episode_0085

She now stared at me with eyes that saw something worse than a rapist.

“Ha! Oh, how devoted you are? Why, are you upset that your obedient slave is getting insulted?”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Are you angry? You have attachments too, huh? Then why aren’t you satisfied with that bitch and rape other women instead? Huh!? You piece of trash!”

Despite my calm response, Alisa couldn’t calm down and continuously poured out insults.

But it was truly strange. As the conversation continued, it seemed like she, not I, was the one getting hurt.

She knew it herself. There was a truth she had clearly ignored, and that if she heard it, this hatred would be diluted. So she poured out venom as if struggling, knowing that it was wrong.

‘What a troublesome woman.’

I sighed and swept a glance around.

“Alisa. Are you sure there’s no one around?”

“What?”

“Do you trust your sensory perception? The one that Deborah couldn’t even properly detect?”

We are merely first-years. And this is an academy. It means there are many people strong enough not to be detected by Alisa’s sensory perception, not necessarily limited to teachers.

What if even one of them overheard this? And what would happen if rumors spread that Alisa was truly raped by me, and that Deborah even had such a history?

Obviously, it would all be over. Alisa would be dragged back to her family, and I… I would probably be killed by Roxana, wouldn’t I?

‘Even if I don’t die, my life will be over.’

I might have to be confined to Friuli Mansion for the rest of my life, waiting for the world to end.

As if she noticed the hidden meaning in my words, Alisa hastily looked around, then sealed her lips as if indignant.

“Do you understand? Then be careful with sensitive topics. We’re gathered here because of the rumor, aren’t we? Solving that is the priority.”

It wasn’t that the past was entirely useless, but it was just a past event. What was important to us was how we break through the current situation.

Alisa took a deep breath, barely managing to calm her anger, and asked.

“Does that mean you really didn’t commit rape?”

“Yes. Think calmly. You only found out today that I raped Deborah, right? That means I pay that much attention to security. But you think I’d just rely on a mask, break into the girls’ dorm, and commit rape? Do you think that makes sense?”

“That’s…”

“Of course, it doesn’t make sense. So it’s one of two things. Either the rumor is wrong, or there’s a separate culprit. Either way, it’s a problem.”

My choice leans towards the former. If it were the latter, I wouldn’t have been identified as the suspect in just a few hours after the rumor spread.

Even if there are common points, pointing me out specifically and targeting me is truly contrived.

Alisa made the same judgment.

“So, it’s highly likely someone intentionally spread the rumor. Now that I think about it, there’s no detailed mention of who was raped either. Surely there isn’t another woman you raped besides me and that woman, right?”

“……”

“There is, isn’t there? You trash. That’s why you incur grudges. It’s your own doing [a proverb implying that one suffers the consequences of their own actions].”

Naturally, one woman came to mind. A certain beastkin with a cream-colored bob, amber eyes, perky cat ears on her head, and a cat tail on her rear, using a cutesy speech style often associated with cats.

‘No way?’

She would have more than enough reason to bear ill will towards me.

But then another question arises. How on earth did Pernia know my identity? I didn’t leave a single clue. If she found something there, Pernia should have become a detective.

No, even a detective can’t create something from nothing, so she must possess divine abilities.

I shook my head resolutely.

“It’s not that woman.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“…Because I thoroughly hid my identity. She probably wouldn’t even know it was me.”

“Is that so? So thorough, aren’t you? Just like a born rapist. How amazing.”

Alisa scoffed with a disgusted expression, as if she didn’t even feel like swearing anymore. Soon, as if frustrated, she swept her hair back.

“Then who on earth is it? Surely I don’t have to just run around barefoot digging for clues?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“Haa… Don’t you have anyone in mind? Aren’t there any other women you raped!?”

“None.”

This time, I answered without the slightest hesitation, so as not to be caught. Because this really couldn’t be discovered. Professor Sara would be nothing compared to this, but if I said that besides those four, there were countless other women I raped and they all died, Alisa might immediately try to kill me for world peace.

Perhaps even Deborah, who had been protecting me, might push me away with a shudder.

“Then there’s really no other way? Damn it! It’s midterms next week, and I have to spend time on this kind of thing?”

At that moment, as Alisa was racking her brain.

“Um, um.”

Deborah, who had been hiding behind my back and watching the situation, timidly raised her hand. As gazes focused, she flinched upon meeting Alisa’s eyes, then turned her head towards me and blurted out the story.

“Actually, something strange happened on Saturday.”

“Strange thing?”

“Yeah. In the morning, I left the dorm to go to the Magic Tower, and Skadia called out to me. So I followed her, and I heard her say to break up with Ruan.”

“…Break up with me?”

“Yeah. Saying you weren’t as good a person as I thought.”

It was truly strange. I thought she no longer cared after breaking off the engagement with me, but to bother going to Deborah and saying such things.

As I tilted my head, unable to understand it at all, Alisa gave me the answer instead.

“What? That woman said that? How absurd.”

“Alisa. Do you know what she’s talking about?”

“That’s simple, isn’t it? It’s just that she doesn’t want to have it, but she doesn’t want to give it to others either. As far as I know, Skadia wanted to break off the engagement, but you unilaterally clung to her and refused, didn’t you? But now that you suddenly have a lover and have broken off the engagement, she must have lingering regrets.”

“……”

Could Skadia have been such trash? I always thought she was ill-mannered, but she wasn’t the type to spread malicious rumors in this way.

Even if the development has changed a lot from the game, it’s not enough to shake the foundation of Skadia as a person.

This is probably Alisa’s delusion, being excessively engrossed in women’s political struggles.

“What are you looking at? Your gaze is strange.”

I averted my gaze from Alisa.

“Deborah, are you saying Skadia could be the culprit?”

“Oh, no! It’s just that it bothered me a little to hide this information… It might become an important clue, you know.”

This unnecessarily kind kid. Even though there was no need to reveal such private matters, to come forward and tell me, it seems her intelligence for learning magic is different from her social intelligence.

I chuckled.

“Anyway, there’s no immediately useful information. So let’s split up and search on our own.”

“Search on our own?”

“Yeah. You wouldn’t want to walk around with me either, Alisa. Right?”

“…That’s true.”

Moreover, aside from Alisa’s mood souring, even worse rumors would spread, so there was no reason to walk together.

“Alright. Then let’s gather information separately and meet here after all classes are over each day. You two go first. I’ll follow a bit later.”

Thus, the investigative activities began.

*

Scratch! Scratch! Scratch…

“Haa…”

Inside the student council room, where only the sound of a pen moving filled the air, a small sigh echoed quietly. Regina, who was diligently organizing documents, followed the source.

‘What’s wrong?’

Isis seemed to have a lot on her mind since this morning, and even after coming to the student council room, she still seemed to be in a bad mood. Even while diligently processing documents, she would often stop midway, as if something came to mind.

Regina wondered what on earth was bothering her so much that she was so restless. Just now, her brother had left, and it was just the two of them, so this was a good opportunity to ask.

Regina subtly introduced the topic.

“Isis. What’s wrong? Why are you sighing so much?”

“Huh? Oh, did I? I’m sorry.”

“I’m not asking you to apologize. If you have a problem, tell me. It might help, you know?”

Regina winked. It was a rather charming appeal with a touch of cuteness, but Isis seemed not to have noticed at all, gazing at the floor before opening her mouth.

“By any chance, Regina-nim, do you know about the rumors circulating among the first-years?”

“Rumors? What rumors?”

“Well… I heard there was a rape incident on the weekend. The culprit was wearing a mask, but their face was revealed during a struggle.”

“Oh my, really? Were they caught?”

“No. But they said the culprit’s face was identical to Ruan’s. And they even said he was a Possessor.”

At the word ‘Possessor,’ the Princess frowned. This was because the Imperial Family had already received information about Possessors from the Church a long time ago. They had never heard of any incidents caused by them so far, but they couldn’t tell if they were living virtuously or if it was thoroughly concealed and simply not revealed.

Regina rubbed her lips with her index finger.

“A Possessor… That’s dangerous, isn’t it? Won’t he be captured by the Inquisitors?”

“I suppose so? But Ruan couldn’t possibly do such a thing…”

“Really?”

“Yes. Maybe in the past, but not now. Absolutely not.”

Isis’s belief was firm. Certainty towards Ruan was embedded within it.

Regina made a slightly sulky expression.

‘Something’s strange.’

During the vacation, specifically, since she returned from her family home, Isis had changed. It might be a delusion, but how should I put it, she seems to have gained a certain sensuality? Her skin also improved, and she seemed prettier, which personally satisfied me, but I was a little uneasy because I didn’t know the cause.

How should I put it, she reacts too sensitively, especially regarding matters related to her brother?

She paid quite a bit of attention before too, but the impression I felt was different from then.

“Hmm…”

As Regina snorted softly, Isis, noticing it, asked curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. So, what do you want to do?”

“Of course, we have to catch the culprit. But I don’t have enough time. Should I skip student council duties for a while?”

The latter part of her sentence sounded louder than thunder to Regina.

‘Skip the student council?’

They were in different classes, so the only time Regina could comfortably stick close to Isis was during student council work. If even that time disappeared, she definitely wouldn’t even be able to exchange words with Isis for a while.

Sensing a crisis, Regina pondered, then made a decision in an instant.

“I’ll help you!”

“Huh?”

“I’ll help you. I’ll search thoroughly using the Imperial Intelligence Department, so Isis, you keep coming to the student council. Got it?”

“I’d be grateful if you did that, but… Will you be alright? If you carelessly use the Intelligence Department, His Imperial Majesty might get angry…”

“It doesn’t matter! I can just get scolded a bit. Anyway, no skipping, okay? Promise!”

“…Yes. I understand. Thank you, Regina-nim.”

Isis smiled in relief. There’s almost no information in this world that the Imperial Intelligence Department cannot uncover. Finding the source of a mere rumor circulating in the academy would be easy.

Thus, without his knowledge, Ruan gained a trustworthy and dangerous ally.