Chapter 4: Thief, But With a Terminal Illness (4)

The overall schedule of the festival is as follows.

The first day is the opening ceremony.

It’s the day Frey Hero Academy opens its doors to the world.

Originally, the academy is one of the empire’s most heavily guarded locations, strictly restricting access to anyone other than students, faculty, or select personnel.

But for the three days of the festival out of the 365 days in a year, the academy opens its tightly shut gates.

This serves as both a show of force to other nations or organizations, proclaiming, “This is the might of Frey Academy,” and a way to inspire the next generation.

The second day features attractions prepared by the academy, with booths set up for visitors, while the main event, the entrance ceremony, is scheduled for the final day of the festival.

After that, the festival concludes with the closing ceremony.

But this year, there will be no entrance or closing ceremony.

That’s because a far grander event is set to take place beforehand.

Thinking about it, Baron, who once said his ominous premonitions never failed, might truly have a remarkable intuition.

During that event, I had to succeed in a task that would determine my future fate.

Well, that’s tomorrow’s business.

For now, my tasks today aren’t much different from yesterday’s.

As a safety team helper, I wander around, diligently making myself known to people.

Time passed, and it was now late afternoon.

The campus was bustling with people, but the atmosphere wasn’t the same as yesterday.

Compared to the excited, lively energy of yesterday, today felt more relaxed, with people casually enjoying the sights.

As closing time approached, the crowds began to thin out.

With fewer people, my workload naturally decreased, and I found myself with quite a bit of free time.

But I wasn’t thrilled about that freedom.

“No way. This makes it impossible for me to do good deeds.”

The truth is, it’s not about the work—it’s about the people.

More than doing good deeds, I need people to see and acknowledge the good deeds I’ve done.

In other words, attention and aggro.

But today, the bites just aren’t coming.

Isn’t there some incident somewhere that could draw a ton of attention?

Usually, wherever the protagonist goes, incidents and accidents follow.

Maybe I should start by finding the protagonist.

“Hmm. For now, I’ll keep wandering…”

That’s when it happened.

Kyaaaah!

A sharp scream pierced through my eardrums.

My body reacted before my mind did.

I was already sprinting toward the source of the scream.

Tadak!

The scene I arrived at was pure chaos.

A dense crowd left no room to step.

At the center of it all, a tense atmosphere seemed ready to explode.

Baron, the student affairs officer, stood tall beyond the crowd, having appeared at some point.

Beside him were three peers wearing helper badges and academy guards clad in orange armor.

They were surrounding someone, forming a tight circle.

I knew it the moment I saw it.

Whoa. This is a major incident.

The feeling that arose wasn’t curiosity about “What’s going on?” but rather a thrill of “Finally, my chance has come!”

The intense atmosphere, the perfect cast of characters, and even an audience.

It was the ideal stage to transform my image.

Then, snippets of the citizens’ conversations reached my ears.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“Attempted rape, they say. See that woman over there? Those beastly guys tried to drag her into an alley to assault her.”

Sure enough, in the center of the guards’ encirclement stood four men.

Scars on their faces, rough appearances, and an unrestrained menacing aura practically screamed, “I’m from the underworld.”

I’m pretty good at reading faces, and just by their looks, there’s a 99.99% chance these guys are the culprits.

“What? Those scum deserve to be torn apart!”

The citizens’ voices weren’t exactly quiet.

Those who didn’t know the situation started cursing freely upon hearing this, growing indignant as if they themselves had been wronged.

Especially since this filthy crime had occurred in the sacred grounds where the Hall of Heroes once stood, the citizens’ anger spiraled out of control.

But I tilted my head.

Putting their appearances aside, this is inside the academy.

It’s a fortress built with advanced magitech, a place spiritually revered by royal citizens as the sacred site where the Hall of Heroes once stood.

To commit such a heinous sex crime in a place like this?

And in broad daylight with so many people around?

Even a lust-driven maniac would wave their hands and say, “No way.”

Hmm. Something’s fishy.

Beside Baron stood two women.

One was a girl with strikingly beautiful features, and the other was a frail woman clutching her disheveled clothes, sobbing uncontrollably.

It was obvious which one was the victim.

“But even during the festival, shouldn’t they at least check identities before letting people in like this?”

“They’re from Karagas, I heard. That’s probably why they were let in.”

“What? Those trash from that dump? Ugh, I knew it!”

And once again, the citizens’ conversations reached me.

At that moment, a fragment of memory buried beneath the surface floated up and began to play.

It was the backstory of a character from Heroes of Frey.

The character’s name was Kal.

His alignment was “absolute evil,” a villain.

One of the five evils who plunge the empire into chaos.

He harbors intense hatred and hostility toward the academy and exhibits an abnormal obsession and murderous tendencies toward women—a true madman.

However, according to the official lore, he wasn’t always such a depraved villain.

In fact, he was a citizen of the empire with a positive influence.

Though from Karagas, he acted as a mediator there, upholding his own sense of justice and chivalry, accumulating good deeds.

But there was a turning point that shifted Kal’s alignment to evil: an incident during the 890th Entrance Festival.

As a child, he attended the festival with his brothers to see the academy he admired.

There, he was falsely accused of being a sex offender.

This event marked a major turning point in his life—

That’s the official backstory for Kal.

But why is this coming to mind right now?

I pushed through the crowd, approaching the scene.

Four men.

I closely examined the face of the tallest one among them.

The face of the madman I’d only seen on a game screen.

For a moment, that sinister face overlapped with the thug’s face before me.

[For my brothers.]

[Die. This is all the karma you’ve built.]

A chill ran down my spine.

Though his appearance, distorted by burns, and his aura were different, I was certain.

That guy is definitely the madman of the five evils.

The one who, in the future, destroys the infamous Gidmog Prison, freeing countless villains, and later infiltrates the academy to orchestrate the worst episode, “The Madman’s Massacre.”

It’s an unforgettable memory from my gaming days.

My first boss fight against the madman, which I tackled with bravado.

After that, cursing and grinding my teeth, dying over and over, it took me a whole week of endless tries to perfectly clear it.

Even for someone like me, who prided himself on physical skill, the madman easily ranked among the top three worst bosses in my gaming career.

And now I have to go through that again?

In this reality, not a game?

Ugh. No way.

Absolutely not.

Of course, it’s the protagonist who’ll face the madman, not me.

But what if the protagonist loses to him?

What happens then?

I’d have to step in. I need to keep the protagonist alive, after all.

Plus, the “Madman’s Massacre” episode takes place inside the academy, so I’d inevitably get caught up in it.

So, it’s just a hassle either way.

But right now, an opportunity to prevent all of that is standing before me.

And if I can earn some favor in the process?

Only an idiot would hesitate.

“You’d better comply with orders! There’s nowhere for you to escape to anyway!”

By now, the atmosphere in the scene had grown uncontrollably tense.

The guards surrounded the four men, who glared at the tightening encirclement with eyes ready for a fight.

“We didn’t do it!”

“It’s a false accusation!”

They shouted in desperation.

But no one listened.

Not the guards, not the surrounding citizens, not even Professor Baron seemed to believe them.

In truth, this was all a scheme orchestrated by a rival faction in Karagas who saw Kal and his brothers as thorns in their side.

But how could anyone here know that?

“How can they lie so shamelessly?”

“Seriously. They’re worse than garbage that can’t even be recycled.”

“Being human like them is embarrassing.”

The crowd knew only one thing.

That these four men were from Karagas.

And as I just realized, they seemed more interested in the spectacle of the situation and the men’s origins than the truth of the incident.

Because I could see excitement in some of the citizens’ eyes.

Anticipation for the show about to unfold.

That’s when it happened.

Someone stepped forward with steady strides.

A man with a cold demeanor—Kal.

“We said we didn’t do it.”

“Hmph. That excuse again? That’s not for you to decide—it’s for the tribunal at headquarters! Stop spouting nonsense and kneel for binding!”

“I’ll say it again: we haven’t done anything wrong. So naturally, we won’t kneel. You say it’s for the tribunal to decide? Then bring them here.”

“Pfft! What? Bring them here?”

The guard captain burst into laughter but abruptly stopped.

“Words just don’t get through to these guys. Everyone! Prepare for combat!”

Clang──!

The guards surrounding them drew their swords in unison.

The citizens, startled, took a few steps back but didn’t leave.

Instead, they widened their eyes, determined not to miss the impending battle.

Kal and his brothers, with resolute expressions, slipped knuckles onto their fists.

The scene turned into a powder keg ready to explode.

And I stepped right into the middle of it.

“Hey, stop!”

The guard captain, about to signal the attack, shouted in a panic.

“Who are you!”

All eyes turned to me at once.

It’s the situation I wanted, but with so many eyes on me, I can’t help but feel nervous.

Ugh. My face is burning.

“He’s a student! Hey, get out of the way!”

“No can do.”

“What? Why not…”

The guard captain, about to question me, suddenly stared at my face and contorted his expression.

Then came a faint curse under his breath.

Looks like he’s someone who’s heard the rumors about me.

“Gerard. What are you doing?”

That’s when Professor Baron spoke up.

“Why are you protecting them?”

It’s not just anything—I was standing with my back to Kal’s group.

No matter how you look at it, I was shielding them.

“Do you know them?”

“No.”

“Then why are you trying to protect them?”

“Protect? Who? These guys? Why would I?”

That’s not it.

This situation could snowball into something much bigger later, and I just don’t want the hassle.

Of course, saying that would only make me sound crazy, so I come up with a reasonable excuse.

“It’s not these people I’m protecting. It’s the academy.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Right now, the academy is blindfolding itself and acting like a foolish clown in front of all these citizens. I’m here to open its eyes.”

My voice wasn’t quiet at all.

Naturally, most of the people in the area heard me, and the crowd stirred at my words.

“What’s he saying? What’s wrong with him all of a sudden?”

“No idea. But isn’t he a student?”

Blocking an academy event is shocking enough.

But the person doing it is an academy student and that student, while part of the academy, is trying to undermine its prestige.

It’s no wonder they’re shocked.

The guards looked utterly baffled, and my peers widened their eyes, shouting.

“Hey! Gerard! What are you saying in front of the professor!”

“Are you actually insane!?”

I ignored them all.

My eyes were fixed on one person—Professor Baron.

There’s no choice.

To steer this situation the way I want, I need to win over this man first.

The most influential figure here, Baron Tesda, the student affairs officer.

“The founding principles of the academy. The three heroic spirits. What are they, Student Affairs Officer? Justice, freedom, and fairness, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then where is the justice here? Where is the freedom, and where is the fairness?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying we need to face reality.”

Deep furrows formed between Baron’s brows.

He let out a low sigh.

“I thought you’d come to your senses after yesterday, but it seems I was mistaken. People don’t change so easily, do they?”

He looked at me.

With the same eyes as yesterday.

A gaze heavy with pity, regret, and guilt.

What kind of history, what kind of complications exist between us?

I don’t know.

And I don’t care.

What matters is the present.

Right now, I need those emotions Baron harbors toward me.

To seize control of this situation, I need to make him my ally, and to do that, I need to use those emotions.

“Didn’t you want me to change?”

“What?”

“Didn’t you want me to change? Then believe in me just one more time, Student Affairs Officer. No, Professor Baron. Have I ever asked you for something like this?”

Of course not.

The pre-possessed Gerard was a thief who hid himself amidst countless infamies.

If anything, Gerard likely pushed away Baron, who kept trying to look after him and bring him into the light.

“No. You’ve never asked for my help, not even a sliver.”

“Then this is my first request.”

I looked straight into Baron’s eyes, putting weight into every word.

“Please believe in me one last time.”

Baron’s expression remained stoic.

I couldn’t read his thoughts.

That’s when the guard captain, who had been quietly listening, stepped between us.

“There’s nothing more to hear, Student Affairs Officer. I’ll handle this guy and the villains. Please, with the other students, prevent this commotion from spreading—Student Affairs Officer?”

The guard captain couldn’t finish his sentence.

He only stared, dumbfounded, at Baron’s arm blocking his path.

“I won’t wait long.”

“Just listen to me.”

“Simple enough.”

Baron nodded and spoke to the guard captain.

“Let’s hear him out. Let’s see what my student has to say.”

“What? But…”

“I’ll take full responsibility.”

At that, the guard captain reluctantly waved his hand.

The guards, who had been poised to charge, sheathed their weapons and stepped back.

“I’m not trusting you, Gerard. I’m just settling an old debt.”

Who’s asking for that? Now that I look at him, this guy’s a bit of a tsundere despite his appearance.

Whatever. It doesn’t matter.

I’ve got my chance.

Now all that’s left is to prove it.

“Speak. What truth are we failing to see?”

I opened my mouth.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep