[The Clock of Truth]
[An artifact that delves into the target’s subconscious and compels them to speak the truth.]
[EXP-2,000]
‘There’s nothing better for extracting information without risk.’
As the name suggests, it’s a clock that makes people tell the truth.
It has a short duration and is a single-use item.
Still, it has its uses, which is why I’ve been keeping an eye on it.
‘This appeared in the original story.’
It’s an artifact discovered in ruins, and one of the heroines tried to use it on Ian but failed.
It was mentioned in quite some detail.
‘Was it Sylvia?’
She tried to ask him how he felt about her by bringing the clock to him.
But she was so nervous that she clenched her fist too tightly and ended up breaking it.
‘Well, it’s a romance fantasy after all. You can’t expect things to come easy.’
The push and pull, misunderstandings, fights, and reconciliations are what make it enjoyable, right?
That’s probably why the author introduced it, stirred up the readers’ interest, and then discarded it.
“Alright, snap out of it.”
I slapped the unconscious student’s cheek repeatedly to wake him up.
“W-what are you doing all of a sudden—”
“Let’s not get angry. Now, look at this clock.”
The clock, hanging from a short chain, swayed slowly from side to side.
“Slowly, slowly close your eyes. And keep your mind calm. Got it? From now on, this clock will delve into your subconscious and bring out the memories hidden within.”
As I spoke, his gaze followed the clock’s movement.
“Once you close your eyes, you’ll only speak the truth.”
His pupils gradually lost focus, and soon, with his eyes closed, he entered a state of deep relaxation, as if he had fallen asleep.
‘Good thing I’ve tried hypnosis before.’
I didn’t really need to say all that.
Just getting the target to focus on the clock would have been enough.
But since it takes a bit of time, I filled it with some unnecessary chatter.
“First, what’s your name?”
“…Kudena Balaim.”
“Alright, then what was that powder you used during class earlier?”
“I don’t know… They said it was something that makes you feel good.”
“Did someone give it to you?”
“Yeah, a third-year named Bucena.”
Bucena?
I don’t remember that name.
At least, it’s not someone particularly famous.
“Where did Bucena get it from?”
“I don’t know. She just said she spent a lot of money to get it.”
“Do you know anyone else using it besides you and your friends?”
“Only Bucena.”
Tch, not as much information as I hoped.
I invested points into this, and it turned out to be a dud.
‘I’ll have to look into Bucena first.’
As the Clock of Truth’s duration ended, he returned to his normal state.
“Let me go! Let go!”
I kindly said, “Sweet dreams.”
Thud!
I knocked him out again and took him to the infirmary.
***
Kudena Balaim was eventually restrained for consuming an unidentified substance.
Well, since the reason hasn’t been fully revealed yet, he wasn’t treated too harshly.
‘They said he started acting strange in the infirmary.’
When he woke up in the infirmary, he showed signs of mental confusion and was in distress.
Fortunately, it seems he hasn’t reached the worst stage yet.
He’s already taken it multiple times, and his condition has deteriorated.
But it’s still treatable.
‘Though it’ll take some time, but that’s not my job.’
Capina is highly addictive, making it hard to break free.
Even people with strong willpower or magical abilities can’t resist it.
The problem is who’s behind it now, and why they’re spreading it.
‘This incident happened just before Ian became a third-year. We still have over a year left.’
Who could be behind Capina?
And what’s their goal?
‘Solving one problem just leads to another. This is driving me crazy.’
It seems a peaceful academy life was never in the cards.
‘Let’s start by investigating this Bucena person.’
The only clue Balaim gave was the name Bucena.
.
.
.
.
After two days of scouring the academy like a madman, I found Bucena.
She was slightly different from what I expected.
‘She’s not a commoner.’
Since Balaim didn’t mention her family name, I assumed she was a commoner like me.
However, she was the daughter of a viscount family.
‘And a prestigious one at that.’
She’s already making waves in social circles, forming her own faction.
She doesn’t seem physically strong, so it must be purely through her social skills.
‘Dealing with people like her is tough.’
Even though I’m weak, I’d rather have a straightforward fight than deal with all the back-and-forth verbal sparring.
People like her are like snakes, calculating every word, expression, and action.
‘More importantly, I haven’t seen her using Capina.’
Even after tailing her for two days, she seemed like a completely ordinary person.
If she had been exposed to Capina, she would have shown some signs of abnormality.
‘Is she just a supplier? Or…’
There’s nothing to pin on her, so no way to dig deeper.
“My friend, I think something’s wrong.”
“What is it?”
“Keeping me hanging like this. I’m not into being hung upside down, you know.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
On the day I discovered Capina,
I naturally asked Gray to help with the investigation.
There’s a limit to what I can do alone.
But this pervert showed up two days later, saying he couldn’t dig up any information on the beautiful lady.
He even shed tears, pretending to be heartbroken.
“My friend! My blood is really pooling, ugh…”
“I won’t let you go until you do it.”
“I’ll do it! I’ll do it! Please…!”
I couldn’t stand his nonsense, so I tied him up and hung him upside down.
Eventually, I got his cooperation.
“Maybe I told him too early…”
After that, Gray became a stoic character who only delivered information.
It was mentioned that he became emotionally numb due to his younger brother’s condition.
But I didn’t expect him to act like this.
“Sigh, let’s just do what we need to do.”
He said he’d do it, so he’ll probably bring the information.
If I gather it bit by bit, I can catch those involved with Capina, but it’ll take too much time.
‘Time is of the essence in this case.’
Capina spreads faster and faster, and the number of victims keeps increasing.
Later, Capina spreads uncontrollably, and while it’s eventually recovered, it has already spread beyond the academy, becoming a foundation for corrupting the entire empire.
‘Even if I stop it from spreading within the academy, I need to find someone to stop it from spreading throughout the empire.’
That way, the damage can be minimized.
***
“…So what is this?”
“They say it’s called Capina. I haven’t tried it yet because it’s highly addictive.”
“Hmm, got it. I’ll look into it.”
Who can handle this mysterious drug spreading throughout the empire?
There’s only one person in the academy with that kind of influence.
‘If I do this, Rozennia will report it to the royal family, and they’ll recover the Capina outside the academy.’
By the way, after encountering Rozennia at the black market earlier, she revealed that her identity was a lie.
Of course, she didn’t say she was royalty.
‘She just said she had connections and asked me to keep it a secret.’
She must have thought I’d figure it out since she had such an impressive knight as her escort.
So it became easier for me to ask her for favors.
“Senior Rozennia, you know more influential people than I do, so please make sure to catch them.”
“Uh, yeah. I’ll do what I can.”
At first, she seemed confused as to why I was asking her.
But I flattered her, saying I was just a commoner and had no one else to rely on but her.
She nodded vigorously and even promised to handle it.
‘This is why you need life experience.’
Even though I was forced into two years of military service and a grueling job, I guess I learned something.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
“W-wait!”
“Yes?”
“You haven’t forgotten that you promised to do anything I want, right? Junior.”
“Ah…”
That’s right.
Back when I got Ian to join the Miss Yeon club, I said I’d do anything.
‘I thought she’d just ask me to clean the clubroom or write a report…
Since she didn’t say anything, I thought she forgot.
I wasn’t really paying attention either.
“Anyway, remember. You have to do whatever I say.”
“…If it’s something I can do.”
“Of course it’s something you can do. Then~”
The way she was grinning made me feel uneasy.
But it was too late to back out now.
So I just nodded.
“Hehe, you won’t say no later, right?”
Rozennia smiled brightly.
“Of course not.”
“That’s my junior. I’ll contact you when I have results.”
“Thank you. I’ll be going now.”
After finishing my business, I headed back to the dorm.
I’ve entrusted Rozennia and Gray with gathering information.
Now, all I need to do is keep an eye on Bucena.