Vol 1 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Chapter 3— An Invitation to Chaos

(1)

Once the afternoon lecture had ended, Raishi+n and Yaya exited the lecture hall

With Sigh ain the hall

The sun was setting, and the outside grounds were beco dim

As twilight descended, Raishi+n h the front yard

The figure of Felix’s back slowly vanished into the distance Charl felt a slight warhout her body, and her chest hurt at the saht about an unbearable feeling

“Are you interested?”

Sigmund asked a sharp question

“N-n-n-no I’s”

“You don’t have to hide it He really is an interesting guy”

“H-h-he’s not interesting at all I’ll feed you green peas from now on”

“I’ about Raishi+n”

“Eh—“

While blushi+ng, Charl pondered over Sigmund’s words

“… Really? Isn’t he just a regular insolent pervert?”

“Re”

“What about it?”

“That means he treated me as a distinct individual”

“—“

“It ht because of the automaton he himself possesses, but he doesn’t treat other automata as a literal puppet Normally, he shouldn’t have addressed me, but should have asked you ‘how’s the condition of your puppet?’”

Now that he mentioned it, it was certainly odd

“During the Machine Physics lecture, his automaton throttled his neck, correct?”

“Youtheir lover’s quarrel?”

“He was being strangled The other students were laughing at hiht he couldn’t completely control his own automaton”

Charl suddenly realised it

Sight That scenario wasn’t possible, and she knew it Even if he was a little rough around the edges, he was still an excellent puppeteer— briy

If he felt like it, he could have easily stopped Yaya at any time

“This is what I think— He’s a rather sentimental sort of person”

Sigave a little chuckle as he spoke

He was poking fun at Raishi+n, but it was clear he had a good imund had become interested in Raishi+n himself

“Don’t you think the two of you get along rather well?”

“… There’s no way that’s possible with that pervert Plus, I’m a realist I don’t mix with sentimental fools”

“You’re a realist?”

“… Are you laughing?”

“No However, let me pose a question to you”

Sigmund’s voice became stern

“He has already helped you twice First when he aided you during the fight, second when he let you off If you do face him in battle, do you have the resolve to defeat him?”

There was a brief silence

Finally, after deliberating over such a serious question, she raised her head firmly

“I am Charlotte Belew, of the noble house of Beleho the Queen herself bestowed the unicorn coat of arrounds to”

There was pride in her powerful declaration

“I will eliminate all who stand in my way, no matter who they are”

“… No matter who they are?”

“That’s right No matter who they are”

She clenched her fist tightly

“Even if I have to stain my hands with blood, there’s a dream I have to realise at all costs”

Once lanced out the

Dusk had descended, and the figure of Felix had already disappeared

(2)

Raishi+n was led to a space set aside for the disciplinary committee’s exclusive use

It was an area located on the second floor of the central auditorium There were three rooms in total, the co roo of student volunteers, the disciplinary co the public morals of the acadely

Opening the door to the office, Felix ushered them inside

“Have a seat on the sofa I’ll prepare us some tea”

“Ah, please let Yaya handle that”

Felix turned towards Raishi+n, to confirm if that was really his intent

“If she says she’ll do it then let her I can assure you she’s pretty skilled”

“Alright then, please”

Handing over the tea set, he instructed Yaya where to get the hot water froh spirits, and she enthusiastically left the room

Felix sat across frorin on his face

“Firstly, allow me to welcome you Can I take it that you’re here because you’re interested in my proposal?”

“Yes If you’re offering an entry qualification, then I can’t afford to ignore your proposal”

“So in other words, y was a success”

He laughed jokingly Raishi+n was starting to get weary of seeing the guileless smile on his pretty face

(This guy’s true intentions are hard to read…)

While thinking he was a difficult person to deal with, Raishi+n pro

“So, whose entry qualification are you giving me? I don’t suppose it’s yours?”

“If we successfully resolve the problem at hand, my entry qualification is but a small price to pay—“

A dazzling smile radiated from his face whichoff light

Alround faded as he shrugged his shoulders

“is so the Wiseman’s Throne”

“Hearing that is a relief At least I know you’re being honest about it”

“Your entry qualification will be sponsored by the Night Party’s executive corees to it, we can send a referral to the executive coh quite frankly, even without our endorsement— if you took care of this incident, you would beco that the executive conore your presence”

His speech wasthat bothersoly suspicious, but on the other hand he was growing more interested, and so he asked

“What would I have to do?”

“We want you to defeat a puppeteer”

It was an anticli disappointed, he wondered if Felix was being serious

Defeating a puppeteer— soiven, even if it wasn’t said he was bound to do so like that anyway Was the disciplinary coards to the permissibility of such an action

While he was deep in thought, Yaya came back with the tea

Suspiciously eyeing the two of theht, Yaya placed the cups on the table

Felix picked up a cup and elegantly brought it to his lips Raishi+n asked impatiently,

“Who do I have to do in?”

“Cannibal Candy”

Nohis st the Night Party participants

Felix swirled his teacup, and happily spoke

“Your automaton is skilled indeed The tea still retains its aromatic flavour”

“Cannibal— who’s that?”

“You know, in this acade every year”

It didn’t feel like he was evading the question Raishi+n silently waited for him to continue

“Most quit of their own accord The academy’s curriculum isn’t exactly a cakewalk, and people who can’t keep up with the lectures are fated to eventually fall by the wayside Furthermore, the tuition fees here aren’t cheap There are countless reasons to want to quit”

“I don’t get it If they want to quit, then they just need to submit a notice of withdrawal—“

Halfway, his mouth shut Even Raishi+n knew the reason for not sub a notice

“Exactly, due to extenuating circumstances there are those who can’t submit a notice of withdrawal”

As the preic world, the acadeet into Those who had the brains and resources to enter on their oere fine, but those who couldn’t had to rely on a backer to get them in

Arious organisations and syndicates provided the financial capital required

Quitting school halfas tantamount to a betrayal in the eyes of the backers

Not only would they have to repay the loan, they would also have to pay compensation and well as a penalty fee for breach of contract—

The worst case scenario was that their lives would be forfeit

“Those froround Soic Students froreat demand— and obviously, that demand doesn’t just stop at places where the sun shi+nes Rather morbidly, academy students still retain their value even if they were dead”

“… Sounds about right”

Raishi+n himself had been part of a clan that undertook similarly dirty work

“However, this tihtly different”

The tone of his voice changed Felix continued on in an unusually serious manner

“Since last October, which was the start of the school ter—those nuh We’ve also have had twelve cases where we’ve discovered automata which have been destroyed”

“Destroyed?”

“Yes If it were a si away, there would be no need to destroy their own automaton”

An automaton was a puppeteer’s treasure Not only was it the tool of the trade, if there was no need for it any longer they could sell it

There was no reason to destroy it

If that was the case, then—

“So them—“

“There is a high chance that is the case”

“Wait a et aith it till now?”

“Obviously, we’ve not been standing around and doing nothing These few months, we’ve enlisted the help of the campus security and increased the nu for him on our own as well”

“And the results?”

“Absolutely nothing We did get stateerated parts, and it’s beco town It’s like the second coh, what the acade for automata”

“Craving… you say?”

Yaya’s body stiffened visibly For a feht and eaten had a certain nuance to it that made it creepy

Felix put his cup down, and spoke with his normal smile back on his face

“Now then, I’ to say Cannibal Candy is a serious threat to the academy— it’s someone we have to defeat no matter what An opponent ill raise your profile if you defeat”

“Why are you asking me to do it?”

“There are two reasons Firstly, there’s no way you can be Cannibal Candy”

‘What makes you so sure?”

“All students and professors are possible suspects Even me But you’re different You’ve barely been in this academy for a few days”

“… And the second reason?”

“You’re strong enough”

It was a statement made without any flattery behind it He said it with real earnestness

“The ene someone ordinary to hunt would only result in the predator beco the prey”

“Why should I take your words at face value? I am Second Last after all”

“You like to sell yourself short, don’t you?”

Felix chuckled wryly

“Even with the nue, you were able to send several students packing Did you know this? The students you beat were all approaching the top hundred places We call the to sneeze at”

“But the difference between the Rounds and those lot is like the distance between heaven and earth I’ainst the Besides, ”

Raishi+n’s lips twisted as he spoke sarcastically

“What you’re really trying to say is ‘I’ll give you a qualification so stop going around creating more disturbances’, isn’t it?”

“Correct”

Felix didn’t even flinch

“Unless you destroy school property, or harainst students’ personal battles— although having said that, froation to protect public morals, I can’t silently stand back and watch as you test out your power on other people”

“So you’re throwing out bait to domesticate the wild animal”

“I prefer to call it fair trade This won’t disadvantage you in any way after all”

This time, it was Raishi+n’s turn to chuckle wryly

In order to reign in his destructive behaviour, they chose to send his would end well And if he lost, then there would be no loss to public morals In the end, Felix was the sole winner

“Up to this point, do you have any questions?”

“The Night Party has a hundred participants If I were to gain an entry qualification—“

“Obviously, someone will have to be kicked out However”

Felix still had a s someone

“In the two hundred years that the Night Party has been held, there has never been an instance where the 99th or 100th seat became the Wiseman Even if you did force someone out, it wouldn’t affect that many people”

He was ht

Because of that, Raishi+n felt that he could trust him

Unexpectedly, playing along wouldn’t be a bad idea… just as he thought that,

“Felix!”

Without even a knock, someone burst into the office

With shoulder length hair that swayed dynalasses She had an aristocratic air, and looked like she had had a fine upbringing However co that she looked a little plainer than thelove that signified participation in the Night Party

In that instant, Raishi+n’s five senses screa weird about her

… However, before he could even confir vanished

Noticing that there was a visitor, the girl came to a halt in surprise Her stiff movements made her seem like a doll

“Let me introduce you, Raishi+n This is Liz She’s basically ”

Regaining her senses, the girl cleared her throat

“Pardon my earlier rudeness I am the chairman’s assistant, Lisette Norden”

“Akabane Raishi+n”

Felix continued on in a teasing manner,

“It’s not like you to be in such a fluster, Liz Did Cannibal Candy appear or so?”

“Yes”

Responding to his joke with a straight face, she ed to wipe the smile off Felix’s

Continuing on in the saive her report in an efficient manner

“A ‘devoured’ puppet was discovered in the grove of trees behind the Technical Vocations building It seeht”

Felix sighed, and resignedly turned towards Raishi+n

“Talk about a bad ti?”

Shrugging his shoulders, he slapped his thighs and stood up

“Let’s go, Raishi+n Tio look at some leftovers”

(3)

The first person to notice the figure was Yaya

They alking along a s While wordlessly walking, Yaya suddenly reacted to soh alert she stared ahead of them suspiciously

Inside the diather A little in front of therumpy expression on her face

“Yo, Charl and Sigmund”

Raishi+n hailed thelances she threw in his direction went through hiure of Felix as behind

“So, you were here as well, Charl”

“There was a co on, so…”

Charl answered while looking doards

Don’t just ignore h to verbalise the thought

Felix was his usual self, an a onto his face

“Full of burning curiosity, as always Or should I have you have sharp ears?”

“I-it’s not like that’s so unusual Cannibal Candy attacks people indiscri I can dismiss as someone else’s problem”

“Haha, I guess you’re right I apologise if I offended you”

Felix slipped past Charl, and entered into the grove of trees with Liz in tow Hailing the disciplinary corove

Charl appeared to be down-hearted after Felix left It looked like she was regretting they had part on a sour note

Seeing her attitude, even someone as disinterested in love as Raishi+n could tell instinctively

“You like him, don’t you?”

“Wha— I— You—“

She turned so red it was almost pitiful

Ah, she’s blushi+ng

So even she can ed hiht

Charl grabbed hirily in his ear, like she was about to bite it off

“Don’t speak of it so casually! This isn’t soar emotion!”

“There’s nothing vulgar about it Falling head over heels for someone is a natural phenomenon”

“I told you to be quiet! Or do you want me to tear open a new hole in your chest!”

“This way, Raishi+n”

Felix waved to him from the opposite side of the crowd Charl hurriedly withdrew her hands, covering her actions with an insincere laugh Raishi+n decided not to comment, and walked towards Felix with Yaya in tohose otten a lot better

A little way into the grove, a rope had been hung across with the words ‘Keep Out’ on it The disciplinary couard to prevent curious onlookers fro the scene

This is alht Raishi+n to hiht wasn’t entirely wrong, because as laid out in front of him was—

A dead body, for all intents and purposes

Charl let out a little groan Raishi+n frowned reflexively

The top half of the body had been separated from the bottom

The abdominal cavity could be seen from the one half of the body Because various internal mechanis at a hu out of the body wasthan if it had been a real human

The botto none of its original shape So akin to blood had been scattered around the body,it look like some creature had feasted on it

The ht the eye however, was the curious wound

A neat circle had been carved into the place where the heart should have been

The scar was ilassy, like it was candy that had dissolved through licking

(I see, so that’s where the Candy part of the name comes from…)

Cannibal for the eating of others, and Candy because of the scar Co the tords, it was the perfect way to express its peculiar traits in a single phrase

Raishi+n brought his fist to his jaw, deep in thought

He had seen a similar scar before in a different place

(It couldn’t be, but…)

Briefing glancing over at Yaya, he saw that she was staring down at the corpse, her face slightly pale — It looked like she was a little frightened

Raishi+n turned his gaze back to Felix, seeking a confirmation as to what he had noticed

“The one, isn’t it?”

“That’s his MO So far, all his victiic circuit removed without fail”

“Let uess, when you say reht?”

“We still don’t knohether that is the case No one has actually caught hi at the scene”

An auto as the Eve’s Heart was unharmed, the automaton could be rebuilt Not toautomatas as well If you looked at it the other way, then itdestroyed, it was effectively a death knell for the automata

“… Whose puppet is this? What happened to the puppeteer?”

The one who answered wasn’t Felix, but Lisette

“We’re still in the process of identifying the owner However, based off e know of the situation so far I believe that this autoht and defeated yesterday