The power of rumors and the concept of public shame is something that is one of the scariest things in this world.
Especially for those people who can't live without the confirmation of others.
We, humans, are natural beings with social needs, and almost everyone does have a certain need for reactions and communication. This is especially more severe for those who are going through their puberty stage, where they seek attention.
Why do you think high-schooler bullying cases are a lot more severe than others? Because the way attention blinds people is amazing.
And this is where the public shame comes into the equation.
"Senior," I began, using the title to taunt him, "if you talk about why you were trying to sabotage the club, I may consider extinguishing these fires…"
Jonas hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for a way out. But there was no escape from the blazing inferno that engulfed him.
"…."
The moment I spoke those words, I noticed a flicker of emotion in his eyes—an odd mix of momentary relief and fear. It was not the fear of the flames but something else, something he was desperately trying to hide.
But I wasn't about to let him off the hook. With a dark and threatening tone, I continued, "…Or perhaps I'll just let these flames consume you until there's nothing left."
Jonas, his voice strained, and his body in agony managed to croak out, "You can't kill me, Callius. The academy prohibits killing someone."
I looked down at him, the flames in my hands casting eerie shadows across his face. A cold smile played at the corners of my lips as I leaned closer, my voice low and chilling. "I have no intention of killing you, Jonas. No, that would be too merciful."
His eyes widened in both relief and confusion, but his respite would be short-lived.
SWOOSH SWIRL
"Instead," I continued, my fire burning his skin. "I'm going to do something far worse. I'm going to kill your senses, your soul, and leave you a hollow shell of what you once were." Then, I stopped for a second and raised my voice for everyone to hear. "JUST LIKE THAT HERETIC DECLAN BLACKWOOD. THE ONE THAT CONTRACTED DEMONS!"
<Trait [Dragon's Pride] is active.>
FLICK
And with a flick of my finger, I silently sent a little amount of lightning mana into his senses, making him refrain from losing consciousness.
And, the moment I spoke about Declan, I could feel that somewhere around me, mana was pulsating.
'You are watching…..This is good….Bastard, I am going to come after you as well.'
Jonas's expression shifted from momentary relief to pure dread; he couldn't even shout anymore. He was just looking at me with pure horror.
'I broke him.'
"What?"
"Declan Blackwood?"
"He contracted with a demon?"
I could hear people around me mumbling amongst themselves. I knew the Blackwood family was trying to keep the news from spreading, at least until the festival ends, but I will make sure that this won't happen.
I turned my attention back to Jonas, the flames still dancing around him. "Now, Jonas, it's time to tell us everything. How did you infiltrate the commoner's ranks, and who sent you to sabotage their club activities?"
With those words, I slightly retracted my fires, but still, some of them were playing on my hand.
"I-I gained their tr-trust," he stammered, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and guilt.
"Huh? Sabotage our activities? What are you talking about?" At that moment, it seemed Melissa had finally caught on it.
"I j-joined the commoners' ranks as a s-spy. I was o-ordered to s-sabotage your club's activities by an u-unknown entity, someone who r-remained in the sh-shadows."
His confession hung heavily in the air, and the crowd listened intently, their eyes fixed on him as he continued to reveal the extent of his treachery.
"I… I sabotaged your pr-presentation with a r-representative from a c-count family y-yesterday," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was the one that destroyed the product and messed with mana lines."
"Huh?"
Melissa's eyes widened with realization as she put the pieces together. "So, you were the reason why the device didn't work," she stated, her voice filled with astonishment. "You deliberately sabotaged our presentation, causing the device to malfunction."
I could see the anger appearing in her eyes, but that wasn't all there to it.
"There is more, doesn't it?"
I spoke, looking down at Jonas. When you plant a spy, there is no way you would use it simply for one thing.
Jonas hesitated, his voice trembling. "Y-yes. I-I was the one t-that leaked the research."
Melissa's eyes widened even further as the full scope of Jonas's betrayal became apparent. She connected the dots swiftly. "That's why the other club got the patent for our research," she exclaimed, anger and frustration bubbling up within her. "Our work was stolen because of you!"
The revelation hung heavily in the air, and the crowd listened in stunned silence. The extent of Jonas's treachery was now laid bare for all to see, and the consequences of his actions would reverberate throughout their club and the academy itself.
Jonas, wracked with guilt and despair, seemed on the verge of a breakdown. Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued to confess. "I did... I did a lot more... bad things... to undermine your club... I leaked secrets... spread rumors... damaged your projects..."
His voice trembled with remorse, and his admissions weighed heavily on the crowd, their shock turning into a mix of anger and pity.
"But… I-I didn't have a choice…" Jonas's voice trembled as he tried to explain. "My family is in a lot of debt, and if I don't do as they say, the estate is going to be sold."
The crowd fell silent as Jonas's revelation sank in. The desperation that had driven him to betray his friends and allies was now clear, and a sense of sympathy mingled with the anger in the room.
"Who are they?" someone in the crowd demanded, seeking answers.
Jonas opened his mouth to respond, to reveal the identity of those who had manipulated him, but before he could utter a name or divulge any further information, I acted swiftly.
"They-"
SWOOSH
Before he could utter a name or divulge any further information, I acted swiftly.
THUD
With a smooth move, I chopped his neck and stopped him from speaking more.
At this point, I knew that if he started speaking about the mastermind behind the sabotage, it would not only lead to his death but also shift the blame onto me. This was what happened a lot of times in front of my eyes, and there was no way I was going to let it happen again.
'Princess will understand why I did this as well…..I guess I should leave it to her.'
Melissa's expression shifted from a mix of anger and empathy to pure fury as she realized the extent of Jonas's betrayal. Her eyes blazed with righteous indignation, and she couldn't hide her anger any longer.
"Jonas was the traitor among us," she declared, her voice seething with anger. "He sabotaged our club and leaked our research. I swear, I will find the bastard who ordered this and make them pay for what they've done!"
The crowd watched as Melissa's anger boiled over, and they couldn't help but sympathize with her determination to seek justice.
But I simply smiled and shook my head, a sense of calm and resolution in my demeanor. I knew that finding the true mastermind behind this would not be easy for her, and even if she did with her puny strength, she couldn't do anything else.
DING!
At that moment, I heard the sound coming from my bracelet.
--------------------------------
Conjuring Challenge - Nullified
Reason: Prohibited action taken against the other contestant.
Punishment: 100 points will be deducted from Student Callius
----------------------------
Looking at the panel before me, I was already expecting this, so I didn't mind; I was already drowning with the points anyway.
This whole fa?ade was something I had been aiming for already. This was something that could be exploited in the game.
If one could acquire the artifact [Muramana] and join the academy, Conjuring Challenges could be used to torture people and cheat.
This was a bug they overlooked, and in the later patches, they fixed this issue by simply adding another rule where the artifacts were restricted.
But, right now, they are not.
As the restrictions surrounding me were released, I turned my attention to Melissa.
"Next time, choose your members better. Nowadays, there are a lot of noble dogs who think they are better than others."
Melissa shot me a glare, her anger still evident in her eyes, but she remained silent. She knew there was truth in my words, even if she didn't want to admit it.
With a confident smirk, I turned and began to walk away from the scene, my calm demeanor in stark contrast to the chaos that had just unfolded. The crowd parted to make way for me, and as I passed through them, I could hear their murmurs about my reputation.
"He's ruthless, that Callius," one student whispered to another, their voices tinged with a mixture of awe and fear.
"Did you see the way he silenced Jonas? It was like he didn't even hesitate."
"He's known as the Scorch Demon for a reason. He doesn't play by the rules, and he's as inhumane as they come."
'Don't worry, though. I will add Senior Crusher into it as well; just wait.'
With those words, I kept walking and wandering around the commoner clubs, finding the noble ones one by one and crushing them, forcing them to confess.
The [All-Seeing Eye] was truly a conventional skill, after all.
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on f(r)e𝒆webn(o)vel.com