The room fell silent once more. This time, the quiet felt even more oppressive than before, all eyes fixed squarely on me.

Ba… Thump! Ba… Thump!

My heart drummed loudly inside my skull, pounding so intensely that it felt like it was all I could hear.

And just as I was about to speak and prove my innocence…

"I see."

The Section Chief stood up, letting out a long sigh as he cast a disappointed glance at the rat.

"I really tried my best to get you to stay longer. Had you been honest… Haa."

The Section Chief let out another sigh, and the faces of everyone in the room turned toward the rat, each expression more complex than the last.

"W-what?"

Completely taken aback, the rat looked around.

"W… what? I am not lying. Look at everything that has happened so far! From the time that he disappeared at the gate to the time he joined the Guild. All the clues are there! Why can't all of you see it?"

All of a sudden, he was no longer scared and trembling.

His voice was smooth and clear.

"It's so clear! He's the Jester! I'm telling you…! He's the Je—"

"Stop."

The Section Chief cut the rat off, placing his hand over his forehead. The disappointment in his gaze was unmistakable as he looked at the rat.

Even so, the rat didn't seem to get the hint.

He continued.

"I'm telling you! He's the Jester! Why don't you believe me? The clues are there! Even if he's not the Jester exactly, I'm sure you can see there's a connection between him and the Jester! This bas—"

"Do you think we're all deaf?"

The Section Chief cut off the rat once more, leaving him stunned.

"W-what?"

Shaking his head, the Section Chief gestured toward the door.

"You left the door open. All of us heard the conversation. You think we don't know what you were planning? Agh…" The Section Chief rubbed his forehead. "I really had high hopes for you, Myles. I really did. I just didn't think you would be like this."

"W-what? Open…? B… but…"

The rat's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, seemingly stunned by the sudden turn of events.

But then—

His eyes turned to me once more, and as our gazes met, the corner of my lips curled. Time seemed to slow down in that moment as the rat's mind processed the entire situation.

Soon, his face contorted.

"It's you!"

He screamed, his body jerking.

"This is all because of you!!"

His shouts reached every corner of the room. Gone was the usual calm, relaxed smile he wore, along with the dimples that usually accompanied it. In its place was a twisted and demented expression.

He lunged at me, but—

"Stop him!"

"Stop!"

He was quickly apprehended by the others in the room.

"All because of you! Bastard! I'll kill you!!!"

His screams echoed throughout the entire department as he was escorted out of the room, thrashing about in the process, the Section Chief watching the scene with a cold, detached look. Eventually, he shook his head and turned his attention toward me.

"I'll take care of this. In the meantime, you can take some time to heal up your face and wounds. I'll make sure to get a good grasp of the situation. We'll talk right after."

He proceeded to leave right after that, some following after him.

Soon, it was just me and a few familiar faces.

"Hey…"

Kyle nudged my arm, pulling my attention towards him as he looked at me with a worried look.

"Are you okay?"

"Me…?"

I took a deep breath, slowly nodding my head and helping myself up.

"I'm… doing okay. Just a little surprised."

"I'm also surprised." Kyle sighed, his expression turning complicated. "Who would've thought he was like that?"

"…I didn't think of him as a person like that. He really had me fooled."

Zoey added, staring at the door, her eyes just as complex as Kyle's. I could tell that the two of them had spent a good amount of time with him and, as such, assumed that they had gotten a good grasp of him. The surprise they must've received after seeing his true nature was certainly not small.

"Same."

I held onto my face while listening to the conversation around me. They were all saying similar words to Kyle and Zoey. Something about their shock and disappointment.

I took the scene before closing my eyes, and feeling the device the Guild Master had given me beforehand.

'...I guess I should give this to him later.'

Just as he had requested, I now had the 'excuse' that he needed in order to kick the rat out of the Guild.

***

Following Myles's outburst, he was taken to the interrogation room within the Guild. It was usually the kind of place used to interrogate cult members or people who were generally against the Guild, but today marked the first exception.

"You can leave the two of us. I'll take it from here."

Dismissing everyone, the Section Chief closed the door behind him and turned his attention towards Myles.

He thought back to the previous situation.

He had been busy handling his own matters when he was suddenly called for an emergency. Since he wasn't far, he rushed toward the main area, and it was there that he noticed a group huddled near a certain door.

The shock he felt upon hearing the conversation between Myles and Seth, along with the sudden fight that occurred, was hard to describe.

He was still struggling to process it.

"Myles..."

Sitting down on the chair opposite Myles, the Section Chief looked at him. His expression grew even more complicated as he studied him. Although most of his face had healed from the fight he had endured, scratches and bruises were still visible all over.

Eventually, the Section shook his head while leaning back on the chair.

"I'll be honest, I didn't expect you to be like this. You were the last person I'd expect to do something like this. What... made you do this? Is it because of Seth? Are you jealous of Seth?"

While he didn't get to listen to the entire conversation, the Section Chief was still able to gather some information from those who had witnessed the entire fight. From what he managed to piece together, it all seemed to stem from Myles wanting to kick out Seth because he was standing out too much.

'There's some truth to the information, but at the same time, Myles isn't trailing too far behind Seth. I don't see why he would do something like this.'

Was this simply insecurity, or was there more to it than he knew?

The Section Chief carefully studied Myles, and just as he was about to open up his mouth to speak, Myles cut him off.

"Section Chief, I know you aren't dumb. I'm sure you can see what I can see."

Myles's voice was rather hoarse, but his words were enough to make the Section Chief pause as he stared at Myles. He didn't say anything, but his silence spoke volumes. How could the Section Chief not make the same connection that Myles had made?

He wasn't dumb.

He saw the subtle connections.

It was just that... it was too unbelievable to accept.

"He is certainly hiding something. Whether he is the Jester or not, I'm sure he has some connection to it. You know it, I know it..." Myles clenched his teeth, his body leaning forward slightly, but just as the words were about to leave his mouth, the door opened.

Clank!

A smiling figure walked in shortly after, and the Section Chief stood up immediately.

"Guild Master!"

"Mhm."

With a casual nod, the Guild Master looked at Myles and then the Section Chief. While he didn't say anything, the Section Chief immediately understood the situation and excused himself.

"I'll be leaving him in your care."

"Yes."

The Guild Master nodded, not saying anything else until the door closed.

Then—

Just as a tense silence filled the room, Myles's voice drifted in the air, his voice even hoarser than before.

"It's been a while..." His face contorted as he stared at the man before him, pure hatred marring his features. "Father. I... missed you."

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