"Gloves? What are you talking about? So just because of your so-called gloves and so shady business, you stabbed in the back just now??" Charon seed determined not to let go of this issue, continuing to press relentlessly.
"I already said it wasn't ."
"You said? What guarantee do you have? Your integrity? Your reputation?? Ha! Winnie, who in the entire Calla Kingdom, who in the entire Church of Radiance doesn't know what kind of person you are? What kind of things are you capable of??" Charon sneezed.
As he spoke, Charon's gaze swept over Fanya and Amisa nearby.
"I see you're still shouting loud enough, so you must be fine," Winnie raised an eyebrow. "You're wearing inner armor. Since you're not seriously hurt, just pull out that dagger. Standing there with it sticking out like a hedgehog is ridiculous."
"Winn…ie!" Winnie's unshakable, nonchalant attitude infuriated Charon so much that he montarily lost his words.
"So you're saying, because I was wearing inner armor, stabbing with a dagger is perfectly acceptable, is that it?" Charon quickly regained his composure.
"No, why are you so damn stubborn? I already told you it wasn't ! When I was running away, both my hands were covering my mouth and nose, where was I supposed to get a third hand to hold a dagger? Are you seriously trying to trap with word gas?" Winnie laughed.
"Even though I'm wearing inner armor, this dagger still pierced through it and cut ," Charon said darkly. "There's poison on this dagger."
"So it's actually poisoned?" Winnie frowned. "I don't have any antidote potions or healing potions on . Does anyone else?"
With that, Winnie turned to look at Fanya and Amisa beside him.
"Pfft! Stop pretending! This dagger was clearly the one you stabbed into my back during the chaos just now. What are you faking innocence for? Do you think everyone here is a brainless idiot, a blind fool? Who exactly are you trying to fool??" Charon glared fiercely at Winnie.
"Senior Charon, why are you acting like a little girl?" Winnie arched his brows, crossed his arms. "Can we first solve the current problem, then discuss who actually stabbed you, okay? You're poisoned, yet you don't seem worried at all?~"
"Of course I need treatnt when poisoned, but more importantly, we must first pull out that hidden thorn~ so it doesn't infect more healthy flesh," Charon said pointedly, staring at Winnie.
"So you're saying you're determined to make trouble with today, is that it?"
"It's not that I want to pick a fight, Winnie. Facing danger, you still do sothing like this. I know you've always been a brainless, extre, and despicable little bastard, but I never expected you to be so utterly oblivious to ti and place," Charon coldly replied.
"I give up. You really don't trust at all?"
"Trust you? Winnie, you should seriously reflect on your own actions in the capital city. Throwing knives at people publicly during banquets? That alone was bad enough. But you've also poisoned others' wine with toxic insects. Aren't these things you've done??"
Winnie rubbed his forehead.
The incident of throwing a knife in public was indeed done by the forr Winnie. At that ti, the original Winnie had no intention of actually hurting anyone, he rely wanted to scare those nobles approaching Mirexia. But who could've known soone so malicious would trip him while he was walking with a knife in hand?
Even more ridiculous was that the knife was just a dinner knife.
As for poisoning wine with insects, Winnie had absolutely no mory of that. He might not have done it at all.
"These kinds of actions aren't new to you. Your thods are crude and completely illogical, this is exactly your usual style of misconduct, isn't it??" Charon mocked.
"How would you know?" Faced with constant accusations without solving anything, Winnie stopped holding back.
"How wouldn't I know?? I grew up in the sa capital city as you. I know exactly what you were like as a child, and what you're like now. I know you too well. That's exactly why I'm certain it was you," Charon replied icily.
"Fine then. What do you want?" Winnie said impatiently.
"I can't trust you. I dare not trust you. I absolutely cannot turn my back on a madman and danger like you again," Charon said, each word deliberate and heavy, then turned toward Fanya and Amisa.
"And I definitely can't leave these two junior sisters in your care, lest you co up with so other malicious sche!"
"What kind of person would attack a classmate in such a dangerous place? What wouldn't you do? Let tell you, Winnie, when we return, I'll report this incident truthfully to the academy. Let them decide your punishnt."
"Punishnt? Interesting. But unfortunately, this young master refuses to be a scapegoat. I won't admit to anything I didn't do," Winnie lifted his chin proudly. "Especially not such an insult to my intelligence. I'll never admit to that."
"Whether you admit it or not isn't up to you," Charon panted heavily, looking visibly strained, then turned solemnly and gravely toward Fanya and Amisa.
"Two junior sisters, you might not fully understand this man's character, but I can tell you with full responsibility, his reputation in the Calla capital is universally known. He's the worst of the worst. Attacking allies, backstabbing, poisoning, these are everyday things for him."
"For your own safety, it's best not to stay with him anymore..."
"Senior Charon, please stop with such rude and crude remarks." Before Charon could finish, Amisa, who had been silent, suddenly interrupted.
Charon froze. He never expected that this delicate-looking girl would openly oppose him directly. He never imagined a student from the Church background would actually defend Winnie.
How could this be?? It shouldn't be like this.
Logically, students from the Church of Radiance background should have negative feelings toward Winnie. Most of them utterly despised him, believing that this shaless, audacious fraud had defiled the Goddess of Radiance and all past Saintesses. So extremists even hoped Winnie would die in an accident one day.
Precisely because of this, Charon chose this mont to speak out, attempting to isolate Winnie.
He had noticed that although Winnie encountered other students, both were from Church backgrounds. One, Fanya, had even publicly confronted Winnie in public and dueled him.
In his assumption, Fanya's dislike of Winnie would only deepen. As for Amisa, since she was Fanya's close friend and also from a Church background, there was a 90% chance she also disliked Winnie. Even if she was kind-hearted and beautiful enough not to hate him, she should at least be indifferent.
Therefore, in Charon's eyes, this part should have gone the smoothest. After all, Winnie's reputation was common knowledge throughout the Calla Kingdom, known even in other regions. People from the Church especially sneezed at him. Whenever anything bad happened, they'd naturally suspect him first. Isolating him should have been easy.
What he never expected was that at this crucial, supposed-to-be-smooth mont, he got stuck.
"Senior Charon, when the poison gas erged and we fled, I clearly heard a crisp sound of a dagger falling to the ground. Clearly, this wasn't done by Winnie. There's no way Winnie could have done such a thing," Amisa said softly and gently, yet her tone was firm and dignified.
This left Charon montarily speechless, his face turning awkward.
He never anticipated that these two Church-background students, who had conflicts with Winnie, would actually side with him and speak up for him.
It wasn't just him, Winnie himself was sowhat surprised that this frail girl would stand up for him at such a mont, even showing him unconditional trust. He felt a genuine warmth.
Honestly, Winnie had never really experienced kindness from strangers, especially after people learned of his identity. At best, they didn't spit on him; most simply avoided him, not wanting any association.
Precisely because he'd never experienced it, the feeling of being moved was especially profound and unforgettable.
If one could see a likeability ter, Winnie's affection toward Amisa would have shot up significantly at this mont.
"Yes, Senior Charon. I give you my word of honor, Winnie would never do such a thing," Fanya added, supporting Amisa.
This shocked Charon even more. After all, Fanya wasn't like others. She had publicly argued with Winnie, openly confronted him, and even dueled him. Although she lost, Charon was certain Fanya would ignore Winnie even more, which was why he acted without restraint.
But where? Where exactly did things go wrong??
Charon couldn't understand why these two not only failed to join him in ostracizing and opposing Winnie, but instead sided with Winnie against him.
Given Winnie's reputation and their existing animosity, he should have easily isolated Winnie.
Charon clenched his teeth silently.
"I believe there must be so misunderstanding, Senior Charon," Fanya said. "Amisa has recovered a bit of magic power. Although we didn't bring healing potions due to the suddenness, Amisa can help treat you."
"Let pull out the dagger for you," Fanya said, circling behind Charon and carefully extracting the blade.
"Senior Charon, after all, unity is the most important thing right now, isn't it?"
"......." Charon understood now, Fanya's words essentially ant she completely disbelieved Winnie had done it.
Charon truly couldn't figure out how Winnie managed to bewitch these two in such a short ti, or whether Winnie had sohow reconciled with Fanya without his knowledge??
Could that be possible? A Church knight with such a stubborn personality??
Amisa released a golden healing light, but it disappeared in less than two seconds.
It was clear, Amisa had absolutely no magic power left. Her magic essence was completely depleted.
This was understood. Amisa was only an advanced Artisan who had fought for a long ti against a monster resistant to both light and water. Running out of magic was inevitable.
Fanya wasn't much better. Seeing Amisa had no magic left, she stepped forward, releasing a green healing light to treat Charon.
"Senior Charon, do you feel better now?" Fanya asked.
"Mm, a bit better," Charon seed to have cald down, pausing briefly. "Alright, you're right. Unity is indeed the most important thing now."
With that, Charon gave Winnie a aningful glance.
"So, can we finally calmly discuss things?" Winnie touched back at the altar, no longer emitting toxic gas.
"So who actually did it?" Winnie looked at the dagger lying on the ground. "Aside from us, did anyone else hear other footsteps before?"
Amisa shook her head. "No. Only four sets of footsteps. I'm certain."
"You were deliberately paying attention to follow?" Winnie looked at Amisa in surprise.
"Winnie, Amisa has always been sensitive to these subtle changes since childhood," Fanya answered for her.
"Amazing, Amisa," Winnie praised without reservation.
"It's nothing," Amisa slightly lowered her head and shook it.
"Well then, since no extra footsteps were heard, the possibilities are endless," Winnie stroked his chin. "After all, this cursed place, anything can happen."
As for whether it was possible Charon stabbed himself, well, that was also a possibility.
But Charon was at least the son of the Wrathful Dragon Knight Captain. Even if they had deep grudges, couldn't they settle things outside? Why stage such a ridiculous performance here?
Besides, Winnie had no evidence. Unless he found conclusive proof, saying such things would only damage unity.
Most importantly, Winnie truly didn't want Charon to cause trouble at this mont, not for himself, but for the others in the team. He didn't want their petty conflict to sink the ship and drag everyone else down.
If possible, he wanted to assu the best about people, especially these knights. After all, they'd taken knightly oaths.
But well, maybe that was just wishful thinking. Right now, it seems this ship was already on the verge of capsizing.
Still, how should he put it, after all, they're knights. Even with the deepest grudges, they wouldn't actually want to leave a classmate's life behind here, right? Otherwise, there'd be no explanation why Charon staged this performance.
Winnie knew Charon was scum behind the scenes, but fundantally, he was still the son of a knight captain. He should still have so, right??
The group cautiously approached the center of the altar again. They found that the spot where the keyhole had been was now sunken, forming a small pond.
None of them understood the pond's purpose. Winnie hesitated for a mont, then looked at the Serpent's Tongue Dagger in Fanya's hand. "Fanya, throw that dagger into the water."
"Eh? Throw it in? Okay." Without hesitation, Fanya tossed the dagger in.
Seeing this, Charon's expression changed once more.
This alone was enough to show that Winnie had already beco their central figure.
I think it will take 5 to 10 chapter for Charon going in grave.
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