Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey

"One..."

Lily's eyes widened in panic as she realized I was serious.

"Two..."

The tension in the room was palpable, and everyone held their breath, waiting for Lily's response.

"Wait!"

Lily finally broke her silence, her voice trembling with fear.

"I... I'll confess. Just please don't hurt him!"

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her sudden change of heart.

"Confess to what?"

Lily took a deep breath before speaking.

"I... I was the one who orchestrated this."

Her confession sent shockwaves through the room, and everyone stared at her in disbelief.

"Why? Why would you do something like this?" Adrian's voice was filled with anger and confusion.

Lily hung her head, unable to meet anyone's gaze.

I know the reason why Lily did this, she is daughter of Beol.

"Instead of the Hero police, call the Hero Association. Tell them we caught a wanted criminal."

With that, I fired the arrow in different direction. The mana arrow grazed the leg of the butler who was running away.

"Aaak!"

After that short scream, only silence remained.

Feeling the other cadet's gazes, I walked outside.

My heart was beating crazily.

As I stepped outside, the cool night air embraced me, offering a moment of respite from the chaos inside. Despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I tried to calm my racing heart and clear my mind.

The events of the evening had unfolded rapidly, and now that the immediate danger was over, I needed to gather my thoughts and plan our next steps.

I glanced up at the moon, its gentle glow casting shadows across the courtyard. The night was serene, a stark contrast to the turmoil that had just transpired.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the task at hand. We had captured Lily and exposed the truth behind Beol's apparent death, but our mission was far from over.

We needed to ensure that Lily faced justice for her actions and unravel the secrets of New Sun, the villainous organization she had been working for.

***

Next day...9.A.M. in morning.

The assassination incident was a plot devised by Beol and Lily. Beol was a wanted criminal in practically all continent, and he had formulated this plan to avoid their narrowing investigation. His daughter had coincidentally seduced a pushover cadet from Nova, bearing the plan to fruition.

The so-called operation Return to Life.

Though expensive, there was a medicine that could place someone in a temporary state of suspended animation. As a doctor who was a part of Nova, Lily could easily get her hands on one.

Everything afterward was supposed to be simple.

Beol would take the medicine after receiving a fake injury with the help of a fellow conman magician, and spray the crime scene with blood packs. The emergency medical personnel wouldn't be able to tell apart suspended animation from death, and Beol had already bribed out a local Azurhaven hero police branch.

Next, during the ambulance ride, Beol would swap himself with the corpse of a man who looked similar and had the same build.

Afterward, Nova cadets would take care of the testimony. Nova's cadets carried one of the greatest levels of trust on the planet.

The world government workers he bribed would then ensure he was officially dead, and the real Beol would be reborn under a new name.

All this was something Adrian would find out in the future.

But now, I had completely destroyed parts of their plan and exposed their true intentions. Lily's confession would be crucial in bringing justice to those involved, and it would also shed light on the workings of the villainous organization, New Sun.

If I wanted i could have just seat back and let the plot unfold itself but if I did that it would have been very hassle for me in future.

So all I did was just take care of future problems right now.

I think I did pretty nice work and prevented a potentially disastrous situation from spiraling out of control.

With Lily's confession and the evidence we had gathered, we were able to hand her over to the Hero Association and ensure that justice was served. It was a relief to see her face the consequences of her actions, and I hoped that it would serve as a warning to others who might be tempted to follow in her footsteps.

As for Beol, although he had managed to evade capture for now, we had disrupted his plans and exposed him as a wanted criminal.

"...Are you Sherlock?"

At that moment, a voice rang out.

It was Emma. I smiled without answering her.

In truth, what I said last night was an amateurish deduction at best. But because of the unexpected situation they were in, no one had thought deeply about what I said.

But surprisingly and perhaps thanks to luck, the investigation revealed what I said to be mostly correct.

"You can open your detective agency after garution from Nova."

"Nah... I already have my guild that I have to take care of."

I replied with shurg of my shoulder.

There was silence for moment as Emaa satirs at me

"How did you know that he is wanted criminal?"

I know that someone would ask me this question but I didn't know that it would be Emma.

Since the academy started we didn't interact with each other that much.

"Im Archer aren't I? I have good eyes."

What lame excuse if not for Mana Eyes skills of mine i wouldn't able to prove my words.

But I'm not going to tell Emma about my skills.

With frown on her face, Emma said, "I'm also Archer but I didn't notice anything."

"That means I'm better then you." I immediately reply with smrik on my face.

Emma face hardened at those words not only did i outren in academy overall ranking and now I'm boating my skills in front of her.

Of course Emma doesn't know that I used my mana eyes but she didn't need to know about it either.

With cold smile on Emma face, she opened her mouth and said, "We'll see about that."

Her tone was filled with determination, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of rivalry between us. Despite our differences, it seemed that Emma was not one to back down from a challenge.

As we continued our conversation, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Emma than met the eye. She was a skilled archer, no doubt, but there was a fire in her eyes that spoke of a deeper passion and determination.

Perhaps, in time, I would come to learn more about her and the motivations that drove her.

L

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