A moment ago.
"This is..." the student gasped, finding the log that Nathan asked earlier. There were a lot of words inscribed in it.
"I'm sorry, Rudeus. I can't afford to do everything as you said. Even though I can burn the side of the island opposite to yours, I don't want to burn the only water source on this island. Humans can live without food for two weeks, but they won't survive longer than three days without water.
I've come to realize that I'm unable to do such cruel things, and I regret the fact I've promised you to burn that side of the island. You've truly forced me to become the villain of the class, Rudeus. I'm disappointed."
"Rudeus? But the only one who can write this is... that guy, Nathan!" His friend gasped. They were scouting the area ahead, hoping to find Nathan.
The only thing they found was a small lake and this log.
Both of them exchanged looks.
"Don't tell me, they have a secret agreement?"
"I don't know. This might be a trap. Why would Rudeus ask him to burn the island? He might try to make us think Rudeus is the bad guy."
"But what if this is true? Who will actually get the most benefit from all this?"
"That's..."
Both of them looked each other in the eyes, knowing the answer too well.
Rudeus and August would be the winners. They had always been at the top in every competition.
"Don't tell me. Rudeus is actually fooling those two to destroy the aliens so as to provoke us? He will then act like a good guy and rally us to crush both Nathan and Selena? This way, he will come on top while gaining our support."
"That might also be another possibility. He is a prince, so gaining our support will be necessary for his influence in the Liaystian Kingdom."
"What? I didn't manipulate anyone. Why are you accusing me all of a sudden?"
August frowned, noticing something was wrong.
The guy simply shouted to everyone, "Listen, everyone. Think about this. Why would the fire only engulf half of the island? If that dragon is trying to sabotage the event, shouldn't it be better to burn the only water source on the island instead of destroying the island? This way, we won't even know where the water source is, and we can't even link them to such a crime."
"That's..." The people began to carefully recount their experience.
"This is ridiculous. How could I know what he is planning to do?" August frowned.
"Then why does the fire start on the opposite side of the island? And it's perfectly the opposite of your position. Your cyclops is taller than a tree, so the dragon can definitely see your cyclops.
"You must have tricked him into burning the forest so that you can gain our support. This is too much, Rudeus. If we fall for your trick, you will win again and even receive our support. As a prince, you're too shameless. Do you want to become the crown prince that much?"
"What?" Rudeus was baffled. How did he become the villain? It was Nathan who did it, and he just took advantage of the situation.
What manipulation? Everything was Nathan's fault.
The people started to suspect him. This was the kind of action that those in power would take.
Rudeus might not know how this guy came to this conclusion, but he realized Nathan must have done something to shift the blame to him.
"This is quite exciting, isn't it? To think that it would end up coming to this kind of fight," said Vivian while munching.
"Did he think this far the whole time? Instead of offending the entire class, he would turn them against each other. And Flora would be there to protect him. Flora would definitely help him... unlike the previous scenario, where she had to forcefully use the royal family if she wanted to help him." The principal gasped. "Do you teach him politics? Also, do you have popcorn?"
"No, but I have sweet potatoes." Vivian grabbed another bag of sweet potatoes while saying, "Nathan is unlike any others. His thoughts elude even me. His train of thought is so unique that I've made major breakthroughs on several of my projects just by listening to his absurd ideas."
The principal had a wry smile on his face. "He used Rudeus' identity as a prince to actually turn the people against him. What a sly little devil."