The moment I said that,
Even before I finished half of that sentence.
Their tension peaked, and Jane even started to draw up mana.
Jane asked with a stiff face and a smile,
"What do you mean by that?"
Hmm, that's a normal reaction.
But Malia was a bit different.
Leaning her face closer to me, Malia asked,
"Frondier, is that true?"
Malia even dropped the honorifics when referring to me.
At this moment, she wasn't teacher Malia but my mother, Malia de Roach.
"Ms. Malia, it's too dangerous for a student to hear such a story."
"But it seems Frondier already knows everything."
The "rat" I mentioned, of course, refers to the traitor within Constel.
There are two more accomplices in Renzo's intrusion case.
One is a princess from the palace, the daughter of Philly,
And another is a teacher within Constel.
How I managed to update the record is far less urgent and important than this matter.
Constel's side is unaware that I stopped Renzo and cut off his arm.
Instead, they believe I discovered Renzo without getting caught, reported to Eden, and thus quelled the incident.
But Malia will understand the significance of my actions just from this altered information.
The reason I spoke to Eden instead of the teachers.
That I suspect someone among the teachers as well.
Therefore, she can trust what I'm saying now.
"I know you wouldn't believe me even if I told you who I am right now."
But that's not enough.
Suspecting someone among the teachers,
And being certain of who it is, are entirely different matters.
"So, let's prove it."
"...How?"
"We'll bring the traitor to the surface."
At my words, Malia and Jane looked at each other.
It must have sounded too absurd until now, but this statement is probably the most ludicrous.
"...You're going to draw out the traitor hidden among Constel's teachers?"
"Yes. So, please do not disclose this conversation, and be ready to assist when the time comes."
"...What kind of situation?"
"You'll know when the time comes."
I'm sparing with my words because I don't know exactly how the situation will unfold.
I have a plan and am confident it will succeed, but the outcome could vary in many ways.
Whichever it is, I need a witness.
A witness that from the beginning, my intention was to target the perpetrator.
* * *
Frondier finished speaking and left.
Jane and Malia remained, lost in their thoughts.
Jane spoke first.
"Do you think Frondier really knows who the traitor is?"
"...Well, we'll have to see."
Malia tends to side with Frondier, but even she found it hard to believe this time.
The existence of a traitor within Constel was unknown to the teaching staff until Renzo's intrusion.
And even now, after Renzo's intrusion, the identity remains mysterious.
In the midst of this, Frondier claims to know who the traitor is.
"Ms. Malia, it seems you believe in Frondier, but what were you thinking?"
"...I was."
Malia, unusually, stopped mid-sentence.
Biting her lower lip slightly, she seemed deeply troubled.
"...About Frondier's record update."
"Ah, right. That was the original reason we called for Frondier."
Jane ran her hands through her hair.
Frondier's statement was so shocking that she momentarily forgot the original purpose.
Jane asked.
"Did you find out how Frondier managed to update the record?" Jane asked.
"No, it's not that. It's just... the timing seems too coincidental."
"The timing?"
"...Jane."
After a long contemplation, Malia looked at Jane as if she had made up her mind.
"Don't you think Frondier intentionally updated the record?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Right now, this place, this situation. We called Frondier here because of the record update, right? And we've applied soundproofing and security spells here."
"Could it be, Malia?"
"And most of the teachers at Constel know we're here. Conversely, it means that Frondier meeting with us looks very plausible and natural to others."
Jane's eyes widened at Malia's words.
"Are you saying Frondier updated the record to pass on information about the traitor to us? Malia, that's a bit of a stretch."
"But if this speculation is correct, it explains all of Frondier's actions. Even the sudden record update makes sense."
If the target-hitting record was significantly updated, naturally, the faculty would check it for program verification.
Especially if it's a student like Frondier, who has a bad reputation.
And if they couldn't find the reason for the record update, naturally, they would directly ask Frondier.
It's also conceivable that Jane and Malia would be the ones pointed out for this task.
"What if all this went according to Frondier's plan?"
"..."
Jane was at a loss for words.
She wanted to dismiss it as nonsense, but upon further thought, she too felt a certain eeriness in Malia's words.
Frondier knows exactly who the traitor is. Assuming this to be true.
He wanted to pass this information to a trustworthy teacher.
But in Constel, with many watching eyes and listening ears, it wasn't easy.
Therefore, a 'place' was needed to transfer the information.
But then,
"Does that mean Frondier could have updated the record at any time?"
"That's right."
"The target-hitting record updated to 3.14 seconds wasn't a coincidence or error, but he could achieve such a record anytime?"
"That seems to be the case."
Jane rubbed her head.
To believe all of it at once, Jane was still a person of common sense.
