NABC Chapter 246 : Chapter 246
Chapter 246 : Chapter 246
The breathing sounds heard from around stopped for an instant.They soon try their best to pretend otherwise, but the kids' eyes are constantly looking back and forth between me and Yuria.
Among them, Dayle’s expression was definitely the highlight.
'We're fucked......'
Exactly with this expression, mouth open, looking at me and Yuria. If Luis hadn't poked him with his elbow from the side, he probably would have kept doing that.
"Hmm. A person from the Academy."
Of course, I was surprised as well. Since I needed time to rack my brain for a moment, I mumbled while needlessly setting the mood.
"......Right. From which part did you get that thought?"
"Uh. That is......"
This time, Yuria flinched and trailed off.
What is it?
It wasn't particularly a question that caught me off guard.
'Don't tell me it was a question that popped out impulsively?'
It seemed so.
Seeing her lips twitching and hesitating.
Then Yuria let out a small breath and shook her head.
"No. Please pretend you didn't hear my question just now."
"......."
"Anyway, thank you once again for saving us. I will never forget this debt."
Yuria bowed deeply and returned to the man holding the wolf cub.
And after exchanging some words among themselves, she left the forest.
"......."
I watched the two people's figures silently until then.
"Are you just going to let them go like that?"
Luis, who had approached my side before I knew it, asked.
"She might have noticed the Master's identity."
Hmm. That could be.
Well, even if she isn't one hundred percent sure it's really me. It was clear she was at least guessing I was an Academy figure.
'That's why she asked openly like that.'
Since the matter is what it is, she seemed to have backed off right now thinking she needed to be cautious with her remarks without evidence, but I was a bit curious about which part she noticed.
'Is it because of Evan?'
Wouldn't that probability be high?
While going on off-campus activities with Evan, Yuria would also know very well that his human relationships are extremely narrow.
Of course, guessing Skull Mask and I are the same person with just that much clue was unreasonable.
Since there is trust built while I stuck around with Yuria all this time, Yuria will absolutely not suspect me of being Skull Mask.
......Even if, by one in a million chance, she suspects.
'Hmm. Doesn't it not matter much?'
Just as Yuria trusts me, I also trust Yuria.
Even if she finds out the fact that I am Skull Mask, I was sure Yuria wouldn't hate or avoid me.
'She would receive some shock. But well.'
Since I expected it from the moment I planned to bring Yuria into Shadow, I didn't particularly feel seriousness or a sense of crisis.
"Master."
It was then.
Luis, who was waiting for my answer, asked with a quite heavy voice.
"Why are you still hiding in the Academy, Master?"
"Hm? Suddenly?"
"I wonder if there is a reason to remain in the Academy in the current situation where relations with the Cult have gone sour. Also, the Master I see acts as if it doesn't matter at all even if your identity gets caught later. Like just now. Honestly, it is a little strange."
I scratched the back of my head for a moment.
If asked whether I have ever acted as if it doesn't matter even if I get caught, of course not.
However.......
Continuously checking the atmosphere inside the Academy, being careful not to leave traces, preparing alibis thoroughly whenever doing some action, etc.
Compared to the early days when I tried hard not to get caught, certainly, the current me has become much bolder.
'To put it badly, I became careless.'
Even if I deny it, it is a natural principle that the mind implicitly melts into actions.
Luis, the guild's butler who handles domestic affairs, is the person watching me from the closest distance, and since such a person is saying my actions so far are contradictory and puzzling, he is probably not wrong.
"Until now, I just waited. Because I thought you would tell us when the time came. But now I must ask. What is the reason the Master is still in the Academy? Is it simply because of Miss Yuria? And, is Miss Yuria really a trustworthy person?"
Luis's pouring questions.
Inside them, sincere worry toward me and Shadow was contained fully.
At that, the gazes of all Shadow members turned to me.
They ask.
The reason I remain in the Academy.
In other words, my true goal.
"......."
Right. It is time to tell them now.
I habitually said that what is needed to win the war with the Cult are comrades and a force to trust and rely on.
But, I only said it and wasn't executing it properly.
To run toward the same goal, now I needed to tell them my secret.
"Phew. Fine. Everyone sit down."
I took off the Skull Mask and the face mask I was wearing underneath it too.
"Since no one will come here anyway."
The thieves taking their respective spots at my words.
Sitting with their butts on the bare ground or sitting on rocks.
Corpses were scattered around, but no one cared.
Rather, gathered like this, the atmosphere was quite lively in its own way.
"First off, remaining in the Academy is partly because of Yuria."
And I broached the subject like this.
"Because there is time and effort invested in her so far. Furthermore, ever since hearing the secret of her birth this time, I became even greedier."
Thanks to Lorenz Edric, I was able to know Yuria’s birth secret and that the blood of a Divine Beast flows in half of her body.
That potential is truly beyond a Magic Swordsman.
I joked about whether she was the only counter to the protagonist Ivan or whatever, but that was real.
"But Yuria is one of the reasons I keep hiding in the Academy. Naturally, there are other reasons too."
I paused for a moment and looked at the comrades' faces one by one.
Putting strong emphasis on the feeling that what comes next is the really important part.
And I called Dayle.
"Dayle. If, hypothetically. If I say I know the future of this world, how do you think you would feel?"
"What do you mean? It would be damn absurd. I'd probably ask like this. Boss, did you perhaps take drugs?"
Dayle giggled while holding his belly, thinking he landed a blow on me.
However, the only person laughing was Dayle alone.
Everyone looks at me with heavily sunken eyes.
They sensed something in my question.
Though Dayle, who actually received the question, seems not to have felt it.
"What do you want to say? Don't tell me you intend to say something like 'I can know the future of this world'?"
It was Rachel.
She asked like that with an expression that it was hard to believe easily.
It wasn't just her.
Luis and Evan, who usually don't reveal emotions outwardly, are also urging the truth while fixing their gazes on me.
So I nodded.
"Correct. To some extent."
"......."
At the same time, a heavy silence crushed the surroundings.
Everyone looked dumbfounded at my shocking remark.
"......You. You are joking right now, right?"
"No, it's real."
"Kuh-huh. Our Boss. Seems he really took some drugs."
"Hehe. I'll just pretend I didn't hear it."
"......."
Eyes wandering having lost their way, inhaling a large breath and exhaling, trying to hold onto the strings of reason.
Some try to distinguish whether the words just heard are fact or a joke, and some try to deny it altogether.
However, despite that, my serious expression.
"......You mean it's real?"
Soon they close their mouths and sink into deep anguish in their respective ways.
"......."
Right.
It must be a shock.
If suddenly hearing words like 'I know the future of this world', anyone would react like this.
It's fortunate if I'm not treated as a crazy person.
"Boss, are you crazy?"
"......."
"Did you really take drugs or something? Ah, no! Should we feed him drugs for this? Hey Luis. What do we do about this?"
I ignored Dayle’s fuss.
Fortunately, Luis also ignored Dayle.
"So you predicted that the Beltus Cult would become an enemy. There were times I felt it was amazing a few times in between but...... Still, it is hard to believe."
I laughed lightly.
"Well, I understand. That is natural. But as I said, the future I know is not 'my' future but the future of 'this world'. Since the future is something that changes anytime by the present, it might not be accurate. It means I am not omnipotent."
"Still, isn't it amazing?"
"Hm. Is it amazing?"
I laughed bitterly and continued.
"The burden is amazing indeed. Since I know the danger of the future will come."
"Danger means?"
"Resurrection of the Great Demon. My final goal is stopping that bastard's resurrection."
"......."
***
Resurrection of the Great Demon Angmar.
When the fact that the Demon War, which almost led the world to destruction in the distant past, would be reenacted in the near future popped out of my mouth, the surroundings became quiet as a dead mouse.
"It's not that there is no method. That method isn't grandiose either. Since we just need to stop the Beltus Cult bastards plotting the resurrection."
Actually, there was no need to block from the front.
Just, interfere with everything those guys do at every turn.
The Frey Empire will do the rest.
For the great cause of Great Demon Resurrection, the first bridgehead those guys are building is exactly [Raid the Academy].
Just stopping that was half a victory for us.
"So I am remaining in the Academy. Because being inside allows me to respond immediately to whatever they plot."
"Wait. What do you mean by immediate response? Just now you said you know the future. Then you could step forward and stop them before they execute the plan?"
Evan, who had been staying still, opened his mouth for the first time and asked quite sharply.
"I told you. I am not omnipotent. Since the future can change anytime, it is better not to rely too much on the prophecy I know."
Regarding how I can know the future, I roughly made it up as having received an 'Angel's Prophecy'.
I didn't tell any other stories at all.
Words like Ivan being the descendant of Aidan Frey who will save the world, or that I am a person from another world and have a place to return to.
It wasn't completely a lie either.
Since I have the request received from Uriel.
So when I talked about that too while I was at it, the confusion aggravated further.
"......This is true. Many things happened while I wasn't here."
Evan said with a reluctant expression.
"I'm sorry. Needlessly because of me......"
"No. I am not blaming you, Mage."
"I am Reina......."
"Right, I know, Mage. Anyway, an angel named Uriel requested us, and to resolve that, a situation where we have to drastically raise our current power. Is this correct?"
He understood my explanation precisely.
If one more thing is added here.
"So Evan needs to use some strength."
At that, a smile formed on Evan’s lips after a long time.
"That is more my specialty than stealing. Is the time half a year?"
"Precisely five months and a few more days."
"Until then, I will raise Shadow's power by more than two times."
I looked at the rest of the kids with pitying eyes.
The Evan I saw is a human who does if he says he does.
Raising power by two times is so difficult, saying he will make that possible was practically no different from saying he would kill the kids.
For reference, Evan’s training method was a training method where knights, mages, and thieves all become strong equally.
Named, Life Betting Training Method.
"Thieves wandering the darkness to save the world...... It is contradictory, so it is somewhat cool."
"That's right! Hehe."
"There must be night for there to be morning. That is how worldly matters are."
At first, our goal was the reconstruction of Shadow.
I consider that goal successfully achieved with the debut match called War of Villains.
'Then, what is next?'
There is a saying that history is written at night.
It means bold events that move the world and important decisions all happen at night.
Therefore, if only we can completely dominate the night.
Numerous chaos approaching in the future will no longer be a big threat.
"Shadow has dominated the night of Icata."
We finished the debut match.
And the next step is regaining the glory of the past that was lost.
The sacrifice will be the Beltus Cult.