Volume 1 Chapter 8.1
Planned Betrayal, Despair for the
Fraudster Part 1
Translator : PolterGlast
As he played with the
counterfeit coins he always carried in his pocket with his fingertips, Jin
thought back to his life before he ended up at this school - the days he spent
with that lousy, eccentric, but still top-notch scammer.
There was a line Rusty
used to say to him after he did the occasional big job.
"...... You have
nothing. You have no family, no education, not even a childlike affection, let
alone any psychic abilities. Jin, if we who have nothing want to earn a decent
living, we have to be cunning. And that's exactly what we're going to do, even
if it means deceiving someone we don't know."
After saying all that,
Rusty's face would always turn serious.
"There's one thing
you must never forget. Listen, Jin, for a fraudster─"
It's a sentence I've
heard so many times, but I'm still not entirely understand what Rusty was
actually trying to say.
What was he thinking
at that moment, what was he trying to entrust to me?
Time did not allow him
to think any further.
The battle against a
powerful enemy, Bennett Lohr, was about to begin.
He had laid many
strategic moves to get to this point. The traps were already set. Once
everything was in place, all he had to do was to face the battle with
determination.
Jin took a deep breath
to regain his composure, and put his hand on the door of his room.
◆
Three days after the
declaration of war.
The stage Bennett had
designated was a tree-lined path lined with tall trees. Apparently, there had
been a trailhead ahead before the empire bought the land, but now it was
completely abandoned, with weeds protruding from every nook and cranny of the
concrete path.
Bennett showed a smile
of amusement to Jin, who arrived at exactly one o'clock in the afternoon, the
appointed time.
"...... You
showed up without running away, huh? Honestly, I was surprised."
Jin decided to reply
with a fearless smile.
"Don't give me
such a half-baked impression. Why don't we just hurry up and get started?"
"Chill out, will
you? We have to make a pledge first."
A written pledge was
carefully written in thin handwriting and handed to Jin.
"This
<duel> will be conducted in accordance with the rules written in
it."
"Direct attacks
with psychic abilities are allowed, and you win if you can make your opponent
surrender or faint. The loser loses fifty-three points. ...... Nothing unusual,
huh?"
"Of course. I
like fairness after all."
By filling out the
rules and the signatures of the participants on the form provided by the
school, the <duel> will automatically be established. Jin signed the
pledge while being amazed at the omniscience and omnipotence of the headmaster
who can manage the increase and decrease of points and even implement
memory-sealing measures with just a single piece of paper.
"...... Look, the
witness seems to have arrived as well."
As though in response
to Bennett's mutterings, a palm-sized object descended from far above.
The tin cat puppet
that called itself Jake decelerated unnaturally just before it hit the ground
and landed in front of them as if nothing had happened.
[Good grief, kids
nowadays sure are rough. How many <duel>s have we had today alone? Well,
I'm made from tin, so I don't feel tired.]
"Jake, could you
please check the pledges?"
[Aa~, don't bother
showing it to me. As soon as you fill out the pledge form, I'll know what your
rules are.]
"Oh, right, of
course."
[Alright, lastly, a
reminder. As long as you follow the rules written in the pledge, I won't
interfere at all. So don't make the mistake of asking for help. ...... So, are
you ready for this?]
"What a long
introduction. Let's get on with it." Jin said so, sounding fed up.
"Indeed. Let's
get started then." Bennett replied with an exemplary smile.
[All right, let the
games begin.]
Before Jake could
finish his declaration, Bennett pulled a matchbox out of his coat pocket. This
small object that fits in his palm is all he needs to activate his psychic
ability that summon an evil demon.
The match was scraped
against the side of the box and the tip was lit.
A small spark is
created in front of Bennett, as if the air itself is spontaneously ignited. The
spark eventually grew into a fireball, which quickly increased in volume and
intensity.
When the fireball
began to change into the shape of a person, Jin ran away at once.
"...... Hahaha.
What's the matter, Jin Kirihara!"
Bennett called out
while holding back his laughter.
"Where was all
that bravado you had just now go? Don't you have the will to fight me
head-on?"
Although he seemed to
be criticizing Jin, Bennett's face was filled with glee.
It was like the smile
of a hunter chasing after fleeing prey.
Feeling the dense
presence of death behind him, Jin ran through the trees.
Under the guise of a
seemingly foolhardy escape, he was heading toward a location he had decided
upon in advance. He hid behind a large tree about 30 meters away from Bennett,
who was walking slowly, and checked on his opponent.
He is not negligent in
his strategy.
He already prepared a
plan to defeat his opponent, who can manipulate a fire monster at will.
◆ Two days ago ◆
On the tree-lined
avenue where the duel would take place, 13 landscapers were at work. It was
already around 2:00 am.
When Jin arrived,
Gasta laughed with a cigarette in his mouth.
"What, you're
alone this time? Have you broken up with your girlfriend now?"
"It's not like
we're in a relationship to begin with."
"So there are a
lot of things happening in the world of kids, huh? By the way, what is the
purpose of this job?"
Gasta's question is
understandable.
The work started the
day after Jin made a phone call to the company and had to be completed in just
two days. Even though he was being paid extra for the work, Gasta would never
have taken on the job had it not been for Jin's long-standing relationship with
the company.
"Because of the
urgency of the request, I called on my colleagues and somehow managed to get a
headcount together. To be honest, I'm nervous about working with people whose
faces I don't even know."
"All you have to
do is build a pit filled with water according to the layout I gave you
yesterday, though."
"I mean, isn't it
too simple? Your opponent this time is quite a monster, right?"
"Obviously, I've
got a lot of plans."
Bennett is not just a
monster with a powerful psychic ability. He is much more cautious and sensitive
to lies than Tedd, whom he defeated using the same pit method. If he wanted to
deceive such an opponent, he would have to put up a clever and multi-layered
scheme.
However, since Jin has
a pretty good idea of what Bennett is up to.
Then all he has to do
is to take advantage of it. There is nothing more fragile than a person who
thinks he has seen through his opponent's trickery.
Whether he was
convinced by Jin's confident expression, Gasta snorted once and then changed
the subject. A whisper that no one but Jin could hear. A serious one at that.
"So, this kid
Bennett or whatever he's called is the Shepherd's Dog?"
After a swift sweep of
the surroundings, Jin also whispered back.
"I'd say the odds
are 50-50. Although it's a little too obvious, in terms of ability, he's
perfect. His movements so far have been quite suspicious after all."
"Then, there's no
turning back now."
"Why are you
asking me this now? I am already prepared for that before I even try to take
the entrance exam."
"I see. Looks
like, I asked a silly question."
Laughing loudly, Gasta
slapped Jin hard on the back.
"Well then, you
little shit, do well. ...... Right, you coming to work tomorrow?"
"I have some
other business to do. I'll pass."
"Ha~, scammer
sure are busy folks, huh?"
With a flick of his
hand, Jin's oldest accomplice went back to his work.
◆
While hiding behind a
tree, Jin checked on his pursuer.
Bennett, walking with
a fire puppet by his side, showed no sign of urgency. His unwavering smile
indicated that he would be able to catch Jin easily if push came to shove.
"What's the
matter, Jin Kirihara!? Are you planning to stay hidden for a long time? Haven't
you already prepared something to defeat me?"
Bennett, who did not
even doubt his own victory, showed no sign of alarm. But that was probably an
act. It would be impossible for such a cautious man not to suspect the
possibility of a trap.
In order to disturb
his opponent's thinking as much as possible, Jin moved the tip of his tongue.
"I always fight
fair and square, no matter who I'm up against. Do you think I have any secret
plans?"
"Fair and square,
huh? That's the least fitting word for you. Oh, by the way, ──"
Bennett's voice was
frosty, a complete change from his elegant tone.
"Are you sure you
don't need to watch behind you?"
By the time Jin turned
around, it was all too late.
Jin's hands were
handcuffed, his legs were swept away, and he was rolled to the ground.
A brief glimpse of his
former accomplice appeared in his vision. Nina Stingray was approaching from
behind, completely invisible.
"I'm sorry,
Jin."
When Jin looked up
from his slumped position, Nina was staring at the void with a somber
expression on her face.
─ I didn't think she'd gone this far.
Jin had taught her the
basics of the art of tailing when they had framed their previous instructor,
Rudy, but when combined with a level of acting ability that allowed her to
control even her own presence, her performance had actually reached this level
of ferociousness.
"Thank you, Nina.
You did a perfect job."
An exaggerated round
of applause cut through the silence.
A loud laugh, full of
insanity and relish. Bennett no longer even wore the mask of an honor student.
"You're so
pathetic, Jin. To be betrayed by your one and only accomplice, and ended up
crawling on the ground. Can you tell me how you feel now?"
Of course, he had
expected Bennett to join forces with Nina.
Still, he had not
expected to be restrained after being approached from behind. Nina's ability
was far beyond Jin's perception.
"I'm listening.
You've installed several water-filled pits in this area, haven't you? Surely that's the best way to counter my abilities.
Too bad it would be the end once I knew where they were located."
A desperate situation.
Even so, Jin's smile did not fade from his mouth.
Yes, so far,
everything is still within his expectations.
Nina, who knew about
the existence of the <landscapers>, would have immediately thought of the
possibility that Jin might manipulate the stage. With her tailing skills, as
she had just demonstrated, it would be easy for her to hide in the dark and
watch the work being done.
That was why Jin had
deliberately mentioned the existence of the pitfall in a loud voice at that
time.
Hearing this, Nina
would try to take advantage of the workers and steal the layout map. Of course,
to make it easier for an amateur thief like Nina to steal, Jin had everyone's
layout maps and luggage placed some distance away from the work area.
In other words, Nina
had taken the bait.
She wasn't even aware
that the layout on the map was a complete fabrication. ────
Three meters to go.
Bennett, approaching
with a cruel smile on his face, would have fallen into the pit if he had gone a
little further straight. That, of course, was not what was shown on the fake
layout map used as bait.
If Bennett still
believed himself to be on the winning side, he would not be able to avoid this
trap.
"You should be
feeling the heat from the [Executioner of Immolation] by now. How are you
feeling?"
Two meters to go.
"But I'm
disappointed. I thought you'd entertain me more. ......"
One meter to go.
He still didn't doubt
his victory.
With a graceful
movement, Bennett stepped forward ─ and stopped abruptly.
"......Wha?"
A shocking sight
appeared in Jin's eyes, as he raised his voice in a dazed manner.
Bennett began to walk
around the outside of the pit.
A move that could only
be explained if he had a perfect grasp of where the real pit was.
"But it was a
clever move. A fake layout map."
"What do you mean
......?"
Nina's voice came down
from overhead, interrupting his bitter rebuttal.
"I'm really
grateful to you. Jin, meeting you and ...... realizing that I'm not the only
one suffering and fighting has certainly brought me relief."
"Your actions
don't match your speech, are you sane?"
"You kept pushing
me around, but I still had fun. I will never forget the month I spent feeling
so much freedom and hope."
"If that's what
you think, then get the cuffs off me."
Nina shook her head
tiredly.
"No, Jin. Our
accompliceship is over. I'll get you out of this hellhole."
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