many people who know the faces behind the masks.”
At Ered’s meaningful remark, Joffrey’s shoulders trembled.
“…What are you trying to say?”
“What is their true identity?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Because you should know.”
Ered interrogated Joffrey as if it were obvious.
Of course, there was no evidence.
It was a so-called leading question.
“I, I don't know either…! Why, why do you think I would naturally know…?”
He fell for it.
Joffrey’s vital signs were reporting a lie.
The fellow knows their identity.
“Speaking nicely ends here. Don't test my patience any further.”
“I, I can't say any more! It’s no use no matter how much you intimidate me!”
Joffrey was trembling with fear.
It was understandable, since his wrist had almost been broken by Ered before.
However, at the same time, an obstinacy that wasn't there before had taken root in Joffrey.
“If I speak the truth, our family won't be safe. Those guys won't leave us alone. So I can't say any more even if I were to die and be brought back to life.”
Does he mean there’s no place left to retreat?
It was a resolute attitude.
“If you don't open your mouth, I won't leave you alone either, you know?”
“What is your identity…? Why are you obsessed with this matter?”
“Don't change the subject and speak the truth.”
Thud.
Ered grabbed Joffrey by the collar and pinned him against the wall.
“Even if you hide the truth, the result won't change. Whether you are harmed by those guys or receive the judgment of the Empire. That’s the only difference. But if you provide important information even now, you’ll be able to avoid the worst.”
It’s the difference between collapsing dishonorably or preserving a minimum of honor by showing loyalty to the Empire even if late.
“Th, that….”
Joffrey’s lips kept twitching.
All sorts of thoughts must be sweeping through his head.
Considering the tendency of nobles who value honor, if I push Joffrey like this, the desired result—
“Ered…?”
A third party’s voice suddenly heard from behind.
***
Ered let go of Joffrey’s collar and slowly turned my head back.
A possessor of shoulders hunched like a herbivore and a timid expression.
It was Stiny.
'The only people who know about this meeting are me and Joffrey, only the two of us.'
But why is that fellow here?
It doesn't make sense.
“…Stiny. What is it?”
“I, I just stopped by for a moment to exercise. But I heard the sound of an argument….”
“Exercise? You?”
The guy who is furthest from exercise?
It doesn't add up.
“Didn't you say that before? Asking how long I was going to live while only being picked on, and to build up strength if I’m weak….”
“You haven't followed my advice all this time. But only now?”
At this late hour, suddenly feeling a change of heart, and interrupting at the very moment right before hearing crucial information from Joffrey?
'This kind of thing is not a coincidence.'
Ered’s thoughts rotated rapidly.
To understand the current situation.
One conclusion was derived at the end of the thoughts.
'Stiny followed Joffrey. At least he didn't follow me.'
Because it’s impossible for an ordinary person to follow a Prominence without being detected.
'…No, there is one blind spot in this hypothesis. I was maintaining sensory expansion even while interrogating Joffrey.'
It was to prevent any situation where someone else might eavesdrop on the conversation.
And until just now, Ered had not detected any presence at all.
'…Until Stiny opened the locker room door and came in.'
Stiny intruded here even while deceiving the detection ability of a Prominence.
I stared intently at Stiny.
At this point, I have no choice but to admit it.
'This fellow is not an ordinary human.'
Why did he suddenly interrupt after following Joffrey secretly so well?
The reason boils down to one.
'Stiny did not want Joffrey to tell the truth.'
Right before Joffrey, who had been hesitating repeatedly, was about to tell the truth with difficulty.
In other words, at the worst timing, Stiny intruded and interfered.
Which means….
'…He heard everything. The conversation we shared.'
A chill ran down Ered’s spine.
“Stiny. You, who the hell are you?”
“Why are you getting angry…?”
Stiny muttered weakly like a person who was about to die.
“Ered. You’re my friend…. I accepted my friend’s advice even if late, so why….”
“So you came to exercise? Despite almost being murdered just a few days ago, you braved the danger?”
“Geez, you’re really persistent.”
A crack appeared in Stiny’s expression for an instant.
“I don't have an obligation to answer your question. Isn't that right?”
The guy smiled brightly.
I got goosebumps.
Can a person change this much?
“So that was your true self.”
“U, ugh…?”
Stiny began to hesitate again as if he had never done that.
“Tr, true self? I don't know what you mean….”
Stiny, who was twisting his fingers and gauging my reaction.
Since I had already witnessed the guy's true self, I couldn't help but find it disgusting.
“The bullshit is in full bloom.”
“Ehehe. Am I already too late? It’s not working.”
Stiny shrugged his shoulders and gave up.
“Joffrey.”
Stiny stared at Joffrey.
He only called his name but didn't talk to Joffrey any further.
He just stared at him intently.
Sanpaku(Eyes with three whites) eyes staring straight at Joffrey.
Sinister emotions were dwelling within Stiny’s snake-like eyes.
“Ugh… ah….”
Joffrey’s face froze as hard as a rock.
He was like a mouse placed in front of a snake.
Joffrey hastily cast his eyes down.
He is afraid.
Of Stiny, whom he had bullied day after day and who had been ignored by all the students in the Academy.
'It was my mistake.'
Ered gritted my teeth.
The true predator of the Academy was Stiny.
Not Joffrey.
“Joffrey. If you have anything you want to say to Ered, feel free to do so. The interrupter will take his leave now.”
Stiny stepped back while smirking.
“Instead, you will die by my hand.”
Stiny slowly backed away.
Without turning his back, he kept his eyes fixed on Joffrey until the end and then closed the locker room door.
Just what had happened between the two during that time?
'The reason Joffrey bullied Stiny was because Stiny ordered him to do so.'
Such a conclusion came naturally.
It’s paradoxical.
But it can't be explained any other way.
'The reason?'
Stiny wanted to become the weakest in the Academy himself.
Because a loner who is ostracized by the whole school won't receive interest from anyone.
There is a high probability that Stiny is a subversive element rooted deeply in the Academy, and among them, a core figure.
Thump.
Joffrey slumped down from where he stood helplessly.
Deep despair like the deep sea was cast over his blurred eyes.
'This fellow also tried to escape from Stiny’s shadow in his own way.'
Ered clicked my tongue lightly.
Joffrey had previously reported that Stiny’s behavior was suspicious.
Even making up words such as reciting incantations or carrying around suspicious books.
'Nevertheless, Stiny escaped from the line of suspects as if to show off.'
The death threat Stiny received is highly likely a cover.
The fellow already knew.
That he was being suspected.
'He even saw through the fact that I am not an ordinary being one step ahead.'
The attack of the wizard of wind aimed at Stiny was sincere.
Because it precisely aimed for the heart.
'For my part, I didn't want Stiny to die. Because I wanted to hear the truth from him.'
Stiny must have predicted that far as well.
'He must have been certain that I would protect him.'
The more I thought about it, the more I felt disgusted.
I have been thoroughly played within Stiny’s grasp all along.
Ered left the locker room while abandoning Joffrey.
I can see the back of Stiny’s head as he leaves the physical training room.
A leisurely gait where not a single bit of haste was felt.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I grabbed Stiny’s forearm and stopped him.
'…What is this?'
Immediately after that, I felt something strange.
The hand that grabbed Stiny became soaked.
A fishy scent brushed the tip of my nose.
“My, my.”
Stiny shook his head exaggeratedly.
“To hurt a friend. Aren't you being too much?”
The guy's shirt was stained red with blood seeping out from his left forearm.
Of course, it’s bullshit.
In the first place, there was no way bleeding would occur just by lightly grabbing a forearm.
'A wound must have already existed in that area.'
The left forearm.
It’s a wound that hasn't been around for long.
The scab hasn't even hardened yet.
So bleeding occurred with just minor contact.
“Looking at the amount of bleeding, the wound must have been quite large. Did a steel frame get stuck in your forearm, perhaps?”
“You've already reached that far?”
Stiny, no, Spark did not hold back his applause.
In the process, blood gushed out from the wound that had opened further, but the guy didn't care at all.
“Now, what are you going to do with me?”
Spark asked while smirking.
“I’ll have to throw you in a prison cell. Terrible tortures beyond your imagination will be waiting for you. In the end, you’ll meet a miserable end.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Not even a single bit of tension was felt from the guy.
Does he have something he trusts in?
He is still full of leisure.
Ered quietly placed my hand behind my pants.
The touch of a cold metal weapon.
I was planning to cut him down immediately if anything happened.
“I see.”
“What?”
“I’ll accept my fate quietly.”
Ered’s brain momentarily stopped.
'What is he trying to do?'
I don't want to admit it, but Spark is strong.
'The taste of electricity I received from the guy was quite a masterpiece.'
Since he possessed such power, it would be worth trying at least a final resistance if he was cornered.
Spark cleanly chose to surrender.
“Since it’s come to this, I’ll guide you to my secret hideout. That hideout is inside the Academy.”
“You’re going to cooperate late? You’re a traitor to the Empire. Just because you do that doesn't mean your sins can be forgiven—”
“Hey. That wasn't my intention. What do you take me for?”
Spark clicked his tongue and waved his index finger left and right.
“ I’m just letting you know. Simply because I like you. A small reward for finding out my secret, shall we say?”
The guy smiled, revealing his white teeth.
…He is a fellow who is completely unpredictable.