Chapter 43 — Truth Is Like A Bitter Poison

The next morning, Damian woke up feeling like his head was about to split open.

"Argh!"

He clutched his head with both hands, squinting against the harsh sunlight streaming through the window.

"Wakey wakey~ my dear student."

Seraphina’s teasing voice reached his ears, dripping with amusement.

He turned to the side to see her sitting lazily on a chair, holding a cup of coffee in her hands. She was still in the same pajamas she’d worn last night.

Looking at her messy black hair and half-lidded eyes, it was clear she’d just woken up too.

’Wait... something’s not right...’

And that’s when it hit him.

He’d passed out drunk last night. At Professor Seraphina’s house.

’Oh no.’

Looking at the changing expressions flickering across Damian’s face as he clearly recalled the events of the previous night, the smile on Seraphina’s face stretched even wider.

"Sigh... I really feel sad about myself." She placed a hand dramatically over her heart. "I, an S+ ranked awakener, a former battlefield General, have such an irresponsible drunkard for a student. Oh! How low I have fallen~~"

She waved her hand theatrically, putting on an exaggerated expression of despair.

"...Please stop it, Professor."

Damian felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment.

It was his first time drinking the special alcohol of this world. How was he supposed to know it would be that strong!?

"Go to the kitchen." Seraphina dropped the act and pointed lazily toward the other room. "I made you some lemonade earlier for your hangover."

Damian stood up, stumbling slightly as the room spun. Then he tripped over a pile of books scattered across the floor.

"...Fuck."

He muttered under his breath as he hit the ground with a thud.

"Pfft–"

Hearing the sound, Damian whipped his head around sharply, glaring at Seraphina, only to see her calmly drinking her coffee with a completely serious expression on her face.

’I can hear you, you know!?’

Damian grumbled internally as he picked himself up.

Gulp. Gulp.

With an irritated expression, he made his way to the kitchen and downed the lemonade in one go. The sour taste cut through the fog in his head slightly, though the pounding headache remained.

But as he stood there holding the empty glass, fragments of last night’s conversation with Professor Seraphina started coming back to him.

"..."

’Oh no. Oh no no no.

I should run back to my dorm before she remembers everything I said...’

With that panicked thought racing through his mind, Damian quickly returned to the living room.

"Thank you for taking care of me yesterday, Professor." He spoke quickly, avoiding eye contact. "I just remembered that I have my therapy session with that officer from the SFD today. I need to head back to my dormitory and prepare for it, so I’ll get going now."

Without waiting for Seraphina to say anything, Damian practically bolted for the door.

"..."

Watching him flee like his life depended on it, Seraphina didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She clearly knew what was running through his mind.

’I’ll punish him later when he comes seeking guidance on Aura Control...’

She took another sip of her coffee, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

****

Though the reason Damian had given for his hasty escape was clearly just an excuse, it was indeed true that he had his first therapy session today.

Aiko had informed him about the notification when it arrived earlier in the week.

’Though, I wonder if Officer Brian even slept last night...’

According to Professor Seraphina, Officer Brian Oleaf had already been in Tranquil City yesterday evening. He’d gone there to investigate the Shadow Council and identify their members.

And now that their entire branch had been obliterated by someone unknown, he must have stayed up the entire night trying to figure out who the culprit was.

’Poor guy.’

Damian got cleaned up, changed into fresh clothes, and grabbed something quick to eat before heading toward the counseling room assigned by the Academy for their sessions.

After all, the Academy had to keep an eye on the SFD as well, to make sure they didn’t use therapy as an excuse to interrogate their students under the guise of mental health care.

This arrangement had been personally ordered by the mysterious Headmaster, whom Damian still hadn’t met.

It was really surprising. The Headmaster never paid attention to Academy matters. Most students hadn’t even seen the Headmaster in person.

It was rumored that he was one of the few SS-ranked experts the Federation had. Hence the secrecy around his identity.

And for such a high-profile figure to show interest in his matters? That was definitely unusual.

****

Damian entered the counseling room, actually looking forward to meeting Officer Brian this time.

Unlike previous encounters where his mood had soured thanks to the SFD’s interference, this time he was feeling downright pleasant knowing they were having a terrible day thanks to him.

As soon as Damian stepped inside, he saw Officer Brian sitting at a small table, holding a coffee cup and reading through some documents. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his uniform looked slightly wrinkled.

"Looks like you’ve been very busy since last night, Officer."

Damian said in a teasing voice as he took his seat across the table.

"..."

Brian looked up from the documents to see the unusually cheerful expression on Damian’s face. He replied in a tired, worn-out voice, "And you clearly had a happy one."

"And why would that be?"

Damian put on an innocent, confused expression, as if he had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Funny, isn’t it?" Brian leaned back in his chair, watching Damian carefully. "An entire branch of the Shadow Council was destroyed last night. But for years, the SFD has been trying to catch their members to no avail."

He looked at Damian with meaningful eyes.

"Oh~ something like that happened?" Damian widened his eyes in mock surprise. "That’s really good to know. But it’s curious, isn’t it? Why was the SFD, one of the best departments in the entire Federation, not able to find out about the whereabouts of such a minor criminal organization?"

Before Brian could reply, Damian leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table.

"I can only think of three scenarios in this situation. First, the SFD is really incompetent." He held up one finger. "Second, the Shadow Council is actually a very strong power hiding in the shadows." He held up a second finger. "And third..."

Damian paused deliberately, then leaned even closer across the table and whispered softly, as if sharing a dangerous secret.

"There are some people inside the SFD trying to protect the Shadow Council."

Silence.

The room fell completely silent, save for the sound of Brian’s rough, uneven breathing.

Brian Oleaf had been part of the SFD for many years. He’d joined the department as soon as he graduated from the Academy, feeling immensely proud of his achievements.

He was one of those people who’d always wanted to bring justice to common folk. A strict adherent to rules and duty. He wouldn’t even hesitate to sacrifice his own life to save the people of the Federation.

He was many things.

But if there was one thing he definitely wasn’t... it was a fool.

Ever since Brian had become involved in investigating the crimes of the Shadow Council across the Federation, he’d been having a very bad feeling about it all.

He’d seen stronger and more powerful criminal organizations crumble before the SFD very quickly. Efficiently dismantled, their leaders arrested, their operations shut down.

But this particular organization? It felt like every lead they followed turned into a dead end almost immediately.

The Shadow Council itself hadn’t shown power greater than C-rank so far. And yet... they seemed to evade the SFD every single time. Like ghosts.

He’d already started suspecting foul play was involved.

But hearing those words from the kid sitting across from him felt like a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped over his head.

’Could it really be...?’

Brian’s face underwent a series of emotional shifts – shock, anger, suspicion, denial – before he finally tried to calm himself down and regain his composure.

"...Let’s forget all this." He cleared his throat and shuffled the documents in front of him. "We’re here to start your therapy sessions. You might not know this, but I actually do have a degree in psychology as well."

"Maybe use that degree to figure out the traitors in your own department first."

Damian replied in a lazy, almost bored tone as he leaned back against his chair.

"...Can you please just talk normally with me for once?" Brian put on a helpless expression. "It’s like every time you open your mouth, poison comes out of it."

"Truth is like bitter poison, Officer." Damian’s crimson eyes met his evenly. "The sooner you learn that, the less disappointed you’ll be."

"..."

Brian sighed deeply, then just closed his eyes and rested his head on the table in defeat. He was already exhausted from last night, and talking with Damian felt mentally draining every single time.

Damian suddenly stood up.

"Let’s go to the cafeteria and get some coffee. You clearly need more of it." He gestured toward the door. "Anyway, all we have to do is talk, right? Might as well do it somewhere more comfortable."

"...Okay."

Brian lifted his head slowly, looking like a man who’d given up on life itself.

He grabbed his documents, stuffed them into a folder, and stood up wearily.

’This kid is going to be the death of me.’