Chapter 7: Countless People Were Pouring Onto Me Part 2

Since that day, Ariel had stopped bothering me by coming to find me.

Instead…

“…….”

When we happened to run into each other on the street, she would just glare at me from a distance?

She looked at me like I was trash. But honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

Still, this was better.

Compared to when she used to talk to me directly and pester me, this was much more comfortable.

Whether in the past or now, people always had to be mindful of others’ gazes.

Given enough time, her feelings toward me would gradually fade, and the longer we went without speaking, the more her interest in me would dwindle.

That was what I hoped for, but who knew how things would actually turn out.

So far, things seemed to be going well. After all, the Cradle had been fairly quiet lately.

Even the rebellion in Class F seemed to have cooled off halfway because of my presence, so from now on I’d just need to check in on it occasionally.

But then…

“U-Um, senior?”

“…….”

“Do you have a moment?”

Now what was this guy’s deal?

***

Dietrich stood there, looking visibly restless. If Ariel had seemed adorable when she acted like this, this guy just came off as threatening.

And why wouldn’t he?

“Dietrich……”

He was the bastard who had stabbed me with a sword.

I had barely managed to shake off one person, and now someone completely unexpected had shown up.

“…Fine. Go ahead and speak.”

I was definitely thrown off, but I didn’t let it show.

I had already learned from Ariel, the walking textbook, that running away didn’t solve anything.

Impressive. Just as expected of the kimchi stew recipe.

“U-Um, is your wound okay?”

“Of course, it’s fine.”

In reality, I still occasionally woke up in the middle of the night writhing in pain.

It really fucking hurt, you bastard.

But if I complained about the pain, it was obvious this guy would just get even more concerned.

Just by looking at him, I could tell what was going on. He’d come here to apologize.

I had been wondering why he gave off a similar vibe to Ariel even though they had nothing in common. Turned out it was because they were both trying to do the same thing.

“I-I’m sorry. I guess I got too nervous and couldn’t control my strength back then.”

“It’s fine. That kind of thing can happen during a duel.”

Unlike with Ariel, I received a textbook apology and gave a proper response in return.

I considered getting mad for a second, but figured it would just make him more anxious, so I decided to act like it didn’t bother me.

“No, it was my fault for not recognizing someone clearly beneath me in skill and going too hard.”

“It’s alrigh—”

Wait, what the hell did this bastard just say? I stayed quiet and listened, and his tone sounded off.

Was this some high-level backhanded insult? I leaned down to check Dietrich’s expression just in case, but that didn’t seem to be it.

So he really just made a rude comment with no ill intent…?

You know what, forget it.

He could live his life however he wanted. No need to worry about someone I’d probably never see again.

“Actually, I have this friend. He’s really smart.”

“…And?”

I knew exactly who Dietrich was talking about. That friend was an important part of his backstory.

Dietrich’s friend, Kult.

From the start of the game, he was a mysterious character who acted like he knew everything.

“Whenever I did what he said, things always went smoothly.”

“Sounds like a pretty amazing friend.”

“Oh, so you understand? You must’ve had someone like that in your life too, right, senior?”

“……?”

Was this bastard seriously trying to mess with me?

…Or maybe not? Was I just overreacting? Why would he even bother trying to mess with me?

“My friend told me. That noble students are generally outstanding.”

“So you just immediately drew your aura and stabbed me with your sword?”

“Yes!”

“No…”

Don’t answer so cheerfully.

You didn’t do anything right, okay? Why are you raising your voice like you accomplished something?

“…Forget it.”

Yeah, what would you even know?

This whole apology was probably that bastard’s idea anyway.

Arguing here would only hurt me in the end.

Now that I knew who this guy’s friend was, getting involved any further would only be a loss for me.

“Anyway, your friend told you that nobles are usually exceptional, and because of that, you stabbed me and now you’re here to apologize. That about right?”

“Yes! Senior, you’re really smart.”

I didn’t care what Dietrich thought of me.

Even if he ended up hating me, he wasn’t the kind of guy who would stab someone just because he didn’t like them.

His way of speaking was irritating as hell, but his nature was decent, so it wasn’t a big problem.

But his friend Kult….that was a completely different story.

“I get it. So just tell that oh-so-great friend of yours that it’s all settled. No need for him to worry about it.”

He was the leader of one of the huge groups that had trampled over the Cradle.

The cult known as “Eden”.

He was the cult leader and its prophet.

***

Kult knew everything.

He knew that Dietrich would one day become a remarkable swordsman.

He knew how to resolve the crisis that had erupted in the Marquisate of Hereticus.

And he even knew what would happen in the future.

There was a reason Kult, who had once wandered the back alleys, came to know all of this.

“Prophet.”

“Ah, come in.”

It was simply because he had been born that way.

Kult was a prophet chosen directly by God.

A prophet was the proof of faith.

He was a being who changed fate by seeing the future ordained by God.

That was why the fanatics could be blindly devoted to him by his existence alone.

“You may report now.”

The leader of Eden, Kult Hereticus, spoke with a languid expression.

“Ever since Olga Hermod took office as Headmistress, every gap we could infiltrate has essentially been sealed.”

“That makes sense. And even if one existed, it wouldn’t work more than once. If we’re going to use even that chance, it would have to be when it truly matters.”

“Yes, and I heard the paladin candidate Dietrich defeated a second-year student in the placement exam and entered Class S.”

“As expected.”

Kult smiled at his friend’s valiant effort. It was a genuine smile.

But perhaps because of that smile, the follower of Eden believed Kult to be in a good mood and added one more comment.

“I heard it was truly overwhelming.”

“……”

That one remark was enough to wipe the smile off Kult’s face.

Kult knew everything.

For someone like him, hearing a report was nothing more than a confirmation process.

Why? If he already knew everything, then why bother?

“It’s different from my calculations.”

Because variables like this could still occur.

“…Huh?”

“He couldn’t have been overwhelming.”

The current students within the Cradle had long surpassed the typical level of skill.

Like a deadly poison refined inside a jar of solitude, they were warriors hardened by constant trials within the confined space of the Cradle.

They were likely stronger than most knights, meaning that, in truth, Dietrich had only a slim chance of winning.

“How strange. How could that have happened?”

“C-Couldn’t it have just been luck? Maybe he coincidentally faced a weak opponent or happened to find an opening…”

“Do you really think that makes sense?”

A weak opponent? An opening?

Such things were extinguished amid the countless acts of terror that swept through the Cradle over the past year.

The weak perished, and even the strong who showed any openings were all wiped out.

Only those who survived all of it remain now.

“The attacks from the demon-worshippers of Lemegeton engulfed the entire Cradle. So much blood was shed, it could have been mistaken for rain.”

Those who survived back then were only the ones who triumphed over the demon-worshippers.

“The young barbarians committed massacres beyond imagination, given their appearance.”

So there’s no way they would leave themselves open to the weak.

“Even aside from that, the Cradle suffered 22 attacks. If you count the minor incidents, it’s well over 50.”

And some of those were even orchestrated from within Eden.

“So what are you suggesting? That there’s someone among the current second-years who somehow avoided all those acts of terror?”

“That’s…”

“Oh, sure. It’s possible. If one could see the future, that is.”

Kult could see the future, and in return, he was gradually losing his eyesight.

However, that didn’t mean he could casually look into the future whenever he wanted.

And even the futures he saw were only fragments.

His real strength lies in piecing together those fragments to form a plan.

But what if the future he had already observed… has changed?

“Haha! Looks like the Oracle is finally starting to show herself.”

Only someone like himself—someone who can also see the future—could manage that.

“…Then are you saying the one who fought Dietrich was the Oracle?”

“No way. If it were really the Oracle, there’s no chance she would have let herself be defeated. She must know I’m searching for her. Would she really act so carelessly?”

The prophet remains in deep hiding.

And the Prophet is desperate to find her.

All for the sake of a flawless plan.

If he eliminated the one capable of altering the future, then there would be no one left who could destroy the future he had designed.

It meant that this person was a target who had to be eliminated for the greater cause of Eden.

“You said Dietrich’s opponent was Johan Damus, right? He must have been the Oracle’s mistake. She probably never anticipated that Dietrich would end up facing him in a duel. How could she? Even I, who was desperate to track her down, didn’t pay attention to that situation.”

Johan Damus had been one of the many who should have died during the wave of terrorist attacks aimed at the Cradle.

Whether or not it had been the Oracle’s intention, even she couldn’t have known that sparing him would lead to this.

And honestly, that was only natural.

What were the odds that Kult’s piece, Dietrich, and the Oracle’s piece, Johan Damus, would end up facing each other in the placement exam duel?

“God must be guiding me.”

A coincidence so unlikely that even fate couldn’t intervene.

If not divine will, then what else could it be?

“Bring him here. I think I’ll need to open his head myself.”

“Yes, Prophet!”

And just like that, Johan who had done absolutely nothing was once again caught in a twist of cruel fate.

***

I had one particular talent.

It was staying unnoticed by others.

More precisely, I naturally blended into my surroundings.

I picked it up instinctively over the course of a year, just to survive in the Cradle.

It might sound odd, but I hadn’t actually played Promotion Tale that seriously.

I was what you’d call a casual player.

So of course I was different from those so-called “veterans” or “lunatics” who claimed to remember every single in-game event.

The only things I could recall were the major incidents, at best.

“Hmm…”

That’s why I developed the habit of always checking my surroundings, wherever I went.

It was a survival instinct. To bolt the moment I noticed anything strange.

And I only behaved with that level of paranoia when I was outside the Cradle.

Well, back when I was a first-year, the inside of the Cradle was said to be more dangerous than the outside. But now, that cause-and-effect had been reversed.

While it wasn’t enough for someone to break through the Cradle’s barrier, there were still plenty of lunatics lurking around outside.

That’s why going out required a lot of preparation.

“My disguise is perfect, but…”

Unless I planned to live in the Cradle dorms for the rest of my life, going out was a necessity.

I mean, how could anyone eat dorm food for three years straight?

Freedom to go out!

To make that happen, I chose Polymorph and Camouflage magic.

It was my biggest achievement from my first year.

The method was already tested and proven. I had used it multiple times to sneak out and enjoy short trips.

At least, that’s how it had been…

This feels off.

Strange things kept catching my eye.

Distortions in space, hurried movements that looked out of place.

The feeling of someone’s gaze drilling into me.

If it’s gotten to this point, then they must’ve been following me ever since I left the Cradle.

Why? Why me, of all people?

If the target was just a random Cradle student, there’d be no reason to go this far.

I wasn’t the only one going out over the weekend, so why bother picking someone like me to tail?

But there was no doubt; they had made me the target.

And not just one or two people, but a group.

The reason why…

No, seriously, why?

I had no idea.

Not even a clue.

Still, if there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that the current situation wasn’t good.

“Hoo…”

I had to shake them off.

All these stares and surveillance.

And I was prepared for exactly that.

I knew someone was watching me, but I didn’t show it on the outside.

What if I slipped into the crowd, changed my appearance using polymorph and camouflage, and started moving against the flow?

That would be the most certain method. But I’d only have one chance to try it.

So I had to be careful and start when I was in the most crowded place.

“Oh, how much is this?”

“One silver.”

“Wow, mister, that’s daylight robbery. You’re really selling this for a whole silver? Come on, give me a better deal. I’ll buy two. One’s a gift.”

I shifted my position as if I’d gotten distracted by the random goods scattered across the street.

I didn’t make any obvious moves. Instead, I let myself be naturally drawn toward the busiest area, as though I were simply following all the interesting sights and delicious smells.

And then, the moment I arrived in the area where the crowd was the densest—

“…….”

I locked eyes with a clown dressed in a garish outfit and makeup.

It was as if he were invisible. Despite his loud appearance, not a single person spared him a glance.

The moment my eyes met that strange figure standing right in the middle of the crowd—

That was when I finally began to understand what was really going on.

“No way, seriously?”

Was I tangled up with more than one group?

The people who had been following me until now and the clown in front of me…..they belonged to different groups.

Even their approach to me made that distinction clear.

One group had been secretly watching and surrounding me.

The other, on the contrary, was openly revealing their presence.

I mean, seriously, what did I ever do to deserve this…?

I was completely overwhelmed by the countless hands reaching out to me for a handshake.