[Dear student, first-year class C, Dante Eliv has been found dead in his dorm room. Everyone is to return to their dorms immediately within the next hour. Please contact the academy as soon as possible if you cannot return at the moment.]
Where did I go wrong?
It was then that I realized just how complicated my situation actually was. My own actions weren’t the only ones that affected the future. Though they might be the root, they weren’t the only cause. I was so focused on how the future would change when I did something that I neglected the real players in the game. Whenever something changes, the other parties adapt and change their strategies accordingly, and when too many strategies are changed, the outcome becomes unpredictable even for me. Since the motives of some of the parties are unknown, that’s all the more reason I couldn’t predict their actions.
“We should probably get going.” Lily’s voice cut me from my thoughts, and I replied with a nod. We then left the restaurant and made our way to the campus.
As we walked, I started to think deeply about the situation. The major difference between the past I knew and the current one was my existence in high-class C, which I didn't think was that significant. The biggest change would probably be Dante Eliv and the fact that he was unable to become the leader of High Class-C. Is that why he was targeted? Could it be the same party that killed Precious in the past?
So many questions yet very few answers.
But at the same time, killing a student in the very first week wasn’t something you would risk on a whim. I could think of a few parties with the capability to do that, but it didn’t make sense why any of them would make a move this early.
Is my presence in the high classes a factor in this?
It seemed that I couldn’t abandon the possibility entirely. If they were going to play like this, I had to make bolder moves. I started to mentally run through the different groups that might have been involved in this incident and came up with three possible actors.
First was the military state of Godlana, which had more or less the same global influence as our Empire, so their spies within the academy were more than capable of doing something like this without leaving a trace. The second group was the demons under the direction of the Demon Kings. Since they wouldn’t care if it was traced back to them, they would be able to pull off something this bold. The third one was a bit of a special case. They weren’t a kingdom nor an empire, but an organization with a lot of influence in the underworld. While governments around the world called them terrorists and criminals, the people often referred to them as revolutionists.
The criminal group—False Peace.
One of the doctors at the academy was an official member of the group and, other than him, I had no idea who else was working under them. Regardless of what I decided to do, I couldn’t kill the doctor no matter what. Doing so would be akin to killing the people he helps during the war in the future.
“Well, I’ll see you later, I guess.”
“Ah. Yeah, sure.”
Before I knew it, we were already at the crossroads near the dorm entrance. After Lily left, I turned around to head to my dorm, but as if calculated, my phone suddenly beeped, and a message came in. For security reasons, even when an individual places their phone on silent, whenever the academy sends an official message, the phone rings regardless of settings. I looked at the message and immediately turned around.
Was someone following us?
I didn’t sense anything, but it was the only conclusion I could come to because of the timing and content of the message.
[Dear student, please report to the Headmaster's office immediately.]
It was as if they were waiting for Lily and me to separate before sending the message.
Should I act oblivious and continue going to my dorm building?
It might be enough to draw them from hiding, but I immediately decided against it. I could only think of one reason they would call me, and doing something like that might arouse more suspicion. In the end, I reluctantly walked across the academy and headed toward the staff buildings. They were much different from the staff offices found within the classroom buildings. Since professors also needed to train on their own, the staff building had a mix of offices and many training facilities. I arrived and walked into the building, seeing a few teachers walking around inside. Since none of them tried to stop me, I continued up the stairs and walked to the top of the building where only one office was located.
Headmaster.
I knocked twice on the door and opened it. Inside was your typical office with a large desk and an office chair, the only difference being—it was very spacious. When I entered the room, I felt the gazes of the individuals already inside. Though two of them weren’t directly facing me, I could still feel their eyes on me. Even from their backs, I could tell who they were. The leader of Class A, Precious Tink, and the leader of Class B, Liam Elendale, also known as the fifth prince of the empire. The royal’s signature blonde hair was enough to make this connection.
“You are finally here.”
A stern voice reached my ears and my eyes naturally fell on the man who spoke. He had light blue hair and eyes of the same color. The reason the two couldn’t turn their heads was because of this man, who was sitting at his desk with a serious expression.
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“Sorry, I was still outside the academy.”
I replied with an apology and stood side by side with the other two students.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry, we didn’t wait that long. Linton, if you may…”
The man standing beside the headmaster nodded and stepped forward. He was wearing an all-black suit and exuded an aura of authority. He took out what looked like an ID from his jacket and flashed it in front of us,
“I’m Special Agent Linton. I’m sure you already received the announcement, so I will make this short. Dante Eliv’s body was actually discovered last night, but because of the nature of the crime scene, we decided to put the announcement on hold for the night. But in the end… everything points to suicide.”
“That’s impossible.”
The moment he finished speaking, the prince’s voice rang out with a hint of anger. He wasn’t the only one who was thinking this.
“I also stand with his highness. Dante isn’t someone who would take his own life.”
Surprisingly, Precious also thought the possibility wasn’t worth entertaining. As someone who knew Dante even in the future, I could definitely say the same. However, I still kept my mouth shut since Dante and I were only acquainted for a mere week at this point in time.
“I see. Sigh. Then the situation is worse than we might have anticipated.”
The headmaster said with a tired tone while giving Linton a side glance. They nodded to each other knowingly and Agent Linton continued to speak,
“We also reached the same conclusion, but without proper evidence, there’s nothing we can do other than write it off as a suicide.”
“Huh? But you know someone is behind this, did you really do everything in your power?”
Liam shouted out loud in anger. As a member of royalty, he grew up making friends with kids of influential nobles within the empire, and one such person was likely Dante. I wasn’t even aware of their friendship, and it really started to click just how many variables were involved whenever I changed something.
“I understand your frustration, your highness, but Agent Linton here has been at the academy since last night and we haven't even slept a wink trying to do everything we can.”
“But…”
Liam clenched his fist in frustration and could only nod at the headmaster’s words. Though what the headmaster said next seemed to soothe his worries a bit,
“That’s why we've called the three of you here. We believe there’s a strong possibility the assailant was a student, so we would like you three to investigate as leaders of your classes.”
The headmaster looked at us one by one before his gaze stopped on me. I returned the gaze with a calm expression, and he continued,
“But before we can do that, I have a question for the two of you.”
It didn’t take a genius to know who he was talking about. He looked between me and Precious before asking out loud,
“The two of you met at a restaurant two days before he was killed. Do you mind telling us what that was about?”
I kept quiet and looked at Precious, who immediately started to explain without a hint of hesitation,
“Dante asked me to try and sabotage Ian so he could become the class leader. I have proof if you don't believe me.”
She then reached into her pocket and played a voice recording of what we talked about that day. It was so convenient I started to feel goosebumps. After listening to the 4-minute voice note and confirming its authenticity, the headmaster nodded in understanding before continuing,
“Then we’ll trust the three of you to investigate the matter. Be as discreet as possible. We’ll officially announce his death as a suicide for now but be sure not to rush the investigations and draw attention to yourselves. That will be all.”
The headmaster concluded with a small smile as if trying to console us. After nodding to his words, we all turned around to leave.
“Oh, not you, Ian. I still have something to ask about.”
Why?
I froze in my tracks and turned back to see his now laid-back expression. He was making it look like whatever he wanted to talk to me about wasn’t that big of a deal, though his actions weren’t lost on the other two. Precious flashed a smile before leaving the room, while Liam looked at me suspiciously before eventually leaving too.
“Well, I will be going too. Sigh. Now I have to brief the commander.”
Linton’s face was pale as he walked out with slow steps. It was only natural since the commander was probably one of the scariest people to deal with, and now, he had to explain to him how his son committed suicide at the academy. The headmaster would also face backlash from this incident, so he also wouldn’t leave the unscathed.
“Sigh. It’s a huge mess I have on my plate, don’t you think, kid?”
The headmaster spoke in a much lighter tone and looked more relaxed than worried. I simply scrutinized his expression for a few seconds and finally asked in a confused tone,
“Did you need me for something?”
“Oh? A lot of students would be excited just to be in my presence, you are quite the interesting kid.”
“Well, I've met the Dragon Princess.”
“Hahaha. Well, when you put it that way, I’m just a run-of-the-mill magician, huh?”
Headmaster Lloyd, the defense king. He was a very humble man, but at the same time, he was extremely strong. He may downplay himself because I dropped Aurora’s moniker, but his ability was no joke. In the Dragnok succession incident 6 years ago, the rumors say he single-handedly fought the Dragon Princess for more than 3 hours and left with his life intact. During that time, Aurora was already an S-rank knight.
“If there’s nothing you want to say, can I leave?” I asked again at the amused headmaster, and he simply shrugged as if my actions were a buzzkill.
“Do you remember the forms you had to fill out when you were accepted at the academy?”
He asked while holding a piece of paper in hand and showing me the contents. The moment he said this, I realized the direction the conversation was heading, and my mind started to race. I was expecting something like this to happen, but the incident with Dante made me forget about it completely.
“I do.”
I tried to keep a calm face as I answered. He nodded to himself as he went on to his next question,
”Do you remember the attribute you wrote down?”
Since it was too dangerous to share the details of a person’s authority, the academy required us to at least write the attribute our authority was associated with instead. This way, you wouldn’t worry about someone taking advantage of your possible weaknesses. During that time, for lack of understanding of my ability, I had written it down as an illusion type.
“Yeah, I do. Is there a problem?”
I tried to act confused, but the headmaster didn’t seem to care as he continued with a sharp tone,
“Then correct me if I’m wrong here, but illusion magic only affects the target it’s cast onto. So for bystanders, they wouldn’t be able to see anything, right?”
I nodded at his words. What I did against Eliana wasn’t even close to illusion magic. As a matter of fact, I never even cast a spell on Eliana herself. The headmaster probably interrogated her already, so his suspicions were only natural. I nodded under his intense gaze and replied calmly,
“That’s right.”
”Haha. That’s what I also thought, so you can imagine my surprise when I watched your fight with the Professor. Do you have anything to confess?”
So he was watching?
“I don't,” I replied with a blunt tone as I glared at him with an openly hostile gaze. I had no obligation to explain my abilities to him, but instead of an equally hostile stance, he simply chuckled.
“Oh, don’t be so cold, Ian…” His sinister smile sent shivers down my spine. His next words weighed heavily in the room as a frown appeared on my face.
“Or should I say, Lord Lazarus, master of time?”