The moment Julien and his sidekicks came out of the Labyrinth, none of the spectators said a thing.
They just stood in silence to stare at them.
….Or more specifically Julien.
Yet again, he had pulled everyone’s attention. He stole the show once more. What he had done, the public remembered.
It was that memorable.
In one of the corners of the arena stands. A man leaned on his seat while staring at Julien beneath.
He wore a brown top hat and brown coat.
“….It was a nice performance.”
It was hard to tell who he was addressing. There was no one besides him.
“He’s certainly a very powerful first year. But still, it’s surprising how he had managed to singlehandedly defeat the monster just by himself.”
The other cadets may have done a little by tiring it out, but at the end of the day, he was the one who had defeated the monster.
“It’s crazy.”
Extending his hand, he removed his hat to reveal his dark hair and deep brown eyes. He was none other than the Inquisitor.
Pinching his chin, he leaned back slightly.
“….It’s almost as if he had taken something.”
Just as he said those words, Julien, the main star of the show excused himself. The Inquisitor’s eyes traced his back as he left.
“Uahg.”
Closing his eyes for a short moment, he put his hat back on and stretched.
“….Looks like it’s also time for me to go do my job.”
***
“Haaa….”
I found it hard to breathe. Looking around, the world seemed to spin. I couldn’t see straight and I had trouble walking.
Even so, I kept my expression firm and marched forward. I had long left the arena and my teammates.
They didn’t stop me and let me go. They were probably surprised by my actions back in the chamber.
It was good that way.
“Haa… Haaa….”
I didn’t know where I was going.
I was just mindlessly wandering around the Academy campus.
‘At this rate, I’ll die.’
That much was becoming obvious to me. My chest burned, and my legs were starting to give up on me.
The excess mana that was lingering within my body was threatening to erupt at any second. I could already picture a scene where I’d explode into millions of pieces out of nowhere.
‘….That’s not good.’
As I walked, I could feel the gazes of the passerbies on me.
Some stopped to whisper to each other, while others stared at me from the distance. I looked at them briefly before continuing forward.
I was so out of it that I couldn’t tell if they were looking at me because they had seen my performance, or that I looked extremely sickly.
‘….Where do I go?’
To the infirmary?
Yeah, no.
If I were to do that, they would discover all about the drug that I had taken. The only reason that nobody suspected a thing was because before entering the Labyrinth, all cadets had been stripped and searched by the Academy inspectors.
The only thing that we were allowed to bring was the bracelets. The Academy provided the weapons.
The drug was something that nobody would think I’d be able to access.
For now, I was in the clear.
…..But I knew that I was still not out of the danger zone.
Were I to pass out here and sent to the infirmary, then it would instantly become clear that I had taken something. The Academy doctors weren’t that naive.
‘I can’t allow for that to happen.’
It would destroy everything that I tried so hard to build.
“…..”
Gradually, my steps stopped.
‘Do I have no choice…?’
There was one place that I had in mind. A place that would resolve all my worries.
I clenched my fists and covered my mouth.
“Cough…!”
Coughing, I felt something spew out from my mouth.
Drip! Drip…!
I didn’t need to look to understand what it was. Quickly wiping the blood away from my mouth, I closed my eyes and moved forward again.
This time, I had a direction.
***
“Hmmm.”
Inside Atlas’s office — a vast office that overlooked the entire Academy from the top.
“There have been twenty-seven reported deaths. All of them belong to cadets from lower-ranked Academies. We have yet to make the news public.”
Listening to his assistant’s voice, Atlas remained seated with an impassive expression. Carefully managing his expression, he closed his eyes for a brief moment as his assistant continued,
“Thanks to Julien and his sidekicks’s appearance towards the middle we were able to appease some of the protests regarding some of the cadet groups not appearing in the main projection screen.”
It was a general briefing about the situation.
Every time the name ‘Julien and his sidekicks’ was mentioned, Atlas would find his brows twitching slightly. However, he was quick to grow used to it.
The mid-terms had yet to end. However, the winner had already been decided. With an overwhelming point difference, they were ranked first.
Given the amount of time that the other groups had left, it wasn’t impossible for them to get close to them, but they were probably too exhausted to do so.
In the end, it was safe to assume that the team [Julien and his sidekicks] would end up placing first by the end of it all.
The problem now was something else.
“How should we reveal the news to the Chancellors of the other Academies? Julien and his sidekicks’ appearance calmed them down somewhat. In their minds they were probably thinking; If their recording device also stopped working and they appeared not long after, surely it suggested that it was nothing big.”
The assistant paused.
“But…”
“….We won’t be able to keep them calm for much longer.”
Atlas finished the words for his assistant.
“Eventually, we’ll have to tell them the truth about what happened.”
“Yes.”
Slowly opening his eyes to reveal his yellow pupils, he placed his hand over the wooden desk opposite him and drummed his fingers lightly.
“Tell them to come visit me.”
“Yes?”
“I will tell them the news personally.”
“Ah…”
His assistant showed a look of surprise. However, quickly recomposing, she nodded her head in understanding.
“Understood.”
“….You may leave.”
“I will bring them back as you’ve ordered.”
With a gentle blow, she left the room, leaving Atlas alone in his office. As she left, he remained seated in his chair.
“…..”
The room plunged into a state of silence.In the silence, Atlas lowered his head to stare at his drawer. He stared at it for a good minute before opening it and pulling out a pair of black gloves, slipping them onto his hands.
It was a sort of ritual that he had. For whenever he had to do something important.
He had just put them on when the door knocked.
To Tok—
“….That’s rather fast.”
Surprised, he opened his mouth to say,
“Come in.”
Clank—
The door opened, but the people he had expected to come didn’t appear. Instead, a young man with jet-black hair and hazel eyes entered.
Little needed to be said regarding his appearance; from the moment he arrived, he stood out distinctly. Yet, what truly stood out about him at the moment wasn’t his appearance, but the mana coming out of his body.
It was rather intense.
“….Hm?”
Atlas’s head tilted slightly at the appearance of the youth.
Phecda.
He hadn’t expected him to be here.
Clank—
As Phecda opened the door and closed it behind him, he looked around the room for a brief moment before sitting down on the sofa opposite him.
He made himself comfortable before looking at Atlas. That was when Atlas noticed.
His gaze.
The way he looked at him.
It was one of indifference. A stark contrast from the first time they had met. Back then, while his gaze was somewhat similar, he could feel the apprehension within him.
And yet…
….That apprehension was completely gone at this moment.
“….”
“….”
The two stared at each other for a brief moment as the room stilled in the silence.
Then, breaking the silence was Julien who covered his mouth with his hand.
“Oh…?”
Drip. Drip…!
A red liquid seeped out from the narrow gap of his fingers.
Even then, he never took his gaze away from Atlas. Rather, his gaze intensified. It was as if he was telling him to keep looking.
“…..I’ve done it.”
His voice came out hoarse.
Despite that, his voice was clear enough for Atlas to understand.
“I’ve done my part.”
Atlas nodded his head in acknowledgment.
“I saw.”
How could he not have seen? He had stolen the show. There wasn’t anyone that hadn’t seen his performance.
Most likely, everyone was still talking about it.
So…
Why would the star of the show come all the way to his office? Clearly, he had a motive in mind.
“…..Are you here to apologize for what you’ve done?”
It would make sense if he did.
They had indeed spent a lot of resources trying to get this plan to work. However, it had all come crashing down because of the young cadet in front of him.
“It wasn’t easy to raise such a talented group.”
Phecda’s expression twitched slightly at the mention of the group. However, he was quick to recover as he shook his head.
“No…?”
Atlas thought the reason was that, but unexpectedly, Phecda shook his head.
“Then?”
Atlas wasn’t offended by that. Rather, he had somewhat encouraged him to do what he did. For that, he didn’t care at all for the apology.
He was just curious about his answer.
One that came shortly after.
“No. I couldn’t care less about what you… think.”
“….?”
Drip. Drip…!
As the blood continued to drip down from the gaps of his fingers, Phecda’s lips suddenly started to close.
“I only want one thing…”
As they did, he managed to utter a few last words.
“Fucking… heal me.”
His arm limped down shortly after and blood started to spill from all his orifices. Despite that, he maintained his gaze fixed on Atlas.
“He’s out.”
Even as his eyes remained open, Atlas could tell he had passed out.
It was quite a sight to see.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The blood trickled down on the ground in a rhythmical manner.
Almost like the arm of a clock.
“….”
It shattered whatever silence was about to take over.
Amidst all that, Atlas’s mumblings overtook the repetitive sound of Phecda’s blood dripping.
“I couldn’t care less about what you think…? Fucking heal me?”
….It wasn’t that Phecda’s words had offended him. Rather, he couldn’t care less about what he had said. It was more the tone in which he said those words.
How could he describe it…?
‘It’s as if he is certain I’ll help him.’
Yes, it was that.
…..It was a thought that made him want to laugh. Especially since he was right. Phecda was invaluable to them. His performance had not only solidified his spot as the Haven’s top ranker but at the same time, helped Delilah out of a sticky situation.
Would that lead to her trusting him more?
Atlas wasn’t sure. However, his action must’ve definitely made her confused.
Whose side was he on? Hers or theirs…?
“Haha.”
The thought made Atlas laugh.
Lowering his head, he took a good look at Phecda.
‘The difference between a potential Fiend and Low Seat isn’t their strength but their ability to think for themselves.’
Phecda was evaluated to be a potential Fiend.
Looking at his state, and how he had gone to the extent of consuming the drug that was meant for the boss monster, Atlas could see why he was evaluated as such.
But at the same time, he could also see something else.
Something more calculated…
Again, Atlas laughed.
“….Interesting.”