Chereads / Darko Chronicles: The Immortal Corruption / Chapter 18 - The Identity of the killer

Chapter 18 - The Identity of the killer

After the murder on the first day of the entrance ceremony, many things changed within the academy. The most noticeable change was the anger of the royal families; the killing of three of their own caused a massive uproar.

This placed a tremendous burden on Saruman and the academy's leaders, who were responsible for the students' safety and security.

The royal family of Manchester, backed by larger royal families like Artavalia and Malekith, moved to investigate the matter.

Although Saruman announced to everyone that the killer was a chaotic creature, the royal families and Saruman himself strongly suspected that the perpetrator was an awakened human.

But who could this awakened individual be? Who would have the audacity and strength to kill three members of the royal families within the prestigious Lucaria Academy, under the eyes of the continent's most powerful saints?

This led to increased discontent, especially among the main factions, whose authority in the Court of Justice obligated them to find the perpetrator as quickly as possible.

What made the situation more complicated was the method of the killing itself. No one had ever seen a method of killing that left the bodies without a single drop of blood.

This raised doubts and astonishment, leading some to believe that the perpetrator might indeed be a chaotic creature.

But if the perpetrator was truly a chaotic creature, it would make this savage being who could wield a sword one of the most dangerous creatures ever.

Not only did it have a strange ability, but it was also a new creature that could use a sword that appeared out of nowhere.

Moreover, even the continent's strongest saints could not sense it.

Despite all these fears, the unknown killer made no move during the four days following the incident, making it seem like an incredibly intelligent creature.

For this reason, the lady known as the 'Eye of the Continent' came to Lucaria herself...

"Welcome, Great Saint Teresa," Saruman and dozens of other awakened and saints greeted Teresa, kneeling.

Teresa appeared old and majestic, with long gray hair, a slender body, piercing green eyes, and wearing a long brown coat. She leaned on a strange black cane with a skull-shaped handle.

Teresa responded with a smile, "Happy to see you all."

Leonard's team, consisting of Park, Lamar, and Orosawa, knelt nervously, their eyes wide with apprehension.

None of the other saints were pleased with her arrival either.

Everyone stood as Saruman spoke. "We need your help to complete the entrance ceremony, revered saint."

Teresa looked at Saruman. "My child, it is rare for you to seek my help."

This woman called Saruman, who was eighty years old and looked older than her, a 'child.'

"Why does she call him a child, for heaven's sake?" Many newly awakened individuals were puzzled by her words.

Saruman responded, irritated, "No one is better than you to ask for help in this matter."

Teresa laughed quietly and said, "We shall see."

Meanwhile, Jin was lying on his bed, tossing and turning from boredom with some feelings of tension.

During the past four days, he and all the academy students did nothing but sit in their rooms.

During this time, Jin tried to figure out what had happened to him that night when he lost consciousness, how he killed those three, and how he found himself in his room the next day.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find any logical answer.

Jin sighed, "This is so boring."

Then he heard a voice echoing everywhere, "Students, the ceremony will continue tomorrow morning, so make sure you're ready."

Jin bit his nails. "I hope everything goes smoothly."

The next morning, Jin moved to the colosseum. The tensions that were evident among the students a few days ago had dissipated, and they were now more relaxed.

Everyone was laughing and feeling relieved, as the announcement that the ceremony would continue today meant they had found the alleged chaos creature.

Everyone stood in the arena again, but this time the situation was entirely different. The place where Saruman usually sat was empty; Saruman sat on a side chair with the other saints.

Dozens of awakened individuals were densely spread throughout the colosseum.

The place was crowded and noisy. "Damn, why is everyone so loud this morning?" Jin cursed silently.

"Hello, Jin," Henry stood next to Jin, smiling awkwardly.

"Oh, Henry, I haven't seen you since the first day."

"Yeah, it's been a while."

"Huh what do you mean a while ? It's only been only four days."

Henry replied awkwardly, "Haha, yes."

Then everyone's attention turned to the old woman who had taken Saruman's usual seat.

"Who is that old woman?"

"Has Saruman retired or something?"

"Haha, it seems Saruman's failure forced him to change his place."

Everyone was talking and making jokes, while the students from royal families and celebrities looked pale, as if they had seen a ghost. Especially Yumi, Jonathan, and Alucard, who were the most pale of all.

Even the saints on the edges of the coliseum avoided looking at the old woman with suspicion.

The appearance of this woman made Jin uncomfortable, but he didn't care much. All he had to do was take the oath and leave.

Then Saruman shouted loudly, "Silence!"

"Today, we have an important guest, though many of you may not recognize our honored guest."

"But it is a shame on all of us if we do not recognize her."

Saruman then said firmly, "So everyone, show your respect for our revered saint, Teresa!"

At that moment, everyone in the arena went pale and knelt, except for Jin, who was momentarily shocked by their reaction before kneeling as well to avoid suspicion.

Jin whispered to Henry, who was pale and sweating profusely, "Who is that old woman?"

Henry replied, shocked, "Don't you know Saint Teresa? Have you been living under a rock or what?"

Jin was irritated by Henry's response. "Just answer me, you idiot."

Henry gave him a sidelong glance. "She's one of the five founding saints of the Holy Order."

"The five founders? The Holy Order? What does all this mean?"

"You really don't know anything, do you?"

Jin was annoyed by Henry's response. "Do I need to punch this idiot?"

Then he said, "If I knew, would I be asking?"

"Shh, be quiet," Henry said, looking down at the ground.

Then everyone stood up when Teresa raised her hand, signaling them to rise.

"Welcome, noble students of Lucaria. I am Saint Teresa, and I am here today to witness your oath."

Everyone in the arena, except for Jin, knew why Teresa was there and understood that she wasn't just there to witness the oath.

Teresa sat down and closed her eyes. At that moment, Henry's tension increased.

"Why are you so tense, Henry? You look like you're about to wet your pants."

"Well, if you don't know why Teresa closed her eyes, you're going to regret it later," Henry replied, annoyed.

"Huh? Closed her eyes? What do you mean?" Jin asked.

Henry answered, "Teresa has the ability to see the truth. Not only that, but she can also peek into the past of everyone present here."

"Of course, we all have an embarrassing or bad past that could get us expelled immediately."

Jin's expression changed, and he became so pale that he nearly fainted from tension.

"Oh my God, oh my God, she's going to expose me. I'm really dead this time."

After a few minutes, Teresa opened her eyes and smiled at everyone. "You all have a beautiful past, students."

Everyone's tension increased, and their faces turned blue.

Then Teresa looked at Saruman and the others, who were waiting for her response.

She said to them, "I know who the killer is now."

Teresa smiled and then turned to the students, speaking loudly.

"As you know, three of you were killed a few days ago."

"You were told that the killer was a creature of chaos, but it turns out it wasn't a creature of chaos."

Everyone's expressions changed in shock as Teresa continued, "The killer is something far more terrible."

Jin was about to faint, convinced that he had been exposed and would be executed publicly in front of everyone. "No, no, no, damn it!"

Teresa then said, "The killer is a corrupted Awakened one!"

"But he's no longer among you because he was killed too."

Everyone suddenly started talking and murmuring in shock about what she said.

"What the hell?"

"A corrupted Awakened? What is that?"

"Huh, a corrupted Awakened!"

Jin was stunned by what she said and just stared in shock. "Huh..."

After that, Teresa left to speak with Saruman.

Saruman asked her, "What do you mean he was killed?"

Teresa replied as she prepared to leave, "I'm sure that corrupted one is already dead."

"But I don't know how he was killed or when it happened."

Saruman nodded. "Okay, thank you. I'll return to my seat now."

After a few minutes, Saruman returned to his usual seat, annoying those who had mocked him earlier because he hadn't retired or anything like that.

The oath ceremony continued, and everyone felt relieved that the supposed danger had disappeared.

Everyone swore the oath in front of the statue and returned to their rooms, completing the second phase of the entrance ceremony.

Jin returned to his room, shocked and confused. He no longer understood anything that was happening.

Jin threw himself onto his bed, pulling at his hair. "I think I need to sleep, or I'll go crazy!"

A little girl, who looked like a child accompanying Teresa, asked, "Was that corrupted Awakened really killed, Teresa?"

The girl was dragging the severed head of a large chaotic leader behind her as she walked with Teresa.

Teresa smiled. "No, he's still alive."

The girl replied, "Oh, then why did you tell them he was killed?"

Teresa looked at her with a big smile. "Because the killer is one of the Yoshta's children."