Chapter 36 The promise made by one’s own lips must be upheld with one’s life
Mr. Silver’s furry little paws awkwardly paused in mid-air.
After a moment, it pretended to be natural and grabbed a small fish snack to put in its mouth, activating the microphone on the tablet.
“Isda, mind your image.”
In the surveillance, Isda’s gaze was vacant, and her expression was still dazed, as if she hadn’t heard Mr. Silver’s voice through the headset at all.
A black line appeared on Mr. Silver’s forehead.
In its ruby-like beast eyes, a silver moon’s shadow quietly emerged.
“Isda Julian.”
This call was not loud, but it seemed to have some sort of magic, jolting Isda in the inquiry room and awakening her from that dazed state, her eyes regaining their luster.
She hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth: “Mr. Silver, I…”
“No need to explain, I’ve seen it through the surveillance footage.”
Mr. Silver interrupted Isda’s attempts at excuse.
“Don’t say anything useless.”
“Now, describe in full detail what you saw earlier through ‘The Eye of Secrets.'”
“Understood.”
Isda controlled her expression and began typing on the tablet.
…
Moments later, Mr. Silver looked at the newly uploaded text on the tablet and stuffed another small fish snack into its mouth.
“A nameless hero walking through the night in Deep Blue Harbor, fighting evil in his own way, punishing criminals, and guarding the peaceful lives of citizens, the Dark Knight—”
“Batman.”
“As the only person present who has come into contact with Rast, does this align with your impression of him, Young Tina?”
Hiltina looked at the text on the tablet, falling into silence, unable to equate the Rast from her mind—the one who calmly devised a plan to blow up half the city—with the Batman maintaining order in Deep Blue Harbor.
However, she recalled her first meeting with Rast in the hotel.
That perfect gigolo living life as a game was worlds apart from the figure who remained unfazed while injecting animal stimulants.
The boy named Rast seemed to wear layer upon layer of masks, revealing one layer while hiding another.
In any situation, he could choose the most appropriate persona, presenting himself in the best light that would benefit him most.
So that no one knew what true face lay hidden beneath those overlapping masks.
“I can’t tell.” Hiltina said.
“I guess so too.”
Mr. Silver flicked its tail: “If everything Rast told you is true, and he really has been reincarnating in that Night World for hundreds of years, then it would be nearly impossible to see through him.”
“In those hundreds of years, he has experienced far too many people and events; such an extent is comparable to the lifetime of many ordinary individuals…”
“If an ordinary person’s brain has been filled with experience and memories for such a long time, the greatest possibility is that this overwhelming complexity would drown out their will, reducing them to a foolish madman.”
“And since Rast can still present himself as an ordinary person, it indicates he possesses extraordinary self-restraint and control abilities.”
Mr. Silver turned over on the sofa and tossed a small fish snack into its mouth: “Rast has encountered too many different people.”
“Because of this, he can freely adjust his persona based on the external environment, needs, and the differences of the interlocutors, showing different personalities to the outside world.”
“He can be the flawless gigolo, the poor yet idealistic speaker, the Batman who guards justice; he can also be an unforgivable criminal, a cold-hearted executioner, a mad ambitious person… all of this merely depends on which state best fits his immediate interests.”
“In such a case, even Isda’s little ‘Eye of Secrets’ would be ineffective. Spiritual visions can indeed see his true personality and some memory fragments, but that is only one aspect of Rast.”
“Every persona he wears and every aspect is real… yet none can represent the entire picture of the person named Rast, nor can they see through to the true mental landscape hidden beneath his masks.”
Mr. Silver ceased its action of eating small fish snacks, raised its head, and looked at Hiltina beside it.
“So, Young Tina, you should understand.”
“If we could only not perform psychological evaluations, that would be one thing… but his background is also mysterious; currently, there is no place called ‘Canaan’ on the world map, and we have no way to investigate his origins and credentials.”
“In this case, according to the school’s regulations, Starry University cannot accept Rast as one of us.”
“His danger and uncontrollable nature are too high, and no one can determine whether he is connected to any secret organization, such as the ‘Bronze Rose’ that tracked you into the Night World; perhaps that dead dancer was a carefully crafted ploy by the Bronze Rose.”
“Or perhaps he is unaware himself but has already been set up with some sort of backup by a secret organization, waiting for the right moment to strike.”
“There have been precedents before; Granville once paid the price of four cities sacrificed to bl**d.”
There was less of the original laziness in Mr. Silver’s eyes and more seriousness.
“Funded by the government, provide Rast with a comfortable residence on a pleasant uninhabited island, establish a sanatorium where he can enjoy blue skies, sunlight, and beaches, and the academy will periodically monitor and revisit…”
“If Rast’s situation were reported, this would likely be the resolution made by the Board of Trustees.”
“You should know, Young Tina, that even with your status as one of the Twelve Seats of the Round Table, you can’t intervene too much in decisions involving the uncontrolled supers.”
“I understand, Mr. Silver.”
Hiltina nodded lightly, her gaze fixed on the boy quietly sitting in the chair on the tablet: “But Rast has been lost for hundreds of years, enduring countless hardships and suffering immensely to escape that hell named Deep Blue Harbor.”
“And now we must send him to another prison; this is too unfair to him…”
“The blue sky, sunshine, and beaches are not a luxury for him but a torture he has undergone countless times.”
“And I believe in Rast.”
Hiltina’s words paused for a moment.
“Even the pollution of the Evil God could not corrupt his will; how could a secret organization scheme against him?”
“Only your belief is not enough…”
Mr. Silver stared at Hiltina but then realized that something felt off.
“That’s right; merely my own wishful thinking is meaningless.”
“But if even Mr. Silver believes, then perhaps the academy will need to reconsider.”
As if she had anticipated Mr. Silver’s response, a glint of cunning flashed across Hiltina’s light brown eyes.
“Ultimately, the conclusions the academy wants to draw are merely two points—”
“That Rast’s mental state is stable and self-controllable, and that he holds no malice toward Starry University.”
Her words were elegant yet courteous: “And as far as I know, even if Isda’s Night Blade and mental evaluations fail, Mr. Silver still has the ability to prove these two points by other means.”
Mr. Silver’s action of eating small fish snacks froze in mid-air.
Then its snowy white fur suddenly fluffed up: “Alright! I thought this little girl was just being considerate for no reason and specially invited me to participate in the evaluation without inviting other professors; it turns out you already have it all planned!”
“So you’ve been planning to use me as your laborer, huh?!”
“Please forgive my little thought, but this is indeed a request from a student to a teacher.”
Hiltina’s voice was soft, but her tone was serious: “I promised Rast to rescue him from that infinite cycle of hell in Deep Blue Harbor, so naturally, I cannot send him to another prison myself.”
“The promise made by a Ranger must be upheld with one’s life.”
She stood up again and impeccably performed a noble gesture to the white creature on the sofa.
“Mr. Silver, please.”
(End of Chapter)
