Chapter 330
Chapter 330
The huge dish was filled to the brim with keys. The pile was three times higher than that collected by all the participants put together.
Suddenly, there was complete silence. No one could believe their eyes: the miserable fat freak in a fairy-tale robe and with a magic staff had dumped a ton of keys as if he were disposing of trash.
Nulan began to doubt that Dick Baker was an idiot. He must have pretended to be a fool to get the signatures and take full advantage of the principal and his wife. It gave him the leverage against Nulan to cover his fat ass. Dick could officially ruin the principal’s and his wife’s lives. All Nulan could do was to follow the orders, no matter what problems they might cause. The principal was already regretting that he had ever been tempted by Franz.
Nulan activated the nephrite. The following numbers appeared above the scales: 808.303 & 29.731.408.
The audience dropped their jaws, responding with oohs and aahs. Many gasped. No one could utter a word. The principals, Prince Charles, and even King Vladimir jumped from their seats. The numbers on the screen were beyond comprehension.
Nulan cleared his throat and announced in a constrained voice: «Dick Baker has collected eight hundred thousand keys with a total value of thirty million points! It means that Cernos gets ten times more points than the participants from Liberia… And therefore, I declare Cernos… the winner…» – He said hesitantly.
«Wha-a-a-a-a-a-t!?» … «It can’t be!» … «Are you kidding me?» … «What’s going on? Who can explain it to me?» … «Cernos has taken first place? I can’t believe it! It’s impossible!» – Hundreds of bewildered and surprised Iron Throners and Cernos students shouted all at once, trying to understand what was going on. However, judging by their blank, flabbergasted expressions, they were in a state of shock.
King Vladimir watched everyone with undisguised interest.
The three princes had been already celebrating their victory and receiving congratulations, but suddenly, everything changed. They knew that Dick had robbed Princess Haya and the three of them, so they suspected that he could have collected 30 or 50 thousand keys, 100 thousand at most. It still wasn’t enough to get Cernos first place and take the main prize. And then, this devil turned out to have collected an unheard amount of 800 thousand keys!
Their suspicions that they desperately refused to believe had been confirmed! First, someone had forged every single tracking formation, not just five or ten, which would be only reasonable if they wanted to avoid getting caught! Second, the tournament participants’ poor results weren’t caused by the low population of animals as Kael had convincingly suggested. Dick Baker had been continuously robbing them! Each participant had come across the fat freak and his secret assistant at least once! It explained everything. Now the burning issue was how to bring down this pig so that justice would prevail.
«This joke has gone too far!» – Kael’s indignant voice thundered above the stand. The principal of Liberia had finally gathered his thoughts. – «Nulan, you disappoint me! First, you assigned the first rank to this impudent ill-mannered boy and let him participate in the tournament. Then you made a disastrous mistake, miscalculating the animal population. Now you are a part of this travesty which only proves your incompetence!» – This time, he treated Cernos principal with overt disrespect and contempt.
Kael’s incriminating tirade found a response in the hearts of many present. The participants from Liberia breathed a sigh of relief when they heard it. Of course! There was no way that Dick Baker would get the main award with his dirty tricks! It was pure nonsense! It didn’t work that way. Kael wouldn’t back down until he made sure that Liberia won. He would expose and punish the swindler and the whole of Cernos to boot. The participants from Liberia should take it easy. The main reward wasn’t going anywhere from them.
Nulan hesitated for a moment and then replied in a soft tone. The last thing he wanted was an increasingly escalated conflict: «Principal Kael, I am just doing my job checking the results. Dick Baker showed his result, and I announced it… Taking it into consideration, Cernos took first place…»
Kael stretched his lips in a crooked grin and shook his head: «In my opinion, even a fool will see that we are dealing with scam and fraud. You have just declared Cernos the winner! Are you being so reckless because you are interested in their victory? Anyway… You can’t be so stupid and naive as to believe that it will work… Have you been bribed? Or maybe you’re being blackmailed?»
Nulan’s cheek twitched for a moment. Kael was shrewd as befitted a man of his level.
The participants and guests from Liberia felt happier and relaxed. They were proud of the principal of the best school in their kingdom. He had exposed the scoundrel like a mouse cornered by a cat. Now no one doubted that Dick Baker had cheated.
«You will be held accountable for your actions. However, if you honestly admit to aiding the cheater and confess to your crime in front of the king and our distinguished guests, I will take your side and make certain that your punishment would be limited to resignation.» – Kael said kindly.
Nulan looked at Dick’s inscrutable face and swallowed hard. The principal had no doubt that he had obtained the keys by cheating, but Dick’s cunning ways should not create any serious problems for him. Even getting into trouble at work would be much better than the things that Dick Baker threatened to do in case of his disobedience.
«Like any principal, I am interested in the victory of my school, but I have no idea how my student had achieved this result. You have the right to contest the outcome. I will not interfere in any way.»
Kael snorted: «Whatever. I think it’s easier than it looks. Our hapless cheater must have brought the keys to the tournament with him.»
Thousands of people, especially the Cernos students who knew about Dick’s wealth, believed his words. What else could it be? Principal Kael seemed to have solved this case at once.
«It’s out of the question.» – Nulan shook his head. – «These scales were made by the imperial formacist. They can tell when the keys were extracted. The numbers that show the quantity and the quality of the keys will turn red if the time exceeds two weeks.» – Nulan put another key on top of the pile, and the numbers instantly turned red. When he removed it, they turned white again.
The audience whispered, puzzled. Things had taken an interesting turn. Only the participants were not surprised. It was clear as day for them that it all came down to the forged tournament formation and the fat freak’s secret helper. The question was how soon the truth would be revealed. Too bad that the princes and princesses had forbidden them to go against Dick Baker. They really wanted to intervene!
Kael snorted thoughtfully: «The scoundrels nowadays have clever ways to cheat. He managed to collect eight hundred thousand keys in two weeks in the forest with a low animal population… I wonder how he did it.»
«He had a powerful helper!» – Someone said in a low rough voice.
Everyone turned their heads and saw the third prince of Liberia.
«Little bastard!» – The two princes stared at their youngest brother as if he had just come out. For the two of them, the compromising evidence in Dick’s hands was a terrible weapon! But it didn’t seem so bad for the third prince. They wouldn’t imagine in their worst dreams that their brother wasn’t afraid to be seen by the whole empire with smeared lipstick all over his body.
But the rest of the participants supported the third prince, especially Princess Haya. It was so great that he wasn’t from her school. Now the risk of disgracing herself in front of the whole empire was minimal. She still shuddered at the mere thought of someone seeing her half-naked in those humiliating positions. She couldn’t understand, though, what helper he was talking about. Didn’t the fat freak do everything on his own?
«Are you sure?» – Kael asked politely.
«I am! He robbed me three times! And each time, someone helped him!»
There was a hubbub of excited exclamations. Once was bad enough, but three times in a row?
«How can you prove it, bull?» – Kyon asked, snorting with disdain.
The third prince’s face contorted with rage. With a single jump, he landed on the stage, leaving cracks all over it, and barked deafeningly: «How else could a weakling like you defeat me? I’d rather die than keep silent! I will let everyone know that you cheated!»
«I know why you are so angry. I’d be pissed off just like you if I hadn’t changed my underpants for a week.» – Kyon took out the oversize boxers and threw them at his feet. – «Here! Don’t put them on now, please.»
The third prince gasped, his face turned red. A few chuckles from the stands pierced him like daggers. The audience must have understood who had made him come here in animal skins. The humiliation he felt was unbearable.
«The third prince of Liberia would never lie.» – Kael concluded impassively as if he already knew the answer, and all that remained was to observe all due formalities. – «We need some solid evidence, ideally check the database. Prince, tell us when and where you met Dick Baker.»
«I met him… I… Uhm…»
Princess Haya suddenly got nervous. If the administration listened to the recording from Dick’s bracelet, they would find out about their intimate conversation. She had to destroy the database at once, right after the tournament was over!
«I met him at noon nine days ago!» – Edgar Feruz cried out.
«Duly noted.» – Kael nodded, turned to the audience and bowed slightly. – «My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. It will take an hour or two hours to check the database and confirm that Dick Baker has violated the rules of the forest tournament.» – He said and hurriedly left the stands. Something struck him as strange, though. How could a single secret helper get Dick Baker 800,000 keys? Anyway, it didn’t matter now. They were going to disqualify him and get all his keys for the prize fund. It would be only better for everyone.
The other six principals and even King Vladimir followed him to the guarded tent. The chief administrator helped them find the necessary information that was recorded in Dicks’ and Edgar’s bracelets at a certain period of time.
They started listening to the recording from Edgar’s bracelet. Soon the necessary fragment was found. They heard Edgar’s voice:
«Wait! Isn’t it the ugly freak? You’re Dick Baker, the local clown, aren’t you?»
«Do you want to see a magic trick?»
«No, thanks!..»
«What an extensive answer. But first, let me show you a magic trick. Hocus-pocus, mumbo-jumbo, argle-bargle, gobbledygook…»
Nine most influential people in the empire listened for half a minute to the ridiculous spell with stone faces. They had never heard anything more absurd. Dick Baker seemed to have read too many fairy tales about all-powerful magicians.
«…Bibbity-Bobbity…»
~ BOOM~
~swish-swish-swish~
The people in the tent looked at each other perplexed.
«What’s that supposed to mean?» – Vladimir asked slyly.
«I suppose that “BOOM” marks the moment the helper appears…» – Kael suggested.
«Unconvincing.» – The king disagreed while Nulan nodded his agreement.
«Administrator, play us the same fragment from Dick’s recording. He must have exchanged a couple of words with his secret assistant or betrayed their presence in any other way.»
«Yes, sir.»
They listened to the recording from Dick’s tournament bracelet and soon heard the loud BOOM. Then there was suspicious rustling and a barely perceptible sound of footsteps. Instead of the expected dialogue with the secret assistant, the listeners heard someone whistle a melody. It was a simple, uncomplicated tune that repeated every half minute. Its distinguished catchy rhythm instantly occupied everyone’s mind. Once they heard this melody, they would hardly ever forget it.
«I guess we’ll have to wait.» – Kael said.
A few minutes later, the earworm obtained additional high and low notes that created a total dissonance of the melodic line. The melody started to sound out of tune. There was no consistency anymore. It was an absolutely chaotic, unpredictable order of increasing or decreasing sounds that changed randomly with each cycle.
The sudden volume spikes drove their ears absolutely bonkers. It was worse than the annoying squeal of chalk on a blackboard. Dick must be totally deranged if he couldn’t whistle such a simple tune properly.
{Gods! Why is it so fucking loud out of a sudden?}
Half an hour later, the people in the tent started getting visibly nervous. Some kept shifting from foot to foot, others sniffled and moaned with irritation, some began to swear quietly under their breath.
«What the fuck’s going on? Can’t he can’t even whistle normally? Where is his damned helper?»
«Hold on… We’ll have to wait just a little more.»
Soon, in addition to the dramatic changes in the tonality, there started to appear inappropriate pauses or abrupt transitions. They got on the nerves even more than sudden volume spikes. The broken rhythm of the earworm was more nerve-wracking than a drunken violinist strumming a single string.
It didn’t take long before the nine listeners couldn’t stand it anymore. Two of them broke into a sweat, three of them flinched at any sudden increase in the volume, and four of them clenched their fists, trying to find at least some consistency in the melody as befits any normal person.
«Gods, I can’t take it anymore! IT’S PURE MADNESS!» – The pale headmaster of one of the schools groaned and left.
A few more minutes had passed.
The remaining eight people, pale and tense, were still looking for the proof that Dick Baker had an assistant. It only lasted some time but seemed like an eternity. The administrator gnawed at his fingernails, someone tore out a chunk from his beard, others swayed back and forth as if hypnotized.
«Son of a motherless goat! This psycho is driving me crazy!»
«My head… MY EARS! А-А-А-АH!»
«Shitake mushrooms! I will strangle this loony musician as soon as I see him!»
Three more principals lost their nerve.
«Fast-forward this nonsense an hour or so!» – Kael demanded through his gritted teeth.
The administrator obeyed.
What they heard next sounded more like a sonata of hell. It was the same melody, the same ragged rhythm, and sudden volume spikes.
{We are under a psychic attack!} – Vladimir understood with a hysterical laugh.
The remaining principals looked at the king with understanding.
Kael shook his head and stopped the recording: «Alright. We’re getting nowhere. I’d rather hang myself than keep listening to this. I can’t imagine how many people will lose their minds in an attempt to find any evidence. We’ll do it otherwise. Let’s check Dick Baker’s cultivation. The best proof of fraud will be his inability to defeat a lord phaser. We won’t need to look any further. Do you agree, King Vladimir?»
«Sounds reasonable.» – The king smiled faintly.
The former head of the investigation department had underestimated the goddess’s messenger. Kyon had everything covered. It was impossible to find any evidence of fraud in the recording, but it was easy to drive a hundred or two people crazy. He might have helped him to become the king on purpose, to secure his patronage at the forest tournament. Vladimir couldn’t tell where Kyon’s abilities ended and something incredible began. The boy seemed to be capable of anything. However, he understood that he would be helpless without a powerful patron. They would easily crush him regardless of the tournament rules and in spite of his unceremonious arrogance.