CHAPTER 43: THE CAMOUFLAGED BEAST

The misty white aura of Stanley’s mana wafted in the air towards him with the help of the mana siphoning ability the system granted him. He closed his eyes in deep pleasure and threw his head backwards, reveling in the sweet sensation mana consumption gave him.

He must admit, he’d missed that feeling. He stood on the spot, trying to savor the moment amidst the chaos. The noise had pierced and risen as he hit the students’ true triggers. They could call him sorts of petty names, but what stood out was "a cursed monster."

Eric almost laughed, wondering how it came to be that he’d gotten such an intimidating nickname when it was clear he hadn’t done anything. He couldn’t come to terms with their weird beliefs.

"Stanley had died because he had a duel with him."

"He’d laid a curse on him, that walking evil."

"He’s come to disrupt the academy!"

"Never has Azuren Heart had 201 students. He just had to disrupt the balance.

"Now that I think of it, where was he during the time Stanley was hurt?"

Opal, Silver, and Gray had uncomfortably formed a circle around him because they saw the situation was escalating too badly and they could end up harming Eric at this state.

Eric glanced over at two of Stanley’s friends and he could tell they were extremely uncomfortable with the situation, even though they threw insults at him occasionally. He knew the only way to get answers was away from them, but the crowd had widened now and Opal, Gray, and Silver had pushed him further away from the line.

The situation might have escalated further, had the academy’s guards not stormed into the training ground to calm the students.

"Phil, Dan, and Eric," the head guard called. "You’re to appear before the Archon immediately."

The crowd parted and they let Stanley’s friends and Eric pass. Opal followed them immediately, and so did Silver and Gray. They made sure to keep a safe distance between themselves and the guards lest they are seen beside. But one of the guards detected them.

"I don’t remember your names called. The Archon does not need you."

"But we are witnesses. We were with Eric and we know he’s innocent," Opal said confidently.

"Well, when it’s time to call witnesses, I’ll remember you, Opal Flames," the head guard said and stepped on.

’Even the academy guards know her by name,’ Eric thought.

’And why is she trying to defend me? If I didn’t know her better, I’d think she was really concerned.’

They arrived at the Archon’s office, and the door was shut against them while the guards left after bowing to the Archon.

Eric couldn’t believe that he’d been here twice in the space of four days. The Archon, a good-looking old man, towered before him. He was believed be in his late nineties but looked just as fit as Master Max or Master Lancel.His clothes tailored to his feet looked comfy, in ways that did not matter much. The sides of his long overflowing hair was braided while the middle part was left flowing down on his back, making him appear rather fashionable.

Sitting on his right were Master Max and Master Lancel, while on his left were Silk, to Eric’s surprise and disgust. Also, a young man and woman who he hadn’t met yet. Eric figured the woman to be around Winter’s age. Her brown hair was packed in a ponytail and her deep brown, sharp eyes burned into Eric.

Her name is Eleanor and she’s the master in charge of Archery.

The other man beside Eleanor wore simple attire and had a calm face and a boyish smile. The students call him Random, but his real name is Randon.

Eric also saw a bald-headed man, standing a little distance away from Max. He wore an overflowing grey robe which indicated that he was a mage.

Eric wasn’t entirely sure what types of mages were and what colour each type wore, but he’d seen Winter wear red, and she could control fire—same as Cheng, who wore the red belt on his student’s uniform. He remembered the silent boy, Styles’ sidekick also wore grey belt and his magic had psychological effect, so he guessed this bald mage must also have similar powers.

They must be trying to manipulate their brains so they could get the truth.

The Archon cleared his throat and spoke softly. "Before we begin, students, I would like to let you know that we have here beside me, Mage Alabaster. He is a world-renowned mage and you must also know that you can never sneak a lie past him. So, I encourage you to speak truthfully to every question, thus making the session easier for everyone. You should know you’re at the risk of expulsion should you be heard telling half-truths or full lies. Now, let’s begin with... Eric Abyss."

’Oh, Alabaster is a lie detector. I hope they don’t ask about anything unrelated to the case.’

The questions were direct.

"Where were you five minutes before your scheduled rank match with Stanley?" Eleanor asked.

"I was on a hammock under the oak tree by the East wall," Eric replied immediately after which Alabaster nodded his approval, indicating he wasn’t lying.

"And you have anything to do with the victim, Stanley’s death?" Silk questioned him with his usual calm aura.

"No," Eric said softly. Alabaster nodded again.

The next questioner was Lancel. He gazed at Eric intently. "Did you or did you not puncture three holes into Stanley’s chest, ending his life in the process?"

The Archon’s chair scraped the floor. Master Max jumped in.

"I don’t see any need for that question, Lancel. The boy already said ’no’ and Alabaster had confirmed he wasn’t lying."

"You never can tell about these students," murmured Lancel.

It was obvious from the Archon’s reaction and Max’s quick temperament that they didn’t want the students to know or have any idea how Stanley really died. Not that he cared anyway. He believed if anyone could manage to kill Stanley that easily, then it must be his friend, Phil and Dan. The guard turned toward Phil and Dan.

The interrogation was about to begin, Phil started whining, sweating buckets and behaving like a guilty thief.

"Phil Jones?" Eleanor called, suspicious.

"It wasn’t... I was... I was... a beast! A big, black beast with the eyes of a human... It was only me and Stanley..."

The Archon turned towards Alabaster, his eyes hoping what Phil said was wrong. But Alabaster only nodded that it was true. The Archon sighed.

Phil continued, "After it killed Stanley, it came to me but as it was about to strike, it turned as if it was being summoned by someone, then ran away on its two legs."

Turning to Eric, Phil said, "...it had the camouflage ribbon on its arm!"

Alabaster nodded.