After meeting up with the rest of the Cube cadets along with Kim Suho shortly after, our group was escorted to a manor somewhere on the outskirts of Paris.
Many of the cadets wore tired looks, slumping against their seats in the car.
Yeonha, whom I had arrived with, wore a strong look but looked as though she could fall asleep at any moment.
I was much the same, I didn't want to give any hint that I may have exerted myself to any extent at the masquerade as I reflected upon my previous performance.
'From an objective perspective, it wasn't all bad. I got an item with unknown powers that I should be able to pawn off on Violet Banquet (after a couple months), and I think I've confirmed that the Evil Society don't have too many eyes inside Cube. Otherwise I'd be face to face with that…guy.'
A flash of purple and white crossed my mind along with that sickening sweet scent. I turned to face the window as a scowl unknowingly crossed my face.
'Anyways, I've also failed my mission, which is a bit…eugh. I was trying to establish good relations with Vatz but there was also no way I could've predicted that lady being there. I think I opened an avenue with her in the future, whether as 'Uso' or as 'Minori' is to remain unseen. I know that Pearl isn't real but does she know that 'Uso' is me?'
'I can feel my stress rising with every moment. Now I have to add 'Pearl Anders' to my list of threats. That pairs nicely with the Korea Branch of the Evil Society as well the Hero Association.'
'Either way, I'll have to keep treading on thin ice since the path back was long shattered by my own poor decisions. I'll just have to get stronger and more recognizable before the end of the year. It's why I came to Cube rather than Pandemonium.'
I fixed my expression and pulled my watch out of my bag, specifically the Cube watch in order to discreetly swap it with my personal one.
Even as I was lost in thought, I still had to be aware that I was in a luxury car filled to the brim with tired cadets.
Some were half asleep, others were chatting quietly, but no one made too much noise. Most notably out of these groups was our club leader, who stared down at their phone with his mouth agape.
Kim Suho, who sat next to him, wore a solemn and serious expression.
"Did something happen?" I murmured to myself before pulling up the Cube forum, curiosity getting the better of me.
[Incident After Incident: First Year Cube Cadet Lee Hun found hanging in his room! Is Cube Really Safe?!]
Those were the first words in an article that had popped up.
Ordinarily my thoughts would have wondered who the publishers were or how they got this knowledge.
But I was different, after all, I had killed that boy's brother.
'That's annoying…'
I frowned on the outside while my brain churned for answers.
'He was found hanging? I don't know much about him but after the mess he made for the incident I doubt he'd die just like that. I also doubt it would've been reported if it was a real suicide… which means someone else did it.'
I felt a slight unease wrap around my throat. I recognised the feeling as my intuition sounding off alarm bells.
'...it's a message. To me and anyone else who can interpret it. 'You are not safe in Cube, so don't bother hiding.' is probably what it's trying to say. And if that's the case… it can only be the Evil Society.'
I frowned as the alarm bells stopped ringing in my head, proving me right.
'...I should set things up in Pandemonium just in case something goes wrong.'
…
The house we arrived at was lavish to say the least. Much like the castle the masquerade was held in but a bit less fantastical. It was layered three times over with a red brick roof. The gates had expensive mana shields that had an unrecognisable brand.
The doorstep was well lit, with stairs leading up to a large deck area before coming to a stop at a set of light oak doors.
Standing at those doors was a maid. She wore a professional smile and held a calm demeanor.
"Welcome, dearest cadets, to the Red Flower Mansion. The master was exhausted so he retired to bed early. We would ordinarily prepare a dinner for you all but I suppose you all would like to be shown to your rooms first?"
The maid cast her gaze across the sea of tired souls before opening the door and showing us a grand lobby. A red carpet rolled from one end to the other with servants lining the sides.
Many cadets hesitated to enter while the richer ones stepped forward without a second thought. I joined them, albeit with a bit more caution.
Although I was tired I was still a little paranoid.
Though that paranoia seemed to lead to nothing as the servants showed us to our rooms. Each of us had to share with two others due to the size of our club.
The room I was in was shared with Kim Suho, who I hadn't spoken to much since our… confrontation, and Kim Hajin, who I had a strange alliance with. Thankfully the boy had fainted and was on his bed.
"Should we get a nurse for him?" A voice chirped from my left, the ever cheerful Kim Suho.
"...He'll be fine…" I looked at Hajin with a small frown. He had a pained expression and seemed to be having a nightmare of sorts. "...Probably…"
…Kim Hajin POV…
I blinked my eyes open.
'They felt watery.'
The remnants of a world long past resurfaced in a dream.
'Right… that was when I failed to get into university… my father who had never consoled me once…'
I wiped my eyes as hearing returned.
The peeling of an apple, the soft scratching of pen on paper.
"...where?" I murmured in a daze as I slowly came to my senses.
A plate was set down by my bedside table. Kim Suho, who had finished peeling and cutting apples, sat beside my bed.
It felt somewhat embarrassing.
'Don't you dare turn my novel into a Yaoi! You filthy co-author!'
"Are you feeling better?" His voice snapped me out of my slightly strange thoughts.
"Ah yes.."
"The nurse said you were pretty fatigued and you should rest and not push yourself." Suho continued without much thought before a voice emanated from the other side of the room.
"This is the mansion we're staying in for the duration of the trip. The three of us are sharing a room." The voice was gloomy and somewhat agitated.
I looked over to the source as I saw Minori Nii calmly writing- no calmly was the wrong word. It was more like extreme focus.
'Is that how those spell scrolls are made? There's so little mana consumption… damn it, now I have to deal with magic pipe bombs, whoever wrote this guy should burn in he- wait that's me…f*cking coauthor.'
Kim Suho mistook my gaze as curiosity and gave me an exposition.
"Those are spell slips. By imbuing your mana into ink and drawing a spell circle you can make an expendable single use attack. Minori used them all up so he has to draw more… he's been at it for an hour or so."
I nodded.
There was a short moment of silence after that. I was about to lay back down before remembering the events from only a few hours ago.
After firing shots to support Yun Seung-Ah I moved rooftops and happened upon a Djinn that was waiting for the illusion to go off so he could infiltrate.
Thankfully I had caught him off guard and killed him but I had to escape quickly as the police were notified by my gunshots.
Feeling a little worried, I checked my watch, which sat on the bedside table, for any news.
[Yun Seung-Ah takes down massive Djinn incursion alone in Paris! Creators Sacred Grace proves itself as first place!]
I quickly skimmed from top to bottom. There was no mention of my support but there was mention of a mysterious 'Dogman' threat.
I felt a strange mix of relief and a subtle nausea. Knowing Yun Seung-Ah she would connect the dots sooner or later.
As for the 'Dogman'... I'd have to ask him about the incident later. Our alliance was for information purposes after.
I let out a gasp as [acting] kicked in to make me look shocked and curious.
"Hey, Suho… this incident, weren't you there?"
"Oh, that? I can't really tell since I was evacuated by security pretty early on… most of us were preoccupied with another incident."
"Another?" I tilted my head.
'This wasn't part of the plot.'
"...It's nothing, just some false news concerning cube. It was taken down an hour ago anyway." Minori answered nonchalantly as he finished off the stack of papers in his hands and let them drop into his bag.
'There wasn't any jolt to the bag… he already has [encryption]. Isn't he way too buffed? Why?'
I almost frowned but I acted natural.
"I see… then it's probably better if I don't think about it too much."
"...Yeah." Suho hesitantly nodded.
'If it's really that important I'll get filled in later by the setting change.'
Another awkward silence. This time more so, due to the lack of pen on paper.
"..."
The crunch of an apple slice.
The ticking of a clock.
A bleak wind just outside.
I felt tense.
Maybe it was just me. Knowing that an incident would take place in only an hour or so. Maybe it was Minori's subtle yet erratic eye movements. Maybe it was Suho's seemingly guilty glances at Minori… wait what?
I checked my watch for any setting changes I might have missed in the past.
[A change in the setting has been detected.]
[Character Kim Suho confronts character Minori Nii over the Midterms incident.]
'...? When- How did I miss this? This was in april?!'
I calmly pretended to scroll the news on my watch again. [Acting] was coming in incredibly handy once again.
'I really need to maintain better communication with this guy…'
"By the way…" Kim Suho started, as though he had only just remembered something.
He paused, needlessly nervous.
"Go on, tell me." I urged him.
"...The report you wrote for Chae Nayun, I saw it too. You were a bit harsh."
For the record, the report I wrote for Chae Nayun received an A-. Although my criticisms were valid, me telling her to give up on the bow was deemed too harsh, dropping the grade from A+ to A-.
"I wasn't harsh. Chase Nayun isn't a borne archer. She needs to drop the bow and pick up the sword."
"...Is that why you made that bet?" Suho looked at me with a stern expression.
I took note that Minori glanced toward the door before dialing into our conversation.
"Yeah. If I win, I'm going to make her give up her bow. She said she'd do anything."
At my determined reply, Kim Suho's expression stiffened.
"But it's the path she chose. I don't think it's something someone else should decide for her."
He was both firm and soft at the same time.
I stared at him, he stared back. His eyes shone with a bright will of his own.
His thoughts were different than mine.
But that didn't mean he was wrong.
"...Then do you want me to encourage and console her, fully knowing that she's walking into a dead end?"
Kim Suho remained silent as I continued.
"You can't succeed just by hearing encouraging words. What if you reach a dead-end after endlessly toiling away? What if the only thing waiting at the end is a greater despair? Will you take responsibility?"
When I finished Kim Suho let out a sigh. Then in a low voice Kim Suho spoke again.
"How can you be so sure that Chae Nayun isn't talented with bows, but swords? Are you saying this because you think you can take responsibility?"
His words were completely justified. Chase Nayun had trained countless hours using the bow, but someone who seemingly wasn't close to her was telling her to give it up.
But I was angry.
Which is why my next words flowed out despite the constraints of [acting].
"...I know because I've been thinking about her for far longer than you… And I've been watching over her all this time… So I know far more than you."
The words fell out just as fast as the following silence flowed in.
"...Ha?" Minori let out a sound of genuine confusion as he looked up and blinked.
Suho too had a strange glint in his eyes.
"..."
—Thud
The three of us all heard the sound from the other side of the door.
I immediately looked through the wall. The person running away with a flustered expression was Chae Nayun.
I didn't know from when, but she must have been eavesdropping on our conversation.
A good archer needed to be skilled in stealth.
If anything, she learned that one thing well.