My mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. I was completely and utterly shocked.
'Julius is dead? What? But I just saw him last night… what happened to him? And did he say something about being inhumanely mangled and butchered? Is that just an exaggeration? How much of it is exaggeration, and how much of it is the truth?'
Those were my initial thoughts upon hearing of Julius's death.
"Wait, who?"
"Isn't that the nerdy kid?"
"Yeah. And he's dead? How?"
The whispers coming from the people gathered in the training grounds grew louder and louder by the minute. Dozens of voices overlapped, buzzing like an endless swarm, but I forced myself to ignore them. My gaze remained steadily fixed on the man standing before me.
"I-I see. I'll do my best to be of help," I said at last, my voice even and calm despite the confusion boiling within me. "Do I need to come with you?"
Making a worried face, I asked if we should talk in a more private place than this, considering the already stifling number of people gathered around us after hearing Julius's death.
The man gave a curt nod and motioned for me to follow.
I swallowed my saliva and stepped forward, trailing after him. I deliberately adjusted my expression, making myself appear troubled and weighed down with concern.
As we left the training field, the murmurs of the crowd slowly faded behind me.
Once we were out of earshot, the man I was following spoke up in a more casual manner than before.
Stopping, looking back and giving me a strained smile, he said, "Ahaha… Although I said we needed you for some questioning, that isn't the truth…"
"…?"
I narrowed my eyes at him, uncertain what he meant.
The officer looked at me with a pair of dark, unfathomable eyes. "…You're actually one of the top suspects in Julius's death."
"…H-hah?!"
I drew in a sharp breath at that casual statement. Eyes widening, I made myself face the officer who was accusing me of a crime that I did not commit.
He smiled amicably, almost reassuringly. "I didn't mention that back there because I didn't want to make the new recruits panic."
He paused before continuing. "But after some investigation, witnesses reported seeing someone named Obyron engaging in conversation with the victim, Julius Augustus, near the water fountain on the night of his death. Furthermore, it was noted that Obyron was subsequently seen entering the dormitory wearing clothing that was stained with blood and appeared torn in several places…"
Finishing suddenly, he looked behind me and smiled.
My pupils constricted to a pin size as I twisted my neck and caught sight of the other two officers following me from behind, closing the distance between me.
It was uncertain what these people intended to do with me, but I was sure of one thing: I was in a very bad situation right now.
One, they most likely suspected me of being Julius's killer. Two, with how the situation is going, it will only end with me being sentenced to lifetime imprisonment for killing a fellow member of the same house. Three, even if I pleaded I was innocent and demanded a trial, I would be proven guilty, because they would find the bloodied clothes from last night that were still in my room and use them against me.
As things stand now, I was almost certain, that,
'I'm fucked chat.'
My back stiffened, and cold sweat dripped from my forehead as, in just a matter of seconds, the three people had surrounded me from all sides, leaving me nowhere to escape.
"Don't be scared, we just need you to cooperate with us here. You know, they actually reduce jail time for good behaviour…" Said the dark-eyed officer as he took out steel handcuffs, clearly to restrain me.
I spoke up in a fluster while stammering, "I-I think you're mistaken about something… I did not kill Julius…"
But the dark-eyed officer just shrugged, "You were with him last night near the water fountain, no?"
"...Well, yes, but he left me right after talking for a short while—"
Click!
The handcuffs wrapped around my hands with a soft click, making any hopes of saving myself from this situation seem impossible.
…
…
…
A few days later…
…
…
…
Creeeeeeeak!
The metal door slowly creaked open with an ear-piercing sound as I gazed at the figure entering the metal cell and then standing before me.
A burly man with a curly moustache strolled in and quickly hoisted me upright while he unlocked the chains that had bound me to the wall.
I smiled at him and said, "Finally."
He returned my smile, replying, "Yeah."
With me on my feet, he led me out of the cold steel prison where I had spent my days.
As we walked, I suddenly asked the man, "Oh, come to think of it, today's also the day you're going to tell her how you feel, right?"
The man looked down and said looking nervous, "Y-yeah…"
Hearing that, I smiled and said, "Hey, don't worry. It's going to be alright. Have confidence in yourself. And don't act nervous when talking to her, okay?"
"B-but what if she says she doesn't like me?" The man stammers, a sense of fragility and insecurity evident in his downcast gaze.
"Hmm… that indeed would be rather sad, but you would at the very least tell her how you feel, even if she rejects you, you won't have any regrets."
Listening to me, the man stayed silent for a few moments before saying, "Yeah, I think you're right. I'm going to do it. If she doesn't like me, then it's okay. At least, I can say I tried."
"Yeah, that's the spirit! And you're a good man, I'm sure she'll accept your feelings toward her. Good luck."
Before long, we had finally reached our destination.
A tall luxurious wooden door stood before us.
It suddenly split open, as I took measured steps forward.
Behind me, the man waved and said, "Good luck to you too. Hope you're proven guilty."
"Yeah, I hope that too. Oh, and see you around…"
"Yeah, see ya kid…"
I smiled at the figure of a man with a curly moustache that was abruptly blocked by a wooden door that shut with a dull thud.
Slowly, my smile faded, and was replaced with grim determination.
I turned around and met the heavy gazes pointing at me.
Five figures sat around a massive circular table.
The heads of the houses—all gathered here to decide my fate.
The fate of a suspected killer.
And of course, there was Lycrane in the middle…
Seated cross-legged, her posture immaculate, her elegance serene. She seemed less a mortal woman than a celestial being who had long since transcended the petty concerns of humanity.
Her gaze, unflinching and unreadable, was once again directed straight at me.
'So, this is her, after unsealing her powers… scary.'