I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind – Chapter 341

“Come on, let’s do this! It’s time to show our true strength!”

“Ohhh!!”

The students from Teron’s faction burned with enthusiasm. It was only natural for them to be fired up.

‘They were supposed to keep their heads down until the final exams.’

I had been too busy running around to notice, but there had been a small episode where Yuridia and Victoria formed an alliance.

With Luna, the top student, also hanging around them, Teron’s faction had no choice but to stay quiet.

About two weeks had passed since the midterm results were announced.

A short period, but more than enough time to feel the sting of defeat.

“Hi, hiiik! Th-their energy is insane!”

“Well, of course. They were supposed to stay quiet until the final exams… They got lucky. But whatever. As long as we win again this time, that’s all that matters.”

Teron’s faction began splitting into their respective groups.

As they moved, the group that included Teron and Daike happened to pass by me.

Daike turned his eyes to observe me, but Teron didn’t even spare me a glance.

As he walked past, the wind he stirred up blew my bangs back. A strong, chilling breeze.

Instructor Ron, seeing this, let out a whistle.

“Whew~ That’s cold. Did you get on his bad side or something?”

“Keke, Teron is just a bit shy, that’s all. Anyone could see that we were as close as brothers.”

“…Do you have delusions of grandeur or something?”

Ron asked with a genuinely concerned expression.

But no, he was wrong. Teron and I were best friends.

At least until recently… We definitely were.

“That’s right! How could he be your best friend?! I’m your only friend!”

Luna chomped down hard on my hand.

Well, I’d been bitten so many times that it barely even hurt anymore.

Perhaps pitying my indifference to pain, Ron clapped his hands a couple of times.

“Alright, alright, let’s focus for a moment. There’s something I need to make clear before we begin this mission.”

It seemed effective, as Luna finally let go of my hand.

“What is it?”

“For this mission, I’m not going to do anything. Think of me as an observer.”

Since Caron had already informed me of this, it wasn’t an issue.

But Rezé seemed caught off guard. The idiot hair on the crown of her head shot up like an exclamation mark.

“No matter how lost you get, even if you cling to me begging for help, I won’t intervene. This mission is meant to test your abilities in a real situation.”

“B-but what if we actually run into a demon? W-what do we do then?”

“You’ll have to handle it yourselves.”

“W-we’re all gonna die! W-we’re gonna diiieeee!!”

“Hahaha! Relax. If you run into a demon or a contractor, don’t worry. I’ll just lop off their heads. Of course, if they’re stronger than me, I’ll be the first to run.”

“Ki-kiiiiiiik!”

This episode’s mission structure was simple.

Gather information around town, deduce the identity of the demon’s contractor, and report it to either Caron or Lowell to clear the mission!

Of course, it was also possible to defeat them directly through combat.

‘With my current stats, I can take them down without much trouble.’

Defeating them personally would grant better rewards, so I planned to take that route whenever possible.

This episode required a mix of skills—investigation, deduction, combat, and more.

A fairly challenging mission for most, but for me, not so much.

‘Since I already know that Baron Kelven is the mastermind.’

I knew the culprit before the investigation even began.

But that didn’t mean I had nothing to do. In fact, I needed to be proactive.

‘I have to help Luna and Rezé.’

This game had hidden bonuses that increased stats whenever a deduction was successful.

And for this episode, the stat boost was significantly high.

For the record, I didn’t receive any stat increases from solving mysteries.

Which made sense, since I was already a veteran player who knew almost everything about this world.

If the hidden bonus applied to me, my stats would have already reached their maximum.

Anyway, to summarize my role in this episode…

‘I’ll provide as many hints as possible to ensure Luna and Rezé succeed in their deductions, while also working to recruit Lowell.’

The real challenge was Lowell.

Helping Luna and Rezé with their deductions wouldn’t be difficult.

‘Since I already know which NPCs provide useful information.’

Some NPCs gave false leads or useless clues.

With fake information mixed in, the difficulty of the mystery would skyrocket.

But Luna and Rezé didn’t need to worry about that. They just had to accept the hints I spoon-fed them.

This episode was practically a walk in the park.

“Oh, one more thing. While I don’t plan to interfere, if you do something problematic, I’ll step in immediately. When that happens, back off. I’ll explain what went wrong afterward.”

“You mean to prevent information about us hunting a demon from leaking?”

“Sharp. That’s exactly right. That’s it for the rules. From here on out, it’s all up to you. Do your best. Though, it won’t be easy.”

With that, Ron sealed his lips.

“Hmph! Don’t underestimate us. We even uncovered a Demon’s Shard hiding within the Academy.”

“I-I wasn’t there, though… I-I feel like I’ll just get in the way, so maybe I should back out…”

“It’s fine! I’ll turn you into the queen of deduction. Just trust me!”

It seemed our Luna was oblivious.

Rezé’s entire body was practically screaming, ‘N-no, I really don’t need that!’

Ron looked like he was itching to say something but held his tongue.

Despite how he acted, he was still an instructor.

After a brief moment of thought, Luna spoke up.

“Hm… First, we should gather information through investigation. Let’s try approaching the townspeople.”

It was dawn, but that didn’t mean the town was empty.

There were drowsy guards nodding off, woodcutters preparing to head into the forest, and a few elderly folks who never seemed to sleep.

And, of course, the students were clinging to them without hesitation.

“Leave them be. The instructors will stop them soon enough.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s dawn, and we’re supposed to be students here for a break. If we start poking around the village at this hour, what do you think the townspeople will assume?”

“…They’ll find it suspicious.”

“Keke, exactly. They’re practically broadcasting that they’re here to dig up information. A common mistake made by deduction rookies.”

“R-right! That’s what I thought too. Not falling into a trap—just as I taught! Haha!”

Sure enough, the instructors stepped in to stop the students from pestering the townspeople.

With nowhere to turn, the students bolted out of the village, seemingly intent on searching the outskirts.

“A search… The fog is thick, but if they’re careful, it might be possible.”

“Keke, but if they slip and fall, they’ll be disqualified from the mission.”

“R-really?”

“Besides, if they wander around outside now, they’ll waste the entire morning and afternoon. They’ll be too exhausted to conduct proper investigations.”

“Ugh… That’s true. The best time to meet people is in the morning.”

“Keke, as expected of Luna. To think you’d consider that… such incredible insight.”

“Right? I am pretty smart. I really am the queen of deduction.”

Luna’s nose shot up with pride.

Our Luna was so simple—it was endearing.

“So, what should we do? Any good ideas?”

“How about we get some sleep?”

“Sleep?”

“Yes, to conserve our stamina. That way, we’ll have plenty of energy to move around in the morning and afternoon.”

“Rest, huh…? But we already slept in the carriage, so I don’t feel sleepy…”

“J-just sitting and resting is good too! Your brain will work better after a break!”

For the first time, I was coordinating with Rezé.

For a brief moment, Luna’s eyes shimmered with emotion.

She must have convinced herself that we had finally become friends—what a ridiculous misunderstanding.

Luna suddenly pulled us into a tight hug and shouted,

“Alright, let’s rest! It’s on me!”

Luna.

Accommodations are free for Academy students.

---

“Luna, wake up.”

“…Huh?”

“Keke, the sun is already high in the sky.”

“Yaaawn~ I dozed off for a bit.”

Luna sat up, scratching her stomach. Her hair was sticking out in all directions.

She looked no different from an unemployed bum.

Of course, I wasn’t in much better shape myself.

It had been hard to fall asleep at first, thanks to Luna’s loud snoring, but once I was out, I slept like a rock.

‘Well, it’s only natural, considering this is the best lodging in town.’

I hadn’t suggested resting just for investigation purposes.

Securing a good inn had been another motive.

Trash Village’s lodgings had varying recovery rates for fatigue.

There were only a few top-tier inns, but since many students had rushed outside the village, we managed to secure a good one.

“Well then, shall we get going?”

“I-I’m… still a little tired…”

“Ugh, I’m tired too. You guys can handle it, right? You’ll do just fine. This instructor believes in you.”

…What the hell.

Was this sloth Ron’s twin or something?

I thought I was only looking after a cat and a rabbit, but now it seemed I had somehow acquired another pet.

Luna hoisted Rezé onto her back and headed for the door.

“Zero, grab that one.”

“Keke, why not just leave him behind?”

“If we don’t bring him, who’s going to grade our deduction skills?”

In the end, I had no choice but to carry Instructor Ron on my back.

---

Bustle, bustle—

The first place we headed was the marketplace.

Perhaps because of the recent influx of visitors, the merchants were raising their voices more than usual.

“Hm~ Where should we start looking for information?”

“Keke, a friendly uncle or aunt would be ideal, right? I read a study that said people interested in vegetables tend to be honest.”

“Where do you even find information like that? Well, whatever. Let’s look around.”

I had already decided on our first conversation target long ago.

I subtly nudged Luna’s back, guiding her while blocking her line of sight.

Before long, we arrived at our destination.

“Come, come! Crispy carrot fries! Tasty and healthy, freshly fried carrot fries!”

The first person I had chosen was the carrot fry vendor.

But I couldn’t let my guard down yet.

Since he provided an important clue, his difficulty level was quite high.

There was only one chance to get the information, and there were two ways to make him talk:

Either buy a hundred carrot fries, or correctly answer a series of twenty questions in a guessing game.

Of course, I had no intention of buying a hundred pointless carrot fries.

‘The twenty questions thing is just a metaphor. In reality, I need to ask exactly thirty-six questions in sequence to get the information.’

Not even a single mistake was allowed.

An incredibly strict condition. But it didn’t matter—I was a veteran of this game.

Just as I was about to ask the first question…

“Rezé! Look at this! It’s your favorite—carrots!”

…Luna had completely shattered the twenty-questions challenge.

Whether she realized it or not, she casually took a bite of a carrot fry.

“Hm… Maybe it’s because it’s fried? It’s actually pretty decent. Zero, you should try it too.”

“Keke, those carrot fries do look quite delicious. I have a feeling someone’s about to buy a hundred of them… but maybe it’s just my imagination?”

“Hahaha! This is Trash’s special carrot fry! Made from seeds grown in Rosetta, the finest carrot-producing region. The taste is on a whole different level.”

At some point, Rezé had drawn closer and cautiously took a bite of the fry.

Crunch—.

She wiped her mouth delicately with a handkerchief.

Such impeccable manners.

Was it just my imagination, or did she resemble a gourmet chef deep in thought?

“T-this carrot hasn’t been cooked evenly.”

“H-huh? S-sorry, must’ve fried it wrong.”

“A-and the carrots from Rosetta only grow in warm climates. T-the soil has to be good too. T-there’s no way they could be cultivated anywhere near here.”

“U-ugh!”

“L-lying about the origin isn’t the worst thing… but…”

Her long bangs draped down like curtains, barely concealing the flames igniting in her eyes.

“I-I can’t forgive anyone who disrespects carrots!!”

“Hi-hiiiiiik! I-I’m sorry!!”

The chef rabbit had gone into a frenzy.

…What even was a carrot to this girl?

I wasn’t sure, but I did know one thing—she loved them enough that she might as well change her name to “Rezé Carrot.”

“I-I was wrong! I’ll give you everything I have—just please forgive me!”

The carrot fry vendor dropped to his knees.

And just like that, the chef rabbit had secured the information.

–TL Notes–
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