I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines-Chapter 143

Chapter 143 – Hangover (1)

We returned home.

None other than to the Academy.

There wasn’t much need for cleanup regarding the cult.

Selena had already dealt with most of it, and the remaining odds and ends were being handled by the squad members.

Thanks to that, we were able to return without delay.

Of course—

‘Not that everything was over yet.’

There were still various issues within the Academy.

A chill lingered in the atmosphere among the faculty, still locked in a cold war.

Perhaps because they’d realized there had been a traitor among them, the air around remained sharp and tense.

With such watchful eyes everywhere, the matter needed to be buried, at least for now.

It wasn’t something that could be exposed so easily.

Thankfully—

The problem was resolved more easily than expected.

That was thanks to the Dean’s help.

He announced that all related matters had been handled, and there was no longer any cause for concern.

Though the sudden declaration left the faculty a bit skeptical, they ultimately obeyed the old man’s word.

As expected, their trust in the one who had led the Academy for so long held strong.

The rumors settled down.

‘Say what you will… he really is the Dean, after all.’

Beyond that—

One other thing remained: cleaning up the traces.

The traces that proved Selena had been a traitor.

Letters, documents, records from that time—all had to be erased.

This task too was aided by a certain someone.

“I’ve sorted the documents just as requested. That should be enough to prevent any whispers.”

“I appreciate your help, Professor Cadel.”

That certain someone was none other than Professor Cadel.

A man who had always stood as Selena’s rival.

He assisted me in erasing evidence of the collusion and diverting the attention of the other staff.

He had known all along that Selena was the traitor.

—“Judas.”

—“There’s something I’d like to speak with you seriously about.”

It was after one of the faculty meetings that he quietly approached me.

To ask about my stance regarding the traitor.

Cadel had already been convinced that Selena was the one leaking information from within the Academy.

From what I gathered during that conversation, it went something like this:

—“I’ve suspected her for a while now.”

—“I simply lacked proof, so I kept my distance. But the recent attack solidified my conviction.”

—“The traitor I’ve been pondering over… it was Professor Selena, without a doubt.”

—“The evidence I’ve gathered so far only strengthens that hypothesis.”

It wasn’t all that strange.

In the original story, Cadel played the role of exposing Selena’s betrayal.

Although he had been a little too late to stop the resurrection of the Death Dragon or the destruction of the Academy, his discovery of the truth helped bring the internal betrayal to light.

It seemed the same had happened here.

—“What will you do, Judas?”

A calm, measured voice.

Professor Cadel left the decision to me.

How I would handle Selena.

He offered me a brief grace period before the truth would be brought up in the next faculty meeting.

It was also a subtle invitation to see for myself where the drunkard’s heart truly lay.

I nodded.

—“Then… I’ll trust that you understand.”

—“Please make the wise choice. Consider this my mercy as your instructor.”

Thanks to him—

I was able to reach out to Selena before she fell.

And we were able to return to the Academy together.

Cadel watched us upon our return, nodding once.

—“You did it.”

After that—

He even helped me sort through the documents, cooperating to clean up the aftermath.

Of course, even I couldn’t quite read Cadel’s intentions.

Despite being a significant figure in the original story, he was always depicted as inscrutable.

So much so that, when the betrayal subplot was unfolding, most players assumed Cadel was the traitor.

Myself included.

The most unexpected thing, though…

Was that he never revealed Selena’s betrayal.

Not only that—he helped us cover it up.

I had assumed the two of them were on bad terms.

Had I misread things?

Even so, it was hard to see what reason he’d have to help.

Technically, Selena had been a traitor to the Academy.

There was nothing about his support that made logical sense.

So I decided to ask him directly.

“Honestly, I’m a bit confused.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m wondering why you’re helping. I thought you two weren’t exactly on good terms.”

“Quite right. I dislike Professor Selena.”

“That’s precisely why I’m asking.”

“Beats me.”

Cadel answered vaguely, still moving his hand.

The pen tip traced elegant lines across the page, marking each letter in steady ink.

His hands were diligent, contrary to his words.

I asked with a slight smirk.

“Could it be you’re… fond of her?”

“……What?”

It was a fair suspicion.

If they were mere adversaries, he wouldn’t be going to this extent.

In this sort of story, pretending to dislike someone only to be secretly in love with them was a common cliché.

Selena was beautiful, with a dangerous sort of figure, so falling for her wouldn’t be strange.

Besides, they were of similar age. Plenty of room for mutual attraction—

“What in the world made you think that?”

…Judging by his expression, that wasn’t it. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoveIꜰire.net

It was one of sheer disgust.

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His brow furrowed as if the thought were physically repulsive.

Cadel shot me a cold glare.

“That was an incredibly rude thing to say.”

“My apologies. It seems I misspoke.”

“I am a married man, devoted to someone I love. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t associate me with such an old spinster.”

“……”

Is thirty even old enough to be called a spinster?

I swallowed the thought.

His stare was sharp enough to prick my cheeks.

And by the standards of this world, it probably was considered late.

Besides, his reaction was so overtly repulsed that I had no choice but to bow my head and offer a sincere apology.

It caught me off guard, but—

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

Cadel said nothing for a moment.

Then he sighed and continued.

“She and I may have bickered constantly, but she was one of the few geniuses I respected.”

Ghalimar, home to the best educators on the continent.

Even among such faculty, those who could match Cadel were few and far between.

Perhaps “rival” was the better word.

Selena was one of his rare equals in magic, even if not in combat.

He added—

“We taught together for seven years. Outwardly, she may have seemed like a drunkard, but when it came to her students, she was sincere. I learned much from her. I never once thought she took the Academy lightly. And that’s why…”

Whether he liked her or not—

They had walked the same path since their probationary years.

Even if they said they hated each other, it would be a lie to say there was no bond.

“I simply concluded… that Professor Selena is still someone the Academy needs.”

Maybe they were closer than I thought.

Bound by the same idea of home.

‘Cadel Evens.’

In the original, he had been Class A’s homeroom professor.

He played a supporting role to the protagonists.

Though he had a sharp tongue and a few eccentricities, he was a good person at heart.

He had devoted himself to the students and the Academy—until he was murdered by the cult.

I smiled quietly.

“In other words… you were friends.”

“Correction. We were bad friends.”

“Close enough.”

Bad friend.

A phrase that implies disapproval, but still recognizes the other as a friend nonetheless.

I didn’t press the point further.

I simply took the stack of documents with a soft smile.

Throwing in a little joke.

“You’ve worked hard, as always. Looks like this closes the incident.”

“Indeed. I haven’t slept in three days. That disgraceful woman ought to thank me. She’s lucky to have such a capable colleague.”

“Fufu… I’ll be sure to let her know.”

“Tell her to focus on recovering. I hear she’s still in bed.”

“She should be discharged within the week. If you’d like, you could stop by to visit—”

“I refuse. Over my dead body.”

“I figured as much.”

A sharp rejection.

I chuckled lightly and rose from my seat.

“I’ll be going, then.”

Outside the once-dark windows, dawn had begun to rise.

The sunlight peeled away the curtain of night.

And so—

I stepped toward the tomorrow that had drawn near.

Leaving the study, I strolled down the long corridor.

“Now all that’s left is…”

The final touch to this episode.

The drunkard, still likely asleep in dreamland—

But soon to awaken.

I crossed the breaking dawn to welcome her back.

Please—

From today onward.

May your yesterdays be peaceful.

And your tomorrows shine bright.