NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48: Some Murders can be Justified.
Chapter 48: Some Murders can be Justified.
*Celia’s POV*
Lia and I have been waiting in this office for more than thirty minutes… How long does it even take to investigate a murder? Ah, right. A long time…
Lia: “Celia, did you have to kill him?” She asked with a sigh.
Celia: “He was a danger to himself, and more importantly, our fellow students. I don’t regret taking his life, as he had threatened ours.” I reply with a confident tone.
Lia: “But, did you really HAVE to kill him? Surely, you could have just disarmed him, right?” She repeated.
Celia: “I know, but I didn’t think about that during the moment. All I thought about was dealing with a threat, which is how I’ve always survived.” I reply with a nonchalant shrug.
Lia: “…”
Celia: “Though, make no mistake, I am greatly sorry for dragging you into this.” I say with a remorseful tone.
Lia: “It’s fine, I was the one who chose to intervene, anyway.” She said with a wave of her hand.
A few seconds after she said that, the principal came back into the room. She looked like she has had a pretty bad day. I wonder whose fault that is? Totally mine…
Principal: “The investigation is over, you two are clear of any charges. As all of the witnesses proved your innocence, and that you two only acted to protect others.” She said with a sigh.
Lia: “That’s good, but why would a teacher do something like this?” She asked with a serious tone.
Principal: “Lambert… that idiot. The reason for what he did was quite clear. He had a stash of Grim Dust in his office.” She said with an angry tone.
Celia: “Grim dust?” I ask with a head tilt.
Lia: “It’s a drug, an illegal one.” She answered.
Principal: “Correct. It is highly illegal. But it is sought after, as you can greatly increase your strength if you constantly consume it.” She said.
Lia: “Grim dust is known to cause extreme aggression, is that why he acted that way?” She asked with a thinking pose.
Principal: “He was aggressive to Lady Celia from the second that she met him. And Celia, who seems to have a lot of restraint, didn’t instigate him at all.” She said while rubbing her head.
Lia: “Will this hurt our reputation?” She asked.
Principal: “No. A public statement has already been made. A teacher abused an illicit drug and tried to kill a student, said student fought back, but ended up killing him. That is the official story.” She replied.
Celia: “Well, that is what happened.” I say with a shrug.
Principal: “The academy won’t hold any classes for a week, so do with that information as you please.” She said with a gesture that basically told us to scram.
After that, we left her office. She clearly needed a drink, or at least she needed to relax. That man wasn’t a bandit, but, for some reason, I feel no remorse for killing him…
Celia: “Has this happened before?” I ask Lia.
Lia: “Yes. Do you want to know what’s funny?” She asked with a curious tone.
Celia: “What?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
Lia: “On record, the only other time that this has happened, was when Amelie killed one of her teachers in self-defense.” She said with a cheeky tone.
Celia: “Like teacher, like student, I guess.” I reply with a shrug.
To think that it will only take them a week to clean up this entire mess… They must have some good workers staffed. If it was any other school, it would probably be condemned for at least a year or two.
Celia: “So, do you have any plans that will last you a week?” I ask with a cheeky tone.
Lia: “Besides surviving my family’s blood-filled succession game? None at all.” She said with a shrug.
Celia: “Do you want to visit my dungeon?” I ask.
Lia: “Is… was that some kind of innuendo?” She asked with a shocked expression on her face.
Celia: “What? No! I have a dungeon, and as you use magic, you could really use the Mana Crystals that are produced in it.” I replied with a hurried tone.
Lia: “Wait, what? Celia, you’re confusing me more…” She said with spiral eyes.
Celia: “I have ownership of a dungeon! You know, the kind that has monsters in them?” I reply back.
Lia: “Oh, now I understand.” She said with a relieved expression.
What kind of dungeon did she think that I was talking about?… Best not to think about that. Anyway, she agreed, so once we went to a safe area to teleport back at, I took out a mini dungeon core, and teleported us to my dungeon.
The piles of… no, it was more accurate to call them mountains of Mana Crystals, were shocking to both Lia, and I… There was like, well over a few hundred here… Was I really gone that long?
Lia: “Celia, are you insane!?” She yelled as she jerked me around, with her hands on my shoulders.
Celia: “I mean, I think that I am perfectly mentally stable at the moment, so no.” I reply.
Lia: “You do realize how rare Mana Crystals of this quality are, right? You could buy a few kingdoms with just half of them…” She said with an expression of pure confusion.
Celia: “I know, Amelie told me as such.” I reply with a nonchalant tone.
Lia: “Then why… why show me this place?” She asked with an unsure tone.
Celia: “Why not? I can just kick you out, and ban you from it if you ever betray me. Besides, you said that you would help me out, so letting you use these Mana Crystals is a good idea.” I reply with a shrug.
Lia seemed to still be upset, and she walked up to one of the piles, and picked up a Mana Crystal. She then walked back to me with it in her hand.
Lia: “Celia, this one Mana Crystal, is worth a few thousand of the highest priced ones on the market. I, and many others, would KILL for just a single bit of it.” She explained with a stern tone and expression.
Celia: “Lia… I am not a child. Besides Amelie, and one other person that I trust, you’re the only other person to know about this dungeon.” I say with a serious tone.
Lia: “You… you trust me that much?” She said with a head tilt.
Celia: “So far, you haven’t given me a reason to not trust you.” I reply with another shrug.
Lia: “…”
Celia: “Now, pick up some of those Mana Crystals, and then we can go get some food.” I say with a warm tone.
Lia: “Celia?…” She asked with a weak voice.
Celia: “Yes?” I ask back.
Lia: “Why is there a pile of the most expensive lumber that you can buy, that is also rarely ever in stock, just randomly in your dungeon!?” She yelled.
Were they that rare? It’s not like it was hard to cut them down, I mean. Did I accidentally stumble onto another good source of money? Damn. I am so good at this whole living thing! What crazy thing shall I do next? I’ll be honest, seeing people’s reactions to the crazy shit that I do, is amazing. I feel like I am beginning to get addicted to seeing such reactions as well…