Chapter 53

So now.

I looked at the two teachers in front of me with a somewhat absurd feeling.

Teacher Jane and my mother, the nurse, Maria.

"So you came to ask me how I set that record."

"Um, well, something like that."

Jane answered with a reluctant expression.

In the end, it seemed that all the teachers who conducted the inspection couldn't figure out the truth.

I thought for a moment.

The record-breaking in the target-hitting test was something I hadn't anticipated at all.

I once again felt the power of the divine weapon.

'...But if things turn out this way, it might have worked out for the best.'

In this room, with only Jane and Maria present.

And these two are completely righteous characters who have never been corrupted in the game.

I can't afford to miss this opportunity.

Especially since Maria is here, which is fortunate.

Maria has a 'bloodline magic' similar to how Philia inherited 'foreknowledge,' and it is essential for my plan.

"So, how did you do it? How did you manage to cut the record by about 27 seconds?"

"...What do you think I did, Teacher?"

I countered.

Jane's eyes narrowed.

She probably didn't like that I was asking back.

But it's my freedom to speak or not.

After looking at me for a moment, Jane seemed to give up and said,

"...The teachers think you either created multiple magic bullets or attached a guidance attribute to the rapid-fire option."

Indeed.

No one seems to think I used a bow.

After all, there were so many targets, and it's hard to imagine.

It's hard to believe an arrow could split on its own without seeing it.

It seems unlikely that the teachers will uncover the truth through their discussions.

'If it were Athene, she would have known how I did it.'

Athene saw Iokeira split when she fought Renzo, so she could probably make an educated guess.

I hope she doesn't say anything unnecessary.

And Athene would do that.

"Now it's your turn to answer, student Frontier."

"...Will the conversation here not leak out?"

"Of course not. That's why we arranged this separate meeting."

"Are you sure?"

"It's a security magic created by Maria and me. No information will leak out of this classroom."

Good, I know everything I need to know.

I clasped my hands.

I could feel Jane and Maria's attention focusing on me with that single gesture.

"I have something to tell you both."

"What is it?"

"I know who the rat is."

The moment I said that,

or rather, before I even finished half the sentence.

Their tension reached its peak, and Jane even summoned mana for a moment.

Jane asked with a stiff smile,

"...What do you mean by that?"

Well, that's a normal reaction.

But Maria was a bit different.

She leaned in closer and said,

"...Frontier, is that true?"

Maria dropped the honorifics.

She was no longer a teacher but Maria de Roach, my mother.

"Teacher Maria, this kind of talk is too dangerous for a student to hear."

"But it seems Frontier already knows everything."

The 'rat' I mentioned obviously refers to the traitor within Constel.

There were two accomplices in the Renzo intrusion incident.

One is the princess, Philia's daughter,

and the other is a teacher within Constel.

This is a much more urgent and important issue than how I broke the record.

Constel doesn't know that I stopped Renzo and cut off his arm.

Instead, they believe I discovered Renzo without being noticed and reported it to Eden, thus resolving the incident.

But Maria would understand the meaning of this changed information.

The reason I didn't tell the teachers but reported it to Eden.

That I also suspect someone among the teachers.

That's why she can trust my words now.

"I know you won't believe me even if I tell you who it is."

But it's still not enough.

Suspecting someone among the teachers and being certain about who it is are two different things.

"So I'll prove it."

"...How?"

"I'll bring the traitor out into the open."

At my words, Maria and Jane looked at each other.

Up until now, I've only said absurd things, but this statement is the most absurd of all.

"...You're saying you'll expose a hidden traitor among Constel's teachers?"

"Yes. So please don't reveal this conversation, and I hope you can help me when the time comes."

"...What kind of situation are you talking about?"

"You'll understand when the time comes."

I'm being vague because I don't know exactly how things will unfold.

I have a plan and confidence in its success, but the results afterward can vary.

No matter what happens, I need witnesses.

Witnesses that I had a suspect from the beginning.

* * *

Frontier finished the conversation and left.

Jane and Maria remained in the room, lost in their own thoughts.

Jane spoke first.

"Does Frontier really know who the traitor is?"

"...I don't know. We'll have to see."

Maria tends to support Frontier, but this time even she found it hard to believe.

The traitor within Constel was unknown to the teachers until Renzo's intrusion.

And even after Renzo's intrusion, the identity of the traitor remains a mystery.

Now, Frontier claims to know who the traitor is.

"Teacher Maria, you seem to trust Frontier. What are you thinking?"

"...I..."

Maria rarely paused mid-sentence.

Her slightly bitten lower lip clearly showed she was deeply troubled.

"...About Frontier's record-breaking."

"Oh, right. We called Frontier here because of that record."

Jane ran her hand through her hair.

Frontier's statement was so shocking that she momentarily forgot the original purpose.

Jane asked,

"Teacher Maria, did you figure out how Frontier broke the record?"

"No, I didn't. But... I think the timing is too coincidental."

"Timing?"

"...Teacher Jane."

After a long deliberation, Maria seemed to have made up her mind and looked at Jane.

"Don't you think Frontier deliberately broke the record?"

"...What do you mean?"

"The situation we're in now. We called Frontier here because of the record-breaking, right? And we cast soundproofing and security magic in this room."

"...Surely, Teacher Maria."

"And most of the teachers in Constel know we're here. In other words, it's a very reasonable and natural thing for others to see that Frontier and we are meeting."

Maria's words made Jane's eyes widen.

"Are you saying Frontier broke the record to give us information about the traitor? Teacher Maria, that's a bit too far-fetched."

"But if this is true, it explains everything about Frontier's actions. We can understand the sudden record-breaking too."

If Frontier significantly broke the existing record in the target-hitting test, the teachers would naturally check the program.

Especially for a student with a bad reputation like Frontier.

And if they couldn't figure out how the record was broken, they would naturally ask Frontier directly.

It's also possible to guess that Jane and Maria would be the ones to be questioned.

"But if all of this happened according to Frontier's plan..."

"...Yeah."

Jane was momentarily speechless.

She wanted to dismiss it as absurd, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt a chill at the back of her neck.

Frontier knows exactly who the traitor is. Assuming this is true.

He wanted to pass this information to a teacher he could trust.

But in Constel, where there are many eyes and ears, it's not easy.

Therefore, he needed a 'setting' to pass the information.

But if that's the case,

"...Then does that mean Frontier could break the record anytime?"

"Yes."

"Breaking the target-hitting record to 3.14 seconds wasn't a coincidence or an error, but he could do it at any time?"

"...It seems so."

Jane held her head.

It was hard for her to believe all of this at once, as she was still a rational person.