Chapter 112
“Why would he…”
“I don’t know the reason, but I’ve identified the target clearly.”
“Target? Was there even a specific goal?”
“Yes.”
Ordin calmly reported the situation to the king.
Although it was humiliating to have received help from the Black Shadow Corps, they had succeeded in capturing the black mage who annihilated the Silver Eagles.
The individual with monstrous power capable of decimating an entire knight order alone was someone once famous across the continent.
Kilbis Vernate.
A genius mage, believed to have died after an unfortunate incident.
Ordin had met him in his younger days.
It was said that Kilbis had lost control of his power and could no longer use magic, eventually committing suicide—but that wasn’t true.
Taking a brief pause, Ordin responded to the king’s next question.
“It was the earrings that the leader of the Silver Eagles had.”
“Earrings…?”
“Yes. We secured documents in Kilbis’s lab related to the matter.”
“What kind of earrings could they be…”
Pretending not to hear the king’s muttered disbelief, Ordin continued.
“According to the family, it was a treasured heirloom passed down for generations. There was even a rule that the strongest member of the family must always carry it.”
“Hmm.”
Ordin thought back to the Silver Eagles’ leader, a bright and powerful individual.
An image far removed from anything associated with earrings, yet an undeniably strong man.
Given time, he could have succeeded Ordin as the captain of the O’Neill Knight Order.
“It was confirmed that Kilbis targeted those earrings when he attacked the Silver Eagles. But even after confirming, the earrings were no longer in Kilbis’s possession.”
“Were you able to find out what he intended to use them for?”
“No, not yet. He’s still under interrogation.”
Ordin concluded his words, recalling Kilbis, who was detained in the underground prison.
As expected, Kilbis had refused to say a single word.
The only reason they had uncovered this much was because they had managed to locate Kilbis’s lab.
“There’s also word that the Black Shadow Corps showed up during the operation.”
‘As expected, it’s reached His Majesty’s ears.’
“…That’s correct. The leader of the Black Shadow Corps did appear.”
“Are Kilbis and the Black Shadow Corps connected?”
“That is…”
Ordin hesitated for a moment, considering how to answer as he looked at the king’s stern expression.
He knew very well how much the king despised the Black Shadow Corps.
After all, they were the ones who had stolen the Dragon Heart.
That anger was something Ordin shared as well.
However, he couldn’t fabricate something that wasn’t true.
From the king’s perspective, it would be easier to believe that Kilbis and the Black Shadow Corps were allies, and he likely wished for that to be the case.
“To my shame, I received help from them this time.”
“Hm?”
“Without the Black Shadow Corps leader’s assistance, we likely wouldn’t have captured Kilbis.”
“…”
The king’s face twisted slightly at Ordin’s words.
It was clear that he wasn’t pleased.
“While Kilbis and the Black Shadow Corps could be connected, they don’t appear to be in a cooperative relationship. If anything, they seem more antagonistic.”
“Hmm.”
Ordin pressed on, believing it was inevitable, as he explained the events of the operation.
Though the king listened, his expression remained dissatisfied, the report continued uninterrupted.
***
<Main Quest (4) ‘Make a Name for Yourself’ Complete!> <Title ‘Hero of the Kingdom’ Granted.>
Completing the quest was satisfying and gratifying.
But the problem came afterward.
“So, isn’t anyone eating?”
“…”
No one responded to my question.
Not Elaine, Cynthia, Emily, or even Professor Amilion.
They all stared at me with similar expressions.
“You seem to be in great condition.”
“Oh… Didn’t I already say? I slept really well yesterday.”
I responded casually to Elaine’s remark.
Completely lying was hard, but lying based on truth made it relatively easy.
I did, in fact, sleep very well yesterday.
The only difference was that it wasn’t in the knight order’s barracks but on the terrace chair of my villa.
Since it was early morning, what started as a quick nap turned into sleeping until sunrise.
The moment I woke up to the warm sunlight, I quickly changed and returned to the knight order’s barracks, but it was too late to avoid suspicion.
Not only Elaine, who didn’t know my identity, but also Professor Amilion, Cynthia, and Emily, who knew more about me, were all suspicious of my whereabouts last night.
“It was so noisy last night. Cynthia and Emily kept knocking on your door.”
“Exactly. How did you not hear that?”
“…”
Even I felt shameless answering that way, and Elaine closed her mouth, seemingly at a loss for words.
The other three didn’t openly question me like Elaine, but their eyes were full of doubt.
Rumors of the Black Shadow Corps appearing at the scene of yesterday’s incident had already spread throughout the knight order.
Considering how openly they had acted, it would have been strange if the rumors hadn’t spread.
Even a brief skirmish with the O’Neill Kingdom’s forces had taken place.
“So, when are we going back?”
“…Considering the scale of the incident, we should return as soon as possible.”
Amilion responded a beat later to my question.
“Well, in any case, it’s a relief that everything worked out. Elaine returned safely too!”
“…Yes, someone saved me.”
Ordin didn’t seem tired at all, as he had wrapped up everything cleanly overnight.
The First Elder had been safely escorted and imprisoned in the underground jail, and his identity had been revealed almost immediately.
He was Kilbis Vernate.
The once-famous genius mage, thought to have died after an unfortunate incident, was none other than the First Elder.
Although I didn’t know much about him, Amilion seemed familiar with the name.
She had been in quite a stir, marveling at how that person was alive and had become a black mage.
Thanks to Ordin quickly uncovering the First Elder’s identity, I gained some insight as well.
It was likely that the remaining elders of the Nameless Organization were also well-known figures.
The vice principal of Crescent Academy and the once-famous genius mage.
I didn’t know how many elders remained, but they would probably be of a similar caliber.
“If the situation allowed, I would have gone to save her myself!”
“…”
“Ahem. Well, I’m full. I’ll go wash up first.”
The constant gazes fixed on me were uncomfortable and burdensome.
Elaine, in particular, had not taken her eyes off me since my arrival, staring intently.
It made me nervous, worried she might discover something.
“Well then, I’ll head out first.”
I glanced at everyone as I stood up.
I decided it would be best to avoid people as much as possible until the suspicion subsided.
Click—
“Phew, suffocating.”
As soon as I entered the room, I muttered how stifling it had been.
I was about to go wash up but changed my mind.
Since I was tired from yesterday, I decided to relax and wash up in a more comfortable place to relieve my fatigue.
At my own house.
Wooong—
I immediately opened a space.
This was the advantage of Spatial Movement.
***
Scratch, scratch—
In the quiet room, the sound of a pen scratching against paper echoed loudly.
Shuffle—scratch, scratch—
After the sound of pages turning, the pen resumed its movements.
The person quickly processing paperwork in the quiet office was Addy.
Arriving 30 minutes earlier than usual, Addy had begun handling various tasks immediately upon arrival.
With the squad leader and captains all away recently, nearly all the workload had fallen on Addy.
Determined to demand a bonus once the situation was resolved, Addy diligently moved her pen.
Bzzz—
“Hm?”
Addy paused at the faint vibration coming from behind her desk.
The vibration came from the painting hanging on the wall.
She stopped all movement for a moment to focus.
Perhaps she had misheard.
Bzzz—
“What?”
She hadn’t misheard.
Startled by the small vibration, Addy quickly stood up.
She turned to face the painting hanging on the wall.
The star at the far left of the night sky depicted in the painting was glowing faintly and vibrating.
“Is this for real?”
Addy felt her heart racing.
At first glance, the painting looked like mere decoration, but it was far from ordinary.
It was an emergency communication device.
An agreement had been made among the captains to use this device only in dire situations.
The moon at the center represented the commander, and the four smaller stars below symbolized the division captains.
Bzzz—
The vibrating and glowing star on the far left indicated that the captain of Squad 1, Erica, had activated the emergency device.
For a moment, Addy wondered if it had been triggered accidentally, but she quickly dismissed the idea.
This was real.
She didn’t know the specifics, but it clearly signified an emergency.
And there was no way Erica, of all people, would accidentally activate the device.
“No way…”
‘Erica should be with Jacqueline, shouldn’t she?’
Bang—
In her rush, her chair fell backward, but Addy didn’t care about such trivial matters.
She immediately searched for the direct communication device to contact Jacqueline, the captain of Squad 2.
Though she wanted to contact the commander first, he happened to be away at this critical moment.
And he had left his communication device behind.
‘I need to calmly assess the situation first.’
Addy infused mana into the communication device.
Even though it was early morning, the connection was established immediately.
“Jacqueline! Are you with Erica?”
“…No. Erica said she was infiltrating the Flora Kingdom.”
“Oh…”
Addy’s unease intensified as she listened to Jacqueline’s nonchalant response.
“Why? What’s going on?”
Addy’s expression grew increasingly grim as she heard Jacqueline’s words.
—
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