I nodded. "Understood."
I’d heard this feedback before. I knew it. That’s why I needed rle.
As the class continued, I stood on the sidelines, my eyes scanning the other students.
’A female cadet...’
Even in the original ga, the identity of the serial killer was a mystery until the final reveal. There was no ntion of which class she was in.
"Cadet. Are you listening?"
"Hey! Cadet Lucien!"
"Yes, I’m listening."
"Hand on your conscience, were you really listening?"
"...Maybe."
I got chewed out again by Samantha for daydreaming.
****
[After Class]
I packed up my rifle case in the classroom. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the desks.
"Wait a mont. I need to talk, Cadet Lucien."
I froze.
I turned around.
Standing in the doorway was Kael.
And behind him stood Celestia, Elisha, Bordon, and Mariella.
The full "Protagonist Party." The Avengers of the Academy.
My head throbbed. I didn’t like this.
"What if I say no?" I asked, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
"It’s about yesterday," Kael said, his voice serious. "And the information you gave us."
Celestia stepped forward, her golden hair shining. She looked at with a complicated expression.
"Lucien. Kael told us everything. About the investigation. About your... help."
"Search on your own," I said coldly, walking toward the back door. "I’m not part of your club. I’ll handle things my way."
"We can’t do it alone," Elisha spoke up, blocking the back exit. "If the enemy is truly a student... we need soone who thinks like a criminal."
She looked in the eye.
"We need you."
Here is the improvised Chapter.
Chapter 149: The Survivor of Luveil
"Search on your own," I said coldly, walking toward the back door of the classroom. "I’m not part of your club. I’ll handle things my way."
"We can’t do it alone!" Elisha spoke up, stepping in front of the door to block my exit. Her violet eyes were desperate, stripping away her usual noble pride.
"If the enemy is truly a student... if they are hiding in plain sight... the Protagonist Party is too conspicuous. We follow the rules. We think like heroes."
She looked dead in the eye, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"But this killer is insane. To catch a monster... we need soone who thinks like a criminal."
She paused.
"We need you."
I stared at her. It was a compelling argunt.
But I wasn’t going to be leashed.
"Move, Ravenscroft."
Like a stubborn child, I sidestepped her. The Protagonist Party, knowing they couldn’t sway my stubbornness without a fight, let pass.
I could feel their gazes burning into my back as I left.
[The Academy Main Gate - Sunset]
I stood in the shadow of the clock tower near the main gate.
[Skill Active: Detection ]
I watched the cadets streaming out for evening leave. I checked mana signatures, gait, and equipnt. I waited until the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of bruised purple.
But no cadet resembling the culprit appeared. No strange mana fluctuations. No one carrying the scent of dried blood and herbs.
’Are they staying in the dorms tonight?’
If so, I was out of luck. The dorms were protected by high-level wards I couldn’t breach without triggering an alarm.
’I’ll search tomorrow. I feel sorry for today’s potential victims, but this is my limit.’
I adjusted my collar, turning to leave.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of a cane against cobblestone echoed behind .
I turned around.
An old man in a worn brown coat was approaching from the direction of the faculty buildings. He looked out of place among the young students.
It was rle.
He wasn’t smiling. His usual grumpy shopkeeper deanor was gone, replaced by a sharp, scholarly intensity.
"Mr. Ashborne," he greeted, stopping a few paces away. "Do you have a mont?"
An unexpected guest. But I wasn’t fazed. In fact, I had been hoping for this.
’Hmm.’
Why did he seek out? Logic dictated he should be sticking to Kael, the "Hero" who saved him yesterday.
But I was glad.
rle was a special supporting character. In the ga, he was just a rchant. But lore-diggers knew he wielded mysterious Card Magic of unknown origin and possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of Ancient Artifacts that surpassed even the Royal Mages.
To —soone seeking a "True Ending" for this broken world—he was an invaluable asset.
That’s why I had gritted my teeth and cooperated with the Protagonist Party yesterday. To plant this seed.
"I have ti," I replied politely.
"Follow . There is a quiet place nearby."
*****
[The Scholars’ Nook - Private Booth]
We sat in the back of a dimly lit café frequented by professors. The steam from two black coffees rose between us.
"I was surprised," rle said, stirring his drink without looking at it. "To think the heir of Count Ashborne would co all the way to the slums to save an old man."
"I thought visiting your shop again might be rude without a gift," I deflected.
"Thank you for your consideration."
rle took a sip. His hand trembled slightly.
I knew why.
His granddaughter, Irina. The girl I saved yesterday.
In the original tiline, she would die to a demon summoner within the week. rle would wail for days and nights before burning his research and taking his own life. That was his scripted fate.
But that script was already cracking.
"Since you’ve shown consideration, I’ll engage actively in this conversation," rle said, setting his cup down. "Mr. Lucien. I didn’t co here to thank you."
"I assud as much."
"The matter I need to discuss is grave."
rle reached into his pocket. He took out a faded, yellowed business card made of a material that looked like tal but felt like paper.
He placed it on the table, face down.
"Tell ," rle’s eyes sharpened behind his spectacles. "Are you a Holy Assassin from the Holy nation or sohow related to them. Like maybe apprentice or sothing.
"...No."
I blinked. To think everyone would start suspecting of being a Church agent just after using that Divine bullet. The misunderstanding keeps increasing.
"I am not affiliated with the Holy Empire," I stated firmly.
"Then how?" rle leaned forward, his voice dropping to a hiss. "How did you know about the Shadow Stalkers? How did you know about the Order of the Dawn? Those nas were erased from history five hundred years ago. Only the High Priests of the Holy Empire... and the survivors of that place... know them."
He flipped the card over.
My eyes widened.
[Luveil Imperial Research Institute] [Chief Manager: rle Aris] [Clearance Level: 0 (Director)]
"...!"
The Luveil Research Institute!
’What the actual fuck?’
’This is whole new developnt.’
’Hey this is cheating. This was not in the plot. Where did this new developnt co from’
I scread inwardly as I saw that card.
I thought rle was just an unusually knowledgeable antique dealer. I knew he had a backstory. But to be the Chief Manager of the Fallen Empire’s Research Division?
He wasn’t just a survivor. He was one of the architects of the modern magical world.
"Tell , Mr. Lucien," rle pressed, his gaze piercing. "You wield a weapon from my era. You know the nas of the ancient enemies. Who are you?"
’A bold move.’
If he ca out like this, revealing his biggest secret, I couldn’t just back off with a lie. He would see right through it.
’But... this is what I wanted.’
I leaned back, crossing my legs. I let my "Villain" mask slip, revealing the tired player underneath.
"I am not a Holy Assassin. I am not a hero."
I looked him in the eye.
"I am a variable."
"A... variable?"
"I want to correct the chaos and disasters in this world," I said quietly. "I don’t want to die in a scripted apocalypse."
I tapped the table.
"I want to find a breakthrough from the predetermined destruction that is coming. I will protect my people, my ho, and yes, even your granddaughter. That is my only wish."
rle stared at . He searched for deceit in my eyes.
"I am not connected to the Holy Empire," I continued. "I am rely using their history—and yours—as a ans to survive."
If this was a war of information, I would trade.
"Since you questioned , Manager rle, it is my turn."
I pointed at the card.
"As a Director of the Luveil Empire’s Research Institute, you must know the truth that the history books hide."
I lowered my voice to a whisper.
"What is the connection between the Luveil Empire... and the Dungeons that suddenly appeared worldwide and swallowed your civilization?"
rle froze.
The color drained from his face. It was the expression of a man who realized that the Pandora’s Box he thought was buried... was actually sitting wide open on the table.
"You..." rle whispered, his voice trembling. "How much do you know?"
"Enough to be scared," I replied.
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