Student Council Vice President Diggers.
After the last strategy for the rift was finished, he disappeared after a quarrel with Rudion.
However, his face, which I hadn’t seen in a long time, was not exactly pleasant to see.
He had been someone who followed me well and was talented, so I had given him the position of vice president and kept him by my side… But the twisted side of him was too obvious for me to get closer.
The last time I saw him, his twisted nature had reached its peak. It was hard to feel happy seeing him again after such a long time.
Especially in this situation of being imprisoned.
“Vice president… no, I guess now just Diggers?”
“That’s a bit disappointing. Did they kick me out of the student council already? Well, whatever… It’s been a while, President.”
Unlike before, he exuded a deep and sticky malice, but strangely, he was still smiling the same way and treating me casually.
It made me shiver, and without thinking, I replied sharply.
“How can it be ‘a while’? It’s only been about two months.”
“To me, that time felt like an eternity. I just wanted you to understand that.”
Nonsense. I thought, as I tried to break the cage and escape, but for some reason, my body wouldn’t move.
Why? The answer came from Diggers.
“Ah, by the way. Even if you’re the president, you’ll only be able to exert the strength of a fragile girl in there. You wanted someone to protect you, didn’t you? Now, I’ll protect you. You’ll stay in there… stay with me forever, President.”
It was a horrifying statement.
I didn’t know what had happened to him or why he had become like this, but if things went as he wished, I would surely become nothing more than a puppet.
He didn’t seem like he wanted to hurt me, but it also seemed like he had no intention of letting me go.
If we had fought fairly from the start, it might have been different, but now that I was already trapped here, there was no chance of winning.
I couldn’t do anything.
It had been a long time since I had felt this kind of powerlessness… No, wait.
‘It wasn’t that long ago.’
I had felt the same way in the battle with the demon race not long ago.
‘…Demon race?’
Now that I thought about it, the aura from Diggers was familiar.
It was faint, but it was definitely…
“Diggers, you…”
“Oh, you noticed? As expected from the President, you’re quick to catch on. That’s right. I’ve become a demon. I gave up my humanity to protect you.”
A madman. He gave up being human and became a demon? Unless he was truly insane, that shouldn’t be possible.
But no matter how much I denied it, the faint demonic energy emanating from him forced me to recognize the reality.
It also meant that I had no chance of escaping on my own.
In that case, there was only one hope left.
The student council members would have to clear this rift.
I didn’t know where I was, but judging by the aura, it was clear that I was still inside the rift. So, when the rift was cleared, I could naturally escape…
“Oh, by the way. I have one of the rift stones. No matter what you think, things won’t go your way.”
…Perhaps because my last hope had been so easily dashed, I couldn’t help but show my despair. Diggers, seeing this, began to laugh gleefully, as if something amused him.
My head felt numb. Of course, once people learned I was missing, someone would come to save me.
Even if no one came to help, I was sure my father would rush to save me.
But when would that be?
The North is far away. It would take a long time for the news of my disappearance to reach there.
In that long time, could I endure without falling into Diggers’ hands as he intended?
I couldn’t be sure.
‘I… am not that strong a person.’
I was just pretending to be strong, relying on physical force. In reality, I was an immature student who couldn’t even control my own desires.
I knew this all too well, so I couldn’t trust myself.
“Someone… please save me…”
But right now, the only thing I could do was mutter to myself.
I knew well that no one would listen to me, but I couldn’t help but spill out my desperate wish.
…Why, I wonder, does that man’s face keep coming to mind here?
Without finding an answer, I simply covered my ears to avoid hearing Diggers’ laughter.
“Hey, is it really okay for us to go this far?”
It had been just over two hours since we started moving. The scenery around us still seemed the same, and the further we moved away from the exit of the rift, the greater my anxiety grew.
It was only natural. Rudion and Seria had entered this place unarmed, and I hadn’t brought anything either since I planned to join Alkine’s group.
The president’s group, originally on an exploration mission, was carrying all kinds of supplies, including food, to continue the exploration. If I joined them, I would be able to use those things too.
But in the end, I didn’t join them, and we were moving in a different direction.
That meant, I had nothing prepared.
There was no food, no supplies.
Exploring a rift whose end was unknown—how could I not feel anxious in this situation?
That was why I asked the question… But the answer I got was still ridiculous.
“No matter how late, we’ll be done before tomorrow morning. I won’t die from not eating or sleeping for that long.”
“Since Rudion says so, I believe him.”
Done before morning? A rift this large, three times bigger? Is that even possible?
He was so confident, it made me wonder if he had some wrong idea about the rift. I couldn’t even argue anymore.
They were truly an incomprehensible couple. That’s all I could think.
But… it didn’t take long for me to realize that his words were true.
When he asked me to use my abilities again, I faintly felt the energy of the rift stone.
“How about this? It should be this way, or maybe this one.”
“…How did you know? It’s this way.”
“Bingo. Let’s go.”
They say it’s better to show than explain a hundred times.
Once proven, all my doubts disappeared.
But… how did he figure it out?
I had a brief moment of doubt, but I quickly gave up on the guess.
He was a man with unknown abilities, something even I couldn’t sense with my own traits. It would be foolish to try and understand it.
At this point, there was no going back, and since we were seeing actual results, all I could do was trust and follow him.
Perhaps because of the small trust that had begun to bloom, my steps were no longer filled with anxiety.
After that, everything proceeded smoothly.
With the location of the rift stone already pinpointed, all that was left was to find it and destroy it.
It took exactly three hours to destroy the first rift stone.
And… it only took one hour to find the next one.
That was possible because Rudion had determined the direction.
In the end, in just four hours, we destroyed two out of three rift stones.
Considering that the student council had been exploring all day without finding anything, it was truly an unbelievable speed.
Of course, it was mainly because I was forced to use my abilities, but still, it was undeniably fast.
Whether he knew it or not, the person who created this ridiculous speed remained calm and simply decided on our next direction.
“Now, the last one. I think it’s this way, but just in case, can you use your ability one more time?”
“Okay.”
The resistance I first felt was now nowhere to be found, not even a tiny bit.
As if it were the most natural thing, I used my ability at his command.
‘I feel like a tool.’
Of course, I had always played this role, but until now, it still felt like I was leading the exploration.
Now, it truly felt like I was being used as a tool.
I didn’t particularly mind. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to use my abilities so freely.
Thinking that, I expanded my detection range.
Normally, I might have ended up with a headache, but now, I easily broke through that limit and pushed even further.
As I expanded my range, I detected some very familiar figures.
It was the members of the student council, who seemed to still be exploring this place.
For a moment, I felt happy, but then I quickly realized something was wrong.
They seemed to be in a state of great confusion. It was clear they were struggling, unable to decide what to do and running around in a panic.
Why? There was no need to question it.
The reason was blatantly obvious.
‘The president… is not here.’
The president was not with them.
She, who never leaves the side of her members, was nowhere to be found.
I looked around the area, hoping maybe I had missed her, but she was nowhere in sight.
Once I realized this, I immediately withdrew my ability. I had to report this situation quickly.
Perhaps my urgency showed on my face, as Rudion and Seria looked at me as if asking what had happened.
“I think something’s wrong.”
Since there was no time to waste, I quickly explained the situation, and Rudion’s face, which had been calm until now, slightly stiffened.
“Let’s go right now.”
Without any hesitation, he started moving forward.
It was a stark contrast to the confidence he had shown earlier; now, a hint of unease was visible in his movements.
Yet, for some reason… it felt reassuring.
‘Ah, so that’s what it is.’
Now, I could somewhat understand where Seria’s inexplicable trust came from.