C257: Dean Gord Himbel (2)
ââ¦â¦What are you talking about all of a sudden?â
Gord asked again, as if he didnât understand Rudgerâs question.
âHave I ever done something wrong to you?â
âThat canât be true. The dean was nice to me.â
âBut why would you ask such a questionâ¦â¦.â
âWhat Iâm asking is not why you did that to me.â
Rudgerâs eyes in the mask stared at Dean Gord. As soon as he faced those red eyes, Gord felt an indescribable chill.
âI donât know what youâre talking about.â
âThen I should tell you more accurately.â
Rudger rose from the sofa and slowly approached Gord.
âDean.â
âDonât come near me.â
âWhy did you apply for the Steel Chapel research project?â
Gord opened his eyes wide wondering how Rudger knew.
âI told you. I went in there myself and checked.â
âWell, that canât beâ¦â¦.â
âI answered the question, dean. Now that I asked a question, itâs your turn to answer it.â
Rudger, standing in front of Dean Gord, looked down at him.
âGo ahead. Why did you do that?â
âI, I donât knowâ¦â¦Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!â
Gord tried to excuse himself, but screamed at the intense pain on the back of his hand.
Before he knew it, a dagger was embedded in the back of his hand.
âUgh. My, my handsâ¦â¦!â
âDean, this is a game.â
Rudger whispered softly to dean Gord, who was struggling in pain.
âItâs a game where we tell each other the truth. Ask questions and tell the truth. The dean asked a question, and I told the truth. Then shouldnât the dean also tell the truth?â
âUgh!â
âBut telling a lie is a violation of the rules.â
âWhat do you want to hear from me?â
At the cry of Dean Gord, Rudger pulled out the dagger from the back of his hand at once. Blood splattered, and Dean Gordâs scream resounded in the office.
âWhat I want is that the dean tells me everything about this case.â
âYou think Iâm going to say that?â
âThe questions are over, dean. I gave a second answer by answering just a moment ago.â
âWhat?â
Gord opened his eyes in disbelief.
The question was âwhat do you want to hearâ a moment ago and Rudger answered it.
âThatâs ridiculousâ¦â¦!â
âNow that the dean asked a question, itâs my turn.â
âHey, you crazy!â
âDean Gord, what are the names of the people involved in this?â
Gordâs face was grimly distorted.
âI, I donât know! I donât know!â
âThis is a problem. You sold people out with the desire to go beyond the position of dean and enter politics, but did you think it would be possible to keep your mouth shut now?â
ââ¦â¦!â
Gord shuddered as the desire he had kept in his heart without being caught by anyone flowed out of Rudgerâs mouth. But what surprised Gord even more was that Rudger had already known everything about him and still came.
âI, Iâ¦!â
âThe dean still shows hesitation, so Iâll help you.â
âWhat are you trying to do?â
âNothing much.â
Rudger held out the dagger that had just taken out of the back of Gordâs hand.
Red blood was dripping on the dagger that shone sharply under the light in the room.
âIâm just trying to give you a pat on the back so the dean will have courage.â
âYouâre going to torture me?!â
âIf you donât want to, then you can answer now. Who did it? Whoâs behind it?â
âI, Iâ¦!â
Dean Gord shook his head with a pale face.
âI canât talk. I canât talk!â
âIs that so?â
Rudger looked at Gord and said,
âThatâs a relief.â
Shortly thereafter, screams rang out in the deanâs office.
* * *
âJames Moriarty!â
The door of the deanâs office opened roughly and Casey Selmore stormed in.
âAs expected, youâre here! Stay away from him!â
âCasey Selmore.â
Rudger took a step back, looking at Casey Selmore as she was finally able to see the horrors hidden from Rudger.
âYouâ¦!â
Dean Gord Himbel was breathing heavily, squirming, covered in blood. After being tortured, he was barely breathing and was almost a corpse.
Casey gritted her teeth at the sight of the bloody dean Gord.
âHow can you do this to the person who recommended you as a professor?â
âOh.â
At Caseyâs words, Rudger could see why she was angry.
âI see. It was something that could look like that.â
âWhat?â
âNo. Itâs nothing.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âWhatever it is, stay away from him!â
Casey Selmore warned Rudger, but didnât use magic recklessly.
Weak spells would not be able to hit Rudger, but if she used powerful magic, Gord, who was taken hostage, could have been hit too.
Rudger, who noticed that Casey was at a loss, asked, bending the red eyes in the mask.
âIs it difficult to move because of the hostage? Then Iâll help you.â
ââ¦â¦wait!â
Casey tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Rudgerâs hand moved, and a sharp dagger flew straight into Dean Gordâs forehead. Casey shouted, twisting her face when she saw that Dean Gord, who was barely alive, was out of breath.
âJames Moriarty!â
A huge spray of water filled the deanâs office as Rudger flung himself out of the window, and shortly thereafter a giant water cannon passed by where he was.
The broken windows and debris from the wall fell, but Rudger extended his left arm as a wire launcher mounted on his left arm was shot and caught on the high spire of the university, and his body was pulled sharply and soared into the sky.
Standing by the broken window, Casey spotted Rudger standing on the roof of the building and glared at him with hostility.
âHow? How could you do this?â
Rudger opened his mouth when he saw Casey like that.
âI remember Iâve already answered enough of that question. Casey Selmore, youâre pretty sharp, but youâre late again.â
âYou! What the hell are you going to do?â
âThatâs an interesting question. Why donât you discover it like a detective?â
Casey Selmore raised her magic as if she had no intention of listening anymore.
âJames Moriarty!â
Casey Selmore, riding a stream of water, rushed at Rudger but Rudger turned his back.
âStop there!â
Casey shot several spears of water, but Rudger avoided them all. Soon Casey Selmore landed on the roof where Rudger was and immediately tried to chase him.
âHeâs gone?â
But Rudger disappeared.
Whether he rose to the sky or fell to the ground, his traces disappeared as if they were completely cut off.
âHow the hell?â
It was only for a moment as she landed on the floor that she lost sight of Rudger but in that moment he disappeared.
Casey was embarrassed to see no traces.
[Casey Selmore, I suggest you donât chase me anymore.]
At that moment, at Rudgerâs voice, Casey subsided her anger and rolled up the corners of her mouth.
âHa. You provoked me and now you want me to quit? Do you think Iâm going to do that?â
[Youâre bluffing but I admire your courage.]
âCan you say such a thing without being caught?â
[Isnât it a waste of your life?]
Casey answered without hesitation to the question.
âIf it was a waste of my life, I wouldnât have done this.â
[Then try to chase me. This is a game.]
Casey frowned at the word game.
âWhat?â
[You chase me and I run away from you. Of course, in the meantime, I intend to finish things that have happened across the kingdom beyond this city.]
ââ¦Do you think Iâll let you do that?â
[The fun of the game is not knowing who will win. But Iâll give you a hint because I think Iâll have an advantage at this rate.]
âWho said so?â
[Iâll act in Dartans city next time. If you want to catch me, come over there.]
Casey asked in a suspicious tone when he even said something blatant.
âWhy should I take your word for it? You might run away somewhere else.â
[If youâre scared, you donât have to come but you will regret your choice after people die there.]
Casey clenched his fist at Rudgerâs words that blatantly touched her pride.
âOkay, Iâll go. Wash your throat and wait there.â
[I look forward to it]
The voice that seemed to be laughing at her but was satisfied disappeared like an echo.
* * *
After dealing Dean Gord, Rudger immediately joined Hans and headed to Dartans.
Dartans, one of the largest cities in the Delica Kingdom, was the heart of the kingdom and was the place where the most factories were built.
Rudgerâs goal was one of the factories.
âA new experiment?â
Hans asked while on the train heading to Dartans and Rudger in disguise nodded.
âHans, Steel Chapel project was definitely a dangerous experiment that can change the game of the battlefield but isnât something strange?â
âWhat do you mean?â
âWith that alone, do you think a country can prepare for war without looking at its neighbors?â
Hansâ expression hardened at Rudgerâs words.
âI mean, thereâs more.â
âSteelâs Chapel is a project to create knight-level power indefinitely within the limits of resources.â
The problem arises here.
If a special automaton created by the Steel Chapel project replaces the knights how would they replace the wizards?
âWhat, making a magical automaton?â
âNo. They donât replace wizards.â
âThen what are they going to do?â
âHans, why do you think wizards still exert great power in modern warfare?â
âThe [Silence of fire] suppresses the action of gunpowder, and people canât shoot a gun, it also makes bombs useless.â
Rudger nodded.
âYes. No matter how much they modify and strengthen the automatons, they can never replace the wizards. So those who are working on the project changed their thinking.â
âHow?â
âIf they canât make wizards, they will make magic useless.â
âHmmâ¦â
Hans still looked like he didnât understand.
âHow can they make magic useless? You mean, it canât be used? That canât be possible in the first place.â
âYes, it canât be possible. Magic to get rid of magic. Such a thingâ¦â¦â
Rudger paused for a moment, not trying to speak.
âBrother?â
ââ¦â¦Itâs not making magic useless, but only making it available to special people. Of course, itâs not something that can be used normally.â
âSo how will they make wizards useless?â
âDidnât you say that a moment ago?â
âWhat did I say? I only said the [silence of fire].â
âYes.â
Rudger saw a scene passing by outside the train window.
In the distance, I could see a city full of factory chimneys and black smoke, it was Dartans.
âHans, what do you think would happen if the [silence of fire] used by the wizard could not neutralize gunpowder?â
âUh, itâsâ¦.â
Hans pondered the answer.
âIt will be dangerous, right? Of course, wizards wonât die easily because of that.â
âYes, they can use defensive magic. Butâ¦â¦at least the gunpowder weapon exerts its power.â
âNo wayâ¦â¦the kingdom made such a dangerous thing?â
Hans asked just in case, but he prayed that it was not the case. Sadly, however, Rudger betrayed Hansâ expectations.
âThey made special gunpowder. Gunpowder unaffected by the [silence of fire].â
Hans swallowed his saliva.
âThat would certainly be dangerous. But how the hell did they make it?â
âI donât know that.â
With the [Silence of fire] wizards exert their strongest power in modern warfare. This alone is a weapon that deals with gunpowder.
Thatâs why knights who can avoid bullets and wizards who neutralize the weapon itself still occupy high positions.
But if the knights were replaced by a steel weapon and the advantages of the wizards over gunpowder weapons disappeared, what would happen then?
The spark of war will spread quickly and engulf the entire continent.
âThere is a secret factory somewhere in this city that manufactures that gunpowder.â
âHmmâ¦â¦â
âSo, Hans.â
âYeah?â
âFind it. You have one day.â
ââ¦â¦.â