Chapter 281 Culprit

>WHOOOOSSSHHH!<

The gentle wind howled as a figure swiftly made its way in the dead of night.

The figure was moving so fast that it seemed like a blur—no, like the very essence of darkness itself.

Covered in a dark hooded cloak and shrouded in a faint black hue of Magic, it glided and traversed the surrounding area until it reached a place—somewhere that was known only to the man hidden within the hood.

He had bided his time, ensuring everything went smoothly, only for his attempt to fail. The target was still alive, the Academy was on high alert, the most dangerous man in the Kingdom was wary, and the Capital now had their attention on Ainzlark.

Of course, most of these were within calculations, but… who would have expected his target to live? How possible was it that he managed to survive for so long and even made Neron arrive right on time?

It was as though fate smiled upon the boy.

No matter—it wasn’t a total loss.

The second objective had been achieved, so things could still go as planned.

Currently, the Academy was aware of the existence of a mole—him—and it wouldn’t take very long for the truth to be exposed.

While no one knew for sure, he was certain that Neron suspected him. The target also seemed to have a vague idea, but he had been too subtle to have been exposed by that child—or so the man thought.

The swirling portal in front of him was his escape ticket out of the place.

No one in the Academy knew of its existence except him. It was something that was shrouded with the same barrier—no, a more superior one—of the Academy’s Lecturers’ Hall.

The security around the Academy’s exit was tight, and they would probably be under the surveillance of Neron as well.

To win, he had to resort to this one.

A body double was currently taking his place, so suspicion wouldn’t fall on him… until it was too late.

After all… his plans were perfect!

He took a step forward, and then another, nearing his goal. A smile formed on the face of the mysterious man.

His silenced footsteps were made so by Magic, was his ability to escape surveillance. It was the perfect escape.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t considered one thing…

“You’re late…” A voice rang out, causing the shady man to halt in his steps.

… And that was the depths of Jared Leonard’s capabilities.

The hooded man—now dead in his tracks—turned back to look at the smiling figure of Jared Leonard.

“… I’ve been expecting you…”

His hands were in his pockets, and the casual air he emitted only told the man Jared’s confidence. A smile was on both their faces now.

The man’s body hesitated.

Should he run, or…?!

“…Don’t leave now. Didn’t you say you would look forward to our next meeting?”

The shady man was frozen stiff now.

“Do you remember what I told you back then? That the next time we fought, I would use all I had? Who would have thought it would be this soon…”

The man now abandoned the portal and completely turned in the direction of the boy. He couldn’t be ignored any longer.

“So, you knew since then…?” His voice was calm, gentle, and very familiar.

His eyes were fixated on the boy before him, and an amazed—yet amused—grin was on his face.

“No. Not really. Everyone is a suspect in my book. Only by utilizing progressive elimination will I finally arrive at a definite answer…”

The man smiled.

He felt the hood was unnecessary now. There was no need to hide his identity any longer. In essence… the jig was up!

“I’m glad you’re so understanding and cordial, but… I suppose that’s how you’ve always been…”

The hood went down, and the face of a handsome and bright young man was revealed.

“… Legris Damien.”

************

How long had I suspected this man? Even I had no idea.

Still, everything began when I first caught our housemaid—Liliana—in the act of speaking with her boss.

An idea came to mind, so, even after I interrupted the call, I was able to sync with the Magical frequency of that device.

During my conversation with Liliana—if that was even her name—the communication tool emitted a faint Magical signature even though it was supposed to have been deactivated.

With that, I knew that whoever the mastermind was, he had activated the device from his own end and was subtly listening in.

I made sure to thoroughly reveal my plans, and how I was able to identify a perfect maid as my assassin.

Many would consider this a foolish move since I was feeding the culprit information that would be used to determine my capabilities, but… it was a brilliant act that was essential for the much larger game.

By giving the mastermind a glimpse of my personality and capabilities, every action they took from that moment on would be geared with that in mind.

The target is extremely smart.

The target is dangerous.

The target is resourceful…

By gauging my abilities, the next action they would take would be to achieve victory despite those conditions.

My next opponent would be someone smarter, more powerful, in higher standing, more trustworthy, not a new worker, more easygoing, less suspicious, etc.

In essence, it would be someone who would give me a direct answer as to the identity of the mastermind—a direct subordinate—or even the man in question himself!

The latter occurring was an optimistic notion, but I did not doubt the former.

Every action Legris Damien took was barely suspicious, and I even liked him quite well. But, after I began connecting the dots and narrowing it down to the three Senior Lecturers in Ainzlark, the one who won was the first person I had contact with.

Damien Lawcroft was too conspicuous.

The other one was not suspicious at all. He had no motive or relation with me.

Usually, that would make him my target since that was exactly what the enemy was going for. But… I was smarter than that.

It was a form of reverse psychology, a method used by masking something by putting it in plain view.

Legris Damien was already someone I regarded with respect and familiarity—almost the same way I treated Neron now—which was why only he could be the culprit.

‘Looks like I was right…. again!’