Chapter 91
‘A big catch, a really big one.’
So far, I’ve confirmed seven.
Seven of Randgar Bayel’s remnants, all knocked out cold by a single blow from me.
As expected, calmly following the person who appeared before Greenie instead of immediately capturing them was the right choice.
Thanks to that, I discovered their hideout.
“But is this all there is?”
Grrr—
Greenie assumed I was talking to it and naturally approached me.
I almost reached out to pat Greenie’s head but stopped mid-action.
‘Might as well act like I have no connection to the undead.’
Vrrr—
Instead, I sent Greenie back to where it had been.
To anyone secretly watching from behind, it would look like Greenie had suddenly disappeared.
Just as I was tailing these people, someone else had been following me.
Out of caution, I had moved into the air to check who it was, and they weren’t part of Randgar’s group.
It was most likely an Academy student.
After all, this was the Academy, and they didn’t seem particularly strong.
I had no idea why a student would be here at this timing, but I couldn’t help it.
As much as I wanted to remove the girl, I left her alone.
Focusing on her might cause me to lose track of Greenie, and honestly, one person witnessing this wouldn’t change anything.
At most, it would just add to the countless rumors already circulating in the Academy.
Something like how more villains were hiding deep inside the Training Forest.
Slyly—
The girl who had followed me lay flat on the ground, still watching me.
By now, the situation should’ve ended, and she should’ve left, but here she was.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter, I guess.’
I debated briefly on what to do about the student but ultimately decided to let her be.
For now, I had to head into the hideout and deal with the remnants.
Vrrr—
When I touched the tree the remnants had emerged from, I felt a subtle ripple.
This wasn’t the flow of ordinary mana.
It was a sensation I was very familiar with.
That unique feeling when space opens up.
‘Oh, what’s this?’
Vrrr—
And then, my surroundings changed.
A moment ago, I had been deep in the forest, but with the sensation of passing through space, I found myself indoors.
“So, this is the hideout?”
“Huh?”
I muttered to myself, but there was a reaction from inside.
The door ahead, solid and sturdy-looking, opened, and someone stepped out.
A man in a white robe, just like the others I’d seen so far.
The moment I saw him, I knew.
This guy was the boss of the remaining remnants.
“So, it’s you?”
“Who are you?!”
Crackle—
Just as I expected.
Unlike the others, his response was quick, and the mana he gathered was entirely different.
The man drew a large amount of mana at once, readying himself to attack.
Smirk—
Though he couldn’t see it, I smiled at him and began to move.
Let’s see if this guy also goes down in one hit.
***
“Wow.”
Erica couldn’t help but marvel at the breathtaking scenery before her.
Clear skies, a blue horizon, sunlight streaming down, and the vast ocean stretching endlessly.
It had been a long time since she’d seen such a view.
“The west is the best, isn’t it? Right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Put some feeling into your reply.”
“…”
Erica scolded Jacqueline, who had given a soulless response.
Jacqueline.
The captain of the Black Shadow Corps’ 2nd Squad and considered the strongest in the Corps in terms of raw combat power.
Like Erica, Jacqueline had been with Ryu Yeong since the early days of the Black Shadow Corps.
“Nice.”
“…That’s enough. Let it go.”
“What about the intel?”
“There’s nothing new. We deployed informants as soon as we arrived, but it’ll take at least half a day.”
“Hmm.”
Erica sighed inwardly as she looked at Jacqueline, who spoke curtly in her pretty voice.
She couldn’t understand why she’d been paired with such people lately.
Last time, it was Yuria; now it was Jacqueline.
Honestly, she preferred working alone.
“So, let’s just relax for a bit. The scenery’s great, we’ve got time, and I’ll buy you a meal. I managed to squeeze some money out of the Captain recently.”
“No, I’m fine.”
Despite Jacqueline’s blunt refusal of her offer, Erica didn’t seem to care.
They’d known each other for years now.
Erica was used to Jacqueline’s reactions.
“Hey. I’ll get bored by myself. Let’s go.”
Erica grabbed Jacqueline’s arm and forcibly pulled her along as she spoke.
Standing about 10 cm shorter than Erica, Jacqueline allowed herself to be dragged without resistance.
‘She’s usually so quiet and girlish, isn’t she?’
“It’s been forever since the two of us worked together, hasn’t it?”
“…Yeah.”
Erica continued the conversation undeterred by Jacqueline’s reluctant and half-hearted reply.
The reason the two of them had come to the western continent was singular.
To investigate the recent war between the Lorelai Kingdom and the Flora Kingdom.
More precisely, to find clues related to the black magic at the root of the conflict rather than the war itself.
The war between Lorelai and Flora had progressed much faster than anyone had anticipated.
The two western rivals were equally matched in national power.
Their military strength was so similar that any territorial disputes or battles would often result in prolonged wars.
But this time was different.
From the very first battle, the Flora Kingdom achieved a series of overwhelming victories.
And by now, everyone knew that black magic was at the heart of it.
The Flora Kingdom was making excellent use of black magic to create creatures—creatures entirely distinct from undead.
Unlike undead, which had years of accumulated data on Arkaria Continent, these creatures were unprecedented.
So far, the Flora Kingdom had used three types of black magic creatures in the war.
A divisive creature nicknamed the “Black Sheep.”
A bird-shaped flying creature called the “Raven.”
And a massive golem-shaped creature surrounded by black mana, known as the “Black Golem.”
Despite receiving reinforcements from various countries, the Lorelai Kingdom was still struggling.
The kingdom was overwhelmed by the brutal lethality of the creatures, for which they had no information.
In just three battles, the Lorelai Kingdom had suffered near-catastrophic losses and was forced to retreat their front lines significantly.
“This is chaotic.”
“Well, of course. There’s a war happening next door, and black magic is at the center of it.”
Erica and Jacqueline sat down at a seaside restaurant and ordered food.
The restaurant, as Jacqueline had noted, was noisy and chaotic.
Given the current situation, it was unlikely that tourists were visiting the west, so most of the people inside were locals.
Even without actively trying to eavesdrop, Erica could tell how anxious everyone was just by the snippets of conversations she overheard.
The Flora Kingdom is advancing further.
Our country will likely start conscripting soldiers for the war soon.
Even the allied forces sent from various nations were ambushed by the Flora Kingdom en route.
“So, we’re heading to the Flora Kingdom, right?”
“Right?”
“Then why are we here?”
Erica flinched at Jacqueline’s sharp question.
Normally, Jacqueline wouldn’t even think to ask something like that.
‘That’s unexpectedly perceptive.’
“There’s an informant here. It’s better to have some information before heading in blindly, don’t you think?”
“Got it.”
‘Phew.’
Erica sighed in relief as she saw Jacqueline’s attention return to her teacup.
Of course, Erica wasn’t lying; stopping here to gather some intel before heading out was part of the plan.
But that wasn’t the entire reason.
When people thought of the western continent, the vast ocean was one of the first things that came to mind.
Before diving into their mission, Erica wanted to enjoy a brief moment of leisure by the sea in this city.
After all, she had been working relentlessly on the Academy incident recently.
She never expected Jacqueline—who was usually clueless to the point of seeming dull—to ask, “Why did we come here?”
Just as Erica was thinking she had handled it well, their food arrived.
Seafood dishes by the sea—perfect.
“Mmm, this looks amazing.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
Erica couldn’t help but drool as she looked at the beautifully cooked shrimp and crab.
If she was on a work trip, at least the food should be enjoyable.
“Hey, have you heard the news?”
“What news? There’s been so much news lately.”
“They say undead appeared in the Crescent Empire!”
“Bah, that’s old news.”
From the table behind them, familiar words reached Erica’s ears.
Undead. Crescent Empire.
‘Ugh, just thinking about that gets on my nerves.’
She recalled Yuria casting a single spell that froze what seemed like thousands of undead.
It had been one of those rare moments where Erica keenly felt the difference in talent.
“Ha! You’re the one who’s behind the times! There’s been another undead sighting recently! This time, it’s a flying undead horse!”
“Is something like that even possible?”
‘Hmm?’
Erica tilted her head slightly, focusing on the conversation between the two old men behind her.
“Of course! There’s even video evidence! And guess what?”
“What is it?”
“The undead appeared at Crescent Academy!”
‘What?!’
The more Erica listened, the more pieces started falling into place.
A flying undead horse.
Crescent Academy.
“Wasn’t the last incident also something that happened at the Academy?!”
“Exactly! But this time, someone stopped it before it became a bigger problem…”
“Was it the Academy staff?”
“No, no. Here’s the surprising part—the Black Shadow Corps protected the Academy! And the Captain himself took action.”
“Cough, cough!”
Erica nearly choked on her shrimp at the unexpected mention of the Black Shadow Corps.
“Ah.”
The piece of shrimp Erica had spat out flew straight onto Jacqueline’s cheek, sticking there.
—
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