abcnovels
Chapter 294
Chapter 294
Chapter 294
‘Dwener?’
People in the fountain plaza were talking about him.
I stopped walking and listened carefully. This was the first time I’d heard this conversation.
A conversation I’d never heard before, despite having experienced the Carpathia Defense Battle tens of thousands of times? That could only mean one thing.
‘A hidden piece.’
Come to think of it, there had been some changes in the story.
Mabelga’s defeat, Benius’s defeat, and…
‘Dwener’s participation and performance.’
Originally, Dwener should have stayed at the academy. But perhaps because of an unusually high level of affection, he ended up participating in the Carpathia Defense Battle.
At first, I thought he was just there to act as a shield(?) to block Benius’s instant death attack, but…‘Is there more to it?’
I was about to eavesdrop on their conversation with my ears perked up when—
“There’s nowhere to hideeeee!”
Rezé panicked, likely because there was no place to hide in the crowd. What a troublesome rabbit.
After briefly scanning the surroundings, I found what I was looking for.
A street vendor selling simple snacks. I bought a bag of carrot fries from the merchant and handed it to Rezé.
“Th-this carrot… It’s a specialty from the central part of the empire! S-small but full of moisture and with an excellent aroma…”
I stuffed a carrot fry into Rezé’s mouth while she was busy explaining.
After a moment of ‘mmph, mmph!’ Rezé’s expression turned blissful.
She was completely entranced by the taste of the carrot fries.
I also took a bite of the carrot fry as I started to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“They called him a parachute, but it seems like the reality is different. Rumors really aren’t trustworthy.”
“Isn’t that rumor the same one that guy just mentioned?”
“Hahahaha! Then this one must be unreliable too.”
“Tsk! Whatever! What’s the point of telling you anything if you won’t believe it…”
The story that Dwener beat up Count Zachary and Administrator Rieur… Honestly, it was hard to believe.
Despite their vile personalities, they were successful nobles and the officials who clung to them.
In this hierarchical society, giving them a thrashing was practically impossible.
On the other hand, it also meant that Dwener had accomplished something incredible.
“Well, if it’s true, that’s pretty satisfying. Though, it’s not like anything will change.”
“They’ll probably be reinstated after a few months of suspension. Even though they caused such a huge incident.”
“It’s just the old woman’s family and the soldiers who are unfortunate. The ones who burned themselves out died or were left crippled, while the ones who caused it all survived unscathed…”
Their predictions were accurate. Count Zachary and Administrator Rieur wouldn’t face severe punishment.
‘One year suspension.’
In real-world terms, it was like a three-year sentence with five years of probation.
It meant they were found guilty, but they wouldn’t face imprisonment or corporal punishment.
‘When I first completed the Carpathia Defense Battle, I was furious.’
Not only because I had only managed to kill one low-rank demon and got fewer rewards, but mostly because I was young.
Seeing the wretched lives of the old woman and others ruined while the scoundrels who caused it lived shamelessly well…
It was an episode that would inevitably enrage a naive child who didn’t yet understand the world.
But how about now?
‘I’m not bothered by it at all.’
I had come to accept the tragic lives of the old woman and the others as a matter of course.
Partly because I had seen the same story countless times, but mostly because I had learned about the world.
Maybe it’s more accurate to say I’ve gotten used to the bitter reality of society?
You could say I’ve become a mature member of society, but in truth, it’s different.
I’ve just become a ‘bad adult.’
A bad adult who turns a blind eye to the world’s injustices.
The people chattering nearby weren’t much different from me.
Their anger only reached their mouths and minds. They wouldn’t act on it.
They had become bad adults who had conformed to this world.
‘Nothing will change this time either.’
In fact, it’ll probably be Dwener who ends up losing his position.
Everyone here knew that.
They just didn’t bother to voice it, resigned to the bleak reality.
“Oh no! Look at the time. We should get going.”
“Yeah, let’s go. We need to reinforce the defenses so the demons can’t threaten us again.”
“I’m off to sell my wares. Let’s have a drink tonight. A toast to the principal’s well-being.”
“If those scumbags even try to mess with the principal, I won’t stand for it!”
“Haha! With those puny fists of yours? Come on, man! Just cheer him on. That’s the best way to help the principal.”
Right, Dwener’s actions might not change anything. His punches didn’t have the strength to change the world.
But they were enough to lift people’s spirits.
He had planted something in them. A faint ‘hope’ that this world, dominated by bad adults, might change.
The group of people dispersed, and familiar students passed through the fountain plaza.
“Rumor has it he even took down a high-rank demon?”
“He didn’t seem like the type, but I guess the principal of Annwood Academy is different.”
“Maybe he’s been pretending to be weak and incompetent all this time to lull us into complacency while he observed everything.”
Behind them, heavily armed knights passed by.
“He’s a model knight.”
“If I get the chance, I’d like to see him. It seems he hasn’t left Carpathia yet, so maybe I’ll request an audience.”
“Let’s not bother him. He must be troubled enough as it is without us adding to it.”
It wasn’t just the townsfolk; even the students and knights were buzzing with his name.
Dwener was at the center of all the chatter.
‘It’s unlikely this will change much…’
If he’s lucky, he might be able to keep his position as principal, but that’s as far as it goes.
He won’t be able to avoid the wrath of Duke Aziz. He might even lose the simple title of principal.
‘That would be a bit troublesome. I won’t be able to rely on Dwener’s support anymore…’
But I had managed to take down Benius, so it wasn’t a total loss.
As I weighed what I had gained and lost on the scales, I caught sight of Rezé’s back as she nervously scanned the surroundings.
What’s this? Has the rabbit decided to become a meerkat?
“Keke, Rezé. What are you up to?”
“Eek!”
Rezé jumped in surprise and turned to face me.
She was holding a fairly large paper bag, the kind with a picture of carrot fries on it.
Noticing where my gaze had landed, Rezé hugged the bag tightly.
“I-I can’t give you this. It’s f-for Miss Luna…”
It seemed she had bought a large amount of carrot fries for Luna.
But I wasn’t sure if Luna would like them. She had the taste buds of a typical child, after all.
Although she had accepted the carrot snacks Rezé occasionally shared, it was only because she couldn’t refuse a friend’s kindness. Luna didn’t actually like carrots.
So…
“Keke, may I taste one? Just to make sure they haven’t gone bad.”
“I-I don’t think they’ve gone bad, but… O-okay…”
Crunch.
The carrot fry melted in my mouth.
Oh, this one tastes better than the one I had earlier.
They say food tastes best when it’s someone else’s. It seems our ancestors’ proverbs weren’t wrong after all.
“Hmm~ It does taste a little off.”
“Huh? Th-that can’t be…”
“Maybe it’s just my imagination. I’ll have another to be sure.”
And so, the carrot fries began to disappear one by one into my mouth.
Seeing the diminishing amount of carrot fries, Rezé screamed.
“Hiiiik! That’s a gift for Miss Luna!”
“Keke, they’ll go stale soon anyway. I’ll graciously take care of them.”
“N-no, you can’t!”
As I poked Rezé’s side while she desperately tried to protect the carrot fries with her whole body…
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
A familiar whistle sound rang in my ears. At the same time,
“Stealing carrots is a violation that warrants demerits!”
An equally familiar voice rang out as a girl appeared.
With hair as dark as the night sky, a uniform without a single wrinkle, and a perfectly stiff disciplinary armband.
Rodelin was, as usual, radiating perfection.
It seemed Rodelin’s zealous discipline knew no exceptions, even in Carpathia.
“Keke, it’s a misunderstanding. It wasn’t carrot theft, but rather carrot fry theft.”
“A theft is still a theft, no?”
Hmm… does it really count?
Rodelin carefully tied up the torn paper bag of carrot fries and handed it back to Rezé.
“Th-thank you, Senior.”
“Hmm, carrots are good for you. Though frying them is a bit of a flaw…”
“C-carrots are a perfect food!”
“I-is that so? I see. I’ll need to study more.”
Rezé, cradling the bag of carrot fries like a treasure, moved far away and began to eye me warily.
Ungrateful little rabbit. I’ll teach you a lesson tonight by eating all those carrot fries and showing you the greatness of your master.
“Zero, I should remind you that seeking revenge is grounds for suspension.”
“Keke, revenge? There’s no way I would do something so horrible.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. By the way, how is Luna doing? I was planning to visit her this evening.”
“Fortunately, she’s stabilized. Victoria said she’s likely to wake up soon.”
“Is that true? That’s wonderful news.”
Rodelin smiled brightly. It was a smile that seemed to light up the area around her.
It’s a pity that she kept a cold expression most of the time because of her dream of becoming a soldier. The more I saw her, the more I thought it was a shame.
“Hmph, that was a mistake. A soldier shouldn’t display such unbecoming behavior.”
“Unbecoming? I thought it was a nice smile.”
“A s-soldier doesn’t smile!”
Rodelin tried hard to maintain a stern expression. What a funny kid.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Ah, I was conducting an investigation into this recent incident.”
With the imperial investigators, the knights, and the rats moving actively, there was no need for Rodelin to be involved.
‘But I guess she wants to do whatever she can.’
For the empire she loves.
She was walking around, checking to see if there was any information the investigators might have missed.
By the way, in the game, if you walked around the village, you had a high chance of encountering Rodelin.
It was an event that allowed you to build rapport with her.
“Keke, if it’s alright with you, could you share what you’ve found so far?”
“Of course. I was actually hoping to get your insight, Zero.”
Rodelin shared the information she had gathered, and I offered up what I knew.
Most of it was about the demons that appeared before she reached Zone 4.
“If you hadn’t been there, things could’ve gone really bad.”
“Keke, demons just seem to show up wherever I go. Such an incredible coincidence.”
“A coincidence…? At this point, it seems more like fate.”
Rodelin’s eyes narrowed slightly.
She probably remembered how I had once confessed that I frequently found myself entangled with demons during the Demon’s Shard incident.
‘It was a lie I told to convince Rodelin when she had a sword to my throat, but…’
In this situation, it worked against me.
‘Is it true that he’s often involved with demons? Could it be that he’s cursed or marked by the demons? Should I report this?’
—was probably what she was thinking.
So I needed to clear up the misunderstanding quickly.
“Keke, this incident has nothing to do with me. If I were involved, it would’ve been easier for them to attack the academy instead.”
“…That’s true. No one could’ve predicted such an audacious plan to send students to Carpathia.”
“If I had been their target, all the demons would’ve rushed out to attack us the moment we arrived. But instead, we only faced weaklings.”
“Yes, you’re right, Zero. I apologize for doubting you.”
Rodelin’s gaze softened, though her brows were still slightly furrowed, indicating she hadn’t completely shaken her suspicions. However, she seemed relieved that it wasn’t my doing.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just tell the truth? Then you wouldn’t be suspected, and I could help.”
“Keke, that would be difficult.”
“Is it that you don’t trust me yet? That’s a bit disheartening.”
“It’s quite the opposite.”
I stepped closer to Rodelin. She took a half-step back, hesitating, but quickly regained her composure.
She probably realized that I wasn’t going to pull some of my usual perverted antics.
I leaned in slightly and whispered into her ear.
“I just don’t want to see you end up like me.”
Straightening up, I stepped away from Rodelin. She stared at me for a moment before closing her eyes and murmuring.
“Is he shouldering all the pain on his own… How admirable.”
Hmm… well, let’s just go with that.
Rodelin was sharp. As long as I could dispel her suspicions, any explanation would do.
“Sounds like you’re bound by something. I’ll see if I can find a way to help.”
A contract or a curse.
Neither was the case, but it seemed she had settled on that conclusion.
‘Well, I am bound, after all. To the system.’
Being tied down and controlled by the system…
I wish others could experience this kind of “binding” too.
“Oh, by the way, I have something for you.”
Rodelin pulled something out from inside her uniform. It was a small box.
Without any hesitation, Rodelin opened the box. Inside was a small orb.
It shimmered with the same night-sky hue as Rodelin’s hair.
[Lucid Family’s Secret Elixir: B]
An elixir made using the Lucid family’s secret techniques. It provides exceptional effects relative to the ingredients used.
This elixir is awarded to knights who have distinguished themselves within the Lucid family.
It has outstanding effects in mana training.
All stats +3
Magic Power +10
…Wait a minute.
Did they open an elixir mine somewhere?
–TL Notes–
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