Chapter 147: Are You Angry? Nope.
After finding no useful information, the two of them left.
With the Night Party fast approaching, Charlotte was also very busy. To be able to take the time to come out with him and listen to his explanation, Kobayashi was already very grateful. He couldn't ask for more.
He returned to his dormitory and fell soundly asleep.
But in the middle of the night, a dark shadow quietly came to his dormitory and slipped under his covers.
...The old, worn-out bed did not creak. Two figures were layered together, and an unnatural bulge could be seen even in the darkness.
The moment Kobayashi's back was touched, his body suddenly tensed. Strength burst forth from within, and he sprang up as if on a spring, reflexively subduing the intruder.
He pinned the opponent's arms and pressed them down on the bed. By maintaining this position, even if the other party were a burly adult man, they would not be able to break free easily.
At the same time, his right hand pressed against the opponent, ready to use [Drain Touch] at any moment.
...That being said.
The wrist he held was slender, and the smooth touch was not a characteristic a man would have. A faint, sweet fragrance drifted from the other's hair, and the softness under his right hand continuously sent signals to his nerve endings.
It was a girl, and a familiar scent.
He touched a hard object. From its shape, it should be a dagger.
An assassination?
"Tsk, what a buzzkill."
Kobayashi clicked his tongue softly.
Just at this moment, the room's light was turned on. After a brief, strong light, his vision returned, and the surroundings were illuminated.
It was RyuZU who had turned on the light.
And the one pressed down on the bed was the girl with the pearl-colored hair. Her aggrieved expression, on the verge of tears, would make anyone with a special hobby's index finger twitch. And on the bed beside her, the black wolf-dog Rabi was pacing back and forth anxiously.
How in the world did she get in?
Kobayashi's brain began to work.
He admitted that he had been a little careless, but with Frey's extremely clumsy assassination technique—the kind where she only quiets her footsteps when she reaches the door and then trips over some clothes in the target's room—it was absolutely impossible for her to have broken through his perception.
Unless...
"Was it magic?"
Only magic could defeat magic. To avoid his perception, one could only use magic, and it had to be of a not-so-low level.
No, in this world, 'machinart' is more appropriate?
But...
"Since you're attempting an assassination, then you must bear the punishment for failure. Isn't that right, Miss Frey?"
Kobayashi licked the corner of his mouth.
The girl wore a black leather suit. Her curvy figure made the leather extremely tight. Furthermore, he had opened up the front of her suit where the dagger was hidden, and her fair skin was covered in a faint glow under the light.
Black and white formed a strong contrast.
It really made it hard to hold back.
His fingers roamed over her body. The touch of his fingertips carried a fleeting warmth. The pure girl, on the verge of tears, trembled slightly, as if a little timid and afraid.
This was really about to turn into his favorite Night Raid trope, [The Hell of the Interrogated Officer.mp4].
...is impossible.
Miss RyuZU behind him, although she hadn't said a word, her silent presence made him not dare to act rashly even more.
He let go of the restrained girl. Rabi saw its chance and rushed over. Frey also took the opportunity to ride on the wolf-dog's back, suddenly rushed to the balcony, crashed through the window, and leaped down, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Honestly. She's only ever swift when she's running away."
He complained.
Then he turned to RyuZU and said, "She's left. Then you can compensate me, Miss RyuZU."
With that, he hugged the pretty automaton and fell into a dream. After all, this was a student dormitory. If he went too far, he would be kicked out by the dorm manager.
The next day.
Just as he was thinking about whether he should go and find Frey, the students gathered in the central courtyard suddenly parted to form a path, and Charlotte walked out from the center.
Seeing her, he couldn't help but exclaim, "You always make such a grand entrance. You really are an attention-seeker."
"I don't want to be like this, okay!" She put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and complained, "And to think I came all this way to tell you some famous stories about Frey because I remembered them. You should be grateful and listen attentively!"
"Listen to her, Kobayashi. This is information that Charlotte went around asking all the female students in the dormitory for," the dragon automaton Sigmund said, claiming credit for his thin-skinned tsundere master.
"Sh-sh-sh-shut up, Sigmund! Be careful I don't just feed you salad from now on!"
Charlotte hugged the automaton tightly, almost squeezing it to the point of suffocation.
As expected, she was still concerned about Frey.
Charlotte often said she was unwilling to help others and even treated everyone as an opponent, but after learning about Frey, she had specially taken her own precious time to find out the reason. The tsundere girl's kindness, although awkward, was also very plain to see.
It was precisely because of this that he had a good impression of her.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Charlotte. Please, do tell me," he pleaded.
Charlotte's cheeks flushed slightly, and she cleared her throat with a feigned seriousness. "You should know about D-Works, right?"
"...What's that?"
"I'm dumbfounded. And you call yourself a puppeteer of this academy?"
Seeing his clueless look, she let out an exasperated sigh. He couldn't help but feel that she seemed to be feeling helpless because of him every day.
You couldn't blame him for his lack of common sense.
Although he remembered things about Raishin, Frey, and the others, he was truly clueless about some of the strange, minor details, especially when it came to the various power structures and hostile relationships in the world.
Charlotte was a very good explainer.
"D-Works is a new machinart workshop that has made a name for itself in the last ten years. They are also developing Magic Circuits, and five years ago, they obtained a patent for the 'Sonic Operation' Magic Circuit. They were even nominated for a recommendation in a certain country's main weapon design competition."
"I didn't expect that in this day and age, you could still apply for patents?!"
"That's your focus?!"
She was also shocked by his shock.
He waved his hand. "In other words, that workshop is Frey and Loki's backer?"
He might not remember the name, but if you said that the siblings' investor was their "father," the mastermind behind the scenes who had turned the siblings into puppets and created the current situation, then he would know.
"Their automatons should be new test models," she sighed. "And without even thinking about it, they must be highly unstable new models."
Normally, in a duel where defeat is absolutely not allowed, using an automaton with poor stability is not permitted. But in the Night Party, one might not necessarily become the Wiseman even with ordinary means. Thinking of increasing their chances of winning, they had invested their latest technology into it.
Most importantly...
"The Night Party is an exhibition of machinart. The field is filled with all sorts of excellent machinart, both new and old. Therefore, any powerful Magic Circuit that can be used here will surely be universally applicable in the world!"
"In other words, the Night Party is the best stage?"
They could be tested without having to be put into a war, and the work of recovering the units was also relatively easy and safe. Since the tournament could also serve as a test for test models, even if they didn't become the Wiseman in the end, it was still profitable.
What's more, if they were planning to sell to the military later, in terms of demonstrating the performance of the Magic Circuit, the Night Party was the best stage.
She sighed. "Now I understand the reason you were targeted for assassination."
"Indeed," he also shrugged.
Since it was a demonstration, it was naturally better for the ranking to be as high as possible. If she were to be defeated in the first round, not only would they be unable to test and improve, but in terms of a demonstration, it would also be the worst possible result.
However, as long as the powerful Kobayashi was eliminated, she would not encounter a strong enemy for a short time. If she were to absorb combat experience and make adjustments and reinforcements during this time, it was not impossible for her to advance towards the position of Wiseman.
After speaking, she fell silent, a complex expression on her face as she turned away.
Seeing this, he asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you on your period?"
"Of course not!" she said, so angry she wanted to hit him.
Then, she said in a low voice, "I heard some bad rumors. Like bribing officials with money and forcefully pushing through patents, conducting illegal experiments, and his activities in the council are also very tasteless. I hear a lot of people have been caught by him. Most importantly, the president, Bronson, is a lecherous guy who has been... with one noble lady after another... ah!"
What 'ah'?! You're the one who said it! Why are you so shy?
He teased, "What's this? Don't tell me the 'Tyrant Rex' also likes to gossip? Like the kind of topics that third-rate gossip papers love the most?"
"By the way, that's Charlotte's favorite newspaper," the dragon automaton Sigmund added, backstabbing his own gossipy master.
"Sh-sh-sh-shut up, Sigmund! I'm the young lady of a count's family! How could I possibly read that kind of... that kind of tasteless newspaper?!"
The way she desperately tried to cover it up was quite cute.
If you know you're the young lady of a count's family, then don't read it!... is something he would absolutely never say out loud.
"Rest assured. It's just gossip. There are plenty of people in this world who love to eat melons. I also like the same type of gossip news."
"I think you like the last one."
"Are you implying that I like noble ladies?"
"Am I wrong?"
"...I won't deny it. But you're the same, Charlotte. In a few years, you'll also become a proper noble lady. I'm looking forward to it."
"P-pervert!" she cursed, her face flushing red.
Then, she turned her head away and said, "In any case, I've told you the intelligence on Frey. When the time comes, you'd better not hold back."
"Ah, rest assured. I absolutely will not hold back in the first round," he replied crisply.
"...Eh?"
She blinked, not understanding why he would say that. He had been so concerned about Frey just now.
Meeting her strange gaze, he smiled confidently. "Because a certain sister-doting mad demon will surely have his rank drop to 99th."
"...Hmph. Do as you please."
She also knew who he was talking about.
Then she just turned and walked towards the exit of the hall. He followed behind her, escorting her to the courtyard in front of the dormitory.
At the moment of parting.
"...Talisman."
"Hmm?"
"The Defense Sigil I gave you. Don't forget to bring it!"
After saying this, she quickly left. Sigmund also wagged his tail in farewell.
"Of course. I'll carry it with me at all times."
There were two necklaces around his neck. One of them had a silver round plate with a rune carved on it. That was her gift to him, and also an heirloom of her elders. He would naturally not lose it.
Suddenly, the pendant emitted a gentle white light.
A slight vibration was transmitted to his fingertips through the chain, and a faint stinging pain came from deep between his brows. His entire body was filled with an ominous premonition.
It was not magic, nor was it reason. It was instinct.
A sense of lurking crisis appeared behind him.
And reality did not betray his premonition.
A cannonball-like ball of air tore through the earth and rushed towards him.
—It was Rabi's magic!
The air was twisting and pulsating. If one had to describe it, it was like a non-physical blade, a blade that was invisible to the naked eye, layered one on top of the other and rotating, rushing forward while churning up the ground.
An air blade!
Its diameter was about one meter wide. The sharp blade cut across the ground. If it were to hit him, he would surely be cut in two.
However—
He just held out his right hand in front of him.
"Danger!"
Amidst the girl's cry, a transparent film enveloped him.
"—Barrier!"
The air blade hit the film and dissipated in the blink of an eye.
"You can't! Rabi!"
Frey hugged Rabi's body, desperately trying to stop it. Her entire body even emitted a mana that was clearly visible to the human eye.
But that was not a voluntary action, because she was desperately clinging to Rabi's neck with her whole body.
Rabi's appearance was clearly not normal.
Its eyes were fierce, it was baring its fangs, and drool was dripping from its mouth. It glared at him with the expression of a bloodthirsty beast.
As I thought, did Frey's mana go berserk?
"Frey, get up!"
He forcefully pulled the trembling girl, who had turned her head, off of Rabi. Rabi then pounced towards him, but was kicked in the chin and sent flying backwards. Then, a right hand pressed down on its chest, and a large amount of its mana was absorbed. Gradually, the struggling Rabi lost its strength and collapsed on the ground, unable to get up again.
Frey, at the side, had also fainted from being pulled so forcefully. He picked her up and patted her cheeks. "Hey, get a hold of yourself, Frey! Are you alright!"
"Ngh... ngh?"
Her drifting gaze gradually stabilized. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet and rushed anxiously towards Rabi.
"Rabi!"
"Don't worry. I just extracted all of its mana and stamina."
An automaton relies on its puppeteer's mana to move. Therefore, as long as its mana is extracted, it can be immobilized. A Lich's skills were surprisingly useful.
A short while later, Rabi opened its eyes, its expression dazed. After tilting its head, it sniffed her scent.
It seemed he had recovered.
Frey hugged Rabi's neck tightly, and then, as if remembering something, she turned to face him, lowered her head politely, and said softly, "Tha... orry..."
It was probably a combination of "thank you" and "sorry."
He waved his hand, unconcerned, and asked, "And so, what was that all about?"
"Ngh..."
She suddenly closed her mouth, lowered her head, and fell silent.
"That wasn't a deliberate attack on me, was it? Why was the magic activated?"
"Ngh... I'm sorry."
"I'm not blaming you. I just want to know why."
"...You're angry."
"I'm not."
"You're definitely angry."
"I'm not."
"You are angry."
"I'm not."
Alright, he admitted it. He was angry.
Just now, Frey had shown a bewildered expression, her gaze drifting in mid-air before returning to the front. She had looked up at him uneasily, but in the end, she had given up on explaining.
There was fear, and also distrust.
That was why he was angry.
(End of Chapter)