Transmigrated As The Bastard Side-Character

Some time passed, a lot actually, and Cassien had finally been given some time alone.

He slowly closed his eyes, the campfire crackling as waves crashed softly against the distant shoreline. Students continued pretending not to care.

But somebody cared. Somebody always cared. Because, unlike everyone else, one person at this camp knew exactly what Cassien was talking about.

And that person was currently panicking.

’Come on...’ Cassien casually cleaned his pistol. ’Take the bait.’

Time gradually passed minute by minute. Several students began entering their tents. Olivia finished assigning the night watch. Alex somehow fell asleep while still holding half a fish.

Ren was already snoring, and Siv was preparing to do the same. Audrey was in her tent, sleeping soundly as well.

Cassien remained seated beside the fire, patiently waiting. His Perception stat had increased dramatically earlier today. Most people only thought [Perception] improved eyesight.

But they were wrong. It improved awareness and could be utilized to detect the tiniest sounds and breathing patterns. Even body language, nervous habits, and, of course, a long list of other things.

Twenty minutes later, a branch snapped softly.

Cassien smiled. ’Found you.’ He stood up. ’You can’t come close to assassinating me, so you have to look for long-range tactics.’

He looked at Olivia, who was already half-asleep. "I’m going to go pee in the bushes," he whispered. "Please take care of the hideout while I’m gone."

She nodded, barely conscious, but it was quite alright. Plus, the rest of the class was already fast asleep. Only Cassien remained awake.

’You should’ve waited for me to fall asleep, dumbass.’

Cassien then walked into the forest. As he continued, the person who had originally been following him finally noticed they had been caught.

Shhh.

The bushes suddenly shook, as if someone had instantly rushed through them. Cassien continued moving forward with a smug grin.

...

After a little while of venturing into the deep, vast, dark forest, he finally stopped.

The area became silent. Moonlight barely filtered through the trees. Then Cassien spoke.

"You can come out now."

But nothing happened. Not even after a couple of seconds. Then a voice answered. But just as it did, he felt something strike close to his neck.

Shkkkk!

A small light sword was now pressed right against his neck.

"...How did you know?"

Cassien smiled. "Bingo."

A hooded figure breathed calmly behind his back, but Cassien wasn’t surprised. Not even slightly.

"I see, so it’s you."

The individual behind him froze. "Huh?"

"Siv Kento. You’ve been a traitor since day one."

Cassien had only become certain after identifying each individual’s body language and personality around the class. With his [Perception] ability now being quite high, Cassien was more confident than ever in his choice.

The student’s hands trembled slightly. "What type of bullshit did you pull, you bastard?"

Cassien twisted his head backward. "Funny how the man who betrayed his own class is calling me a bastard... I guess hypocrisy truly knows no bounds in this world."

"But you should’ve gone for the head first." Cassien instantly twisted his body, ducking underneath while swinging his right leg across Siv’s feet. "Idiot."

Bam!

Siv fell, then Cassien flipped to the other side with little effort before cutting his hand slightly with the dagger held in his palm.

A small cut ripped across Siv’s hand as he groaned in pain.

"I gave you a chance." Cassien tossed his dagger onto the floor, then grabbed Siv’s right hand, crawling toward his fingers. "And you decided to go against it."

Crack!

"EHHHHHHHAAA!"

Cassien released Siv’s hand immediately afterward. The scream echoed through the trees before fading into the night.

Siv clutched his injured finger, breathing heavily. "You bastard!"

Cassien crouched down in front of him. "You must be confused. I gave you every opportunity to walk over to the campfire and explain yourself. You refused."

He grabbed the ring finger, almost bored. Then cracked it in half as well.

"AAGHHHHH!"

The sound echoed through the forest. Siv’s entire body trembled. Tears immediately formed in the corners of his eyes.

"Cassien! Cassien, wait!"

Crack! The middle finger followed.

Siv nearly threw up. The pain shot straight through his arm like lightning.

"You know," Cassien spoke casually, "I had faith that it wouldn’t be you."

Crack! The index finger bent sideways. Siv screamed again.

The sound was so loud that several birds flew from nearby trees.

"Yet you took my kindness and tried using it as a weakness. So tell me then, which one of us is really a bastard? Is it me..."

Crack! The thumb snapped next.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"...Or is it you?"

Siv’s breathing became erratic. His entire hand looked swollen and deformed. Cassien finally released it.

"Five chances."

Siv clutched his hand against his chest. "Y-you psychopath..."

Cassien tilted his head. "Psychopath?" His smile widened. "You followed me into a forest and tried putting a blade through my throat. Let’s not pretend you’re the victim here."

Siv’s face paled. Cassien crouched down beside him.

"Now let’s try this again."

Siv shook his head. "I-I’m not talking."

Cassien grabbed the other hand. Siv froze as pure terror appeared in his eyes.

"N-no...."

Cassien wrapped his fingers around the smallest finger. "No?"

Crack!

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

The sixth scream was somehow worse than all the others. Siv’s body convulsed violently. His forehead slammed against the dirt.

"PLEASE!"

Cassien nodded. "There we go." He released the finger. "That sounds much better."

Siv continued shaking. His breathing came out in broken gasps. And for the first time since arriving on the island, the confident and sarcastic student was completely gone.

All that remained was fear.

"I’ll explain myself! I swear!"

"Good boy."

Cassien sighed, giving Siv a pat on the back. He then used both daggers and pierced them through Siv’s clothes, pinning him in place so he had zero mobility whatsoever.

"I promise I’ll explain."

Cassien laughed. "Don’t lie though..."

A figure began appearing through the forest.

"Because she can tell lies from the truth. So I wouldn’t want you to die here and now."

Cassien took a look at the woman stepping toward him.

"Hello, Aiysha Moon. Nice to finally see you again."