Fake it till you make it [4]

Seconds passed, but no one spoke.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the scroll in his hand.

[Twilight Order]

It was a name very well known.

The greatest organization in the world. 

Run by a group of overly powerful individuals, whose presence alone posed a national-level threat.

The identity of the organization's members was still a mystery. 

They were infamous for almost everything. No matter where the crime was committed, one would find their traces.

For that, they were labeled as a high-threat organization.

But that was what the newspapers had to say about them.

Most people believed they were the real reason they felt safe.

"N–No way, Twilight Order?" 

One of the girls at the front stuttered, her hand reflexively reaching toward her mouth.

"...are they—are they targeting Eclipse?!"

"But, I heard they don't hurt the innocents…"

"Those damn criminals!"

[Tonight at exactly 10:00 PM, we'll dispose of the demon hiding inside Eclipse.]

"Are—are we going to die?"

They were all panicking.

But Leon found all of it amusing.

Turning his head to the left, he studied Ethan's expression.

He was infuriated.

'That's the perfect reaction,' Leon thought.

Born into a commoner's family, Ethan's mother left his side early. After that, his father was the one who raised him.

Life was good for him.

But it didn't last long.

One night, his village was attacked by low-ranked demons.

Ethan was just seven at the time.

During that night, no lives were spared. Every man, woman, and even child—they were all slaughtered before his eyes, one by one.

He was the only one who survived.

Or, to be precise, he was the only one who was left unharmed.

Why?

Because before the demons could even touch Ethan's skin, they were all slaughtered.

Who killed them?

Ethan Graves.

That night, he was blessed by the Lights.

Due to their low rank, the demons couldn't withstand even the faint Light Affinity radiating from Ethan's body.

They didn't see it coming. They had only heard of Light Affinity in ancient history.

Even now, demons believe it's a myth.

Even humans believe it's a myth.

Until the knights met Ethan the next morning.

"...A demon," Ethan muttered, looking at the scroll.

'There's no way he could ignore a demon.'

But the person holding the scroll didn't stop there.

"I—I found two scrolls."

From his pocket, he pulled out another scroll.

It was slightly longer than the first.

By this point, he was surrounded by the other students.

Leon and Ethan walked closer too, just to get a proper look.

The second scroll had pictures of several dead bodies and a tiny map of the Liora Kingdom, with places marked on it.

Eclipse was also marked.

"I knew it… this is a message!"

Everyone made their own assumptions.

"It's a message that the next dead body will be found in Eclipse!"

They began discussing the possibilities.

"No, no, then what's the role of a demon here?"

Someone raised this question.

"And—and what does it have to do with the Twilight Order?"

"..."

"..."

No one answered.

They just stared at each other's faces.

Then, Ethan, standing beside Leon, spoke in a calm tone.

"Maybe the demon had something to do with those dead bodies. The bite marks and the drained corpses were the proof…"

"How can you be sure?" 

It was Rinna who asked the question.

Ethan instantly shot her a glance.

"Because I know what they're capable of."

"...What?"

Leaving her words aside, Ethan continued,

"By deciphering the message, it can be concluded that there's a demon hiding inside Eclipse, who killed all the people mentioned in the other scroll, and…"

He took a deep breath and then added.

"It looks like the Twilight Order is after this demon—to kill it for the greater good."

Leon grinned after hearing Ethan's words.

'Great job.'

It was unfolding exactly as Leon had planned.

He wanted the news about the dead bodies to spread all over the capital.

By doing that, he would instill terror in the citizens, creating a psychological effect that would keep their attention fixed on the deaths.

A death that remained unsolved was terrifying.

Now, he wanted the news about a demon hiding in Eclipse to go viral.

This would strike deeper into the minds of the already frightened citizens, making them believe it was the demon's doing.

By doing so, the focus of both the citizens and the [Authority] would shift toward the demon.

Through fear, the citizens would pressure the [Authority] to act.

They would all think—

'If we kill that demon, then the deaths will stop.'

"..."

In reality…

Leon was targeting Lucian Thorne.

Because he was the only demon hiding under the noble name of a third-year student—Lucian.

Lucian would be furious to find his name suddenly dragged into this.

Even though he had nothing to do with those dead bodies, every eye would fall on the demon hiding inside Eclipse.

On Lucian alone.

He would have no choice but to move his plan forward.

'This is perfect.' 

Leon held back the urge to smile.

After all, he had just one more thing to do to finalize his plan.

That was, to use Ethan.

Just like he had used Eula.

It was Leon who pushed Eula to scatter the scrolls containing the information all over the capital.

It was Leon who sent his maid, Myra, to deliver a letter to the commander of the [Authority], Mr. Ezra.

It was Leon who informed Eula that Lucian was up to something, so she would move quickly.

His plan was working.

The scroll in front of him was the proof.

And now, he was just waiting for the final show.

And for that…

"Hey, Ethan," Leon tapped Ethan's shoulder.

"Yes?"

Leon whispered, 

"I have something important to show you, Ethan."