Chapter 92
An old-fashioned space.
The bookshelves stretching across the study-like room were packed with books on theology.
The interior was spacious yet sparse, with no unnecessary decorations in sight.
It was a detail that reflected the personality of the room’s owner.
The dean’s office.
The space where the head of the academy worked was almost completely devoid of color.
Even as I stepped into the dean’s office, I instinctively held my breath.
“······.”
Across from me was a desk for official business.
An old man with hair gone gray was sitting there.
Despite his aged appearance, an imposing aura seethed around him.
‘So this is··· Walter Droit.’
His presence was overwhelming.
A single chair had been placed across from the desk.
When I hesitated for a moment, the old man gestured for me to sit.
Our gazes met.
“Have a seat.”
“Yes.”
Only then did I lower myself into the chair.
The old man stared at me with deep, expressionless eyes.
‘They look alike in some ways.’
Even if he hadn’t passed on his blood, perhaps a father was still a father.
Through that strange chill, I could see Jaber reflected in him.
Walter Droit.
A legend said to have severed thousands of cultists’ heads with his bare hands.
He was regarded as a myth by the Inquisition.
At the same time, he was the adoptive father who had taken Jaber in and raised her.
According to the widespread rumors around the academy, he was my father-in-law.
“······.”
I didn’t speak hastily.
After waiting for quite some time, the old man broke the silence that had lain flat between us.
A benevolent smile hung around his old lips.
“Student Victor?”
“Yes, Dean.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. We briefly crossed paths when a meeting was arranged after the incident involving the capture of the infiltrator.”
His tone was gentle.
It was a stiff sort of courtesy, maintaining formal speech even when addressing an ordinary student.
“I believe this is our first time having a conversation like this.”
“It’s an honor. I’ve heard the dean’s heroic tales until my ears were worn out.”
“Heh heh, those are embarrassing stories···.”
Unlike his mighty aura, the old man had a warm, grandfatherly air about him.
Of course, I couldn’t let myself be deceived by appearances.
My opponent was one of the greatest powers on the continent.
He was the very man who had brought the war against the cultists to an end.
He had retired after growing old and frail, but he was still a force that couldn’t be ignored.
“Ahem.”
Walter lightly cleared his throat.
The old man gently broached the subject.
“I apologize for calling you here so suddenly.”
“Not at all. It’s fine.”
“Do you know why you were summoned?”
After a brief exchange of greetings, the old man went straight to the point.
His conversation was direct, as though he disliked beating around the bush.
Even that manner of speaking was similar to Jaber’s.
Walter’s atmosphere had grown subtly colder.
“Well, that···.”
How was I supposed to explain this?
As I floundered for a moment, the old man added a few words.
“Chief Investigator Jaber.”
“······.”
“I heard a rumor that’s been going around lately. Apparently, there’s a daughter of around ten years old between you and Investigator Jaber.”
“Hmm···.”
“I’d like to hear an explanation.”
“The thing is, Professor Jaber···.”
“You’re not planning to blame Jaber, are you?”
“······.”
What was this?
Um.
A terrible chill ran down my spine.
‘Fuck.’
If I let one wrong word slip, it felt like I’d be hit with a child-orphaning punch right then and there.
Poor Lua.
She was in danger of losing her father only days after gaining one.
By the standards of the International Orphan Prevention Association, this was an absolute violation.
To claim that a child had parents, they had to remain by her side until at least the age of three.
Lua hadn’t even made it to three weeks, let alone three years, meaning her career as a non-orphan was no different from that of the countless orphans scattered around the world.
‘Damn it.’
(Not your mom.)
Lua, on the verge of becoming an orphan.
Cold sweat trickled down my face.
Walter was smiling, but his eyes were not.
A truly frightening aura pressed down on the poor orphan.
“She may be my adopted daughter, but she’s a precious child to me.”
“······.”
“When was it?”
He was roughly asking when the child had come into existence.
The air in the dean’s office grew even colder.
‘Fuck.’
I’d never even been scolded by my parents (because I never had any), yet I was being scolded in real time by someone else’s father.
No, biologically speaking, Walter wasn’t even Jaber’s father, was he?
I was simply being scolded by someone else.
A jumble of miscellaneous noises churned through my head.
I collected myself and slowly opened my mouth to explain.
“First, I should clear up this misunderstanding···.”
“I’m joking.”
Just then,
A single remark suddenly slipped between my sentences.
“······What?”
When I sat there dumbfounded, I saw the dean smiling brightly.
The ominous aura around the old man had already vanished.
The corners of his wrinkled mouth curved into an arc.
Walter gave a small nod, as if telling me to relax.
“You can relax.”
“Hmm···.”
The atmosphere had shifted so suddenly.
As I sat there stiffly, bemused, the old man let out a hearty laugh.
“Even if I look this feeble, I am still the head of the academy. Surely I wouldn’t believe such an absurd rumor.”
Walter continued.
“I’ve been with Jaber ever since she was young. If she met someone and had a child, how could I, her father, not know? It seems a few students who enjoy gossip were simply playing a mischievous prank.”
“······.”
Well, it was strange.
How could a father who had raised his daughter himself not know that she had had a child?
Even if it had happened before she joined the academy, it still made no sense.
“Unless··· she somehow managed to get into trouble without my knowing?”
“That couldn’t possibly be it. Please put away the killing intent.”
“Heh heh, that was another joke.”
“You’re more lighthearted than I expected, Dean.”
“Thank you. I’m trying my best to live that way.”
It seemed I had fallen victim to the old man’s idea of entertainment.
The old man laughed lightly, but not frivolously.
I had no choice but to let out a sigh of relief.
‘You scared the hell out of me.’
I painstakingly steadied my breathing while pretending I was fine.
Even after withdrawing his aura, Walter’s presence was tremendous.
They said that in his prime, he had stormed into a cultist branch barehanded, dismembered every last member, and walked back out···.
‘Hmm.’
Honestly, just making brief eye contact with him was enough to make the two nuts between my legs tremble.
Of course, I couldn’t simply let myself be pushed around here.
Instead, I held my head high as if there were no problem.
I maintained my courtesy without giving off a servile impression.
“Then··· wouldn’t you tell me the real reason you called me here?”
“Oh-ho, not a trace of intimidation.”
“Because I know you have no intention of harming me.”
“Hmm.”
Walter nodded as though satisfied.
Then the old man continued.
“I wanted to confirm something.”
“Confirm?”
“It’s the first time Jaber··· that girl has taken on an assistant.”
“Come to think of it, you said this was the first time since she joined the faculty.”
“That’s right. I’ve recommended it several times, but she’s always been such a stubborn child.”
“She has a great deal of conviction. I feel there’s much to learn from that aspect of her as well.”
“That’s a gratifying assessment for a father to hear.”
A gentle smile.
“The student chosen by that stubborn child··· I wanted to have a conversation with you at least once.”
“I’m not sure you could call it a choice.”
“I know. I heard there was some sort of deal involved.”
“It seems you heard it from the investigator.”
“She reports everything. She’s a child who values the principles of obedience and hierarchy more dearly than her own life.”
Principles, discipline, order.
Jaber had lived with a noose around her own neck.
“I heard you’re currently under suspicion from Jaber.”
“That’s right. As the culprit behind the unauthorized raid on Purgatory’s 70th floor.”
“Purgatory’s 70th floor··· it was quite a mysterious incident. The floor’s master was found cut in half, and not a single clue was discovered at the scene.”
“For some reason, she put me on the list of suspects.”
“Allow me to apologize on her behalf.”
The old man smiled awkwardly.
If so, this was where the match began.
“There’s something I’d like to say regarding that.”
“Hmm?”
I quietly broached the subject.
“It was me.”
“······?”
“The unauthorized raid on Purgatory’s 70th floor.”
The words burst out abruptly.
A question mark appeared above the old man’s head.
Immediately afterward, his aged eyes slowly narrowed.
“I’m the culprit.”
“······.”
Silence descended over the dean’s office.
Walter’s atmosphere turned markedly darker.
The old man’s lips curved into a smile.
It was a cold smile, rather than a benevolent one.
“Ahem··· is that some kind of joke that’s popular these days?”
“No. I mean exactly what I said.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand···.”
“Would you like me to show you some evidence?”
I rummaged through my clothes.
I took something out and placed it on the desk.
Ding-!
[Corrupted Holy Water]
-Category: Accessory
-Rank: C-
-Status: Corrupted
-Description: This is a byproduct of holy water left over after purifying something. It no longer shines. Traces of undead and draconic energy remain, however faintly.
The scale I had obtained after hunting the master of the 70th floor.
This was the holy water left over after purifying that scale.
Naturally, it was thick with traces matching an undead dragon.
It would be difficult to confirm that I had conquered the floor, but it was more than enough to prove that I had once encountered its master.
‘That alone settled it.’
The 70th floor never opened until its conquest was complete.
It would not open unless the raiding party that entered was wiped out or the floor’s master was hunted.
Under those conditions, bringing back a trace of the master while still being alive could only mean one thing.
I had hunted the master.
“······.”
The old man was dumbfounded for a moment.
The puzzlement faded from his expression, replaced by shock in his eyes.
However, perhaps unwilling to show it, Walter steadied his breathing.
“······I didn’t expect you to confess it yourself.”
“I have a tendency to defy expectations.”
“I’m curious why you would act this way.”
“I simply didn’t want to make an enemy of the academy.”
“Hmm.”
Creeping- creeping-.
The old man’s aura climbed back up his shoulders.
The air was as precarious as a blade held on edge, like the calm before a storm.
Walter asked his question in a stern voice.
“May I ask you a few questions?”
“Of course.”
“I’d like to know how you did it. I hold Student Victor’s abilities in high regard as well, but I didn’t think you were capable of slaughtering the master of the 70th floor to that extent. Have you been concealing your strength at the academy? Is it related to that unusual power Student Victor usually uses?”
“I wasn’t exactly hiding my strength. I simply used a little cunning.”
“It seems you have no intention of answering what you mean by that cunning.”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Then what was your purpose?”
“My purpose?”
“I mean your purpose in conquering Purgatory’s 70th floor. Surely you won’t say you did it for no reason at all.”
“That would be absurd.”
I shrugged.
After thinking for a moment, I found the most suitable answer I could.
“World peace, perhaps.”
“······?”
It sounded rather idiotic, but it was the answer closest to the truth.
If I didn’t conquer Purgatory, things would become extremely dangerous in the future.
I tapped my mask lightly.
‘I came here with nothing more than a casual attitude···.’
Now that I had played my trump card, this was a gamble I couldn’t stop.
I hid my bright, crooked smile behind my mask.
I forcibly calmed my breathing.
I was preparing to ram straight ahead.
“Dean.”
From here on, it was an all-out lie.
From this moment on, I intended to deceive the old veteran before me.
“I possess a special ability.”
“An ability···?”
Walter’s eyes narrowed once again.
Ever since I showed him the holy water, the aura he emitted had changed completely.
It was a precarious standoff.
If I made one wrong move, I could be subdued without putting up any resistance.
However, without a trace of disorder, I began running my mouth.
“I can glimpse the future.”
The old man’s eyes wavered.
As if he had been waiting for it, I meaningfully removed my mask.
“Have you ever heard of a prophet?”
Now then.
Let’s see if I can make the strongest person in the academy my ally.