Chapter 39

EP.39 The Stench of Betrayal (4)

Silence envelops the spell training room.

No one dares to speak rashly. What has happened? No one has a clear grasp of the situation.

The door opens, and someone enters.

It's the new professor who has recently been drawing attention, Lania von Trias.

Crunch.

She crushes something that resembles a bone. As soon as the crushed object hits the floor, she kicks the ground.

Crack, squish.

The moment she touches the barrier, it tears like paper. Her steps cannot be held back for even a second.

By the time I realized this.

The situation was already over.

BOOM!

The spell training room shakes with a loud noise.

Cracks appear on the floor. Dust rises. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The professors at the center of the shock.

They are pushed back by the impact and sit on the floor, staring at the girl revealed as the dust settles.

'What just happened?'

No one knows.

'A spell was cast. Magic power surged.'

However, no one knows how many spells were cast. Even the professors, who have delved into the dark arts for a long time, could not recognize what happened in that instant.

"..."

They look up at her with trembling eyes.

Lania von Trias.

Her robe is stained red and blue with blood. She is covered in blood from head to toe. But when she wipes the blood from her cheek, they suddenly realize.

'It's not her blood.'

The blood is more blue than red.

It is the blood of a demon.

"Phew..."

She lets out a short breath.

Then she reaches out her hand to the center of the shock and pulls out the traitor pinned to the floor.

Squeak, squish.

She walks, gripping the traitor's hair. The black blood trails behind her as she drags him. No one dares to block her path.

"..."

She walks silently through the parted students and professors. At the end, there are knights holding swords, looking bewildered.

"This."

Lania points to the traitor she dragged.

"He'll regain consciousness, so tie him up and interrogate him."

"Y-Yes, yes?"

The knights blink.

It doesn't look like he's alive at all. Lania, aware of the knights' gazes, scratches the back of her head in annoyance and replies.

"I channeled mana at the end. Traitors who channel mana can move even after being severely injured. They can even come back to life."

Thud.

She nudges the traitor's body with her toe. The traitor's body shudders.

"See? He's still alive."

"Ah, I see. Thank you for your cooperation."

The knights take the traitor.

They bind him with restraints and gag his mouth to prevent him from casting spells.

"I'll be going now."

With those words, she leaves.

Both knights and professors and students stare at her retreating figure in a daze.

"Ahem."

Her teacher, Rosel, only clears his throat and smiles faintly.

2.

The fourth princess, Ayla's bodyguard, Havel.

While other knights say the position is a thorn in their side, Havel is very proud of his role as Ayla's bodyguard.

'She will be the future queen.'

It might be presumptuous, but in Havel's opinion, Ayla is more suited to the position of a leader than any other member of the royal family.

'If I can protect someone like her...'

There would be no greater honor.

Havel truly believed this.

'...but, I failed to fulfill my duty this time.'

His mouth felt bitter.

Fortunately, the princess was unharmed, but it wasn't because of Havel or the knights.

'The professor.'

A professor protected the princess.

She led her through the crowd of demons to the knights' garrison. Havel knew the professor's name.

'Professor Rosel's adopted daughter, Professor Lania.'

She was the one to whom he had personally delivered the robe. Recalling her appearance, Havel nodded slightly.

'I need to thank her separately.'

For protecting the princess in his stead.

And...

"The assistant professor of combat magic, Celt."

For capturing the mastermind of this incident.

Havel lowered his gaze.

Most of the demons have been eliminated. The knights are still searching and cleaning up the remaining demons.

The only one left is this dirty traitor.

At Havel's feet, the traitor is kneeling with his limbs bound. Havel looks down at him with disdain.

"A despicable traitor who betrayed humanity and sided with the demons. The crime of unleashing demons and causing chaos in the academy is grave."

"..."

There is no response.

The traitor, Celt, stares into space with an empty gaze, his mouth open.

Drip.

Saliva drips from the corner of his mouth.

'He hasn't regained consciousness yet.'

Tsk, Havel clicked his tongue.

It seems he will need more time to regain consciousness. Torture or dunking him in holy water can wait.

"Phew..."

Havel sighs and stands up.

"By the way, how did you catch him?"

"Yeah, how did you manage that? It's hard to find a traitor before they channel mana."

Outside the tent, the knights are chatting. Havel approaches them. The knights turn to look at Havel.

"Ah, Sir Havel. Did the interrogation end?"

"Not yet. I didn't even start the torture. He wasn't in a state to be tortured. He hasn't regained consciousness."

"Indeed... Clearly, if you get hit like that, you wouldn't regain consciousness. It's surprising he's still alive."

Cled, the knight guarding the spell training room, nodded and said. The knights' gazes turned to him.

"What, Cled, you saw it?"

"I didn't see everything, but I saw the result clearly."

Cled, under the knights' gazes, began to speak.

Havel was also curious about the process, so he listened intently to Cled.

"It was really in an instant! I could see her walking from far away, covered in blood. So I asked if she was okay."

Cled waved his hands.

"She said, 'Move aside,' and before I could stop her, Professor Lania burst through the door!"

Gulping, the knights swallowed dryly.

"So?"

"What happened after she opened the door?"

"Ah, that's where I couldn't see clearly."

"What the hell?"

Cled chuckled awkwardly.

"It was too quick, I couldn't see anything. There was just a loud thud, the building shook... and that was it."

"Damn, what are you talking about seeing?"

"Ah, but you saw the traitor, right? His skull was dented, his eyes were bulging out, and his teeth were all gone... wow."

Shivering, Cled trembled.

"Despite her delicate appearance, she seems really scary. She dragged him by the hair... wow, I thought I was going to faint."

"...Your language is crude. Be more careful."

"Ah, yes, sir."

Havel sighed, patted Cled's shoulder a few times, and left.

'...Anyway, the testimony that she subdued the traitor in one move is consistent.'

At first, Havel couldn't believe it.

Subdue a traitor in one move? It didn't make sense. A traitor who has made a deal with demons has a body that is different from humans.

Let alone, if they channel mana...

They can no longer be considered human.

'And, black blood flowed from that traitor.'

Black blood is proof that the traitor had channeled mana.

Even if they are a traitor, the blood they shed before channeling mana is the same as a human's, which is red.

'That's why they are also hard to find.'

Havel drew a conclusion based on the gathered information.

One, she discovered the traitor somehow.

Two, she engaged in combat with the traitor while they were channeling mana.

Three, she subdued them in one move.

The more he thought about it, the less it made sense.

"Is it possible, that?"

To subdue a traitor in one move without giving them a chance to react? In a place where students, who could be taken as hostages, were gathered?

'It doesn't make sense.'

However, the result speaks for itself.

"I can't understand it at all..."

Havel suddenly recalled the sight of Professor Lania passing by the tent a little while ago.

-Professor, your shoes...

-I'll buy you new ones, don't cry.

-No, I didn't mean to...

-I understand. Let's wash your clothes first. Follow me quickly.

-Yes...

The girl passing by, talking to Professor Rosel.

Her body, stripped of her robe and wearing only a shirt, was splattered with a few drops of blood but had no wounds.

'No signs of fatigue... either.'

Havel muttered in a defeated voice.

"Why is someone with such skills a professor?"

3.

"Should I just throw it away...?"

"Hm? What did you say?"

"No, the robe isn't washing well... just that."

I was washing the robe and shirt in the laundry room.

Using water magic to rinse it would be too wasteful because the material is too precious... it made me feel guilty.

'...Maybe I should take off my clothes before fighting next time?'

But then the shirt would get soaked in blood.

Thinking about something I've never had to consider on the battlefield made me feel uneasy.

In the first place, bloodstains were a given on the battlefield.

Priests like Sara, who insisted on wearing white because they represented the divine, were foolish.

'Why is this so white?'

And now, I was feeling like those foolish people.

"Phew..."

Sighing, I looked at the white shirt. The collar is embroidered with gold thread. It's a gift from the royal family, delivered with the robe.

'Even if I wash it roughly... it's so white that the blood doesn't come out easily.'

So I was rubbing it hard, but the blood wouldn't come out.

'Now that I think about it, this situation feels familiar.'

Have I ever done laundry on the battlefield?

I think I just used water magic to rinse it and wore it again. Neither I nor Kyle ever cared about such things...

Oh.

'...Me and Kyle.'

Apart from us, there are only two others.

The images of those two crazy women flashed through my mind. Their voices echoed in my ears.

-No, Laniel! What's wrong with your clothes! They're all wrinkled!

-Mine too! What is this!

-Damn, you asked me to wash them.

-Who asked you to rinse them with water magic and make them look like this? That's why you're a sympathizer!

-Foolish human. It's my mistake for entrusting it to you.

Hesitating.

-Anyway, that's why... tsk.

-Laniel, men who don't understand women's hearts are unpopular. What good is a handsome face if your personality is terrible? You have no empathy.

-Damn, give me all of it.

What did I do back then? I remember tearing Sara's cherished daily clothes.

Rip.

Yes, like this.

"Huh?"

Did I hear a sound I shouldn't have? I slowly lowered my gaze and looked at the shirt in my hand.

'Oh, no.'

My fingertips tremble as they hold the shirt.

"Huh? What's wrong...?"

The teacher, who approached me, also stiffened. I turned to look at the teacher. Our eyes met.

After a long silence, the teacher slowly spoke.

"...Lania."

"Y-Yes?"

"As I recall, this is a gift from the royal family. Is that correct?"

I slowly nodded.

The teacher smacked his forehead.

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

Even with magic, hand washing is still the best.

Ah, but drying is quick!

Because I have magic!