Project Schemer: A Pure and Twisted Thought

Chapter 5: Twenty-four hours

"Alright, because of the situation, we are moved to a different sleeper car where it can fit all ten of us. I hope this is not something that bothers all of you."

"It is no problem, professor, we used to sleep in the same room because we are the only ones with scholarships. Besides, we can take care of ourselves."

"Gradnare, you stay here with them, I am going to investigate this case with D'artenge."

"I don't think so, Killian, I am doing this alone. This is my school and this is my responsibility. The killer may target these children and I already have ninety children I need to worry about."

"At least, send some of your students so I can keep them safe."

"Don't worry, this is still a play."

D'artenge said as he left the room, but Thomas couldn't help but worry because, like D'artenge confessed, this was not a part of his plan and there was one thing Thomas knew about D'artenge, that there is always a plan. Because D'artenge always has a plan, so everything will crumble when things don't go according to the plan. Thomas has no doubt about D'artenge's ability, but right now, he can't help but worry about his friend. They may have the longest argument and their friendship may shatter, but Thomas can't help but care for his friend.

"Hey Gradnare, do you know the relationship between them? I never see anyone call headmaster with his name."

"Hmm, if I remember correctly, Professor Thomas is invited directly by the headmaster."

"Wait, invited directly? I thought every professor needed a qualification test before they could become a lecturer."

"I did the qualification test with the headmaster of the academy before the war, but you know, the war."

D'artenge soon returns and tells Thomas about the investigation. He has got the suspect but the rat is hiding and their car will be sealed and locked for the next twenty-four hours, so the suspect can't use any spell to bypass the car and escape to the back of the train. Thomas is fine with the arrangement. The car has plenty of food and the children tagging along with him have their beddings and belongings, so they will be fine, but now it comes with another problem. How to entertain them, in Thomas's mind, they are still children and they can get bored easily with nothing around.

"Professor, I am really curious about war. How about a few tales for us?"

"Sure, gather around here and I will let you know about the war that changed our world."

People usually avoid talking about the great war because of what it did to the world. The war originally started as the war of the East against the governor, but they usually call it the Centre. And with the war slowly expanding, every corner of the world joined in the war and, as a result, it is called the great war. The great war ended with the Centre vanishing from the map of the world and from that moment, there were no great rulers. The war destroyed many things but it brought a new future.

"That is what you learned in the book, but the truth is, there were a lot of horrors during the war. Because I remember every detail of that war, I will give you a few stories. They may not have a happy ending, but it is the lesson you must learn so you don't become prideful and fall into your own abyss."

With the children's attention, Thomas flips through the first page of his notes. The book is simply what Thomas wrote so he can't and never forget about his friends and his comrades, about their bravery and their sacrifice for the sake of a brighter future for the future generation. And the first story is something gentle for the night. The story is about one of the heroes of the war, Lady Charlotte, and how she lost everything, even her own memories. Lady Charlotte was one of Thomas's close friends but, as the fake identity Killian, he admired her bravery and her gentleness when she cared for harmed soldiers.

"I did read about her, they said she was one of the first volunteers to help with the wounded on the battlefield."

"You weren't wrong. She helped a lot of soldiers and harmed people and the arcane we are using right now at free cost comes from her sacrifice."

"Her sacrifice?"

"Yes, that is the part the book doesn't mention. Maybe the man feels ashamed because they can't do what she did."

But what the children don't know is Charlotte's sacrifice. At the beginning of her life, Charlotte is an orphan, but with her manner and dignity, she is respected by a lot of people, but what people don't know is Charlotte's experiment on herself. Her intention was pure, but it is the result of the experiment was something that is beyond what people can think. Charlotte's experiment may change how we used arcane, but it changed her more than normal people can recognize. The result of the experiment destroys her appearance and, the worst thing, it destroyed and twisted her memory.

"So, in the end, she only had agony."

"I wouldn't say that, for any reason, she accepted the sacrifice, but I must say, the cost is still too high. No one can truly understand why she did that but she is the trailblazer who gives us precious knowledge."

But that is not the only thing that happened to Charlotte. The fate of a once renowned lady of salvation becomes a curse for everyone she loved. The war may be a victory, but those that were saved by Charlotte became abominations and destroyed half of the North and that is the moment Thomas appeared in the North and helped them drive away Charlotte and her followers. No one knows where Charlotte and her followers are, but some may presume something happened to her when Thomas Clovis delivered his finishing blow.

"Our fathers were there when Sir Thomas dealt the final blow. Lady Charlotte just vanished without leaving any traces as her existence is erased."

"An interesting fact, I will need that to complete the story. There is no lesson to be taken from this story. I am not a literature teacher and you probably don't want to do a five thousand word essay about this story."

But Lady Charlotte is just one of the stories Thomas wants to tell the children and the day is still long. Why does he need to rush? Thomas casually goes to the stove he prepared a while ago. On the stove is the curry prepared by Thomas and, after inspection, the curry doesn't have any poison and is ready to be served. One of the few things Thomas can cook and doesn't taste like rations or straight up poison. The fact is simple, it is the only dish his father taught him how to cook, but that is not the only reason. The dish has a special place in his heart because it reminds him of Killian, like the fact that his father is always there.

"This is delicious, this is amazing, sir. You have to teach us how to cook this dish, sir."

"Sorry, children, I can't teach anything that is a part of my instinct."

"But someone must have taught you this dish, right?"

"Family secret and that is everything I can say. My father taught me this."

"Your father must be a famous chef."

"No, he isn't. He is more like a freelancer, doing everything to live and living with fulfillment. Don't try to look for him. He passed away five months ago. And don't worry about that, I feel he never left."

The children enjoy the curry and are ready for the next story. The next story is not something strange because it involved one of the most famous veterans of the war who vanished without any traces - Thomas Clovis. The children and even Gradnare got excited when they could hear more stories about the hero of the North. He may be the star of the world, but his true ability and what he is capable of is still a mystery to many people. They just know he vanished one day without trace and the only person that knows him is D'artenge.

"Not like what you guys keep discussing. Thomas is actually a normal thaumaturgist who got dragged into the war. He doesn't have anything special but an unhealthy obsession and that obsession keeps him alive."

"Obsession? Sir, our fathers saw he used five enhancements at the same time during the battle in the North. They also mentioned he had the power to dominate over the element of dimension."

"That is what they see, but the truth is, Thomas moves very fast with his enhancement and his attack is strong for the same reason. It is just enhancement, he didn't have any domination over any elements."

Thomas doesn't lie to the children, he doesn't have any talents and all those things are just a complicated result of Charlotte's work. They are his secrets that only shared with D'artenge and other students under his father's guidance, the type of power that he never wished to use because every time he used it. It reminded him of Charlotte's smile before she crumbled, every enhancement reminded him of his father and his life in the dirt, every enhancement reminded him of the time when D'artenge was still pure and innocent. But those are his tools for survival, his tools for deception and his tools for his path. He will get what he wanted, and he only wants one thing, and that is the zenith of fulfillment.

But continuing his tales, when the children enjoy their curry with white rice, Thomas tells them a completely different story of an ordinary person becoming a hero through countless strife and determination. Because the real Thomas is not something he wants the children to repeat, maybe he will give them Charlotte's secrets when they are truly ready, but he gives them one example. It is the moment he finished the great rulers, how he fights against the whole council when he commanded his soldiers to wait outside or watch if they wanted to.

"I remember the fight completely to every detail, how he switched between enhancements and how he defeated every single one of them without hesitation."

"He fought the whole council? Was he that strong, sir?"

"I can't say if he is strong or not. The last time I met him was when he lost everything after the war and he just even walked past me without saying a word. Maybe the war took everything from him more than the great rulers. But I believe he will do the same thing even if he can choose again."

Thomas's story ends not with a bad ending but an open ending. Maybe he wants to give the children hope that the hero is still among them, collecting the disposable dishes. Thomas put them in the waste basket, reminding the children to brush their teeth before they can sleep like he is a father to them. He finishes the seal on his side and goes to sleep. He doesn't need to worry about what happened outside, because he knows D'artenge is capable of taking down the culprit and even killing the villain without causing a sound. The seal doesn't serve as a way to prevent the culprit entering the cart but to keep the poisonous smoke from entering the cart.

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"Feeling weak? Of course, I know you have a plan on killing me for a while now. After all, I am the one that makes you an orphan. Your parents were glad to die when they knew they couldn't escape that camp, but you actually listen to your grandparents."

"Shut up, you were not even there to redeem yourself, so don't you dare raise your voice against me."

"Shut... up... funny words come from the mouth of a brat who has parents and grandparents who work as criminals and kill countless innocent people. Fine, I will let you know one secret. You are going to die anyway. Your grandparents are those who participated in the hero hunt and they are also one of those people that killed Killian Clovis."

The child almost flinched when he heard the name Clovis. He must hear it again, so he didn't know it was a strategy to lure him and make him lose his focus. D'artenge can simply let the child know everything that his grandparents are killers who killed Killian Clovis or the father of Thomas Clovis. They are hungry vultures, who come down with their wings to steal everything. The world breeds scum and the child's grandparents are the worst of the worst, but before he can say anything, the child is infected with the poison that he used to kill his classmate.

"Scum. And what's this? Lily cycle? Well, the story just gets a little bit more interesting, isn't it? Clean up, I will perform the fabrication now."

"Yes, sir."