Chapter 165

As the sphere of Spiritual Power ceased its movement, a torrent of sharp gazes poured towards me, the person in question.

“…What is the meaning of this?”

“Who is that person? I don’t recall seeing that face before.”

In that situation, an Exorcist from the Baek Family side who was acquainted with me cautiously revealed some information.

“He is an acquaintance of the young lady of the main family, a student from the Academy invited here for field observation.”

“What? An Academy student?”

At those words, the gazes shifted to the Tracker who had activated the Cursed Technique.

“Isn’t this just a complete fraud? Was the Cursed Technique even properly activated?”

“…I’m sorry to say, but I can only think there has been some mistake.”

However, despite such reactions, the Executor from Headquarters firmly pushed through his opinion.

“Um, excuse me. Th-there was no problem with the activation of the Cursed Technique. I’m sure of it. The Spiritual Power permeating the corpse should indeed be that child’s.”

“Hmph! Preposterous. So you’re saying a member of our Liu Family was done in by that greenhorn whose blood hasn’t even dried yet?”

Since the man’s words were certainly correct, a subtle mood flowed through the hall. However, right then, Baek Soyool stepped forward and spoke again.

“…Isn’t that a bit of a hasty judgment? At the very least, he is not just a simple Academy student.”

“What do you mean? Do you know something?”

“His name is Han Kangyoon. He is a member of the graduating class of Cheonghwa Academy, which everyone knows well, and he is the student who defeated Sophia Charlotte, the top student, in a duel. Recently, he also set a new record in the Exorcist qualification exam.”

“What?”

I gave Baek Soyool, who was smiling faintly, a look of utter disbelief.

If she embellished it with such flowery language like that, even if he was a student, people would naturally start to become a little suspicious.

Indeed, the gazes of the family figures looking at me had already taken on a different meaning.

“Lord Liu Zizen, Sophia Charlotte is a talent whose abilities rank among the top in the world at present. If he fought and defeated her…”

“You mean he would have the skill to kill a 2nd-Rank Exorcist?”

“But wasn’t the Art Formula used said to be the Liu Family’s Withering Flower? How could that greenhorn, who likely only dealt with Korean Art Formulas within the Academy, have learned it through what means?”

Quite vexingly, it was Baek Soyool who threw out the answer to that as well.

“He can handle a more diverse range of Art Formulas than most high-ranking Exorcists. It’s quite possible he had already mastered an Art like the Withering Flower. Isn’t that right, Eunseo?”

“Huh? Th-that is…”

Remembering the various strange Art Formulas I had shown before, Baek Eunseo couldn’t raise any proper objection.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and shot Baek Soyool a look asking if it really had to come to this, but only a brilliant smile was returned.

‘First, she intends to pin the crime on me.’

It seemed she was thinking of somehow creating a situation to make me her ally afterwards.

While it would be unfortunate news for me, given that Cursed Tools exist that can forcibly impose a powerful master-servant relationship, it wasn’t entirely unrealistic talk either.

‘…She played a stronger hand than I thought.’

She probably took advantage of my sleeping to extract my Spiritual Power by some method and made it permeate the corpse.

Since the Spiritual Power derived was indeed mine, I couldn’t utter any excuse in this situation.

I was truly driven into a desperate corner.

“If it fits this perfectly…”

“Then it’s not something we can simply dismiss.”

Into the gazes that held only wariness, hostility now began to slowly mix.

Frowning at the thought of this being a disaster, one of the Exorcists from the Liu Family side, who had been raising tension, immediately shot a Binding Spell Formula at me.

Whoosh!

“Zilinbo (Nourishing Phosphorus Strike)!”

However, before I could even move, Cheong Joohwa, who had somehow approached my side, neutralized it outright.

“Wall of Azure Heavens.”

Crrreeeak!

“…What is the meaning of this?”

“Are you in cahoots with that brat?”

As I blinked in surprise at the sudden action, Cheong Joohwa opened her mouth without showing any sign of being intimidated.

“If you’re going to lay hands without solid evidence, I can’t just stand by either.”

“…This is absurd. This is no place for children to step forward. If you don’t want to get hurt, step aside right now.”

“No, I don’t think I will. If you’re confident, why not give it a try?”

With both sides having already taken action, the atmosphere began to turn irreversibly hostile.

Sensing that air, Cheong Joohwa stepped back slightly and asked me.

“Shall I call Azure Dragon-nim?”

“…No, hold off for now.”

While the detection of Spiritual Power left no room for excuses, it wasn’t actually me who killed them anyway.

There must be some way left to prove my innocence.

In the end, I let out a sigh, raised both hands, and stepped forward.

“First, let me say this: I am not the culprit.”

“……”

“However, until the real culprit is revealed, I will cooperate fully with all of you.”

After all, they aren’t completely sure right now either, and if something unfortunate happens, Baek Soyool will handle it then.

So, for now, buy some time and find a solution within it.

I stared at Baek Soyool with unwavering eyes and moved as instructed.

Clatter.

Thud.

“Wait inside here. We will place strict surveillance, so there will be no way for you to escape.”

In the end, I ended up locked in an empty room about 5 pyeong (approx. 16.5 sq m) in size, with Restraint Arts plastered all over my body.

‘…This isn’t easy.’

Right about now, discussions concerning my disposition must be in full swing outside.

So, within that time, I must find some way to advance the situation.

‘First, the Restraint Arts placed on me are not at a level I cannot Release.’

Despite having heard the talk about me earlier, they didn’t use Art Formulas as powerful as one might think.

Well, it wasn’t strange.

In a situation like this, releasing the Art Formulas on one’s own is extremely difficult, and there were numerous surveillance personnel outside the room.

But I, with knowledge of the future, could sufficiently secure my bodily freedom.

If the worst situation comes crashing down, I might need to attempt an escape, so it wasn’t a bad thing anyway.

‘First, let’s sort out the situation in order.’

It goes without saying, but I am not the one who killed them. Then, just who is the real culprit?

‘The one who killed Baek Sanghwi is highly likely to be a member of the Liu Family, just like in the original work.’

Listening in briefly to what Baek Eunseo was saying earlier, the duties Baek Sanghwi usually handled weren’t much different from the original.

In other words, a Liu Family Exorcist, whose corruption was discovered, killed Baek Sanghwi to silence him.

Up to that point, it probably progressed according to the original flow.

‘Then the next part is the problem…’

Regarding the other victim, the Liu Family member, I couldn’t readily be sure about who killed him or why he had to die.

‘Did someone from the same family notice during the crime, and to keep the secret, killed him again?’

But if that were the case, the first murder was too swift and perfect.

It doesn’t add up that a Liu Family Exorcist coincidentally noticed something that even the Baek Family Exorcists within Baek Sanghwi’s sphere of movement failed to detect.

‘Why was there a reason to kill a fellow Liu Family Exorcist?’

As I pondered that, a strange feeling suddenly came over me, and I thought of a new hypothesis.

‘Wait, what if the second one wasn’t killed, but was the one killed?’

What if, instead of killing a fellow family Exorcist, the Exorcist who killed Baek Sanghwi himself was killed?

Thinking that way, many parts unexpectedly fell into place.

‘Well, it would be hard to find the culprit, since the culprit himself is dead.’

The blocked train of thought broke through, and the outline of the incident began to take shape.

‘In Baek Sanghwi’s case, he was struck from behind, but in the other person’s case, traces of an Art Formula were engraved on the front.’

Meaning, in all likelihood, he wasn’t wary of the person in front of him. At first, I only thought it was because they were a fellow Liu Family member.

‘But if the second victim is the culprit who killed Baek Sanghwi, there’s one more person who could make him let his guard down.’

That person was none other than Baek Soyool.

‘From the start, Baek Soyool had some idea of what would happen later.’

It’s impossible unless she knew the circumstances in advance or was in collusion with the culprit.

To use my Spiritual Power to create traces on the corpse, cooperating with the culprit probably suited her purposes better.

‘And then, Baek Soyool killed the culprit in another location afterwards.’

According to what was revealed in the original, the Liu Family Exorcist who killed Baek Sanghwi was at the initial level of 1st-Rank.

I clearly remember that part because he also fought Yoo Haon’s group, who had caught on to his identity.

And to kill such an initial 1st-Rank Exorcist in one strike, even if it’s a surprise attack, an existence of a higher level must step forward.

In this White Forest Pavilion right now, the number of people capable of that, even if not specifically Baek Soyool, is truly very few.

Having roughly estimated, I could even grasp the true, hidden circumstances of the situation that weren’t revealed in the original.

‘…Baek Soyool instigated him from the very beginning.’

It’s something she is fully capable of. She would have found satisfaction simply in throwing the Baek Family, which she is a part of, into chaos.

Come to think of it, in the original, it was also Baek Soyool who dealt the final blow to the culprit fighting Yoo Haon’s group.

If even that was part of silencing him, it would all fit together.

Evidence was still lacking, but my unique intuition gained conviction.

However, that didn’t mean the situation could be resolved immediately.

‘…How can I use this to change the situation?’

Just as I was sinking into deep contemplation, the door to the room suddenly opened.

The person who entered through it was Liu Zizen, the representative figure of the Liu Family members who visited Korea for this invitation.

“…What is the matter?”

“As a result of several tests, that Executor’s Cursed Technique has been judged to be certainly effective. In other words, the probability that you, brat, are the culprit has become extremely high.”

And immediately after, as a massive amount of Spiritual Power was released, the air began to grow heavy.

Whoosh.

Crackle.

“What…”

“The method of confirmation is simple. If you break the Restraint and block this strike, we will judge you to have abilities sufficient for a 1st-Rank Exorcist, confirming you as the culprit of the incident.”

Then, in the opposite case, you just die, right?

I looked at Liu Zizen filled with absurdity, but he showed not a hint of hesitation.

Moreover, judging by the general situation, it seemed the figures from other families had tacitly agreed with Liu Zizen’s actions.

‘…Damn it, they’ve already concluded I’m the culprit.’

Having grasped the circumstances, I clicked my tongue loudly, pushed off from my spot, and rose, creating distance with my two unrestrained legs.

And towards me like that, Liu Zizen’s strike flew.

“Take this, Self-Jade Heaven’s Trample!”

Whoosh.

Craaackle!*

The moment of choice was approaching right before my eyes.