Chapter 75

Part 25: Test Subject (3)

I was taken aback when the mana suddenly stopped, but there was no reason to lose to an opponent who wasn't even at the knight level.

"That's just ridiculous..."

He was a remarkable individual who could create inherited abilities, but it seemed he didn't know much about knights and mercenaries.

An inherited ability to stop mana.

I was tense because of what I said in my previous life, but fortunately, it was a manageable ability.

Or, perhaps it would have been difficult for an ordinary knight or noble to handle.

In any case, there was no way he could stop me now.

He rolled his eyes frantically, but was quickly subdued by me.

There was no hostage to take advantage of in this sudden ambush. He was surprised by a brief counterattack, but this time, things went according to plan for the first time in a while.

I tied him up with a rope, infused mana into his neck to reduce his voice, and severed the tendons in his limbs.

"Ugh, don't even dream of getting any information from me."

Even as his tendons were cut, he spoke with determination, but unfortunately, I had already heard a lot from him.

"I already know you like to talk. Isn't that right? Teacher of Pia and Mirisa? Or are you a test subject too?"

He looked at me with wide eyes, seemingly forgetting the pain.

"Who are you?"

I was a new student at the academy and an illegitimate son of the Grecia Dukedom, but I didn't answer his question.

Instead, I laid out the items I had prepared.

"The sun hasn't set yet, so we have plenty of time to talk."

I was using the dorm room alone, and no one would come to check on me as the illegitimate son of the dukedom, so I had free time until the next morning.

His face turned pale as he saw the items I laid out.

"I'm not very good at torture, so I hope you can forgive me if I make a mistake."

I didn't intend to hear much. Just a few important pieces of information would suffice.

I stayed up all night listening, and by the time it was light, I had the message I needed.

* * *

The bodies were discovered two days later.

A neighbor, suspicious of the closed shop for two days, forced the door open and found the bodies on the second floor of the shop.

The guard immediately responded.

The security knights and guards saw the scene with blood splattered everywhere and clear signs of sword fights.

A knight, after confirming the scene, said in a firm voice:

"Let's bury them."

The guards, who came with him, opened their mouths with doubtful expressions.

"Is that okay? This happened right in front of the academy. I heard the princess is also enrolled this time."

"Exactly, that's why we should bury them. It's just a knife fight among the shop staff. This kind of thing happens every day in the slums."

"But still..."

"The capital's atmosphere is not good right now. I heard something happened during the academy's enrollment ceremony. If this incident breaks out, you know what will happen."

It was a murder case in front of the academy.

For him, responsible for the security of this area, it was not just a matter of a promotion being blocked; it could even cost him his life.

If he were a knight loyal to the royal family and a protector of justice, it might be different, but he was a career knight with a stable life in the capital and a family.

There was no reason to stir up trouble unnecessarily.

The knights and guards quickly cleared the shop and silenced the people around.

Thus, the murder case on the commercial street sank beneath the surface.

* * *

To be honest, I didn't expect much.

It was a scene I set up, inspired by a thriller from my previous life, hoping it might work.

It was such a poor trick that I thought it would be exposed immediately, but I didn't hear any news about a murder case.

Even when I asked the princess's bodyguards and Katarina, they didn't know anything about it.

I thought I would ask after it reached the royal family, but the low-level officials buried it.

With the media not being well-developed, it was easier to bury it.

I suffered until dawn burying the bodies left on the side of the road on my way back, but it was fortunate in a way.

That night, I was able to hear various stories from the man who called himself a teacher.

He talked a lot, but unfortunately, he didn't know much.

He didn't know exactly where he belonged, nor did he know the future plans or communication lines.

However, I was able to hear where he was trained and where he should return.

A powerful country to the north.

The country of origin of the people who caused the incident at the Iero Dukedom, the Char Empire.

'Whether it was an act of the imperial government or another organization within the empire, I couldn't tell.'

I strongly felt that the man and the people who caused the incident at the Iero Dukedom were from the same organization.

Still, I was able to hear the information I wanted to some extent.

"Y-Yes. That necklace is a medium that makes mana go berserk. Inherited ability users can use the necklace to make other people's mana go berserk."

He also talked about the necklace.

"I gained my ability in an underground dungeon-like laboratory. There was an item to find and awaken latent abilities. It was collected after the test."

He also talked about how Pia and he gained their abilities.

"They were going to dispose of us after the test. It might have been the final test. I didn't know what would happen when I returned, but this might have been the right ending."

I also learned why they carried out the terrorist attack. The reason was simpler than I thought.

"Since they were going to dispose of us. They were planning to withdraw anyway. No one would come back if everyone was dead. Besides, it's impossible for mana to go berserk without the necklace."

I was able to hear about the cleanup, making it easier to wrap things up.

'It seemed like he had given up, so I didn't think he was lying.'

After completing the task, I waited a few days and then secretly took the necklaces of Pia and Mirisa.

I sneaked into Pia's room at night, knocked her out, and took the necklace. I pretended to bump into Mirisa in the hallway and switched the necklace with Pia's, which had the gem removed.

The two necklaces were identical, so Mirisa thought only the gem was missing.

Because of the necklace, the two were in turmoil for a while, but I had a very peaceful time.

No one else appeared around Pia and Mirisa, and no one was targeting the princess.

The general education classes for all freshmen were extremely boring, and the knight major classes were frustrating because I couldn't show my true abilities.

I just waited for the practical sessions to start.

One day, while enjoying this peaceful time, a new student was added.

"Due to family issues, my enrollment was delayed. Since I'm joining later than others, please help me catch up."

It was a basic inheritance ability class. The female teacher introduced the girl standing next to her.

"My name is Valeria de Messia. My father passed away suddenly, so my enrollment was delayed."

A very beautiful girl introduced herself to everyone.

She made eye contact with everyone and then smiled slightly at me.

However, I couldn't smile back at her.

We knew each other well enough to exchange greetings, and we were close.

She had once killed me.

I had also killed her father.

A month after the academy's enrollment ceremony, the daughter of the nobleman I killed enrolled in the academy.

"Please take your seat."

After the introduction, the teacher led Valeria to a seat.

Valeria scanned the classroom and walked over to me.

My surroundings were always empty, but she didn't seem to care.

"Hello."

She greeted me as if we had just met again after parting yesterday.

"Yes, hello."

I greeted her back.

"Was the funeral well conducted?"

"It was a sudden funeral, so it was hectic, but I think it was enough for my father."

Others might not have noticed, but I could tell there was a thorn in her words.

"By the way, you came alone?"

"The old nobleman is dead, so a new one must take his place. I will live as a temporary nobleman until the royal family's approval is granted."

It sounded like she was talking about someone else, but it was about her brother.

"I couldn't stay because it would be awkward. If my father were alive, it would be fine to stay as a nobleman's daughter, but my half-brother is the temporary nobleman. I quickly fled to the academy to avoid being sold cheaply to another noble family."

She tapped her desk and spoke happily.

"Then, what about the nobleman's wife...?"

"My mother is also planning to return to her hometown. She will live under the oppression of her family. Well, that's it."

In this life, she wasn't involved with me, but her nature hadn't changed.

I could feel her deep disillusionment with her family in her words.

"So, what I'm saying is..."

Surprisingly, the conversation continued without end.

It was strange to be talking so comfortably with the woman who had killed me, but I enjoyed the conversation with her.

However, I was too engrossed in the conversation.

"Hey, you two, class has started. Save the chitchat for later."

The professor's words were followed by chalk flying at us.

The professor's ability was telekinesis.

Snap!

The chalk, wrapped in mana, flew quickly, but the one that came to me was caught by my fingers and trembled.

Thud!

The chalk that flew at Valeria landed neatly on the desk in front of her.

Valeria's ability, known as 'Domain Declaration.'

It seemed she had already used her ability during our short conversation.

I was a bit more tense seeing how much it had improved since the last time.

The professor seemed a bit surprised by our ability to catch the chalk, but the students laughed at us for being scolded.

"Look around. Talking to me won't do you any good."

I whispered, and she looked around with a smirk.

"From what I see, talking to you will be much more beneficial than befriending those fools."

She leaned in and whispered back.

If I didn't know her nature, I would have been deeply moved by her words.

No, if I were my original age, I might have fallen for her.

But now, I was so preoccupied with what she was up to that my head was spinning.

Thanks to her pretending to be close, the class was a mess that day.

To think that the person I could actually have a conversation with among the students was the one who killed me and whose father I killed.

That day's incident and her unique ability.

If it weren't for the upcoming awakening of the princess, I might have lost all my hair worrying about the Valeria problem.