Chapter 159

What kind of harmony is this? Veronica Trivia felt unusually restless today.

Could it be because of that ill-mannered freshman she had a meeting with this evening? That could be it. After all, that freshman was truly terrible at showing proper respect.

Anyway, Veronica couldn’t easily fall asleep. Reluctantly getting out of bed, she found her negligee more uncomfortable than usual tonight.

Gulp, gulp…

She poured and drank a glass of cool water, but the uneasy feeling running down her spine wouldn’t settle.

It must be the bad mood. Just thinking about Charlotte, her unforgettable rival, made Veronica feel increasingly irritated.

“Ah…”

Two years ago.

Charlotte and Veronica were close friends.

Even though Veronica came from a higher noble family than Charlotte, does that really matter to teenagers? They hung out freely without hesitation.

They didn’t always get along perfectly. They sometimes argued and even stopped talking to each other for days.

But like rain making the ground firm afterward, they fit the saying perfectly. They spent their academy life together, attending classes side by side.

Until one day, an argument between them turned into something catastrophic…

One day, after not arguing for a while, Veronica and Charlotte clashed again over religious differences.

Veronica was a devout follower of the Olympus Sect, whereas Charlotte belonged to the Holy Order.

There are several sensitive topics in the world: political ideologies, opinions on weird food combinations like mint and chocolate, and religious conflicts.

To avoid conflict in such matters, one needs to maintain an open attitude: “I think this way, but you think that way, and I respect it.”

But these two young girls couldn’t do that.

Clap! It happened in a flash. In the time it took for a sparrow to chirp once, Charlotte’s palm struck Veronica’s cheek, turning her head sharply to the side.

The cup Veronica was holding wobbled. The hot liquid inside splashed upward toward the sky. If it had only passed through the air and landed on the ground, everything would have been fine.

Sizzle!

“Aaaaah!”

A piercing scream echoed. Veronica, whose face now bore a throbbing scar, covered the injured side of her masked face with her hand.

For a noble lady, her face is her life. That day, Veronica lost her life as a noble lady.

Sacred power or modern medicine can heal wounds that haven’t fully set yet, but Veronica missed the treatment window. She would carry an unerasable scar for the rest of her life.

It was a horrifying scar. Veronica cursed the gods.

Why did they give her such a trial? Why her? What had she done wrong?!

Of course, no matter how much humans pray, the gods don’t respond. Humans must find answers within themselves.

The answer Veronica found seemed positive at first glance.

“The gods have given me a trial. They want me to look beyond appearances and focus on inner qualities.”

Indeed, after enduring her anguish, Veronica threw herself into training more passionately than ever. Her skills skyrocketed.

Without the advantage of looks, she aimed to cultivate talents no one else could replace.

However, where there’s light, there’s also shadow.

“How dare that wicked demon, that impious witch, once call her my friend?”

Deep hatred settled in her heart. Filled with venom, Veronica detested the girl who had once been her companion.

Fortunately, Veronica had the power to act on her hatred without restraint. She unleashed it fully.

She tormented, tormented, and tormented again. School bullying. It happened secretly, hidden from the teachers’ eyes, and Charlotte, perhaps burdened with guilt, didn’t resist at all.

Still, Veronica’s anger wasn’t quenched.

“Ah…”

Painful memories surfaced. Veronica quickly locked them away, closing and locking the open window as well.

Her wandering thoughts lingered too long. Returning to bed, Veronica wondered if what she was doing was right.

Charlotte had left her with an indelible scar, but the wounds Veronica inflicted weren’t minor either. Was it right to dwell so much on something that happened two years ago? With a troubled heart, she deeply reflected.

Veronica drifted off to sleep…

Time passed.

Awakened by a sudden chill, Veronica shifted in her sleep.

What a terribly unlucky night, waking up again after finally falling asleep.

Surely, she had locked the door before sleeping. So where was this coldness coming from?

As Veronica slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head…

Click.

“Huh?”

Whoosh.

“…!”

Whoosh. Whoosh.

“…Wha…t?”

Neck, chest, abdomen.

The three areas, which had been calm just moments ago, suddenly flared with pain as if set ablaze.

The agony surpassed that of the burn she suffered earlier, but this time, it was brief.

*

“Should’ve taken better care of that mouth of yours. People can get by just managing their mouths, hands, and feet.”

Beyond the window lay a chilling corpse. Crimson blood pooled beneath the bed.

“Phew, feels good anyway. Haven’t seen blood since I’ve been here.”

Death is cold and silent. I don’t like death.

Living things twitching while alive—that brings a certain thrill. It gets your blood pumping.

But this time… I had to kill. Any factor that could interfere with Maria and my academy life needed to be eliminated. There was no way around it.

It’s not like I killed her because I wanted to.

Cough…

Anyway, it’s been a while since I committed murder. Ending it here feels a bit unsatisfying.

Using telekinesis, I lifted the body.

Controlling every detail, including the clothing, I carried Veronica’s corpse outside the window. Red blood dripped steadily.

It’s disappointing. If I could use divine power like a saint, I might have healed Veronica’s wounds.

In lieu of that, I used her negligee to staunch the bleeding. Leave it like this, and the blood will clot soon enough.

Maybe because it’s a negligee, too much bare skin is exposed. This isn’t appropriate in a place with young students.

It’s a bit much even for me to show such an obscene scene to students. Using telekinesis, I fetched clothes from inside Veronica’s room and dressed her still-warm body.

Now, that’s better. The purple magic emanating from my fingertips lifts Veronica. Carrying her, I flew through the air.

At the center of Eden Academy, on the exterior wall of the main building where the clock hangs.

I hung Veronica’s body there. Though it’s quite high up, the clock is a spot students often look at. They’ll likely notice soon.

I’m already looking forward to it. How will those innocent students react upon discovering the corpse? Smiling contentedly, I shook off the scent of blood lingering on my body.

Since I killed her with an air gun and moved her with telekinesis, no blood stained my clothes. That was expected.

“Hehe.”

Returning happily to the main building’s window, the atmosphere inside was cozy. Taking a deep, comforting breath, I entered the library after a short pause.

Creak…

Is it because I just committed murder? The door made a sinister sound as it opened today. Inside, a woman with white hair sat quietly reading a book.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Yeah, feels great.”

“Haha… Mr. Joker seems pleased, which makes me happy too… Please, sit here.”

Maria tapped the seat beside her as she spoke. I quickly approached and sat down.

Soft feminine warmth pressed against my side. Ah, nice. Like a puppy, I rubbed against her.

The genre of the book Maria was reading was criminal psychology. Too distracted watching Maria, I didn’t take in any of the words.

Just as I was gazing solely at Maria…

“Mr. Joker.”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t want you to go astray. But there’s something I dislike even more.”

“What’s that?”

“Hiding mistakes. It’s more concerning when someone conceals errors rather than confesses them.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“I’d like you to confess the truth first, Mr. Joker.”

Maria spoke deliberately.

Her penetrating gaze pierced my soul.

I burst out laughing and said,

“Hahaha, impossible to deceive you. How did you know? That I just committed murder?”

“One can sense ‘murderous intent’ from someone who has killed. And just now, your murderous intent grew stronger.”

“Murderous intent? Can you see that? Why can’t I?”

“It’s intuition. However…”

Maria carefully asked,

“Why commit such a grave sin as murder? Was there a reason you had to kill that person?”

Scratching the back of my neck, I replied,

“Because there was no reason not to?”

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