Tragedy

"Did you notice that someone has been following you since the first day you set foot inside the academy?"

I was a little confused by her question. I could understand that someone was following me since I had the attention of the whole world. But since I came into this academy? Why would someone even pay attention to me when I was still a nobody? Unless…

"You are the one who ordered someone to follow me from the start."

Her smirk gave me confirmation of my statement. Of course, who else except the regress president could have known about me?

"It was just a small precaution I was taking. I had to be sure that you were really the Loic that I knew. And my doubts were cleared when you stole the seed of the protagonist inside the scholar dungeon."

"I'm surprised you know so much about the content of the game."

"I was able to make you tell me everything about the game you played in your previous world when we were sleeping together."

"How low did he fall to have such a loose lip?" The president didn't comment on my remarks and simply kept eating.

"So who exactly has been following me all this time?"

"An A-rank assassin known as Veiled Moon. I have contacted him anonymously, so he doesn't know my real identity. I paid him to follow you and to report any suspicious activities he found."

"I can clearly see what you were planning. Veiled Moon is one of the best assassins in the dark market. By having him tail me, you are preventing any other assassin from approaching me. You are also receiving a report on all the jobs that the dark market is getting, which involve me, right?"

"Yes, you completely read through me like an open book. But it's getting difficult to keep Veiled Moon from tailing you. The dark market has received several jobs to capture you alive. They will soon decide to ignore my order and proceed with someone else's order. What do you think I should do?"

Now things are getting really interesting. I started formulating a perfect plan and told the president exactly what she should do next.

When we finished eating, I told the president which members I wanted to meet first, and then I left the cafe, leaving her alone inside the room.

***

After Loic left, I was sitting alone in the room, contemplating his plan. There were several risks involved, but I knew that even if I mentioned them, he wouldn't change his mind.

He was exactly like that before experiencing the tragedy that changed him. He would always choose to take the path filled with the most thorns. He had the utmost confidence that everything would just happen as he predicted. He never cared about the people who would be hurt or traumatized in the process.

I closed my eyes, remembering the moment that acted as a catalyst for his change. The day after, Cathy Fawn, the sister of the body he took over, died in his own hands. Around him were the corpses of the demon he killed, but for the first time, his expression was filled with sorrow. Nobody was able to approach him because of the pressure he was emitting. It wasn't a pressure to intimidate people, but rather a pressure filled with pain, sadness, and anger. He kept hugging the lifeless body of Cathy for hours.

It was the first time I had seen the emotionless genius completely broken. The members of his group were a few meters away from him. They were all outstanding individuals, but each of them was on their knees, crying in front of their leader. I could see that they were angry at themselves for their lack of strength to protect Cathy.

It was only when he felt unconscious that the pressure around him disappeared, and his friends were able to heal his wound. But even while unconscious, it was still difficult to remove his tight grip from Cathy's hand.

I opened my eyes again since it was difficult to remember those painful memories.

'This time, I promise to change you with my own strength while preventing you from experiencing such tragedy ever again.'

***

I was observing the expression of the white-haired boy leaving the cafe, but without any result. The president told us that she would try to recruit him today, but I couldn't guess from his expression whether he agreed or not.

I waited for a few minutes, and finally I could see the president leaving too. I immediately approached her to know exactly what happened.

"So, what did he say?"

"Oh Samuel, it's rare to see you without any girl by your side."

Her remarks really annoyed me. It's only because she made the headquarters of our organization in such a place that I was forced to bring a girl with me every time I had to complete a task, and also to be able to avoid any suspicion.

"Just tell me already. Did he agree or not?"

"You will see soon enough."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Alright, I will tell you. But first, I want you to go to the student council office and complete all the work that has been assigned to you and is still pending."

"It would be easier if you just said that you don't have any intention to tell me anything now."