Kai redirected his gaze toward Nero, who had now arrived in front of Lucas, and inquired, "Why are you protecting him?"
"He's in my unit," Nero responded firmly.
"Fair enough," Kai shrugged nonchalantly. "However, I still have more questions for him."
"Dude," Nero burst out, frustration evident in his voice. "You've got the wrong guy! I don't know where Quinn went after he disobeyed my orders to fight and vanished, but Lucas was giving us the strategic instructions through comm the whole time!"
Kai's expression soured upon hearing this revelation. "Why should I believe you?"
"Ask anyone in our class!" Kent interjected, visibly enraged. "Now drop your oppressive mana pressure, or I will sever your head from your shoulders!"
"Funny," Kai scoffed, looking at Kent as if he was no threat to him before retracting his mana pressure.
"Haaa!" Gasping for breath, Lucas collapsed to his knees when the pressure was lifted, his heart pounding rapidly as Kent knelt beside him to provide support.
Allowing a few moments for him to regain his composure, Kai resumed his interrogation."Fine, then answer me this: Who orchestrated your class's victory in the Mock War? Who was the mastermind?"
Lucas furrowed his brow, visibly perplexed by the inquiry. "Mastermind? I-I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Nero chipped in angrily. "There was no mastermind orchestrating anything! Are you an idiot?!"
"Oh, come on!" Kai scoffed, pointing at Lucas. "You honestly expect me to believe that this guy, the disgraced brat of the Morningstar family, was the one who led your class to victory?!"
"Well, technically, it was I who led our class to victory!" Nero retorted, his tone laced with mockery. "Ask your loyal lapdog standing behind you how I dealt him the finishing blow and killed off your whole class single-handedly!"
Much like a dog as Nero claimed him to be, Alberto bared his teeth, ready to retaliate, "You—!"
But Kai swiftly raised his hand to quell the brewing conflict.
He then refocused his attention on Nero. "Fine, then explain to me how he managed to defeat the strategist of Class 1-C-8?"
"M-My father is a general," Lucas replied. "He taught me the art of strategic planning in battle. Even though I couldn't actively participate in the Mock War due to my injuries at the time, I contributed by providing strategies to my classmates."
Kai's frown deepened as he processed this information. "You were injured?"
Lucas nodded solemnly. "Yes. During the Unit test, that guy standing behind you sent a mana beast to target one of my classmates. I got injured while defending her."
Kai turned his gaze to the boy Lucas had gestured at with his chin— Alberto.
With a questioning look, he silently sought Alberto's account of the events.
"I've already said this once, and I'll say it again," Alberto snapped in frustration, having to repeat himself. "We had nothing to do with that mana beast attacking Class 1-A-1! It emerged from the woods on its own and targeted you guys!"
Kai redirected his attention back to Lucas, his gaze contemplative. "It seems you're a little chivalrous. So you were really injured during the Mock War."
"Yes," Lucas exclaimed. "That's why I told you, not only am I too weak to fight Quinn, but I was also injured during that time! He didn't come back to attack me!"
Kai stroked his chin thoughtfully as he observed Lucas, his gaze penetrating and analytical.
He studied the young Morningstar's physical cues, noting the clamminess of his skin, the rapidness of his breathing, the dilated pupils, and the weak yet regular pulse.
No matter how Kai analysed the situation, Lucas's account of events remained consistent. His story checked out, and his words were unfiltered.
Yes, there was no doubt about it. Lucas was telling the truth.
He was in a bit of a shock due to being attacked out of nowhere, but he wasn't lying.
So then he was right. Lucas couldn't be the puppetmaster of class 1-A-1. But if not him, then who?
Kai wanted to delve deep into this matter, but the hostility in Nero's eyes seemed to be starting to grow by the second.
Although he was fairly certain he could take Nero on at his current level, he didn't want to reveal his prowess to the world.
'I should do what I'm told and stick to the Book Of Prophet,' Kai thought in his mind and decided to leave.
"I have obtained the information I sought. Thank you for your honest answers."
Having said his piece, Kai turned away, signalling for the group of cadets to follow suit. It was time to leave.
"W-Wait! No, you can't leave like this!"
Grace, who had been watching this show from the sidelines with a smirk on her face thinking that Lucas was about to get into trouble, was taken aback when Kai decided to leave.
"Wh-What about him?!" Grace pointed at Lucas, her face contorted with anger. "You certainly aren't thinking of leaving him alone, right?!"
"....?" Kai looked at Grace as if he was looking at a madwoman. "Grace, I listened to you. I came here because you claimed he was the mastermind."
Grace nodded emphatically, her certainty unwavering. "Yes! I'm telling you, he is–"
"No, he isn't. His story checks out. He wasn't the one who defeated Quinn. And I don't sense any hint of danger when I look at him. He's incredibly weak!" Kai yelled, frustration evident in his voice.
"Th-Then what about how he uncovered my identity? Or his uncanny strategic abilities? What do you have to say about that?!" Grace retorted, attempting to counter Kai's argument.
However, Kai simply shook his head, disappointment etched on his face.
"I'm beginning to doubt that he discovered your identity because of his intelligence. It's more likely that you made a mistake somewhere. Maybe you slipped up," Kai stated. "And yes, let's assume he's a skilled strategist, but he was in the control room while someone was battling Quinn. It's physically impossible for him to be in two places at once!"
"He-He's manipulating you! It's all part of his plan! He confessed it to me during our class trip! Can't you see?!" Grace yelled, her voice growing increasingly frenzied.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Kai groaned, rubbing his temples. "I don't know what personal grudge you have against that guy, but now you're starting to sound completely unhinged, Grace! If you want to be a part of the Young Elites and avoid making your academic life miserable, then just keep quiet and follow my lead!"
With that, he turned around once more and began walking away from the training field. "Come on, everyone. We're leaving."
Grace's gaze darted back and forth between Lucas and Kai, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within her—disbelief, anger, and even a tinge of desperation.
Finally, she clenched her teeth and reluctantly trailed behind Kai, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
As they made their way out, Grace couldn't help but shoot hostile glances in Lucas's direction, fueling her resentment.
Kai didn't know what was going on with her. A few weeks ago, when he recruited her, she wasn't like this. That's the reason he tasked her with sabotaging the Class 1-A-1— he trusted her.
Yet, she had let him down.
Not only had she failed in her mission, but she had also attempted to pin the blame on someone else for her own shortcomings.
Kai despised individuals who refused to take accountability for their own mistakes.
But for the sake of the trust he once put in her, Kai still decided to come here and personally investigate Lucas.
And upon closer examination, he found out what he had always believed to be the case– Lucas wasn't the mastermind.
Kai was sure that Lucas wasn't lying. He was sure of it. After all, Kai started lying almost as soon as he started breathing.
There is no way in hell he couldn't tell if someone was lying or not.
Unless Lucas was some sort of deranged psychopath, capable of deluding himself into believing the lies he tells—an unlikely scenario, in Kai's estimation—he was convinced that Lucas was not the person he was looking for.
