Chapter 354 - Heroes Don't Come to the Rescue
Looking back at myself, I was wearing a black T-shirt, purple tracksuit bottoms, and sandals. A truly casual style.
I really don't look like an instructor from a prestigious girls' academy, and on top of that, my gear was suspicious. A skull mask covering my head, and in my hands, special gloves and an iron rod.
If anyone saw someone dressed this suspiciously, they'd report it immediately. I certainly didn't look like a passing goddess of salvation or a hero.
Well, since it had visual impact, it should be perfect for drawing attention.
Jienko Nigi's headquarters, where the boss-like large man had been defeated, was wrapped in a strange atmosphere.
Because they had seen the boss writhing in pain from the ringlet girl's mysterious attack, the young men of Jienko Nigi had completely lost their composure. A fear of the mysterious attack and anger toward the girl dominated the place.
"D-Don't be scared! Kill her!"
"Shit, who's scared of someone like Edith?!"
The fools, perhaps because their tiny pride was stimulated or because they were ashamed of the fear they momentarily felt, gave in to their anger after all and rushed toward the fallen girl.
However, for men to rush toward a blood-stained, severely injured girl while screaming in rage... objectively speaking, it was a pathetic sight.
"Honestly, every single one of you... you're a despicable bunch."
I, in my suspicious outfit, decided to intrude on the scene with light footsteps, as if I had just happened to drop by.
However, because it wasn't a flashy entrance and they were focused on the girl, they didn't notice me at all even after I entered the floor. After I'd gone through the trouble of showing up.
The fallen girl would be in a dangerous state if she took even a light follow-up attack. In that case, I had to draw their attention flashily.
I smashed a game machine with the iron rod in my hand. CRASH! The first objective was achieved. No one could help but notice me.
I continued by cutting off their retreat. I grew several spikes from the stone floor to the ceiling, blocking the exit like a cage. The ones focused on me didn't even notice.
"W-Who are you?!"
"Where do you think you are?! Are you mocking Jienko Nigi?!"
Instead of answering, I smashed another game machine. Normally, these aren't so fragile that they break just from being hit a bit.
Seeing that power and the intimidation I emitted, the masses stood there with foolish looks on their faces. Biological instinct is honest; that's good.
Once it was quiet, I stated my demand.
"Hand over the money."
"...Huh? What did you say?"
A misplaced robber intruding on a scene of carnage. There was nothing more out of place. They were dumbfounded, staring blankly.
I couldn't afford to become a target for a major criminal investigation because I'd killed all these small fry. The buy-off of the security forces was far from sufficient with just Platoon Leader Thompson, and I wanted to keep this to the level of an unknown robber and a gang having a small scuffle.
"E-Eh? I-It hurts!"
"Aaaaaagh! M-My leg, my leg!"
"Gugh!"
"W-What? What's going on?! Don't mess with me!"
The Blue Coats who manage this district where vice prevails won't spend time and effort to do their jobs properly for a struggle between the bottom rungs of society. The victims aren't exactly virtuous citizens, and as long as it's just some thugs getting injured rather than a high body count, there won't be a problem.
Besides, Thompson and the others have decided to cut ties with Jienko Nigi. They'll also be coming out to settle the situation and ensure that no evidence of their collusion comes to light.
"Gah... ugh..."
"S-Stop it... please!"
"Stop! Stop it! Stop!"
I didn't give the thugs any extra information; it was fine if they just recognized me as some robber who had burst in for no apparent reason.
Maybe the corrupt Blue Coats will physically silence these guys even if I don't. They're the ones with public authority, so they can dispose of these guys however they want if it's inconvenient for them.
"...Oh, is it already over?"
I realized I was standing there while thinking, and there was no one left standing. I'd been swinging the iron rod around. I tossed the dirty rod aside.
However, the sounds of those guys whining and groaning were annoying. Unfortunately, it seems there isn't a single guy with enough spirit to stand up to me even after being half-killed. Just as I thought, they're a boring bunch. I'll shut them up now.
Standing by the fallen girl, I deployed a fog magic over a range that excluded my immediate surroundings. It was a poisonous fog that only knocked people out if they breathed in a little. For those suffering in pain, it would actually be a mercy. It might deal some damage, but they wouldn't die.
After waiting for a few seconds for it to become quiet, I cleared the fog and, like a proper robber, quickly rummaged for valuables.
As expected, there wasn't much. I broke the small safe behind the counter, took the silver coins, and stuffed the low-grade recovery potions I found into my pocket. I also picked up a bottle of liquor.
I'm not interested in pocket change or lousy items, but I'm a robber, so I have no choice.
After finishing those half-hearted tasks, I looked down at the girl with the ringlets.
To my surprise, she was still conscious despite her significant injuries. She looked up at me in my skull mask with swollen eyes, and she stayed silent while staring at me instead of begging for her life. Compared to the Jienko Nigi guys who blubbered, she had much more backbone.
In any case, did she understand the situation?
From a situation where she might be killed by thugs, she was now in a situation where her life was essentially in the hands of a suspicious person in a skull mask.
No hero was going to show up conveniently. For her, the situation where she couldn't be said to have escaped from danger continued.
"...Why are you here?"
Don't tell me this girl knows who I am?
Ah, I suppose even if I wore a skull mask, it would be easy to tell if I were wearing purple tracksuit bottoms and an iron rod.
Come to think of it, she didn't seem surprised when I switched from my refined mode to my demon-advisor mode; she knew it was me right away. I'm somewhat impressed by her eyes for spotting characteristics and her composure.
"I'm impressed you knew it was me."
I said as I took off the skull mask, and splashed the low-grade recovery potion I'd just stolen on her as a first-aid measure.
Since an idiot had suffered a painful experience, it wouldn't be good for her education if I healed her completely right away. For now, it was just first aid.
"Humph. Did you think I came here to save you? Sorry, I just came to roll these punks for their money. Want me to save you while I'm at it?"
"None of your... business..."
I'll have to punish her for being ungrateful. I gave her a light kick in the side, and she looked like she was in a lot of pain.
"Don't get cocky with me when you look like you're about to die."
I'll have her give in now. She'd better spill everything she knows.
I have my own guesses, but it's best to ask.
"Once you've caught your breath, I'm going to make you talk. Be ready."
That said, she isn't an obedient student. I wonder how much I'll be able to hear.
I sat on a broken game machine and thought while drinking from the liquor bottle.
I think the one who had the Student Council steal Jienko Nigi's drugs was this girl. This delinquent must have leaked information to the Student Council, and they must have had hired people steal the drugs. The idea that the academy's number one delinquent and the Student Council were connected was just a theory, but Layla thought so too.
Even if the specific reason was unknown, it seemed plausible considering the girl's current situation and the fact that a Student Council officer was kidnapped. That much was fine.
The problem was why it was found out.
It's a bit too convenient to think that Jienko Nigi, who was desperately searching for the stolen drugs, reached the answer on their own. I once thought they might manage if they were desperate, but things don't usually work out that well.
No matter how hard they tried, I didn't think Jienko Nigi had that kind of investigative ability, and most importantly, it was the Student Council that didn't easily let me or Layla catch their tails. I didn't think they'd get caught by these guys.
I think the ringlet girl was also handling the thugs quite well. I evaluate her as someone who doesn't easily show an opening. I don't think it was discovered by a miraculous accident either.
Then why was it found out?
Maybe a person from a special information source like the Phantom Thief Guild got involved, or someone involved betrayed them.
In any case, it's no use thinking about it here; I won't find out anyway. And if a special information source is involved, it would be even harder to catch their tail than the Student Council. It's a waste of time to think about, and I should ignore useless things.
Oh well. Before that, I want to know the reason for their actions.
The pain should have lessened by now.
"Edith Ribbonstrat, how are you and the Student Council people going to take responsibility for this mess?"
Normally, their families would handle it. She's such a problem child; I'm sure she's covered up misdeeds many times.
I implied that even though she was acting tough, she was just a pathetic girl who would rely on her parents if she failed. For misdeeds that someone tried to hide but couldn't, an adult ultimately has to step in and wipe their ass. It's a parent's responsibility to clean up after their child.
But for me, it's a nuisance if they do that.
This misdeed involved the collusion between the thugs and the Blue Coats, and the students did something stupid like stealing drugs. On top of that, it's a situation that shouldn't exist in a prestigious girls' academy, with drugs being sold inside.
If they try to bury all the misdeeds in the darkness, it'll be a lot of work to pull the strings, and if it's judged that it can't be buried, it'll be a major incident. No one wins.
"...You might not know this, but a Student Council secretary was kidnapped. I wonder how she's doing now."
I don't care about Jienko Nigi, but it's a problem for me if the repercussions reach the corrupt Blue Coats.
It'll be a huge loss if the scoop I got from the Phantom Thief Guild becomes unusable, and I'll lose the connection I worked hard for if Thompson, whom I brought in, is disciplined.
It's best to pretend these troublesome things never happened. Not just for us, but for all the parties involved except Jienko Nigi.
The parents of the bad kids won't have to do anything troublesome, the academy can maintain the status quo by pretending they knew nothing, and the Blue Coats will be fine just by cutting ties with Jienko Nigi. I'll make the bad kids at the academy reflect on their actions, but if that's all it takes, it's the best outcome.
As long as there are no extra irregularities, Jienko Nigi will be the only one suffering damage, and everything else will settle peacefully. What a great story.
"Keeping quiet? I went through the trouble of helping you, so you should at least answer my questions."
I poured the liquor down my throat. Gulp. Ah, it's good to drink improperly once in a while.
"...You said just now... that you just came to roll them for money."
It seems she's become able to speak normally, perhaps because the low-grade recovery potion and the short rest took effect.
"Did I say that?"
"You did!"
"Oh, you've got some energy back. That's right, I helped you because I had no choice. You'd better be grateful."
"None of—"
"Your business? If you say that, I'll blow you away. Anyway, don't sleep forever; get up."
I thought she'd be hard to talk to if she was sleeping, but low-grade recovery potions can't heal serious injuries like bone fractures. It seems she couldn't get up because of those pains.
Honestly, what a handful.
"Humph, your injuries are worse than I thought. You recovered a bit earlier, but it's dangerous at this rate... fine, I'll let you owe me. If you don't want to die, take this."
While threatening her crudely, I tossed a tablet-type recovery medicine to the girl lying there.
She was already far from being in a life-threatening state, but she wouldn't know that as she sweated from the pain.
"What is this?"
"Hey! Don't try to throw it away. That's a precious recovery medicine."
"No way. Solid recovery medicine is a special thing that can only be made by Master Rosa Bell and Master Colette. There's no way you have it—"
She's a delinquent, but she has the grades of a top student. She seems to have knowledge about rare solid recovery medicine.
"Stop whining and just take it."
I approached her irritably, forced her mouth open, and threw it in.
The recovery tablet dissolves immediately upon contact with saliva and is absorbed by the body. She seemed to have felt the effect.
"This... at least the effect of a mid-grade recovery potion...? Why do you have such a precious thing?"
"You owe me a big one now, don't you? Edith Ribbonstrat."
She let out a sigh of exasperation. No, I'm the one who's exasperated.
"I've been wondering for a while, but why are you a delinquent?"
It's a pure question. She's a Marquis's daughter with high status, and her family has normal power and wealth. I've heard there are plenty of cases where people are nobles but covered in debt, but her family should be wealthy enough for their status.
On top of that, her own abilities are impeccable for a student. Wouldn't it be fine for her to just make friends normally and live a normal student life? She should be in a fulfilled environment.
I'm not in a position to say anything, but I'm curious.
The girl sat up and leaned on a broken game machine in response to the question. After looking at the Jienko Nigi men lying around, she flashed a smile that seemed somewhat joyful.
"Why am I a delinquent? ...Because of the environment?"
"Listen. Normally, people turn to crime because they're in a poor environment."
Is it some special circumstance due to her high-born family? Come to think of it, she did say before that the Ribbonstrat family was a terrifying family. Is that related?
I urged her to continue talking, as she seemed in the mood to do so.
She seemed to have become quite open, not so much because of the debt of gratitude for being saved, but because of my behavior here. Probably.
Now then. It's fine for me to resolve one or two of a girl's worries as an instructor. I might be able to use it for something later.
The world is full of malice that is just hard to see. Someone who helps you isn't necessarily an ally.
Even if something seems like a good thing on the surface, there are plenty of cases where hideous malice is lurking behind it. It's a part of her education to learn such things while she's young.
As several thugs lie defeated, the parent-teacher conference between student and instructor is about to begin.