Chapter 48: Cripple or Kill

I was about to follow the boy when I suddenly felt several familiar presences approaching from behind.

I stopped and turned around.

Standing there were Arthur, Mary, and Theodore, walking toward me from the other end of the corridor.

Arthur noticed me first. His expression immediately brightened, and he raised a hand in greeting.

"Edmund, what’s up!"

I smiled and lifted my own hand.

"Nothing much."

By the time they reached me, Mary had already stopped a step behind him. She gave me a small nod, her usual quiet expression resting on her face.

"Hi."

"Hey."

Theodore arrived last.

He looked at me for a moment before giving a slight nod, his posture as straight and composed as ever.

"You’re here early."

I raised an eyebrow.

"So are you."

"Obviously."

Arthur let out a small laugh.

"Don’t start."

Theodore glanced at him.

"I wasn’t starting anything."

"You always say that right before starting something."

Mary quietly looked between the two of them.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Some things really never changed.

It had only been a while since I had last seen them properly, but standing there together made it feel as though nothing had changed at all. Arthur was still as easygoing as ever, Mary still spoke only when she had something worth saying, and Theodore still carried himself with that unmistakable pride of his.

He could be insufferable at times.

Actually, he was usually insufferable.

But despite that, Theodore wasn’t a bad person. Beneath all that arrogance and confidence was someone who genuinely cared about the people around him. He simply wasn’t particularly talented at showing it.

Arthur, on the other hand, had never needed much effort to make his intentions obvious. He was simply a good person.

And, more importantly, he was probably the closest friend I had made since coming to this world.

"How have you been?" Arthur asked.

"Fine. You?"

"Good."

Mary nodded.

"I am fine as well."

Theodore looked at me.

"You look the same."

I stared at him.

"Thank you?"

He frowned slightly.

"That wasn’t an insult."

"I wasn’t sure."

Arthur laughed again, shaking his head.

The four of us stood there for another moment before the flow of students around us reminded me that we were blocking part of the corridor.

We moved aside, allowing a group of students to pass before continuing our conversation.

For a brief moment, my eyes searched for the boy I’d been watching earlier.

He was gone.

I could no longer see him among the students and academy staff moving through the halls.

I hesitated.

Then I stopped caring.

After all, I already knew why he was here.

The protagonist had come to secure admission for the following year. His parents were originally from Zaelshak, and because of that, he had to obtain his admission beforehand. Students coming from outside the kingdom were required to secure their places before July of the previous year.

There wasn’t anything strange about that.

At least, not on the surface.

I had been paying far too much attention to him simply because I knew what kind of role he was supposed to play.

But perhaps I was overthinking it.

I turned my attention back to the three people standing in front of me.

"Are you all heading to class?"

Arthur nodded.

"Yeah."

Mary gave another small nod.

Theodore simply glanced toward the corridor ahead.

"Then let’s go."

We started walking together.

The academy corridors were already becoming crowded. Students dressed in formal clothes moved through the halls in groups, their voices blending together into a constant murmur.

Some were talking about their lessons, others were discussing recent events, while a few simply hurried toward their classrooms before the teachers arrived.

The sound of footsteps echoed beneath the high ceiling as we moved with the crowd.

The Royal Academy was, as its name suggested, an institution reserved for nobles.

It wasn’t the only academy in Valemont, of course.

Commoners and Awakened without noble backgrounds had other institutions available to them. Academies existed throughout the kingdom, with places such as Oakland being home to institutions simply known as Awakened Academies.

The distinction was rather obvious.

The Royal Academy wasn’t merely a place for education.

It was where noble families sent their children to build connections, establish relationships, compete against one another, and prepare themselves for the future.

Which meant that walking through these halls wasn’t simply a matter of attending classes.

Everyone here was someone.

And eventually, most of them would become someone even more important.

We continued walking until the corridor opened into a larger hall.

The wider space was considerably busier than the corridor behind us. Students crossed from one side to another while academy staff moved between classrooms, occasionally calling after students who were walking too slowly.

And there, I saw a familiar figure.

He was moving through the hall in his wheelchair, heading toward the classroom where he would teach us and the other Inferior Awakened.

His appearance immediately made me straighten slightly.

The old man had always carried himself with a certain quiet authority. Even sitting in a wheelchair, he somehow managed to make the surrounding students lower their voices when he passed.

Arthur noticed him as well.

"Mr. Draeus."

Draeus looked toward us.

His eyes passed over Arthur, Mary, Theodore, and finally settled on me.

"Good morning."

We greeted him properly.

"Good morning."

Draeus gave a small nod.

His gaze lingered on us for another moment before he turned his wheelchair toward the classroom.

"Do not be late."

"We won’t," Arthur replied.

Draeus continued on his way.

I watched him disappear farther down the hall before turning back toward the others.

"Let’s go."

We followed the corridor toward our classroom.

The noise gradually became quieter as we approached the classroom entrance, although the sound of conversations from inside could still be heard through the open doorway.

Arthur entered first.

Mary followed.

Theodore walked in after her.

I was just about to step inside when something suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.

I stopped.

My expression froze.

A translucent screen hovered silently in my vision.

The others continued moving for another step before Arthur noticed that I wasn’t following.

"Edmund?"

I didn’t answer.

My eyes were fixed on the notification.

A familiar sensation settled in my chest.

’What now?’

The screen remained perfectly still.

[Quest Activated!]

[Quest: Kill or Cripple The Protagonist’s Father]

[Reward: 250 Plot Points for Crippling and 500 Plot Points for Killing]

[Failure Would Result In The Death of 5 Random People At Random Times]

[Time: 24 Hours]