Chief Instructor Nicholas had come to the camp with only his closest adjutants. He seemed not to care that this was a perilous forest, seeing as how his clothes and hair were filled with broken branches and leaves. At first glance, he appeared to be a model educator who prioritized student safety.

However, the reality was completely different.

‘Battered children. Numbering only a few. And a carcass of a beast is lying over there. It seems like a success… But… Something is off.’

After seeing the gruesome scene at the camp, Nicholas hastily approached the trainee who looked the most uninjured. In the place where I originally should have been, a girl stood there. And her identity was… former combat officer aspirant, Shiati.

“Trainee Shiati. Briefly report what occurred.”

Shiati seemed surprised that Nicholas really did come looking for them here, just like I had said. While standing dumbfounded, she gave Nicholas a formal salute, then lowered her gaze to the ground and muttered.

“...We set up camp here due to the driftage that obstructed our way. However, there was a pheromone bait hidden beneath this camp. It is likely a trap set by hunters to catch beasts. And when it was opened… enraged beasts pounced on us.”

My goodness, she is trash at acting. It’s a relief that I told her to mutter while looking at the ground. After all, she could at least pretend to be too dispirited to answer.

‘They know about the bait? They were supposed to have been swept up by the beasts without any awareness. No, rather than that. It’s not time yet, so why did the bait activate already? If so…?’

Nicholas looked around. The camp, filled with bloodstains, bore only the marks of death. It was especially so when looking at the blood splattered on the trees and the hastily covered pits, as if something was buried there; that of itself was enough to signify the horror that had just occurred.

His plan had called for enough blood to be spilled, but… the most important figure was nowhere to be seen.

‘Why can’t I see Huey? No… Could it be…’

Wrapped in anxiety that all this might have been futile, Nicholas quickly urged Shiati.

“What about Huey? Where is Trainee Huey?”

From the way Nicholas looked for me without commenting on anything Shiati said… it became certain. It was clear who this graduation practical exercise was prepared for, who had prepared it.

Shiati, who was assigned to act, lost her composure. Her mind went blank with anger, forgetting even my advice as she glared at Nicholas.

“...Why is it that you are calling for him first? There are so many students who are gone, so many who are buried under our very feet! But why is it that you start by looking for Huey?!”

It was an unexpectedly fierce response. If Nicholas felt discord from that attitude, it could become a bit troublesome.

But Nicholas himself was psychologically driven to a corner by the anxiety that his entire plan might have been in vain. As such, he didn’t have it in him to concern himself with her behavior.

“Is that not obvious! Huey is…!”

Still, he at least had the discretion not to mention the Anathema, so Nicholas barely regained his composure and chose his words carefully.

“He is the top student, a talent who is guaranteed entrance into a military academy, and the leader of the graduation practical exercise. What is the issue with me looking for him to ensure that I receive a polished report?”

“Ha, I see. So it doesn’t matter even if several of us die…!”

“Trainee Shiati! While I regret what you have gone through, you are currently disobeying my orders to report. Do not test my patience.”

At Nicholas' roar, Shiati bit her lip, bowed her head again, and began to recite the lines she had prepared.

“Huey… sacrificed himself for us.”

“...Huh?”

Nicholas was the architect. He had prepared this stage and written the script, assigning roles and drawing the story's ending at will.

However, no matter how meticulously planned, from the moment the curtain rose, he was just one of the audience members. Nicholas hoped the play would go as scripted, but sometimes a play betrayed the architect’s expectations and showed something that went beyond the script.

Shiati blurted out the lines she had memorized beforehand to him, who had now jumped onto the stage.

“While we were dealing with the sudden beast attack, Huey was the first to realize that this situation was caused by pheromone bait. While investigating the camp, he found the bait somewhere, hugged the box, and ran away towards the river, yelling. The beasts attacking us… all followed Huey. We remained to take care of and gather the survivors.”

“What…?! Huey chose to become the bait? By his own will?”

“That is right.”

Shiati, as if trying to hide a devastated expression, crossed her arms behind her and bowed her head deeply. Meanwhile, Nicholas could not accept the unexpected development, his hands trembling.

The play had slipped from his hands. Reality had betrayed his expectations. Nicholas felt a terrible sense of defeat that was as great as his hopes and anticipations had once been.

The method Nicholas chose to face this all too mundane failure was…

Denial.

“That is nonsense! Huey is not that kind of person. A cunning, crafty punk like him would never sacrifice himself for you all!”

“...Excuse me?”

“Historia and Lankart. To be the top student while being amongst those two, it is not enough to just be outstanding! He even thought of making those two his allies and using them. Only by being clever while gaining popularity among his peers can one reach such a position! And Huey had achieved that. There is no way he would sacrifice himself for the likes of you!”

Nicholas looked around with bloodshot eyes. The remaining children, ingrained with fear, dared not meet his gaze. Such was the terrifying presence emitted by Chief Instructor Nicholas.

Chief Instructor Colonel Nicholas. Hamelin was just one of the places he oversaw. He was the Chief Instructor handling all elementary and secondary schools in the southwestern region.

It was no coincidence that Historia and Lankart entered Hamelin at the same time. Chief Instructor Nicholas had brought the two, who had stood out in Elementary Citizen School, to this place.

His exceptional ability was recognized by high command as sufficient to accurately assess students, which was why he had risen to the position of Chief Instructor.

His status, rank, ability, and accumulated experience were of a completely different dimension. Even if all these children were to advance to an advanced military academy, none could match even the tip of the iceberg that was Nicholas' achievements.

In the face of Nicholas' fierce demeanor, the children bowed their heads submissively. From above them, Nicholas' enraged voice thundered.

“You all should have been the ones to sacrifice yourselves! If someone was going to die! You should have died instead! Why is it that you are the ones to live?!”

He was the ever so dependent Chief Instructor. The person who had arrived after they had all narrowly survived a life-threatening situation. As such, some children wanted to believe it was all a terrible nightmare. They hoped that perhaps the Military State had not abandoned them and that it was all a misunderstanding.

However, the words Nicholas spat out trampled on that last sliver of hope.

“So, are you planning to kill us all?! For just that one punk, Huey?!”

Rebellion flared up within Shiati as she jerked her head up, but it quickly died away. After all, what was reflected on her eyes was Nicholas’ sinister grin.

“...Oho. I see. You have… realized what this test was about.”

A face half-lost in madness. As Shiati staggered back in fear, Nicholas, twisting his lips and head bizarrely, glanced at a roughly covered pit.

“How did you come to know? Did you find the bedrock while digging a grave for the dead?”

“D-Do you think I would tell you…?”

“I have not yet asked ‘what’ you know, Trainee Shiati. If you intend to deceive someone, you should at least erase the facts you know from your mind….”

With that, he gestured to an adjutant following him. The adjutant, lips sealed tight, followed Nicholas.

“Of course, though… It seems you will no longer have any use for such a teaching anyway.”

A cold killing intent was directed at Shiati and the other children. The children huddled behind Shiati like frightened chicks. Even though there were more than thirty in number, they did not appear to have the upper hand.

“Sekrik.”

“Yes. Chief Instructor.”

“Bury them all. Lend a hand.”

Shing.The adjutant named Sekrik drew his saber. The saber that used to give orders to the children now had its blade pointed at them.

Shiati, sensing the killing intent emanating from the blade, cried out.

“What is the meaning of this…! Could it be that you mean to kill us all, Chief Instructor?!”

“You were all destined to die anyway. It is just that the method of death has become a bit more cumbersome.”

Nicholas also drew his longsword as he replied chillingly. A dark Qi Arts ignited like flames around the blade, ready to execute these unanticipated survivors.

The children backed away, but behind them was a river. To escape, they had to either jump into the waters or get past Nicholas.

And of course, both options were nearly impossible to accomplish.

“Try running away somewhere. If there is such a place in the Military State, that is.”

As the children hesitantly retreated, Nicholas and his adjutant followed, each step filled with resolute murderous intent. And then, as he walked…

He stepped into a trap.

“Surprise, Chief Instructor!”

Just before he put his foot down, I kicked out of a collapsed tent and stood up. Caught off guard by my sudden appearance, Nicholas could not react to the trap.

Immediately, a snare that could have taken down a giant deer caught his ankle...

But the difference was, he was an armed human.

“Heup!”

The long sword moved with agility that belied its length. With a slash, the snare at his ankle’s height was cut in an instant. The remaining force of the sword strike carved a long mark on the ground.

However, the trap did not end with just that.

“Surprise Two.”

The snare was connected to something else. As the rope snapped, a large log overhead, carelessly draped, fell towards Nicholas' back. Whoosh—a heavy sound echoed.

But for him, who was trained in Qi Arts, the attack was all too slow.

“A pathetic attempt.”

A lightning-fast slash. The large log was split in one strike. And as a result of that, the chain of traps were broken.

If he had dodged to the side or ducked down, he would have faced Surprises Three, Four, and Five, though…. To think he would just slice through it. It wasn’t for no reason that he was a Colonel, I guess.

“Well, I mean… At least I got one thing done.”

Fwick, whirl. I drew my dagger. The one called Sekrik, his adjutant, spewed blood from his side.

“Kuheuk!”

“Now, now. Just lie down for a bit.”

The adjutant, not as agile in his response as Nicholas, was dragged by the snare right in front of me. Though he instinctively protected himself, it was no use; I pierced his side with my dagger, slipping through his defenses.

No matter how feeble my Qi Arts, it was still Qi Arts. The blade lodged between his ribs. The blood flowing down the dagger seeped into the earth... going somewhere.

“You, you… Huey…!”

“Shhhh. You, my body’s nourishment. Stay still. If you die, the blood won’t flow out well, you know?”

Leaving the adjutant, who was not yet dead but slowly approaching the end, behind, I held my dagger upright and greeted Nicholas.

“Hello, Chief Instructor Nicholas?”

“Why. How… No.”

Whisk, whisk.His gaze moved between me, Shiati, and the trap under his feet. After noticing something in my smile for a brief moment, he gripped his face with a trembling voice.

“...Is that how it is, Huey? So, you knew everything? And yet, you still made such a foolish choice…?!”

“A foolish choice? What a strange thing to say.”

“You should have just idly watched it unfold! I was the one to commit the Anathema and all you had to do was pretend you didn’t know and reap the benefits of the losers’ deaths! I took everything upon myself…! How could you reject that?!”

How could I reject it, you ask? Like this.

At my signal, the children who had been hiding beneath the riverbank surged forth all at once. There were roughly one hundred and forty of them. Each one wielded a spear made from a hastily tied dagger to a branch, trembling with fear and anger as they joined the fray.

“I rejected it in this way.”

The children swelled in number in an instant. Most of them glared at Nicholas with hatred. Nicholas muttered dumbfoundedly.

“To think that almost all… were saved.”

“Almost all were saved? How can you say that? Seventeen precious lives were lost. It is a great loss for me too, you know?”

Nicholas seemed unconvinced by my opinion.

“Seventeen! That is too few! Far too few! Your Qi has not increased at all!”

“Still, please praise me. Despite the lack of increase in Qi, I could still easily handle a giant deer and one adjutant, after all.”

I smiled slyly as I spun my blade. The blood on it was not much different from that shed by the children struck down by horns and claws.

Could it be the effect of Gluttony? Perhaps due to my direct stab, something seemed to seep into my body. A murky and tainted energy entered through the bio-receptor and infiltrated my blood vessels.

This energy, though negligible in absolute quantity… was distinctly palpable to me, who possessed only a faint trace of Qi and Mana.

However…

“Ptui. It’s not even all that great. Ugh, how disgusting. Were you really boasting over just this? I might as well just smoke a mana herb instead. At least that tastes good.”

Nicholas failed to comprehend the unfolding events. He did not understand how the script had gone awry, nor my existence that had escaped from beneath it.

He asked with a baffled expression.

“Why, Huey?”

“Why indeed, Nicholas?”

“You are weak. With your levels of Qi and Mana, you will never advance beyond a certain stage. You are excellent at wielding the abilities you have, but your inherently low Qi and Mana will forever be chains that bind you, holding you back! And I intended to free you from those very chains!”

Surprisingly, even in this now, when I had betrayed his trust and stabbed his adjutant… he was sincerely appealing to me. As if it was a pity that someone as talented as I had made such a foolish choice.

“To wield power over others and use them to your heart’s content, you need at least the minimum qualifications. That is what dignity is. That is what strength can achieve. No matter how outstanding you are, if you lack power… You cannot achieve a single thing. You, more than anyone, should have understood your own limits!”

“Of course, I understand. Chief Instructor. How could I not?”

Nicholas was sincere. Even if he was a Chief Instructor, he could not commit an Anathema with such a light heart or resolve. Having observed my abilities for three years and pinpointed where I lacked, he truly wished for me to become someone greater. For my sake. For the sake of the Military State.

But still... even if it was for the country… Intrinsically, it was nothing more than a wish directed at others. It was akin to generously handing over leftover change after one had fully satisfied oneself and did not desire any more.

An ordinary person might appreciate such spare change, but I was a Mind Reader. I could not be moved by such scraps of emotion.

“But you see, Nicholas. Though you are packaging your heart without a care, twisting it to fit whatever narrative you wish… In actuality, doesn’t your sincerity only emerge when you’re safe, warm, and well-fed? And doesn’t that make your heart, your mind, your intentions… far too light and shallow?”

In a way, it was an obvious statement.

I read thoughts. There was no scale to measure the size of a heart, but as a Mind Reader, I did compare the magnitude and depth of emotions.

Unsurprisingly, Nicholas's heart, as he stood outside of the stage, weighed far lighter than the lingering echo of a single child who had died.

But this wasn’t something I could just explain. Tsk. Oh well. Nothing that can be done about it.

Nicholas, incapable of understanding even half of what I said, shouted defiantly.

“This was also a test for you! In order to achieve a wider, greater, and more significant victory, sacrificing soldiers is necessary! I took the risks to make it happen, but your judgments became spoiled because of mere personal sentiments!”

“Is that so? Then, I’ll pose a question about such wider, greater, and more significant victories. After all, why should only Chief Instructor get to pose questions? There’s no rule saying I can’t do the same, right?”

I walked slowly. The sound of vines and tree roots being crushed underfoot could be heard. In the past few days, people had frequented this area so much that the terrain itself had changed drastically. Broken branches, trampled earth, and numerous traps made of rope filled the area.

The odds of winning were sufficient.

“Rather than these unpalatable children, die for me instead, Nicholas. Offer up your blood for my sake. If you do so, then I shall not destroy the Military State….”

Come up on stage, at least make it fair. Move me with such heart. Such resolve. Such emotion.

“All I need is you. Just a single person’s worth, that is.”