Volume 2 Chapter 1.2
The Fraudsters' Everyday Life, Surely
the Ceasefire Agreement Will Not Be Upheld Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
Jin Kirihara watched
from afar as Nina and Emma, with red balloons on their heads, came out of the
old school building.
Emma's inability to
use her psychic abilities was unexpected, but in truth, Jin was not that
worried. He trusted that Nina, who had deceived even the members of the
<White Knights> in her family with her outstanding acting ability, would
be able to get out of a pinch of this magnitude with a simple humming of her
voice.
─Trust.
A word that was
unfamiliar to Jin, but he had come to accept it for what it was. Incidentally,
Nina might be the first accomplice he's ever had that he's connected to without
involving money.
While feeling
self-conscious about this, Jin moved into the bushes, away from the crowds.
After making sure no
one was around, he muttered into the small walkie-talkie hidden under the
collar of his uniform.
"Good job,
Gasta-san. Nina passed the exam flawlessly."
[That's good to hear.
Can I go home now?]
"I still have my
turn. I'm sure I've already paid you for it, no?"
Gasta, the
<landscaper> who will take care of all the work necessary for the fraud
for a fee, laughed heartily with a voice tinged with alcohol.
He was probably still
grinning at him from afar.
[But aren't you being
too cautious? It's one thing to simply install explosives, but is it really
necessary to observe from a distance with binoculars?]
"In this kind of
test, the scariest thing is to be attacked by a suicidal attack. That's why, it
is vital to know the enemy’s location."
[Well, you two are no
match for any of the mobs here after all.]
"As you know, the
heretics are truly terrifying."
Once the opponents'
locations were identified, Nina, who was inside the building, would give the
signal with a pre-determined line.
Gasta would activate
the remote ignition device, and the explosives he had planted the night before
would instill fear into the enemies. Nina would then use her unstable monster
act to force them to surrender, and the job would be done.
Since this was a trick
that required precise coordination, this time Jin had to lead the entire
operation from outside the building.
The other reason is
that it is better to work with a different party from time to time so as not to
unnecessarily increase the number of people who try to find out the
relationship between Jin and Nina.
[...... Look, Jin.
Your beloved accomplice is walking towards you.]
"Don't tease me,
it's annoying. Can you not call me again until it's my turn?"
Turning off the
walkie-talkie, Jin turned his attention to Nina, who was walking toward him
with her presence completely erased. The students, who were praising the
monster who had won a spectacular victory, seemed oblivious to the fact that
the person in question was here.
"...... Nina, can
you please not invoke your monstrous skills every single time?"
"EH, what are you
talking about?"
"Are you doing it
unknowingly......? Well, never mind."
His accomplice, who
did not seem to be aware of the miracle she was currently performing, turned
her azure blue eyes towards him.
"Next is your
turn, Jin. Who are you teaming up with?"
"A~, it's a guy
named Bailey from the same class. He forced me to work with him."
"What kind of
psychic ability does he have?"
"I think it's
called <Cowardly Hound>. His sense of smell is enhanced to that of a
dog."
"Hee, that sounds
like a perfect person for this test!"
"It doesn't
matter. I'm going to intentionally lose this time anyway."
"Huh?"
Nina looked
unconvinced, but Jin explained in a nonchalant manner.
"My situation is different
from yours, where you have to win all the time as an overwhelmingly powerful
person. I'm being watched closely because I'm a rare user with the ability of
nullification, so I have to leave some room for maneuvering. If the target
won't even come close to me, everything will be all for naught."
"The
<shepherd's dog>,...... huh?"
In the past, Jin's
foster father, the legendary fraudster Rusty Yellowkid゠Wale, had accidentally obtained some information when
he scammed a high-ranking government official, which led to his death by the
<White Knights>, the Empire's intelligence agency.
The journal he had
hidden away contained only fragments of various words, but Jin and his friends
sniffed out traces of a grand scheme being hatched by the Heiberg School and
the empire behind it.
In order to win the
game of uncovering the truth, Jin and his friends are searching for the
identity of the <shepherd's dog>, a spy under Headmaster Jill Will
Weiser, who is also a member of the <White Knights>.
If the information is
correct, there is one <shepherd's dog> in each grade, and it is said that
they are in charge of secretly dealing with those who are doing harm to the
academy. In other words, if one could get in touch with this person, one might
be able to extract the school's secrets.
Jin's slanted eyes
flashed sharply.
"The
<shepherd's dog> will definitely come in contact with us in the
future."
"They're trying
to figure out whether we're a danger to the academy, ...... right?"
"If they identify
us as enemies, they will try to eliminate us without mercy. As far as I've
heard the news about the <White Knights> thoroughly killing all the enemy
spies and insurgents in the country, I don't think we can expect any human
compassion from the empire."
"...... Speaking
of which, Jin..." Nina said, her whole body radiating anxiety, "When
you searched Bennett's room, you found a strange note, right?"
What was left there
was a piece of paper with just one word written on it: [Nice to meet you].
Could this be
a declaration of war from the <shepherd's dog>?
Had they
already discovered what we were up to?
Nina clearly had a
look of anxiety on her face.
"Don't worry. We
are still just under suspicion. They won't attack you, the daughter of the
Stingray family, without any evidence. ......At least, not until they have
conclusive evidence."
"But we should be
suspicious of everyone who approaches us, right ......?"
"Oh, so you knew.
From now on, we'll keep doubting and distrusting everyone."
"Ugh, what a
lousy school life ......."
The two have already
attracted the attention of the entire school year after defeating Bennett Lohr,
one of the students exempted from the entrance exam. Even Jin, who had assumed
the air of a lone wolf, was being swarmed by students who wanted to hear his
tale of heroism.
But there is no need
to search through the crowd of students one by one.
The candidates for the
<shepherd's dog> have been narrowed down to a certain extent.
"Nina, let's
review again. What are the requirements to become a <shepherd dog>?
"A child from a
family with close ties to the upper echelons of the empire. And also an
overwhelming ability to get rid of anyone who gets in the way."
Nina's expression
stiffened a little.
It's understandable.
The only people who would meet the requirements she just mentioned would be
those who were exempt from the entrance exam - monsters with supernatural
powers.
"But how do they
plan to approach us?"
"I think they're
going to try to contact us right after school today."
"......Eh? Do you
have any basis for that?"
"All the students
who are exempted from the entrance exam will be summoned by Instructor Isabella
after class today."
"W-Where did you
get that information from?"
"From that handy
slav- ..." Jin cleared his throat once as he was about to say what he
really meant. "This information was leaked to us by that kind and gentle
Rudy-sensei, who has been so devoted to helping us out."
Ever since Jin and
Nina previously blackmailed him with a scam, Rudy, the history instructor, has
become Jin's puppet. For the most part, he must be coaxed to report every
suspicious activity in the instructor's office.
"Jin, you
shouldn't treat him like a convenience tool too much!"
"He begged me to
cooperate with him, you know? I'm doing this out of the kindness of my
heart."
"Ugh, I can
easily imagine the scene......"
He's the kind of guy
who would rub his head on the ground with impunity to get a debt collector to
let him off the hook. Down the road, if they were to be exposed as incompetent,
the relationship might not even change.
At that moment, a
voice over the loudspeaker called out Jin's name.
Shrugging his
shoulders in a troubled manner, the fraudster walked toward the old school
building.
"...... Don't get
hurt, Jin."
"Huh~, since when
did you become so overprotective?"
"I-It's not that
I'm worried about you, but..."
"Alright,
alright. Well, I'll just go out there and get defeated pretty badly."
At a school where
everyone is aiming to become a candidate for the <White Knights>, the
heroes of the country, only Jin is fighting on a completely different board.
Nina secretly felt a
sense of dependence on her accomplice, who has always been looking at the big
picture and is cleverly trying to manipulate even his own reputation.
◇
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Aiden Elliott
Matthew Shuler
Swagaraga
[Gold]
-
[Silver]
Adrian Betancourt
ArUnInAcTiOn
CoolmanMTD
Glasses Kun
Pristia
Thiago Leite Denedai
Anton Lim
Creris
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Duncan Rodgers
Muzic Yasko
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
