Chapter 184:Talk
Inside the lead vehicle, the atmosphere was markedly different from the quiet conversation taking place in Silver’s car. No one spoke for several minutes.
The only sounds were the steady hum of the engine and the tires rolling over the uneven road leading back toward Delta Four.
Dillian kept both hands on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed calmly on the road ahead. James’ death weighed heavily on everyone’s mind, so did the confrontation inside the research station.
Beside him, Cruella quietly wiped away tears with the sleeve of her jacket. Every few seconds, she sniffled softly, as though waiting for someone to comfort her.
Behind them, Maya, Selene, and Iris exchanged silent glances. None of them said a word.
Eventually, Cruella broke the silence.
"...I was framed." Her voice trembled. "I... I don’t know why Ravenna suddenly attacked me. I never pushed her."
She lowered her head, tears running down her cheeks.
"I don’t know why everyone keeps misunderstanding me..."
Normally... That pitiful appearance would have softened the atmosphere, but this time, nothing happened. Maya simply looked out the window, Selene folded her arms, and Iris quietly stared at Cruella without saying a word.
The silence felt heavier than any accusation. Cruella slowly looked toward Dillian.
"...You believe me... right?"
Dillian didn’t answer immediately. He continued driving. The vehicle rounded another bend before he finally spoke.
"...Cruella." His voice remained calm. "So... You still think I’m that stupid?"
The tears on Cruella’s face froze.
"W-What do you mean?"
Dillian smiled faintly, knowingly.
"You think because I don’t say much... I don’t notice anything."
Cruella hurriedly shook her head.
"No... I just..."
"You pushed her."
His words were calm, a matter-of-fact. Simply stating what he had seen.
Cruella’s breathing stopped.
"I... I didn’t..."
Dillian continued before she could finish.
"You pushed Ravenna, and you thought nobody saw; well, you were wrong."
The vehicle became completely silent; even the engine seemed quieter.
Cruella lowered her head again.
"...I... It was an accident."
"No."
Dillian shook his head once.
"It wasn’t. I saw your shoulder move and your hand. And then I saw Ravenna lose her balance."
He glanced toward the rear-view mirror.
"So did they."
The three women in the back remained silent. That silence alone was enough to answer the question.
Dillian sighed softly.
"I simply chose not to say anything."
Cruella slowly clenched her fists.
"...Why?"
"Because..." He shrugged slightly. "It happened during a fight. If Silver had started arguing... The tiger would’ve killed someone else. It wasn’t the time."
Cruella bit her lip.
"I... I wasn’t trying to..."
"Kill her?"
Dillian interrupted.
"I know, you were trying to get rid of your rival."
His words struck far harder than shouting would have. Cruella lowered her head even further, and tears continued falling.
Dillian wasn’t moved; after several more seconds of silence, he spoke again.
"You know... I grew up in shit conditions, unlike you."
The sudden change of topic surprised everyone.
"My parents died when I was ten."
The girls quietly looked toward him.
"There wasn’t anyone left; no relatives, money, or a home worth mentioning. I survived however I could. I hunted scavengers, collected scrap metal, and worked jobs most adults wouldn’t touch."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Sometimes I stole food, and sometimes I went hungry. It didn’t matter, I just kept living."
The road stretched endlessly ahead. His voice remained calm throughout.
"Back then... I learned something. People lie; they smile while lying, and they also cry while lying. They promise things... while planning something completely different."
He laughed quietly.
"So... I got very good at reading people."
Cruella’s shoulders stiffened.
"I can usually tell; it’s not every thought but enough. When someone’s afraid, when they’re pretending, when they’re greedy or when they’re sincere."
He shrugged.
"It kept me alive."
The girls listened quietly. None of them had ever heard Dillian speak so much about himself.
"I wasn’t even an Elite or just those richer families that still lived outside the elite district. I couldn’t afford an Awakener Stone, not even the cheapest one."
"So... When I heard there was a group searching the wilderness for naturally formed Awakener Stones... I joined them."
Maya frowned slightly.
"You were only... what?"
"Seventeen."
Dillian nodded.
"Seventeen. I was the youngest and the weakest, but I worked harder than anyone." A faint chuckle escaped him. "I really believed we’d split everything fairly."
His smile gradually disappeared.
"...I was an idiot."
The vehicle grew quiet again.
"We eventually found a small beast nest. There were several Awakener Stones nearby but... The beasts noticed us." He paused. "My teammates ran. They needed someone slower, so... They pushed me and used me as bait."
Cruella slowly looked up.
"What happened?"
Dillian smiled.
"I got lucky. It was so stupid, I actually tripped. They thought I’d fallen into the beasts but... I actually fell through rotten ground. As you can already imagine, there was a cave underneath."
His eyes reflected distant memories.
"When I woke up... I thought I’d died, but instead. I found an underground chamber. It was full of black Awakener Stones."
The girls widened their eyes.
"A whole deposit?"
Dillian nodded.
"Enough to change my life. I used one and awakened immediately."
His smile returned.
"The remaining stones... I sold every single one to the Association. They paid me enough to attend the Academy and enough to finally stop worrying about my next meal."
Selene smiled softly.
"So your luck really was incredible."
Dillian laughed.
"It was, but before that..." He glanced out the windshield. "I made one stop."
Cruella swallowed.
"You..."
"The men who abandoned me, they weren’t very difficult to find." His expression remained completely calm. "I got my revenge, and I don’t regret it."
Silence settled over the vehicle once again. After a while, Dillian spoke without looking away from the road.
"Cruella."
She looked at him nervously.
"You’re useful."
The straightforward statement caught her off guard.
"Your wind affinity, your healing supplies, and your family connections. They all benefit the team; I’ve always known that."
Cruella blinked.
"You... knew?"
Dillian nodded.
"I also know you’re selfish, you care about appearances, you like being admired, and you dislike anyone who threatens that." He smiled faintly. "I knew all of that from the beginning."
Cruella felt a chill run down her spine.
"If you knew... why did you still let me stay?"
"Because... You’ve never endangered the team, until today, that is."
His tone remained calm.
"But today... You nearly got someone killed. No." He corrected himself. "You tried to."
Cruella lowered her head in shame. Dillian finally looked at her directly.