Chapter 172: Identity Revealed? (2)

A heavy silence descended upon the rest area.

Everyone there, with grim faces and yet fearful eyes, looked at the woman leaning against a tree.

Karina Zain.

Though they were in the same year, not a single one of them had ever spoken to her directly.

The saying that birds of a feather flock together wasn’t for nothing.

Not all classmates were the same, and the cadets with top grades stuck together.

On top of that, Karina was of the bloodline of a great family, the Ducal Zain family.

To those with mid-to-low grades and no connections or background to speak of, Karina Zain was a being on a higher plane, someone from a different world.

Wouldn’t Karina probably not even know their names?

……They were correct.

In reality, despite being in the same year, Karina Zain knew neither their names nor their faces.

“Hey.”

And Karina’s murderous gaze fixed on someone.

The recipient was the male cadet who, until a moment ago, had been sitting on a rock, running his mouth nonstop and leading the gossip about Gerard.

“What’s your name, you?”

“Me. Me……?”

“Yeah, you, the one who looks sly and obnoxiously pretends to be handsome. What’s your name?”

A moment later, a ‘pfft-’ sound of a snort came from behind.

A direct insult in front of his friends.

But there was nothing he could do.

“I-I never pretended to be handsome. Haha.”

Just forcing an awkward smile and trying to act as if nothing was wrong was all he could do.

But he couldn’t help the blush that spread across his face.

“Didn’t you hear me? I asked for your name.”

“M-my name is Jez. Karina. During the final evaluation last week, I took the test in the seat behind you…….”

“Do I need to know that?”

“W-well, no, but. We’re still classmates…….”

For a moment, a cold smile formed on Karina’s lips.

“Really? Then, my dear classmate Jez. You were talking about some pretty interesting things earlier, want to say them again? You said Gerard was what, Skull Mask?”

“N-no? I never said anything like that.”

“Lying……? You want to be buried without anyone knowing?”

“I-it’s true. Ahem.”

Sensing a crisis, Jez tried to lie, but upon seeing Karina’s face instantly turn cold, he changed his tune and confessed the truth.

“Why is Gerard the Skull Mask?”

“Ah. Karina, you must not know yet. You see.”

Karina’s brow furrowed slightly as she watched Jez excitedly open his mouth as if he had forgotten everything.

Of course, Karina was also aware of the rumors circulating among the cadets.

How could she not know?

She was the most sensitive to Academy news, interests, and trends.

However.

‘Pfft! Gerard is Skull Mask? Who’s spouting such nonsense?’

She had immediately dismissed it.

From her perspective, it was a natural reaction.

Why?

Because she herself was the one who had been thoroughly embarrassed after asserting that same nonsense.

She had already suspected Gerard long ago and had concluded that he wasn't him.

She had even used the Zain family’s treasure, the ‘Eye of Truth,’ so she was certain.

No.

Even without the ‘Eye of Truth,’ the person named Gerard, whom she had watched while hovering around him, was definitely not some thief like Skull Mask.

And so.

“Hey. From now on, you all listen carefully to what I have to say.”

Karina was not pleased with this situation, which was the exact opposite of her judgment, and she warned them.

“That Gerard person is not a thief. Got it?”

“N-no. Karina. I mean, the rumor.”

“Ah! I don’t give a damn about the rumor, so shut up. Did you understand? Huh?”

“…….”

“You don’t know me? I’m Karina Zain, Karina Zain. Don’t tell me you guys don’t know what kind of place the Ducal Zain family is?”

Jez, startled, quickly waved his hands.

“N-no!? Of course I know.”

The Zain family, for generations, was a family of evil eradication, judging demons and throwing villains in jail.

And Karina was a blood relative of that family.

“If you say he’s not, then he’s not, Karina. Hehe.”

Karina smiled with satisfaction at Jez’s excessively fawning attitude, as if he’d forgotten everything.

But she didn’t stop there and met the eyes of each and every cadet gathered in the rest area, warning them.

“I’ve memorized all your faces, so if you spread the same nonsense from now on and it reaches my ears, then.”

Her smiling expression turned cold in an instant.

“I’ll take it as you ignoring me and my name.”

“……!”

“So, did you all understand that?”

“Y-yes!”

“Of course! We understood perfectly!”

“Then stop fooling around and hurry up and go train. What, are you here to play? Did you book the whole rest area? Huh?”

As if they had been waiting for it, the cadets shot up and fled to the training hall.

Karina, who had been sneering at their backs, spoke to the one person still remaining without even turning her head.

“Hey. Wanna go to the Lodge Café?”

The one person standing there blankly, Rachel, pointed a finger at herself.

“Huh? M-me?”

“Then who? Is there anyone else here besides you and me, Rachel?”

Rachel stared blankly at Karina for a moment before bursting into a peal of laughter.

“Kya-hat. That’s true!”

“Still as foolish as ever.”

But unlike her words, Karina let out a small laugh.

“So. Are you going or not? Do you have anything to do today?”

“Huh? Nooo?”

“Then you can attend to me.”

She said, and then strode ahead.

Her tone and actions were still as selfish as ever, but Rachel wasn’t offended at all.

She had already worked with Karina several times and they had overcome crises together many times.

She had figured out Karina’s personality long ago.

So, it was rather strange.

Her telling me to attend to her was her way of asking me to hang out with her today.

She had never been friendly before, so Rachel found Karina’s attitude toward her a bit unfamiliar yet strange, and on one hand, a little heartwarming.

‘The way she said my name earlier, too. Did that girl eat something weird?’

But as I said, I had nothing better to do.

And thinking I might get lucky and fish out some information about the Zain family to pass on to Skull Mask, Rachel moved toward Karina.

“Hey. What are you doing? Hurry up.”

“Kyahaha! Sorry! Let’s go together!”

And, for some reason, I didn’t dislike it.

Even though she’s a bitch.

Watching her school those cadets just now might have unknowingly created a sense of inner closeness.

***

At the same time, in the Vice-Dean’s office located in the main building.

The department head-level professors, summoned by the Vice-Dean’s emergency call, had gathered.

The matter concerned the photos that had been posted on every bulletin board since yesterday.

“What’s the situation?”

At the Vice-Dean’s question, Personnel Officer Rodrig answered.

“All the posted photos have been collected and incinerated. We’ve issued a gag order to the faculty and staff, and we’ve also made an announcement to the cadets, but…… to be frank, it will be difficult to completely stop the words from getting out. It has already spread too far.”

“…….”

“Also, we’ve found that such a rumor had been spreading secretly among the cadets for some time before this.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

As he said that, Officer Rodrig glanced at the man sitting across from him.

“……That’s why it seems the Student Affairs Office was already aware.”

At that, the Vice-Dean looked at the man she had glanced at and asked.

“Is that true?”

“Yes.”

Receiving the Vice-Dean’s glare, Officer Baron nodded with a stiff face.

“We were already aware.”

A deep furrow formed on the Vice-Dean’s brow.

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand Officer Baron’s position.

Due to the nature of the Academy, where energetic young people gather, mingle and compete, scandals were something that appeared and disappeared quickly.

The Student Affairs Office, which manages the cadets’ campus life, often comes across such reputations and rumors and if they were to check the facts and report on every single one, their workload would be endless.

So, unless it was something serious, they tended to let it slide.

However.

This case was no ordinary matter.

The Empire’s interest in the War of Villains and Shadow still hadn’t cooled down and was unceasing.

Among them, the topic of greatest interest was, by far, the master of Shadow, Skull Mask, who had saved the citizens by annihilating the Skeleton Lord.

Who is he really?

What is the face hidden behind the mask?

Is he one of the 10 Masters?

Or is he a member of the Four Evils, called the worst villains in history, ranked even higher than World Public Enemy?

Is he a hero or a villain?

Regardless of status, position, age, or gender, one could easily find people arguing about this topic upon going out to Icata.

“Did you think a scandal about Skull Mask was not a big deal?”

“That is not it.”

“And yet? Why did you not report it?”

“I judged it to be a groundless rumor that often arises among cadets.”

“A groundless rumor?”

“Yes. Because Gerard is not Skull Mask.”

Rather, Officer Baron raised his head and looked the Vice-Dean straight in the eye, asking back.

“You know yourself very well, Vice-Dean. What Gerard has done for the Academy. If you think about that, the answer should be obvious.”

“…….”

“It is an unfounded rumor.”

The Vice-Dean didn’t particularly deny it.

In truth, the Vice-Dean also trusted what he had seen of Gerard and his own judgment more than the rumor and photo of unknown origin.

However.

“Then how are you going to explain the person in this, Officer Baron?”

It was the head of the Psychology Department, Allen Desico, who had been sitting quietly with his arms crossed until then.

He asked as he tossed the photo onto the table.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the black-and-white photo.

Officer Baron’s face stiffened.

“It doesn’t matter whether that bastard Gerard is Skull Mask or not. These photos have already spread throughout the campus, and the story that he is Skull Mask is being treated as fact and is leaking outside of Icata. By tomorrow, Royal Dream will be covering this incident. In other words, the honor of our Frey Academy is on the verge of hitting rock bottom. Do you understand?”

That’s right.

That was the problem.

Frey Hero Academy is not an institution that only teaches cadets things related to combat, like visions or tactics.

It also provides basic liberal arts for character development, morals, and etiquette or mental education for heroic sacrifice, consideration, kindness, and good deeds.

In the first place, the Academy was built upon the temple of the great hero, Aidan Frey, inheriting his spirit.

A school to become heroes.

That is why they are called hero cadets, not just academy students.

But a student attending that place, and the one who has been making the biggest name for himself recently, turns out to be the boss of a villain organization?

The fault would surely fall squarely on the Academy.

What’s more, the Academy had even bestowed upon Gerard the glory of the ‘Honorary Merit Medal,’ so if Gerard really was Skull Mask, fierce criticism would be unavoidable.

It was a problem even if he wasn’t Skull Mask.

They would be harshly criticized from all sides for failing to properly control a single groundless rumor.

So there was only one way.

For the professors to step in and find out the truth before the news broke.

If the story of Gerard being Skull Mask spread through Royal Dream, it had to be considered a foregone conclusion that the Academy’s prestige would fall from that point on.

“Is there no possibility that this photo is fake?”

At the Vice-Dean’s question, Allen shook his head.

“I have already checked the residual traces of magic on the photo, but there was nothing suspicious. In fact, it’s questionable whether a photo can be doctored so elaborately when it hasn’t even been two years since cameras became widespread. There’s no feeling of a distinct border either. In any case, the possibility is low.”

“Did anyone witness who posted it on the bulletin boards?”

The Head of the Martial Arts Department, Pirion, answered.

“I heard from Sir Valoma that one of the patrol teams found and pursued the person, but unfortunately, they got away. However, they said the emblem color was gold.”

“Hm? If it’s gold, isn’t that a first-year?”

“Yes. The current 890th class is using gold.”

The Vice-Dean let out a dry laugh.

“Hoho. That’s unexpected. I thought Gerard’s reputation was best among the 890th class he takes lessons with.”

“That’s all the more reason to believe it wasn’t an act of personal malice, but an accusation.”

“Hmm.”

Letting out a groan, the Vice-Dean picked up the black-and-white photo and peered into it intently.

He didn’t have a deep knowledge of magitech or photography, but to his naked eye, it didn’t look particularly awkward.

At this point, there was only one method left.

“I suppose we have no choice but to call the person in question and confirm it directly.”