Chap 80-The Underclass

 

The musty, cool air permeated the basement.

In the center stood a black coffin, emanating an eerily cold aura.

And inside, a woman with hair as vividly red as flames was in a deep slumber.

Her skin, as white as snow, was covered entirely in ominous black spots.

Cassandra stood before the coffin.

Looking down at the sleeping woman, she wore a wicked and satisfied smile.

“The day has finally come, Karen.”

Cassandra whispered softly.

“The day that the very thing you tried so desperately to keep from us finally falls into our hands.”

A snicker escaped Cassandra’s lips once more.

She was reminded of her innocent daughter, Camilla, who would be diligently taking her practical exam right now.

‘The ability to regenerate even after having one’s head blown off must surely be the power of contamination.’

What a foolish and naive thought.

‘Contamination? How laughable.’

Dorothy Lightshield.

There was no way that cunning and powerful Witch wouldn’t notice a Contamination Worshiper in her domain.

It was too flimsy of a conjecture.

Somehow, it had seemed strange from the beginning.

Yeon Bennet.

An absurd resistance to Contamination.

And surrounding her, the abnormally rapid spread of infamy and disgust.

An unnatural flow, as if someone had intentionally created it.

Now, all the puzzle pieces fit perfectly.

Thump!

Just then, the black coffin in which Karen slept began to tremble slightly.

Unstable Mana could be felt writhing within the coffin.

The founder of her family, and a great Librarian.

Karen Medici.

Cassandra looked down at her, sleeping while consumed by Contamination, and gathered dark, viscous power of contamination in both hands.

“Don’t worry, Progenitor.”

Cassandra whispered softly.

“You just need to… sleep comfortably here. We, your descendants, will take care of all the troublesome matters.”

The black power of contamination flowing from Cassandra’s fingertips slowly seeped into the coffin.

The coffin, which had been shaking unstably just moments before, became still once more.

…

‘Yeon Bennet… what exactly is she up to?’

Camilla pondered, watching Yeon’s retreating figure heading into the forest.

The commotion that had just occurred and Yeon’s incomprehensible actions.

Everything was shrouded in mystery.

She had somewhat expected that Yeon possessed an extraordinary power.

That miraculous ability to regenerate instantly even after having her head blown off before her very eyes.

If it was the power of contamination, as her mother had said, then her body would have been abnormally enhanced, like other Contamination Worshippers.

So, the fact that Yeon was easily eliminating the other team members wasn’t that surprising, to be honest.

But one thing was questionable.

Why now?

Until now, she had thoroughly concealed her true power, perfectly playing the role of an incompetent and foolish villainess.

So why suddenly, in this midterm practical exam, was she revealing that power as if she had been waiting for this moment?

Did she have some other purpose?

Or was she just trying to screw over the other students?

One thing was certain: she was not doing it with good intentions.

Yeon Bennet was a Contamination Worshiper.

There was definitely hidden malice and calculation in all her actions.

She didn’t know exactly what her scheme was yet…

But she had to stop her.

Before she achieved her goal.

And she had to find out her true intentions.

While Camilla was lost in thought, Lina’s sharp voice was cornering Clara.

“Torture? What are you talking about? Clara, I need to hear more about what you just said.”

Lina’s eyes were shining coldly, and within them were mixed worry for Yeon and suspicion of Clara.

“L, Lina! That’s not it…”

Clara was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

Camilla glared at Lina with a slightly displeased look.

That Saintess Candidate…

She hadn’t liked how much she was protecting Yeon Bennet since the last time.

Did they have some kind of special relationship?

“Everyone, stop.”

Camilla cut off the two with a low, firm voice.

“Let’s secure a safe base first and then talk. What’s the point of doing this now…”

She paused for a moment and said, as if shouting at Yeon.

“Yeon Bennet! From now on, don’t do anything unnecessary, don’t get distracted, and go straight to the Ending Point! If you cause any more trouble, I won’t stand by!”

Camilla declared and tried to lead her team members to move.

Of course, she thought Yeon Bennet would follow her instructions.

She had shown off her power so much, it was time for her to be careful and watch the reactions of the people around her.

But Yeon Bennet, who had been heading into the forest, suddenly stopped and slowly turned around.

Her signature indifferent expression.

“…I don’t want to.”

Yeon’s soft reply broke the silence of the forest.

“…What?”

Camilla doubted her ears for a moment.

“I’m going to eliminate as many students as possible.”

Yeon said as if it were obvious.

“Those stupid kids who didn’t know their place and bothered me deserve this much punishment, don’t you think? That way, they won’t dare to mess with me again.”

Taken aback by the unexpected refusal, Camilla was slightly flustered.

She had been sure that Yeon Bennet would follow her words.

Because if it had been her,

Even if she had other plans, she would have at least pretended to obey at this timing and waited for the next opportunity.

To refuse so openly was…

Too blatant.

Too simple.

In some ways, it was an amateurish attitude.

Camilla began to observe Yeon closely.

Trying her best to act nonchalant.

Trying to act arrogant.

Yeon Bennet was trying to maintain a strong image in her own way.

But Camilla, who had been trained to handle information and read people’s minds since she was young, saw something else.

She…

Seemed somehow anxious.

She pretended to be strong on the outside, but deep in her eyes was anxiety and urgency, as if she was trying to hide something.

Was it because of her pushover nature?

No matter how vicious a Contamination Worshiper she was, she was just a clumsy girl who was awkward at expressing her emotions.

As soon as she saw through Yeon’s clumsy bluff, Camilla felt her heart calm down a little.

But at the same time, she realized that her fingertips were trembling slightly.

Camilla tried hard to calm her trembling body.

‘Why… at such an important time…’

Weakness.

The innate nature that she hated so much was once again holding her back.

In the face of the fact that Yeon Bennet was a Contamination Worshiper, Camilla was unknowingly feeling fear.

‘No. If I let my fear of that woman ruin things here…’

This wasn’t just a problem for the family.

There were many academy students in this ‘Farm’ right now.

If Yeon Bennet was really a Contamination Worshiper and was planning something terrible here,

All the academy students taking the exam right now might be in danger.

‘Right. No matter how monstrous that woman’s power is, there’s no need for me to be afraid.’

Camilla repeated to herself, steeling her heart.

For the safety of the other students.

And above all, for the glory of our Medici Family.

She had to thoroughly subdue that woman and expose all the ugly truths she was hiding in front of everyone.

That was the better path for all of Terra.

As she soothed herself and reaffirmed her purpose,

Camilla’s trembling slowly stopped.

Her eyes began to shine coldly again.

Fear had now turned into cold determination.

This made it clear.

There was something in this ‘Farm’ that Yeon Bennet didn’t want others to see.

Perhaps it was a secret of the Contamination Worshippers that she wanted to hide.

Or perhaps there was something terrible here that the academy students should never see.

Unlike the seasoned politicians who were used to hiding their true intentions or the nobles who were skilled in power struggles, Yeon Bennet was like a glass box with everything clearly visible.

Against such an opponent…

Rather than beating around the bush or trying to test them, a straightforward approach might actually be far more devastating.

Camilla raised her chin slightly and asked, looking at Yeon with eyes that seemed to pierce through her.

Her voice was filled with conviction.

“…What are you hiding here?”

…

Camilla’s sharp question struck my ears.

For a moment, I felt my heart drop.

But…

There was no way she could have figured out my true intentions.

I was probably just being misunderstood again…

‘Ugh… what am I supposed to do with her?’

I swallowed my annoyance.

Camilla was a really troublesome opponent.

She was quick-witted and skilled at probing people’s minds.

If I made a clumsy excuse, she would only dig deeper.

Sure enough, when I showed a moment of panic, her face lit up with a confident expression, as if she knew everything, as if she was saying, ‘I knew it.’

‘Ugh, if it weren’t for that magic item, I would have just knocked her out and dragged her around.’

If I knocked her out here, I would also be forcibly ejected from the ‘Farm’.

I pondered for a moment.

It seemed difficult to shake off or subdue Camilla right now.

But I didn’t think I could completely dispel her suspicions either.

‘…Well, everyone will gather near the Ending Point in the second half of the exam anyway.’

Until then, I had no choice but to buy time and look for another way.

It would be better to pretend to appease that woman for now.

I deliberately stammered and acted panicked.

“H, hiding? W, what… I’m not…”

At my clumsy acting, Camilla smiled even more confidently.

That expression, as if she had seen through everything about me.

Really, I felt an urge to punch her in the face.

‘Ugh… Camilla, I don’t know what you’re imagining, but it’s not what you think…’

I let out a quiet sigh inwardly and decided to go along with her suggestion for now.