Chapter 18: Advance
"Here's the first question. According to the other cadets, you were certain that the 'Twilight of the Dawnflower' was at the pondside in the east. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"How could you be so sure of that?"
Rodrig looks at me with a businesslike expression.
I take a moment to steady my breathing.
For now, there’s no hint in the first question itself that suggests they suspect my true identity.
It’s a point that could reasonably puzzle them, given their need to examine the incident from all angles.
So, as my response, I had to bring up the backstory I hadn’t included in the report.
"An hour before the lecture, I met Professor Ilai."
All eyes turn to Professor Ilai, seated to one side.
"Why?"
"It was by chance. As you all know, I hadn’t been actively participating in lectures. So, I went to the outer forest early, partly for a walk and partly to get accustomed to the lecture atmosphere. But the professor…"
"From there, I’ll take over, Gerard. At that time, I was making my own preparations for the lecture and just as I finished, I ‘happened’ to run into Gerard."
The professors nod.
It’s less an agreement with my response and more an unconscious gesture stemming from their absolute trust in Ilai, a cleric of the Cathedral.
Seeing that, I realize becoming an herbology assistant was truly a stroke of luck.
I should make an effort to get closer to Professor Ilai during my time as her assistant.
"But what does that have to do with the question? Are you saying Professor Ilai told only you where the ‘Twilight of the Dawnflower’ was?"
"No, that’s not it. I deduced her movements based on the direction she was coming from. That deduction just happened to pay off, that’s all."
"Then the certainty? How could you speak with such confidence about something that was merely a deduction?"
"Naturally, I wasn’t 100 percent certain. I just spoke strongly to gain the trust of my juniors. That’s also why I split the team into two groups."
"Hmm."
Rodrig strokes his chin once and glances at someone.
It was the Vice-Dean.
When the Vice-Dean nods, Rodrig moves on to the next question.
"Alright. Then the second question. That pondside is a place even long-serving academy staff barely know about. How on earth did you know about it?"
"I like quiet places, so I often wander around the outskirts. It’s been about two months since I found that spot."
My response flows smoothly, without hesitation.
That’s when it happens.
An irritating voice cuts in.
"Hmph. You, with a hobby of taking walks? A passing dog would laugh at that."
It’s Allen Desico, the head of the Psychology Department.
"The more I hear, the more absurd it gets. They say it’s harder to spot you on campus than to pluck a star from the sky because you’re always holed up in your dorm. What? Wandering is your hobby? Are you joking? Where’s this nonsense coming from!"
Suddenly, he shouts in a burst of anger.
Some professors—those from the Martial Arts Department, who don’t get along with the Psychology Department—look at him with disapproval, but they don’t intervene.
They, too, find my answer suspicious.
"Don’t raise your voice. The Dean is present."
"Ah! My apologies, Vice-Dean. This young punk is spouting lies without knowing his place, and it got my blood boiling."
"We’ll find out if it’s a lie or not by hearing more. Isn’t that right?"
The Vice-Dean’s gaze lands on me.
I nod and open my mouth again.
"Professor Allen seems to know quite a bit about me, doesn’t he?"
"How could I not? You’re infamous, in all the wrong ways."
"But if you think about it the other way, if no one’s seen me, doesn’t that mean those rumors aren’t reliable either?"
"…What?"
Allen’s face crumples, as if I’m spouting nonsense.
"Your logic that my words are lies, Professor. I’m saying the premise itself is flawed. If no one’s seen me in the first place, how would anyone know whether I’m holed up in my dorm or out taking a walk somewhere else?"
"…"
"And there’s someone here who has seen me taking a walk. Why leave that out of the conversation?"
I glance at Professor Ilai as I speak.
Professor Ilai nods.
"As I mentioned, I met Gerard today while he was out for a walk."
No matter how much authority Allen holds as the head of the Psychology Department, he can’t help but find Ilai, who has the Cathedral’s backing, difficult to deal with.
He glares at her but eventually looks away first.
"Damn it."
Long live the Cathedral.
I resolved once again.
I’m sticking with Professor Ilai to the end.
That takes care of the second question.
What’s the third?
"Now, the final question."
Rodrig speaks.
"I heard that it was you, Gerard, who took down the majority of the swamp orcs."
"Yes."
"I honestly had no idea you possessed such remarkable swordsmanship skills."
The moment I hear those words, sweat beads on my palms.
Suppressing the rising sense of unease, I feign ignorance and ask back.
"I’m not sure I understand the intent behind your question."
"What I mean is this: do you truly have the skill to kill that many swamp orcs? To be honest, considering the rather lacking and underwhelming impression you’ve given so far, it’s hard for us to picture that scene. That’s the consensus among us."
"I don’t quite follow. Then what about the swamp orcs I killed? Did they just commit suicide?"
"That’s unknown. But… it’s entirely possible, isn’t it?"
Rodrig’s eyes glint sharply as he looks at me.
For a moment, my breath catches in my throat.
They say when something is too absurd, your mind goes blank.
Damn it, that’s exactly how I feel right now.
So, what, I manipulated the swamp orcs to kill themselves or something?
Or are they already convinced that I orchestrated this entire incident?
I glance around.
The professors are staring at me intently.
Their gazes feel as sharp as blades, ready to draw blood the moment they spot a weakness.
At the same time, a heavy pressure I hadn’t felt until now weighs down on my shoulders.
Honestly, I don’t know.
It could be the former, the latter, or both.
But one thing is certain: the professors view me far more negatively than I had thought.
In other words, this suspicion was bound to arise sooner or later.
What should I do?
Should I draw my sword and perform a sword dance or something?
Would that dispel their doubts?
As I rack my brain, I part my dry lips.
"There are plenty of people who witnessed me fighting. What do they say?"
The response comes from another source.
Once again, it’s Professor Allen.
"Those are just first-year brats. What do they know? Whether someone was helping you from the shadows or if you were using some other trickery."
"…"
"Or maybe it was all a scripted act. Even Professor Ilai, a cleric ignorant of combat, could have been deceived if you set out to fool her. Isn’t that right?"
"Impressive, as expected."
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"As the head of the Psychology Department, your imagination is truly remarkable."
"Ha. This wet-behind-the-ears kid, really."
Allen shoots up from his seat.
A sneer on his face.
But his eyes, glaring at me, are wide open, as if he’s ready to tear me apart.
"I’ve been sick of you since earlier, you punk. I’ll personally teach you a lesson."
That’s when it happens.
A low voice resonates through the meeting room, washing away his anger like it was never there.
"Hmm. Shall we conclude the hearing here?"
"What? But, Dean…"
"Enough, Professor Allen. To condemn a promising young man just starting to bloom, based solely on suspicion without evidence—does that seem right?"
Professor Allen raises his voice in frustration.
"But isn’t it strange? A kid who’s never properly attended a lecture or trained has that kind of skill?"
"Maybe he trained diligently in secret. Like he said earlier, no one saw him, so no one knew until now."
The Dean glances at me with a peculiar smile and asks.
"Right, Gerard?"
I silently nod.
"And whether his skills are real or fake, we’ll find out soon enough. There are evaluations and off-campus activities coming up. So, let’s end the debate here and move on to the real important matter."
"Important matter…?"
"It’s about discussing what kind of reward to give our proud 888th-class cadet for saving the academy from a crisis."
"…!"
Allen’s eyes widen, but the Dean doesn’t even glance his way and continues speaking to me.
"Gerard. What you accomplished this time has set an example for many cadets. Moreover, you played a pivotal role in protecting the academy’s assets and upholding its prestige. For that, I intend to personally grant you a reward."
The fist resting on my knee instinctively clenches.
They say life is like a wave—after a crisis comes fortune.
I never expected that fortune to arrive so quickly.
It makes me tremble.
But hearing what that fortune entails makes me tremble even more.
A reward personally bestowed by the Dean!
I swallow hard and stare intently at his lips.
"Do you have any artifacts in your possession?"
"Artifacts… you say?"
"Yes."
I do.
I have one.
But I’m not clueless enough to honestly say “I have one” here.
That’d be idiotic.
"None."
A satisfied smile forms on the Dean’s lips.
"Good. If you don’t have one, I was planning to provide you with one."
"…!"
"What would you like?"
I sink into a moment of blissful deliberation.
Allen glares at me from the side, his expression practically screaming for me to pick something random and get lost.
Sorry, pal.
I’m going to take my sweet time and settle in comfortably.
Then, an artifact pops into my head with a ding.
"Could you possibly get this one for me?"
* * *
[Fortunately, the Cult doesn’t seem to consider the request a failure.]
[Oh, really?]
[Yes. Their goal was to prevent the secrets of the Beast Pouch from being revealed to the Empire. Since the Beast Pouch that failed to activate exploded and vanished without a trace, they achieved their objective.]
[Then…]
I ask with an expectant expression.
[The reward for the request?]
[That’s obviously nonexistent. The request was to retrieve the item, after all.]
[Disappointing.]
[…That’s my line. Do you have no conscience? What were you even doing to fail a request like this?]
At the bench in the green space I visit every day after finishing my morning jog.
Disguised as a janitor, Luis is diligently sweeping with a broom while ceaselessly muttering through Whisper.
[The Cult doesn’t know the Master is a cadet, so they let this slide, but I’m not so lenient. Honestly, you had plenty of chances to retrieve the item. Why didn’t you?]
[There weren’t any.]
[No way.]
[Seriously, there weren’t. I had an important lecture.]
Luis stops sweeping and looks at me with an incredulous expression.
[…A lecture? Are you joking right now?]
I shrug, and a deep sigh, as if the ground itself is collapsing, pierces my mind.
[Honestly, that’s not the only thing that bothers me. I heard you even became the mentor of a cadet named Yuria.]
[What? How’d you know?]
[That’s not important right now and I heard you were at the forefront of repelling the orc attack. What on earth are you thinking, creating a situation like this? I can’t comprehend it at all.]
I stare blankly at Luis.
Having met him and received reports from him dozens of times now, I’ve come to understand his personality to some extent.
He’s the epitome of loyalty.
At first, I thought that loyalty was directed toward the guild, Shadow, not me.
I even suspected that if I strayed from the path that served the guild, he might immediately sell me out to the Cult to eliminate me.
But now I know.
It was all a misunderstanding.
He genuinely respects and serves me as his Master.
[If living as an academy cadet has sparked other ambitions, please reconsider. If not, for the sake of Shadow’s safety, please refrain from reckless actions. Master… you are Shadow’s last remaining hope.]
[Don’t worry. I have a plan for all of this. Just trust me.]
Swoosh, swoosh. The broom sweeping the ground stops again.
Luis is staring at me silently and his expression is something else.
It’s the look of someone who doesn’t trust me one bit and is deeply worried.
[Speaking of which, Luis. Get me an item.]
And that expression crumples even further.
[…What item?]
For a while after my response, I had to endure Luis’s nagging.
After parting with Luis, I return straight to the dormitory.
I grab a quick breakfast with some bread and finish preparing for lectures, leaving some time to spare.
I sit on the edge of my bed.
I review my future plans.
The most urgent task right now is my level.
I need to raise my level to increase my mental strength, which will allow me to deepen my bond with my summon and ultimately use [Phase Shift].
All of this needs to be perfectly prepared so I can rob the Vault before the Vision selection.
Completing a technique combining [Dagger Arts] and [Telekinesis] is just a bonus.
The problem is that the Vision selection day is fast approaching.
In contrast, my level is still stuck at 31.
I should have successfully completed the Beast Pouch mission to achieve some growth, but the plan went awry, and I blew the opportunity.
But after yesterday’s events, a thought struck me like lightning.
Do I really need to obsess over leveling up?
What I need is ‘mental strength.’ If I can just increase my mental strength, that’s all that matters.
There are various ways to boost stats.
Leveling up, meditation, or physical training are just some of the methods.
Artifacts or items can also provide significant stat boosts.
Yes, items.
I had forgotten about the existence of items.
Why do people talk about ‘gear advantage’ in the first place?
And why are veterans called veterans?
Because of their sense, physical skills, and ability to find and use the right items at the right time—that’s what makes a veteran.
To be honest, as someone who prided myself on being a veteran, it’s pretty embarrassing to only realize this now.
If I were to make an excuse, I’d say my perspective had narrowed.
I was so focused on the single goal of survival, charging forward blindly.
The pressure of walking a tightrope between the Cult and the Academy didn’t help.
Trying to follow the main storyline and find solutions within it caused me to miss the bigger picture.
I am a thief and I know a ton of information about this world.
An item to boost my lacking mental strength? I can list them off with my eyes closed.
Among them, if I narrow it down to items I can obtain with my current thievery skills and that offer the best efficiency, one perfect item remains.
I glance at the calendar.
The timing is just right.
Tomorrow at midnight, I’ll start working on it.
I formulate a plan based on the simulations running in my head.
* * *
Time passes quickly, and the next day arrives.
After finishing lectures and returning to the dormitory, I notice two packages placed in front of my door.
"What’s this?"
I check, and one is from ‘Terrier Tailor Shop.’
The sender is a tailor, Luis.
Right.
This tailor is the butler Luis.
It must be the item I asked him to prepare for my operation yesterday morning.
"Delivered right on time."
His work is always impeccable.
But then, what’s this other one?
I picked up the second package to check.
The sender’s name is Bell Toro and there’s only one person on this continent with the name Bell Toro.
The golden seal of the Academy Dean stands out vividly.
A package sent directly by the Dean.
What could he possibly send me?
A thought crosses my mind, and my face stiffens for a moment.
"Haha. No way, he’s not that crazy. He wouldn’t send that in a package."
I enter my room and immediately tear open the wrapping.
And when I see the contents, my mind goes blank, as if I’ve been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.
"Wow…"
The item sent by the Dean is, indeed, an artifact.
The moment is confirmed: Dean Bell Toro is officially a madman.