35 - The Victim of the Academy

**The Arbiter (3)** "I've come to deliver some good news." To start with, I barged into the laboratory where Koran Lekias was working. Although I agreed to do a favor for Emily, I must admit, I'm not exactly a good person. I intend to help, but first, I will collect an advance payment. Helping him doesn't guarantee Koran Lekias will survive, so I should secure what's due to me beforehand. I laid out everything I knew to Koran Lekias. "...Emily, it seems, did notice that I was the one behind it all." Koran Lekias appeared to have already realized that Emily had discovered his true identity. Given Emily's transparent nature, it wouldn't have been difficult for her to piece things together. Whether she noticed that he was part of Ex Machina as well is uncertain, but even if she did, I doubt it would have shocked her greatly. "I’ve ended up worrying the kid." "Is that so?" Koran Lekias looked surprisingly calm, despite me revealing his identity. Unlike with Emily, the situation felt entirely different. When her identity was unveiled, Emily seemed nonchalant and indifferent. In contrast, Koran Lekias's response mirrored a sense of resignation. Consequently, all the precautions I planned in case he acted out ended up being unnecessary. It's easier this way, which is a relief. "Student Yohan, what will you do with me now? If you desire a normal life, you’d be wise to report my identity to Olga Hermod or the emperor." "That's true." Koran Lekias is a criminal. No matter where I hand him over, preserving his life would be challenging. Even being a valuable researcher from Ex Machina can't overshadow the fact that he made a pact with a demon. Demons and their contractors have left countless scars on human history. Being chosen by the Book of Lemegeton alone is cause for extreme punishment, let alone signing a contract. The situation is practically hopeless. If he wanted to survive, he should remain hidden instead of drawing attention to himself. But would he have plotted against Tillis to the extent of making a pact with a demon if that was his intent? He has already staked his life. "But I'm not such a nice person that I'd pass up on a personal gain. I need to secure my interests first." I took out the Heart of the Phoenix and the Blood of the Frost Giant from my pocket. As Koran Lekias watched the endless array of ingredients being placed before him, he let out a dry laugh, seemingly overwhelmed. "You've brought quite a lot." "Failures are inherent to experiments. I brought everything I had." Once I resolve this critical aspect, my own experiment will have a foreseeable course. Therefore, I stepped forward and took the risk in front of Koran Lekias. "I had a granddaughter. A sweet child. She was killed by the saintess. It happened while she was simply volunteering in the slums." "I'm not interested. The legitimacy of your revenge doesn't concern me. I simply wish for my experiment to succeed." "...Seeing you now, Student Yohan, you seem quite suitable for Ex Machina." "What a dreadful thing to say." I'm not so obsessed as to risk my life over experiments. It's all calculated, that's all. If my life were at stake, I would have abandoned the experiment long ago. Koran Lekias, with a bitter smile, continued speaking. "I understand you're disinterested, but consider it a final lament. That child was the pride of my son, and my hope. But do you know how the world perceived her death?" "It couldn't have been favorable." "People censure her, saying she died because she deserved it." The anticipated result. Tillis’s public image is near-perfect, often regarded as a saintess. She doesn’t particularly hide her true nature, yet people choose to be deceived. Being a high elf, she belongs to a divine race. Her beauty and gentle voice, combined with her captivating abilities, ensure that whatever she does is interpreted positively. "Student Yohan, I waver. Despite coming this far, I can't take the final step." Koran Lekias was unlikely a naturally harsh person. He was probably closer to a good person. The reason he has been pushed this far is simply due to bad luck and the world's cruelty towards him. "Is it right for me to seek revenge?" Koran Lekias's granddaughter died because of Tillis. Yet, it was Tillis's actions, not her intent, that led to her death. Such thoughts are likely eating away at him. Koran Lekias is tormented by the idea of killing a person revered as a saintess out of his personal vendetta. "You must. It's too late to debate right and wrong. Your contraptions wrecked a building, and those you summoned died in their cradles. Even that was purely coincidental." If Ariel hadn't been there when the machinery rampaged, the damages might have been significant. If the intruders that breached the orphanage's walls through Koran Lekias's disruptions had used all means necessary, there could have been casualties. No, there actually were. Only because the orphanage students were capable were they able to fend it off. That is simply an instance of good luck. "Let's not pretend to be pure." In pursuit of my goals, I am turning a blind eye to crime, while Koran Lekias committed acts of terrorism for revenge. Arguments can be made for either cause, but at the end of the day, a crime remains a crime. "Haha! You're audacious beyond belief. Teacher Georg certainly chose a good student." Koran Lekias, with a self-deprecating laugh, grabbed the ingredients I laid out. "So, Student Yohan, if I assist you, what will you offer me in return? I trust you didn’t come here just to convince me with mere promises of leniency." "Of course not. I don't expect something for nothing. I am well aware that silencing someone is often cheaper than a negotiation." In truth, that’s not an issue. The biggest worry was Koran Lekias refusing to engage in dialogue. Even that concern was relieved swiftly, as he seemed to accept it resignedly, allowing me to draw him into this deal. That's already a success in my book. "I'll provide you with the choice of your battlefield. With meticulous preparation, wouldn’t drawing your opponent into your domain make it much more manageable?" "How?" "To explain that, I need to tell you a story." I intentionally set things up so that Tillis would monitor and chase me. I was confident it would happen that way. I might be the only one at this point who has figured out her true intent. "Did you know? In ancient times, spirits were called something else," I continued, referring to Tillis, the saintess. "Daimon. But over time, 'daimon' morphed into another term." Koran Lekias caught onto the hint quickly, rubbing his face before completing the answer. "...Demon." Demon or devil. Isn't it ironic? People were utterly oblivious. Tillis was openly summoning and commanding demons, yet everyone labeled them as mere spirits. "And coincidentally, I'm somewhat like you." I revealed the Book of Lemegeton I was carrying to Koran Lekias. The reason Tillis is watching me is that the Book of Lemegeton chose me. She must have sensed the presence of the great demon Mephistopheles and come to the Orphanage because of it. However, since she found no demon contractor, she must have been wandering in confusion. But now, the situation has changed. -You. -Are beloved by the spirits? To ensure she noticed me, I carried the Book of Lemegeton when we met. My bold actions likely made her suspect that despite not making a contract, I was tied to demon forces to some extent. She must have felt like prey walked right into her grasp. Anyway, that's not the pressing issue right now. "So, let's reconsider." I decided to clear away the last doubt lingering in Koran Lekias's heart with the truth. "Do you really believe your granddaughter simply got caught up and died in the mess?" Saintess Tillis. To the outside world, she's wrapped in benevolence. But peel back a layer, and you find something truly intriguing. "Demons typically approach with angelic faces." Indeed, she is one of the final boss candidates in this game, alongside the ‘Prophet’ cult — the 'Arbiter'. First Keeper of the Lemegeton. Ostilis Liberatio. One aimed to save the world maliciously. --- The pact was sealed. As a down payment, I offered Jake a combination of materials, and in return, I agreed to cooperate with Koran Lekias. But first, there's something to address. "You can't win." There's no chance he, as a mere member of Ex Machina, can defeat someone like her, the First Keeper of the Lemegeton. Even pouring in every conceivable resource wouldn't suffice. That's why I plan to involve Eden. It's the only way to increase the survival odds substantially. Conversely, even with the cult's support, tackling Tillis would be unfeasible. The difference lies in the starting point. While Tillis is nearly complete, the cult is still developing. "The probability of surviving is low." "I abandoned my life the moment I swore revenge." "So, are you going to your death? If there's a high chance of failure and you're wagering your very life, how is that different from suicide? Let's aim to return alive." "...." Koran Lekias gazed at me keenly before saying curtly, "Student Yohan, I can't tell whether you're kind or not." "Let's say I'm kind." "Very well." "Now that you know I'm a good person, let's resolve this first. I won't eat and run." I directed him back to the materials I'd brought. It's unnecessary to worry; just synthesize these somehow. I trust you're not going to tell me it's impossible after coming this far. Otherwise, everything I've done so far will have been in vain. Koran Lekias silently observed the Phoenix's Heart and Frost Giant's Blood in their case before finally moving his hands over them. "Student Yohan, do you know which demon I've contracted with?" "...I have a hunch." Admittedly, I didn't know at first. Since the nature of powers involves many ambiguities, unless the name is revealed, I wouldn't have even realized such a guess was possible. But as clues accumulated, a name surfaced in my mind. Upon learning that a member of Ex Machina had contracted with a demon, I was half sure. "Even demons have preferences." I am neither insignificant nor in such dire circumstances that I'd sell my soul. Yet Mephistopheles reached out to me. Solely because my soul, rich in memories of my past life, intrigued him. So, which demon would find Koran Lekias interesting? What would capture the fancy of a conventional researcher? A demon manipulating the heat, pressure, and steadiness of gears in a massive engine. A supernatural faculty allowing two materials of distinctly different temperatures to meld while maintaining their individual temperatures. "A demon capable of controlling thermal energy, specifically entropy, is singular." Among the four significant demons in the history of science — a being capable of regulating molecular motion to decrease entropy. "Maxwell's Demon." Born out of a thought experiment, it's a demon that defies the laws of thermodynamics. It seems like you've entered a sequence of letters and numbers. If this is related to something specific, like a code or topic you're exploring in the narrative, could you provide more context or clarify your request? I'm here to help with any further translation or clarification needed!