Chapter 185: The Devil’s Seed (8)

“That was amazing. I never thought there would be such a twist.”

After the play.

Gwyn, who was leaving the theater, muttered with a serious expression.

“To think that Yuta, who I thought wasn’t the protagonist, was actually the protagonist of this play and that Paul, who I thought was the protagonist from the beginning, was actually the mastermind behind all the incidents. It’s really surprising, even thinking about it again.”

Karina, who followed him out, scoffed at his review.

“You’re so stupid. You didn’t even know that?”

Gwyn’s expression hardened.

“Then? Karina, don’t tell me you knew about this twist?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Karina crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

“I’m Karina Zain, Karina Zain. The villains’ pretentious actions can never escape my sharp senses.”

“……Hmm.”

“I definitely said it from the beginning, right? That he was strange. Huh? I said he didn’t seem like the protagonist.”

She did say that.

The play they had just seen, [The Knights of Glory], unfolded centered on the two characters, Yuta and Paul, who were friends, and every time Paul appeared and played an active role, Karina would tilt her head and say, ‘He’s somehow suspicious.’

The problem was that her voice was too loud.

So it often broke the immersion in the play, and in fact, a few audience members had frowned and looked back at them.

Gwyn, who recalled that, let out a deep sigh.

“Still, I wish you would observe theater etiquette, Karina. It’s your freedom to enjoy it by guessing, but it can be a nuisance to the people around you.”

“What are you talking about? They should be honored to hear Karina Zain’s sharp reasoning.”

At Karina’s shameless reaction, Gwyn shook his head from side to side with a look that said he couldn’t be helped.

“Alright. You win, Karina.”

Ivan and Yuria, who were listening to their conversation from the side, burst out laughing.

However, at Gwyn’s next words, the three had to stop laughing.

“But watching the play reminded me of Gerard-sunbaenim. You know, there was that incident where he was suspected of being the Skull Mask not long ago?”

“……You mean the middle part? The scene where Yuta was suspected of being a villain because of Paul’s frame-up.”

“Right. I kept thinking of Gerard-sunbaenim during that part. Normally, I would have thought that the knights being so easily incited had no plausibility at all, but having recently experienced a similar incident, I was strangely convinced and became even more immersed.”

At Gwyn’s question, ‘You guys felt that way too, right?’, the three showed different reactions.

Yuria erased the faint smile she had on her lips, and Karina scratched her cheek awkwardly, saying, ‘R-really?’

And.

Ivan smiled bitterly.

“That’s right. I thought of it too.”

“Huhuhu. I knew you and I would think alike, Ivan……”

“Actually, that’s why I came out here. I also suspected Gerard-sunbaenim.”

Gwyn was surprised at Ivan’s sudden confession.

Karina, who knew the situation, clicked her tongue, and Yuria had no expression.

“……He kept saying he was sorry, so he told me to just buy him a meal. That’s how we ended up coming out like this.”

Ivan said so and observed Yuria’s reaction.

Yuria was not looking at him.

She was just standing there, staring into the air.

That appearance seemed to be expressing an uncomfortable feeling and it also seemed like she was intentionally looking away to be considerate of Ivan.

It was hard to guess exactly what she was feeling.

“……So there was such a backstory. Hmm. I was on an outing, so I didn’t know.”

Just then, Gwyn said.

At that time, Gwyn had been on a long outing because of the death of Hannes.

“It must have been hard. But don’t worry too much, Ivan. Sunbaenim must have forgiven you. And it was Rainz who was in the wrong, right? I heard that many kids suspected sunbaenim.”

Gwyn glanced at Karina and continued.

“Karina probably suspected sunbaenim too.”

“W-what? What nonsense is that!”

Karina, who had been quiet, jumped up and shouted.

“Why are you so surprised? As if you really did suspect him? It’s a joke, Karina. A joke.”

“Ugh.”

If she had her way, she would have wanted to pour a bucket of curses on Gwyn for his mischievous prank, but she couldn’t.

Although she hadn’t said it, she too had suspected Gerard.

Even before Ivan.

So, far from cursing, all Karina could do was make a resentful face with a guilty conscience.

“This is really annoying.”

Gwyn laughed.

“By the way, I wonder if Gerard-sunbaenim got back safely.”

“That person probably got back safely on his own.”

“An appointment with the Dean. Anyway, even though he’s a senior, he’s a really amazing person. I don’t know if I’ll be able to monopolize the Dean’s attention like Gerard-sunbaenim even when I become a 3rd-year. Honestly, I’m not confident.”

The others nod their heads as if in agreement.

“By the way, are you okay, Gwyn?”

Ivan suddenly asked that.

“I’m fine.”

“Where did you go all this time?”

Gwyn had not shown his face to them for a while after his close friend, Hannes, had died at the end of the final evaluation.

His worried friends had visited his dorm several times, but Gwyn was not there each time.

“Actually……”

It was when Gwyn was opening his mouth with a heavy expression.

“Watch out!”

A group of horses with riders charged at them at a tremendous speed as they had just come out onto the main road.

Gwyn was at the very front, and as soon as he heard Karina’s warning, he twisted his body and was able to avoid being run over by the horses.

“How dare you……!”

Sparks flew from Karina’s eyes as Gwyn was almost hurt.

She immediately drew her staff.

If Ivan hadn’t quickly stopped her, she might have really thrown a fireball at them.

“Stop it, Karina!”

“What? They were the ones who……”

“Open your eyes and look carefully! It’s the Central Knights.”

As Ivan said, the riders were wearing the combat uniforms of the Central Knights.

“So what!”

But Karina got angry as if she didn’t care at all.

Ivan let out a deep sigh.

“What reason would the Central Knights have to ride their horses so urgently in the city? It means some kind of accident has broken out.”

“Right. I’m fine, so calm down, Karina.”

As even Gwyn, who had almost fallen, stopped her, Karina suppressed her raging anger.

And.

“That way. Isn’t that the direction to the Academy?”

Yuria’s voice, heard belatedly, poured cold water on their heads.

“Come to think of it……”

No sooner had the words finished than armed soldiers rushed after the knights.

An unusual atmosphere.

Only then did the four of them harden their faces and look at each other.

“Let’s go check it out.”

“Alright.”

They hoped it wasn’t.

But their steps, as they returned to the Academy, gradually quickened and before they knew it, they were running with all their might towards the carriage station.

They also had ears to hear.

The stories being whispered around.

‘A villain has appeared at the Academy.’

‘The villain’s identity is a serial killer who has been causing accidents all over the royal empire recently.’

And a single sheet of the Royal Dream daily that had fallen on the ground.

Yuria’s face, who had picked up the newspaper with the sensational headline ‘Urgent Special Report’ plastered on it, rapidly froze.

[Urgent Special Report, the identity of the serial killer who murdered the Western Knights and Academy cadets has been revealed!]

A single photo printed along with the content.

In the photo was the face of Rachel, whom they knew well.

“……”

It was unbelievable.

It wasn’t even surprising that the Academy had been attacked by a villain.

‘Rachel was a villain?’

Just then, Karina snatched the Royal Dream.

“Th-this. What. What on earth is this!”

“……”

“What? Rachel is a villain? Th-this is also fabricated, isn’t it!? Right? Huh?”

Karina asked, letting out a dry laugh.

Her crazily trembling pupils were filled with disbelief.

However, everyone here knew.

That that photo was not a fabrication.

Many people already knew that you could determine if a photo was fabricated by sprinkling water on it.

Would a reputable news outlet use a photo in an article without even going through that confirmation?

What was surprising was that Karina, who had teased Rachel, calling her an idiot every time she met her, was the one who was most unable to handle the shock.

“This is some kind of misunderstanding. There’s no way Rachel would do that.”

Yuria muttered in a low voice.

She suddenly remembered that she hadn’t seen Rachel for a few days, but she quickly erased it from her mind.

So what if she hadn’t seen her for a few days?

That couldn’t be a reason for Rachel to be a murderer.

“I agree.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

The rest also nodded their heads.

“See? You all think so too, right? Ha! My goodness. Look at this. Rachel, that idiot, a villain. A passing dog would laugh! The Royal Dream guys don’t know a thing.”

Karina, who was excessively talking, tried to act tough as if to hide her emotions.

Although it was an unfamiliar sight in many ways, her friends felt a pang in their hearts for some reason.

“There’s no time for this. If we want to clear up the misunderstanding, we have to go quickly.”

Ivan changed the heavy mood and reminded them of their goal.

He was right.

There was a misunderstanding, but currently, Rachel was a vicious villain who had committed a serious crime.

And just before, the Central Knights had gone up to the Academy before them.

It was obvious that the knights would proceed with her execution immediately without even asking about her crime.

The group arrived at the carriage station.

But they couldn’t take the carriage to the Academy.

It was all canceled due to a military operation.

Fortunately, they had Karina Zain.

Neeeigh!

Having obtained horses using her family’s background, they immediately headed to the Academy through a shortcut.

“Hurry. Hurry!”

The main gate was visible.

And in front of it, a huge crowd was lined up.

Most of them were armed soldiers, and among them were the Central Knights who had almost had an accident with the group.

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll go and find out!”

Gwyn, who was the best at riding, went ahead.

And when he came back, he told a dumbfounding story.

“It seems something like a barrier is blocking the way.”

“What?”

“They say a whole company of the Magic Corps has to come to break it. And I heard. I might have misheard, but this situation. They say it’s the work of a demon, not a villain.”

“Th-this is crazy……”

A curse reflexively came out of Karina’s mouth.

A demon.

The shock that this word brought was that great.

“Are you sure?”

“I asked a Central Knight. So probably……”

They could see the knights drawing their swords and swinging them.

Their sword strikes, imbued with a bluish aura, looked lethal even from a distance.

However, at some point, they were blocked by something and bounced off futilely.

A black spark that shot up with a ‘pajik’ sound.

The group, who witnessed the scene, each had their faces darken.

Especially Yuria, the degree was severe.

‘……Sunbae.’

What on earth was happening there?

And Rachel?

Was she really the culprit who had caused this situation?

Then what was that barrier, and what was this about a demon?

Everything was a mystery.

It was when they were at a loss for what to do.

Someone called them.

“Kids!”

“Huh? Professor!”

Surprisingly, Professor Ilai was there.

And Baron Tesda, too.

“Huh? The Section Chief is here too?”

“Why are the two of them together?”

It was a puzzling combination, but it didn’t matter.

Because they were experienced adults they had met in a situation where they were at a loss.

However.

‘Hmm?’

There was one more person there.

Wearing a large robe and a hood pulled down, he was a man they had clearly never seen before.

‘But why does he feel so familiar?’

Yuria was engulfed in a subtle feeling as she looked at him.

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