Chapter 4: Stage Without Actors (1)

Chapter 4: Stage Without Actors (1)

I can assure you that I have no qualms regarding Arthur Usher.

The arrogant nature of the young masters of Aegis Academy was an acquired trait which came from their noble birth, so it wasnt unusual.

To put it simply, it means that even if Young Master Arthur glared at me, I would not feel the urge to kill him.

-Clack.

is what I think I thought.

I felt my heart sink when Arthur Usher opened his eyes and looked at me while being held at gunpoint.

Is this a dream?

Could it be that my paranoia, which deepened without my knowledge, has gone too far and now I'm about to commit murder in reality rather than a dream?

Arthur Usher.

It was Shirleys hand, which looked long and thin but was firmly holding onto my trembling hand.

Enough.

The chamber was completely loaded with two live-round bullets, and based on the weight I felt, It will surely shoot when I pull the trigger.

The situation was very strange.

This whole situation was where I was trying to kill Arthur Usher, but Arthur Usher was the best swordsman and sword master in the academy, and the thing I was aiming at the sword master was a small gun for self-defense.

Shirley

Shirley stepped into this strange standoff and glared silently at Arthur Usher.

The neat uniform, which was different from what Arthur Ushers academy gave, was so clean that it was out of place in this situation.

But those eyesthe calmness within the gray eyes, which were almost whitehad this eerie aspect that didnt feel human.

Senior.nove(l)bi(n.)com

Shirley, who was looking at Arthur, frozen in place, quietly tapped the back of my hand twice.

This was my first time seeing Shirley act this way, but somehow, subconsciously, I realized that this behavior meant that I should run.

It felt like something that happened in a completely different world was being merged with mine.

No.

I shook my head despite Shirleys hand signals.

Well, whatever it is, I have to do it myself. I knew the weakness Arthur Usher had, and I know that the moment when the Sword Master is at his weakest is now.

And because it was me, not Shirley, who messed up everything and sacrificed our colleagues by making the wrong choices.

Bang!

In the end, the bullet pierced through Arthurs heart.

Meanwhile, Arthur Usher looked down at his chest with a helpless expression. Red blood was flowing down his black uniform, and it was clearly visible that the flame of life was slipping away.

Senior!

At that moment, Shirley pushed me away without giving me the time to draw back the muzzle.

I was blown away from where I stood. I might have pulled the trigger by mistake too, but before I could even think about it, I had to stop my ungainly tumble on the ground.

Sher-

The unfinished word Shirley stayed at the tip of my tongue. The aftereffects of it were concussion and dizziness.

When I managed to get up, there was-



Theodore White was a particularly eccentric mage, so it was a very likely guess.

There may be extenuating circumstances since he wields a supernatural power which far exceeds the laws of nature, but it is insane to walk into a murder scene in such an innocent manner.

Am I strange?

A little.

Muscle relaxation, loss of eye reflex, excitement and drowsiness, and partial muscle spasms... Based on the estimated time of the incident and the current physical symptoms, we concluded that Arma Cruz isnt capable of committing an act like this.

It was intelligence that shined in moments of crisis.

Although he couldnt understand most of what was being said.

Indeed, with the black mage major considered to be the closest to death at the academy, it was clear that the sense of reality of Theodore was stuck to an extent.

A knife, or an axe.

Since Theodore went through the same or more in depth educational process as me, his reasoning wouldnt be much different from my own, but I still conveyed my guess.

Theodore nodded and added.

There is also the probability that it is a farming tool such as a sickle or pickaxe.

Right, that too

Do not sleep.

I think it is the medicine taking

Yes, don't sleep.

I could feel from a while back that our conversation wasnt connecting.

I dont know if this was because my judgment was clouded by drugs, as I guessed, or because of Theodores mysterious speaking style, but I wasnt in a condition to ask.

'You brat, really have the consciousness to preserve the crime scene'

Is that it? Sitting next to Theodore is the person who is currently mostly likely to be the murderer.

Nevertheless, Theodore was diligently going to the scene of the crime, looking for the corpses and weapons that were obviously there.

What an odd man.

It was such an odd self-confidence that went above and beyond blindness, which seemed creepy to me.

I unconsciously realized that the young master in front of me was the kind of single-minded person who would be quite tricky if he turned into an enemy.

Theodore, who had finally given up on the search, came back to me and asked, Is there someone you had a grudge against?

None no one

Last summer, even when I was unintentionally making extravagant remarks, I didnt make any enemies.

This is because I was accused of being with women; I had to laugh those rumors off with older ladies.

The two bullets are all you have now?

It couldnt have been a gunshot

It isnt, but Arma Cruz, who was at the scene of the incident, will be the first to be suspected.

You too.

Theodore nodded slightly in respone to the answer.

At that moment, the unbearable desire to sleep consumed me again, but Theodore clapped his hands so loudly in front of my eyes that it made me wake up from the moment of doubt.

Theodore opened his mouth after pondering for a moment and said,I think we both fell into a trap here, Arma Cruz.