A Death Row Convict Teaches at a School of Magic - Chapter 87: Exposure

Chapter 87: Exposure

Being back at the dormitory, the time for napping was not even an option. After a quick dip and fitting into my clothes, it was soon time for the students to start rising.

Following breakfast in the cafeteria, the closing ceremony of the social exchange event was conducted jointly with Academia, and after giving the students time for a brief parting chat, it was time to depart Windell.

“Bye, you guys! I’ll be waiting for you at Seal during winter!”

“Oh, I will be there for sure!”

The city appeared otherwise unchanged, though perhaps yesterday’s incident was still being kept in the shadows or additional Garrisoned Corps members were scurrying around town.

Such exclamations erupted from the pupils as the horse-drawn carriage swayed and I watched the school structure drift away. While I was being a surreptitious thief, the students appeared to have bonded with each other significantly. At the time of parting, a female student from the other side came to Andrei’s side, and the vibe was somewhat favorable, and I supposed Olga and his friends have not been meddling with him since then. Incidentally, Karen had amassed more than a dozen subordinates over there in this short period.

“You look kind of sleepy, Teacher.”

Panival, who was next to me, called out to me and snapped me out of my daze. The girl with the distinctive ponytail, Panival, like Fina, hailed from a family with a high ranking of knighthood.

Then, Fina, who was seated across from me, shot me a look as if she was eyeing a piece of trash.

“In any case, he most likely went on a date with a student over there last night. Just let him be.”

“Well, Fina, you tend to treat me like a womanizer.”

“Oh, is she mistaken? That’s what Fina told me, and that’s why she has been treating you as such for so long.”

“Is that why you have been mysteriously shunning me lately, Karen? Oh, Panival, you don’t have to distance yourself so openly like that. I was simply wondering how everyone has made friends with the other students in such a short time.”

The tension in Panival’s shoulders loosened a bit as I mentioned this.

“I-I don’t think so. That’s only a part of the students. I didn’t make many friends…”

“No, I noticed a boy from the other side came to your side when you were parting earlier. Did he confess his feelings to you?”

“T-That’s! He must have been playing a batsu game!”

“You are negative in a strange way, aren’t you?”

Even though she behaved this way, she was one of the few students who participated in the finals. Her swordsmanship lacked any humility in her character, and even Rivalz acknowledged her formidable swordsmanship as if she was forging her own path.

Right, when we returned to the school, I would have to accompany these students in their training, huh?

With such a musing, the sleepiness gradually settled in. From the surroundings, along with the sound of horses pacing, I could make out the voices of the students chatting merrily. Using that as a lullaby, I drifted off into a peaceful sleep as the carriage rocked me along―

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“Oh, Teacher Kanaki’s asleep.”

“I knew he must have been drowsy.”

“His sleeping face is so adorable～”

About an hour after departing Windell, Kanaki had fallen asleep. The students around him who noticed this started to chatter noisily at the sight of Kanaki’s sleeping face (for some reason, he rode in a carriage dominated by girls).

“After all, he must have had some fun last night… He’s a person who is not fit to be called a teacher.”

“Wow, the legal wife is upsetー”

“Who is the legal wife!”

To the classmate who made the joke, Fina raised her voice in protest. But that apparently directed the topic of conversation back to her.

“You and Teacher Kanaki are often hanging around with each other, you know. You’re the closest to him in the class.”

“No, that’s not true. He is usually with women in general, so it only seems as if I am with him a lot.”

“But even now, you attend Teacher Kanaki’s seminar, even though you don’t have a mentor-apprentice relationship with him, right?”

“T-That’s because I have many things to learn from him.”

“You mean, like love?”

“You should keep your mouth shut, Luis. I will tell everyone that you sexually harassed Lady Karen.”

“You really can’t take a joke!”

Sending a piercing glance to Luis, who was in the back of the group to silence him, Fina became aware that the eyes of her friends surrounding her were glued to her.

“W-What is it?”

“So, what’s the real story?”

“Do you like Teacher?”

“I-I don’t like him! To begin with, I am Lady Karen’s knight!”

“Oh, then how do you feel about him if you remove me from the picture?”

“E-Even Lady Karen is going this far!”

“You have been with him for a long time, so you must have something to say about him, right? Teacher Kanaki is actually a quality candidate for marriage―right, don’t you think so, Shizuku?”

“! M-Me?”

Shizuku, having been asked to speak out of the blue, displayed a look of surprise that was mildly exaggerated.

“Yeah, what do you think of Teacher Kanaki, Shizuku? He’s quite reputable in our class. Even though he’s a little unreliable, he listens to us and is sincere. Isn’t that right, Panival?”

“Y-Yeah. Teacher Kanaki is extremely attentive to each of us… and I find him to be very good at taking all of us.”

“Panival, even if you don’t have any particular difficulties these days, you still go to see him for counseling, don’t youー”

“D-Don’t bring it up!”

Panival seemed to be abashed. It would appear that Kanaki was more popular with the students than Fina had imagined.

And when Shizuku broadened her eyes in surprise―as if she find it unbelievable―a hint of discomfort rose in Fina.

“Shizuku, was it so shocking that Teacher Kanaki is so well-liked?”

“Y-Yeah. I am just a little surprised. I thought falling in love with a teacher sounds very romantic.”

“Even you, Shizuku! I am really not!”

The classmates laughed at the flustered Panival. Fina, who had observed the interaction between Kanaki and Shizuku on the second night of the social exchange event, thought Shizuku’s response was unmistakably amiss, though.

Speaking of which, Shizuku was ready to ask about Kanaki’s past right at that time. When she thought about it, she had never heard Kanaki’s story before coming to this school, not even from Kanaki himself, let alone from other students. Would it be premature to assume that Shizuku had some connection to Kanaki’s past?

“…Fina, what’s wrong?”

Karen, Fina’s longtime companion, noticed her sudden stillness and questioned her.

Realizing that she has unsettled her master, Fina hurriedly explained herself.

“No, Lady Karen. I was just mulling things over for a moment and had no particular other intention…”

“…Something’s coming.”

As if to support what Fina also felt, Karen looked at the front of the carriage.

Soon after, the cavalry mounted on horses and armed, and the insignia on the armor was familiar to them.

“The Military Police of the royal capital… Why are they here?”

Right as Karen was about to express her doubts, the carriage came to a halt. Fina’s carriage was at the front of the line, so the carriages following her also simultaneously ceased.

“What is it?”

Luis, who had spotted the Military Police belatedly, got out of the carriage, and Karen followed him. Fina likewise accompanied Karen out of the carriage―

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“What the hell do you people want?”

“…! P-Princess Ortesia!”

It seemed that I had fallen asleep before I knew it. The stable vibrations from earlier had subsided, and I opened my eyes to check out what was going on at the sound of voices emanating from outside.

Outside, Karen and some men in armor were conversing about something. At the sight of the insignia on the knight’s armor, my heart suddenly began to pound. That was the sign of the Military Police of the Kingdom.

“Is there someone named Kanaki Taiga in this group?”

A cold perspiration broke out on my back. Why, why at this point in time, my brain has already begun to formulate a means of escape from this place.

“? There is indeed someone by that name. He’s a class teacher at the school I am presently enrolled in.”

The Military Police’s eyes then began to widen in shock, which I could see even from where I was seated.

“…Is that so? And where is this man?”

“He’s in the carriage over there… What in the world is going on?”

Karen pointed her hand in my direction. Time was running out. Panival, seated next to me, asked, “What’s the matter, Teacher?” I didn’t have time to answer her.

The man then uttered the assertive words.

“―That man is suspected of attempted royal assassination and first-degree criminal charges, and has been issued a restraining order.”

“…What did you say?”

Even from the sidelines, I could tell that Karen and the others were incredulous. Were they misunderstanding something, Fina, who was even about to produce a weapon, was incapable of making a move.

“…Let’s go.”

As if to signify that the conversation had concluded, a group of military police headed toward my carriage. Should I force my way through… no, because of last night, I had only a few magic crystal stones on my hands. The level of the military police in the royal capital was not known to me, but I supposed they were not a half-baked team. This was absurd nonsense.

“W-Wait! Is that story true!”

Fina then called out to the back of the military police, almost as if she was about to grip them. The military police annoyingly tried to dismiss her, but Karen added, “You have the nerve to ignore my knight,” and the military police were visibly dismayed.

“…It’s true. We have received a direct order from Master Mondor.”

“Where is the Commander of the Knights!”

“He is now in Seal. There, he’s arresting a person suspected of the same crime and is transporting them to the royal capital.”

An unfavorable hypothesis floated in my mind.

“…Why is Teacher Kanaki under suspicion!”

“We received a tip-off from a certain channel. Kanaki Taiga invaded the Royal Library of Magic last night and seized a forbidden book of magic. Also, in a separate incident, he is suspected of attempting to assassinate the Princess… the royal family.”

ーーA student of his seminar was also implicated and was taken into custody by Master Mondor.

“ーWho is that student?”

“…! Teacher Kanaki!”

After hearing the remarks of the Military Police, I found myself leaping out of the carriage and exposing myself.

With their faces tensed and their knees spread wide, the Military Police were advancing to me.

“P-Please hold on!”

“Kanaki Taiga, is it? You are under arrest on suspicion of an attempted assassination of the royal family and a first-degree national crime.”

Disregarding Fina’s warning, one of the Military Police was about to cast a restraining spell on me when, to my disbelief, the man announced…

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“Knight of Your Royal Highness, don’t even go the extra mile. When I was restraining his companions in Seal, I had no choice but to ‘kill’ one of the students who had been brutally impeding me. We cannot do any more harm to anyone Your Royal Highness is acquainted with―”

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From my standing position, I instantly sprinted to the front of the line and pointed my finger at a gap in the helmet of a Military Police man, and felt a definite sensation of a squeeze on my fingertip. His eye was crushed.

In a moment of intense anguish, the man let out a scream. The other Military Police members were disconcerted. Even Fina was stunned. I seized him by the neck and tightened the hold just enough to keep him from dying.

“What is that student’s name?”

“Ga… kah…”

“What did you say?”

“Ka…”

“Get your hands off him! We have a warrant to kill you!”

The Military Police, having regained control of themselves, surrounded me with weapons at the ready, but I did not engage them.

“Answer me.”

“I… gi…”

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“……………..A… r… ti……………”

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“――――――”

I crushed the neck I was grasping and shattered the magic crystal stone I was holding.

“You! Ugh!?”

Dense magical power swirled around me, and the instant the Military Police were frightened, I made a leap. I jumped over the spot at once and headed for Seal at full speed.

Right then, I thought I heard someone behind me calling my name.