344. What the protagonist must shoulder
A man leaving the newspaper office humming. He was leisurely walking down the stairs, putting on his brimmed gentleman’s hat and trying to hide his eyes filled with joy.
Marionette of a massacre.
Cursed puppeteer.
A puppet that calls for blood.
There are countless nicknames for him written on the wanted report, but in reality, his gender, name, and even his facial expression are all different for each wanted report, so no one knows his true identity.
Even the members of Hunhwa.
Then how do the members of Hunhwa distinguish him?
There are not many, but there are some characteristics that can distinguish him.
ㅡWow.
First, he doesn’t leave his fingers still even for a moment and bends them here and there to the point where his bones sound. The members speculate that he feels empty when he does not move his fingers due to his habit of practicing puppetry.
Second, the gender is male.
He has a fairly androgynous image, to the point that when he dresses up as a woman, he can easily be mistaken for a woman, but I know for sure that he is a man.
That’s because he always brought his ‘wife’ with him. He cherishes his wife so much that he has to carry her around in her coffin since she has long since passed away. Well, when he’s in disguise like he is now, he doesn’t necessarily carry a conspicuous coffin himself. In this case, it is best to check to see if there is a funeral director nearby carrying a casket.
In fact, even now, a large man could be seen near him carrying a large coffin on his back.
Still, there aren’t many features.
If he had that many characteristics to begin with, he would have been caught a long time ago. That’s because there are more than just one or two sins committed.
In particular, a dozen years ago, a significant number of nobles were killed in a massacre that took place at the Empire’s opera, and because of that, the Empire is still chasing them with fire in their eyes.
Anyway, it was a time when he, who had many sins and had many troubles, was leisurely leaving the newspaper office after finishing his work and trying to hide in the crowd of people on the street.
At that time, someone stopped him in the alley.
“Uncle Regis!”
Reacting to the name Regis, he looks sideways into the alley and sees a girl with bluish hair standing there. ‘Regis’ was his name given to the members of Hunhwa. Of course, no one knows whether that is his real name or not.
“It’s Lucia. I didn’t know you would come to meet us.”
Regis approaches the alley with a smile on his face after a long time. In the meantime, he doesn’t let go of his fingers and makes a clicking sound.
“I came here to talk to you, but it looks like you’ve had some fun.”
Lucia said this and showed the newspaper she was holding in one hand. The newspaper had an article he wrote on the front page.
“I’d like to hear an evaluation?”
“It was a very vicious article.”
“I’m glad you felt that way.”
As he enters the alley and stands against the wall opposite Lucia, the large undertaker who follows him stands blocking the entrance to the alley, naturally blocking their appearance.
Lucia opened her mouth, frowning at the strong smell of medicine coming from the undertaker’s body.
“What is your intention?”
“Intention?”
“There must be a reason for this.”
“Hmm… This is why…”
“Is there something I don’t know?”
“Lucia, do you know how to write the most painful tragedy?”
“The most painful tragedy? Isn’t it killing someone you love? Oh, I’m not arguing.”
Lucia turns her head after squinting at the coffin the undertaker was carrying on his back.
Regis, who burst into laughter at her answer, continues her speech again.
“…It’s not wrong. There aren’t many things more painful than losing someone you love. But there are tragedies that are more painful and nasty than that.”
“……”
Lucia shrugs her shoulders as if she doesn’t understand her.
Regis continued her explanation, holding up her finger to help her understand.
“It is said that the most frightening thing is a tragedy that comes just before it comes to fruition. It is easy to be shocked when a story that was thought to be a comedy turns into a tragedy. So, I just create an environment where it will not be strange if tragedy comes. “
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. He won’t die, right?”
“They won’t die. At least for them, death is an obvious tragedy, right? I don’t know if it’s a pain worse than death. But when they asked me when I should kill them, I guess I changed my mind.”
“…As we’ve been together, my expectations have only increased. It’s become more and more fun as time goes by.”
As Lucia continued her words, she revealed a faint smile.
She wasn’t sure if she could call what she was feeling her love, but she did have the face of a girl in love.
There is silence for a moment, but then Regis changes the topic by asking a question.
“Anyway, I lost contact with Laferte. Do you know anything?”
“Well, he could have died. It wouldn’t be that strange to say that Uncle Laffert was among the corpses of over a hundred blood wizards, right?”
“…Is that so?”
Regis stared into Lucia’s eyes, which did not waver even an inch, and then she turned her back and smiled shyly.
“Why are you targeting him?”
Lucia asked Regis, who was about to leave her alley.
“Why are you targeting me?”
At this, Regis turned around.
Then she opened her mouth to the girl who had her eyes wide open.
“Because he is the main character of this puppet show.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“The main character…?”
Lucia muttered softly and tilted her head in response to his difficult-to-understand answer.
“……”
Regis raised the corner of his mouth, lightly ignoring her question, waved his hand once and immediately left the alley.
Lucia, who was staring blankly at his back, muttered softly.
“…He’s such a strange person.”
***
My article was written in the newspaper this morning.
Thanks to this, it was difficult to raise my head and go outside in the afternoon.
But you still have to do what you have to do.
I wandered around the alleys as much as possible to avoid people’s eyes, and somehow managed to arrive at the main academy building.
The reason I came here was none other than a call from Chairman Hubert Graham. His secretary personally came to the dormitory and summoned me.
The reason is probably because of the newspaper article.
As expected, when I entered the chairman’s office, I saw Hubert, who was reading a newspaper.
“Are you here?”
“It’s been a while, Chairman.”
As I sat down under the guidance of the secretary, Hubert, who had closed the newspaper he was reading, got up and sat down on the sofa across from me.
“It seemed like quite a lot had happened in the East. I never thought I’d find out about the current situation through the newspaper. Are you feeling okay? I don’t think it would have been easy to deal with a hundred blood mages.”
“I was lucky and didn’t get hurt. The tattered prosthetic arm was also repaired a few days ago.”
“Seeing as you didn’t deny it, I guess it wasn’t the reporter’s bluff. After the article was published, there was an explosive response. Half of the requests were from reporters to meet you, and half were requests from nobles to form a relationship with you. .”
“I don’t think it’s something to laugh about.”
“That’s what I think too. I knew long ago that there was a bounty on your head, but only now that it has surfaced like this… I feel like the evil plans of those who are obsessed with money will never end. “I’m sure you’ve met the assassins a few times already, right?”
“I still have something to say about that.”
“…Tell me.”
Hubert throws his head back and leans against the sofa.
“It’s okay for me to be in danger. But if I continue like this, my younger siblings will also be in danger. I’m trying to hire someone who can act as a nanny and bodyguard…”
“Bodyguard…?”
Hubert, who was trimming his beard, tilts his head with a look that makes him wonder if he heard something wrong. He didn’t think it was something he would question.
“Yes, a nanny and bodyguard. Actually, I’ve already found the right person, but I think I’ll have to ask permission to stay in the dormitory.”
“What kind of person is this?”
“It’s the Lycan Slope.”
“Lycan Slope? How did it happen?”
“…Let’s say it’s a series from the East.”
“Hmm… Lycanslope… It doesn’t matter as long as you’re someone you trust. Even if you don’t, I was thinking that you would be busier in the future. It would be much better for your younger siblings that way.”
“When you say busy, do you mean special classes?”
“Have you heard the news already?”
“Yes, near the end of the schedule.”
“Then it will be easier to talk about.”
Hubert smiles in satisfaction and immediately begins to explain.
“To get to the point, you have to pass the special class no matter what.”
“What is the reason?”
“You may have already noticed that although it is called a special group, it is safe to say that it is in fact a knight corps under the Academy. Perhaps that is why the views of surrounding countries are not always positive. The main reason is that it overlaps with the activity radius of other knight guilds.”
“There is land in the academy, but there is no border. I understand what you mean.”
“Thanks to the cooperation of the four element families and the cooperation of the Holy Kingdom, we were able to somehow get the stamp, but if things continue like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if conflicts with other knights occurred at any time. So… With things like this, the special class exam was held. “I’m about to reveal it to the public.”
“To be exact, the main purpose would be to receive evaluation from other knights, not the public.”
“If you show overwhelming skills in the test, they will keep quiet. You will be able to use your fame to gain not only buzz but also legitimacy. Would you please be the star of this public test?”
He is the main character of the public exam.
Seeing that it is being opened to the public, it is different from the last open class.
Anyone can come and have a look, even if they have no particular connection to the academy.
Among them, there will be knights from various countries who do not like the establishment of a special unit, people who doubt whether the articles written in the newspaper are true, and assassins who are looking for the bounty on my head.
It wasn’t that strange even if the devil’s stooge came to visit.
“Here, there is one condition attached to the ‘main character’…”
“What is it?”
“…Please make sure that all children of the four element families can pass the special class.”
“Power supply?”
“All four of you.”
Hubert cuts off my questions with a firm voice.
There are a total of four children from the four continental element families.
Glass from the House of Clementine.
Amon of the Caligus family.
Orphel of the Aisin family.
And even Lucia of the Windless family.
I don’t know about the other three, but how did they get Lucia to pass the special class?
I thought it would be something to ask the instructor for, but he must have decided that it was simply impossible with short-term training. For example, it is possible that Edward said something like this at the meeting.
‘Isn’t it okay if Cadet Lucia is led by Cadet Zeto?’
Edward had a special talent for passing on his work, so he could have done that.
“……”
Hubert, unable to understand my continued silence, opens his mouth again.
“…I can’t show you the map, but the border of the Kingdom of Altarix, which the Windless family belongs to, is also included in the special squad’s activity radius. Just know that even me and Yuliut had no choice.”
“Ah…”
He nodded his head roughly and immediately closed his mouth.
It seems that Hubert also knew well which person was the problem.