Chapter 27
“And… there’s a visitor request.”
“A visitor request? Tomorrow?”
“No. Right now.”
Right now? The clock’s hour hand was pointing at 10 p.m.
“If Master says it’s okay, they said it can happen immediately. It’s, um, that Teacher Hectia.”
“Aha….”
I remembered. The red-caped knight commander who stood before me without a hint of retreat against the Demon Count.
I hadn’t even repaid the kindness of her siding with me against the unfairness of the disciplinary committee.
“…Alright. If it’s her, that’s fine.”
“Yes. Oh, a cadet named Gilbert also requested a visit.”
“No need for him. And reject any visits related to the Four Great Ducal Families.”
“Yes, understood.”
Not long after, Teacher Hectia entered the hospital room. Lilac prepared warm tea and snacks before stepping outside.
However, the air between Hectia and me wasn’t warm; it was awkward enough to let the tea cool. After a long pause, Hectia broke the silence.
“Cadet Martin, are you feeling alright?”
“Thanks to your rescue, yes.”
“…There are a few things I’d like to ask.”
Straight to the point, as expected of Hectia, who was far from formalities.
“I’m curious about the origin of the diamond bullet.”
‘Diamond bullet.’
The Cosmos Empire’s Finest Holy Diamond Bullet.
A one-use consumable item that cost a whopping 500 points, that filthy, stingy bullet—she was definitely talking about it.
They said it was a perk item for the extra villain Martin….
“Take it. I’m returning it.”
Hectia pulled a shimmering, colorless bullet from her pocket. It was a pristine diamond bullet, without a scratch or blemish.
“I heard it can be reused if supplied with enough energy, so I kept it.”
“Thank you.”
Who knew this was such a valuable item?
“Reusing a bullet, I can’t even imagine it. The Cosmos Empire’s technology is remarkable, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
“So, the origin?”
Work, Know-It-All.
Know-It-All (Lv 2) has analyzed the acquired information, the given situation, and the intertwined causality, deriving a reasonably decent response.
‘What’s with “reasonably decent”?’
Still, I’d never lost out by trusting Know-It-All, so….
Wild Instinct (Lv 1) reports that Know-It-All’s response carries strong uncertainty.
‘…What?’
A clash of two prideful geniuses unfolded in my head.
“Cadet Martin?”
“I found it.”
“What?”
Know-It-All (Lv 2) widens its eyes.
Wild Instinct (Lv 1) slaps its forehead.
Being a bit of a contrarian, I absolutely refused to go along with either when they fought.
In the Dr. Keren’s lab incident, you made significant contributions by uncovering his conspiracy and helping to deal with the Demon Count behind it.
The protagonist’s party will remember you.
Hectia von Villemon Hartman will remember you.
Hailey von Lua Etrande will remember you.
Rumors about you will secretly spread to various places.
You have acquired 3,000 points.
***
“You found it?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The great Imperium Empire. No other words could describe it.
If even a hint of the title “successor to the second-greatest on the continent, the Cosmos Empire” reached her ears, it would never be overlooked.
“You’re hiding the truth.”
A woman with sharp yet dignified eyes set her teacup down with a clink.
“Before that, what about the press?”
“We had the eyewitnesses, Assistant Teacher Hailey and the cadets, sign confidentiality agreements. The Petrak Kingdom and the media have agreed to report it as an underground time chaos dungeon going out of control. However, there’s a stubborn reporter who filmed the test subjects rampaging on the surface.”
“It’s fine. I’ve handled it.”
Hectia knew what the Princess’ “handling” meant. Handled, as in erased.
The fanatical Shadow Knights who followed the princess must have carried out the task.
A wave of discomfort hit her, but Hectia didn’t show it.
The current emperor was a mastermind who made the Imperium Empire the center of the continent, but now, old and ill, he could barely participate in state affairs.
The princess before her was one of the true powers of the empire, often mentioned as the next emperor.
Ruthless but recognized for her competence.
“Knight Commander Hectia.”
“If I may, former Knight Commander.”
“Teacher Hectia?”
“Yes.”
The reason Hectia followed the princess was because the emperor had entrusted her to her.
“That cadet, Martin von Targon Ulvhadin, seems to have a lot of secrets, doesn’t he?”
The princess’ eyes curved with amusement.
“Likely. But digging into them will be difficult.”
“Why?”
“He’s a man who got himself buried in noble society, earning the scorn of the Four Great Ducal Families, all through his act as a scoundrel.”
If Martin heard this, he’d clutch his chest in pain.
The princess tilted her head, her lustrous blonde hair swaying.
“I think… neither the Humanity Preservation Agency nor the empire’s intelligence department, no matter how hard they try, could confirm if he’s a survivor of the Cosmos Empire.”
“Cadet Martin’s identity is verified.”
“Recently, he ran away from his family. But it’s odd that it wasn’t a complete disownment. There were also rumors that, unlike the refined Patriarch of Ulvhadin, he might be a bastard.”
Hectia caught a flaw in the Princess’ words.
“How would you explain his hunting dog?”
“No idea!”
The princess slammed the tea table.
“But, Teacher Hectia!”
The golden eyes of the Imperium Imperial Family shone on Hectia.
“Can you explain how Martin came to possess an item from the Cosmos Empire?! An anti-demon bullet, no less! A top-grade holy one! A diamond bullet! In the Cosmos Empire, only the Pope, the Saint, and the Holy Assassins under the Pope’s direct command could wield it!”
It was a glaring contradiction.
Explaining the hunting dog left the diamond bullet unexplained.
Explaining the diamond bullet left the hunting dog unexplained.
“Calm down, Your Highness.”
“Haa….”
The princess leaned back in her chair, slumping.
“The Ulvhadin family’s hunting dogs are soul-bound companions that only follow family members, and the diamond bullet is something only a Pope or Saint could wield.”
After the Princess’ final words, a heavy silence fell between them.
Then, the princess gave a chilling smile.
“…Around the time Martin returned to the academy, he became a completely different person, didn’t he?”
A scoundrel near the bottom of the class became an unprecedented perfect scorer, calculating the distortion rate of a time chaos dungeon—something experts needed hours for—in minutes.
“Doesn’t it feel like he’s a different person?”
“…What are you saying?”
“I mean, he’s literally a different person. Someone paid a price to buy Martin’s life. Probably… the Peacemaker.”
***
The day after the field trip, I had to go to school without exception.
‘After getting that injured, couldn’t they cut me some slack?’
In an empire where magic thrived, mending bones seemed like nothing.
I sighed.
[Woof!]
“….”
Sebastian barked. I pulled out some jerky and put it in his mouth. Please, stop barking.
I brought him along because I was proud of him for saving me yesterday, but I was already regretting it.
Thanks to Sebastian, all eyes were on me, and I had to listen to the cadets’ whispers again.
“…Did you hear? Yesterday, Trash Martin tackled a time chaos dungeon with the heirs of the Four Great Ducal Families.”
“They say he threw himself to block a deadly trap? That’s why he returned early yesterday.”
Teacher Hectia said the public narrative would be shaped like this, but…
“What I heard was that Trash Martin held back the heirs of the Four Great Ducal Families. They say he was a complete burden.”
“It was Martin who triggered the deadly trap. He got caught up in it while trying to run away alone.”
“Ugh, he really lives up to his trash reputation.”
“They say people don’t change easily, and he proves it.”
They didn’t lose anything, yet their malice toward me was palpable.
I knew it. I was some kind of witch. Teacher Hectia promised to control the narrative to keep me out of trouble, but humans are frustrating creatures who feel better only when they’re badmouthing someone.
One becomes two, and two becomes four.
A donation becomes an investment, and an investment becomes a bribe.
Exaggeration and distortion. That’s what rumors are.
I despised the filthy act of joining in and empathizing with rumors, packaging their disgusting self-soothing hatred as warm consideration.
Rumors grow and grow and grow…
“Everyone, stop it.”
The classroom fell silent. Even I looked up in surprise.
“Talking badly about someone isn’t a good thing.”
Gilbert. He was defending me.
The cadets were bewildered. Gilbert, Martin’s biggest victim, was defending him.
“Ahem!”
With a fake cough, Bord chimed in.
“Y-Yeah. What does yesterday matter? As long as everyone’s safe, that’s what counts.”
“R-Right….”
Timid Mary added her support.
Lina and Elisha said nothing, but their silence lent weight to the sentiment.
An awkward atmosphere enveloped the classroom.
At that moment.
“You’re all quiet for once. Take your seats.”
If Teacher Hectia hadn’t walked in, no one could’ve predicted what would’ve happened.
***
Imperium Academy had four dining halls.
Named after the four seasons, each was unique and interesting, earning them fame as academy landmarks.
However, the Winter Dining Hall had few visitors. There was no reason to bundle up in spring or winter just to eat there. The cold temperature made the food cool quickly.
Still, the protagonist’s party visited the Winter Dining Hall.
“Haa….”
The dining hall was filled only with soft winter music and the clinking of cutlery.
Gilbert, Lina, Elisha, Bord, Mary.
No one spoke. They knew why they’d gathered and were deep in thought.
“…About Martin.”
The clinking stopped. Everyone looked at Bord.
“Could he actually be a good guy?”
“….”
Each wore a complex, subtle expression.
“That Dr. Keren guy. He said Martin was the Peacemaker’s successor.”
Skepticism hung in the air. The malice they’d seen from Martin at the start of the semester was real.
A venomous inferiority complex bordering on madness. That obsessive fixation still lingered in their memories, chilling them.
“With Mary’s help, I visited the secret archives managed by the Deminiyan Ducal Family. I found information on the Peacemaker there. What I’m about to say, you can’t tell anyone. Not even our parents. Hear it and forget it. It’s dangerous information for us too.”
Glancing around, Bord pulled out a piece of paper.
“Look at this first. I painstakingly copied it.”
It depicted two crossed guns with the upper half of a hooded figure behind them.
“Honestly, I don’t know if this is true. I’m just relaying what the book said.”