I Give Up on the BL Novel's Male Leads - Chapter 110
“An-anyway… please, everyone, just wait. I’ll take the truth serum and clear everything up. So, please don’t be too hasty in taking Edwin away.”
“Fine. I’ll take it too and prove whether my claim is true or not.”
As soon as Illein shyly finished speaking, Rodein quickly responded.
Now that things had reached this point, Rodein decided to face it head-on and turn the situation in his favor. Digging in his heels would only make him look more ridiculous.
Rodein’s declaration had a powerful effect. Even the students who had been protesting nodded in agreement with his approach.
As a result, the tense atmosphere seemed to settle, if only for a moment. One of the investigators from the police force dashed out to retrieve the truth serum.
Seeing Rodein’s confident demeanor, Illein’s anxiety grew, and her eyes wavered. She had thought he was merely framing Edwin, but it didn’t seem so simple.
In her unease, Illein turned to Edwin. He silently patted her shoulder as if to say, “Don’t worry.”
Strangely enough, her anxiety melted away in an instant.
With Edwin’s comforting presence, Illein realized something—she had been speaking the whole time as though she was Illenas.
For the first time since the ordeal began, Illein, fully aware of her true self, glanced around and spoke as herself.
“Th-thank you. I’ve always been so weak with offensive magic and combat, and you helped me.”
“That was just a favor.”
Edwin, perhaps awkward with her gratitude, responded more gruffly. It felt odd—perhaps too sentimental for him.
“I know you don’t mean it when you say things like that, Edwin. You always do this. You help and then pretend it’s nothing.”
“…That’s…”
“Edwin was the one who cleared my name, weren’t you? When I was being bullied by the students from Class 10, you helped me then too.”
Illein felt sympathetic for Edwin. Did he always have to act this way? So, she kept talking, sharing how much Edwin had helped and been kind to her.
And her words became a starting point.
“Come to think of it, Edwin helped me too.”
Someone from Class 1, a student from a neutral noble family, joined in.
“Actually, I got lost in the labyrinth last week, and Edwin’s the one who saved me.”
“What?”
“If you hadn’t saved me then, I don’t know when I would have returned to my own time.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“I reported it to the police, of course. But it was Edwin who helped me back then. I agree with what Illein said.”
“Actually, so do I.”
Then, someone else chimed in.
“It’s not a big deal, but… once, someone poured a bucket of water as a prank, and I was drenched. Edwin passed by and dried me off completely.”
“I almost rolled down the stairs once because of a hypnosis spell, but Edwin caught me.”
“I was in danger from the ghosts in the basement, and Edwin saved me then.”
“I lost my family’s heirloom ring, and Edwin found it for me.”
Like a flood of confessions in a religious testimony, students started sharing their stories. Everyone was astonished—how had none of this been known until now?
“Oh, come to think of it…”
Damon seemed to remember something as well.
“I think I might have seen Edwin too.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Last night. At the casino my family manages.”
“…What?”
“Someone asked about my well-being and disappeared after saying they hoped I was okay. The description matched Edwin.”
Damon’s words were the final blow.
In truth, most of the class had initially sided with Rodein. With the balance of power leaning toward Rodein, it was only natural.
For nobles, their relationships are often determined by power more than anything else.
But now, the atmosphere had completely shifted in Edwin’s favor.
“Hah! So, all of you are going to take my brother’s side now? You’re siding with that monster?”
Rodein, displeased with how quickly things were turning against him, spoke harshly.
“We’ll judge for ourselves whether Edwin is a monster or not. So, how about respecting us, Second Prince? Barging into our class and causing this mess isn’t something we appreciate.”
Damon, who had spoken confidently, was someone who could afford to take responsibility for his words.
After all, the Second Prince was engaged to his cousin, and Damon was the son of one of the Empire’s most powerful Dukes, whose favor Rodein needed.
Though Damon had spoken on impulse, driven by his frustration with the situation, his words had come from the heart.
Damon had never been particularly fond of Rodein, partly because his cousin resembled him. However, unlike Damon, the rest of the students were in no position to act as freely.
As a result, the atmosphere turned tense, with everyone quietly watching the situation unfold, wary of the growing tension between the two.
A heavy silence filled the air, and while Rodein was clearly upset, he chose not to respond. Instead, he bit his lip, throwing occasional glares at Damon.
In the midst of the awkward tension, a police officer who had stepped outside returned to the room.
“I’ve brought the truth serum!”
Rodein’s expression immediately brightened. Finally, he had the chance to turn this frustrating situation around.
“All of you will regret this. I’ll be the first to take the serum and reveal the truth of what really happened!”
