429 Suspect [5]
It covered my entire vision. It was all I could see. The hand reached out for me.
The more it moved, the larger it grew. It felt stifling. Suffocating. I couldn't breathe. "Don't move. I'm just going to check something real quick." Ah. I tried to move back, but it was as if invisible ropes bound me in place. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move at all. A cold chill ran down my spine as the man in white's hand inched closer.
Just what in the... Plack! It all stopped when a hand reached down to grasp the approaching hand. "Chancellor?" Surprised, the man in white turned around. "Is there something that you're unsatisfied with? I'm merely doing a quick check." "....."
When I raised my head, I saw Delilah standing there, her hand gripping the man's wrist, stopping him from reaching me. Her expression was cold, and her presence seemed to suffocate the room.
She stood silently while staring at the man in white. Eventually, her lips parted open as her soft voice whispered out, "He just woke up." "Yes, I know, but the check won't do much harm to him." "It doesn't matter." Delilah's eyes darkened to an even deeper shade of black, and the atmosphere shifted.
It felt as though the air itself was pressing down, making it hard to breathe. Everyone in the room could sense the overwhelming tension radiating from her.
Her gaze alone made her words seem like an order that one couldn't refuse. "You may carry out your tests later when he's fully healed, but now is not the time." "Bu—" "Just like you don't trust the Academy we don't trust you. Unless he's fully healed and it is under our supervision, you will not be allowed to approach the student." A cold chill ran down the room. The surroundings grew so intense that I found it hard to keep my head raised. We were talking about three powerhouses. It was nothing short of a miracle that I could still cling to consciousness beneath the crushing weight of the pressure emanating from their bodies.
She didn't say anything and just looked at me. I stared back at her, but just when I was about to open my mouth, I stopped. '...She feels different.' I wasn't quite sure how to put it, but she felt a little colder than I was used to. The way she looked at me was different than it had been before. 'Did something happen? Why is she looking at me like that?' Considering all the chocolates that she had left, I'd assume she was okay. But... 'No, something is up.' My heart sank when I realized I couldn't think of any way that I couldn't possibly cross her. No, there was one way. 'Oh, no.' It was during the time when Julien took over. My heart sank. 'What did he do...?' Clank! Before I could make sense of it all, the sudden sound of the door closing echoed through the room, plunging everything into a tense, unnerving silence. Lifting my head, I realized that she had left. "Haaa."
Holding my head, I sank down on the bed. The sheets were damp from my sweat and my head spun. Turning my head, I reached out for one of the chocolates and plopped it in my mouth. "...Salty." *** Outside the medical ward. "A few delegates will be coming over later. You may send the recording to them when they arrive. I'm sure you won't do it, but I must warn you in advance. If any sign of tempering is found, the entirety of Haven will be implicated." Though the Keeper's voice was light, the gravity behind his words was enough for Delilah to feel. In spite of this, she didn't show any reaction. She merely nodded her head. "Okay." She had checked beforehand. The recording was solid. There were no signs of tampering. She had even arranged for someone to check on them beforehand. Everything came up clean.
"Then it looks like the investigation is over."
Bringing his hands up, the Keeper laughed. "Who would've thought everything would be solved so easily? If you had the recording why didn't you show it beforehand? Could it be that you had forgotten?" "....Maybe." "Maybe? Well, considering how much work you must have I don't blame you. I'd also be forgetting a lot of stuff if I had the same workload as you. Thankfully I don't. My job is rather carefree, you see?" "...." Squinting her eyes, Delilah looked at the Keeper. She didn't trust a single word of his. The more cheerful he appeared, the more it became clear he was concealing his true intentions.
Thankfully, in this case, he didn't hide his real intentions for very long. "Say...." Pausing for a moment, the Keeper leaned closer to Delilah as he whispered, "...I really like the show you put on. Waiting until the very last moment before showing me the recording. Be truthful. Is it really true that you forgot about it, or were you testing someone?" A sudden unnerving smile spread across his lips. One that Delilah could see through his hood. "Who was it that you were testing? Me? Julien? Or..."
Turning to look at Atlas, his eyes squinted.
"...Him?"
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