Chapter 92
“Haaa.”
“Hahaha.”
“Is this funny to you?”
“Well, if you look at the results, we caught all the remnants hiding in the Academy, didn’t we?”
“…But didn’t this get way out of hand?”
“…”
As always, there wasn’t much I could say to argue with Addy.
To be honest, even I didn’t expect things to blow up this much.
Taking down Randgar Bayel’s remnants who recognized Greenie wasn’t particularly difficult.
The real challenge was finding where they were hiding. Once we located them, it was game over.
Even the ones hiding in their hideout weren’t much of a threat.
They were just a bit stronger than the others.
Still, the fact that one of them didn’t collapse with a single punch was commendable.
But that wasn’t the issue.
Clearing out Randgar’s remnants, completing the side quest, gaining stat points, and avoiding a suspension were all good things.
But I had been too careless.
“…Who would’ve thought a student would have such an expensive artifact.”
“Haaa.”
Addy let out an even deeper sigh in response to my pathetic excuse.
The girl who had followed me while I was chasing those remnants.
I thought it wouldn’t matter if I just left her alone, but I was completely wrong.
Who would’ve imagined that a student would have an artifact in this world equivalent to a camera?
It was an extremely expensive artifact layered with multiple advanced spells.
Thanks to that, everything I did in the forest while dealing with those remnants was recorded.
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, when I turned my head at the end, my Black Shadow Corps uniform and mask were captured in full detail.
Perhaps because the evidence was too good, the report in the Academy Weekly immediately grabbed everyone’s attention.
The story spread from Crescent Academy to the Empire and then quickly across the entire continent.
I hate to say it myself, but it was understandable.
News about the Black Shadow Corps, especially about me as their leader, was incredibly rare.
And this was the first time my masked appearance had been captured on video from a frontal angle.
Until now, I had been so cautious, taking every precaution to prevent something like this from happening.
Perhaps because of this, despite the continent’s already chaotic state, this news was incredibly sensational.
It was even tied to the currently trending issue of black magic, making it the hottest topic imaginable.
“Maybe I got a little careless?”
“Haaaa. The Empire has already begun preparing for a search. You need to be careful.”
“Come on. They’ll never suspect I’m a student.”
“…”
Addy lowered her head and pressed her fingers to her temples.
I hadn’t expected things to escalate like this, but in a way, it worked out.
There’s no way the Empire would think the leader of the Black Shadow Corps was among the Academy’s students.
Once the Empire’s thorough search is complete, it should make things easier in the future.
“Fine. Do whatever you want. I don’t care anymore.”
“Hey, that sounds cold.”
“There are already rumors circulating globally that black magic might be linked to the Black Shadow Corps.”
“Eh? If anything, it’s the opposite.”
“That doesn’t really matter. Regardless, the fact remains that you were seen working with an organization connected to the undead.”
“No, I was helping…”
“The initial report framed it that way, and that’s what public opinion believes right now. But you know how quickly opinions can change.”
“Hmm.”
Addy’s words were completely on point.
I’d faced similar situations countless times before.
But this time, I couldn’t help feeling it was especially unfair.
‘Well, it’ll work out somehow.’
“For now, you need to lay low. I’ve already informed Yuria as well.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll be careful.”
“…”
Addy’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
Does she really trust her leader so little?
“I mean it. The remnants in the Academy have been dealt with, so I won’t have any reason to make a move for a while.”
“That would be ideal.”
Addy’s voice carried genuine sincerity.
I knew all too well how much trouble she went through every time something like this happened.
The incident in O’Neill Kingdom, for example, had even forced us to relocate our base.
Thankfully, this time it wasn’t as big of a disaster.
“And anyway, I’ll be leaving the Empire soon.”
“…The date’s been set?”
“Yeah, next week.”
“That’s sooner than I expected.”
“Right? The Academy must be really busy these days.”
“Hah, that brings its own set of problems, given the timing.”
“No, it’s actually fine. Who would…”
“…”
I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed Addy’s sharp gaze.
It was about the newly assigned field trip that replaced the planned excursion to the Northern Continent, as Professor Amilion had mentioned.
As Addy put it, “of all places,” the new destination was even more dangerous for me than the north.
O’Neill Kingdom.
The kingdom that once housed the Dragon Heart, the core of our office’s cooling, heating, and security systems.
The O’Neill Kingdom still maintained the highest level of vigilance against the Black Shadow Corps.
Because of this, information about events in O’Neill often reached us with significant delays.
Their security was so thorough that even our regular members couldn’t operate properly within the kingdom.
“Well, if things go south, I’ll just run, so don’t worry too much.”
Addy seemed to relax slightly at my words, sensing the sincerity behind them.
Of course, that didn’t mean her mood had completely improved.
“Alright, I’m heading out.”
“…Understood.”
Hearing Addy’s brief reply, I activated Spatial Movement.
I had only come to the office during the Academy’s lunch break, so I needed to hurry back.
***
“Have you all seen this?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve seen it too.”
At Cynthia’s question, Elaine and Emily nodded.
The video playing on Cynthia’s communication device was the hottest topic in the Academy lately.
The footage showed a figure in black taking down men in white robes in a forest.
It wasn’t just popular within the Academy but had also become famous across the continent.
The video depicted the leader of the Black Shadow Corps, protecting Crescent Academy from the undead, according to rumors.
Cynthia, Elaine, and Emily watched the video intently, as if it were their first time, even though they had already replayed it multiple times.
‘That outfit—it’s unmistakable.’
Cynthia was the first to take her eyes off the screen, sneaking glances at the others.
The outfit the figure in the video was wearing—it looked familiar from the very beginning.
Eventually, she remembered.
That outfit.
She had seen it up close before.
It was hanging on the wall in Ryu Yeong’s dorm room on the day of the Kane Hover incident.
The design was identical to the outfit in the video.
Cynthia carefully observed Emily in particular.
Of the three of them, only Emily knew Ryu’s true identity.
And since Emily was the niece of Yuria Prisis and a member of the Prisis Family, Cynthia thought she might know more about Ryu than she did.
As Cynthia’s gaze turned toward Emily, Emily was also deep in thought.
‘That’s definitely the same outfit my aunt wore.’
Emily vividly remembered her aunt donning a black outfit during the recent festival.
At the time, she had no idea what kind of outfit it was, but with the video going viral, Emily had figured it out.
The Black Shadow Corps uniform.
Her aunt had definitely been wearing the same Black Shadow Corps uniform as the figure in the video.
‘Could it be…?’
Numerous possibilities flashed through Emily’s mind.
The most plausible one was clear.
Her aunt, Yuria, was a member of the Black Shadow Corps.
‘If that’s the case, it explains why the leader of the Black Shadow Corps revealed themselves at the Academy.’
As Emily mulled over this, she glanced at Cynthia.
She wondered if Cynthia, who might know something she didn’t, had already figured it out.
“This outfit…”
“Huh?”
“What?”
It was Elaine’s voice that snapped Cynthia and Emily out of their thoughts.
Elaine spoke in a suspicious tone without taking her eyes off the video.
“Is it really true that this outfit is the Black Shadow Corps uniform?”
“It seems so. Everyone says it is.”
“Yeah, it’s been reported in the Empire’s news, not just the Academy Weekly.”
“Hmmm.”
“Why?”
Elaine let out a contemplative hum at Cynthia and Emily’s words, prompting Cynthia to ask curiously.
“Well…”
“Yes?”
“I’ve seen this outfit before.”
“You have?”
Cynthia and Emily turned their attention to Elaine simultaneously.
In truth, both of them had also seen the outfit before.
“Where did you see it?”
“I’m not certain, but during the festival, when the incident happened…”
Elaine frowned slightly as she tried to recall.
During the time the undead wyvern smashed through the building wall, Elaine distinctly remembered seeing someone in black charging toward the undead wyvern.
While she wasn’t completely sure, Elaine thought it might have been Ryu.
“I think Ryu was wearing this outfit.”
“…”
A moment of silence followed Elaine’s words.
Cynthia and Emily hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Anything they said that seemed awkward might deepen Elaine’s suspicion.
“Me? That’s impossible!”
“Oh…”
The familiar voice that interrupted the silence belonged to Ryu, who had just returned from a walk.
Ryu, visibly flustered, tried to sound casual, though his voice was trembling.
Seeing this, Cynthia and Emily thought the same thing simultaneously.
‘The outfit I saw in the dorm was definitely the Black Shadow Corps uniform.’
‘Like my aunt, Ryu is also part of the Black Shadow Corps.’
However, Elaine seemed unconvinced.
When Ryu denied it, Elaine nodded without a hint of doubt.
Cynthia and Emily barely managed to suppress a sigh as they watched Elaine’s reaction.
—
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