The Assassin In Twisted Wonderland

Contract Dissolution

Outside of the Octavinelle dorm, Ruggie had scattered a multitude of contract scrolls on the ground, stealthily pilfered from the VIP room. "Managed to swipe 'em without a hitch, huh?" The mischievous half-hyena boy chuckled.

"Your compulsive pickpocketing never fails to impress me," Leona said with a smirk.

"This smooth operation would never have been possible without dealing with that masked dude, Azul. Can't say I blame you for distracting that freshman devil, who happens to be a major jerk, by the way. And then there's Azul himself... If you want something to remain secure, you've got to secure your own possessions too. I can't believe the sheer number of contract scrolls here. I estimate there are around five to six hundred," Ruggie grinned.

"Hmph. He's probably been trapping people in contracts and hoarding them long before he even enrolled. Now that we have the contracts outside the room, there's only one thing left to do..." Leona said, as he opened his palm and prepared to cast his signature spell. "I am the one who hungers. I am the one who thirsts. I am the one who will rob you of your future-"

"Hold it right there!" Before he could finish uttering his spell, Azul suddenly appeared and shouted at the half-lion male.

"Whoops. That was quick. Don't come any closer, or these contracts will be destroyed," Leona warned the grey-haired male.

"P- Please give them back... Give them back now, if you please!" Azul pleaded with desperation.

"Well, well, at least try to maintain your composure. Seems like they hit the mark judging by how panicked you are," Leona teased him.

"Wait... What?" Azul was taken aback.

Flashback:

Back on the night in Leona's room before...

"So what you're saying is that the contracts could be breakable when they're stored in the vault?" Leona reflected on Enma's plan.

"Huh? 'Scuse me? What? How would that work?" Grim asked?

"Ooh, now that you mention it, yeah! Something doesn't quite add up right, huh? If Azul and his boys are right, the contracts are totally unbreakable and jolt anyone who touches them... Why would they need to keep 'em locked up right in a vault at all? They could just leave 'em anywhere, like Leona does with his wallet," Ruggie said, pondering the inconsistency.

"Oh! Now that you mention the vault... Remember how freaked out he got when the Vault got a little dinged up?" Grim asked Enma, recalling Azul's reaction.

"Yes, exactly," replied Enma, the black-haired male.

"Yeah, huh? It's just common sense to put valuables in a safe, so I didn't even question that part. Who knew our pampered prince's inability to tie his own shoes in the morning would be the key to solving this mystery?" Ruggie chuckled, teasing Leona.

"Tch. You always have to get in a dig," Leona grumbled, annoyed by Ruggie's comment.

"You know, I'm starting to think that whole bit about the contracts electrifying people was another bluff on their part," the half-hyena male suggested.

"What did you say?!" Grim exclaimed in surprise.

"He knew you freshmen were watching them, all thanks to their hired spy spoiling the whole bit of his sneak peek on you, so they conveniently *forgot* a contract scroll and left it on a table. All they'd have to do at that point is wait for one of you to touch it, then use some lightning magic to jolt you. Maybe don't fall for such an obvious trap next time," Leona explained, shedding light on Azul's deceitful tactics.

"Azul ain't just duplicitous! He's like octaplicitous! We've been had again!" Grim spluttered, realizing the extent of Azul's trickery.

"Regardless, the quickest way to test your theory is to remove the contracts from the vault," Leona suggested, formulating a plan.