Journey to Become the Zenith

Shadows Beneath the Academy

She was overwhelmed by the great negative emotions of the people present. It was then Videl got an idea.

”I’m sorry but like I said, I didn’t take your relatives... But I will find them. I will find them, and prove my innocence.”

The moment those words left Videl’s lips, the suffocating tension in the corridor loosened ever so slightly.

The academy hallway had become unnaturally silent. Only the faint whistle of wind slipping through the tall stone windows could be heard. The afternoon sunlight spilled across the polished floor, casting long shadows beneath the gathered students. Faces filled with grief, anger, desperation, and suspicion stared directly at Videl as though her answer alone could decide whether they would leave with hope or despair.

Videl herself stood frozen in the center of it all.

Her sapphire-blue eyes trembled faintly.

She had never imagined things would turn into this.

A few hours ago she had only been confused about her own future, torn between the path of a knight and the desire to walk beside Victor. Yet now... she was standing before dozens of people who looked at her as though she held the lives of their loved ones in her hands.

The girl clutching Videl’s hand tightened her grip even more.

”T-Thank you... thank you...”

Tears continued streaming down the girl’s cheeks as she bowed her head repeatedly. Her shoulders shook violently, as if the hope Videl offered was the only thing keeping her from collapsing entirely.

”I... I know you’re telling the truth,” the girl whispered weakly. ”Please... save my father...”

Videl’s chest tightened painfully hearing that.

She wasn’t even sure if she could help.

But seeing this many people break down in front of her...

How could she turn away?

Niva stepped closer beside Videl, her crimson hair swaying lightly as she narrowed her eyes toward the crowd.

”Now you’ve heard her,” Niva said firmly. ”Videl already promised she’ll investigate this matter herself. So stop cornering her like criminals.”

Her sharp voice cut through the corridor cleanly.

Kira crossed her arms beneath her chest and glanced around with visible irritation.

”You people are acting like idiots,” she muttered. ”If Videl really wanted to hide something, why would she openly promise to search for them herself?”

Dira nodded in agreement, though her golden eyes still carried caution.

”Something about this feels wrong,” she said quietly. ”Too convenient.”

Meanwhile, Skyla remained standing near the front of the crowd.

Her long black hair framed her beautiful face, but unlike before, her stern expression had weakened slightly. There was still suspicion in her green eyes, but now it mixed with uncertainty.

”You say you’ll prove your innocence...” Skyla spoke slowly, carefully watching Videl’s reaction. ”Then tell me honestly. Did you truly not meet my uncle after the incident with the sword?”

”I didn’t,” Videl answered immediately.

There was no hesitation in her voice.

”I swear it.”

Skyla stared silently at her for several long seconds.

Videl did not look away.

She remembered Victor once telling her that lies always weakened the eyes first.

So she held Skyla’s gaze directly.

Eventually, Skyla clicked her tongue softly and looked away.

”...Fine.”

Though the suspicion remained, the hostility around them lessened slightly.

Not completely.

But enough for the air to become breathable again.

Videl quietly exhaled.

Only now did she realize how tense her body had become. Sweat clung lightly to the back of her neck beneath her blonde hair. Her heart still pounded hard against her chest.

This feeling...

It was completely different from battle.

Facing monsters was easier.

At least monsters did not cry.

At least monsters did not beg.

At least monsters did not look at her with broken eyes full of helpless hope.

Videl lowered her gaze slightly.

Victor...

What would you do here?

For some reason, the image of that handsome black-haired man appeared naturally in her mind. His sharp golden eyes. His calm expression. The way he always looked like he could see through everything.

She remembered his words clearly.

”See things with your own eyes. Judge with your own mind.”

At the time, she hadn’t fully understood him.

But now...

Standing here surrounded by suffering people...

She finally began understanding what he meant.

Truth was never simple.

And emotions could twist everything.

Unknown to them someone else was listening in on their conversation. Once he heard Videl announced that he would find the relatives of the other students, the person hiding in the shadows left the scene.

Far above the academy corridor, hidden behind one of the stone support pillars near the ceiling, a figure quietly observed everything.

The figure wore a dark cloak that blended unnaturally well with the surrounding shadows.

Not a single student noticed him.

Even the instructors passing nearby failed to sense his presence.

A faint smile curved beneath the hood.

”So she took the bait...”

The voice was soft.

Amused.

The mysterious individual slowly stepped backward into darkness itself.

The surrounding mana distorted faintly around his body like ripples spreading across black water.

This person was the one who told the students that it was possible that their relatives were taken by Videl. Of course he didn’t tell them this piece of information directly, but instead started a rumor of sorts.

The figure moved silently through the upper pathways of the academy building.

Every step was careful.

Every movement calculated.

He had spent days planting doubt among the students.

Not directly.

Never directly.

That would have been foolish.

Instead, he whispered half-truths.

Questions.

Possibilities.

”What if the disappearances are connected?”

”Wasn’t Videl involved with those nobles recently?”

”Didn’t those missing people all target her before vanishing?”

Human fear did the rest.

Fear always spread faster than facts.

Especially inside a place like the Fantom City Knight Academy, where pride, status, and family honor ruled people’s lives more strongly than logic ever could.

The cloaked figure chuckled quietly.

”People truly are easy to manipulate...”

His fingers brushed lightly across the stone wall as he walked deeper into the empty upper corridor.

This person has never directly talked to the people who lost their relatives, and to make sure no one would recognize him, he casted an illusion spell on his face.

A faint shimmer spread across the air beneath his hood.

For a brief moment, his appearance changed.

An old man.

Then a young woman.

Then a middle-aged merchant.

Then a scar-faced adventurer.

The illusion shifted endlessly.

Even his height and voice subtly changed with every new appearance.

So when people asked to describe the person who told them the information, each person will describe a totally different person from the others.

Some remembered a blonde knight.

Others remembered a thin scholar.

One student swore it was a female mage with blue hair.

Another insisted it was a bearded traveler.

No two descriptions matched.

And that was exactly what the cloaked figure wanted.

His planning had been meticulous.

Careful.

Patient.

The kind of patience only dangerous people possessed.

Back below, the crowd around Videl slowly began dispersing.

Though many still looked worried, their emotions no longer seemed completely uncontrollable.

Some students helped comfort the crying girl.

Others quietly discussed Videl’s promise among themselves.

Niva stepped closer to Videl and lowered her voice.

”You okay?”

Videl blinked slightly before forcing a small smile.

”...I think so.”

But honestly?

She wasn’t okay at all.

Her emotions were a mess.

Confusion.

Pressure.

Fear.

And strangely enough...

A growing determination.

Kira glanced toward the dispersing students before speaking quietly.

”This whole thing smells rotten.”

”It does,” Dira agreed immediately. ”Too many disappearances connected to one incident? That’s not normal.”

Videl slowly nodded.

Her expression gradually sharpened.

”You’re right...”

She clenched her fists lightly.

Someone was controlling this situation.

Someone was intentionally pushing suspicion toward her.

And if that was true...

Then those missing people might still be alive.

The thought caused her heart to beat harder.

Without realizing it, Videl’s hand slowly moved toward the sword hanging at her waist.

Victor once told her something else too.

”When people hide in shadows... drag them into the light.”

At the time, she thought those words sounded cool.

Now they felt heavy.

Dangerously heavy.

The afternoon wind swept through the academy corridor once more, rustling uniforms and long hair alike.

Far away above the academy towers, dark clouds slowly gathered over Fantom City.