General Todd glanced up from his table and the paperwork on it. His eyes flicked between the teacher, the two recruits, and the blood on two of them.

Dale watched as the General scanned both of their bodies for cuts or ghastly wounds. He obviously found none.

"Sir. A student was found with a blade embedded in his chest — a saber, which appears to be his weapon of choice." The teacher spoke as he gestured to Dale then Decay and Blight.

Dale’s blood ran cold. ’I knew it.’ Despite his earlier performance, he was obviously still a suspect by virtue of having similar weapons to those used.

He glanced at Ream’s impassive expression through the corner of his eye. ’This was really planned out well. I wonder how long it took to set everything up.’

Before the teacher could continue presenting the case, General Todd interrupted him. "The boy is innocent — he has been undergoing training and was just returning from it."

The General’s words stunned everyone there for a different reason.

Naturally, it stunned Ream seeing another cog in the military take Dale’s side for the second time in a row.

His muscles clenched, vibrating as he gritted his teeth. How was it fair?

The teacher’s reason was similar to the former’s. Why would someone as important as General Todd evidently take sides especially for a matter as important as this?

Then lastly was Dale. Now, his reason was completely justified.

There was a major difference between a person having an idea of what you are doing at a particular time and them having a complete schedule of your activities.

’Has he been watching me?! Why? For how long?!’

General Todd leaned forward on his table and his medals glinted in the light. "So who reported it in the first place?"

The teacher quickly adjusted and pointed to Ream. "Him, sir."

Everyone’s eyes fell on him and a nervous smile broke out on his face.

"Yes, sir. It was I who reported. I told the teacher that I saw a student who had been stabbed and when we got there, I pointed at him on the floor." Ream spoke calmly.

Dale’s eyes widened slightly and for the first time, he realized just how much Ream had planned the setup.

’No wonder he hadn’t accused me directly... it was a necessary measure of his backup plan. He used a vague report so that if I was found guilty, he would be praised as a hero.’

And if he was taken as innocent — as was the case — he could claim that it was the teacher who had misinterpreted it.

’He is truly cunning and desperate for revenge. How troublesome.’ He kissed his teeth.

The teacher’s eyebrows furrowed. "The recruit is currently under intensive medical care. He’ll recover soon enough to tell us who actually stabbed him."

General Todd nodded and dismissed them except for Dale.

As the teacher and Ream walked out, the latter threw a death glare at him — one that he didn’t hesitate to return.

"It seems as though you have enemies working against you... And so soon? That’s not ideal." The General remarked from behind him.

Dale turned around to see the decorated military officer staring at him.

He continued, "Do you know why I defended you?" The question was rhetorical but Dale wanted to ask anyway.

"Why? Isn’t it because I’m funny?" He replied dryly.

General Todd’s eyes squinted. "The case was far too suspicious, almost as though you were meant to be a suspect and so, it was only logical that it was a setup."

Dale just stared and tried to prevent his face from betraying the inner turmoil. ’And I thought I was intelligent. It seems as though there is a lot of that here.’

Then again, it could be that he just happened to have gotten the interest of one and become the enemy of the other.

General Todd sat up. "Then there’s the other reason; if it were you, you would be the last person anyone would suspect."

"Or that could be part of your plan and you could have done it."

Dale lazily raised an eyebrow. ’Is he that suspicious of me? Isn’t he watching my every step?’

He had quickly come to terms with being watched just as he had with Sergeant Joanne. ’Huh, I wonder where she is.’

A heavy silence fell between both of them with the General watching Dale intently and him trying to avoid the former’s eyes.

Before he could ask for permission to leave, the door opened and Doctor Edmond walked in.

General Todd turned to him. "Yes?"

The Doctor shifted slightly on his feet. "Sir, you called me."

Dale’s eyes slowly widened as an unsettling premonition fell on him.

"The recruit!!" He yelled and immediately sprinted to the clinic. Doctor Edmond paused then followed him.

As he ran, his mind covered his thought process again. The chances of someone telling the only doctor that he was summoned just when he had a high-risk patient were near improbable.

Dale had experienced the speed of the medical officer’s ability. He was sure the recruit would recover in a few minutes — something the attempted killer couldn’t risk.

So why not lie and get the doctor out of the way so you can finish the job?

When he got to the clinic, he kicked the door open and froze.

At some point, Doctor Edmond had gotten a bed for the recruit to lie on. Now, he lay there. Lifeless.

A massive cut had been delivered to his chest with both precision and cruelty.

"Get out of the way!" Doctor Edmond pushed Dale out of the way and started attending to the body but it was too late.