My Family in the Novel?

Chapter 141: First Act 12: Deals

"I guess you did, huh? Well, I didn't expect you to plant it this early though."

It made strategic sense for him to carry out this act ahead of schedule, evading the academy's scrutiny in the process.

In the novel, the character he portrayed was seen escaping on the exact day of the outflow. It was a discrepancy that raised questions about the intricacies of the plot.

Did he return here to activate the bomb later? Or did something else happen for him to return?

Does he have a short mana zone? If so that makes sense considering this guy's mana level was just a bit above average.

He probably can't send his mana away more than 500 meters away.

Mana bombs are typically bombs that explode the moment you send a mana signal with the same frequency as the bomb so it was quite the effective tool used by adventurers, when they wanted to take something big while hiding in the back.

"Y-you... How did you?"

He stammered, visibly shocked that I had uncovered his motives.

From his perspective, I might have appeared as a scout or tester, inspecting the dungeon in preparation for the upcoming exams next week.

I guess this part of the story in the novel is still going to happen, huh?

Looks like the main arcs of the story are bound to happen as long as I haven't deviated enough, but anything else other than that is bound for a change, huh.

Now that I scrutinized him closely, a peculiar sensation pricked at my senses—an elusive hint of divinity. However, he didn't appear to be directly blessed by a god. Intrigued, I approached him, and he instinctively recoiled in fear.

"W-what?" he stuttered; his apprehension palpable.

"Stay still," I commanded, seizing the hem of the robe he wore. Upon contact, a subtle yet firm aura of divinity revealed itself. It wasn't that he, himself, was bestowed with divine favor, but rather his equipment. Although I couldn't pinpoint the exact nature of the divinity cloaking his cloak, I surmised it played a role in the accelerated healing of his body during our earlier skirmish.

"Hey, kid," I interrogated.

".... What?" he responded, still on edge.

"Where did you get this?" I demanded, pointing to the source of the mysterious divinity.

".... I... can't tell you," he resisted, his tone defiant.

"Really now?" I retorted, clenching my fist threateningly.

"Ha-ha... punish me all you want... I would never tell you anything that might expose our great wish—"

He began, but before he could finish his words, my fist connected with his face in a powerful blow.

While I held back enough to prevent his demise, the impact left his face grotesquely disfigured.

Swiftly, I retrieved a vial of healing potion and poured it onto his wounded face.

Just as he regained consciousness and the healing took effect, my fist struck him again.

The cycle continued—heal, punch, heal, punch—repeatedly, until he finally succumbed to the relentless onslaught.

"P-please... Wait! I really can't—" he begged.

Slam!

My first connected with his face once more. It took nearly an hour of relentless pummeling before the defiant youth conceded, providing me with the answers I wanted.

....

"So?" I retorted.

"So?" he echoed, finding my response utterly ridiculous.

"Don't get the wrong idea, kid. I'm not doing this for the school or something, nor am I attached to any of the students here... Well, except for a few, I guess. But anybody else can go. In fact, that was what I was planning to begin with. Let's just say your plans just happen to help me in that"

I explained to him. While not entirely untrue, considering my need for a number of innocents to sacrifice to Mother, the forthcoming incidents at the academy after the dungeon exploration exams would provide a perfect cover, with his Lunar Dawn organization playing a key role.

"So, you're not from the academy?" he inquired, suspicion in his eyes.

"I never said I was. But don't worry; I'm nothing to be concerned about"

I assured him with a seemingly friendly smile, though he looked at me as if I were beneath him.

Perhaps my shift in demeanor had caught him off guard, and the revelation that a fellow student was orchestrating the demise of his peers likely soured my image.

"So, what do you say? Deal?" I proposed, extending my right hand for a handshake.

In contemplation, he hesitated before finally accepting my hand, and we shook on it. Instantly, an otherworldly darkness enveloped our hands, and ethereal chains bound us briefly before vanishing.

"What was that?" he asked in a fearful tone, unnerved by the mysterious occurrence.

"Let's just say it's the confirmation of our deal a contract confirmation per se" I replied cryptically, rising to my feet.

I pulled him up with me, as I was still holding his hand.

"Oh, and if you break the contract, you'll die, okay? So, you better help me next week," I added with a seemingly carefree smile.

As he was about to inquire further, I redirected the conversation, pushing him on his back and asking about the orc lord's location. Frustration was written all over his face, simmering beneath the surface.

.....

Getting back to the dorms proved quite the hassle, navigating through the watchful eyes of numerous guards posted near the dungeon as night fell.

Nonetheless, I successfully completed my objective at the dungeon for now.

Making the orc lord swallow the demon stone wasn't a significant challenge; I had the kid do it for me.

It was quite amusing to witness him running for his life, screaming profanities at me while I laughed from the sidelines.

However, things took a more serious turn when the kid nearly lost his life. I had to intervene and use my sister's authority on the orc lord.

The kid seemed eager to ask questions about what I did, but I opted to ignore him, deciding to end the day there.

I instructed him to meet me at a certain café in the commercial district tomorrow to receive an extra mana bomb.

Whether he'd actually show up or not, after what I subjected him to remained uncertain, but truthfully, I didn't care.

As I stretched my back, reflecting on the day's events, I realized how tedious it had been.

The novel did mention Tristan going deeper with each adversary they faced, but experiencing it firsthand was quite different.

If that kid hadn't provided me with a bunch of shortcuts on the way, the journey would have taken much longer.

Normally, I would have headed straight for my room, but a different urge led me up the stairs.

Cloaking myself with my night cloak, I activated its effects, rendering me invisible to the naked eye.

My presence vanished completely as I ascended.

The reason for this detour? A precious and holy saintess of mine awaited my attention, and I had some punishment in store for her.