Ch.6565. It’s Better to Show Once Than to Explain a Hundred Times

Student Council Vice President Diggers.

After the last Rift raid ended, he had disappeared following his argument with Ludion.

But seeing his face again after so long wasn’t particularly pleasant.

Though I had made him vice president and kept him by my side because he was loyal and talented… I never got too close to him since his twisted side was so apparent.

In fact, the last time I saw him, that twisted nature had reached its peak. I couldn’t just be happy to see him after all this time.

Especially not while imprisoned like this.

“Vice President… no, I suppose it’s just Diggers now.”

“How disappointing. Did you expel me from the student council already? Well, never mind that… It’s been a while, President.”

Unlike before, he now exuded a thick, sticky malice, yet incongruously maintained the same smile as before, treating me with a casual attitude.

Something about it gave me chills, and I found myself responding curtly without meaning to.

“What do you mean ‘a while’? It’s only been about two months.”

“For me, it felt like eons. I’d like you to understand that.”

Nonsense. Thinking this, I tried to break the cage and escape, but somehow my body wouldn’t respond.

…Why? The answer came from Diggers.

“Oh, by the way. In there, even the President can only muster the strength of a fragile girl. Didn’t you want someone to protect you? Now I’ll protect you. You can just stay in there and… continue to be with me forever, President.”

It was a horrifying statement.

I don’t know what happened to him or how he came to do this, but if things went as he wanted, I would clearly become nothing more than a puppet, or worse.

He didn’t seem to want to harm me, but at the same time, he had no intention of letting me go.

If we had started with a fair fight, it might have been different, but the moment I started already trapped in here, I had no chance of winning.

I can’t do anything.

It’s been a long time since I felt this helpless… no, that’s not right.

‘It hasn’t been that long, has it?’

I felt this same sensation just recently during the battle with the demons.

‘…Demons?’

Now that I think about it, the energy I sensed from Diggers felt familiar.

Though faint, this was definitely…

“Diggers, you…”

“Oh, you noticed? As expected of the President. You’re quick. That’s right. I’ve become a demon. I gave up my humanity to protect you.”

He’s insane. Giving up being human to become a demon? Unless he’s truly lost his mind, that couldn’t be possible.

Yet no matter how much I denied it, the faint demonic energy flowing from the figure before me forced me to acknowledge reality.

And that meant there was no possibility of escaping on my own.

So then. The only hope I could cling to was one thing.

That the Student Council members would raid this Rift.

I didn’t know where this place was, but from the energy I could feel, I was certain we were still inside the Rift.

So whenever they completed the raid, the Rift would naturally disappear, and I would escape…

“Oh, right. I have one of the Rift stones, so whatever you’re thinking, it won’t go as you want.”

…Perhaps because my last hope had vanished so easily, Alkine unwittingly revealed her despair.

Seeing this, Diggers began cackling with inexplicable delight.

My head feels foggy. Of course, if my disappearance became known, someone would come to rescue me.

Even if no one else came to help, I believed my father would certainly rush to save me.

But when would that be?

The north is far away. It would take considerable time just for news of my disappearance to reach him.

During that long period, could I resist playing into Diggers’ hands?

I couldn’t be certain.

‘I’m… not that strong a person…’

I just pretend to be strong in front of others by displaying my power. In reality, I’m just an immature student who can’t even control her own desires.

Knowing this all too well, I couldn’t trust myself.

“Someone… save me…”

But all I could do was mutter those words. Even though I knew there was no one to hear them. I just voiced my desperate wish.

…Why? Why is that man’s face appearing in my mind right now?

Unable to find the reason, I could only cover my ears to block out Diggers’ laughter.

///

“Hey, is it okay for us to go this far?”

It had been a little over two hours since we started moving. The scenery around us still looked much the same, and the anxiety grew as we moved further from the exit that would lead us out of the Rift.

It was understandable. Ludion and Celia had entered this place empty-handed, and I hadn’t brought anything either, planning to join Alkine’s group.

The President’s exploration party would be carrying all sorts of supplies needed for continued exploration, from food to other necessities. If we had joined them, we could have shared those resources.

But we never joined them and were now heading in a different direction.

In other words, we weren’t prepared for anything.

Forget supplies—we didn’t even have food in our current situation.

How could one not be anxious when Rift exploration could end at any unpredictable time?

That’s why I had asked… but the answer I received was still absurd.

“It’ll be over before tomorrow morning at the latest. You won’t die from not eating or sleeping for that long.”

“If Ludion says so, I’ll believe it.”

Finish before morning? This Rift that’s three times larger? Does that even make sense?

He was so confident that it was hard to even argue back, making me wonder if I had misunderstood something about Rifts.

They really were an incomprehensible couple. That was all I could think.

But… it didn’t take long to realize his words were true.

When he asked me to use my ability again, I faintly sensed the energy of a Rift stone.

“How about it? I think it’s either this way or that way.”

“…How did you know? It’s this way.”

“Bingo. Let’s go right away.”

They say seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.

One demonstration was enough to erase all my previous doubts.

But… how exactly did he figure it out?

I wondered briefly but soon gave up trying to guess.

He’s a man with mysterious abilities that even my special trait couldn’t comprehend. Trying to understand would be foolish.

I couldn’t turn back now, and since we were actually seeing results, I had no choice but to trust and follow him.

Perhaps due to this small spark of trust, there was no longer any anxiety in my steps as I followed.

After that, everything proceeded smoothly.

With the Rift stone’s location already identified, all that remained was to find and destroy it.

It took exactly three hours to destroy the first Rift stone.

And finding the next one took only an hour.

Even that was only possible thanks to Ludion pinpointing the direction.

In the end, we had destroyed two of the three Rift stones in just four hours.

Considering that the Student Council had spent an entire day exploring without finding anything, this was an unbelievable pace.

Of course, being able to forcibly use my special trait helped greatly, but it was still an amazing speed.

Whether aware of this or not, the very person responsible for this impossible pace was calmly deciding our next direction.

“Now for the last one. I think it’s this way, but just to be sure, could you use your ability one more time?”

“Alright.”

The resistance I felt at first was now completely gone.

I used my ability according to his words as if it were the most natural thing.

‘It feels like I’ve become a tool.’

Though I’ve always played this role, until now I at least felt like I was leading the exploration.

Now it felt like I was being used like a tool.

I didn’t particularly mind. After all, without him, I wouldn’t have been able to use my ability so comfortably.

With these thoughts, I expanded my detection range.

I easily pushed through what would normally have made my head explode, and continued much further.

As I expanded my range, I detected some very familiar figures.

It seemed to be the Student Council members, still exploring this place.

I felt momentary joy, but soon noticed something strange.

They were in great confusion. I could clearly sense them floundering, unable to decide what to do.

Why? There was no need to question it.

The reason was too obvious.

‘The President… is missing.’

The President wasn’t with them.

She who would never leave her members’ side under any circumstances.

I looked around the area more just in case, but couldn’t find any trace of the President.

As soon as I realized this, I withdrew my ability. I needed to report this situation quickly.

Perhaps my urgency showed on my face, as Ludion and Celia looked at me as if asking what was wrong.

“Something’s wrong.”

With no time to waste, I hurriedly explained the situation, and Ludion’s previously calm expression hardened slightly.

“Let’s go immediately.”

And without any hesitation, he began moving forward.

Unlike moments before when he acted with complete confidence, his back now revealed traces of anxiety.

Yet somehow… it felt quite dependable.

‘Ah, so that’s it.’

I think I finally understood where Celia’s inexplicable trust came from.