I Became the Traitor in an Academy Story

Chapter 32




Everyone’s bound to carry at least one painful memory that they wouldn’t want to revisit as a human.

Like, for instance, cutting you open without anesthesia just to check out the internal organs.

Or chopping off a leg to test regenerative abilities.

And then the next day finding that leg magically restored and believing it was just a bad dream.

Only to realize later that it wasn’t a dream, but because of some high-grade regenerative treatment.

Or watching a trusted experiment subject burst right in front of you.

Or getting toxic substances injected directly into your bloodstream. You know, just those kinds of delightful experiences.

Yeonhwa was no different.

She kept her struggles hidden from others, but she was still haunted by the whole incident of burning the suiciders.

Of course, it wasn’t just me she confided in.

She would vent to Jinhyeon or her family before coming to me.

It never occurred to her that they might not be able to support her properly.

Jinhyeon might be a different story, but her family were great people.

I just thought they wouldn’t be able to comfort her effectively.

Yet I assumed she sought me out for comfort that only peers could provide.

I’d never asked her why she came to me, so I couldn’t be sure… but maybe that’s just how it is?

Or perhaps it was because even though she had gone through the same things, she didn’t seem as shaken as she did.

She once texted me asking how she could maintain such a calm mindset.

I told her that if you consider them enemies you must eliminate rather than people, it makes it easier, but she said that wasn’t quite right.

“…Really, it’s just that I care too much about people. Can’t I be a little selfish?”

Wearing a cardboard box from the lab over my head, I kept sending her comforting messages.

It was silly to be nice to someone who would probably betray me one day, but I just couldn’t bring myself to hate Yeonhwa.

She was the only character from the original game that I actually liked.

My writing and speaking skills weren’t exceptional, so I couldn’t really help her unravel her pent-up feelings, but it seemed just talking with me made her feel a bit better.

Those wounds were definitely not the kind that heal. Such memories don’t really dull over time.

Especially since Yeonhwa grew up in a world overflowing with light.

To someone like her, the most shocking events in her life would probably be her father’s retirement or a villain’s attack, so memories of murder would haunt her for a long time.

All I could do was help her rationalize her situation.

Since she couldn’t forget, at least I wanted her to think it was something unavoidable.

In the midst of this, I received a text from Justitia and checked it out. I reviewed it several times, but nothing new came up.

External invasions were practically impossible.

– The boss didn’t really have high hopes, so don’t be too disappointed.

– Finding an external invasion route was just a Plan B anyway.

– But thankfully, there are no defense methods for space travel, so we can proceed with the original plan.

Justitia sent messages like that, telling me not to be too down.

I knew it. As the absolute best in the world, there was no way you could break in by ordinary means.

Still, I’d hoped for at least a tiny crack.

They built a pretty sturdy exterior wall, it seems.

…But on the bright side, at least the interior of the Academy wasn’t designed with invasions in mind.

Of course, I wasn’t going to give up on finding vulnerabilities in security, but for now, setting up the movements of the liberation army came first.

– Got it, good work.

I quickly replied to Justitia, then peeled off the box and stretched towards the window with all my might.

Having hunched over like that for hours, I felt a bit sluggish.

So, meeting eyes with someone taking photos of my room from the opposite rooftop was just a complete coincidence.

“…”

Maybe the peeping Tom didn’t expect to catch my eye, because they were just staring at me, dumbfounded.

After the world’s most awkward staring contest ended, I found myself leaping through the window.

There was no way I could just get on the elevator and miss my chance. I’d definitely lose it.

So, catching them this way was the way to go.

I fully agreed with my instincts, using all four limbs to absorb the impact and roll upon landing.

Falling from the fourth floor, it stung a bit, but high on adrenaline, I forced my limbs to move.

Before I knew it, I jumped up and reinforced my body, wrapping my magical power around me as I crawled up to the rooftop where the peeping Tom was.

Since it was a narrow alleyway, I used the walls to vault and, when needed, I’d use lamp posts as support, climbing straight towards the peeping Tom.

The person on the rooftop kept snapping pictures of my ascent.

Whether they were dumbfounded or thought they couldn’t escape, I didn’t really care.

Grabbing the railing, I gave it my all and leaped to land on the opposite rooftop.

Instead of stepping down, I kicked the peeper in the chest to subdue them.

“Gehk…!”

As I rolled on the ground with the peeper, pinning them down and choking them, I realized the one taking the photos was just a student a little younger than me.

Not that it mattered.

Seizing the collar, I slammed them against the wall and interrogated her.

“Who are you? Who sent you to take photos of me? How long have you been doing this? Answer me. If not, I’ll melt your neck.”

Speaking calmly and quietly, my empty hand pressed against the concrete wall, melting it to emphasize that I could kill her at any moment.

Seeing her being completely unable to fight back even when captured suggested she was just an Ability holder.

And judging by her clothes, she wasn’t the dude who’d followed me around during the first week.

“P-please, I just want to go home, please…”

“Your answers will decide your fate. I’ll give you three chances. Think carefully. I don’t want to have to deal with a kid.”

Even though I was merely squeezing her neck, the girl was trembling and crying like crazy.

“Who are you?”

“I-I’m a third-year student at Yesol Middle School…”

“That’s not what I asked! What’s your affiliation?”

“I-I don’t know! There’s nothing like that…! I just need money for tuition… Ugh, ugh… they said they’d pay me if I did this… Ugh…”

Black clothes.

She wouldn’t lie when her neck was about to melt, and she was just a middle schooler.

So a kid with no backing would go through with this for cash.

“Who are the ones in black? They must have introduced themselves.”

“I-I don’t know! They really didn’t say anything! Please believe me… Ugh, I swear, I don’t know…”

I tightened my grip even more, but all I got in return was that she genuinely didn’t know.

Was she a throwaway? Did they make sure she wouldn’t spill any info before getting rid of her?

And I knew a certain group that frequently pulled this kind of stunt.

Evil Society.

That piece of work was definitely involved.

“…You have two more chances. When did you start taking photos?”

“I-I started yesterday. If you go around here, you can find them…”

Started yesterday, under the orders of the ones in black.

Had my info been leaked?

Could it be that when I raided the warehouse, I left some evidence that could lead them to me?

No, that’s impossible. Even the best forensic team would conclude that ‘no one had been there’ due to my obsessive cleanup.

I’d bundled up my clothes so no one could identify me even in the past.

Then why was it specifically me?

I just couldn’t understand. But did I really need to understand it?

They were originally a mystery, to begin with.

Besides, I was a student of Heros Academy.

Once I resolved to live amidst the light, exposing my identity was inevitable.

More than that, I had to find out why Evil Society was watching me.

Why they had picked me specifically.

“…Stay still.”

After tossing the girl to the corner, I checked the camera she had dropped.

Was it really taken from yesterday onward? There were hardly any pictures of me recorded on this camera.

“P-please return it…”

“Kid, if you want to live from now on, you better listen closely. Run to the police and confess everything you’ve done so far, and ask for protection.”

That way, at least you’ll have some chance of survival.

Maybe I’d be generous and let this clueless kid live.

Since she was a throwaway, she likely didn’t have any surveillance or bugs on her.

Evil Society was far too wary of being traced back by such methods, composed of total cowards for all their size.

“If you get it, scram. Next time it won’t just be talk.”

The girl, still clutching her neck in shock, finally seemed to realize what she had done and tearily stumbled into the emergency staircase.

…Sigh.

Did wanting to kill Jinhyeon really bring about a disaster?

How absurd.

Now I was getting angry enough to laugh bitterly.

I wasn’t sure if this counted as a disaster or not, but the timing was just too coincidental.

I looked down at the camera I held in my hand, feeling a sense of hopelessness.

With just this, tracing it back would be tough.

…If that’s the case, perhaps I should aim for the higher-ups instead.

Next week, whether I wanted to or not, I’d have to interact with Evil Society.

I’d have to sneak one of their higher-ups away for some interrogation.

With a staggering step, I made my way down the stairs.

As the adrenaline wore off, the ignored pain returned.

Did I break something, or twist it?

I’d have to see Maria on Monday.

I sighed, lost in thought about the complex situation.

And now that I think about it, I’d run out without my shoes.

“Shoes…”

Even the half-hearted murmur vanished into the air in an instant.

 

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.