Instructor Joel said something that made me pause. My thoughts had been elsewhere, but the words snapped them back.

"Huh?"

"I said murder. You've heard about Sleepless Kael's disappearance, right? It's been confirmed that he was killed in cold blood."

"..."

Five days had passed since the sudden interrogation led by the Head Instructor and his colleagues. Now, I sat in the Way of Survival class, listening to another lesson on terrain study and exploration.

For once, I chose to attend all my courses in my main body. It couldn't be helped. If I transferred my consciousness fully into the Mirror Bond, my real body would remain motionless and unguarded. Worse, it would grow unnaturally stiff from lack of movement.

With that in mind, I dismissed the Mirror Bond back into my "domain" and carried on with my activities myself.

After all, it was never wise to indulge in laziness too much… even for someone as lazy as me.

Though I hadn't expected to be blindsided by someone suddenly bringing up murder without any warning. It was abrupt, to say the least.

Seriously, who starts a conversation like that?

Frowning, I inquired,

"A Sleepless was murdered? How's that even possible? And Kael, I thought he was missing, yes? When was it decided that he was dead?"

The masked instructor, sitting cross-legged, shrugged and began to explain the situation nonchalantly.

"A few days ago, apparently. I was not part of the investigation team, but the conclusion was that Sleepless Kael was murdered. The reason behind it is classified, so you'll have to promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone. Understood?"

That last line carried an uncharacteristic gravity, stripped of Joel's usual melodious tone. I nodded.

He continued.

"Upon further observation, it appeared like nothing inside his room had been moved or touched. If Kael had simply left the academy, then he would have surely carried a few times with him especially his communicator. However, this wasn't the case. On top of that, traces of blood were found on the scene, but there was no signs of a struggle. He was likely poisoned, and the killer disposed of the body."

I grimaced.

"How disturbing. Has the killer been caught?"

Joel shook his head.

"Not yet. There is a prime suspect, though. His name is Xyler, one of Kael's acquaintances. Interestingly, he was present the night Kael disappeared. Currently, he's detained inside his dorm room until further notice."

Tilting my head, I pretended to blink in surprise.

"Huh?"

Then I continued from there.

"Isn't that strange? Why would he be detained? Isn't he just a prime suspect? It doesn't necessarily mean he's the killer, right?"

Funny enough, it was something I had said before but I needed to say it again.

Joel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and from the look in his eyes, it seemed he understood — or at least didn't disagree with — my reason.

"That's true. Being the prime suspect doesn't necessarily make someone the actual perpetrator," he said, the faint glow behind his mask flickering ominously. "But the issue is that Xyler was the last person to see Kael alive. You might not know this, but the Clan he belongs to… well, they have a rather notorious history."

My eyebrow arched in surprise, for real this time. "You mean the Blood Blossom Clan? What about them?"

"For starters, they weren't always called the Blood Blossom Clan. During the Old Emperor Era, they were known as the Crimson Lotus. They were some of the most ruthless and cruel individuals you could imagine. If they wanted someone dead, that person was dead. If they wanted someone to vanish, they disappeared as though they had never existed. To put it bluntly, they were assassins who thrived in the shadows. Naturally, it's easy to see why people feared and despised them."

Joel leaned back slightly.

"Eventually, the other clans decided that the Crimson Lotus had become a nuisance and plotted their eradication. But the clan's Venerable at the time anticipated their move and made a daring decision: he led the clan to merge with the Great Imperial Clans, abandoning their old name and forsaking their identity as assassins. That's how they survived complete annihilation. Tsk. Those bastards. If I could spit on the floor, I would have done so."

What an intriguing history. Still, something about it felt incomplete.

I didn't need to voice the thought.

Judging by the way he glanced at me, Instructor Joel must have sensed my contemplation. Without missing a beat, he picked up right where he had left off.

"You've probably realized this already, but things didn't end there. If I explained everything at once, we'd be stuck here all day. For now, all you need to know is that the Blood Blossom Clan remains troublesome even today. This casts a shadow over Xyler. There's another reason to suspect him: one of his associates disappeared prior to Kael's death."

I furrowed my brow and asked impatiently,

"Who?"

Joel replied casually, as if it were nothing unusual.

"A Sleepless named Zephyr. Unlike Kael, he belonged to the Sky Wind Clan. Coincidentally, both this clan and the Blood Blossom Clan are classified as Lessers, but their relationship is far from cordial. In fact, the Sky Wind Clan became a Lesser because the Blood Venerable killed their acting Venerable under unusual circumstances, causing the clan to collapse and be absorbed into a Greater Clan. Do you understand the implications of this?"

I could only mutter an "Ah" in acknowledgment.

Given the circumstances, it made sense why Xyler had been flagged as the prime target for questioning. The boy himself was innocent, but the Instructors had no way of knowing that. Complicating matters further, both of his friends had "disappeared" in quick succession.

Ironically, their deaths conveniently painted Xyler as the scapegoat, diverting attention away from my own involvement.

My brows knitted together.

Guilt lingered, though I tried to push it aside. After all, I was the one who had killed those two, yet someone else was bearing the consequences of my actions. Most likely, Xyler would face even greater complications from those in higher power. Still, that didn't mean I was about to confess or hand myself over.

I was just that selfish.

But something didn't quite add up. Instructor Joel didn't strike me as the type to casually divulge classified information, especially to a Sleepless like me.

Curiosity crept into my voice as I asked,

"Instructor Joel… why are you telling me all of this? Is there a reason?"

Hearing my question, Instructor Joel suddenly fell silent. Behind the white eyes of his porcelain mask, I could sense him weighing something, perhaps an internal debate over whether to reveal the information or not.

The tension in the room was almost palpable. After a long pause, it seemed one side had prevailed, and he finally spoke:

"Despite everything I've told you, I don't believe he's the one responsible for their deaths. It feels far too convenient. It's entirely possible he's being framed, and the real culprit remains at large. Tsk. That damn bastard."

Ouch.

"Even more pressing," he continued, "there's a festival coming up in the next few days — what we call the Great Imperial Festival. Naturally, most Sleepless will want to leave the academy to partake in the celebrations, which is precisely what worries me. That's also why I'm telling you all this. Be careful, and if possible, don't linger outside for too long."

I could only smile wryly.

There was no need to fear some killer because I was that mysterious killer. Of course, that was not something I could easily disclose. And for now, I had no intention of claiming another life, so nobody else will die.

…At least, not for the time being.

Following that, he said nothing more on the subject, signaling the conversation's end. We returned to the lecture as if nothing had happened at all.

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