Chapter 284: Mercy in Steel (1)

Sorry for the late chapter, I fell asleep.

The Liberation Army member, who told the whole truth, was soon taken away by the police called by Passius.

Left behind, Rudger and Passius pondered the Liberation Army agent’s words from earlier.

“I knew there was something underground, but to say they were working with a warlock is pretty troubling.”

“He didn’t seem to be lying, he also didn’t have a high rank either so he didn’t know much.”

“He said he was a third-level informant.”

“Yes.”

Passius nodded.

The Liberation Army operative had said he was a third-level informant, someone who moved in stealth and kept the army informed about the outside world changes, a tail that could be cut off and as it turned out, he didn’t know that much.

Rudger thought it was funny.

“They say they want a world where everyone is equal, but they’re the ones who’re grading and discriminating.”

Passius laughed bitterly at that.

“They’re just like the aristocrats they hate.”

“In a way, they’ve become their equal, ironically enough.”

“But joining forces with a warlock certainly crossed the line.”

“It may have been because their power was not enough.”

“The Liberation Army isn’t that underpowered either, they have some high ranking people in their midst.”

“But now they’ve added black wizards to those executives.”

“Sort of.”

Even as he said that, Passius couldn’t help but notice Rudger’s eyes on him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What? Oh, it’s because…….”

“Is it because of what the Liberation Army agent just said?”

Passius recalled the words of the captured agent from earlier.

He had said that the Liberation Army was working with the black wizards and that they were up to something underground.

If that was all he’d said, it wouldn’t have bothered him. It was the other information he said that bothered them.

-Theon, there’s an agent of ours hiding among the students of Theon! I was supposed to contact him!

The desperate words of the Liberation Army agent fueled Passius’s worry.

“Don’t read too much into it. He’s probably just trying to sway us with lies on purpose.”

“You don’t have to console me. He was sincere and he’s not the kind of person whose head would spin enough to deceive us with false information in a situation like that.”

“……Mr. Rudger.”

“Come to think of it, it would be rather odd if someone wasn’t infiltrated.”

Rudger said and turned to leave while Passius followed casually at his side.

“……What are you going to do about it?”

“The students’ lives are at stake so I’ll handle it accordingly.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“I don’t understand the intent of your question.”

“You’re a teacher, aren’t you?”

“A superficial title that can be changed at any time.”

“…….”

When Rudger said it so forcefully, even Passius couldn’t argue further.

“I see, so our first priority is to find the student.”

“If they’re right, he’s a first-rate intelligence officer, so he should know a lot.”

Rudger and Passius were back out on the main street by then.

“Mr. Rudger!”

A familiar voice spotted them and shouted.

In the distance, Aidan was running toward Rudger.

“Aidan?”

Where did he leave his mentor, Caroline Monarch?

Judging by the way he came running this way, it was no accident.

‘He’s not alone.’

Aidan was with his best friend Leo, who was often with him. Did he come here to ask you something?

Rudger narrowed his eyes as he thought so.

Aidan and Leo’s expressions were somewhat serious unlike usual. Obviously, Aidan’s expression, which was bright before he left, now seemed full of urgency.

“Wait, the students are looking for me.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

With a nod to Passius, Rudger approached Aidan.

Rudger stopped in front of him and stared at Leo and Aidan, who gasped for breath.

“Aidan, Leo, what are you doing here? Why are you not with your mentor and why are you calling my name so loudly on the street. Don’t you guys have any shame at all?”

In fact, the two students acted arbitrarily in a serious situation, so it was impossible for Rudger to say good things.

Had it been the usual Aidan, he would have smiled awkwardly and said sorry but now it was different.

“That’s……I thought I had to tell Mr. Rudger.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s about Leo.”

Rudger’s sharp gaze fell on Leo. The normally stoic boy looked terrified now.

He didn’t try to show it, but the way his clenched fists trembled gave it away.

Rudger suddenly remembered the words of the Liberation Army agent from earlier.

‘No way.’

Pushing the disturbing thought from his mind, Rudger asked.

“Tell me everything that happened.”

“Leo.”

Aidan called Leo’s name but Leo hesitated for a long moment. He wasn’t sure if he should speak, then a hand rested on his shoulder.

Leo stared at Aidan wordlessly.

One look into Aidan’s steady eyes and Leo made a decision.

“It’s…….”

Leo told Rudger the truth.

* * *

About an hour ago Aidan looked at Leo and asked.

“Are you okay?”

“You…….”

Leo didn’t know what Aidan meant by his question so he was dumbfounded. No, more than that, he was angry.

“Are you……asking me if I’m okay because you don’t know what’s going on right now?”

“Leo…….”

“I’m with the Liberation Army.”

With nothing to hide, Leo told Aidan his identity.

“I’ve been told that there’s going to be a major terrorist and I’ve been instructed to expose the students to that threat directly. Do you understand? The guy you thought was your friend all this time was actually a liar and an international terrorist.”

“Leo.”

“Don’t call me by that name!”

Leo shouted, unable to control himself. It was not like Leo to lose his cool under any circumstances. Or to put it another way, Leo was pushed to the breaking point to show such emotion.

“You’re looking at me like you’re worried about something! You’re supposed to be running outside to report me right now! What happened to your head?”

Leo’s voice was mournful, as if he were releasing every ounce of his frustration.

“I lied to you, Tracy, Iona, all of them, and you still think of me as a friend!”

Leo wished Aidan would just call him names. He would have felt better if he could have grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and slapped him but Aidan listened in silence.

It made Leo’s heart sink.

“Ha. Ha.”

Leo gasped for air after venting his anger for so long. He didn’t even have the strength left to do anything.

“…..Idiot. There’s no point in staying here, it’s all over.”

“It’s not over.”

Aidan’s words made Leo stare at him like he didn’t know what the hell this idiot was talking about.

“Leo, you weren’t going to listen to those Liberation Army people.”

“……whatever.”

“I’m sorry I eavesdropped, and I know you had no choice, which is to be expected when your family is being held hostage, but you still tried to resist.”

“What’s the point? It’s already over!”

“The attack hasn’t happened yet, and you have the information to stop it.”

Leo met Aidan’s eyes. Aidan’s eyes never wavered, as if his words weren’t simply meant to encourage him.

Aidan genuinely believed he could stop this now.

“You…….”

“I need to tell them.”

“To who? Do you think they’d believe us if we said anything, since we’re just students in the first place?”

“We need to tell someone who will believe us.”

“And who is that?”

“Mr. Rudger.”

“…….”

Leo’s face crumpled in disbelief.

“Are you crazy, Rudger Chelici, do you think he’s going to believe us?”

“Why do you think he isn’t?”

“Because of his personality, he will rather catch me and put me in prison. That’s what all people who weigh principles are like!”

“No. Mr. Rudger wouldn’t do that.”

“How do you know?”

“Then who else is there besides Mr. Rudger? Is there a suitable person?”

“…….”

Leo didn’t have a good answer.

Even if he told a regular teacher, there was no guarantee that what he said on their behalf would ring true to anyone else.

But Rudger was different. He had recently risen to prominence in the Arcane Chamber and he was also a person who paid attention to mentors who participated in this field trip.

“Leo, you have to decide.”

“……It’s too late.”

“No, it’s not too late. It can be turned around, depending on what you do.”

“What can I do on my own?”

“I’ll help you.”

Aidan replied without hesitation.

“What?”

“I’ll help you.”

“…… Are you insane? Don’t you realize you’re in danger if you get involved with me? You could be arrested as an accomplice!”

“We’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen, won’t we?”

“…….”

Aidan’s sarcastic tone left Leo speechless.

After pursing his lips for a moment, Leo’s shoulders drooped in a half-given-up manner. But even so, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Seriously, you’re the biggest idiot …… I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

* * *

Leo told Rudger the whole truth. How he ended up in the Liberation Army and what they’re trying to do in the capital. To be honest, he thought they were crazy.

As he talked with Rudger, there were several times when Leo wondered if he should do this but in the end, he told him everything and when he was done, he felt an indescribable sense of relief.

After Leo finished, Rudger stared at him wordlessly for a while. That reticent gaze weighed heavily on Leo, and it frightened him.

How long did the suffocating moment last?

Rudger opened his mouth.

“Leo, if what you’re saying is true, your family is being held hostage, your sister and mother.”

The first words out of Rudger’s mouth were neither anger nor rebuke, but confirmation.

“……Yes.”

“And you had no choice but to obey their orders.”

“Yes.”

“But that doesn’t take away the sinfulness of what you did because you did, in fact, stole information from Theon.”

“……You’re all right.”

Leo knew there was no point in making excuses, so he humbly accepted the truth.

“And yet you came to me, to try to resolve this situation somehow.”

“……Yes.”

Leo thought of his family. Then he thought of the friends he’d made in Theon, and the memories he’d made.

Either was so precious that it was hard to give up. However, if he chose one, he had no choice but to let go of the other.

“Then I’ll have to save your family first.”

Rudger said.

“What?”

Leo didn’t understand for a moment and asked.

“Why?”

“That, that’s……my family is now…….”

“We have to save them. You said they were being held hostage.”

“Yeah. I did, but……why?”

Leo couldn’t help but ask.

It’s Leo’s family that’s being held hostage, not Rudger’s family. To be honest, Rudger wasn’t even remotely responsible for saving Leo’s family. Still, he said he would.

“Leo, who am I?”

“You are Mr. Rudger Chelici.”

“Yes. Is it so wrong when a teacher says he will help a student?”

“…….”

Leo has already been speechless twice today.

Rudger’s words made sense. He is a teacher so he helps students. It was obvious. It was also the right thing to say but people didn’t do the obvious.

Leo had no doubt that the man in front of him would do the same.

He knew he’d done great things, and he knew there was something about him that set him apart from other teachers. He figured Rudger was just like everyone else in that regard.

“Leo.”

“……Yes.”

“For this moment, all you have to do is say thank you.”

Leo felt something stirring inside him and bowed his head deeply. Maybe he knew the truth. That it was his own narrow-mindedness that wouldn’t help anyone. He just didn’t want to admit it.

To admit that there are people in this world who are stupidly good or who do their part would mean that he was wrong, that he had been laughing at everything.

Wasn’t that funny?

He said no one will help him, but inside he was desperate for help. What is more contradictory than this?

He said with his own mouth that he should think about everything rationally and calmly.

Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if he said that and got it wrong?

Like Aidan, who offers to help, or Rudger, who listens to the situation and says he understands.

‘I can’t believe I’m with these fools but I’m such a fool, too.’

And Leo didn’t hate himself for being in the company of such fools.

Tears streamed down Leo’s face as he bowed his head.

“Thank you, really, thank you.”

It was the first tear of a boy who had vowed never to shed a tear, no matter what shed.