* A few minutes before the confrontation *
" I don't know what you're talking about." Sol kept his gaze forward, murmuring quietly. He sounded threatening due to his low voice and due to his hands grasping his sword's sheath, which was incredibly inconspicuous. You wouldn't even see it until your head flew off.
" I've seen one before... And you know that. Do you think I survived that attack through strength? I know how a Shrieker moves and how it kills. " I didn't mind his actions and just continued convincing him. He was the trap card and the best chance of actually getting out of this situation safely. Besides, I couldn't waver in front of the serious Sol.
" Why are you telling me this anyway?" Sol still kept quiet, using a low voice, preventing the others from noticing us, but he was clearly confused. Was he usually this untrusting? Well, he was quite mild compared to what I was reading in the real world, but still.
" Why? "Are you going to kill me now?" I said, which in turn gave Sol quite a dumbfounded look. Did he think I was too trusting? Well, the white heron is something that won't hurt me, so yeah, I do trust him.
" ... Alright, tell me who it is then." Sol was fidgeting with his sword as he spoke. He could actually be an actor with this type of acting. If I wasn't one, I wouldn't even notice such small gestures and body language.
"Kinmed," I say, possibly in the lowest voice I can muster.
"Wh-what? what do you mean it's Kinmed? " Sol appears to have accepted the fact that I knew what was going on, but not so much my deduction.
" Well, there's quite a lot of evidence about him. "Who do you believe it was?" Well, this isn't the perfect time to figure out Sol's deduction skills. He was looking for quite a hidden group after all.
"Toons?" He seemed confused and shocked at how I came up with such a conclusion. Well, he did seem like a normal leader compared to the others, who clearly had some suspicions about them.
" Alright, listen... First of all, when I asked him to store some of the rabbits, he specifically said he was carrying all the necessary items for this expedition, yet now he kept ordering Kleir to pull out the equipment... "
"And does that make him the suspect? " Sol expresses himself coldly.
" Didn't you hear me? I said, first of all. Anyway, that gave me the initial suspicions. But then, you see him clearly having no clue what a Shrieker is. Except for me, Kleir was the only one who knew anything about the situation when we were making plans.He was able to tell the characteristics of the Shrieker flawlessly. Toons had no knowledge and Kleir had little. Yet Kinmed, who seems quite knowledgable about the Shriekers, played some music on a speaker, knowing they have insane hunting abilities.
" But wasn't he here with us when James got killed?" Sol asks me, looking like he was staring at someone who had quite a great hidden talent.
How bad was I before I took over anyway? I don't know if I should feel grateful or not...
"Yeah, he was, but that isn't. James was probably murdered before we even heard that scream. " I say as I point at the speaker, blasting out some calming music.
" There's just one thing I'm quite uneasy about though... He's a little too sloppy for someone who could act like they didn't just murder someone. Like a psychopath on their first murder... "
" Anyways, you're a 4-star hunter, and from what I've seen, you seem stronger than the typical one. The plan will go like this... "
...
...
* Back to the present *
" I can't seem to understand what you're implying, student Mon." Kinmed looks at me with quite a piercing stare. He looked like he was ready to swallow me up any second now.
" The Shrieker," the one who killed James, You can see him when you look at the armor. " I say, calmly.
" Student Mon! What do you mean, Kinmed killed him? He would never do that! " Kleir, who was standing at the back, seems to have fully realized what I meant by my sudden exclamation. They were a thing after all.
" If that's so, we could always check that speaker, you know. If he really wasn't the killer, we'll know that way. James screamed when we were all together. I was keeping my eyes on everyone due to the tension in the area, and I was 100% sure that the audio clip was still playing.
" Student Mon! You're pushing the limits now! Calm do-"
" Haaa..... HAHAHAHA " Kinmed started laughing maniacally.
"You have a fantastic intuition, student Mon."Kinmed suddenly had quite a sinister smile, the opposite to his always calm demeanor.
DING!
" Scales: Komodo "
Kinmed's arm suddenly grew scales resembling those of a lizard. And in a split second, his blade was unsheathed as he rushed immediately towards my direction. Thankfully, though, Sol, with his quick and instant swordsmanship, managed to parry the incoming attack.
Thank god for the main character.
It was terrifying, though, as I looked at Kinmed's sadistic smile as he slashed a sword in my direction.
" Argh... " Sol grunted as he started to get pressured by the immense strength of Kinmed. I went and rushed at Kinmed, seeing him overpowering Sol, I had to distract him somehow and give an opportunity for Sol to escape his grasp.
I unsheathed the blade I was using to hunt the rabbits and slashed at Kinmed with pure strength and will to kill. I had no technique, but I didn't need it.
My sword slashed down, but Kinmed managed to grab it with his scaled arm.
"Tsk."I could only do so as he threw my momentum away from him. Thankfully, though, it was enough for Sol to escape his grasp. Thank God for the main character's fighting instincts.
" You guys are quite a handful, huh." He suddenly opened his mouth and there you could see his tongue take the form of a lizard as well. Licking his blade, he looks at us with the same sadistic smile, ready to gobble us up at any second.
" Let's see how Tree students fare in a life or death situation."