Chapter 86

this is a fictional story by realTensai

“Mr. Woltzer is… gone?”

Alvis repeated what he just heard even though his brain hadn’t processed it yet. It was something so odd, so unimaginable, that his brain just refused to believe it. His vision blurred as his breathing became irregular, the flood of bad news making his head spin.

“W-What did you just say?…” Loid asked, his voice shaking.

Everyone shifted their attention from the crime scene to Mr. York, their trembling eyes filled with despair. It was when all these eyes stared at him that Mr. York realized that he had messed up.

“I… I shouldn’t have said that,” he muttered, his voice cracking. “Just… forget it. I wasn’t supposed to—”

“Just forget it?!” Loid shouted, disregarding the fact that he was talking to a teacher. “How the hell are we supposed to forget that?”

“You have to tell us the truth, Mr. York.” However, even Kris backed him up, making it impossible for Mr. York to deny it any further.

“I got it, I got it. Not telling you now will only worsen the situation,” he said, grabbing his hair and shaking his head. “Shit!” he cursed, disregarding the fact that he was still a teacher.

“Mrs. Zoya sent a message to all the teachers saying that our principal, Mr. Woltzer, is nowhere to be found. We also don’t have more information. That’s why we weren’t supposed to tell it to anyone yet, but I messed up…”

He closed his eyes and bit his tongue in frustration and one could see blood dripping down his mouth. However, they couldn’t care less about his feelings.

“How could he possibly vanish now?” Morgo’s voice cracked, the irritation in his tone barely masking the fear underneath.

Feng shook his head, his face pale.

“No… this can’t be happening. Maybe… maybe he’s out there trying to find a way to help us.”

But another voice, quieter yet laced with dread, cut through the air.

“What if… what if he was the one who killed?” Feng said his words, void of hope.

“Don’t spout such nonsense!” Kris shouted, gaining everyone’s attention.

I’ve never heard him shout.

“Mr. Woltzer… Mr. Woltzer would never do something like that and you all know that.”

“Then tell me where the hell he decided to go now of all times?! We need him now more than anything else. He would be the only who could somehow calm this situation down. But without him...-- without him.. who are we supposed to rely on?”

Feng broke down, tears escaping from his eyes. Seeing that, even Kris couldn’t respond.

However, Alvis had barely noticed what they were talking about, as his brain was still occupied with the latest news. No matter how hard he tried to get an overview of the situation and form a logical thought, he couldn’t. His brain wouldn’t let him, as it always led him back to one memory.

Mr. Woltzer’s hopeless face yesterday and the gut-wrenching ill feeling he had seeing that face of utter disappointment.

Don’t tell me he really gave up on us?

“Let me continue with my broadcast,” the Priest said. “As promised, I kept my word. The one who was brave enough to draw first blood has already been granted their reward—instant freedom! They’re enjoying the fresh air outside, savoring their victory, while the rest of you poor souls remain trapped here, scrambling to save your worthless skins, hahaha. But if you want to find out who killed this innocent child, all you have to do is look who isn’t there anymore and you have your answer. Mhmm~ I wonder who it may be?”

Alvis immediately understood what he meant, making him almost lose control. The urge to just rip his own ears off so he never had to hear this priest’s sadistic voice ever again overcame him. However, he just clenched his fist, trying his best to control his raging mana.

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“Now, finally show me your true faces. How will you act now? How far will you go for your own lives? Who will you sacrifice? Who will you betray? Will you kill your own classmates to survive? Show me your egoism. Show me your selfishness. I want to see it all. I want to see every race’s true nature in the darkest hour. This is the only thing that could satisfy my thirst for knowledge. I’m the Devil Cult’s Priest of Knowledge after all!”

The Priest’s broadcast cut off abruptly, leaving the room in a sudden, oppressive silence. It was the kind of silence that felt alive, heavy, pressing in on their chests until it was hard to breathe. His words replayed in Alvis’ head, his aroused, genuine evil voice like the melody of death terrorizing Alvis’ consciousness.

No one moved. The air hung thick with dread, almost suffocating, as if the very walls had absorbed the Priest’s twisted laughter and were now vibrating with it. The scent of sweat and fear filled Alvis’s nostrils, making him feel nauseous. The room had grown colder, the chill seeping through his skin, making his fingers tremble as if he were standing in a graveyard at night.

A soft, choked sob broke through the silence—Kris, clutching his face with trembling hands. Feng was muttering under his breath, his eyes wide and unfocused, like he was reciting some desperate prayer. Morgo clutched his stomach, swaying on his feet as though he was about to collapse again.

Normally, an announcement by Mr. Woltzer would follow such devastating news as he would do the impossible and calm everyone down. But this time, there was nothing. Only the hollow echo of the Priest’s laughter, lingering like a curse that refused to leave them.

Alvis’ body started trembling as his usually so dependent brain refused to function. His vision blurred, all the paths leading to a peaceful future collapsing right before his eyes. It was as if darkness clouded his mind, making it impossible for him to know what to do. All he could see was the boy’s dead body and Mr. Woltzer’s disappointed face while the Priest’s voice kept replaying in his head only adding to his despair.

It’s all your fault. You knew someone would die soon, yet you did nothing to stop it. You saw Mr. Woltzer’s hopeless face, yet you just ignored it. Now even more people will die just because you’re useless. It’s all your fault. You couldn’t save anyone. Again.

Alvis’ breathing became unstable and his knees slowly lost their strength. However, as his coordination got worse, and he almost stumbled to the ground, his phone vibrated. With his last strength, he looked at the message, only to see Lia’s name pop up.

Lia: We can’t give up yet!

Alvis stared at the message, his mind struggling to process it.

These are the same words I told to her the moment she almost gave in to despair.

His heart skipped a beat. The fog of darkness lifted slightly, enough for him to take a shallow breath.

“We can’t… give up yet,” he whispered to himself, the words barely a breath.

He forced himself to remember the faces of those he swore to protect. The room spun around him, but he gripped the edge of the desk, digging his nails into the wood.

No… I can’t collapse now. If I fall apart, everyone else will too.

Alvis slapped his face, forcefully turning the gears in his brain with his own willpower. The trembling in his hands subsided as a burst of energy erupted from his core.

“Think, think, think.”

Mr. Woltzer is gone, and the first kill happened. This is our current situation. However, this doesn’t mean everything is lost. There is no way Mr. Woltzer would kill a student, no matter how much hope he lost. His disappearance is inconvenient, but there has to be a reason we just don’t know yet. The most simple way to prove his innocence is by finding out who really killed that student. The only way to do this is by searching for another person who might have vanished. If there is another student who is gone, then that means he was the true culprit.

“Everyone, calm down,” Alvis said with a firm voice. “Even though someone died, it doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. If you want to stay alive, you have to keep your calm and we all have to work together.”

“Alvis?”

They all just stared at him with wide eyes, unable to process his sudden change. Yet this was significantly better than them being drowned in despair.

Someone has to take control. And if Mr. Woltzer isn’t here, I will take this role.

“Mr. York, who knows about Mr. Woltzer’s disappearance?”

“Ehm, only the teachers should know, but perhaps some teachers also accidentally told their students.”

“Tell every teacher that they should keep the information to themselves for the time being. We don’t know for certain if Mr. Woltzer vanished, so it would only lead to more panic. Tell them also they should look if a student of their class went missing because if another person is gone, they might be responsible for the kill. In the meantime, prepare a group of teachers who will search in every corner of this school to find Mr. Woltzer.”

“U-Understood.”

“The most important thing right now is to somehow hold on to the last thread of control and to avoid absolute chaos from breaking free.”

However, once again, Alvis’ phone vibrated. As he looked at it again, he saw another message from Lia.

Lia: You have to come to the dorms. Now! The humans led by Charles are starting a revolt as the one who died was a friend of theirs. They accuse the demons and they want revenge.

Alvis could only click his tongue as the thought never even crossed his mind that the victim’s friends would want revenge, even though it should have been so obvious.

Shit!

However, this wasn’t the end of the bad news, as his phone rang once again. This time Chao was the one who messaged him.

Chao: Is it true that Mr. Woltzer is gone? A large group of fourth years are currently on their way to the Principal’s office to confirm this rumor. But they attract a lot of attention and panic is breaking out. What should we do?

“Shit!”

With his brain overfilled with thoughts, Alvis ran out of the classroom.