Chapter 17: Is This a Crisis or an Opportunity? (6)

The day passed like a flash.

I was so out of it that I thought it might’ve been better to chase after the swamp orcs one more time.

What I vaguely remember is explaining the situation in front of the professors, writing an incident report, and going around to each professor whose lectures I missed due to the accident to ask for their understanding.

There were a few other things, but just thinking about them is exhausting, so I decide to let it go.

Still, I’m doing better than most.

Gwyn and Reinz, who witnessed the beast pouch and even went so far as to detonate it, were currently being dragged to the Central Knights’ headquarters.

They’re probably getting an earful of verbal abuse and threats under the guise of an investigation.

Knights are the type to be merciless toward their “enemies,” after all.

Of course, Gwyn’s an exception, with his solid backing.

“Still, it’s a relief they didn’t get sent to the Special Magic Corps right off the bat.”

Unlike the Central Knights’ headquarters, which prioritizes legitimacy, the Special Magic Corps is a group that pursues efficiency above all else.

Their methods are swift and designed to maximize results, often involving magical torture that digs ruthlessly into the subject’s mind to extract whatever they want.

They don’t care if the subject can’t withstand it and dies of shock or ends up a fool.

Of course, Gwyn’s got the backing of Duke Gaiard, so he wouldn’t be pushed that far.

As for Reinz…

Honestly, I don’t know.

I hope we’re not losing a valuable talent for no reason.

The 890th class being called the greatest in history isn’t just because of Ivan, Gwyn, and Karina.

The other cadets in the class have exceptional potential, too, which is why the entire cohort is dubbed the golden generation.

Each one of them will be a vital asset when we face off against the Beltus Cult later.

Sure, Reinz was a bit of a jerk to me, but that’s beside the point.

I need to think bigger.

“Well, I can only hope nothing bad happens.”

Anyway.

After scrambling through my last class, I was now heading toward the main building.

To be precise, the recovery ward in the main building.

There was someone I needed to meet there.

Knock knock.

I entered after knocking, and a sharp medicinal smell stung my nose.

A humidifier puffing out steam.

Rows of beds lined up.

The typical hospital ward scene.

“…Huh?”

“Oh. Greetings, Sir… Gerard.”

A few people lying on the beds acknowledged me.

They were new cadets.

Probably injured while fighting the swamp orcs.

I gave them my kindest smile and returned their greetings.

“Eek!”

But what’s with those startled reactions in between?

“S-sorry! Your smile was just… too scary…”

“…”

Ignoring them, I headed to a bed in the corner.

There he was, lying down.

“Oh. You’re here?”

He opened his eyes the moment he sensed my presence and greeted me.

I thought he’d be out cold for at least a night, but as expected of the protagonist, his body’s recovery speed seems to be something else.

He woke up early.

“Food?”

“Not yet. They’ll bring it soon.”

“Mine? They’re not giving me any, right?”

He, Ivan, laughed silently at my lame joke.

Ivan was wrapped in bandages from head to toe.

The bandages, originally white, were stained with patches of red blood, and the ones half-covering his face completely hid his usual gentle expression.

Just looking at him, you’d think he could drop dead any moment and it wouldn’t be surprising.

“Congratulations. I heard you finally got the assistant position?”

“Not yet. The professor’s been busy with the aftermath, so it’ll probably be announced at the next lecture.”

“It’s a done deal. Twilight. Our team found it.”

Ivan was right.

While we were busy fending off the swamp orcs, I hadn’t even thought about the “Twilight of the Dawnflower,” but surprisingly, one of my team members had found it.

“Well, thanks to you guys.”

I pulled up a chair and sat down.

It seemed like this was going to be a long talk.

“But how’d you know?”

“Yuria stopped by. Just a bit ago.”

“Oh.”

It hit me belatedly.

Yuria.

I should check on her, too.

I’ve been so swamped I forgot.

“Come to think of it, she’s your mentee, right? Shouldn’t you go see her?”

“It’s fine. She’s the type to do well on her own.”

“…”

“More importantly, I’m sorry. As the leader, I should’ve looked out for you, my team member. It’s largely my fault you ended up like this.”

Ivan shook his head.

“No. I don’t think that at all. I’m actually grateful. Thanks to your leadership, our team won and even got bonus points. And…”

After a brief pause, Ivan continued in a clearer tone.

“…I was able to take revenge. You don’t need to feel sorry.”

Revenge.

The revenge he spoke of referred to slaughtering the swamp orcs.

I heard about it after everything was over.

After reporting the results to Department Head Allen and the professors, I learned what happened to the remaining swamp orcs that fled into the forest.

Until then, I assumed Professor Ilai, the staff, or the guards had taken care of them.

Shockingly, that wasn’t the case.

It was Ivan.

A few other cadets contributed, but the one who stood at the forefront and wiped out the swamp orcs was undoubtedly Ivan.

When Hannes told me this, I couldn’t help but fall into a brief panic.

Because the Ivan I knew wasn’t that strong.

The Ivan here was stronger than the Ivan I knew from the game.

His growth rate was on a whole different level.

Even if he awakened due to a sense of loss, this is still the early part of the story.

I couldn’t imagine Ivan—not just taking on one or two swamp orcs but diving into the middle of a horde and overpowering them.

And…

I glanced up at the bandages covering half of Ivan’s face.

Those were the wounds he got from that thing.

The variant, the champion of the horde.

Even that variant, upgraded with the artifact “Might of the Giant” and dark magic, fell to Ivan’s hands.

They say he swung his sword like a madman, tearing it to pieces.

I shook my head after hearing that even the department head was furious about it.

Truly, his tenacity and growth rate are terrifying.

Ivan’s words snapped me out of my thoughts.

“And there’s one more thing I’m grateful to you for, senior.”

“Hm? To me?”

“Yes. At the funeral a few days ago. You stayed until the end to see my parents off.”

“Oh.”

“Thank you. Really.”

I gave a bitter smile.

That was my own form of atonement.

A silent excuse to lessen my guilt.

An act I couldn’t deny even if someone called it cowardly self-comfort.

But this innocent junior, unaware of my inner turmoil, must’ve misinterpreted my bitter expression.

He hurriedly added, “Oh! Of course, it was a condolence for all the victims, not just my parents. It’s just, that’s how it looked to me. Yeah, to my eyes. So I was personally really grateful to you.”

And at that moment, I felt it again.

The human heart is truly fickle.

We’re fated to be enemies.

But if he feels this gratitude toward me, could our relationship change in the distant future?

If I build more favor here, could I make Ivan, like Yuria, a reliable ally? That thought started creeping up.

But Ivan’s next words shattered those expectations.

“Anyway, this is just the start. My real target is the ones behind it. The masterminds who ruined the Entrance Festival. No, not just them—their families, friends, colleagues, anyone even remotely connected.”

“…!”

“I won’t let them die easily. I’ll make sure—absolutely sure—they feel pain far worse than what I did. That’s my goal.”

Eyes blazing with hatred.

I saw intense obsession and madness in them.

“So please watch closely, senior. Haha.”

But just as quickly, all those emotions vanished as if washed away.

“Oh. Was that too heavy?”

What remained was Ivan, sheepishly scratching his cheek.

Suddenly, his bandaged figure reminded me of a cocoon just before a new transformation.

“How long will recovery take?”

“Hm. They say about a week. My body’s a bit sturdy, I guess.”

No. Three days.

That’s how long it’ll take for a genius to shed his shell completely and step into the world.

* * *

[Attention. This is an announcement from the main building. 888th class Gerard, please report to the conference hall immediately. Once again, 888th class Gerard, to the conference hall now…]

As I left the recovery ward, a broadcast calling for me echoed across the academy grounds.

My heart sank.

The first thought that hit me was, why?

The conference hall is where the Vice-Dean, department heads, and advisors gather for meetings.

Right now, they’re probably discussing today’s incident.

I head there, thinking through various possibilities on the way.

Along the way, I noticed a spiderweb draped over the stairs.

A sudden idea struck me, and I carefully caught the spider and slipped it into my pocket.

The conference hall was in the same main building as the recovery ward, so I arrived quickly.

A man standing at the entrance turned to me.

“Here, Gerard. This way.”

The man with a cold demeanor was Pirion Lil.

The head of the Martial Arts Department, just like Allen Desico.

I figured someone would be waiting for me, but I didn’t expect it to be Pirion of all people. I thought it’d be one of the advisors at most.

“This is our first time talking like this. Do you know who I am?”

Of course I do.

“Yes. Department Head.”

“Good. You’re about to enter the conference hall. The reason is that there are several questions about the report you submitted. You’ll go in and answer them.”

He spat out the key points in an instant.

Maybe because of that, my mind snapped into focus.

The first thought that came to mind was, here it comes.

Part of me hoped they were calling me to discuss rewards for my contributions.

But if that were the case, they wouldn’t have summoned me to the conference hall.

What are the questions? Doubts that arose while cross-referencing my report with other evidence?

It’d be good to prepare, but unfortunately, there was no time.

“Any questions?”

“None.”

“Then let’s go in and a warning—don’t even think about playing tricks with your answers.”

With that cold remark, he immediately turned the doorknob.

Creak…

A blinding light poured through the gap as the double doors opened.

I swallowed hard.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

This was completely unexpected.

It felt like being thrown into a battlefield without a weapon.

Moreover, the people inside aren’t to be taken lightly.

Each one is a seasoned authority in their field.

One wrong move, and they’ll catch me in an instant.

I need to stay sharp.

I was hyping myself up when—

At the far end of the long table.

The moment I saw him sitting at the head, my mind went blank.

The Dean, Bell Toro.

A man who never attends royal events or academy affairs, so mysterious he’s called the continent’s greatest enigma.

Why is he here?

──BAM!

And with that, the conference hall doors slammed shut.

* * *

It’s not wrong.

There’s nothing strange about the Dean attending a meeting.

But it’s definitely unsettling.

Even after seeing the ending of Heroes of Frey dozens of times, he’s the one character whose true nature I still don’t fully grasp.

He has little presence in the main story, few appearances, and scant information in the lore.

But does that mean his influence on the world is small? Not at all.

He’s undeniably one of the three pillars upholding the Frey Empire.

In other words, the Dean is the perfect counter to me, who’s only dealt with familiar characters so far.

Damn it. My palms are sweaty.

“Don’t just stand there. Sit.”

The Vice-Dean pointed to a seat at the end of the table.

Sitting there, I naturally faced Bell Toro head-on.

…His transparent, water-like eyes slowly scanned me.

It felt like he was trying to see through every part of me.

Those eyes were like a dark well, impossible to gauge.

His age is impossible to guess beyond “very old.”

He looks like a well-maintained middle-aged man, but holding the position of academy Dean for over a century means he’s far older.

Naturally, his prowess matches.

“You don’t look surprised. Or nervous, for that matter.”

He muttered dryly.

My fingers twitched instinctively.

There was no expression on the Dean’s face as he stared at me.

But if you looked closely, the corners of his mouth were ever so slightly upturned.

“Is this not your first time in here?”

At those words, I was so shocked I thought my heart stopped.

If it weren’t for my [Coolheadedness] trait, my poker face would’ve crumbled.

I managed to shake my head quickly.

“No way. It’s my first time.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

“Hm.”

“Interesting,” he muttered again.

I’m not finding this interesting at all.

Far from fun, I’m dying here.

The Dean then crossed his arms and leaned back comfortably in his chair.

As his gaze lifted, I felt the tension in my body release.

It was like escaping an invisible pressure that had been constricting me.

But that only made me more anxious.

One slip of the tongue, and I’m done for.

I’m already this nervous—what if I mess up later? My mind’s already tangling like a ball of yarn.

The situation is still a bed of thorns.

It’s because of the gazes pouring in from both sides.

Advisors for each class year.

Department heads, including the two main ones, and the Vice-Dean are all staring at me.

Among them are familiar faces like Professor Ilai and Baron Tesda, the Student Affairs Officer.

Their presence is a small relief.

“So, you’re Gerard.”

The Vice-Dean spoke first.

In front of him were several documents, one of which he picked up and waved side to side.

“Do you know what this is?”

“It’s the incident report I submitted regarding the accident in the eastern forest this morning.”

“Correct. We were discussing it among ourselves, and a few questions came up. Oh, we’re not doubting you or your report. These are just points of curiosity.”

Curiosity and suspicion are only a hair’s breadth apart.

Even if someone’s genuinely curious, the moment bias creeps in, it can easily turn into suspicion.

And in this room, aside from Professor Ilai and Baron Tesda, it’s safe to assume no one’s looking at me favorably.

In other words, most of them suspect me.

“…I heard a bit about it before coming.”

“Did you? Then this should be quick. Let’s get started, Personnel Officer.”

“Yes.”

The Personnel Officer, Rodrig, stood up abruptly, looking down at me with his usual stern face.

“Let me first clarify that everyone in this room is fully aware of the incident that occurred this morning, Gerard. So, answer only with the truth, without any falsehoods, about what you know. Understood?”

“Understood.”

“There are three matters arising from your report.”

Three matters.

What could they be? I racked my brain, staring tensely at her red lips.

“Now, the first question.”

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