I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind – Chapter 411

Lowell fled from Caron’s grasp as though her life depended on it.

Only after glancing back and confirming that he wasn’t pursuing her did she finally release a deep sigh of relief.

“Phew… It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Caron so fixated on someone like that.”

That alone was proof enough of just how promising Zero truly was as a talent worth cultivating. She brought to mind once more the bit of information Caron had let slip by accident.

“Being able to mimic other people’s techniques…”

If that turned out to be true, it would mark an absolutely genius-level ability.

The dagger arts of the Dennis family, the evasion techniques of the Tuton family, and now even incorporating the swordsmanship of the Lester family.

As someone who had secretly picked up a handful of forbidden techniques from various other houses, Lowell understood better than most exactly how ridiculous such a talent really was.

“Does that mean he wasn’t even using his full strength against me in our fight? Now that really gets under my skin.”

When she stopped to consider it, the move where he hurled his weapon felt eerily similar to Douglas’s signature secret technique.

Had he crossed paths with it sometime in the past? Or perhaps it was a skill he had refined entirely on his own?

Lowell mulled it over briefly before pulling out her communication orb.

There was one additional detail she needed to verify right away.

“Who could this be? If it isn’t the second most adorable sister in the entire world! How long has it been since we last chatted like this? Three whole years, maybe?”

The image of Lucia’s face, upside down and relaxed within the crystal orb, came into view.

True to form, Lucia was lounging sprawled across her bed without a single worry in sight.

“Is it really true?”

“Hmm? True about what?”

“That squinty-eyed bastard, the snarling wildcat, and the utterly frustrating rabbit who gets on your nerves just by existing. You actually took them on as your personal disciples?”

“Ah, ahaha… W-well, things just sort of… happened that way…”

Just sort of? How in the world does someone “just sort of” end up accepting disciples they never once considered before?

And not a single one, but a full trio of them, no less!

“Ha, but those kids genuinely have talent, I swear! You think this Lucia would buckle under some cheap threats? I evaluated them all myself and made the call!”

“…So you definitely got blackmailed into it?”

Perhaps it was a pang of guilt. Lucia jolted in surprise and tumbled straight off the bed in a fluster.

Lowell let out another sigh upon witnessing the scene.

She didn’t even need to guess who the culprit behind the blackmail had been—it was obvious.

‘Putting up with it for my sake is one thing, but threatening Sister Lucia…’

What an insufferably cocky little upstart. Or maybe gutsy enough to have his intestines hanging out already?

“It’s fine, though. I’m dealing with something pretty similar myself.”

“So that’s how it turned out in the end. I’m sorry. I kept it hidden because sharing it wouldn’t have done you any favors.”

“You made the right choice. If Father or Brother Lucas ever caught wind of this, nothing good would come from it.”

Someone out there knowing the Lucid family’s deepest secrets?

They’d come after him with lethal intent, no question. After all, elimination was the simplest, most complication-free solution.

“Now that I think about it, I kinda miss the academy. How are the little ones holding up?”

“The academy life is all pretty much the same old routine, isn’t it?”

“And things with Delin? You two getting along okay?”

“Well… that’s the same as ever, too.”

Lucia offered no further words, merely gazing at her with a soft, subtle smile.

It had always been this way. Even back when Lowell relentlessly teased Rodelin, Lucia would simply observe in quiet silence.

‘She trusts that I’ll come around eventually.’

Everyone else shot disapproving glares at Lowell for tormenting Rodelin so much, but Lucia alone stood apart.

She firmly believed that someday, the two of them would slip back into their old bond as close sisters.

That pure, steadfast faith directed at her. Even someone as bold as Lowell couldn’t help turning into a gentle lamb in Lucia’s presence.

“You look absolutely wrecked. Breaking through that 7-star barrier isn’t proving simple, is it?”

“…Yeah. It’s not shaping up the way I hoped at all.”

Truth be told, these injuries stemmed from her clash with Zero rather than any training session, but admitting that outright was out of the question.

Taking a beating from some academy student on top of everything else? She’d never live it down or show her face again.

“Try to ease up a little. What if you took Delin out for a relaxing picnic or something?”

“Like I have any spare time for outings!”

Lucia burst into a light, tinkling laugh at Lowell’s petulant complaint.

Unbeknownst to herself, Lowell always ended up acting a bit spoiled and whiny whenever she was around her big sister.

“Don’t get all sulky now. The suggestion to relax is coming from a genuine place.”

“Oh, I get it. Taking it easy… so that’s the key insight required to shatter the 7-star wall?”

“Hmm? No, that’s not what I meant.”

“…Then why even bring up relaxing in the first place?”

“You push yourself way too hard all the time. I was just saying you should take a break for your own sake. And hey, Delin—the one you hold so dear—is conveniently right there with you.”

“Come on, that’s not helpful… Give me some actual solid advice here. How exactly did you manage to push past your own 7-star wall, Sister?”

“Me? I kinda just breezed through it without much fuss, so I’m not entirely sure. I mean, I sailed all the way up to 8-star without breaking a sweat.”

As if anyone could simply “breeze” through realms like that on a whim?

That was the trouble with freaks of nature like her—they could never offer a proper breakdown or explanation.

It was right then, as Lowell puffed out her cheeks in a sulky pout and muttered under her breath, that Lucia closed one eye in a playful wink and added.

“But the part about you needing to ease up? That’s one hundred percent sincere. You can take my word for it—this comes straight from Lucia herself.”

Lowell felt a faint tremor run through her body.

‘How on earth does someone end up with confidence like that?’

She wanted to grow stronger herself. Far stronger than she was right now.

Stronger still, and even more beyond that.

All so she could stand ready to protect Delin.

“Chatting like this after such a long time feels really nice.”

“Sorry about that…”

“If you’re truly sorry, then reach out more often, okay? Oh, and about Pleche…”

Click-.

Lowell cut the connection in a frantic hurry. The name Pleche had resurfaced, the one she’d deliberately tried to shove out of her thoughts.

‘…At least he’s still breathing. That’s enough for now.’

Shaking her head vigorously, Lowell snapped herself back to the present moment.

With this, everything had become crystal clear.

That slit-eyed boy—every word Zero had spoken was the unvarnished ‘truth’.

“If even Caron is willing to vouch for his intel to that degree… then yeah, the legion commander really must be up in the north.”

On top of that, stuck in a state where unstable descent left him completely immobilized and unable to act.

This was groundbreaking information. For starters, the suffocating pressure that had been bearing down on her finally lifted a little.

‘I’ve been living on edge day in and day out, never knowing when he might pop up again.’

Gaining some breathing room to actually grow stronger was welcome news in its own right.

Summoning a legion commander demanded an enormous quantity of souls.

Without something catastrophic like a full-blown war or a massive slaughter breaking out, there was no chance of the Second Legion Commander descending anytime soon.

That said, it wasn’t wholly out of the realm of possibility.

“Those filthy black mage scum…”

There had been that one incident where they painstakingly collected souls one at a time over several decades just to force a legion commander into manifestation.

Or the nightmare from five years back, when they unleashed a sprawling green magic formation to offer up an entire city as a sacrificial feast.

Taking all these possibilities into account, the smartest move for her now would be.

“I should focus on taking out those so-called Four Heavenly Kings. If anyone’s scheming behind the scenes, you can bet it’ll be one of them.”

A fresh objective took shape in her mind.

Lowell had set her sights on the legion commander from the very beginning anyway. The Four Heavenly Kings, though?

They struck her as almost comically straightforward by comparison.

No matter their level of power, they couldn’t possibly measure up to a legion commander.

“…”

Lowell tilted her head upward to gaze at the night sky.

It stretched vast overhead, brimming with the glow of two luminous moons and a scattering of shimmering stars.

The memory surfaced of Luna’s crescent slash from earlier, the one that had devoured the surrounding light in its arc.

It paled in comparison to the devastating crescent slash Renia had unleashed—a mere shadow of that overwhelming force.

And yet.

“It really was beautiful, in its own way.”

Beneath the gentle wash of moonlight.

Lowell remained rooted in place for quite some time.

Reflecting on the sense of pride that Renia had instilled in her long ago.

---

Lowell departed in what looked like a desperate escape. Caron watched her retreating figure intently for a good long while.

Her reactions had made it plain enough.

That some kind of encounter had transpired between Zero and Lowell.

It wasn’t all that surprising for her to show interest in Zero, all things considered.

‘People with exceptional talent always end up shining through eventually.’

Talent had a way of revealing itself like that, no matter what.

On top of which, having others praise the one he had personally groomed? To be frank, it put him in a rather good mood.

Was this the sort of satisfaction a mentor felt upon seeing their protégé flourish?

Naturally, it wasn’t entirely without its downsides.

“No way… she’s not planning to whisk him off to the Lucid family, is she?”

Exceptional individuals were always in high demand, no matter where they turned up.

Which also implied they had the flexibility to thrive in any environment that suited them.

Up until this point, he hadn’t given much thought to such risks. There had simply been no cause for concern.

‘Anyone who learned I was pulling the strings from the shadows would tuck tail and bolt without a second thought.’

For some fool to lay a hand on a Rat trained by the Empire’s own Rat?

That would amount to nothing short of suicide.

But in this instance, the adversary proved far less pliable.

“The Lucid family…”

It wasn’t just Rodelin—even Lucia had taken a favorable view of Zero.

She had gone so far as to accept him as a disciple, an unprecedented move for her.

‘I overlooked it because I know how carelessly she handles such things…’

But now Lowell was displaying interest as well?

This was far from ideal. He would need to implement some drastic countermeasures. Something along the lines of.

“I’ll need to ramp up the brainwashing sessions considerably.”

Your place in this world is solely beneath me. Thinking of straying elsewhere? Then I’ll promptly relieve you of that pointless head on your shoulders.

Drill that lesson home repeatedly, and the very notion of escape would fade into impossible fantasy.

How does that work, you say? In scenarios like this, shouldn’t one dangle incentives rather than wield threats like a whip?

He was already providing ample incentives, thank you very much.

‘Allowing him to keep breathing.’

That concession alone qualified as the carrot.

For Caron, the idea of treating Zero with any real kindness had never even crossed the table as an option.

As he continued observing Lowell’s vanishing silhouette, Caron slipped seamlessly into the enveloping darkness.

Today marked the occasion for his report to Dwener.

Upon reaching the makeshift office established within Baron Kelven’s estate, Caron announced his arrival with a subtle presence.

“Enter.”

Without delay, Caron passed the report directly into his hands.

The document chronicled the historical feats of Baron Kelven and the Trash Knight Order from years past.

Caron himself had taken part in those territorial skirmishes back then, masquerading as an unassuming supply porter, which afforded him access to details unknown to most others.

‘Why he desires this particular intelligence. I still can’t make sense of it.’

What exactly drove Dwener’s intentions? Even as Caron turned the question over in his mind, the man set the report aside.

“Remarkable. I’d only encountered the stories in passing… never imagined the scale was quite this grand.”

“It was a truly awe-inspiring display. The way the earth itself trembled beneath their advance… recalling it even now feels like witnessing a spectacle all over again.”

To dominate as the unchallenged overlord of the central and northern territories.

Such dominance couldn’t be chalked up to mere fortune. It underscored that Baron Kelven and his Trash Knights had been a force backed by genuine, formidable prowess.

“What could have reduced such figures to their current state?”

“The sting of defeat must have factored in, but I suspect clinging to the memories of that era weighs even heavier on them. Knights, after all, place their honor above everything else.”

Glimpses of former glory, now overshadowed by tarnished reputations.

In truth, the vast majority of those who had risen to prominence during that tumultuous period had long since perished.

Yet the few who endured carried on by loudly proclaiming their faded accolades as if they still burned bright.

Without that crutch, sustaining such a pitiful existence would prove unbearable.

“Among all the knights who made their mark back then, only Sir Pjol remains in the picture. That said, it doesn’t mean the rest were in any way inferior.”

These were warriors who had weathered more than a hundred brutal territorial battles and emerged alive.

One couldn’t dismiss them lightly. Had it not been for the injuries that hobbled them, even the academy’s instructors might have struggled to subdue them with ease.

“How many of them are we talking about?”

“If you include those who’ve gone into hiding, it comes to roughly fifty in total.”

“…That’s quite a number.”

Dwener turned his gaze toward the window.

In that quiet moment, his lips parted ever so slightly.

“Caron, supposing… a full-scale conflict were to erupt, could you handle suppressing them?”

“Absolutely.”

Casualties couldn’t be entirely avoided, of course. But with his direct involvement, he could keep them to an absolute minimum.

“Not every member of the knight order has thrown in with this mess.”

“Precisely. And that’s what makes it such a headache—they remain oblivious to the fact that some of their own comrades have turned into demonic underlings.”

“Why don’t we go ahead and sort them out, then.”

Caron’s eyes sharpened with keen interest. Although the knights had been confined for an extended period, none had shown the slightest hint of resistance.

This suggested that no demon contractors lurked among their ranks, leaving them in the dark about who exactly was colluding with the perpetrator—and utterly unable to root out the collaborators.

‘A spot of torture would have resolved it neatly…’

Dwener, however, remained steadfastly opposed. As a result, they had merely dragged out the hours with fruitless discussions and empty posturing.

“Do you have some kind of strategy in mind?”

“Indeed I do. The only drawback is that it’ll put the instructors through the wringer a bit.”

“If anything, that sounds ideal. After all, that’s precisely what those instructors are there for.”

Instructors, at their core, represented the next generation of leaders who would steer the empire forward.

The more hands-on combat experience they gained, the better equipped they’d be. Sure, a few losses might occur in the process.

‘Yet even those serve as vital nourishment for their development.’

The death of a fellow fighter provided an unparalleled catalyst for growth, one that nothing else could replicate.

It might come across as harsh, but certain matters demanded a broader, more strategic perspective.

Especially for those in oversight roles, like Caron himself.

“In that case, allow me to outline the plan. To start, we’ll arrange for the knight order to make a break for it…”

Dwener’s scheme carried a touch of unhinged creativity.

What troubled Caron most was the nagging thought that it actually ‘might just work’.

With the strategy now set, Caron exited the office to set things in motion.

“I still can’t fathom why he sought out details on the old Trash Knight Order.”

He mulled it over once more, but the underlying motive eluded him still.

In short order, Caron banished the matter from his thoughts entirely.

The truth behind it would come to light soon enough, once this entire affair reached its conclusion.

–TL Notes–
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