The Raven's Curse

Chapter Twenty One

(Y/n) sighed as the whole members of the Ace Team began pilling in the old meeting room. She wondered how was she ever to tell them about the traitor in the academy without relating it to the recent found triskellion just yesterday. If she did relate it, how could she prevent from relating to her case. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as everybody took their seats. Here goes nothing.

"You might be wondering why I wanted to see you," took a glance at her watch, 10 at night. "late at this hour."

She received questioning looks from everyone. Taking their silence as a green light, she proceeded.

"Remember how my father, Lord (d/n) (l/n) mentioned about a traitor earlier this year?"

"Da, he did mentioned it regarding how he feared interception and about the attack on the patrolling ships." Ivan said as he remembered  while the others nodded. 

"Yes, that one. And do you remember when our plan backfired when we went to Kyoto to catch Ryu?"

"I do remember!" Yao exchanged serious glances with Kiku and looked back at (y/n). "And I still kept wondering how."

"Is our young dame suggestion a bond between the two cases?" Francis smirked in interest.

(Y/n) nodded. "More precisely, a traitor in the academy."

"Dang! A conspiracy." Alfred exclaimed loudly and the others began to muse about the fact.

"But don't you think it could also be the work of an outsider." Ludwig stated his opinion. "I don't deny the high possibility of a traitor in the academy. But the traitor could also be someone really close in the army. He or she could had warned Ryu about Lord (l/n) meeting us. With that Ryu will  be prepared for any suspicions. Besides, you did mentioned about your mistake in Lady (f/n)'s selling price."

The rest of the room murmured in agreement. (Y/n) she had been trying to avoid that statement. Looks like she had no choice. She took out a few photos she took lastnight and distributed to both sides of the U-shaped stone table.

"Hey (y/n)," Alfred stared at the photo then at (y/n). "isn't this the symbol we found outside the academy building? The triskellion thing."

"Yes. And I found another one yesterday in the Newspaper Club." she answered gravely. "It was recently carved, about two or three months in age."

"So... what's the connection?" Alfred asked. His mind lingered on the word occult. "What's a celtic symbol got to do with all the Second Player  madness?"

(Y/n) went silent and rigid. She ran out of words. How was she to explain this? She couldn't possibly tell them about her past. And what's going to happen in the future. She knew she ought to tell that life and death curse but she when she tried, no words came out. It happened once when she tried to tell Arthur and (f/n) after the Ryu incident. Her voice stolen and her throat hurted. She felt like she rather die. "Well-"

"This looked like one of Ryu's tattoo." Kiku piped up.

"I thought his only tattoo was the dragon on his bald head?" (F/n) asked.

"No. He had many big ones. The disrepectful man likes walking around without a shirt. The dragon on his head. A scorpian around his legs." Kiku closed his eyes as he tried to remember. "A manticore, if I'm not mistaken on his torso. A skull on his neck. A snake around his arm. And that symbol you called triskellion on one of his shoulder blades."

(Y/n) restrained herself from releasing that relieved sigh. God bless that japanese man and his new information. She felt like she could kiss him on the spot. (Y/n) realised her unapropriate thoughts and quickly dismissed it.