I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 32

The room was shrouded in a dark atmosphere.

Only scattered candles illuminated the surroundings, and in the center of the room stood a massive table.

“What in the world happened?”

A gravely voice echoed through the space.

It was a man seated at the head of the table.

His hood was pulled low, obscuring his face, and his cloak concealed even his physique.

The only indication that he was indeed a man was his voice.

“The Black Wolf is dead. His assassins have all been wiped out too.”

“Could it be that he got caught because his tail was too long?”

The reply came from a woman.

She too was cloaked and hooded, with her voice being the only discernible feature.

And it wasn’t just those two.

Most of the people sitting at the table were dressed similarly.

“Got caught because his tail was long? Are you not finding that amusing, Es?”

“Meanwhile, you minimized contact with us just in case.”

“Even if his existence was discovered, the Black Wolf could have escaped. He could have easily used his assassins as bait.”

“But Es’s reasoning does hold some validity, doesn’t it?”

“That’s also true. After all, the Black Wolf was still accepting missions and operating.”

“Then it’s a personal vendetta, seeking revenge.”

Starting with Es’s words, several others began to speak, but opinions didn’t unify.

That was to be expected.

The Black Wolf was one of the executives of Avatarara.

For someone like him to lose his life without any warning, in just a day, was hard to believe.

“The Black Wolf was essential for that operation.”

The man sitting at the head sighed heavily.

Even those who had been vocal until now fell silent at his words.

Everyone knew the heavy responsibilities that lay on the Black Wolf’s shoulders.

Currently, Arcana hosted the heirs of houses pivotal to the Empire and the Crown Prince himself.

According to reports, this year’s new students were a gathering of geniuses known as the Golden Generation.

If those geniuses were to start showcasing their abilities for the Empire, the goals of Avatarara would likely be realized only after decades, maybe centuries.

It was the Black Wolf’s task to snuff out any potential threats to that future.

“So? How did the Black Wolf die?”

“Is the manner of death important, Ed?”

“It is. You can glean a lot from the cause of death.”

In response to Ed’s statement, the man at the head of the table slowly began to speak.

“According to investigations, his head was severed while his limbs were cut off.”

“His limbs cut off and then his head severed?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. That sounds somewhat familiar.”

Ed lowered his head slightly, searching his memory.

While the surrounding chatter continued about the death of the Black Wolf, he ignored their discussions entirely.

No one attempted to call out to Ed either.

When he began to contemplate like this, he always arrived at a clear answer.

“Four years ago? Three years ago?”

And once again, Ed found the answer.

“It must have been in Heros, right? A informant was killed back then.”

“…That’s right. It was said that the Black Wolf was betrayed by an assassin in that incident.”

“Could this also be the work of that traitor?”

“No, it’s not. The traitor returned to the Black Wolf and got imprisoned again.”

The traitor who killed the informant had returned to the Black Wolf.

And three years later, the assassins, including the Black Wolf, were wiped out.

“It was said that the informant killed in Heros also had his limbs severed and his head cut off. But the Black Wolf didn’t see that as the manner of death; he confirmed it was the work of the traitor based on the aftermath.”

Ed’s mind began to slowly piece together the puzzle.

Gradually, his tongue felt parched.

‘That’s it.’

Ed was convinced.

Whenever his tongue started to dry out as he came to a conclusion, it was always the truth.

Using that instinct, Ed had risen to the ranks of the executives.

“I’m certain the informant in Heros was not killed by the traitor. It’s likely a ruse. This means that whoever killed the informant has a connection with the traitor.”

With confidence, Ed began to articulate his neatly organized conclusions.

“And the one who killed the informant is probably the same person who annihilated the Black Wolf and the assassins. The reason might be that something went wrong when that traitor returned to the Black Wolf.”

As Ed began his exposition, the previously chaotic atmosphere quieted instantly.

It meant everyone believed his conclusion.

“If my memory serves me correctly, the Black Wolf invested quite a bit of forces to bring that traitor back. But to know for sure, we need to gather information on that traitor.”

“That will be investigated and communicated to you. But there’s something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

Typically, the man at the head didn’t pose unnecessary questions concerning Ed’s conclusions.

He trusted him enough.

However, this time he couldn’t shake off this doubt.

“Let’s simply refer to him as X. I can understand why X would want to wipe out the Black Wolf and the assassins. If he is close to the traitor, his rationale could be justified.”

But then he continued speaking.

“However, how on earth did he find out the identity of the informant in Heros? The traitor wouldn’t be able to provide that information. The Black Wolf’s assassins wouldn’t know anything about our intel either, and it’s likely the informant hadn’t even started his operations yet, right?”

That aspect was also a question for Ed.

Try as he might, he couldn’t connect the dots there.

Perhaps there could exist a traitor leaking information within Avatarara, but that was something everyone knew was impossible.

“Honestly, I don’t really know either. It could just be a coincidence. Or maybe X came from the future?”

Ed’s sarcastic tone prompted laughter to ripple through the room.

“…Right. While the death of the Black Wolf is unfortunate, it doesn’t change our plans. Furthermore, even if Ed brings back information, we won’t take further action. Our existence becoming known now is premature. After all, Astridia will fall. And the Empire will rise again. The future is in our hands.”

With that declaration, all the figures present in the room quietly nodded in agreement.

“Your Highness.”

A deep voice called out to the man from a large man.

Unlike those sitting at the table earlier, this man did not wear a hood or cloak.

He stood over 2 meters tall, with pitch-black hair and eyes, looking down at the man with an apathetic expression.

“Rex.”

The man called Rex bowed his head in response to the man.

“I will take action myself.”

“You?”

“Yes. I feel a strange urge to move regarding that X you mentioned.”

“Is it really necessary, given the death of the Black Wolf?”

The Black Wolf was essential in quelling the budding powers in Astridia.

However, the Avatarara wouldn’t collapse just because that operation didn’t proceed.

“At the very least, shouldn’t we wait for Ed to confirm things before acting?”

“I just have this ominous feeling.”

Rex appeared resolute in his decision.

Yet the man thought it to be an excessive investment.

Rex was someone he wanted to keep in reserve.

Having one of Avatarara’s strongest forces dive into action felt like a waste of power.

“I trust you won’t die. But don’t you think there’s a danger in your actions revealing Avatarara’s existence?”

“I will move as discreetly as possible. And if things get too dangerous, I’ll retreat immediately.”

“…Fine.”

Rex’s loyalty to Avatarara was unquestionable.

But the extent of that loyalty sometimes led him to disregard commands.

Even if he wasn’t permitted to act, Rex would likely sneak away to locate X.

“However, if you can’t find any leads, come back quickly.”

“Understood.”

Rex said that and turned his back on the man.

A beast that shouldn’t be moving started to act, seeking out the unknown threat against Avatarara.

★

Could there truly be a future where Reina would be happy?

Lately, such thoughts frequently crossed my mind.

No matter how I maneuvered for Reina, I always collided with Sophia.

About three years ago at the market.

Right after entering Arcana.

And even at this tea party.

It felt like things were spiraling downward even more than in the original story.

After the tea party, I tried to initiate a conversation with Reina, but she was clearly avoiding people on purpose.

She always entered the classroom right before class began and dashed out the moment it ended.

I suspected she resolved all her lunches within the dormitory.

At least it was a relief that, apart from Sophia, others hadn’t entirely turned against Reina yet.

Especially the Crown Prince, who even asked me to comfort her.

Of course, I hadn’t managed to speak with her at all after these four days.

But today was the day for the second Elemental Magic Studies class.

Since it was a partnered practical session, Reina couldn’t just act alone.

“Helen, please take care of it.”

“Sure. I’ll try my best to have a conversation.”

It felt uneasy to ask Helen, Sophia’s only friend from the original story, to assist, but it couldn’t be helped.

Changing partners was forbidden by Professor Dande.

And it seemed that Reina and Helen didn’t have too poor a relationship during the tea party.

There must be a way.

If there was a reason I was reincarnated into this world, it was likely to save Reina.

Since I was probably the only one who genuinely liked Reina in the original story, that was likely my sole purpose for being in Aike’s body.

There was still plenty of time left.

According to the original, this was when Sophia was adapting to the Academy while building relationships.

Avatarara wouldn’t fully begin its actions until the end of the year.

Thus, if I could make the relationship between Reina and Sophia as good as possible—even if they weren’t friends—before then, I could figure something out.

And then we encountered a catastrophe.

★

“Are you the one who killed the Black Wolf?”

“…Why?”

How on earth was this man here?

Looking around, I was the only one standing unscathed.

Professor Dande had crashed against the wall while shielding the Crown Prince and Sophia.

The Crown Prince and Helen had been downed while trying to fight back against him.

Atal was being stomped under his right foot.

Reina and Sophia had fallen due to his magic.

The other four students—Mail Mei, Vera Moot, Nicole Aren, and Albert Caterlun—had left the practical area to call for support.

Could I possibly last until help arrived?

Against this man, who was known in the original story as the worst catastrophe.