C256: Dean Gord Himbel (1)
Chapter sponsored by Jasonnnnnnn. Thank you for your support.
After dealing with the war mages, everything was over.
The captured guards were gathered in the middle of a large square and the mine slaves pointed their guns at them and spewed out insults.
They bowed their heads as if to express their gratitude when Rudger appeared.
It was because they knew very well that all of this was done by him and were amazed that he dealt with 3 war mages alone.
If the war mages remained, their rebellion would not have succeeded. Therefore, everyone here owed Rudger his life. But how did they know that?
"Brother, what are you going to do now?"
Rudger noticed that it was Hans's work, but tried to ignore it.
"The arrangement here is over. Now, as long as this mine collapses, they won't be able to mine rare metals any longer."
"What are you going to do with these guys here?"
Hans asked, pointing to the captives.
They were already beaten to the slaves' heart's content and were full of bruises here and there, but after hearing Hans' words, they lifted their heads and tried to say something to Rudger.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
However, since they had a gag around their mouths, the only thing that came out instead were groans.
Rudger looked down at them coldly.
"Even if we save these people, will they live a sincere life if they get out of here safely?"
"No way. At this point in time, it's very likely that the outside world is treating them like an incurable disease."
They are people who only do illegal things.
"But they should be given a chance."
Rudger said so and looked at the slaves around him.
"You're the ones who suffered, so take care of them as you want."
The opportunity he wanted to give was not for captive humans. It was for those who had suffered a lot from them, and who had been in a state of depression for many years.
Rudger turned his back and as soon as the two left, countless shots rang out from behind.
* * *
The Delica Kingdom was overturned once.
The subspecies, who claimed to have been captured as slaves, flocked to report.
They could've fooled them and dealt with the situation quietly if there were one or two of them but the problem was that there were hundreds of them.
On their bodies which were not properly washed, traces of assault and overwork remained intact, and it became solid evidence.
The reporters, who were thirsty for the scoop, did not miss this opportunity because of the unstable atmosphere of the Delica Kingdom these days.
Slavery had long been abolished since the colonial war 100 years ago. However, now that hundreds of people were captured in mines, rumors spread in the wind.
The Delica kingdom was embarrassed and announced that it would investigate the incident thoroughly.
Seeing an article on the front page of the newspaper, Rudger folded it carefully and left it nearby. There were piles of newspapers from other newspapers plastered with the same article.
"As brother said, I spread information to all kinds of newspapers."
"Well done. There must have been a lot of confusion at the top of this."
The Delica kingdom will not be able to touch them recklessly as the slaves that escaped and speak about the existence of the underground mines.
"Will the people who were released from the mines be okay?"
"It'll be alright. The rumor has spread to this extent, and there will be no fool trying to get rid of them."
Rather, they will do their best to prove that they are not criminals.
"Didn't the whole kingdom have a problem?"
"There have been many state-level experiments in this case, but this does not mean that the entire Delica Kingdom has done this."
"But at least it's not clear if those in high positions have joined hands."
"Yes. Since there were war mages at the scene, someone related to the military must have done this in secret."
"To use such resources it must have been at least a general."
"Generals don't have money, so there must be companies or aristocrats who supported them."
The two talked and organized the information.
At that time, Seridan, who was still working on a machine nearby, raised her hands up as if she had finished something.
"I'm done!"
What Sheridan made was a gauntlet that could be mounted on the forearm. The material was added with leather to make it easier to wear instead of metal, but that was not the important part. Sticking out from the wrist of the gauntlet is a wire launcher that can shoot hooks.
"As Nari said, with a design like this, you don't have to take it to use it!"
Sheridan handed Rudger a gauntlet equipped with a wire launcher and said. Rudger accepted the gauntlet without a word and looked at it with admiration.
'I gave her the idea of making it like this just in case.'
It's one thing to talk about it and another to actually make it.
However, Seridan may have been inspired by his words, and even after coming out of the mine, she was immersed in making it without sleeping or washing properly. And to her surprise, she successfully made what Rudger said.
Rudger, who mounted the gauntlet on his forearm, shot it toward the ceiling.
The place where they were located was a factory where people did not come, but the shot hook hit the steel frame of the factory and was stuck there.
When he tested the tension by pulling the wire moderately, it was definitely powerful enough to pull up one person.
"I didn't know you'd make it like this."
Rudger thought that Seridan's invention skills were certainly great. No, they were beyond great.
"I'm proud that Nari evaluates me like that! Now that I'm tired, I'm going to lie down!"
As soon as Seridan said that, she stretched out on the floor and fell asleep and started snoring like a cat.
Hans looked at her with a bitter smile.
"She made bombs on the spot and other strange things. Besides, when everyone said they would leave, she insisted on staying with brother. What a strange dwarf."
"Is this something a person who can turn into any animal as long as he's stabbed with a beast tooth should say?"
"Brother, I have a constitution but that's her personality. It's definitely different."
"Let's just say that."
"Let's move on then. What's your next goal? Have you decided anything?"
"Yes."
Rudger opened another newspaper.
It was also a newspaper dealing with the slaves' issue, but there was one more thing that caught the eye. An article about Casey Selmore condemning James Moriarty by revealing his crimes.
Hans glanced at it from the side and said sadly.
"……Seriously? Brother is now a criminal in this country."
"So we're hiding in these abandoned factories."
But James Moriarty's notoriety didn't spread that much although he couldn't wander around in broad daylight anymore.
Hans, who picked up a newspaper, sighed deeply as he read the article in it.
[Horrible: The Hidden Side of James Moriarty.]
Hans immediately crumpled the newspaper and knocked it to the floor.
"This is weird no matter how I think about it, it's weird."
"Hans."
"Think about it. They take young children and use them as biological experiments; they kidnap subspecies and enslave them in mines. They did the wrong, but why do we have to take the blame?"
Rudger was a hero who revealed their evil deeds while saving the enslaved people and destroying their laboratories.
However, the rumors about James Moriarty spread throughout the world were the opposite.
"You didn't do anything wrong, brother."
Rudger was a victim that couldn't even protect a child he cared about.
"Hans. As you say, I could certainly remain a victim."
Rudger certainly had that option.
"However, if I choose such a path, will the ones who instigated all this pay the price of their sins?"
"That is…"
"They'll hide and cut off their tails while pretending they're innocent."
Rudger had seen that many times. History so far has proved it.
"Hans, sometimes simply appealing is not enough."
People will sympathize when they hear the appeal. They will be saddened by the suffering of the victims, and angry at those who have done evil.
But then what?
People will forget about this one day and real culprits in the case will still be well off without suffering proper punishment.
The victim's grief lasts forever while the cry for justice is like a passing wind.
"Someone has to get dirt on their hands."
He didn't mean to listen to the people in grief. Empathy and nodding to the victim's words was nothing more than superficial comfort.
"That's your decision? To act at your own expense?"
"Hans. This is not justice. It's not even self-sacrifice."
Being cursed at, being pointed at or even having muddy water splashed on you didn't matter because Rudger couldn't ignore the evil in front of his eyes.
"At least that way, won't it be comforting for the dead?"
"Brother seems to be regretting his choice now."
"Regretting?"
At Hans's sharp point, Rudger smiled self-deprecatingly.
"I always regret it. All those things I've done from the moment I was born in this world."
"……."
"But what right do I have to be sorry for what I couldn't get?"
Perhaps he was too rusted to be sad about this. His tears have dried up, and even his laughter has disappeared.
"Why are you even doing that?"
"Why?"
Still, there was only one reason he wouldn't turn away from the truth and face it head on.
"Because I live in this world."
* * *
It was a dark night but the lights didn't go out during the night in the dean's office at Ordo University.
Dean Gord Himbel rubbed his glum eyes once while reading books and papers. There has been a lot of noise going on lately, but it had nothing to do with him as a scholar.
'Maybe it will calm down soon after a while.'
Then the windows of the dean's office opened wide.
Even though there was no rain or wind outside, a strong wind blew once and scattered papers piled up in the dean's office in the air.
Gord Himbel opened his eyes wide as someone was standing on the window frame by the open window.
"Who is it?"
He asked in a trembling voice.
The opponent was surrounded by a shadow assimilated with the darkness outside, so he couldn't identify him. He was wearing a crow-shaped mask and had a black cape. Red eyes flowed out from the inside of the crow mask.
"Dean Gord Himbel."
Gord opened his eyes wide to the voice without any alteration.
"That voice……Professor James Moriarty?"
Gord didn't understand the situation now.
Why was James Moriarty here?
How could he get here when he is being chased as a criminal?
Gord took a breath of breath and stared at him with a calmer look.
"……I'm here, so I'm not going to knock on your door."
At that, Rudger came down from the window frame and entered the dean's office. He naturally walked into the room and flopped down on the sofa.
Gord Himbel swallowed his saliva.
"I've heard rumors about you."
"What rumors have you heard?"
"…… Isn't it already in the newspaper? Professor James Moriarty was behind the scenes orchestrating a heinous crime."
"Do you think so, Dean Gord?"
The question left Gord Himbel speechless. He shook his head immediately, regaining his reason.
"I don't know. I've seen you so far.…."
"Really?"
"You're a great professor and a brilliant scholar. No one at Ordo University will disagree on that, by any means."
Then he turned into a criminal.
It was difficult for Gord to understand.
"Are you confused?"
"To be honest…… Yeah, and it's weird, too. Why did you come to me all of a sudden?"
"The dean helped me come to Ordo University."
"……Yes, I did. I didn't know you were that kind of person."
"It's not your fault. It's just that I'm so good."
Gord stared with wary eyes at what the hell this man was trying to say.
"Dean Gord, aren't you curious?"
"……what do you mean?"
"Why did I do this, and why did I come to see you?"
Rudger, sitting on the sofa, stared at Gord.
"So I'll give the dean a chance."
"What chance?"
"If you ask me a question, I'll answer it."
"Is that all?"
"Of course there are conditions. As much as you asked me, I will also ask you. Of course, the dean should also answer truthfully."
"Let's exchange questions and answers with each other."
"Yes, let's. It's not an opportunity but a game. The first question can be asked first by Dean Gord."
Gord took a deep breath for a moment and asked Rudger a question.
"What the hell is going on here? How come a brilliant professor like you suddenly got involved in a crime?"
"There was one unfortunate incident. Originally, I had nothing to do with this, but I ended up in muddy waters unintentionally."
"Is that your answer? Explain in more detail."
"I found a laboratory where experiments on kids were being done. There, people kidnapped young children and tried to transfer their souls."
Gord opened his eyes wide.
"They did such a dark wizard thing?"
"I witnessed it, and I tried to reveal the secrets of the laboratory, but I was framed for it instead."
Gord was silent. Probably wondering if he should believe Rudger or not.
"Dean, it's my turn to ask a question."
"……Yes. What do you want to know?"
Rudger asked, glaring at Gord behind his mask.
"Dean, why did you do that?"