Academy's Strongest?

Chapter 4 : Traitors

Gabriela was sitting on a sofa facing the main builders who led the mansion’s construction. While Ter stood behind her and his subordinate guarded the entrances and exits so the builders could not escape.

“What brings you here, Duchess Gabriela..” They bowed their heads.

“Hmm… I am not really the one to snoop around. So I want you to answer truthfully. Okay? Did you three build a pathway that wasn't included on the map of the mansion?” At her question, the three builders looked at each other, confused by her question.

“What!?” They all said in unison.

“Duchess. Are you sure about that? Because, based on my memory, I have mapped out the emergency exits and entrances on a map.” A dwarf stroking his long brown beard commented while the other two nodded in agreement.

‘Their breathing is stable, and they are maintaining eye contact, but it isn’t enough to prove they are innocent.’ Gabriela observed their reactions along with Ter.

“But we found one just today that isn't on the map. Any explanation regarding that?”

“Hmm… If that's the case, Duchess Gabriela. May I ask where you have found this entrance?” Another chimed in, but unlike the other one, he was a human. He is bald and clean-shaven, with a rugged build that showed his experience on the field through his appearance.

“In the hallway near the garden.”

Arven is an elf who is the youngest among the three, at thirty-five years old. Which, in elf years, is a toddler, and as he was thinking a memory appeared in his mind of a man that he put in charge of that section due near the end. Pok the dwarf threw up his back.

“Hallway near the garden… Ah!” Gabriela and the others turned their attention towards him.

“Did you recall something?”

“Yes, Duchess! The that build that section of the mansion is man named Y–.” Arven tried saying the name, but he couldn’t.

“s**t, he put a covenant on me!?” Memories of the man named @#%! were slowly disappearing from his mind.

“Knull! Give me a paper and pen right now!” Knull stood up and went to the cabinet inside the office and took out a paper and a pen. He handed both to Arven as Arven focused on the remaining memory of the man and drew his face to the best of his ability.

“Here is the man! Duchess Gabriela…” After the covenant finally finished, Arven collapsed, with both Knull and Pok catching hs falling figure before his body touched the floor.

“I declare your company is innocent by my judgment! Ter treated him before we go and hand over reparations for this trouble.” Gabriela ordered as he picked up the paper, and her face twisted in anger as the man on the paper was the serial killer known as the cannibal. He is a man who has the habit of killing and eating people. He has blue hair and black eyes, along with a lanky body type, and his name is Lapis.

***

“Hmm!? Damn, they found me already? I was hoping to turn this into a mystery goose chase, but well, this is fine too.” Lapis, currently disguised as a gardener, tipped his hat and headed to Raizel’s room. After he arrived near the door, a sword along with a staff were aimed at his neck.

“I'm so sorry, Ma’am, Sir! I was just lost! Could you please help me find the way to the garden?” He frantically explained, his voice carrying a tone of fear.

“Yeah, right!” A woman responded in a mocking tone as she slashed his neck while the man beside her fired his magic, sending Lapis's headless body flying across the hallway. His head landed and rolled on the floor, but there was no blood at all. He saw Stella staring at him; she wore a maid dress with a blindfold over her eyes and had a braided hairstyle with a darker skin color.

“Haa…Today really isn’t my lucky day? My identity was found out, and my fun is ruined too. This sucks!” Lapis’s head was talking as his body got up, only to be pinned down on the floor by the mage’s magic.

“Stella! Now!” he shouted, and Stella already closed the distance and swung her sword down at the head but was stopped by Lapis’s long tongue, which wrapped around her sword, shattering it.

“Die!” Lapis’s tongue lunged at her, but it was pinned down too as he looked at the magic circle above his head.

“You okay? Stella?”

“Yeah, thank you for the save, Quan. I will make to finish him off this time. Weaponry open!” She extended her hand and summoned a sword out of thin air. Stabbing Lapis’s head, his body stopped struggling, but Quan didn’t let up and maintained the magic circles.

“Stella, burn the body with this.” Quan took out a lantern from his pouch containing white flames and handed it to Stella.

“That's pretty smart of you, mage.” Lapis's voice was heard behind Quan. The moment he turned around, Lapis already stabbed him in the stomach. Stella appeared beside Lapis as he took his blade out of Quan’s stomach and flung his body away.

“Talk about heartless. Are you sure not helping your comrade?” Stella swung her sword into an arc, but unlike the previous body. The sword shattered on impact, but due to the aura infused in her sword, he was brought down to one knee.

‘Aura!? But I didn’t see her reinforce her sword, and the hell is happening?’ Lapis’s eyes panned to the sword she summoned after the other one was broken.

“I see, I remember you now. The successor of the executioner.” Stella snapped her finger, making the embedded pieces of the sword in his body explode into white flames, leaving nothing behind.

“Damn it! Why are you here!?” He appeared a couple of steps behind, agitated and scratching his head in anger.

“Haa. Damn you it!” He then formed a ball of dark mana and dropped it. Quan closed in the distance and extended his hand, using wind magic to send both the ball of dark mana and Lapis toward the front yard.

“Arghh! Why is each one of you so annoying?” The ball of dark mana exploded on his face, and he landed face-first on the ground. His body was charred and his body fall to the ground lifeless and appearing once again with a new body near his charred body.

“That troublesome ability.” Quan removed his bloodied robe and tossed it to the side, revealing his appearance. He had darker skin with curly hair and a body full of tribal tattoos; he then jumped toward the revived Lapis.

He thrust the top of his wooden staff like a sword, followed by a horizontal arc and a right downward diagonal arc, breaking Lapis's left arm and finishing it with a palm strike.

“Hahahaha, is that all you got?”

“Tempest!” Wind was generated on Quan’s palm, ripping Lapis’s body apart as the wind turned into a tornado trapping him inside.

‘He got me cornered!’ Lapis threw his fingers imbued with dark mana at multiple direction percing through the tornado as his body ripped to pieces. He then revived near one of his scattered fingers, but Stella was waiting for him there as a wave of aura in the form of an arc swept him.

‘Did already figure out my ability weakness. Well, time to escape. I have bought enough time, right, Wilson.’

“His presence disappeared from the mansion’s vicinity?” Quan looked at the magic circle projected from his hand.

“Quan, where is the enemy?”

“He escaped. Or so he thought.” He raised his staff and chanted.

“Gungnir! Bring me my enemy’s head!”Quan summoned a light spear and sent it to the sky. The spear then redirected itself towards the southern gate.

“Stella. Follow the spear and bring others with you.”

“Okay.” Stella, followed by her fellow maids, pursued the spear.

Quan walked to the Raziel’s room and open it seeing Lisa holding the youngest master who was asleep in her arms while beneath her feat is blooded corpse. “Ah! You're here, Quan. Is the enemy outside dead?”

“No, Captain. He escaped using a bizarre ability, but Stella went to track him down.”

“Hmmm… I will let it slide for now, but next time be prepared for failure, understand. Also, clean this place before the youngest master wakes up.”

Kain came out of the rift after killing the monster that maintained it from the inside and was greeted by the knights who were waiting for him.

“Here, catch!” He threw a mana crystal the size of a human head.

“A purple mana crystal!”

“Make sure not to damage it, or I will deduct it from your salary.”

“Yes, sir!”

He entered the tent and saw Kris bowing to him as he entered. “Did something happen while I was away?”

“No, Duke Kain.”

“Why so formal? Just called by Kain like always.”

“I can’t do that, sir. I will gain all of the hatred of the entire barracks if I do so.”

“Hahhahaha. Is that so?” He exited the tent and announced to all of the other knights.

“Well then, let’s eat before heading back home!”

Time passed after they ate, and it was already evening as they took down the tents and packed into their two huge backpack that the porters were carrying. After Kain got home and entered his mansion, he saw the trace of battle in the front yard; the ground was full of sword slashes and small craters, along with blood on the ground.

“What the hell happened here?” His voice carried hostility.