Dark Dragon: The Summoned Hero Is A Villain

Chapter 311: Do You Want Me As An Enemy?

Noah was sitting at his desk, absentmindedly flipping through one of his class notes when a knock sounded at the door.

He looked up, his brow furrowing. "Who is it?"

"It’s me," came Arlo’s voice from the other side.

Noah stood and crossed the room, opening the door. Arlo stepped in quickly, looking more serious than usual. His usual calm expression was gone, replaced by tension.

"I found something," Arlo said, not waiting for an invitation before closing the door behind him.

Noah folded his arms. "What kind of something?"

"About Professor Cecilia," Arlo said bluntly.

That caught Noah’s attention immediately. His eyes narrowed. "What about her?"

Arlo ran a hand through his hair, pacing once before speaking again. "I was following her mana traces. I needed to verify that she wasn’t connected to the Puppeteer. But her mana... it led to the deepest lake on campus."

Noah frowned. "The lake?"

"Yes." Arlo nodded. "The trace was stronger there than anywhere else. The mana residue was bright, and too concentrated to be normal."

"She did something there, something powerful, but I don’t know what. It’s old mana, but it’s still active. Whatever she did, it wasn’t small."

Noah’s voice was cautious. "And how is that relevant to what’s been happening?"

Arlo stopped pacing, turning to face him directly. "Don’t you get it? Everything that is happening is all connected somehow. If Professor Cecilia did something that powerful at the lake, then maybe it’s part of it."

Noah’s expression hardened. "You were supposed to verify that she wasn’t the Puppeteer. That’s it. You promised."

Arlo didn’t back down. "And I did. There’s no sign she’s directly behind any of this. But that doesn’t mean she’s not involved in some way."

"Enough." Noah’s tone was sharp. "You’re invading her privacy. Whatever she did, it’s not your business. Or mine."

Arlo’s eyes narrowed. "You’re protecting her."

"She’s my teacher," Noah replied evenly. "And someone I trust."

"That’s the problem," Arlo shot back. "You trust her too much. You’re not even willing to consider that she could be hiding something dangerous."

Noah’s voice dropped, low and warning. "You’re the one not listening. Drop it, Arlo."

Arlo stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. "I can’t. If she’s done something that could hurt people, I have to find out what."

Noah stepped forward. "If you go digging into Cecilia again," he said, his tone cold, "you’ll have an enemy in me."

Silence filled the room.

Arlo’s fists clenched at his sides. For a long moment, he said nothing, then exhaled slowly through his nose. "Fine," he said at last. "We’ll discuss this again when you’ve calmed down."

He turned and left without another word, the door closing hard behind him.

Noah stood there for several seconds, staring at the door before sighing. He sank back into his chair, rubbing his temples.

Cecilia... whatever she’d done, she had her reasons. She was a Pendragon. She carried burdens he probably wasn’t even aware of. If she was hiding something, it wasn’t his place to pry. He owed her that much.

His thoughts were interrupted by another knock.

He groaned softly. "What now?"

When he opened the door this time, he froze.

Standing there was Professor Cecilia herself, flanked by two men in black uniforms. Their silver insignias gleamed faintly under the light. Agents of the Investigation Authority.

"Good evening, Noah," Cecilia said, her voice composed but weary. "The Authority would like to ask you a few questions."

Noah nodded slowly, stepping aside to let them in.

The agents entered wordlessly. They looked identical in demeanor, both standing stoic and unblinking. One held a thin notepad, while the other stood by the door.

The first agent spoke in a flat, professional tone. "Noah Webb, you were reported near the vicinity of the explosion two days ago. We’d like to confirm your activities that evening."

Noah recounted his evening as plainly as he could. Of course, he left out the part where the Puppeteer had spoken to him right before the explosion, but the rest was true.

They asked follow-up questions about his past encounters with undead, his connection to the missing students, and his participation in recent fights on campus.

He answered each one calmly, though he could feel Cecilia’s gaze on him the entire time.

Finally, the agent closed his notepad. "That will be all for now. We’ll be in contact if we need anything further."

They turned and left the room without another word, the door clicking shut behind them.

Noah exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

Cecilia, however, didn’t leave. She studied him quietly for a moment, her expression curious. "You look troubled," she said softly. "What’s on your mind?"

Noah hesitated, then decided there was no point hiding it. "Arlo," he admitted. "He’s been... looking into you."

Cecilia’s brow furrowed. "Looking into me?"

"He traced your mana," Noah said. "He found that you did something powerful at the bottom of the deepest lake. He didn’t know what it was, but..."

Cecilia’s face grew tense, her usual calm expression flickering for the briefest moment. "I see."

She folded her arms, thoughtful. "And why are the two of you looking into me at all?"

Noah sighed. "Since we’ve been targeted, we’ve been investigating the disappearances ourselves. He’s been following leads. But when I found out he was looking into you, I told him to stop."

Cecilia stared at him quietly for a long moment, then sighed and smiled. "I appreciate that. But I think I should speak to Arlo myself."

Noah looked uncertain. "You don’t have to. He’ll stop—"

She shook her head. "No. If I don’t explain, he’ll only keep digging. I’ll meet him and assuage his suspicions personally."

Noah nodded slowly, though something about her tone made him uneasy.

Cecilia turned to leave, but paused at the doorway when Noah called out, "You’re not telling me to stop investigating the disappearances?"

She glanced back over her shoulder, a knowing smirk on her face. "I know you too well, Noah. There’s no point in telling you to stop. You’ll do what you want regardless."

Her expression softened. "Just remember our promise."

And with that, she stepped out into the hall, the door closing softly behind her.