Player-Hunting Inquisitors

Chapter 15

"At this rate, the academy's prestige will hit rock bottom."

In the silent meeting room, only the voice of the director echoed.

The stern expressions of the professors further emphasized the heavy atmosphere of the meeting room.

"It's not been long since the last incident with casualties, and now a violence case within the campus?"

She looked around the meeting room, locking eyes with each professor as if searching for a target to vent her anger.

"Could you explain the details of this violence case, Professor Kian?"

"Understood."

I stood up from my seat and walked to the front of the meeting room.

"The violence incident that occurred yesterday after school was caused by a conflict between nobles and commoners. One student was seriously injured, and I had to urgently treat them."

I briefly summarized the instigators, the reason for the incident, and the extent of the injuries.

At my statement, a few professors seemed uneasy and cleared their throats.

'About five of them... Those people are all of noble origin. They've been subtly discriminating against commoners.'

"Both the academy's principles and the cult's policy clearly state that discrimination based on status is unjust."

The director, similarly to me, focused her gaze on a few professors as she responded.

"That's right. From the time the great mage founded this academy, treating all students equally has been a core belief."

I reinforced the point, pressing them further.

"In that regard, how is the current state of the academy? Nobles gather with nobles, commoners with commoners, and they're throwing stones at each other, aren't they?"

"That's correct!"

Some professors supported my statement and began discussing examples of status discrimination they had witnessed, proposing countermeasures.

As expected of excellent professors, everyone came together and started presenting various solutions, and I returned to my seat to observe them.

'There's no need for me to say more. Since there might be possessed individuals among the professors, standing out too much would be risky.'

After a heated discussion, the faculty concluded the meeting with a resolution to work toward eliminating status discrimination.

It was difficult to take immediate action as the root cause was not clearly identified.

On my way back to the church after the meeting, my mind was preoccupied with thoughts about the players.

'For public opinion to shift this rapidly, it seems the players are already sharing the same goal.'

While conflicts between commoners and nobles within the academy were not unheard of, this was the first time it had surfaced so prominently.

At some point, I arrived at the church and muttered to myself.

"What could they gain from shaking the academy like this?"

"Hehe, I was struggling with that too."

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice accompanied by the sound of a staff tapping on the ground.

When I raised my hand lightly in greeting, Yuria also bowed her head in response.

"I apologize for yesterday. I couldn't stop by the church as I received an urgent message from my father."

"It's fine. It's not like we arrange meetings or anything."

"Oh my," Yuria exclaimed with a playful expression, covering her mouth exaggeratedly with her hand.

"As expected of someone so popular. Did you know? Everyone in my faction who hasn't taken Saint's class regrets it."

I knew my class was popular, but was it to that extent?

"Really? That's a relief. I was worried at first that no one would attend."

"Even I regret it. You wouldn't believe how much Riel boasts about it."

Since we had met, I asked Yuria what her faction thought of commoners.

"Hmm... No one harbors any particular resentment. Everyone genuinely understands that their current status exists because of the commoners."

"That's a relief. If even your faction leaned toward discrimination, the academy might have split in half."

Yuria looked slightly surprised.

"Is it that serious? Nobles who discriminate against commoners are usually of lower rank. Most of them aren't much different from commoners except for their titles."

Originally, the reason nobles held privileges was because they bore responsibilities.

They carried the duties of representatives, and those who neglected them were not considered true nobles.

But as always, there are exceptions.

Poor nobles compared to wealthy commoners, or incompetent nobles compared to intelligent commoners.

Most nobles who discriminate against commoners fall into these categories.

"Oh, then excluding those with an inferiority complex, we can narrow down the player candidates."

"That's a good approach. I was going to leave it to Riel, but I'll help too."

"That would be great. It seems tough for Riel to handle it alone."

If it were just investigating Darec, there wouldn't be an issue, but he also seems influenced by someone, harboring a dislike for nobles.

To uncover this, a comprehensive investigation is necessary.

"Alright. I'll also ask my faction friends to inform me if they notice anything suspicious."

For now, I had secured investigation personnel.

The justification for the investigation was the same as for all professors: to eliminate status discrimination.

It wouldn't seem too unusual for me to be conducting such an investigation.

'By the way, I hope Riel is investigating well.'

Riel's school life was quite busy.

She was an assistant for two subjects, and she couldn't neglect her magic training and studies.

On top of that, as an inquisitor, she had to monitor Darec, which left her feeling like even two bodies wouldn't be enough.

'Phew, I'm done with today's tasks. Luckily, I don't have anything to do for Kian's class.'

After finishing her work, Riel, as always, wandered around the campus to track Darec's presence.

'Hmm... Is he near the clubroom again this time?'

Suddenly, a sharp yell pierced Riel's ears as she walked down the hallway.

Startled, she turned her gaze in the direction of the sound.

The yelling grew louder, accompanied by urgent voices.

"Take that back!"

"Take it back? Are you as foolish as Cornell?"

'That's Darec's voice!'

Riel hurriedly headed toward the source of the yelling.

"You dare insult the deceased? I suppose being an orphan means you never learned manners."

"What!"

When Riel arrived at the scene of the commotion, she saw Darec and another noble student grabbing each other's collars.

The people who seemed to be their companions weren't trying to stop them, just glaring at each other.

"Stop it!"

Riel shouted loudly to stop the fight, drawing everyone's attention to her.

They glared in her direction with harsh expressions but backed down when they saw Riel's face.

Tsk-.

The two who had been grabbing each other's collars also clicked their tongues and stepped back.

"Riel, that guy insulted Cornell."

"I insulted a petty noble, not him."

"What's the difference?"

However, the two continued their argument without stopping.

Riel tried to intervene, but their momentum was like a lit fuse, refusing to die down.

Riel hesitated, wondering if she should forcibly step in to break up the fight.

But the atmosphere was so tense that it was hard to intervene easily.

'If I step in recklessly, the situation might worsen. But... If I leave it like this, they might really start throwing punches.'

Riel anxiously observed the situation.

"Both of you. What's going on here?"

Just as Riel was about to step in, a passing professor noticed the commotion and approached.

The professor took the two of them to the disciplinary office and dispersed the crowd.

'Phew, it wasn't like this until recently. Is it really because of the players?'

Riel let out a sigh of relief.

However, the incident didn't end there.

Someone spread the word about what Darec had said.

As rumors spread, Darec's reputation on campus plummeted.

His image, already at its worst due to the incident at the training ground, worsened further because of his recent words.

"Hey, it's that guy over there."

"Ah~. The guy who insulted Cornell?"

Darec was quickly ostracized at the academy.

Even his friends distanced themselves from him, leaving him no choice but to walk alone.

Riel consistently followed him but found nothing suspicious.

'Hmm. If that guy were a player, he would have concocted something to turn the situation around after drawing so much attention.'

A few days later, a woman approached Darec.

"Hey, don't you want to take revenge on the nobles?"

"What is it, Ella? Mind your own business."

She was one of the commoners who had been hanging out with Cornell until recently.

"Don't you think so? If Cornell had been a commoner, how many nobles would have mocked him?"

"Phew. What are you trying to say?"

"Join hands with us. If commoners unite, the nobles won't be able to ignore us anymore."

Riel, secretly listening to their conversation, was startled by those words.

'A group of commoners is already being formed? Is that really necessary?'

Although the academy seemed divided in half, there were also many people like Miss Yuria's faction trying to resolve the situation.

Moreover, the professors were also closely observing the current state of affairs.

If one side were to organize a group, it wouldn't lead to anything good.

Darec, perhaps feeling something similar to Riel, didn't seem too enthusiastic.

Darec waved his hand, rejecting Ella's proposal.

"No thanks. This is my fault. I just want to graduate quietly."

"Think about it again. If you change your mind, contact me anytime."

Leaving those words behind, Ella walked away.

As the two parted ways, Riel found herself at a crossroads.

Should she continue investigating the person she had been following until now?

Or should she investigate this newly suspicious individual?

Riel pondered for a moment.

It seemed unlikely she would gain any more meaningful clues by continuing to follow Darec.

But Ella... there was something unsettling about her proposal.

'Could Ella really be a player? Or... does she have another motive? Which one is the more dangerous presence?'

Riel considered various possibilities in a short period of time and ultimately decided to follow Ella.