Why did such a thing happen in the original game?
How on earth did an organization like the Nightingale Secret Order manage to infiltrate the academy?
Had the forces maintaining order in the academy—the Typhon Chain, the Titan Prosecution Office, and the Eye of the Astral Splendor, which could divine the course of fate—truly not noticed anything?
Furthermore, was the magical beast riot and the Nightingale Secret Order's sudden assault in Act Two really just intended to tie down the academy's combat-capable instructors?
No!
Those were all just a front!
As this realization struck him, Ain's pupils contracted sharply. His heart pounded wildly, and his breathing grew heavy and ragged.
Once the conjecture took shape, it could no longer be brushed aside.
“Ain? Mr. Ain?”
Rosalind's gaze was glued to Ain, the depths of her eyes filled with an indissoluble worry.
She instinctively took half a step forward, but seeing his tense posture, her outstretched hand froze in midair. She opened her mouth, yet found herself at a loss for words of comfort.
“Sorry, I'm... fine.”
Ain slowly stood up, his voice tinged with a hint of exhaustion.
It's not enough. The information I have now is still not enough!
I still have things to confirm!
Dragging his heavy limbs, Ain walked over to Roy step by step.
“Roy, I'll leave things here to you.”
“The vines will last for six hours. Keep an eye on her until I get back.”
Seeing the sudden shift in Ain's aura, Roy keenly realized the gravity of the situation. His face hardened into a grim line, and he replied with absolute seriousness.
“Yes, Lord Sevis!”
Then, Ain turned his gaze to Rosalind.
“Let's go.”
...
The two walked through the dim corridor. Their companions had quietly vanished into the darkness behind them at some point, leaving only a single sphere of light floating in the air to accompany them.
【Tier 1 Magic: Firefly's Breath】
【Description: A light for illumination, dispersing the surrounding darkness.】
【MP Cost: 50】
“Actually, I just used a spell that can rewrite others' perception.”
“Yes, I figured as much.”
Rosalind nodded gently.
“After all, as a member of the Titan Prosecution Office, there is no way he wouldn't recognize Young Master Sevis.”
Ain fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking. “A riot is about to break out in the academy.”
“And the culprit is the organization behind that person just now.”
Rosalind nodded again.
“Aren't you going to ask me how I know this?”
Ain asked, puzzled.
“‘Do not pry into others' secrets.’ That is an ironclad rule the young master taught me.”
After a brief pause, Rosalind continued, “In fact, I can feel it too.”
“Many anomalies have occurred in the academy recently. If these are indeed the result of infiltration and attacks by external forces, then everything would just happen to...”
Ain let out a mocking chuckle, cutting Rosalind off.
“...happen to make sense?”
“What if I told you that all of this is a play directed and acted out by the academy itself?”
Rosalind's eyes widened, clearly not expecting him to utter such shocking words.
“How could that...”
“I also thought it was impossible.”
Ain's gaze sharpened.
“But if the chaos truly arrives, and a student is placed in mortal danger because of that organization, yet the instructors' aid is nowhere to be found, what would you think?”
Rosalind pondered for a moment.
“Perhaps the instructors were too busy to help?”
Yes, that was exactly how the game explained it.
“But have you ever thought about this? No matter how powerful the Nightingale Secret Order—that organization—is, they are still just a small force that has been hiding in the shadows.”
“If they were to truly clash with the Golden Branch Academy, the pinnacle of the empire, how could they possibly possess enough high-end combat power to rival either our strongest individuals or our overall depth of experts?”
“Shouldn't the battle have been completely one-sided?”
Hearing this, Rosalind froze in place.
She felt that Ain was absolutely right.
“Even if a riot broke out among the academy's magical beasts, the strongest among them wouldn't exceed Tier 4. Furthermore, with the Titan Prosecution Office maintaining order, how is it that the academy couldn't spare even a single high-end combatant to help that student?”
Ain smiled faintly, his eyes filled with mockery.
“Strange, isn't it?”
“But what if I put it another way...”
“What if it was the Nightingale Secret Order who wanted to save that student, but the academy's higher-ups, due to some unspeakable secret, deliberately held back and refused to allow it?”
Rosalind was startled.
She gasped, her eyes widening in extreme shock.
“If that's the case, then...”
Ain once again voiced the thought in her mind.
“Then wouldn't the academy be the one facing attacks from external forces because of that student's death?”
Meeting Ain's gaze, Rosalind instantly realized what he meant.
“Young Master Sevis!”
Ain nodded.
“Actually, when I heard that Sevis was going to be used as a scapegoat, I found it incredibly strange.”
“How on earth did the crowd pushing him out manage to convince the higher-ups?”
“Not only that, but Belinda keeping contraband is a relatively minor matter. Why would Sevis need to take the fall for it?”
“Even if the specific causes of the recent disturbances in the academy haven't been found, no students have been injured because of them.”
“As a Tier 4 Mage, his strength is among the very top tier in the entire academy.”
“Would the Titan Prosecution Office really be so willing to throw away such an important talent?”
Ain stared straight ahead, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
“But what if they already knew a riot was going to break out in the academy, and that many students would be injured...”
“...and Sevis, currently thrust into the spotlight and drowning in public controversy, would be the perfect target...”
Rosalind stopped in her tracks, her mind going completely blank.
All of this had been a conspiracy from the very beginning!
“Then Mr. Wesley...”
Ain remained silent, silently confirming her suspicion.
Wesley was also in on it!
A long silence stretched between the two. It took a full half-minute before Rosalind managed to pull herself away from her chaotic thoughts.
She took a deep breath, finally voicing the question that had been hovering in her mind.
“Why? Why would they do all of this?”
What could possibly drive the academy to leave a student to die, and even go so far as to push a Tier 4 Mage into the abyss!
Ain raised his hand, silently pointing toward the darkness ahead.
As if in perfect harmony with him, the sphere of light floating in the air seemed to come alive. It flickered softly, then slowly drifted in the direction he pointed.
As the darkness was dispelled, Rosalind realized they had reached the end of the path.
“Sankta lumo.”
【Tier 1 Magic: Firefly's Breath】
More than a dozen spheres of light emerged from the magic circle in Ain's hand. Like a swarm of awakened fireflies, they drifted gracefully in all directions, illuminating the dim space as bright as day.
Unlike before, there were numerous murals painted on the walls here.
High in the sky, the figure of a banshee slowly emerged like a nightmare. She spread her wings, which were vast enough to blot out the sun. In an instant, countless violent spells poured down like torrential rain, turning the bustling mortal realm into a wailing sea of blood, wiping out thousands of lives in the blink of an eye.
However, this cruelty did not last long. Accompanied by a crack of thunder that ripped through the sky, a blinding bolt of lightning struck down.
When the light faded, her wings had been violently snapped, and a dazzling golden holy sword ruthlessly pierced through her chest.
Ain slowly raised his hand, holding the card in front of his eyes.
At the moment their gazes met, the face of the banshee on the mural was an exact match to the card in his palm!
“So it was...”
“...a witch?”
Rate on N.U.
