All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 32

16. The Truth Is Always One – 2

Ian answered and stood up.

The other two also rose from their seats upon seeing this.

It was because Willis, with a stern expression, was approaching.

“Ian, esteemed disciple, would you be willing to attend?”

Since Ian was the first to encounter him, he had to attend the demon verification and provide testimony.

At Willis’s request, Ian glanced back.

Aranse and Haryun shook their heads, indicating they had no intention of attending.

“Then let’s go.”

As they entered the Hwuisung Order [likely a religious order or organization], the senior instructors and a massive old man were already looking at the bound Rakid with serious expressions.

‘Is he just a figurehead?’

After hearing Kirke’s report, Ian looked at Karzid.

His expression was quite grim, indicating he was greatly shocked by this incident.

“Are you Ian?”

A dark brown-haired instructor approached Ian, who was looking at him.

“I am Senior Instructor Hastings.”

“I am Ian Brandon, representative of Intermediate Class B.”

“I know. I heard you were the first to discover Rakid?”

“Yes.”

“What was his condition at the time?”

“Is that important?”

“It is important. Whether he willingly joined hands or was captured makes a difference. Isn’t that right, Disciple Willis?”

At Hastings’s question, Willis coldly shook his head.

“Wouldn’t it be better to verify first before making excuses?”

“That would be better.”

He answered briefly and spoke to Ian in a low voice.

“Ian, think carefully. Consider his position in the academy.”

Then, he lightly patted Ian’s shoulder.

It was easy to understand what Hastings meant.

As he had judged earlier, the senior instructors, if not the dean, hoped that he would not be punished.

‘Things like this are similar no matter where you go.’

‘And my response was always the same.’

Ian chuckled and sat down.

Once everyone was seated, Willis raised the Divine Mark [likely a symbol or artifact of religious significance].

“I will now begin the demon verification.”

Like he had done with Ian, three priests stepped forward and poured holy power.

While Ian secretly absorbed the solar energy that arose, Rakid let out a groan of pain.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Then, a scream erupted from within his inner armor.

“Kuaaaa!! Insignificant followers of the sun!!”

The shadows flickered, and Voladi roared.

Seeing this, Willis nodded to the nuns.

Soon, a hymn rang out, and he immediately raised the Solar Hwuisung Stone [likely a sacred stone or artifact].

“Demon, reveal your form before the sun.”

“You wretched beings who only receive the grace of the sun and moon!! This world is ours! How dare you, mere remnants that should have already perished!!”

“Demon, reveal your sins before the sun.”

“Kuaaaaaaaa!!”

Hastings, who was listening to Voladi’s screams, shouted loudly.

“The demon is in that armor!! Take off that inner armor immediately and let’s try again!!”

As requested, Willis immediately removed his armor.

Afterward, the priests sent holy power to Rakid again.

He was slightly pained, but that was all.

Hastings, seeing only traces of the demon, shouted triumphantly.

“Rakid merely discovered that evil demon, fought it, was ambushed, and had his body stolen!!”

If his soul was connected to the demon through a contract, he should suffer the same pain as the demon.

However, Rakid’s condition did not seem to indicate that.

Then, it could be said that he was merely possessed by the demon.

He had seen such cases several times, and the traces would disappear in a few hours.

Other instructors who knew this agreed and shouted.

“And how many demons has Rakid defeated so far!! Isn’t it problematic to pressure him like this?!”

“Furthermore, Rakid is a promising student. What’s the big deal about merely having his body stolen?!”

As the instructors defended him, Willis looked at Rakid.

“Esteemed disciple, what do you think? Please, speak only the truth.”

As Willis spoke kindly, Rakid looked up at him.

And without hesitation, he told the story he had shared with Voladi.

Everyone groaned, and he lowered his head, weakly uttering his last words.

“I cannot deny the fact that I succumbed to the temptation of that demon and joined hands. Even if I didn’t make a contract, it is a great sin for a baptized disciple to hesitate upon discovering a demon. So, I will accept the punishment…”

Willis, who had been silent in thought, turned his gaze to Ian.

“Then, what is the opinion of esteemed disciple Ian?”

He was the first to encounter him, and Ian was the one who defeated the demon.

Depending on his testimony, the disposition could be determined, so Ian’s testimony was very important.

As soon as Willis asked, the senior instructors, including Hastings, glared at him intently.

It was a sign to speak well.

Under immense unspoken pressure, Ian spoke nonchalantly.

“If you are a baptized believer, you should have gone to the Temple of the Sun as soon as you discovered the demon, but you didn’t. And isn’t it true that you joined hands with the demon, even if you didn’t make a contract?”

The moment those words came out, the Hwuisung Order froze.

The senior instructors all glared at Ian as if they wanted to kill him.

Ian mocked their desire to cover up Rakid’s sin.

‘This is my pleasure. I can’t abandon it.’

A prince?

A master?

The student council president who represents the academy?

So what?

“Disciple Willis, there must be people in the Order of the Sun who fight demons, right?”

“That is correct, esteemed disciple Ian.”

“Have they ever been involved in such incidents?”

“It’s rare, but it does happen.”

“What happens to them?”

“If they make a contract with a demon, they are executed… but if they simply waver in the face of temptation, they receive punishment for their sins at the temple. Most of them serve for more than five years.”

“I see. I understand.”

As Ian sat down, Hastings gritted his teeth and raised his hand.

“Disciple Willis, we cannot treat Rakid the same as those people.”

He pointed to Rakid.

“Rakid is not a priest of the Order of the Sun. Of course, he was baptized, but he is merely a student.”

“That is true.”

“Is it such a great sin for such a person to be momentarily swayed by the demon’s sweet temptation?”

He paused for a moment and appealed, looking around.

“Furthermore, as you know, how valuable is Rakid? How much does the academy need him?”

Even Willis could not deny that.

He was promising, had a good background, and was already a master at a young age.

Not just any master, but a skilled master who could use several aura-based techniques.

He knew Rakid’s value well.

“Rakid is the pride and representative of our Fredon Academy. If the Imperial Academy finds out that he was tempted by a demon, even slightly, how much would they ridicule us?”

“Hmm…”

Karzid groaned uncomfortably.

He didn’t like that either.

“You all understand, right? So, everyone, let’s just overlook this. And I will prioritize Rakid to carry out the Order of the Sun’s requests while he is enrolled. Isn’t that good enough?”

Rakid’s expression darkened at Hastings’s words.

Seeing this, Ian smirked.

“Can we really end it like that when the demon completely took over his body and rampaged?”

“Is there a problem?”

As he glared, Ian shrugged.

“Would you say the same thing if this happened to another student?”

At his question, Hastings closed his mouth.

“In the past, there was a student at the academy who was involved with a demon.”

It happened about five years ago.

A lower-class student, unable to withstand the bullying of his classmates, tried to summon a demon to gain power but was caught.

“In the end, he couldn’t summon the demon and couldn’t get revenge. But he was expelled.”

At Ian’s gaze, Hastings gritted his teeth so hard they seemed about to break.

“At that time, a certain senior instructor mentioned the academy’s honor and insisted on an excessively harsh punishment.”

“…You.”

“Moreover, he wasn’t even a believer of the Order of the Sun, let alone baptized.”

While Willis recalled the incident, Ian continued to speak.

“This place, Fredon Academy, was created to honor the heroes who desire peace. But to just let go of someone who joined hands with a demon that disrupts that peace…”

He glanced at Rakid.

“I doubt whether such a person can really be the face of the academy. Also, it seems that Chairman Rakid doesn’t want to let this go as it is.”

Rakid looked at Ian with surprised eyes.

As he smiled at him, Hastings shouted.

“Shut up!! Are Rakid and him the same?!”

“A guy who is a child in body but an adult in mind said, ‘The truth is always one.’ No matter how you say it, what the chairman did doesn’t change.”

As Ian said, Rakid joined hands with the demon.

In fact, he confessed to it himself.

That fact will not change no matter what happens.

“You until the end!! How clean are you to be spouting such nonsense!”

“I’m not particularly clean. Well, I did talk a lot. And I got my hands dirty a lot too.”

“And you dare to talk like that?”

“It comes out well since it’s an open mouth.”

Ian, who smirked, looked around.

The priests, nuns, and paladins who came out for the verification were all looking at him.

“And I received community service as punishment for that. Also, what happened to me and this incident have nothing to do with each other. Don’t try to divert the issue.”

Hastings and the senior instructors who followed him rose, grinding their teeth.

Just as Ian was about to move his inner energy, smiling leisurely at them.

“Stop.”

Karzid raised his hand.

“Disciple Willis, that’s enough. Let’s make a judgment now.”

He stared at Rakid.

“Rakid, you’ve worked hard so far.”

“I’m sorry, Dean.”

“Do you have anything to say? If you do, I’ll listen.”

He looked at Ian for a moment and then shook his head.

Karzid, who looked at him with pity, opened his mouth.

“From this moment on, Rakid Scarlet is stripped of his position as student council president.”

“Dean!!”

“Originally, I should order expulsion, but I can’t do that to you after all the hard work you’ve done. So, I order you to repeat a grade for three years. If you want to drop out… I’ll accept it anytime.”

“…I will accept the punishment.”

“Disciple Willis, it seems we should end the academy’s punishment here. Please understand.”

“I understand. Then, I will deliver the judgment of the Order of the Sun.”

Willis looked around.

Even while receiving the gazes of the angry senior instructors, he didn’t care.

“If a baptized believer of the Order of the Sun colludes with a demon, they must serve in the temple for more than five years. But considering what esteemed disciple Rakid has done so far, and the fact that he didn’t make a contract with the demon, and there was no damage…”

“…There are a few more damages.”

As Rakid spoke, Hastings gritted his teeth.

He was trying to cover up the sin somehow, but Rakid and that damn Ian were causing trouble.

‘These guys are really…!’

Whether he was frustrated or not, Ian held up his notebook.

“Chairman Rakid is also the culprit behind the incidents that have happened so far, right?”

“Esteemed disciple Ian, what are you talking about?”

Willis, who received the notebook he handed over, read the contents and sighed deeply.

“Esteemed disciple Rakid, were you conscious at this time?”

“…If I said I wasn’t, would you believe me?”

“I will believe you.”

“I wasn’t.”