Plausible

After the fierce battle, Ember, watching Ross collapse after killing Tarantula, swallowed hard and turned her head to Estelle, who was silently watching Ross.

Estelle, with her small frame and lovely appearance, had an unusually cool expression, unlike her usual self.

“Estelle Agassi. Ross, could he possibly be from our clan…”

Ember asked cautiously, and Estelle shook her head slightly.

“No, he’s not from our clan. I didn’t feel any of the unique energy of our clan from his magic.”

“Then how…?”

Ember, following Estelle’s orders, had been following Ross ever since he left Modiste. Because of that, Ember, who watched the fight from the beginning, was in great shock.

“He might be related to the Farrell family.”

“The Farrell family…? You mean the clan’s founder-nim?”

Ember asked in a surprised voice, and Estelle, with her eyes fixed on Ross, replied.

“Yes, the ability he showed when he killed the Green Magic Tower Master… It’s a very similar ability to the family’s secret art, space severing.”

Ember couldn’t help but be surprised at Estelle’s words. In fact, Ember didn’t properly see Ross killing Tarantula.

Following that incredible speed with her eyes… It was close to impossible.

What Ember saw was. Tarantula’s body exploding along with a large gray tree, accompanied by a flash-like red light, and a huge roar came as if there had been an explosion.

“…For a moment, he folded space using dimensions.”

“Ne…?”

Ember, not understanding Estelle’s words, asked again, but there was no answer.

After a long time, Estelle, looking at Ross with an expression as if she was organizing her thoughts, finally broke the silence and opened her mouth.

“This matter must not be known to anyone. Especially not to the Order, absolutely.”

At Estelle’s firm voice, Ember moistened her dry lips with saliva.

“Could it be… Do you think Ross is the apostle of that person the Pope-nim prophesied?”

At Ember’s question, Estelle looked at Ember with her transparent purple eyes and gave a small smile.

“I don’t know, he might not be an apostle. But if this matter becomes known, the Pope will definitely have a great interest in Ross’s abilities… Even more than before.”

Ember felt her palms getting wet with sweat. The Order had already approached Ross once. And Estelle moved directly on the Pope’s orders.

“Whatever it is… An academy freshman. And even the lowest-ranked underachiever in the grade killed the Green Magic Tower Master. He has grown tremendously since he entered the academy, to the point where it’s unbelievable… And he’s still growing. Through this fight, Ross only has to get stronger from now on. I guess he is Roel’s younger brother, whom the Pope is wary of.”

If figuring out the value of a person is a talent, then Estelle would be the most outstanding on the continent.

At the long-awaited praise from Estelle’s mouth. Ember was thinking that she should investigate Ross again in her head.

Estelle’s face, who had the appearance of a successor with black eyes, not her usual lovely Agassi, began to turn red little by little.

‘Why is she doing this again…?’

As Ember stared blankly with questioning eyes, Estelle lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers.

“Ro, Rosalyn doesn’t like Ross, but Roel, right?”

“Right? We’ve confirmed it several times, and it’s been concluded that Ross is simply having a crush, right?”

From Ross’s appearance, who knew even information that someone who had been watching Rosalyn for a long time wouldn’t know, as a way to sell information about Rosalyn to Ross.

It was confirmed that Ross alone was having a crush on Rosalyn.

“Then… Ca, can I have him?”

“Eung…? Ne?”

Ember asked again, wondering if she had misheard. At Estelle’s action of poking the ground with the front of her shoes, as if she was embarrassed, Ember asked with a feeling of disbelief.

“You’re not talking about Ross, are you…?”

Estelle pouted her lips at the worry in Ember’s voice.

“I don’t know! Anyway, clean up neatly. Without leaving any traces.”

Ember let out a deep sigh at Estelle’s appearance, who was angry because she was embarrassed for no reason.

‘She can’t even talk to men, so what is she trying to do again….’

Ember, looking at Estelle with anxious eyes, hid her true feelings and asked.

“But is it okay? If the Green Magic Tower Master suddenly disappears, they will definitely feel something strange and investigate, right?”

At Ember’s question, Estelle, who had returned from the appearance of a lovely girl to the appearance of a strict guild leader, said.

“We have to manipulate the traces of the Green Magic Tower Master. We can leave traces that he headed to the dungeon in the north. It will buy us time and make the investigation difficult.”

“Then what should we do with Ross?”

As Ember nodded and asked, Estelle stammered as if she was flustered.

“I, I’ll take care of it!!!”

Watching Estelle’s back as she rushed to the fainted Ross, Ember let out a worried sigh.

***

When I woke up, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

Regaining my senses and getting up to look around, it was the typical appearance of an old inn room.

At the sight of the Spear of Destruction leaning against the wall, I got out of bed with a puzzled face.

I definitely fainted as it was after using all my strength…? Why did I wake up in an inn? Moreover, the wounds on my body were completely healed.

Did someone find me and move me to the inn? First, I put the Spear of Destruction into the space warehouse, and to clear my head. As I swept my face with my hand, I finally saw the message floating in the air.

[The target of the oath has disappeared, and the Geass has been released.]

Because I was serious about killing Tarantula, when I said I would kill him. It seemed like the Geass’s oath was activated.

The condition of the oath was complete sincerity.

As I reached the thought that I had killed Tarantula, Rotten suddenly came to mind.

Isn’t Rotten’s corpse still lying on the cold ground?

I hurriedly left the room and went down to the first floor. The innkeeper, who was cleaning the table, greeted me.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“Jeo, how did I get here?”

“Eung? A small woman said you were drunk and helped you come here?”

“Woman…?”

I was curious about the identity of the woman who brought me here, but Rotten was my priority now.

“Jeo, where is this place?”

“Here? This is the village south of the Torn River. Did you drink a lot of alcohol? Should I give you some honey water?”

I shook my head at the kind owner’s words.

“It’s okay. How much is the lodging fee?”

“Ah, that woman already paid.”

At the owner’s words, I quickly greeted him and came outside.

I immediately took out the map I had put in the space warehouse and looked for a place called the village south of the Torn River.

After checking the map, I was flustered and had to check the map again.

The village I am in now was almost the opposite of Turning Village. If someone picked me up after I collapsed, they would have taken me to a nearby village… Why did they leave me in an inn in a distant village?

My head was full of questions, but the important thing was to recover Rotten’s corpse.

I paid money at the adventurer’s guild in the village and borrowed a horse to head to Turning Village.

I rode the horse for a long time while looking at the map, but for some reason, Turning Village was not visible.

Feeling strange, I looked around. I found the entrance to the mountain where I used to pick Platinang flowers.

“What is this…?”

There was definitely no village on the way I passed?

Puzzled, I turned my head back, and then the appearance of the surrounding mountains came into view.

I had already passed the village. However, Turning Village disappeared as if it had evaporated without leaving any traces.

The corpses of Tarantula and his subordinates, the villagers who were killed by them, and even Rotten’s corpse, all disappeared without a single bloodstain.

In a situation that felt like a dream, I raised my hand and slapped my cheek hard, but it only hurt numbly.

What the hell is going on? I wake up in an inn on the opposite side of the village, and the village disappears without leaving a trace.

Have I been dreaming all this time? Just in case, I checked the space warehouse and confirmed that the box Rotten left behind was still there.

It’s not a dream.

Then, is it the woman who took me to the inn who did this?

I felt guilty that I couldn’t even hold a proper funeral for Rotten. He wasn’t an official disciple, but… Rotten had done so much for me.

He treated Luna and found the cure for Thorn Stone Disease and left it for me. In the end, he was more worried about me than his betrayed self, and even gave me sincere advice.

Even if that life was ruined by Tarantula’s plot, Rotten’s end was a comfortable appearance without any regrets.

For such Rotten, I will eliminate Thorn Stone Disease from the continent with the cure he left behind.

I will make Rotten, who was pointed at as a crazy scholar… Be recognized as a scholar who conquered Thorn Stone Disease.

Because that is the only way I can repay him as a disciple.

I turned my horse’s head towards the capital to return to the academy.

My head was complicated. There were too many things that I didn’t set up for the reason of plausibility.

The story about Thorn Stone Disease, which I simply created to show how hard Bella was working for Roel… Was a life that someone had devoted their entire life to, and it became a promise.

A story that I could never see in the novel I wrote. Just like the original Ross had a sinister plan to bind Ellie to his side… I was able to see the true nature of Tarantula, who had received enormous support by using Bella.

Tarantula using Bella, who has the wisdom of a snake, seems like a setting error when I think about it now. There’s no way that the sly Tarantula could use Bella, who has a natural ability to grasp people’s true feelings.

But if it’s Tarantula, who had a past of using Rotten as he wanted for decades… The plausibility fits.

It was clearly drawn in my head that Tarantula, who deliberately spread Thorn Stone Disease on the continent to create a situation favorable to himself, was forcing Bella to be used.

Plausibility made even my setting errors plausible.

In order for Tarantula to become a monster who could use Bella, a sacrifice called Rotten was needed.

When I was staring blankly ahead with a complicated head, I hurriedly grabbed the horse’s reins because someone suddenly jumped out into the middle of the road.

“Gwaen, are you okay?”

I quickly stopped the horse and asked if she was hurt.

“My, my child! Have you seen my child? His name is Jeff, he’s only this tall… He has brown hair and a scar on his left eyebrow….”

With disheveled hair, dirty clothes that she hadn’t changed for a long time. With tear marks clearly left on her face full of dirt, I was a little wary, thinking she was a crazy woman.

I didn’t know what to do with the woman who was rambling while shedding tears, so I was calming the surprised horse by stroking its neck. A man ran from afar.

“Lerer!”

Whether he knew the woman or not, the man shouted her name and approached.

Whether she couldn’t hear the man’s words, the woman called Lerer continued to ask me.

“Have you ever seen Jeff? He definitely said he was playing around here… He’s a cute kid. He’s kind, and he eats well without being picky….”

“Lerer, stop! I’m sorry. My wife is out of her mind….”

With a sorry expression, the man bowed and forcibly pulled the woman to the side of the road. I said it was okay and tried to move the horse again.

“My child! Where did you go, Jeff… Heuk, heuheuk…. Jeff! Jeffeuuu!!! Mom is sorry, sorry Jeff…!”

“Stop it! I don’t know how many days it’s been already! You’re in danger if you keep doing this!”

I couldn’t just pass by the woman who was wailing like a madman and the man next to her who was getting angry with tears in his eyes.

“Jeo, what’s going on?”

When I carefully asked the man, the woman called Lerer answered first.

“My child, my child has disappeared. He definitely said he was playing here… It’s a place he often plays, so I just sent him… He disappeared. My child has disappeared…. Jeff, Jeff!!!”

“I’ve already reported him missing, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

The man answered while holding the woman who was having a seizure.

I was about to pass by at the man’s words, but I asked just in case.

“How old is the child…?”

“…He’s just a 10-year-old kid.”

I pressed my eyelids with my hand at the man’s answer full of sadness.

10 years old. A child from a village near the capital. Kidnapping.

I could easily tell who the culprit was without even thinking.

Because it was the information I sold to Modiste.

At the sight of Lerer, who was screaming in grief at the loss of her child, I bit my lip and had no choice but to lower my head and pass by without saying anything.