LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 221
Chapter 221: Changing the Dragon Plaque 2 (6)
Yuri calmed his racing heart as he met the gaze that seemed to pierce through him.
‘Asking about something that happened over a year ago now?’
Something felt off.
Besides, he hadn’t left any traces that could expose him.
If he were to be caught, it should have happened back then.
So why bring up the past after a whole year of silence?
This was suspicious—too suspicious.
Yuri decided to play dumb for now.
“What?”
Duran’s brow furrowed slightly at Yuri’s feigned ignorance.
“Are you pretending not to know?”
“I’m not pretending. I genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You should know, though.”
“I’m not sure if this is an interrogation or a leading question, but wouldn’t it be better to explain the situation in detail first? Asking out of the blue if I tampered with the documents.”
“…….”
“Well, if you only need my answer on that matter… I haven’t done anything like that.”
Duran didn’t avert his gaze, as if seeing right through Yuri’s confident facade.
Yuri held his ground and stared back at him.
“…….”
“…….”
Their silent standoff continued for a while.
Surprisingly, it was Duran who first conceded.
He let out a sigh and spoke.
“…A day ago, while I was away, an intruder ransacked my office and vanished.”
Yuri put on a look of disbelief at this revelation.
“You’re accusing me of something that happened just yesterday? I was on the mainland at that time!”
“You can travel between the mainland and this island with ease. You’ve done it before, haven’t you?”
Yuri didn’t flinch at Duran’s accusatory look, as if saying, ‘I know what you did last year.’
It seemed Duran was aware of Yuri’s use of the special passage on January 1st of the previous year.
‘It would be strange for the Black Sword Deputy Commander not to know about the affairs of the Cradle.’
Yuri merely shrugged.
“Even if that’s true, why would I go through all that trouble to break into your office?”
“It’s hard to trust a guy who’s done it once and even got caught saying things like that.”
“…….”
This time, Yuri found himself at a loss for words.
After all, he was the one who had gone through that trouble to raid Duran’s office last year.
He reacted defensively, shouting in frustration.
“So just because I got caught once last year, you’re trying to pin this on me too?”
“I’m not pinning it on you. But it’s only natural to consider repeat offenders as suspects in an investigation.”
“Seriously, it’s not me! Why would I do something so reckless again?”
“You did that reckless thing last year, didn’t you?”
“…Back then, I was naive. Can’t you just forget it?”
“You’ve matured now, have you?”
“At least a lot more than I was back then. Back then, I acted out of ignorance. But now I know how dangerous this place is… Do you think I’d be crazy enough to raid the tent of a certified 9th Dan Deputy Commander?”
“Well, my thought is that even knowing the danger, you’re still the kind of guy who might pull that crazy stunt.”
“Ugh, I’m telling you, it wasn’t me! And even if I did, let’s say, pull that crazy stunt and stole something!”
“What if you did?”
“If I were to steal something, I’d go for a more valuable target! Why would I risk my life for the Deputy Commander’s tent, where the only thing I found last year was a stinking old bachelor’s blanket?”
“…That remark about the blanket being stinky is quite annoying, but your argument does have some merit.”
“So, can I go now?”
Yuri straightened his shoulders confidently, feeling his argument had sufficiently hit home.
But that was his misconception.
“No, you stay put.”
“Why!”
“Until the real culprit is caught or we find conclusive evidence, you’re still a suspect. And I warn you, don’t even think about running.”
Seeing Duran glare at him, Yuri sighed.
‘Damn… I’m really caught in a bind.’
To begin with, Yuri hadn’t paid much attention to the Dragon Plaque Change.
As others had guessed, the quest wasn’t particularly significant to him.
He would have rather spent that time training.
But the news of Mucci joining this round of cadets changed things.
‘That snot-nosed kid… is really coming?’
Yuri recalled an old memory.
[Hey, snot-nosed kid. You said you wanted another round with me, didn’t you?]
[Huh? Yeah!]
[Then get ready and come to the Cradle. I’ll be waiting there.]
[Ah…! Yeah! I’ll definitely… definitely be there!]
It was more of a playful taunt to tease the Old Bear than a promise.
But according to Johan, Mucci had worked hard to keep his promise to Yuri.
He had even managed to surpass 1st Dan and was on the verge of reaching 2nd Dan.
Of course…….
‘That’s none of my business.’
It wasn’t simply that one fact that motivated Yuri to participate in the Dragon Plaque Change to meet Mucci.
The real reason he bothered to participate despite the hassle was because he needed Mucci.
And Yuri thought it wouldn’t be too difficult to get his hands on Mucci.
But…….
‘What is this?’
He was facing unexpected difficulties, unable to even start the plans he had in mind.
Yuri glanced up at the sky.
The sun was slowly climbing toward its zenith.
‘It’s probably around 10 a.m.’
There was still a considerable amount of time left until 00:00 on January 1st, but it was tight for Yuri.
‘I need to find Mucci within three hours at the latest.’
The problem was that he didn’t know when he’d be released from detainment.
If the Black Sword Corps couldn’t catch the culprit after a whole day, then the real perpetrator wasn’t someone to be underestimated.
While the Black Sword Corps would certainly find the culprit eventually…….
‘I can’t just sit and wait. If that’s the case…….’
Yuri made up his mind.
He raised his hand high and shouted.
“I’ll do it!”
Duran looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“What?”
Yuri responded with a determined voice.
“The real culprit… I’ll catch them!”
If he was going to waste time being held up, he might as well catch the damned culprit himself and clear his name.
Duran gave Yuri a bewildered look in response to his bold declaration.
“…Did you forget you’re still a suspect?”
“If you don’t trust me, then you can follow me from start to finish.”
“…….”
“Besides, thieves know thieves best! As someone who’s raided once before, I’ll track down every move of this new thief!”
“…Was that really something to boast about?”
“But! If I catch the real culprit, I have a condition.”
“A condition? What is it?”
“My condition is…….”
Yuri didn’t hesitate to state his demand.
After a moment, Duran pondered over Yuri’s words.
‘His frustration seems genuine, but…….’
Considering Yuri’s past behavior, he was not someone to be trusted.
Who knew what kind of schemes he might be planning?
‘Hmm… What should I do?’
After a long deliberation, Duran finally made his decision.
“Alright, I’ll give it to you… You can handle it.”
Yuri’s face lit up at Duran’s decision.
“A wise decision!”
While Yuri was detained by the Black Sword Corps.
The 50th cohort flooded into the Forest of Beginnings.
Soon, screams echoed from all corners of the forest.
“What, what’s going on?!”
“Who are these people?!”
“Ahhh! No, not that! Anything but that…!”
“My Dragon Plaque!”
Just as countless predecessors had experienced.
The 51st cohort of cadets was overwhelmed by the surprise attack from the 50th cohort, falling like dominoes.
Leading the charge were top contenders like Gunther, Nellie, Ivan, Pana, Clarice, Daniel, and Schleiman.
They displayed an unprecedented level of ferocity.
“Ha ha ha! Yes, yes! This is it!”
“Getting beat up all the time, now dishing out the hits like this… This feels amazing! Damn, this is life!”
“Is this what it felt like for Yuri to beat us up all the time? Hahaha!”
The 50th cohort had to endure daily assaults from Yuri, who would throw the first punch without warning, as if to say, ‘You may have started this rank battle, but I’ll be the one to finish it!’
Over time, the rank battles had devolved from mere sparring into thrashing sessions under the guise of meetings.
Those in the upper ranks especially bore the brunt of Yuri’s relentless attacks.
But the skill gap between them and Yuri was so vast that any attempts at resistance were futile.
They tried to fight back and retaliate.
But what good did it do?
No matter how hard they attacked, they couldn’t even graze Yuri’s clothes.
At some point, they began to wonder if they were really cadets of the Cradle or just Yuri’s practice dummies… They were lost in their own identity crisis.
But now…….
‘Right… I was a cadet of the Cradle!’
‘I wasn’t just a practice dummy!’
‘I can fight back too! My attacks have worth! My attacks can actually hit something!’
As they beat down the 51st cohort, they were rediscovering their identities.
While most of the 50th cohort was caught up in this frenzy, running wild in the Forest of Beginnings.
The first to spot the person of interest were Nellie and Clarice.
They blinked as they watched the situation unfold in front of them.
“…It’s real?”
“It’s really him?”
Yuri’s words were true.
There he was.
“Wow… It’s Poppy with hair.”
“Poppy with hair!”
Though a bit smaller than Poppy, his muscles were just as formidable.
And unlike Poppy, he had hair!
As Yuri had described, there was indeed a Poppy with hair standing right there.
But instead of wielding a shield, he was swinging a massive axe spear.
Whoosh—.
The axe spear stirred up a crimson whirlwind.
Clarice and Nellie could tell at a glance that the haired Poppy wasn’t someone to be trifled with, given the speed and power on display.
‘At least on par with us.’
‘There’s a monster in the 51st cohort too.’
The problem was that such a formidable presence was cornered and struggling.
Whoosh—.
The axe spear swept horizontally in a fierce motion.
A dozen or so boys and girls jumped back in fright before charging forward again.
Nellie and Clarice watched the scene with puzzled expressions.
‘Their skills aren’t that lacking, but still, Poppy with hair shouldn’t be overwhelmed like this.’
‘With his skill, he should be able to handle not just ten, but twenty of those riffraff.’
But the situation was the opposite.
A dozen boys and girls of modest skill had clearly gained the upper hand.
Observing the situation before them, Clarice soon noticed something and murmured quietly.
“Clever.”
Nellie nodded in agreement.
“Indeed.”
The ones they were calling clever were the boys and girls confronting Mucci.
“They’re using the rules of the Forest of Beginnings to their advantage.”
“There’s a smart one among them, huh?”
One absolute rule in this bug-infested trash heap: no killing allowed.
And those dozen or so kids were using that rule against the haired Poppy, forcing him into a corner.
‘If they can’t withstand the axe spear’s attack, they’re throwing themselves at it.’
‘It’s ruthless. They avoid attacks that would cause minor or moderate injuries, but intentionally throw themselves at ones that would be lethal. They’re certain their opponent won’t kill them.’
To avoid killing his reckless opponents, Poppy with hair had to hold back his spear.
Each time, it resulted in severe energy loss and left him vulnerable.
‘If this wasn’t a battle where lives were spared… it would’ve ended long ago.’
‘The combination of his large axe spear and the overwhelming skill gap created this scenario.’
While wearing down opponents of similar strength could work, the axe spear wasn’t suited for merely wounding weaker foes just enough to render them incapable of fighting.
The haired Poppy was in a difficult situation, and his complexion suggested he was already at his limit.
Clarice and Nellie could easily see this.
With a slightly trembling voice, Clarice posed a question to Nellie.
“…Hey, do you remember what Yuri Holland said?”
“He said if something happens to Poppy with hair, something will happen to us too, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course I remember.”
How could they forget after hearing it over and over?
But the problem was the current state of Poppy with hair, who looked to be in serious trouble.
“If things continue like this, Poppy with hair… will be in big trouble, right?”
“Probably… a high chance?”
“Should we just leave it like that?”
“Hmm…….”
They hesitated.
If something were to happen to Poppy with hair, how would “that guy” react?
Nellie cautiously voiced her opinion.
“…But it’s not us who’s messing with him, right?”
This was immediately countered.
“Do you think that bastard Yuri will just say, ‘Oh, I see, you guys aren’t at fault,’ and let it slide?”
“…….”
“…….”
They looked at each other intently.
Without speaking, they both thought the same thing.
‘He wouldn’t let it go!’
‘That bastard would definitely… come after us first!’
The 50th cohort had begun to understand Yuri’s way of thinking.
After all they had endured, if they still didn’t get it, it would mean they had poor learning ability.
And the Yuri they knew…….
[Poppy with hair in trouble? → Not your fault but still happened? → So, you get in trouble too.]
…would conclude the same way.
In other words, the current crisis Poppy with hair was facing…….
“Ah, no!”
“We have to save Poppy with hair… no matter what!”
…was a crisis for the entire 50th cohort.
Eyes wide open, Nellie and Clarice drew their weapons and rushed to the scene.