Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 48

EP.48 Bishop Lea Part 3

Jeong-hyeon had heard before that when a high-ranking mage gets angry, the surrounding area unconsciously synchronizes with their mana. As he observed the surroundings slowly freezing, he realized that the bait he had thrown had worked quite well. Esich looked at him with a serious expression.

“What do you mean by that?”

The urgency flickered in his calm blue eyes. He deliberately took a deep breath, savoring the moment before calmly presenting his points one by one.

“Isn’t it strange? The joint exam is conducted in a space completely separate for first-year and second-year students. Yet, during the dungeon’s rampage, why did the second-year students go missing?”

“An interesting topic, but what does that have to do with Erie?”

“Think carefully. Which club do those two missing second-year students belong to?”

“…Asiris.”

It seemed that Esich had done some investigation. Watching him speak, Jeong-hyeon continued to present more clues.

“Erie is among the top students in the Department of Magic and is also the child of the prestigious magic family. Considering her combat skills, it would be nearly impossible to kidnap or defeat her by ordinary means. Given that she vanished without a trace during the exam…”

Jeong-hyeon paused deliberately, giving Esich time to think and letting his imagination run wild. Esich looked at him and replied briefly.

“… So, you’re saying that only the missing second-year students could have made this possible?”

“Yes.”

Esich pondered for a moment before dismissing the idea with a forced tone.

“It’s a plausible story, but there’s a lack of sufficient evidence. While it’s true that the second-year students are missing, it doesn’t necessarily mean they kidnapped Erie.”

“Yes, it sounds like that if you stop here.”

“…Is there more to this story?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t bring this up with just that reason.”

Esich nodded as if to encourage him to continue. Jeong-hyeon then presented more pieces of the puzzle.

“Isn’t it too coincidental that the dungeon rampage happened exactly when it did?”

“…What are you implying?”

“Think about it. A maze dungeon that has never caused any problems suddenly goes into a rampage on the day of the joint exam? This can’t be explained away as mere coincidence.”

“……”

If it wasn’t coincidence, it meant someone had forcibly triggered the rampage. Esich seemed to try to deny this, but it made more sense that someone had triggered it rather than an accidental occurrence.

Esich opened his mouth to speak but then shook his head and fell silent.

“So, what we need to consider now is who could have used a dungeon rampage device. The answer to that is surprisingly straightforward.”

Jeong-hyeon smiled as he addressed Esich.

“The dungeon rampage device is an item that only the scions of the Three Great Families can obtain. In other words…”

“Only someone from the Erza family or one of the other two great families could get it.”

“Yes.”

The catch here was that Erie also belonged to a family capable of obtaining such a device, but Esich, seeing Erie as a victim, didn’t consider this possibility.

“And recently, there have been rumors about Regina being involved in the auction house terror attack. They say you can understand the past by looking at the present… I’ll leave it at that.”

In reality, each point was more of a misleading argument, speculation, and conspiracy theory rather than fact. While Esich might not conclude that ‘Regina’ was the culprit based solely on these statements, lingering suspicions would likely remain.

He hoped Esich would remain trapped in his own perspective and not see beyond it, and he watched him with a sense of satisfaction.

***

Under the blue sky, Lucia stared blankly at the clear sky before shifting her gaze to the distance, where Jeong-hyeon was intensely training with Instructor Marpe.

“Domain Declaration!”

To an outsider, it might seem like Jeong-hyeon was the villain and Instructor Marpe the victim. Jeong-hyeon repeatedly used divine power to suppress Instructor Marpe, creating and dissipating a domain of divine power over and over again.

‘Jeong-hyeon is truly incredible.’

Even as a saintess, Lucia could hardly maintain divine power under such relentless use of the Domain Declaration. Yet Jeong-hyeon wielded it as effortlessly as breathing, which was truly remarkable.

She watched in awe but then shook her head and sighed.

‘I shouldn’t be so impressed…! Compliments might make him train even harder.’

She had told him many times that while healing magic could treat external wounds, it couldn’t heal internal injuries. This rigorous training approach would inevitably lead to hitting the limit one day. She needed to restrict his training to allow for proper recovery, though she knew he would likely disregard such warnings.

‘Of course, Jeong-hyeon won’t listen to me.’

But still… she couldn’t give up. Just as she was about to tell him to stop using excessive divine power, she heard a voice from behind.

“Would you like to have a word with me?”

It was Princess Charlotte’s voice.

“W-What, Your Highness?”

Startled by the unexpected appearance of such a prominent figure, Lucia flinched. Charlotte raised her hand to calm her and spoke.

“… I’m not here to harm you, so try to calm down a bit.”

“Yes… Y-yes.”

Why had the First Princess suddenly come here? Lucia couldn’t understand her purpose and felt anxious. Then, she suddenly realized that Jeong-hyeon was still tormenting Instructor Marpe behind her. Quickly, she spread her arms wide to block Charlotte’s view of the scene.

“Um… What are you doing?”

Charlotte, puzzled by Lucia’s attempt to block her sight with her whole body, asked. Caught off guard, Lucia stammered before coming up with a plausible answer.

“Stretching like this is really good for your body…! So, I do it from time to time.”

“Oh, really? You do seem to take good care of yourself, being a saintess and all.”

Surprised by the remark, Lucia accidentally bit her tongue in response.

“Huh? W-wait, I’m not a saintess?”

“You don’t need to lie to me.”

“I’m really not a saintess, so there’s no need to lie…”

“As your senior, I’m giving you sincere advice: it’s better not to lie or act.”

“……”

Feeling hurt by the sudden truth bomb, Lucia became sullen. Seeing her reaction, Charlotte sighed and spoke calmly.

“Anyway, that’s not what’s important. I have something to ask you.”

“Ask me?”

“Have you heard anything about the church’s stance on the current situation?”

Hearing Charlotte’s question, Lucia could only give a strained smile. Although people called her a saintess, that was all there was to it. She had no actual power or authority to match the title.

“No, I haven’t heard anything.”

“Really?”

“…I’m sorry.”

As soon as she uttered the apology, Charlotte stared at her for a moment, then silently reached out and pulled Lucia’s cheek.

“What are you doing?”

Lucia, flustered, tried to protest, but Charlotte seemed not to hear her. With a blank expression, Charlotte continued to tug at Lucia’s cheek as if lost in thought.

“P-princess?”

Lucia called out repeatedly, unwilling to just let Charlotte take her cheek like this. But Charlotte, seemingly entranced, continued to knead Lucia’s cheek. After a long while of this, Lucia’s cheek started to hurt, and she pouted.

“It hurts…”

Only then did Charlotte snap out of it and release Lucia’s cheek.

“Oh… I’m sorry. I’ve been so sleep-deprived lately that anything that looks soft and cute makes me want to touch it unconsciously… I’m really sorry.”

Lucia, keeping her mouth shut to show she was genuinely upset, glared at Charlotte. In response, Charlotte, looking a bit awkward, spoke to her.

“This… I originally brought this as a bargaining chip, but I’ll just tell you since I feel bad.”

A bargaining chip?

Curious about what she meant, Lucia subtly shifted her gaze towards Charlotte, who then shared a rather shocking piece of news.

“I heard that Bishop Lea is trying to convince the investigators. Apparently, she’s saying that you’re the one behind it.”

“… She’s saying I did it?”

Stunned by the absurd claim, Lucia blurted out to Charlotte.

“But it wasn’t me!”

“There’s no point in telling me that. Why don’t you try going to them directly or send a representative with evidence to prove you’re not the culprit?”

“… Y-yes, you’re right. I guess it would be best to go see them in person.”

“Yes, but be careful. Investigators can be quite persistent.”

Determined to clear her name, Lucia headed straight to where the investigators might be. But before she could get far, she felt someone place a hand on her head, stopping her in her tracks.

“Where are you going?”

“Oh… Jeong-hyeon. Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Never mind that for now. Why is the First Princess here?”

With the situation becoming increasingly complicated, Lucia’s mind felt overwhelmed, leaving her unsure of how to explain everything. Seeing her hesitation, Jeong-hyeon ruffled her hair and spoke gently.

“Calm down and tell me slowly.”

Although her hair was now a mess, somehow Lucia’s mind felt clearer. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and relayed what she had just learned.

“We need to silence Bishop Lea…! And the investigators too…!”

Jeong-hyeon pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement, seemingly impressed.

“Now that I think about it, adding a story where Bishop Lea gets caught and kills the investigators before fleeing isn’t a bad idea.”

“W-what?”

Sensing something going wrong, Lucia tried to stop him.

“If we kill the investigators, the kingdom will be forced to escalate the situation. The punishment for Lea would become much harsher, and the Church wouldn’t be able to cover for her.”

“…?”

No matter what she did, Lucia found it impossible to stop him.