Chapter 249 : Suspicion
Chapter 249: Suspicion
In front of the Throne, inside the First-year camp's Castle Gate.
This was where students who had retired from the match respawned.
Tearing through the golden curtain of light, seven cadets burst out at full speed.
“Haah, damn it!”
One of them, unable to contain his anger, swung his fist into the empty air.
They had always believed themselves to be the First-years' greatest fighting force.
But the result had been disastrous.
The humiliation of being annihilated in a single strike without even laying a finger on the Imperial Princess they had looked down upon.
As they replayed that defeat over and over in their minds, they swore to take revenge the moment they respawned.
“I never imagined the Imperial Princess would be that strong.”
“We were just careless. If we'd formed up properly, we wouldn't have been wiped out so pathetically.”
Pitiful excuses continued as they tried to preserve their pride.
One cadet, his face flushed red with anger, ground his teeth.
“Enough talking. Let's head to the sewer right now and deal with that Imperial Princess…….”
“Yaaawn…….”
The sound of a yawn instantly shattered the murderous atmosphere.
The bloodshot eyes of the cadets turned toward the source all at once.
“……What's that?”
There was a student lying sprawled on the ground.
Judging by his appearance, he had apparently been sleeping soundly until just now.
A name tag reading “Dion” hung from the crumpled chest of his uniform.
“Don't tell me you've been sleeping this whole time? In the middle of all this?”
“Hey, wake up! What the hell are you doing during the match?!”
As the shouting erupted, Dion slowly opened his eyes with an annoyed frown.
“Haaah……. You're all so damn noisy.”
Casually sitting up, Dion rubbed both of his stiff neck muscles with his bare hands before speaking as though tossing the words out.
“……So.”
“Where's this Imperial Princess?”
“She was in the sewer. But wake up properly first. All seven of us couldn't even beat her.”
“Watch your mouth! We were just unlucky back then!”
“I told you we were careless! If we fought again now, we'd definitely win……!”
His classmates shouted angrily.
Dion, however, wasn't interested in them at all.
“Haaah…….”
He roughly ruffled his own hair in irritation before staring blankly at the clear sky overhead for a moment.
Then he casually dusted the dirt from his clothes, stood up, and slowly began walking toward the sewer.
“Hey! Where are you going?!”
A sharp voice struck the back of Dion's head.
Only then did Dion slowly turn around.
“……Me?”
The corners of his lips gradually curled upward.
“To do some cleaning.”
The smile stretching across his face looked grotesque.
It resembled the hunger of a wild beast that had caught the scent of blood.
Or perhaps the mocking grin of the Grim Reaper before claiming another life.
Everyone who saw it felt an icy chill run down their spine.
“……Cl-cleaning?”
“Wh-what are you talking about……?”
Ignoring the stammering students, Dion resumed walking.
Only after he had completely disappeared into the distance did they finally feel their stiffened bodies relax.
“Just ignore him! That lazy bastard's been sleeping this whole time. What help could someone like him possibly be?”
“…….”
Though they deliberately raised their voices, Dion's smile remained deeply engraved in their minds like an afterimage that refused to fade.
For some reason, an ominous feeling left their lips completely dry.
Circular Colosseum Arena.
“Eh……?”
Karin blinked repeatedly as she stared at the screen.
She rubbed her eyes several times in disbelief.
[Contestant Villed is currently fleeing after taking the Block's key……. Professor Jennings will explain the details.]
Like her, many of the spectators were momentarily bewildered.
Villed had stolen Kaylin's key and fled.
The Second-year Students had stopped attacking the First-year camp and were now chasing Villed to recover the key.
Likewise, the First-years were also searching for Villed to seize the key from him.
……It didn't appear to be part of any internal strategy.
[Ah, we have just received notice that Professor Jennings has declined an interview. Even the commentators cannot understand this strategy.]
Even Professor Jennings himself seemed completely caught off guard.
“Lapin, this is... pretty serious, isn't it?”
“…….”
Hearing Karin's words, Lapin glanced around.
Everyone else simply regarded Villed's actions as bizarre.
No one understood.
“I think so.”
“Sigh, everything was going so well. Why did he suddenly do something like this? Villed's great and all, but sometimes he really does things that make no sense…….”
Villed's sudden outrageous behavior filled Karin's face with worry.
“At this rate... isn't he going to receive even more disciplinary action……?”
Villed was already the person suffering the harshest punishment that could be imposed upon a noble.
And now he was going to receive additional punishment on top of that?
There was no hope left.
She couldn't even imagine what kind of punishment awaited him.
He might truly end up being expelled this time.
If Villed were expelled...
Lapin would be the only friend he had left.
“Since Magical Communication doesn't work with him, I have no idea what he's thinking. Wouldn't it be better if he just returned the key now……?”
While Karin worried anxiously, Lapin continued staring into Villed's eyes on the screen.
Yes.
That's right.
No one else realized it.
Only Lapin could.
Villed's eyes were as clear and unwavering as ever.
……Just like that day beneath the pine tree, when he had guided her forward.
Only Lapin understood that Villed was moving toward some noble objective.
Meanwhile, the Faculty-exclusive VIP Seating.
Hilda sat there in silence.
The professors seated around her quietly watched the arena.
“Hmm…….”
“Ahem!”
Only the occasional cough broke the heavy silence.
Normally, they would have competed to flatter Hilda in hopes of joining her project.
But now, cold sweat ran down their backs as they nervously watched one another.
Villed's actions on the screen were unmistakably deliberate interference.
Everyone was convinced he would receive severe punishment the moment the match ended.
Just then.
One of the younger professors checked his Magical Communication before cautiously speaking.
“U-um, I just received word from Professor Jennings. Immediately after the match, a disciplinary committee will…….”
“Man! Why would you bring that up now of all times?!”
“W-well... I thought Professor Hilda might want to know about his future punishment…….”
“For goodness' sake! Just stay quiet!”
Despite the restless commotion among the professors, Hilda silently continued watching the hologram of the arena.
She had enjoyed watching the match while Villed and Kun King were working together.
……But.
Everything changed after she witnessed Villed snatching Kaylin's key.
The smile completely disappeared from her face.
That key was meant to be used only by Kaylin.
And Kaylin was the one who could wield it best.
Using the key required an enormous amount of Mana.
Kaylin was the ideal person capable of handling it.
……Yet Villed had taken it?
There had been no prior discussion.
It was an entirely unilateral decision.
Without saying a word, Hilda rose from her seat.
“I think I'll move somewhere else.”
Her sudden action startled the surrounding professors.
“I'd like to watch quietly... by myself.”
She spoke calmly, wearing only a faint smile.
The professors hurriedly moved aside while swallowing nervously.
“Ah, y-yes! Of course! Please make yourself comfortable!”
Her Schuler had caused tremendous trouble during this sacred match.
The professors all assumed Hilda was suppressing immense fury beneath that calm exterior.
“Tsk, tsk. It looks like he only became Professor Hilda's Schuler because of his family's backing. I suppose that's over now.”
“It's already a miracle he remained her Schuler this long.”
Everyone there expected Villed to be dismissed.
……But Hilda wasn't thinking about that at all.
She sat down in a secluded corner where no one else was nearby.
Then she quietly spoke.
“Lazuli.”
“Yes, Milady.”
As though answering her call, a tiny fairy dressed in a priest's robe fluttered her black butterfly wings before gently landing on Hilda's shoulder.
“What do you think?”
Once again, Villed had committed an incomprehensible act.
“He stole something he didn't need to take.”
“Why would he do something like that?”
Rolling her black eyes, Lazuli tilted her head.
Hilda narrowed her eyes sharply.
“Student Villed wouldn't do something meaningless.”
“It doesn't seem like he acted out of mere curiosity either.”
She trusted her own instincts.
“……Could he be trying to interfere with our plan by using that key?”
The suspicion carried considerable weight.
Even Lazuli's wings stopped flapping.
“Wouldn't you say it's a little strange... to dismiss all of this as mere coincidence?”
This wasn't the first time Villed's strange actions had caught her attention.
During the Comprehensive Examination.
During the Clock Tower Incident.
……Every one of those bizarre incidents had ended with the same result.
The secret plan to assassinate the Imperial Princess had failed every single time.
After a long silence, Lazuli finally spoke.
“It certainly is strange.”
“Hypothetically speaking, if this unexpected action by Lord Villed also ends up interfering with our plan, then I believe it's worth seriously considering what you said.”
Lazuli tightly gripped her priest's staff with both of her tiny hands.
“Isn't it simply too strange that he keeps ruining every one of our plans?”
Indeed.
It was almost as though Villed already knew the plan.
No matter how he discovered it, he always charged straight toward danger like a moth flying into a flame.
……Could all of this truly be nothing more than extraordinarily terrible luck?
“But, Milady.”
Lazuli looked up at Hilda and whispered.
“You treasure Lord Villed more than anything else in this world, don't you?”
At those words, Hilda smiled softly.
“……Yes, Lazuli.”
“Student Villed is someone I could never exchange for anything else in this world.”
“Because he looks exactly like him?”
“…….”
For a brief moment, Hilda's eyes turned cold.
She neither confirmed nor denied it.
Silence followed.
“To speak in Lord Villed's defense, it's possible we're mistaken.”
“No... it's actually far more likely that we're mistaken.”
“Because there's absolutely no way Lord Villed could ever discover our plan.”
Confidence filled Lazuli's eyes.
Yes.
Unless one were the god of this world itself...
It was impossible to know.
Hilda agreed completely.
“Lord Villed doesn't possess an overwhelming amount of Mana.”
“Furthermore, there's no possibility that we have an informant on our side.”
“So all of this is merely an unfortunate coincidence.”
“I believe we're simply mistaken.”
Lazuli was right.
Villed was merely a second-year student whose Mana was practically nonexistent and who was ridiculed by everyone.
It was impossible, by any reasonable standard, for him to perceive a plan that even the Academy's greatest professors had failed to notice.
“But if you still can't put your mind at ease, Milady.”
Lazuli quietly continued.
“It might be a good idea to casually ask Lord Villed yourself.”
“What would you like to do?”
“………………..….”
Instead of answering, Hilda merely continued watching Villed's back as it appeared on her personal screen.