Traitor (6)
The air flowed coldly.
The thugs couldn't move easily.
"......"
It was because of an old man who suddenly blocked their way.
They had just established a siege and gained the upper hand against the serpent, but their flimsy momentum had been overturned in an instant.
A tremendous killing intent seized the area.
Ku-gu-gu-gu...!
Mana fluctuated as if frightened.
A heavy pressure weighed down on their shoulders.
It felt like they had become ants about to be trampled.
The old man didn't take any particular action, just stood leisurely, but his intense presence choked the thugs.
Cold sweat trickled down.
On the other hand,
"Everyone seems tense."
The old man's expression was full of composure.
His spirit was so strong that it even erased the dragon's energy that lingered around.
The mere mortals could only fathom the old man's immense power.
"......"
The thugs were frozen.
The old man spoke with a significant air.
"Death is unfamiliar to everyone."
Killing intent was set in his pupils.
Beyond the dim, almost dirty light, a death they had never experienced before surged.
A single sentence added decoration to the distant fear.
"It will be an insignificant end...but I will personally push you towards it."
In short,
A death sentence.
"Shamefully."
The old man stretched out his hand.
The faintly flowing light was aimed at none other than the wriggling worms.
The thugs couldn't even think of running away.
Perhaps they had resigned themselves to their fate.
Overwhelming power.
Among the thugs, one or two seemed to recognize the old man.
With pale faces, they muttered.
"Could it be, the King...?"
"I didn't expect anyone to recognize me."
The King replied calmly.
One of the terrified cultists shouted at the old serpent.
"Fallen Star...! W-Why are you helping the Academy?"
"I'm on the receiving end of a request, you see."
The old man's lips twisted slightly.
"By the way, Star... It's been a long time since I've been called that."
"You've been tracking us for the past three years, just how far do you intend to interfere with His will...!"
"That's enough insolence."
Kooong—!
An even stronger killing intent pressed down on the area.
The thug shut his mouth involuntarily.
The fear of prey before a predator. Such despair made their legs go limp.
The old man's gaze looking down at him was infinitely cold.
"To dare raise your voice against your ruler."
Death surged at his fingertips.
It was the power of the Star, or rather, the King.
A flash that completely erased the jet-black darkness that had settled underground.
The King gestured towards the mere mortals.
Contained within the light was not mercy, nor hatred, nor even sadness, but a brilliantly merciless execution of sin.
He declared,
"The judgment I shall bestow upon you..."
Regarding the most agonizing punishment.
"Is complete annihilation."
The light finally shot out.
The next moment,
The thugs' vision was dyed pure white.
It was an ecstasy that decorated their lives.
***
The King arrived at the temple as reinforcements.
The aftermath was dealt with quickly.
Before the Royal Guards, who arrived later, could even step in, the old man had already swept the battlefield with a few gestures.
It seemed he was enjoying himself, having personally stepped in after so long.
Around him, traces of the brilliant starlight and the ashes of the burnt corpses fluttered.
I muttered,
'He's still alive.'
The old man's strength was unchanged.
The last time I saw him, I thought he seemed a bit aged, but his performance completely erased such doubts.
He seemed to have become even sharper, despite losing his right arm.
A true tyrant.
It wasn't that surprising.
Although the gap had widened over time, he was once a person who could fight on par with me at full strength.
It would be impossible for anyone with ordinary power to even stand before the old man.
'Anyway.'
The situation was being resolved without any issues.
It was all according to plan.
Since the cultists had put a lot of effort into their operation, it was obvious they would send reinforcements if something went wrong with the advance unit.
Therefore, I had contacted the King to help in case of emergency.
Fortunately, he wasn't late.
I subtly hinted,
"You arrived just in the nick of time. I was worried you might betray us."
"That's a dull joke.I wouldn't join hands with cultists, would I?"
"You never know. The businessman is already cooperating with them, there's no guarantee a King wouldn't do the same."
"You've become needlessly worried since I last saw you."
"I have things to protect now."
"At the bottom, they call that weakness."
"Ordinary people call it peace."
"Indeed."
The conversation went back and forth, mocking each other.
The old man, who had been smiling faintly, soon shook his head as if dismissing the topic.
"You're saying that knowingly."
"What do you mean?"
"From the beginning, I was destined to be an enemy of that side. I'd rather die than join hands with them."
"Is that... a calling that has continued since your days as a Star?"
"Closer to revenge than a calling. There's a debt I haven't repaid yet."
"I see."
After continuing small talk for a while,
As if the surrounding cleanup was finished, a neatly dressed young man approached.
It was none other than Obscurity.
"The area has been cleared as you instructed."
"Good work."
"The faculty is likely to notice this space soon. We should leave soon to avoid being discovered."
"Considering the fierce clash that took place, they must have sensed something suspicious."
"I'll have Injustice stationed on standby."
"Please do."
Obscurity withdrew first.
The old man rose from his seat as if to follow.
"I should be going now."
"Thank you for your efforts."
"Don't mention it. I just intervened because it looked like fun."
"I'll contact you again if needed."
"Why don't you contact me even when you don't need me?"
"That's a dreadful thing to say."
"Tsk tsk... You're so cold-hearted as always."
The King turned his back without hesitation.
Calmly receding steps.
Soon, their disappearing figures, the remaining silence in the air, and the debris of the temple scattered on the floor were all that remained.
Looking at them, I finally felt that it was over.
[EP23. The Stirring of Evil]
-Seething blood and malice, the birth that cries out for death-
The original tragedy had been completely averted.
Zero casualties within the Academy.
Feeling the tension release, I leaned slightly against a nearby pillar.
Accumulated fatigue came crashing down, but I shook it off.
There was still one last thing to take care of.
'The Traitor.'
The person who provided information in this attack.
I had to remove the seed of destruction planted by the cultists.
***
The chaos subsided.
The main gate, where the diversionary attack had taken place earlier, seemed to have been cleared up by the professors' intervention.
The Academy was able to conclude the disaster without any significant damage.
As such, the incident remained a minor happening among the students.
Of course,
"This is outrageous!"
The faculty was in an uproar.
A week after that day.
The Headmaster, along with the professors and chief assistants, were called to an emergency meeting.
Naturally, it was to discuss countermeasures for the recent incident.
"This attack appears to be the work of the cultists."
"Although there were no casualties... this is a clear provocation directed at the Academy!"
"How on earth did they breach the Academy's defenses?"
"This is strange. There are more than a few questionable points."
"We must properly explain this situation."
The attack on the main gate wasn't the issue.
It was a mere diversion, there was a plausible infiltration route, and the threat was minimal as it was handled in just five minutes.
The real problem lay in the passage and temple discovered underground.
The entire Academy could have collapsed.
'It's only natural for them to be serious.'
I relayed the events that happened underground to the faculty in a condensed version.
There were many parts that were difficult to convey as they were.
So I omitted the parts related to the King and the disaster... and only talked about the existence of the hidden passage and the enemies' attack that followed.
When asked how I stopped the attack, I vaguely explained that I was lucky.
The atmosphere couldn't help but become serious.
An unrecognized danger.
The fact that they almost exposed their backs made their blood run cold.
The professors put their heads together and pondered the problem.
"This is the second time."
Something similar had happened before.
The incident where Regia, Emilia, and I were dragged to the [Abandoned Laboratory] during the midterm exam.
At the time, it was concluded as an error caused by the teleportation magic.
Because of that, Selena, who was the supervisor, received disciplinary action, and it seemed like everyone had forgotten about it, but this attack brought the question back to light.
Once could be overlooked, but twice was clearly strange.
The professors' eyes grew cold.
"Someone must have had a hand in this."
"They would have thorough knowledge of the Academy. A position with easy access to information related to exams as well."
"Moreover, even we didn't know about the existence of the passage."
"That means they are also familiar with the Academy's confidential information. Someone in a high position, or someone who used to be in a high position."
"The conclusion is this, then."
Surely,
There is a traitor among the faculty.
A chilling atmosphere flowed.
Even the Headmaster, who had been leading the meeting, remained silent this time.
For a brief moment, his gaze seemed to meet mine.
"······."
As expected of a prophet.
He seemed to know that I knew the identity of the traitor.
We stared at each other but didn't say anything.
The meeting concluded.
Although speculations about the traitor were rampant, there was no physical evidence, so only conflict and distrust would grow if things continued like this.
For now, they could only advise caution and adjourn the meeting.
I, too, dusted off my chair and stood up.
As I stepped out of the conference room,
"Student Judas."
A familiar voice called out.
It was Professor Kadel, who had been sitting across from me just moments ago.
I looked at him questioningly, as if asking the intention of his call.
"There's something I need to discuss with you seriously."
"By discussion, you mean...?"
"Are you deliberately playing dumb? I thought we shared the same goal."
"······."
The atmosphere cooled sharply.
The young man in front of me, unfazed, extended his hand towards me.
I couldn't help but take his hand.
"It'll only take a moment."
"······I'll hear you out."
Yes.
We shared the same goal, after all.
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