Returning to No Applause, Only More of the Same

Chapter 79, Break

Gerald heaved a deep sigh as though finally coming to terms with what he has to do, what he has to say. At the very same time, Jay felt a rush of joy and victory surge through her, her every instinct telling her that this was the end of the line. Her victory deeply contrasted the defeat of her target, but she didnt mind that. Finally, shed get the truth out of him. Hed no longer have any secrets to keep, anything to hide from her keen gaze.

She won. Simple as that. And now, she would reap the bloody rewards of that victory.

Geralds voice came out like a strangled whisper. Leave.

Eh? Jay said in reply. What? What did he say? Why would he-,

Gerald stood up, their eyes finally meeting once more. His gaze was hard and cold, slight reluctance tugging at the corners of his eyes. Go. Youre not welcome here any longer.

Jay scrambled to her feet, her heart beating frantic and hare-like in her throat. H-, hey, wait! Thats wrong, I won! I beat you, so tell me who he is and what he did! Her plea came out as little more than the squawk of a deranged bird. With the finish line so suddenly removed, her mind scurried to pick up the line of the conversation, to throw every single card and question she had at his stone-walled face. Who is Kreig Wiedermann? Why is he working at our school? Why was he released from prison? Why-,

Stop it. He had moved so quietly and she had been focused on so many other things that now that Gerald stood right above her she was almost startled by his proximity. Im not saying anything else and youre not asking anything else. I want you to leave.

Nervousness twisted Jays panicked expression into a trembling smile. You cant do that. Were having a conversation. I didnt do anything wrong! Jays eyes grappled onto Geralds gaze, trying to force him to look her in the eye. He did, but there was nothing comfortable in that. Its not polite. I was just asking questions. Isnt that okay?

Finally, Gerald turned away from her, hesitance once more gripping the features of his face. Not about him. I dont Just as Jay began feeling a slight hope that he might calm down and let her continue his interrogation, a firm shake of the head dispelled any such possibilities. Im not going to ask again. Leave. We can talk at school once youve calmed down.

Im calm! Im calm! See? Im very calm, Jay cried futilely, trying her best to make her smile and eyes stop trembling. Gerald frowned in disgust.

If you dont leave on your own, Im carrying you out.

Jay made a sound that might have been a scoff but sounded more like a strangled toad. Heh. You wouldnt do that. W-, would you? The look in his eyes affirmed it. Her knowledge of his actual strength assured it. Gerald might not be too much compared to most fighters, but to a normal human, he was next to inhuman. He took a decisive step towards her. She jumped to her feet like a spooked pussycat. H-, hey! Im leaving! Look, Ill go, so just Ill go.

He nodded all the while staring daggers into her. Slowly, carefully, she took a few steps towards the door. He followed her.

She took one last glance at the painting before leaving fully.

At the front door, she turned back to look at him. Well talk tomorrow, okay? Ill be calmer then, so you can tell me-, the door slammed shut in her face. For a second or so she just stood there. Dark clouds swirled overhead. Dark thoughts swirled in her head. How dared he? She had accepted him into the class when no one else had. And now he just threw her out of his house?

Swivelling on her foot, she stormed off towards her home. Getting there would easily take over half an hour, but she knew her mind would be occupied.

Kreig Wiedermann.

A man as mysterious as the portals themselves, according to Jay. At the moment, she only knew a few select things about him. The most obvious one was that he was strong. Immensely strong. Jay had seen her share of fighters and monsters, and as far as she could see on the internet, there were extremely few fighters above the level of 300, not to mention the 501+ levels that Wiedermann likely had. Heck, for all she knew, his level might as well be 999 or something. It was a ridiculous number, easily rivalling the strongest monsters ever recorded.

And he was on free foot. That was the oddest part. And it wasnt as though he was hiding from the government or anything, no, he had been imprisoned at one point. And they had still released them.

A stray thought hit Jay in the face about the same time as the drops of water started falling. Maybe it wasnt that they willingly released him, but instead that they knew they couldnt keep him? It was possible. Defeating an otherworldly foe and keeping it imprisoned were two very different things, so it was quite possible that said otherworldly foe (see: Kreig Wiedermann) might have been able to threaten the facility until released.

That was possible. Whether or not it was plausible was another matter entirely.

Maybe Jay shouldnt have felt that way, but something told her Wiedermann wasnt the kind of man who threatened people. Everything else aside, Jay considered herself to be a rather proficient judge of character, a skill that has been to a great benefit to her during her years. This was the instinct that told her that Wiedermann didnt threaten people; he just hurt them.

She wasnt sure if that was any better. Still, all of that was just window-dressing for the facts present. Wiedermann had been released, given a new life, and somehow, he had gotten a job around kids.

It was, frankly, a ridiculous turn. Especially if one considered who Wiedermann really was.

In order for a monster or otherworldly person to arrive on Earth, they first needed to pass through a portal. Assuming the portal was found and assigned to a competent police force, a party of fighters would be sent into the portal. A party of fighters could be anywhere between 3 to 12 people, using any manner of weapons and magic. The only way for an otherworldly foe to then arrive on Earth is to defeat and kill this party.

Hence, Kreig Wiedermann, at the very least, had the blood of three on his hands. Considering that the typical party is usually 5-6 people (according to the IOCRO homepage), he should at least have the blood of around half a dozen on his hands.

And yet, he was allowed to go free.

Of course, there were a lot of ifs and whens to the story. Its possible that he merely acted in self-defence before arriving at this world, or that he actually arrived many years ago and spent about as much time as a man charged with 6 counts of manslaughter might be. Its possible that the event itself was what caused Wiedermanns eyes to become so white and lifeless. Its even possible that nobody found the portal he entered through, leaving his possible kill count at a sharp zero.

Its all possible. But its not plausible.

She could tell he had killed many. She could just tell. That look in his eye was not one of piety and righteousness.

The solitary drops falling from above slowly turned into a constant pelting of rain, soaking into her clothes and skin, freezing her to the bone.

Yes, Wiedermann was a danger. That much was sure. Even a fighter with a level of 100 could be seen as a massive liability, despite his allegiance to humanity. A wildcard from the other world with a level of 501+ must be more like a walking calamity, able to crack at any moment. And if he did The death toll could be innumerable.

A shiver clawed through Jay. She couldnt tell if it was from the rain or from the sheer terror claiming her heart.

Yes, Wiedermann was a man who could kill. And the world didnt know. Nobody knew, in fact, apart from the most privileged and hidden elite. The members of IOCRO knew. The fighters surely knew. But the common man, who would be the most hurt if Wiedermann were to do something? They didnt know anything. Nothing at all. They were left in the dark, probably for their own good, as much good as that did them when the catastrophe came down on them.

The cold fear in her heart was overtaken by a savage, burning conviction.

Yes, it was up to her to save the common man, to reveal this man for what he was. If he could even be considered a man any longer. He wasnt even human. Who knew what a Divine Human could do?

It was up to her. Yes, it was all up to her. But she had to bide her time. Whatever she said now would just fall on deaf ears. And before she could convince a single person of the validity of her claims, IOCRO and any other hidden entity would censor her into nothingness, or even do something worse. Shed need hard, solid evidence, combined with enough facts to stagger the world.

That she would do. Yes, that she would indeed do.

She would reveal him. At any cost.

For the sake of the world.

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