Volume 2 Chapter 8.1
Behind-the-Scenes Fiction, Fraudsters
Gather in a Deserted Warehouse Part
1
Translator : PolterGlast
"...... What are
you talking about? I don't understand what you mean."
Satya Rodel said
calmly, but her frustration grew.
─Where in the world did it go wrong ......?
Standing in front of
the door of the infirmary, she thought back over what had happened so far.
It was two weeks ago
that she received a directive from the higher-ups in response to the increasing
espionage activities by the Republic. It was still only at the level of
concern, but there was a possibility that rats might have gotten mixed up in
the Heiberg School, which is the root of the Empire's monopoly on psychic
abilities.
She first set her
sights on a few students.
Caspar Crawford, who was
exempted from the entrance exam but flatly stated that he was not aiming for
the <White Knights>. Nina Stingray, who defeated Bennett Lohr less than a
month after enrolling in the school. Jin Kirihara, who seemed to be playing the
role of her strategist. And Emma Licorice, one of their few friends.
However, after
investigating for a while, she could not find any connection to the Republic.
Impatient to gain
achievements, she decided to take measures in accordance with the barbaric
logic of [punish those who are suspected].
First, she took
advantage of Casper's love of women to create a conflict with Karen. Since
Karen had been brainwashed since childhood to acquiesce to all of Satya's
demands, it was easy to induce her to form a tentative alliance with Nina to
defeat Casper.
All that remained was
to strike them both down at the appropriate moment by making false accusations.
If it was the result
of a legitimate <duel>, no one would suspect the connection between her
and the headmaster.
Of course, normally,
the process would have taken several months - or even six months - to proceed
carefully.
The need to accelerate
the plan arose when she saw the scribbles on the 6th class blackboard.
[I know there are rats
in this class. This is a declaration of war.]
There have been plenty
of reports circulating about the <White Knights> capturing spies from
enemy countries.
Although she dismissed
it as a silly prank by an unrelated third party, one of her targets─Emma Licorice─was clearly shaken by the graffiti.
Her pupils dilated
violently, and then she quickly tried to maintain her cool. That was not, by
any stretch of the imagination, the reaction of a student who just saw a prank.
It was a sudden and
fortuitous turn of events.
Satya was almost
jubilant, but quickly regained her composure.
─What if this is not just a prank?
What if
whoever wrote this knew about the <Shepherd's Dog> and was using Emma
Licorice as bait?
What if all of
the targets are working together behind the scenes?
If that's the
case, I can no longer afford to waste any more time.
I must purge
all the suspicious people and restore peace to the school as soon as possible.
I must extinguish the fire before causing trouble for the headmaster.
Nothing to
fear in going with my baseless intuition.
This is my
chance to prove my usefulness and climb to the top.
Her plan went like
this.
Give Karen the excuse
that her best friend had been attacked and start a rampage. After rampaging for
a while, when she had the attention of the entire school, she would declare war
on Nina Stingray in the name of revenge. Nina, who was feared as the <Queen
of Calamity>, would have no choice but to accept the <duel> in order
to protect her reputation. Normally, it would have been preferable to purge
Caspar Crawford, who was in an alliance with Nina, as well, but that could
wait.
After converting that
monster into a lump of meat, it would be Emma Licorice and Jin Kirihara's turn.
The only reason why
she did not target the most suspicious Emma first was because she did not have
a relationship with her at the moment. However, such a problem could be easily
solved as long as she could make a good excuse that she was cooperating with
Nina, the enemy of her best friend.
As a result, Karen had
to be sacrificed, but at least the objective could be accomplished.
As far as she could
see through her binoculars, there were three people who were killed in the
bombing on the roof of the old school building.
Two of them other than
Nina were wearing masks, but given the circumstances, it could not have been
anyone other than Jin and Emma.
─And yet.
Why is Jin
Kirihara here?
How did he
survive the explosion──── no, that's
wrong.
The fact that
he was wearing a mask was unnatural in the first place, even though his true
identity had been obvious from the very beginning.
Satya finally figured
out the truth.
"...... Don't
tell me, the you who was on the rooftop is-"
──a completely different person.
There was no need to
check with the person in front of her. Looking back on it now, there was no way
that these two people could be the same person.
The boy in front of
her and the masked boy she heard through the wiretap - they clearly have
different voices.
"Oh, you don't
have to blame yourself. There's no way you could have recognized my voice
coming out of the speakers with all those noises going on. That's why I went so
far not to meet you or Karen until now. Even if your voice were to change
slightly over the speakers, it would be enough to fool someone you've never met
before, right?"
She almost dropped the
pistol she was grasping behind her back.
Indeed, Satya had
never heard the voice of the boy in front of her. It was unbelievable to think
that he had calculated all the way down to that point.
So what about
the three people in the old school building?
Were they
sacrificed to keep this man alive? Is that really so?
"T-Then, that
masked man is-......"
"Unfortunately,
I'm under a contract that I can't tell you that. ...... but, well, I'm sure you
already know the answer."
"...... Casper
Crawford, huh?"
"Who knows? I
can't comment on that."
What schemes
were being played out that I was unaware of?
One thing I do
know is that it's pointless to dwell on these dead-end thoughts.
The only thing
I need to think about now is how to get rid of this man.
"Right, it's no
use trying to escape through the window. My friends are standing guard
outside."
"Thank you for
your pointless advice."
"Hee~, your eyes
haven't given up hope yet."
"Of course."
─You will die here.
The hammer has already
been raised. It won't be a second before she lifted her hand grasping the
pistol, aimed it at his heart, and squeezed the trigger.
That's more than
enough time to kill a man who thinks he has the upper hand.
But the moment she put
strength into her right hand that was behind her back──
Satya saw something
she could not believe.
"...... Don't
move."
The muzzle of a gun,
like an abyss, was pointed at her.
One step earlier than
Satya, Jin Kirihara had severed her last card.
A foreign object too
unsuitable for this psychic academy.
How could a
mere boy obtain such a thing?
"...... If you
use such a thing, though, there will be deaths."
"You say the
obvious. Are you making fun of me?"
"Can you really
fire it? You know, that's-......"
─It's pointless to try to bargain.
By the time she
realized this, it was too late.
The trigger was
squeezed far too easily, and her body was subjected to a tremendous shock.
When exactly had this
man's scheme begun? It was impossible for her to remain conscious, let alone
ask such a question.
In the center of the
world being dragged away by the darkness, the mysterious fraudster quietly
muttered.
"You are
finished, heretic. You weren't even worth deceiving."
◆
It was one night
before when all the cards were laid out.
A chilly breeze blew
through the thicket of trees at night.
As Jin's business
associates surrounded him, he informed the Republic Agent with whom he had
allied just a few moments before.
"Sorry if this is
too abrupt, Emma. Can I ask you a favor?"
"Certainly, this
is too abrupt. ...... Fine, go ahead, say it."
"I'd like to
borrow that mask until tomorrow afternoon."
"Huh? Mask? What
are you gonna use it for?"
"You'll find it
out later. Maybe tomorrow night."
After receiving the
mask from Emma, who was still wondering about it, Jin hid it in the inside
pocket of his school uniform, and the next day arrived. He proceeded down the
corridor bathed in morning light and vigorously opened the door to a different
classroom than usual.
Casper Crawford, who was
talking to the girls with a relaxed smile, seemed to have understood everything
as soon as he saw him.
"...... Looks
like you're finally determined to have a <duel> with me, you son of a
bitch."
"Eh? Casper-kun? Your
voice was suddenly-......"
"Aah~, don't
worry about it, Sally-chan! Just wait for me, I'll finish my errand
quickly......"
Casper, who seemed to
have somehow shushed the girl he was interested in (though it was doubtful how
many), followed Jin, who had started to walk ahead of him, out of the
classroom.
Even though it was so
early in the morning, he already seemed to be ready for a fight.
Casper grabbed both of
Jin's shoulders and yelled at him.
"You bastard! You
should think about your timing a little bit! What are you going to do if Sally-chan
gets scared!? I'm playing as the serious, honor student in the classroom, you
know that!?"
"...... What the
heck. Am I actually surrounded by people with dual personalities?"
"Hmph, forget it.
If you're willing to play fair and square, I'll let you off the hook for what
happened earlier. It might make me feel a little better to beat up a fool who
doesn't even know the difference in ability."
"...... Now that
I think about it, why did I ever suspect you?"
"Ha? What are you
saying? You sure are a difficult guy to understand."
"Don't worry
about it. I'm just talking to myself."
Together with Casper,
who has no idea what's going on here, they headed for a deserted wooded area.
The trees and the
ground were as rough as ever, as if this was a place often used for
<duels> between students.
After a few seconds of
glaring at each other at close range, Jin pulled out a four-folded pledge form
from his pocket.
"So, what are the
rules for the <duel>?"
"You only have to
wager one point. This is a fight for honor. If you faint or surrender, you
lose. And the loser has to give up on Nina-chan completely."
"Hey, weren't you
hitting on another girl just now?"
"I'm not the kind
of coward who can only love one girl. I'm a philanthropist."
"I know you don't
have a dictionary in your house."
"...... Your
sarcasm is so roundabout it's hard to understand. Come on, let's get
started."
As soon as both
parties had signed their names, Casper began to move without even waiting for
the tin witnesses to come flying in.
The surrounding
landscape suddenly became distorted.
Casper's own figure
was also incorporated into the distortion, and chaos was generated in front of
Jin's eyes as if several paints had melted into water.
The chaos stirred as
if it had a will of its own.
Eventually, an
enormous arm like a withered tree emerged from the midst of the chaos. The
palm, so huge that it could wrap around a human body, moved as if beckoning,
slowly extending toward Jin.
This was the very
thing that had made the robbers whom Jin had previously chased shrink back in
fear.
A power so
supernatural, so disastrous, and so mysterious that it would be impossible even
for a person with extraordinary abilities - Casper was truly a monster, living
up to the name of the group that was exempted from the entrance examinations.
But Jin did not back
down one step.
Even in the face of
such a horrifying sight as the manifestation of an evil god, the fraudster's
conviction remained unshaken.
Wearing a mask
borrowed from Emma, he muttered with his usual fearlessness.
"......I knew it.
Just as I thought."
Jin calmly turned
around and sent a front kick toward the empty space.
There was a solid
response.
The sensation of the
tip of his shoe, which had a metal plate embedded in it beforehand, crushing something
soft.
"Guoh, ugh
.........!"
As soon as he thought
he heard a groan from the empty space, the abnormal scene that had filled the
surrounding area disappeared as though it were a lie.
Confirming that the
mundane thicket had regained its form, Jin took off his mask.
He called out in pity
to Casper, who was crouching while clutching his crotch.
"Sorry,
Casper-kun. That was hurt, right?"
"Gah,
a~......"
"I know, I know.
You won't be able to talk for a while. So, all you have to do is listen to my
guesses."
Jin couldn't have
smiled more refreshingly.
"The first time I
felt something was wrong was when I took Nina to the café where you were.
As soon as you found
me, you aggressively grabbed me by the shoulders and started yelling at me.
Hey, if you think
about it calmly, isn't that weird? Why would someone who hates men to the point
of changing his personality try to touch me? Come to think of it, you also
tapped the shoulder of a robber at the knife workshop. That's why I'm convinced
that the condition for activating your psychic ability is [to touch the other
person's body]. The reason you knew I was behind the hidden door was because
you already marked me with your psychic ability."
"...... What
about it!? It's not like it's something new!"
"No, no, isn't it
strange? If the instantaneous movement you showed me afterward was your psychic
ability, why did you have to specify your target? How do you explain why the
robbers were so scared of you that they ran away? Besides, I found a number of things that didn't feel
right when I was following you."
"...... Oi,
stop."
"The size and
density of your shadow as you walked in front of me were always constant. It
was so unnatural, even though the sun was sometimes obscured by clouds. Then
there was the route you took. You chose to walk through a construction site so
that people wouldn't hear your footsteps, didn't you? Well, that was a
brilliant move, but at the same time, there was a miscalculation that a steel
frame was protruding from the building. Your shadow was projected in slightly
different shades in the steel frame's shade. That doesn't seem right
physics-wise, does it?"
And all the proof was
now complete.
Using a special lens
fitted into the mask he borrowed from Emma.
He didn't tell Casper,
of course, but these lenses have an infrared detection function.
The reason Emma was
able to spot the gunpowder traps in the ground and her friends hiding in the
bushes was because she was able to visualize the temperature of objects with
this lens.
This military
technology was not yet available in the Empire, but Rusty, who had stayed in
the Republic, had already heard of its existence.
Looking through this
lens, it would be possible to see that the arm of the evil god that appeared in
front of him had no substance, and to uncover the current location of Casper,
who was assimilated into the landscape.
"Your psychic
ability is indeed powerful.
If I could have any
ability, I would want that ability first and foremost. But I'm afraid I'm not a
good match for you."
"S-Stop......"
"You're going to
tell me everything. About the true nature of your psychic ability......"
"Wa-! Wa-! Stop,
please!"
Casper suddenly
interrupted Jin with a loud voice.
The reason for this
was obvious.
Jake, the tin doll,
arrived on the scene a minute or so after the pledge was filled out.
Jake, who connected
with the headmaster, could not have known that Casper's psychic ability was
only to show fake visions to those whom he touched.
Now it's checkmate.
"Jake, sorry that
you had to come here, but the <duel> is over."
[What the hell are you
saying? The written oath says the condition of victory is that one of you must
either pass out or surrender.]
"Ah, right, I
surrender then. Is that okay with you, Casper?"
"Y-You bastard,
what the hell are you playing at ......?"
After waiting until
Jake was out of sight as he complained in a synthesized voice and flew away,
Jin finally got down to business.
"In exchange for
conceding the victory, you're going to have to lend me some of your psychic
abilities."
"......Haaaa~!?"
What happened next was
simple.
He began with the
topic of Karen being a common enemy of both Nina and Casper, and then proceeded
to entice with the idea that Casper's image projection abilities would be
necessary to save Nina.
Negotiating was easy,
as it was also painful for Casper to have Karen, who boasts overwhelming
firepower that is unapproachable, keeping an eye on him.
In the end, Jin
succeeded in establishing a time-limited alliance under the condition that he
would not reveal the true nature of his psychic ability to anyone.
Fortunately, Casper
had touched Karen's body before and had already met the activation conditions.
All that remained was to successfully execute the operation.
First, they had to
face their first adversary.
Wearing a mask and
pretending to be Jin, Casper hid under the floor of the room where Karen was.
All that remained was to generate a noise outside the window and use the
opportunity to push up the floorboards and attack Karen.
Of course, the attack
was just an image, and the real Casper remained hidden under the floor, but
there was no way Karen could have known.
Thanks to Karen's
devastating destruction of the old school building. The noises and dust that
filled the area cleverly masked the fact that the source of the voices and
perfume was coming from under the floor, and that no sounds was coming from the
man who was attacking her.
Once the death of [Jin
Kirihara] was faked by showing the image of his clone being crushed by the
crystals, all that remained was to disable Karen's psychic ability by using the
real spray on the rooftop, which could be seen by Satya, who was in the
infirmary.
The last thing to
consider is the possibility that Karen, brainwashed by Satya, is hiding a trump
card which is self-destruction. As the daughter of the Ashby family, which made
its fortune in weapons manufacturing, it is not surprising that she would have
at least one grenade in her possession.
However, as long as
they were informed of this possibility in advance, Emma would surely take care
of it.
The grenades made by
the Ashby family are designed to explode five seconds after the trigger is
pulled.
─Five seconds is far too long on a tense battlefield.
Emma could easily
snatch the grenade from the girl whose psychic ability was blocked. All she had
to do was throw it in the right location before it exploded, and the mission
was complete. From the position of the infirmary on the first floor, it was
impossible to see if the people on the roof of the distant building had managed
to avoid the explosion.
Thinking to that
point, Jin realized a fact that he had overlooked.
─Come to think of it, I never told anyone that the me
who was there was actually Casper.
Casper,
pretending to be me, might be hugged by Nina amid all the chaos. It's a little
unpleasant to think about, but it's unlikely to happen.
Anyway, the
operation is a success.
"...... Now we
just need to get plenty of stories out of this girl."
Jin muttered, looking
down at Satya, who was knocked unconscious by a blow from the Taser he had
borrowed from Emma.
＊
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