The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character-Chapter 309: Time To Finish The Act [2]

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Then, slowly, Professor Lena began to move. Her steps were unsteady at first — hesitant, almost fearful — as she made her way toward the figure standing before them. Toward me.

"R–Rin…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "You're alive? Didn't that man… didn't he kill you?"

Her finger pointed shakily at the man in the white demon mask — at me.

The clone version of me turned his head, meeting my gaze for a fleeting second. There was a flicker of understanding between us — wordless, but complete.

He knew what to do.

"Huh? No," he said, his tone weak but steady. "That's not true. He… he saved me from the Rose Dragon. I remember hearing a voice telling me to rest, to sleep if I was in pain."

He winced, clutching his head like someone fighting a lingering migraine. Professor Lena immediately dropped to his side, panic flashing across her face.

"Shh, it's alright," she murmured, patting his shoulder gently. "You're safe now."

Watching her like that, I felt a small pang of guilt. I was taking advantage of her kindness — of her trust.

But it had to be done.

I exhaled softly beneath the mask, letting my voice echo through the chamber.

[Hmm. So, can I assume you don't wish to fight anymore?]

My tone was calm — detached, but not mocking. [I don't mind continuing, but the Great One doesn't want you gone just yet. I was only told to test you.]

Professor Lena stood, still shielding the wounded "Rin" behind her. "Thank you," she said carefully. "For protecting our group. But we can't just let you walk away."

[Oh?] I tilted my head. [And why is that?]

The tension in the room thickened again. The cadets who had lowered their weapons now raised them once more, though the fury from before was tempered by uncertainty.

"Because," Lena said, her voice firmer now, "you said you belong to some organization. You admitted your purpose was to test our cadets. So you'll have to tell us who's behind you."

A pause. The masked figure — I — gave a quiet laugh, soft enough to feel almost human.

Yes, this was bound to happen.

Honestly, I'd been waiting for it.

The moment emotions hit the boiling point, reason always went out the window — and now, with the way they were glaring at me, it was only a matter of time before someone swung first.

I sighed inwardly. I really needed to defuse this before it turned into a massacre. Or at least… find a way to end it without completely shattering my "mysterious masked man" act.

Hmm. How could I phrase this so it didn't sound like mockery, but still kept my image intact? Something balanced, maybe a bit cold but not insulting—

[You speak as if you're in a position to offer goodwill, Professor.]

…Ah, damn it. That came out harsher than I intended.

[I don't think that's something those who were being unilaterally defeated by me just moments ago should be saying.]

There it was. The nail in the coffin.

Even through the mask, I could feel the killing intent spike. Rachel's expression twisted, Lena's eyes narrowed, and even Ryen clenched his fists.

Oh no. This is bad. Why did I provoke them now of all times?

Was this mask cursed? It had to be. No sane person would pick a fight in this situation.

—I'm telling you, I don't sense any sinister energy in it. This is just your true nature…

Zaho Yuren's voice echoed flatly in my head, utterly unimpressed.

If he could have rolled his eyes, I was sure he would have.

Yeah right, I thought. A curse this subtle wouldn't show up on your radar anyway.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Every eye in the room locked onto me — on the man in the white mask.

Professor Lena's hand, still trembling slightly, hovered near her wand. Rachel's sword reflected the flickering mana torches. Ryen's expression hardened, a storm of emotion barely restrained.

Even the air seemed to still, waiting for someone to break it.

Then Rachel took a step forward.

Her voice was quiet but sharp as a blade.

"…You talk too much for someone hiding behind a mask."

[Perhaps,] I replied evenly, letting the distortion in my tone deepen, [but I find people listen better this way.]

That only made the air colder. I could practically feel Rachel's temper fraying.

Her knuckles whitened around the hilt of her sword. "You think this is funny? You play with us, you show up out of nowhere, and now you act like some goddamn prophet—"

"Rachel," Lena cut in quietly, her tone like ice. "Not yet."

Rachel froze but didn't lower her blade. The flicker in her eyes said she was seconds away from ignoring that order anyway.

Meanwhile, I stood perfectly still — outwardly composed, but internally, Zaho Yuren was sighing so loudly I could almost hear him crossing his arms.

—You really can't help yourself, can you? You had the upper hand, and then you went and poked the hornet's nest.

'It's called maintaining authority,' I thought.

—It's called suicide, idiot.

I ignored him.

Instead, I slowly raised a hand, not in defense but as a gesture of authority.

[Remember this. I'm the one showing you mercy. You're only alive because the Great One hasn't decided what to do with you yet—and you'd do well to remember that your group is safe only because I chose to show goodwill.]

The masked man's voice carried through the chamber like a slow echo, heavy and unhurried, yet it pressed down on everyone like a physical weight.

No one dared to move. The tension was so thick it felt like the air itself might shatter if someone breathed too loudly.

I could tell things were teetering on the edge. One wrong word, one nervous twitch, and all of it—the uneasy peace I'd barely managed to hold together—would collapse.

All I had to do now was end it convincingly. Leave before the mask slipped.

But how?

"...Can I ask one thing?"

The voice broke the silence like a crack in glass. It was Ryen.

He stepped forward, his face pale but steady, his tone formal again—probably because seeing me still breathing had calmed him just enough to think straight.

"If you didn't want to kill us… or kill me," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "was your purpose to test me?"

Good. Perfect, actually. Thank you, Ryen. Thanks to that, I had my opening.