Chapter CXXXIX - Cursed Handshake (part 1)

Jennice told me about what she got from the questioning in the living room, while Henry and his club mates are waiting in the operation room with Jennice's friend guarding.

The club mates said that they were arguing about something, and Henry got quite angry. All of the sudden, he looked like he got a rather terrible stomachache, crouching on the ground before starting spitting flames everywhere crazily.

"She said, for a glance Henry looked like a beast on a rampage. She said it was very much like that."

"Hmm... A beast on a rampage... Could she mean a demon beast?"

"… What's that?"

Ah, right. I forgot that Jennice isn't an adventurer.

"Never mind. Something only adventurers would know."

Jennice then chuckled remembering that I was once a wild adventurer. But then she also recalled how I am the president of the student council, so she quickly shuts up. I laughed on the inside seeing the change in her expressions.

"I see what is going on. Tell Henry and his friends that the issue has been solved."

I stood up, followed by Jennice who looked quite confused.

"W-Was that it?"

"Yes. I have a guess about what happened. Tell Henry there's no need to be worried about it."

"I see… Then I will go and do that."

Jennice then turned to the operation room to tell everyone about it. Meanwhile, I was left to ponder on my own.

This is interesting... Very interesting.

One of the reasons why the beasts in the wild became a demon beast, was because they were cursed. It could be caused by natural reasons, like contact with another demon beast or something. Or it could also be caused intentionally by someone who can place those curses.

In other words, a shaman.

It is most likely that Henry had contact with the shaman. He must have shook his hands or something to have a curse on his hand.

To be cursed from a handshake, it's possible that this shaman is being friendly with Henry while secretly trying to harm him. Luckily the curse isn't that deadly and was able to be pressed down using will force. Henry has been doing a great job in doing it until now.

The group then came out of the operation room, and from the looks of it, they all had made up and apologized to each other. But before they left, I approached Henry.

"Henry, can I have a second?"

"Y-Yeah…?"

He turned around and let his friends leave first while he followed me to the sofas.

"Tell me. Where did you come from?"

I asked him as we both sat down on opposite sofas.

"Here, Xyphon… I'm a resident here."

"Are you a noble?"

"Y-Yes, my father is a Viscount, and his mage rank is a Master Magician."

I heard that Xyphon nobles have two ranks. One is their noble rank, while another is their magician rank. Their magician rank greatly influenced their noble rank, while their noble rank is good for influence.

It's a simple caste system with extra steps, if you ask me. At least it's a lot better than Mazino's.

"I see. Does your father, the Viscount as well as a Master Magician, have some enemies?"

He tilted his head hearing that from me.

"I'm sorry, but a noble always has 'enemies'… You would know this, right?"

"Ah, yes. Of course."

I forgot he is a first year, and he didn't know about how I am an adventurer and a commoner. Well, let's just leave it at that.

"Tell me. Have you ever... shook hands with his enemies?"

He pondered over for a while, and answered.

"Quite… a few of them. But there was a time when I shook one of the guests he invited into the house. Later on, we discovered that he got banished from the kingdom for a crime."

"That's a… very clear answer. Can you tell me about him?"

"His name is Astar Besmar. He was a noble at the kingdom, but got banished for being connected with a group of human trafficking in Xyphon."

"Human trafficking... I see. When was it that you first discovered your curse?"

"Around four years ago."

"And when was it when you met this Besmar guy?"

"... Around four years… ago."

Looks like we found the answer. Everything correlates very well.

Looks like Henry already had some guesses about it as well, otherwise he wouldn't be able to answer.

"I will report this to the headmaster. You just live your life here at the academy normally. I'll take it from here."

I said as I stood up and he followed. Then he met up with the others outside the room and headed to their burned down club room. Jennice saw me, and she quickly asked a question.

"So you have an idea about what happened, president?"

"Yep. Take a rest, Jennice. I'll go talk with the headmaster."

"Okay... Good luck."

Jennice and her DC friend then headed down the stairs and left the club's building, while I returned back inside the club room and slapped my back at the sofa again. 

My sleep was disrupted. Time to continue it again.