All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 50

50. Let’s Con Each Other – 2

“Ugh. I’m exhausted.”

Park Baree, returning to the dorm after taking a shower, entered the meeting room and took a sip of his energy drink.

“What did you even *do* to be so tired?” Widia asked with a smile. She was inspecting the equipment used during the Heroic Feat [a school-wide competition]. Park Baree shook his head.

“Hey. It was no joke, okay? Didn’t you see during the final battle? I took down three guys.”

“Oh, really? I guess. Wasn’t one of them the guy I was fighting?” Widia scoffed, teasing him.

Just as she returned the sword she had finished maintaining to its scabbard, Haryun, Wildy, and Valla entered the meeting room.

Widia pointed to one side as she saw them. “Instructor Aranse bought some energy drinks. Grab one each.”

“He doesn’t even have much money, but he’s good at buying expensive stuff.”

“He said to share them with you all.”

“Really? Hehe. Well, he must be happy.” Aranse had been hoping for victory in the Heroic Feat so much, and it was achieved with overwhelming results.

Aranse could afford this much spending with a smile.

“But where’s Ian? Is he resting?” Park Baree picked up an energy drink that was larger than the others. “The instructor told him to drink this one no matter what.”

“Oh, right? Where *did* Ian go?” Wildy asked curiously, and Grajin, who shared a room with Ian, answered as he entered the room.

He received the energy drink Park Baree tossed him, took a sip, and lay down on the long chair. “He’s been summoned right now.”

“Summoned? Where?”

“Because of the investigation into the missing upper-level instructors. It seems like all the guys who moved solo were summoned first. And next, the guys who moved in teams will be summoned.”

“Ah…….” Haryun groaned lowly, and Park Baree grabbed his arm.

“Did Ian do it?”

“Who knows.” The B-Class cadets all knew about their bad blood.

That’s why Park Baree asked worriedly, and Haryun shook his head. “I don’t know either. But……,” he took a bite of a cookie and smiled brightly. “Even if Ian *did* do it, I don’t think he would have handled it carelessly enough to leave evidence behind.”

* * *

In a place where quite a few instructors had gathered, Ian sighed. “So, what does the disappearance of those three instructors have to do with me that you’re asking me about this?”

To Ian’s question, A-Class instructor Hauzel replied with an uncomfortable tone. “We’re asking if you’ve seen Instructor Hastings during the survival exam.”

“Did he participate in the survival exam? As far as I know, he doesn’t belong to the pursuers [those tasked with hunting down other students].”

“That’s not it. But there’s a record of Instructor Hastings leaving the academy.”

Hound added that because there were so many people due to the Heroic Feat, they couldn’t properly track him.

There was someone who saw Hastings on the way to another entrance leading into the Miyal Mountains. That’s why they’re asking.

“It’s a bit much to ask like this… but you and he don’t have a good relationship, do you?”

“No, we don’t.”

“And there are rumors going around the academy too.”

“So, Instructor Hauzel, are you saying that I killed Instructor Hastings? Is that what you mean?”

“That’s not exactly what I mean.”

“No, it’s exactly what you mean.” Ian frowned as if he felt bad, and Hauzel shrugged. Scranda said, “I apologize if it sounded like we were suspecting you. Instructor Hauzel is just a bit of a jerk by nature. Try to understand.”

“What’s wrong with my personality? And Ian, we’re just asking. If you know anything, answer.”

“I don’t know.” He answered firmly, and Hauzel closed his mouth, asking again with a bitter feeling. “You’re quite strong, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I am strong.”

“Could you win even if you fought an upper-level instructor?”

“I have no intention of losing.”

“You’re saying you’d win?”

“Yes.”

Hauzel groaned at that answer. Ian, who smiled faintly at him, looked around. “It reminds me of the old days. Isaac used to pressure me like this before. I have no choice but to give the same answer as back then.”

“Ugh…….”

“If you think I’m the culprit, how about bringing solid evidence that I can’t argue with before you speak?”

*There’s no way there would be any evidence.* He erased all traces, and just in case, he even had Circe check everything. There wouldn’t be even a little bit of a trace left by Ian in that place.

If there was anything, it would only be Danju, but why would he go around talking about this? If he did, his goal of recruiting Ian would be gone forever.

“Umm…….”

“Or what, do you think I made a deal with the devil or something? Should we do a demon verification again?” *That’s welcome.*

As Ian subtly suggested, Willis, who was observing, shook his head. “There’s no way Saint Ian would do that. You even have a relic with you right now. There’s no way a demon contractor would carry a relic around.”

“Ummm…… Then let me ask one more thing.” Hauzel held up some data. “What’s this? The story that Instructor Hastings is related to fraud happening outside the academy, and the Leila Baradis incident from two years ago.”

“It should be in the patrol report I submitted. I met a con artist posing as the Adventurer’s Guild while on patrol, and I investigated in the process of catching him.”

“Is there any evidence for this?”

“Not yet.”

“Then why is that rumor going around?”

“Who knows?” As Ian remained silent, Hauzel raised his hand. After a while, the door opened and Helid entered. “The investigation revealed that this guy spread the rumor. Do you know Helid?”

“Yes.”

“Helid. Why did you spread that rumor?” The person who was pointed out answered firmly. “As you all know, Ian properly resolved Chairman Lakid’s matter.”

“Umm…….” Thinking about how they were ridiculed by the Imperial Academy because of that, the instructors felt a bitter taste in their mouths. As they groaned, Helid pointed to Ian. “The matter regarding Instructor Hastings was something my friend Leila was investigating a long time ago. So…….”

“You were trying to use Ian?”

“Yes. Instructor Hastings, who was nervous that he was being investigated, was off guard, so I tried to investigate separately. Of course, his disappearance was unexpected…….”

Hauzel narrowed his eyes. *Clearly, there’s something going on with these guys.* But since there was no evidence, he couldn’t press them further. If they were easy targets, he would have yelled at them, but the Beridan viscount family is a fairly wealthy family that provides a lot of support to the academy. In addition, Ian was the winner of this Heroic Feat and a talent sought after by many places.

‘How should I talk…….’ As Hauzel pondered, Hound, who was next to him, stopped him. “Instructor Hauzel. Let’s stop now.”

Valentine also agreed. “It’s wrong to pressure someone without solid evidence.”

“I think so too.” In addition to Scranda, several other instructors said it was a waste of time and suggested checking other people.

In the end, Hauzel sighed. “Hoo…… I understand.” There were still suspicions, but he had no choice but to back down here. “Let’s stop here for today.”

As they came out of the meeting room, Helid glanced at Ian. *He also noticed. That Hastings and his gang weren’t missing, but were killed by Ian.* But he didn’t say it. He also wanted them to disappear more than anyone else.

As Helid smiled at him and left, Aranse, who had been waiting, approached Ian. “How did it go?”

“It ended well. There was no evidence in the first place.”

“Really? That’s a relief.” Ian stared intently at Aranse. Seeing him full of worry, Ian smiled brightly. “By the way, are we having a company dinner tonight?”

“Ah! Of course! What do you want to eat? I’ll buy you anything! Anything!” As he patted Ian on the back and said happily, a low voice was heard behind them. “Ian.”

The owner of the voice was Scranda. He walked up to Ian and tapped the pipe he was holding. “I heard. You’re not going home this vacation?”

“No, I’m not.”

“I know a good blacksmith. When I told him about you, he said he wanted to meet you. You’ll be able to learn smelting more properly.”

Ian smiled and shook his head. “Really? I understand. Anyway, congratulations on winning the Heroic Feat. I recommend taking the advanced smelting class next semester.”

As he greeted lightly and left, Aranse asked with a sulky face, “Ian. Did Instructor Scranda say anything useless at the meeting earlier? Like telling you to come under him or become his teaching assistant.”

Ian is a cadet who won the Heroic Feat. Just the fact that such a cadet is helping with the class will increase the number of cadets who apply for his class next semester. “The more people take the class, the more support the academy receives.”

“Ah.”

“Well. Even if it’s a liberal arts class… you don’t have any intention of being a teaching assistant, do you?”

“I don’t.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Still, for that taciturn Instructor Scranda to move… other instructors will be sticking to you like crazy.” As he worried, the instructors of the liberal arts classes, whose names he hadn’t even heard until he returned to the dorm, spoke to him. They subtly suggested applying for their classes in the second semester and becoming a teaching assistant. If Aranse hadn’t been next to him, they might have forcibly dragged him away to talk.

“These opportunists!” Aranse burst open the door of the dorm, huffing and puffing. It was a ten-minute distance, but it took thirty minutes. Haryun tilted his head as he saw his face turning red. “What’s wrong?”

“Ugh! Haryun! Listen to me! In the world!” While he was talking about what had happened earlier, Grajin approached Ian and asked in a small voice, “How did it go?”

“Insufficient evidence.”

“I heard Helid went…….”

“It was what he wanted too. He didn’t say anything unnecessary.”

“Really?” Only then did Grajin feel relieved. “We were talking while you were gone, and I heard they went to search the Miyal Mountains earlier.”

“Really?”

“Are they still alive, by any chance?”

Ian smiled at Grajin’s question. *Even the corpses were eaten by ogres, so if they revive from there, I’ll have to acknowledge it, what else can I do?* Grajin smiled back and handed over an energy drink. “Still, it’s a shame.”

“What is?”

“No. Because they disappeared, we can’t investigate any further.”

*It can’t be helped.* The only way to find evidence of the crimes they committed is to clean up their affairs. Of course, there was no reason for Ian to do that.

“The people who want to will take care of it.”

“Will they?”

“Hastings was the representative of the academy for a long time. Those who were dissatisfied with him will start the investigation.” He sat down, not caring much. At that moment, the door burst open.

“Cadet Ian. Are you here?” One of the upper-level instructors entered the meeting room. As Haryun and Grajin tensed up at the sight of him, Ian raised his hand. “What’s going on?”

“It’s about the parade issue. The upper-level declined to attend the parade. What are you thinking of doing?” *You can use the Sword of the Hero during the parade.* That’s why he aimed for the individual victory, so there’s no reason not to participate.

Ian smiled and nodded. “I will participate.”