Breaking Rules II

Noir thought that this naughty student, Fotia Ustrina, had really lost her mind. Killing a boss monster of the rift? And then what? Eliminated one of the sources where people could become stronger?

Even the rebels wouldn't go as far as to do that. At best, they only took over the rift from the League's hand.

Well, it'd be different if it was the Indigo Society. From the League's perspective, those people were criminals. But a hero in the eyes of ordinary and lower-caste people.

Could it be that Fotia was one of their members?!

Noir had thought of that, but Fotia refuted his claim, though, it didn't mean Noir wouldn't dismiss the idea of her being one.

He was not someone who would back down simply because people told him not to pry on them or rejected his opinions.

That said, even after thinking that arguing was only wasting time, Noir had to do it because killing the boss monster was something that could cause a huge problem. Not only for him but the world, too.

Unbeknownst to him, Fotia seemed to be a more capable person than him when it came to persuasion. Or was it just that Noir was someone who was easily persuaded? Whichever the truth was, it wouldn't change the fact that Noir had been coaxed by Fotia.

She knew Noir's weakness that he wasn't aware of. Or precisely, something he wasn't sure to be the case.

The Resonance's drawback. Desire.

It was something that Resonants had learned during their time in the academy. Or if even they didn't attend one, they should have heard about it from the others.

Noir already had a suspicion about his Resonance's desire, but he wasn't sure if that was the case.

It started when he sought knowledge and information in the Haven Liberty Library. He didn't notice it at first, because at that time, his desire was aligned with the Resonance's.

But each day, even when he wasn't in the mood, something pushed him to read and read again all day in the library. After three days, that feeling disappeared for a long time.

Then, the moment when he began to wonder about the outside world, the feeling came back and drove him to the edge. Because of that, Noir decided to sneak outside.

And also, it was at around that time he had a suspicion about his Resonance's desire after learning about it in the academy.

For the record, not everyone who had Resonance also received its drawback. In Noir's case, he only felt the desire coming from [Truth Seeker] this far. He hoped [Stormbringer] didn't give him another.

Using that knowledge against him, Fotia managed to persuade him into her plan. She gave him 'something' that he would find it difficult to refuse.

In the end, here they were, snooping on the boss area's entrance.

"I thought there would be many guards around the entrance, but..."

Noir looked around. Before him was a small lake. The water was sparkling as if it was enhanced by magic, creating a mesmerizing visual--a beautiful place that any person who craved social media fame wanted to go and take a picture with it as a background.

Fairy's Pond was the name of this lake.

In the map Noir had drawn, the Fairy's Pond was located within the most normal forest zone in the center. Other than that, the forest had no monsters wandering around. Obviously, that would raise people's suspicion about this mesmerizing lake's purpose in this rift, especially when it was positioned in the middle of Wonderland.

Surrounding and guarding this lake was supposed to be the League's members' job as this was the entrance to the boss area. But as far as Noir looked, no one was there.

"Where are the guards?"

As he wondered to himself, Fotia responded.

"They're all down there."

Fotia pointed at the lake. Or precisely, the water. Someone with a human brain should have known she meant that the guards were inside the boss area under this lake.

Of course, Noir was quick to catch on. He wasn't a monkey-brained human, after all.

"Why are they heading to the boss room?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're chasing after someone."

On Fotia's forearm, a dark indigo robe was dangling. A part of it fell down, touching the ground. She adjusted the cloth with intention, revealing a motif of a flower.

It looked like an orchid. But rather than the usual white color, it was black. And the outlining to define the shape was sewn using purple thread.

Noir's eyes widened. Actually, he already had a guess the moment he saw the robe's color. And after recognizing the flower on the back of the robe, it confirmed his suspicion.

The Indigo Society.

Only they dared to use the forbidden colors such as purple, indigo, or violet. There was a reason for banning those colors and their variations.

It will take a long time to explain as it's related to the past event. So just note that it's caused by the Exploration Era that lasts for 18 years, from 2042 to 2060.

After the birth of the new civilization, which was two years later, the Lords decided to ban purple and its variations or shades of purple color from use entirely.

That said, with how the situation unfolded, Noir's suspicion about Fotia being a member of that group grew dramatically.

How could it not after seeing her as if she knew that this was going to happen?

Nothing could explain more than her being the Indigo Society's member, if not a time traveler or a seer.

"Are you sure you aren't a member of this group?"

"I swear on my life, I have nothing to do with them."

As usual, although he complied, Noir would never drop his suspicion of Fotia.

"Doubt me all you want, but everything I've said to you isn't a lie... anyway, do you know how to dive?"

Noir nodded. Shortly after, Fotia grinned and jumped into the water, calling Noir to follow her and diving down.

With a sigh, Noir followed after. He had come this far. It would be a waste to turn back after all that. Moreover, he was really curious about this 'something' Fotia told him.

'I can't wait for it...'