Chapter 58
‘It is suspicious, but…’
Randgar sat in his chair, deep in thought.
His thoughts lingered on Ryu, whom he had encountered earlier.
Ryu, whom he pretended to meet by chance, was not as extraordinary as Randgar had anticipated.
The way Ryu reacted to the illusion, appearing frightened and unsure, was a sight Randgar had seen countless times before.
The only thing that stood out was how Ryu maintained his gaze and occasionally looked back at Randgar, even amidst the pressure.
‘For now, there’s no need to overthink it.’
While there were suspicious elements, Randgar confirmed something during their handshake.
Ryu was not strong enough to warrant his concern.
Ryu undoubtedly surpassed the level of a typical student, but he wasn’t powerful enough to disrupt Randgar’s plans.
In other words, Ryu was bothersome but not worth excessive attention.
Given how many of Randgar’s plans had already gone awry, he couldn’t afford to waste energy on someone like Ryu.
Boom―
“Hm?”
“Elder.”
“I thought I told you not to visit during the day.”
Randgar muttered in a low voice as someone suddenly appeared in his office.
It was none other than Nigel, the black mage who had recently caused a significant problem.
“My apologies. But this is urgent.”
“What is it? Speak quickly and leave.”
“We’ve found the sacrificial offering. We can proceed with the original plan.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll provide more details later. Also, the potion testing is complete.”
Randgar couldn’t help but smile at the rare influx of good news.
After a period filled with only bad news, it was refreshing to hear something positive.
“That is good news.”
“Yes. I understand there’s a meeting tonight, so I came to inform you immediately.”
“Alright. Be on your way.”
“Yes.”
Boom―
Just as suddenly as he had appeared, Nigel disappeared after bowing deeply.
“Ha ha.”
The news of the sacrificial offering and the potion’s completion brought a sense of relief.
Moreover, Randgar had gauged Ryu’s capabilities and concluded he wasn’t a major threat.
Thinking about how he could finally silence the second elder during tonight’s meeting, Randgar couldn’t suppress his laughter.
***
After the unfortunate Kane Hover incident, time passed rather quickly.
Kane Hover had not regained consciousness, even a week after collapsing.
It was startling to learn how dangerous mana overflow could be.
From what others said, there were cases where people never woke up.
Despite his unlikeable personality, it was still somewhat pitiful.
The Kane Hover incident was handled quietly.
Since the head of the Hover family wanted it that way, there was little I could say.
My classmates were initially shocked by the sudden coma of one of our peers, but time, as always, helped them recover.
Within a few days, they began returning to their usual selves.
“Professor.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“You don’t see anything unusual?”
“Unfortunately, no. It feels like the investigation team deliberately erased all traces.”
The most significant change following the Kane Hover incident was my relationship with Professor Amilion Stappen.
Convincing her had been easier than expected.
Having already received confirmation from Yuria and feeling suspicious of the academy herself, Professor Amilion readily accepted my proposal.
In short, she became my ally.
Not only did she agree to keep my identity a secret, but she also decided to work with me.
Ironically, what solidified her decision was the investigation team’s report.
Their conclusion that no trace of the potion was found and that the blame lay solely on Kane Hover’s recklessness aligned with my suspicions about Vice Principal Randgar.
When I shared my doubts about Randgar, Professor Amilion nodded in agreement.
Now, a week after the Kane Hover incident, we were revisiting the scene, which had only recently been reopened.
Unfortunately, we hadn’t found any traces yet.
‘It really is as if nothing happened.’
The area where Kane had caused the fire was restored so perfectly that it seemed untouched.
I couldn’t fathom how they had managed to repair the scorched grass and trees.
“Kane definitely drank a potion… right?”
“I’m certain.”
Professor Amilion still struggled with casual speech.
Despite my urging her to speak comfortably to maintain the appearance of a student-teacher dynamic, she hadn’t quite managed it yet.
“Ugh. It seems unlikely we’ll find anything here.”
“Indeed.”
Though I had expected as much, the lack of results was still disappointing.
We had confirmed that Randgar was suspicious, but we lacked solid evidence.
Even Yuria’s mana detectors failed to pick up traces of dark magic.
Yuria had been visibly startled when none of the detectors detected any traces.
Thankfully, my suspicions had led us this far.
“Back to square one, then.”
“Any signs of Kane waking up?”
If Kane regained consciousness and told the truth, it would resolve everything.
However, Kane showed no signs of recovery.
With no evidence from the scene and no testimony from Kane, there was little else we could do.
“None.”
“Tsk. Well, it can’t be helped.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“There’s nothing I can do. I just have to wait.”
“Wait for what?”
Professor Amilion asked with a worried look.
“Another incident, I guess?”
“…”
I said it half-jokingly, but Professor Amilion’s expression twisted for a moment.
She looked at me intently, as if asking whether I was serious.
I nodded, entirely serious.
Another incident would definitely happen.
“Shouldn’t we at least ask Lady Yuria to do something about Vice Principal Randgar? If we can’t handle it ourselves, we could file a confidential report with the government…”
“Come on, how can we trust the Imperial government?”
“Sigh, but we can’t just sit idly by.”
Professor Amilion was more impatient than I had expected.
She kept wondering aloud whether we should try this or that, unable to stay still.
Maybe she needed to learn patience from Erica, who had spent a year searching for an hourglass.
“For now, let’s wait. Acting rashly might mean we accomplish nothing when the decisive moment comes.”
“Sigh.”
Professor Amilion sighed deeply, massaging her forehead as if frustrated.
She seemed genuinely vexed.
“Let’s head back. Staying here won’t help us find anything.”
“Fine, let’s go…”
In the end, we left the forest without any gains.
Oddly, Professor Amilion seemed more disappointed than I was.
“Ugh, isn’t there anything we can do?”
“I’m telling you, we have to wait. Patience is crucial for catching a big fish.”
“…”
Professor Amilion said nothing more, quickening her steps in silence.
‘I’m certain something will happen.’
Unlike Professor Amilion, I was confident.
I didn’t know when or how, but a new incident would inevitably occur within the academy.
As long as Randgar remained inside, it was a guarantee.
That fox would surely cause some trouble…
“Professor! Ryu!”
“Hm?”
A cheerful voice interrupted my thoughts and Professor Amilion’s strides.
Standing before us was Cynthia Surplus.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Professor Amilion and me expectantly.
“You’re investigating the last incident, right? Let me help!”
“Oh, no. It’s already over.”
“Come on. It might look different if I come along!”
“It’s fine, Cynthia. The investigation team has already finished, and Ryu and I came here to hear some statements, not to investigate.”
“Then let me go to the scene and give a statement! After all, I was a witness too.”
“Uh…”
No matter what Professor Amilion or I said, Cynthia wouldn’t back down.
She insisted confidently that things might change if she were involved.
“No, the professor and I already checked thoroughly. Even if you came along, there’s nothing new to find.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“What?”
“Maybe I’d see something different. How can you be so certain?”
Flinch—
Cynthia’s voice suddenly turned cold.
Though faint, there was undeniable anger in her tone.
Had what I said upset her that much?
It sounded similar to what Professor Amilion had said earlier.
“Uh…”
I hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words at Cynthia’s frosty reaction.
I hadn’t known her for long, but this was the first time I’d seen her like this.
“Miss Cynthia?”
“…Ah.”
Her cold gaze softened the moment Professor Amilion addressed her by name.
‘What was that?’
I understood she might have felt slighted, but her reaction left me confused.
The Cynthia I knew wouldn’t have reacted this strongly to something so trivial.
“Ah, sorry, sorry. I just wanted to help somehow.”
‘Huh?’
As Cynthia apologized in a completely different tone, something entered my view.
A translucent infographic.
It was a system message.
<Sub-Quest (2-1): ‘A Wrong Path’>
Objective: Correct Cynthia Surplus’s mental state.
Details: Guide Cynthia Surplus, who is straying onto a wrong path, toward the right direction.
Reward: 2 Stat Points.
Penalty: Severance of ties with Cynthia Surplus.
‘What is this…?’
My face twisted instinctively as I read the quest description.
—
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