Chapter 81: A Play of Lies
Ah, right.
It was because she was more noble, and he was less noble.
Damon felt a surge of anger.
Damn it, what did I even do?
You think you’re so great?
His mind cleared, fueled by rage. As Lopetrefer’s foot hovered in the air, about to stomp on him again, Damon pushed her with all his might. Lopetrefer, caught off guard, stumbled back, and the ‘even more insignificant bitches’ who had been standing nearby rushed towards her in surprise.
He ignored them and did what he had wanted to do. Three punches, to her face, her body, and her legs. He unleashed the fists that his friends had always praised on the girl.
And then, he blacked out.
When he came to his senses, he was standing in the courtroom, his limbs bound.
It was a large, unsettling place. He could sense the contempt of everyone present.
His mother, his father, his older sister, Lopetrefer and her family, her friends, her fiancé. And the girl who wasn’t his friend, but had just been ‘there’.
The judge began to read the verdict, his voice monotone.
Problem, violence, murder, attempted murder, punishment, sentence, son, daughter, grand duke, council, academy, Imperial Family.
Hundreds of words swirled around him. They were all about him. As the thorns of condemnation and contempt pierced him, a wave of injustice surged through him. He glared at Enzhe Lopetrefer, who was sitting in the victim’s seat.
She had definitely hit him harder, tried to kill him.
But why was she acting like the victim, trembling?
He wanted to shout at the judge, who was sitting high above him. But he couldn’t. Because he finally realized.
‘…I’m scared.’
It was dark, so dark. He couldn’t describe it any other way. The girl, who had seemed so much weaker than him, was trying to swallow him whole with her gaze. He felt the fear of death for the first time in his life.
“Kekeke…”
And then, he heard a sound, mocking his fear. Damon Keron, unfortunately, clearly heard her voice in the chaotic courtroom.
She was sitting in the gallery.
A pale girl with messy red hair, braided in a thick plait.
Her crimson eyes, which had always looked at the world with arrogance, were curved into a sly smile. Their eyes met, and she mouthed the words,
‘Idiot.’
That was the moment. The moment all of Damon Keron’s shame and terror turned into rage towards Sue Byron.
‘Why don’t you go lick up the spit you spat? Goodbye, trash.’
“…Damn it.”
Damon threw the blood-soaked handkerchief.
He had to get revenge on those bitches. He still had some magic left in him. He could do it. He didn’t even know what he was going to do, but he still had a goal.
‘Kill Sue Byron.’
He placed all his belongings on the ground. All, meaning three things.
Three crumpled pieces of paper.
Raines’s sword.
And the remaining magic in his body.
This was truly his last chance.
In this twisted world, he would kill her and survive.
***
“Phew… Phew…”
Sue exhaled deeply as the teacher collected the exam papers. The last evaluation for the sixth years was finally over. She felt her entire body relax. Her head drooped, and she took a few deep breaths, her face buried in her arms.
She had messed up the magic evaluation again, but she was confident in the written exams this time.
She had been diligently attending classes all year, determined to improve her grades. She had always been at the bottom of the class, but she wanted to be at least in the top 50 out of 85 students for the winter evaluation.
‘But knowing Sue, she’ll probably get 51st place.’
Sue smiled wryly, resigned.
But she still felt a sense of accomplishment for completing a major task.
***
“Ah, Sue Byron Chiqmefriar.”
Fritz always called her by her full name. She was strolling through the sixth-year garden during her lunch break, hoping to digest her food. She turned around at the sound of her name and saw Fritz, Acrea, and Melaine gathered at the gazebo.
“What are you three doing there?”
It was a gazebo designed for tea parties, but they were just standing there, as if they had other business. Fritz beckoned her with a smug grin.
“Come here.”
Sue sensed a bad omen, but she couldn’t refuse. She glanced at Melaine, who was sighing and massaging her forehead.
“What is it, Master Fritz?”
Fritz pointed down.
“Huh? What’s tha… Aaaaaahhhh!”
Her blossoming smile vanished in an instant. A crustacean-like insect, the size of her forearm, was wriggling under the tea table.
Sue recoiled in horror, her already pale face turning even whiter, like a corpse.
“Are you okay? You seem really surprised.”
Fritz’s face was filled with concern, as if he hadn’t expected that reaction.
“Y-yes… I’m fine.”
Sue wiped the sweat from her brow, her legs trembling. Melaine crossed her arms and muttered petulantly,
“He did the same thing to me. You’re so mischievous, Master Fritz.”
“Hmm, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to show you because it was so interesting.”
Fritz mumbled sheepishly, tapping his foot on the ground. It might have been a good intention, but Sue found his idea even more terrifying.
“Sue, come here. Let’s talk.”
Melaine called out to Sue, who was about to turn and leave. Sue bit her lip, seeing Melaine’s pitying gaze. She had been acting like that ever since the Imperial Family Visit. As if she was giving a piece of bread to a poor child. Without actually giving any rewards.
Sue calmed her racing heart and slowly walked towards the gazebo. Peeking from behind Fritz, she saw the forearm-sized insect still wriggling.
“Isn’t it interesting?”
Fritz asked cheerfully, squatting in front of the insect. Sue chuckled and nodded.
‘What a psychopath.’
Sometimes she wondered if Fritz’s mental age had stopped at ten. And yet, he had the imposing aura of a noble. It’s not fair.
“It’s too big to be a… pillbug. Is it a cockroach?”
“It’s too big to be a cockroach too.”
Acrea said, observing the insect closely. Sue didn’t think it looked like a pillbug or a cockroach either.
“I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before…”
Fritz tilted his head, a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
“What are you all doing?”
Enzhe, who had just left the glass garden, spotted them and joined the group. But her cheerful expression vanished within three seconds, her face turning pale.
“Why are you looking at this disgusting thing?”
She grimaced. Her eyes, filled with disgust, didn’t waver, even though she was facing Fritz.
Fritz smiled wryly and stood in front of her, blocking her view. Everyone present knew that she hated insects.
“I was just looking because it was interesting. I’ve never seen an insect this big before.”
“Interesting…? That’s a Kephripcaps.”
“Kephripcaps?”
Fritz asked back, and Enzhe pouted.
“You don’t know? It’s a Kephripcaps, an insect that feeds on magical energy. They live in dark forests, and they’re usually not this big… But there are so many people at the academy, it probably absorbed a lot of magical energy.”
“As expected of Enzhe. You know everything.”
Fritz praised her, impressed by her explanation. Enzhe blushed.
Even though she seemed to do nothing but bully Sue all day, Enzhe was the most talented mage in the Lopetrefer family, a family known for its great mages.
‘Well, second most talented now.’
Anyway, her knowledge of magic was on par with that of an Imperial mage, so it wasn’t surprising that she knew about Kephripcaps.
“They convulse like that when they absorb abnormal magical energy… or when they reach the end of their lifespan.”
“Hmm, this one must be dying.”
“Right. Let’s burn it. I don’t want to see it anymore.”
“Wait, Enzhe.”
Acrea suddenly stopped her as she reached for her hand to cast a spell.
“Let’s preserve this insect as a specimen instead of burning it.”
“What?”
Enzhe’s eyes widened in surprise at his unexpected suggestion. Even Sue was puzzled, as it wasn’t a typical Acrea idea. Acrea leaned against a pillar and smiled at the gazes directed at him.
“It’s my first time seeing a Kephripcaps up close. It’s fascinating, isn’t it? Shina, what do you think?”
He subtly passed the decision to Fritz.
“That’s a good idea, Woo!”
‘Ah, figures.’
Sue chuckled hollowly. He was just putting on a show to please Fritz.
Enzhe sighed and massaged her forehead. Even she, who loved Fritz so much, couldn’t understand this hobby of his.
“Then I’ll take this Kephripcaps.”
To think these guys are causing such a commotion over an insect. And they’re the male leads of a romance novel.
Acrea, who had fetched a pair of tongs and a paper bag, carefully picked up the Kephripcaps and placed it inside.
Enzhe sat on a chair in the gazebo, watching them blankly, her head resting on her hand.
“When I was a child, I saw a headless cockroach crawling around at our villa. I’ve hated insects ever since.”
She muttered, as if to herself, lost in memories. She hadn’t expected a reply, but Fritz responded with interest.
“Haha, they say cockroaches can live for a week without their heads. Maybe that’s why.”
“They can’t eat, so they just writhe around, waiting to die.”
Why can’t they be normal friends like this…