21 - The Victim of the Academy

**The Deal (3)** A Few Days Later. At the point when everything was ready. "Ah!" I sighed before commencing the plan. I really don't want to do this. Why must I be the one to undertake such a perilous task? Yet, there was no alternative. Not acting would be even more dangerous. However... "Once we start, there's no turning back." It's either success or failure. The issue lies in how effective my preparations will be, and to what extent everything will go according to my intentions. Given that I had to act before the cult made their move, my plan is full of holes. I haven't fully grasped the entirety of the cult's scheme, and all I can do is attempt to get ahead before their plans commence. "The crux of the plan is the traitor in Class F." I've already set things in motion. I made the first move before she could fall entirely into the cult's grasp. If I eliminate her early on, whatever plan the cult has been preparing should crumble. Another plan? Sure, there might be something. But they wouldn't have the resources to execute it. After all, the cult is an outsider and their time within the sanctuary is limited. This single move will change everything. This single move will secure a peaceful school life. "Let's do this..." I acted according to the plan. Other than executing the plan today, I shared nothing with Ariel. The key to the plan is ensuring the other side harbors no suspicion. If one of Robelia's close aides acts unusually, the ambushers would inevitably tread cautiously. Ariel is merely in a position where she can check my location anytime. That's why I made a deal with Ariel. If she joins my plan, she won't have the bandwidth to worry about Robelia's side. "Do I really have to do this even as a noble?" As darkness fell. In the deserted hills, I dug the earth holding a shovel. The bait has been set. If they decide not to ambush me after witnessing this, it can't be helped. I've offered Melana an opportunity. How she chooses to utilize it is up to her. However, there is one problem... 'I don't have a way to dodge an ambush for the first strike.' Me? Someone like me? Evade or block an expert attack in such darkness? Impossible. Moreover, Melana thinks of me as Robelia's informant. She will likely strike with an attack that would normally be undetectable. Of course, I do have thoughts. It might be deemed an action without prior agreement or visible benefit, but I'm half-sure about something. "..." I paused the digging. The air changed. The darkness ahead felt more pronounced. Simultaneously, I realized. I glanced back momentarily. There, frozen in action, was Melana swinging a giant scythe at me. Seeing this, I took a step back and turned my head again. "Have you arrived?" Before me was a demon. Just like the first time we met, the demon, in the form of a black poodle, looked at me with displeasure. The demon growled. "You could have died." "No, I would have been fine. I expected you to come." "What would you have done if I hadn't come? If I hadn't stopped time to inform you, you wouldn't have even perceived your own death." "Haha! Would a demon of your caliber give up on me so easily?" I knew who the demon before me was. Knowing gave me confidence. The ability to stop time. The formidable power to manifest without a contract, that appearance. And, crucially, the terms of the contract. 'Stay your moment.' A famous line from the play Faust. And in the play Faust, there's a fool who gave everything to the protagonist, Faust, only to be tricked. That fool's name is... "Mephistopheles." I believed a fool of that degree would save my life without expecting anything in return. Furthermore, considering the opponent. Mephistopheles naturally despises the Under Chain. It's understandable since the leader of the Under Chain, the Great Sage, is the one who made a fool of Mephistopheles, Faust, the original schemer. Fate is indeed ironic. The one he sought to corrupt ended up falling on his own. "There won't be a next time. Being fooled only once." "...Of course." Though I called him a fool, he's still terrifying. I wonder what he thought when I mentioned his name? Perhaps it would have been better to feign ignorance rather than acknowledging him? I might have been too ecstatic thinking everything went according to plan. "What did you do?" Time resumed, and Melana, amazed, muttered as she swept a scythe past where I’d been. To her, it must have seemed like I moved at an inexplicable speed. Yet it was beyond that. I moved when time had stopped. Even if I didn't stop it, that's the truth of it. "As if I'd tell you." Honestly, I don't fully grasp the exact mechanism myself. But flaunting such bravado buys time. She halted, as proof. Now she's carefully observing my every move. Yes, caution is good. The more cautious you are, the slower your actions become. "Then die!" I raised my hand towards the approaching Melana, as if to show her something, and opened my fist. Seeing my fist, Melana watched intently, on guard. As my hand opened, light beamed forth. At best, it was akin to a high-performing flashlight. But in the darkness, it's perfect for obstructing a focused view. "You insolent fool...!" However, ultimately, she didn't shield her eyes. She must be too skilled to fall for such a simple trick. I anticipated this—the light wasn't meant for her. A scythe swung. By the time the sound of the wind being sliced reached me, it was already too late. I couldn't see the attack. However, given the peculiar nature of a scythe, her movements would be restricted. Clang! I blocked it. I hadn't seen it, but when she moved, I swung my sword in her likely attack direction. My wrist stung, and I felt a great force pushing back my body, but I wasn't cleaved in two. "It's over, Melana." Illusion magic is my specialty. Even though I couldn't cast basic magic like [Fireball], I was capable of using illusion magic up to an intermediate level. The spells that left my hand were called [Radiance] and [Kaleidoscope]. Light and refraction: the foundation of illusion magic. A double-casting of these two spells. The magic that shot into the sky scattered light in all directions. It wasn't enough to paint the whole world in light, but for anyone paying attention, it was a dazzling laser show. "I gave you a chance. You should've taken it when you could." I drove Melana into a corner and provoked her, but the opportunity was there. This much is true. I offered her a chance to surrender, but Melana was the one who brushed it off. "I could've easily handed over information about you to Her Highness right away." This was a lie. I wouldn't have done so. Not out of pity for Melana, but because I feared the price Robelia might demand. After all, she's someone who set me up with the cult just for helping me once. To eliminate Melana early, I’d need not only brute force but also political maneuvering. Simply getting rid of Melana would be straightforward, but ensuring she faces scrutiny from other royal factions is another matter. Hence, I needed solid evidence, not just suspicions or words. And now, that evidence has surfaced. Her eyes glint green, her hair is a dull ashen shade—proof of black magic usage. Though these signs will naturally fade over time, she doesn't have that luxury now. "Using the chains of the Under Chain leaves no room for denial." "Shut up!!" The massive scythe swung again. This time, I couldn't block it. My wrist was already damaged from fending off her attack once. There would be no second block. Melana's power, boosted by the chain, exceeded my expectations by far. Well, this is akin to a bonus stage, so it doesn’t really matter. I have a trump card left. "Ugh?!" A bolt from the blue. Lightning struck Melana, electrifying the world brightly. And the girl who summoned the lightning descended gracefully from the sky astride a staff. "Sir Johan, you claim you can't use [Fireball] while being capable of double casting?" The moment Ariel arrived, she began scolding me. "Didn't it occur to you that the plan was too rudimentary? If I had been even a little later, you might have lost a limb." "That's the nature of plans. Unforeseen circumstances always arise." I'm not sure how rapidly she arrived, but it seemed almost simultaneous with my spell casting. A monster in her own right. Nevertheless, my plan bore fruit in the end. It was clumsy and full of holes, but it delivered results. The only important factor was my confidence that I'd survive. "Are you sure you don't actually possess some special power?" "I'm telling you, I don't." If I did, navigating this crisis would have been far easier. Of course, my ability to double cast two spells doesn’t stem from my own prowess. It’s not due to any particular expertise in illusion magic either. I'm just average. This is more like a vestige of some special power. "Suspicious..." Ariel continued to eye me with skepticism. She incessantly accused me of being a conman, but I didn’t understand why. She fell for it herself, yet blames me for being deceitful—it's unfair. "Haha... So it was a trap after all. I knew it... I knew it, but..." Eventually, from the spot where the lightning had struck, Melana rose to her feet. Despite the direct hit, she proved surprisingly resilient. "Miss Melana. Surrender now. We can still cover this up." Even as the situation reached this stage, Ariel offered her mercy. But shouldn't she ask me first whether to cover it up or not? I'm the victim here after all. "You know well that I can't give up, Lady." "......" Ariel shook her head, wearing a complex expression. It appeared she no longer intended to show further mercy, judging by the way she clutched her staff. "Do you know each other?" "Yes, a little." "I see. Well, hang in there." "...Sir Johan, sometimes you come across as cold." "What can an uninformed person like me say?" You should take care of your own issues among yourselves. My concern is merely getting through this current situation. I took a step back. Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum "I'm envious of you, Lady." "...Melana." Melana, a ghost of her former self, shed bloody tears. The white rabbit chanted a spell while drawing a magic circle upon noticing her condition. "If I had such power back then, I wouldn't have any regrets!" "No, everyone regrets." Ariel was colder and more resolute than I had anticipated. Was it because of the impression that she seemed delicate? It was quite surprising. Boom! A spear of steel launched from a magic circle hovering in the air, and fire danced along her staff. Magic warfare smeared with telekinesis bore down on Melana, as if alive. No matter how much Melana relied on the power of the chain, she couldn't defeat Ariel head-on. At this point, Ariel was even stronger than Robelia. "Kyaah!" Eventually, Melana let out a scream, rolling on the ground. She swung her scythe repeatedly, but even drawing near Ariel was an impossibility. Melana scratched at the ground, trying repeatedly to rise, but eventually, it seemed she had exhausted her strength. "It's over." Ariel showed no disturbance at witnessing such a pitiful sight. It's over. At least, it should have been. "Heh..." Until Melana pulled out a new chain from her clothes. "What?" This was entirely unexpected. The group known as the 'Under Chain' all possess a ring of souls. Each ring represents one life. And those rings are woven together to create a chain. As such, the chain is unavoidably powerful. It's precisely the reason why Melana from Class F could hold her own against Ariel with that power. However... "You'll die, Melana. Dying like this means you won't even find peace." Ariel warned in a cold voice. It was her version of mercy. While the chain is powerful, it comes with enormous burdens, akin to forcing another's soul into oneself. It was impossible to withstand. "Death is..." Yet Melana, without hesitation, seized the chain. "...just one path." A ghostly wail echoed in the air. The chain, woven with seven rings, dug into Melana's hand. Her ashen hair, green eyes, and now her hand clutching the chain began to blacken and decay. The signs of her limits were already showing. "Only death can sever the endless sorrow." "I don't agree." Grasping the scythe with her darkened arms, Melana rose like a broken marionette puppet. Seeing this, Ariel switched to a different type of magic—a lethal spell, devoid of any mercy. "No! It has to be this way!!" Melana then rushed towards Ariel, with a sinister aura trailing her like a shadow. Death was hot on her heels. Nonetheless, Ariel calmly aimed her staff at the advancing Melana. There was no twist. Shrouded in uncontrollable power, Melana failed to master it, while Ariel methodically began to destroy everything about her. The battle resolved faster than the previous encounters. Melana collapsed pathetically, and Ariel was ready to finish what she started. And that's when the unexpected occurred. A blinding light intervened, blocking Ariel's approach. For the first time, Ariel, who had maintained her cold expression, showed signs of disturbance. Melana, lying on the ground, seemed equally perturbed. I could only sigh. "So that's how you're choosing to use the chance I offered?" The cult had been reaching out to students to identify the traitor in Class F. I had followed their steps, reaching out to every student in Class F. As a result, I was able to identify Melana as the traitor. And because of this... "Jeff." I approached the figure known as Jeff. He had been the quickest to recognize Melana's betrayal. And he... "I made up my mind half a year ago. When Rain asked me to protect Melana, I agreed." He was a fool, faithfully keeping a promise made to a friend who had already passed away. "I keep my promises. I decided not to think about anything else." The Dawn's Radiance. A knight blessed in the name of Paradise stood with shadows at his back.