Chapter 51: Sometimes Reality is More Like Fiction Than Fiction (2)

What should have been a peacefully concluded press conference.

Without any warning, gunshots rang out and the Supreme Court building exploded from the impact of bullets.

People scattered in panic, screaming and crouching low to avoid potential gunfire, or losing all reason and fleeing outright as chaos erupted.

Everyone had completely lost their minds.

However, there was clearly one group that stood out from the rest.

The direction of their madness was different.

Rather than fearing for their own lives, these students were enraged that someone dared to attack me.

They quickly divided up their roles.

Though they were all magic majors from that mountain climbing lecture, those with decent martial arts skills moved to protect me.

The rest swiftly began searching to find and eliminate the culprit.

Those who had charged at me like battering rams earlier had now regained their composure and were rapidly exchanging signals.

They nodded to each other and split into two groups.

I definitely don't recall ever specifically training bodyguards in my life. Yet they were all handling this so professionally that it was almost unsettling how excellent their response was.

The Imperial 5th Princess Lucy's Imperial Guard.

Their reaction speed was dozens of times faster than trained knights.

'I guess I can relax a bit now.'

Only then was I able to regain some composure.

While they're troublesome when I'm struggling to get fired, in situations like this, they're reliable talent.

Getting killed by some unknown assassin.

At least that kind of ending should be avoidable now.

I tried my best to think quickly.

Who could possibly be attacking me in this situation? Could this be related to the original story somehow?

I focused all my attention on trying to figure out how to get through this crisis, but...

In the end, it was wasted effort.

"...Confirmed the assassin is dead."

Had it even been 30 seconds?

One of the guard students who had been using search magic reported the attacker's death.

Beyond fast, this was unbelievable.

I wondered if they might be pulling some kind of trick.

Maybe it was an elaborate plan to make everyone feel safe and then assassinate me in that opening. Such suspicions filled my mind, but that wasn't the case at all.

The student was pointing at a middle-aged man covered in scars.

As if his villainous face screaming "I'm the culprit!" wasn't enough, he was holding what appeared to be a recently fired sniper rifle.

'Why is this bastard already dead?'

He lay there as if sleeping.

But there was a donut-sized hole in his chest.

If one of the mountain climbing students had dealt with him, they would have used magic, which I definitely wouldn't have missed. And the wound was strange for a knight's sword...

'The possibility he used his life as payment for black magic...'

No matter how I thought about it, that wasn't possible either.

A final strike sacrificing everything sounds impressive, but it's actually the height of inefficiency.

Whether stealing someone else's soul for fuel or using your own soul, the efficiency is exactly the same. What idiot would burn their own life for that?

If you lack power, take some time.

Hunt humans to replenish souls before making your attempt.

There's no way the assassin wouldn't have seen such an obvious option.

Plus, given that he wasn't detected despite carrying such a large gun, he seemed to have stealth abilities. Wouldn't it have been much better to just escape and try again another day?

So this wasn't suicide, but murder.

Had everyone else reached the same conclusion?

Everyone here wore puzzled expressions.

Who could have dealt with the attacker so instantly? People pondered for a moment before...

"...Ah."

As if rehearsed, they all turned to look at me.

Eyes that had found the answer to the puzzle.

Exclamations of finally resolving their doubts.

My mind raced quickly.

The professor rumored to casually cast Meteor-level magic, understand the Rune language, and reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Could there even be a more likely suspect than me right now?

Even I have to admit I look the most suspicious.

"I'm in awe. There was no need for us to act at all."

Sure enough, Karen looked at me with eyes full of respect.

The guard students all knelt before me in unison.

It was obvious what everyone would think seeing that.

My guilt was now essentially confirmed. Even those in the crowd who hadn't been sure before started adding their comments.

"Hey, I know who this person is. That's Buffalo Bill."

"The crazy black mage who makes clothes from human skin? He killed him this quickly?"

People who didn't know much about me.

They looked at me with shocked expressions.

As if they'd heard my name before but never imagined I was this much of a monster.

This was already quite burdensome, but...

This was still mild in comparison.

Those interested in current affairs who regularly read newspapers - in other words, those who had been exposed to all sorts of false information about me - were crying out with utterly shocked expressions.

"...Heart-Sword! It's Heart-Sword! So this was real?"

"I never thought I'd live to see something like this with my own eyes."

Now I can die without regrets.

The elderly swordsman wiped away tears as he said this.

Cheers erupted from all directions.

I watched it all with half-dead eyes while dabbing at my own tears along with the old swordsman.

*****

Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding.

A saying left by a famous manga artist and poet.

I felt like I could now understand what it meant.

People naturally see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. Once they project their fantasies onto someone and believe them, no amount of talking will get through.

And so my desperate cries to the reporters sadly failed to reach them and disappeared into nothing.

-I'll confess the truth. I've actually been in league with black mages. I'm just a hypocrite who turned them in out of guilt. I'm guilty of the same crimes.

A plausible excuse I wracked my brains to come up with.

Claiming I was actually a member who had reformed.

While it walked a dangerous line, between the Primordial Dragon's power and the merit of ultimately repenting and catching two criminals, it would probably end with just a few months in prison.

This would explain how I discovered Hannibal and would be perfect for quitting as professor as an act of atonement, but...

[New Professor Conducted Years-Long Undercover Investigation]

[Details Emerge of Infiltrating Dangerous Criminal Organization to Catch Serial Killer. Waves of Terror. Never Wavering in Pursuit of Justice Despite Countless Threats!]

[After Catching Killer at Risk of Own Life, Says Feels Guilty for Not Catching Him Sooner. Public Cries Out in Unison "It's Not Your Fault".]

The only result was these horrifying newspaper articles.

Don't be hurt! We know how hard you worked for us! Now we'll be on your side!

Everyone was wailing as they shouted such things.

Even in that sea of tear-filled madness, I held onto my sanity until the end. Somehow maintaining my grip on my increasingly distant consciousness, I tried my best to struggle.

Eyes as dead as a frozen fish.

Even in that state, I didn't stop resisting.

-I've never used Heart-Sword. Look at his wound. It's clearly not from being cut by an incorporeal blade. I'm not a warrior who has reached that level.

But that was a mistake.

I should have realized at that point.

The humans gathered here.

The many reporters and shareholders had already gone mad.

They were in the same state as the Imperial Academy people.

[Ryan Announces Having Already Transcended the Heart-Sword Realm]

[Beyond Heart-Sword (心劍) to Heart-Death (心卽殺). Determining Life and Death Through Will Alone. Finally Stepping Into the Divine Realm Beyond Human Limits.]

I had to be punished for not realizing this fact. A punishment so terrifying I felt I might lose consciousness.

I open the final newspaper to look.

Cromwell Edelvelt.

A being who could not exist under the same sky as me.

My mortal enemy who had persistently tormented me.

I despaired at the photo in his article.

Snow-white hair fluttering in the wind. The firm resolve for struggle held in those eyes. A fist raised high toward the heavens with the Empire's flag waving behind.

A life shot worthy of making the US President jealous three times over.

Below it was inscribed a single phrase.

[Ryan Becomes Symbol of Peace. Crime Rate Plummets From His Mere Existence!]

His proud and dignified appearance, seeming to say "I'm here so everyone can relax," broke all my fighting spirit.

It was the completion of a world where no one gets hurt.

...Except for me, that is.