Volume 1 Chapter 8.3
Planned Betrayal, Despair for the
Fraudster Part 3
Translator : PolterGlast
◇ One week ago ◇
"There is
one last place I'd like to go."
After a quick
lunch at a restaurant on the outskirts of town, Jin spoke up.
Nina was
surprised that Jin would make such a suggestion, but she could not make fun of
it. Because behind his eyes, she could certainly see a kind of resolve.
"......
Fine. Is it close to here?"
"No, it's
about a two-hour bus ride each way. It will probably be night before we return
to the Heiberg Academy."
Nina was about
to say, "Then why didn't we go there from the very beginning?", but
she refrained herself.
The reason Jin
had not done so was because he could not make up his mind until the very last
minute whether or not to take her with him.
The place they
were going to was probably that important to him.
Passing
through an ordinary residential area, the bus with the two of them on board
rushed through a peaceful meadow. For some reason, having the two of them alone
in the empty vehicle gave them a strange sense of immorality.
When the bus
started to climb a long hill, Nina finally opened her mouth.
"Speaking
of which, how did you do that lemon trick you were doing earlier?"
"It's
better not to ask how the trick was done. You will be disappointed."
"Ehh~,
come on, tell me. This beautiful girl is asking you, you know?"
"Huh? I
didn't catch that. Can you say it one more time?"
"......
Sorry, I got a little carried away."
He let out a
deliberate sigh and said quietly.
"It's
just a simple trick. I just slipped the lemon into your bag while you were
distracted by something else."
"I know
that. What I want to know is when did you put the lemon in the bag? I was
extremely cautious while watching your magic trick after all."
In fact, the
distance between Jin and Nina was a little far at that time. He wouldn't be
able to reach her even if he reached out his hand, and since she was holding
the bag under her arm, it would be difficult for him to throw the lemon into
the bag.
In front of
Nina, who was waiting for an answer, Jin had that mischievous expression on his
face.
"As I
told you before. Once you've planted an assumption in someone's mind, the
deception is 90% successful."
"......
Don't tell me, you put that in there even before the magic was performed?"
"Correct.
When you were talking to the elderly on the bus on the way to the city,
everything was set in place."
"B-But
that lemon just happened to be at the stall ......."
"That
parent and child are only on the street every Thursday afternoon."
"Huh?"
"They
move their shops from place to place to avoid the attention of the local
Commerce and Trade Association."
"No way.
You knew about it beforehand?"
"That's
right. It was already decided yesterday that I was going to show you that trick."
"You're
really ......"
Truly, Jin
might have been born to lie.
The
persistence of elaborate advance preparation for even such a meaningless lie
can only be described as a natural talent.
".......
I think it's about time. Let's get off at the next one."
Led by Jin,
they arrived at a community cemetery spread out on top of a hill.
It was not the
same as the high-class cemetery where the ancestors of the Stingray family were
buried. It was overgrown with weeds, and there was a general smell of mustiness
in the air.
What kind of
people are buried in such a remote place? What did the people buried here mean
to Jin?
The deeper
they went, the worse the condition of the graves became. The headstones growing
out of the ground were all battered, and many of the names and dates of death
were unreadable.
"My
father is buried here."
"Didn't
you say earlier that the <White Knights> took him away from you?
......"
Jin was about
to tell her his true intentions. Nina was sure of it.
"Actually,
he was supposed to be dumped at sea, but his business associates stole his body
from the prison and buried it here in this deserted cemetery."
"What do
you mean? Your father is ......"
"He's a
scammer. Everyone who has lived in this country for more than ten years knows
his name at least."
When Jin
finally stopped, he looked at a gravestone that was much smaller than the
others around it. It was a gravestone that was not covered with moss or mold,
as though it had been cleaned regularly. A few counterfeit coins with a
slightly strange design were placed next to the headstone.
A name was
engraved on the headstone, but Nina had no particular idea who it was.
Her butler
read her newspaper every day, so she should have known someone so well-known.
"Ah,
that's a fake name. If the police found out, they would dig it up as fast as
they could."
"Hey, can
I ask you what his real name is?"
"Rusty
Yellowkid-Wale. ...... See, you've heard of him, right?"
Nina's eyes
widened and her whole body took in the shock.
Rusty
Yellowkid-Wale.
He is the name
of a legendary villain who is said to have died of illness in prison three
years ago.
As Jin said,
there are not many people in this country who do not know that name.
It is said
that the amount of money he has bilked from wealthy people all over the empire
is well over one billion through credit fraud under the guise of psychic
ability. He never chose any means for his work, nor did he choose whom he would
prey upon. From high-ranking government officials of the time to the biggest
names in the underworld, many people were cheated out of their money by him.
"I
thought he was a heinous villain. I never thought he had a child. ......"
"The
newspapers wrote a lot of bad things about him, after all. ......Well, he was a
bastard, that's for sure."
Jin smiled,
his eyes narrowing as he reminisced about the old days.
"Also,
Rusty isn't my biological parent. I've been living on the streets for as long
as I can remember, and that guy who was just passing by picked me up."
"......
Wait a minute, how did you end up living like that?"
"Rusty
told me about it years later."
Jin continued
as he offered a bottle of sake he had bought from a street stall.
"My
parents were wandering around with an astonishing amount of debt. It was enough
to buy five or six small uninhabited islands, isn't that funny? Ordinary people
who lost their jobs to heretics or were driven out of the community by force
had no choice but to quietly wander the streets."
"So you
were abandoned. ......"
"My
parents were also in debt to the underworld, it seems. I guess they figured it
was better to leave me on the street than let the bad guys catch me and sell me
off to some pervert."
Jin spoke of
it so easily, but the life he had led was far beyond the scope of Nina's
imagination.
A tragedy so harsh
that something could have gone fatally wrong, and yet it was located in a place
that was connected to her elegant life in that mansion.
But Nina knew
nothing of this.
"I don't
think this is an appropriate description for a scoundrel who was even called an
<enemy of the people>, ...... but that man was, in essence, a
good-natured person. Most of the money he took from the rich was spent on
savings for my future and donations, and he lived an unbelievably poor life.
...... Well, I
won't deny that he was not a decent person. Apparently, the only reason he kept
doing his job with no payoff was because he loved to see the reaction of the
people he scammed."
"Did you
learn the art of deception from him?"
"As I
helped him with his various jobs, it just came naturally."
Nina could
tell by the look on his face. Jin must have truly trusted the parents who
raised him.
─Trust.
That is
probably the most precious thing in this world, and therefore the most
difficult thing to obtain.
"I
believe Rusty-san died of illness in prison. ......"
"Ah,
that's obviously not true. That man was as tough as a rock after all. The guys
from the <White Knights>who captured him used their psychic abilities to
torture him repeatedly. It's information I got from an informant inside the
prison, so it's certain."
"......
Torture, you say?"
"You want
to know what they did to him? You won't be able to eat for three days
though."
Certainly, the
<White Knights> might be the heroes of the country. The reason why the
empire has been able to maintain peace and development for nearly 30 years is
because other countries are afraid of them.
Even so, Nina
knew the true nature of her brothers.
With an
organization consisting of such cruel people, it was probably true that they
had tortured Rusty to death.
Nina couldn't
help but confirm it.
"M-My
brothers have been with the <White Knights> for a long time now, so
there's no way ......"
"That's
right. Their names were mentioned in the informant's report."
So that is how
it was.
Nina can now
understand the hostility that Jin directed at her when they first met.
Considering
his feelings, perhaps it was natural for him to resent the blood relative of
the person who brutally murdered his father.
"I'm
sorry. I don't know anything ......."
"It's
fine, you're just another victim. I noticed that right away."
Nina felt sad
when she saw Jin smiling at her teasingly.
She was now
convinced.
His revenge
has no end.
Even if he
achieved his objective, Jin had no intention of continuing his life afterward.
"Jin. Are
you really aiming for the top of the academy?"
"I
certainly said so."
"...... I
don't think that's the case."
By the time
she realized it, these words were pouring out of her mouth.
"Jin,
you're doing it wrong. What is the point of revealing all of your farce in
front of the <White Knights>? That much won't shake the public's trust,
and maybe they'll manipulate the information. Besides, you'd definitely be
killed ......"
She felt the
barely balanced scales tipping all at once.
If I were to accept Bennett's invitation - if I were
to betray Jin - I would be able to save him from this destructive desire.
"Nina."
Interrupting
her thoughts, Jin asked.
"What do
you think is a fraudster's most desperate moment?"
"Don't
change the subject so abruptly."
"Come on,
just answer me. It's important."
"......
When they get caught by the police?"
"Wrong."
"When
they can't earn any money and are in the red?"
"Wrong."
Jin had the
same kind of smile on his face that he had had during the lemon trick.
"It's
when they realize that there is no one in this world they can trust."
The wind
blowing through the deserted cemetery took the words away from the two of them.
The time when
no one said anything lasted for a while, and only the sound of the wind became
strangely perceptible.
In the stopped
world, Jin's eyes looked straight at her.
"Deceiving,
betraying, and framing people ...... if you've been in that kind of business
for a long time, you will distrust people, even if you don't want to. When
you're exhausted from everything, I think it's hard to have no one you can
truly trust, without any conflict of interest. Maybe that's why Rusty picked me
up, because he couldn't stand that kind of loneliness anymore."
A life without
a single person you can truly trust is hell.
During her
days locked up in a luxurious cage, Nina battled the exact same fears.
"Rusty
always said. You only need one person in the world. Find the one person in the
world you can expose all your ugliness, all your shitty past, and still accept
each other.
When we
revealed our true identities to each other, I thought if there was such a
person, ...... it might be you. We had lived completely opposite lives, but we
shared the same most fatal pain."
Jin laughed as
he added, "Well, it's all about lies though."
Nina, of
course, was aware that this was his genuine feeling.
Nina is more
afraid of loneliness than anyone else, and yet she cannot connect with others
in an honest way ─ in that sense, she
and Jin are very much alike.
Perhaps I, too, can truly trust him.
How wonderful it is to have at least one ally in this
world.
To cover up
the heat that was beginning to rise in her cheeks, Nina deliberately laughed
and said, "Liar".
"......
Therefore, I decided to tell my trusted accomplice, Nina, what my real purpose
is."
"Your
real purpose?"
"I want
to complete the game that Rusty left unfinished."
Jin went on
with a serious expression on his face, while Nina was completely taken aback by
his unexpected words.
"For more
than two years, my colleagues and I have been trying to find out why Rusty was
killed by the <White Knights>. Then we found out that it was because of
the information that he happened to learn when he was a pawn behind a
high-ranking government official."
"What
kind of information"
"The diary
Rusty was hiding had only fragments of various words in it. I don't have the
whole picture yet. The only thing I can tell you is that the <White
Knights>, the Heiberg Academy that produces their candidates, and the
existence of the psychics that pervade the empire are all full of
deception."
"Deception,
you say ......?"
"The
empire is using this school to devise some outrageous scheme that will
fundamentally change the way the world works.
To do this, they sent Jill Will Weiser, a senior member of the <White
Knights>, to be the headmaster of the academy, and he has incorporated
memory manipulation into the rules of the academy."
"So your
goal is to uncover this conspiracy? And that would allow Rusty-san's will to be
fulfilled......"
"As
expected of an honor student. You catch on pretty fast."
"But
we're just students, you know? How are we going to uncover the conspiracy of
the higher-ups?"
"First,
we'll target the <shepherd's dog>."
"What's
that?"
"It's a
word from Rusty's diary. The sheep are the students of the Heiberg Academy. If
the shepherd is the headmaster, then the dog means ......"
"You're
saying there's a spy among the students?"
"That's
right. If anyone tries to get close to the truth of the school, the
<dogs> in each grade are supposed to eliminate them before they can reach
it. And there are two conditions for being a spy. The first is that the student
must come from a family that is closely connected to the government. And the
second one is..."
By this point,
Nina was getting the gist of what Jin was trying to say.
"Overwhelming
ability enough to get rid of anyone who gets in the way ....... Don't tell me,
Bennett is..."
"He's one
of the suspects. That's why I targeted him first."
"Eh, you
targeted him? It wasn't a coincidence that he caught your attention?".
"Nina.
Who found the brooch you wear on your uniform?"
"Brooch?
What on earth are you talking about? ... ah!"
The moment she
realized the truth, Nina's breathing stopped for a moment.
She couldn't
believe that everything was Jin's scheme from the very beginning.
In the first
place, Nina became deeply involved with Bennett after he came to the dorm to
deliver her a brooch that had been lost.
She had her
doubts. Even though she had changed her clothes in a hurry to fool Rudy-sensei,
would she make the mistake of accidentally dropping such a luxurious item?
Looking back
on it now, it would be more natural to assume that Jin secretly retrieved it
and dropped it where Bennett was going.
This would
explain why Bennett was in the classroom when Jin and Nina had their
<duel>. It was probably because Jin had passed on the information to the
fifth class where Bennett belonged.
Bennett's
desire to get his hands on Nina and his decision to get rid of Jin, who had
gotten in the way, were all in accordance with the script that Jin had written.
"Are you
out of your mind? Are you really going to turn the academy - no, the empire -
against us ......?"
If he was just
being reckless with his sense of justice, Nina would surely have stopped him.
But Jin was
laughing as innocently as a child in front of a new toy. It was the look of a
true fraudster who truly welcomes the thrill of excitement.
His motive is
not only revenge.
He is truly
enjoying the last great task left unfinished by the parent who raised him, a
game in which the fate of the world is at stake.
"Nina,
there is still a way back for you. It might be safer to pretend that everything
you just heard never happened and go back to your normal life."
It was too late to offer me a way out now.
It seemed that
Nina had been badly influenced by the days she had spent with her accomplice.
Despite the
fact that they were talking about such a horrifying plan, she couldn't shake
off the elation in her chest.
"Let me
in on the game. If my family is involved in some horrible conspiracy, I have an
obligation to find out. Besides, ......."
Nina said with
a sinister smile on her face.
"Don't
you dare leave me out of such a fun game."
"......
Alright, it's decided then," Jin said so while welcoming her determination,
he spread his hands wide and laughed. "Let's fool the world
together."
After a moment
of silence, they looked at each other and smiled.
Now they were
officially accomplices.
"Now,
let's get down to the point, shall we?"
Jin spoke up
with his usual fearless smile as he made his outrageous request.
"I'll
tell you the plan for hunting our first target ...... Bennett Lohr."
Jin had given
her the most impossible task to date.
First, Jin
would deliberately lose to Bennett in the <Chase Tag>. This would make
Bennett realize that Jin was an insignificant opponent, and he would move even
closer to Nina.
When Jin asked
for another <duel>, Bennett would probably request Nina's cooperation.
That type of person always focuses on completely destroying their opponents, so
they will probably create a desperate situation in which Nina betrays them
right in front of their eyes.
From that
point on, it would be Nina's task.
She would act
as if she had completely betrayed Jin, only to snatch the matchbox from Bennett
at the moment when he was most vulnerable.
The most
crucial part is to use the layout of the pitfalls to make Bennett think that he
has [seen through Jin's plan] and not let him realize what he is really after.
Of course,
Bennett, who has lived his life as a dominator, is an unusually skeptical
person. To deceive such a person, a half-hearted performance is far from
enough.
They must be
prepared to deceive even the world.
"Do you
think we can do it?"
"Of
course. Who do you think I am?"
There is only
one way out of this situation.
Method acting ─ a technique that has not yet been fully systematized
in the theater world, but Nina is perfectly capable of utilizing it.
It is the same
as when she has been impersonating a female student named Kate and manipulating
her.
She thoroughly
imagines all the information about the fictional character's personality,
relationships, past events, beliefs, etc., and melds herself into the role. By
cultivating the image overnight, Nina is able to do this with near self-brainwashing
precision.
Thus, this
time, Nina should portray this character :
·
She believes that the
best way to save Jin from destruction is to expel him from the school.
·
To do so, she decides
to team up with Bennett. She also believes him to be a good person.
·
On the day of the
duel, she witnesses Bennett's madness and begins to regret her betrayal.
·
She comes to the
conclusion that the only way to save Jin is to defeat Bennett.
Nina was
determined that she could do it.
She believed
that she could fool the world, even herself, and pull off this most difficult
task.
"Nina, I
have one last golden rule for you. Rusty used to say this when he was
drunk."
With the sky
turning orange in the background, the fraudster who had turned the world
against him grinned viciously.
"A truly
elaborate lie is a kind of art."
Art - Nina
traced this word in her mouth.
She had never
thought of lying as a beautiful thing.
She had always
thought of it as a lowly means of clinging to the world because she was not
born with ability and was weak.
However, if
she could really lie enough to deceive the world.
In a world
that was gradually approaching night, Nina felt her vision open up all at once.
◇
By the time
they arrived back at the school, it was completely nighttime, but by then Nina
had already forgotten about the events at the deserted cemetery and was
thinking only of betraying Jin.
That was all
she really thought about.
"......
You're like a monster, aren't you? Nina."
"Are you
really saying such a thing to me?"
She quickly
responded with sarcasm, and Bennett laughed.
All she had to
do was to press this stun gun to his neck and he would pass out.
That would be
enough to knock Bennett unconscious and leave him with the fatal weakness of
having been defeated by a bottom-ranked student. Now all that remains is to
find a secluded place where they can find out for sure if he really is the
<Shepherd's Dog>.
Nina felt sure
of their power.
They could
defeat a monster like Bennett by just lying and acting, even without any special
abilities.
Perhaps they
really could win the game that Rusty had left unfinished.
"But
...... that's strange."
Bennett
muttered in a terribly low voice. He still seemed to be looking for a way out.
"Nina,
why are you going through all this trouble?"
"Don't be
a sore loser. Just give up already."
If the other
party is going to fight with words, it's Jin's role to accept the challenge.
"Nina
also has a conscience that she can't bear to dismember and kill you. Or would
you prefer to be twisted to death by psychokinesis instead of a stun gun?"
"No,
that's not what I'm talking about. If Nina wanted to betray me from the
beginning, she should not need to go through all this trouble. It would be
easier to challenge me to a <duel> head-on and win more points. Even if
you were to defeat me here, she would only get fifty-three points, which would
be of no benefit to Nina."
"Not
really. This defeat is going to make you completely untrustworthy. And of
course, that stupid tournament will also be over. All is well."
"... I
see, looks like I can't win an argument against you."
The game was
now over.
Nina decided
so and put the stun gun close to Bennett's neck, which was hanging down.
Then she
finally noticed something was wrong.
Bennett was
not hanging his head in despair. He was lying face down so that she would not
be able to read his expression.
─Bennett is desperately
trying to hold back his laughter.
His trembling
body confirmed this hunch.
"I have
one last thing to say, may I?"
"No,
rejected. Nina, hurry up and use the stun gun ......."
"Jin, you
better watch your back after all."
...... No way.
Lies, it can't be true.
The matchboxes were all confiscated, and Bennett
showed no sign of acting strangely.
Then why was the <Executioner of Immolation>
approaching from behind?
And why was Jin being held by a reddish-orange burning
arm on his shoulder?
"Damn
it!"
Jin, who had
dived to the ground as quickly as possible, was barely able to avoid being
engulfed by the flames.
Even so, the
intense pain of his body being burned must have relentlessly assaulted Jin.
Nina could not even imagine how much pain he was in right now.
"Bennett!
Don't tell me, you..."
The part of
the clothing that was touched by the fire puppet was completely scorched, and
the skin that could be seen behind it was burnt.
So this is not
an illusion that only brings pain.
Bennett is
really trying to burn Jin to death.
"......
Why?"
Jin's
expression was blank, as though he was in a daze.
"Why are
you able to activate your psychic ability? This kind of development wasn't part
of the script ......"
Bennett kept a
gentle smile on his face and instead of replying, he called another puppet in
front of him.
Next to it, a
fireball the size of a human head was further generated.
"No, no,
...... It's a lie, right?"
The fireball
grew, changed shape, and eventually transformed into a puppet.
Nina had long
forgotten about her acting and collapsed to her knees.
─This is a foul play.
He didn't even
need to light a match or make a preliminary move to activate his ability.
He was able to
control three of these terrifying monsters at the same time.
"Nina,
your acting was certainly perfect. I was completely fooled. I even thought you
were in love with me. ...... But unfortunately, you guys miscalculated on one
thing."
The flickering
flames made it impossible to see Bennett's expression.
"I've
never trusted anyone from the very beginning. Lighting a match is a
prerequisite for activation? Only one [Executioner of Immolation> can be
activated? Why did you guys keep believing those lies?"
Bennett
snapped his fingers.
With that as a
signal, all three monsters come running toward them at once.
"I hope
you don't put up any resistance so you can burn to death as fast as you
can!"
End of Chapter
8
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