Chapter 95
“How are you going to handle it?”
“We’ll go check it out.”
Professor Amilion nodded, as though she had expected my answer.
The information I had uncovered and what she had learned from her friend were nearly identical.
I had hoped that her conversation with her friend might have yielded more, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Her knowledge wasn’t significantly beyond what I had overheard in secret.
“Do you think we’ll be okay going there on our own?”
Professor Amilion glanced at me, her expression filled with worry.
“It’s the site of an already resolved incident, so there shouldn’t be any danger. Let’s go with the others.”
“…Alright. I’ll ask Elizar to come with us.”
“Good idea.”
“By the way, did you uncover anything?”
Professor Amilion now spoke to me quite casually.
At first, she had seemed unsure how to treat me, knowing I wasn’t a student but one of Yuria’s subordinates.
“Not much. Just that Ordin was present at the scene.”
“Hm. About the same as me.”
“The O’Neill side might have discovered more.”
“Really? How do you know?”
“Well…”
When she asked, I hesitated briefly.
During our final tour of the Knight Order, when I entered Ordin’s office, I had witnessed something unexpected.
Though Ordin had seemed steeped in defeat earlier that day, he was entirely different at night.
To be specific, his demeanor changed when he spoke with that man.
I didn’t know who the man was, but Ordin’s eyes had gleamed during their conversation.
He was no longer the knight broken by defeat but someone sharpening his blade for revenge.
Their conversation had also been far from ordinary.
Words like “hideout,” “raid,” and “reinforcements” filled their exchange—terms that anyone would find suspicious.
If only I had been able to eavesdrop closer, I might have gathered more, but that chance had slipped away.
Still, realizing that O’Neill might have information was a significant discovery in itself.
“I overheard Ordin speaking.”
“You did? Really?”
“Yes. It seemed like he might have identified the enemy’s hideout, but I’d need to dig deeper.”
“…”
Professor Amilion slowly nodded.
Then, after hesitating, she continued.
“But, you know…”
“Yes?”
“That video.”
“Video?”
“That… Black Shadow Corps Commander video.”
“Ah.”
My chest sank for a moment.
It was one thing to prepare for such a topic, but having it sprung on me mid-conversation caught me off guard.
“Is Yuria working with the Black Shadow Corps?”
“Well…”
This time, I hesitated over how to respond.
Professor Amilion looked at me, her expression uncertain.
“What does Yuria say?”
“When I asked, she didn’t really answer.”
“Hmm. Then why don’t you ask her again?”
“But it’s so obvious. Right after that video, she captured Nigel, the dark mage who was still at the academy.”
“Oh.”
“If Yuria is working with the Black Shadow Corps, then…”
“Then what?”
Professor Amilion’s point was valid.
Yuria wasn’t just working with the Black Shadow Corps.
She was a member—a key one, at that, serving as the captain of the 4th Squad.
‘Our image really isn’t great.’
It was obvious even from her expression.
Professor Amilion clearly didn’t have a favorable opinion of the Black Shadow Corps.
If she found out Yuria was involved, it might even jeopardize her willingness to cooperate with Yuria.
“…You should trust Yuria.”
“Pardon?”
“If Yuria decided to work with them, doesn’t that mean they’re trustworthy?”
“…”
Her unexpected response left me momentarily speechless.
How deep was her trust in Yuria?
“Besides, from what I’ve looked into, the Black Shadow Corps doesn’t seem as bad as people think.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Sure, they’re infamous for stealing the Dragon Heart, but they seem to follow their own code.”
‘Do they?’
Her words made me tilt my head slightly.
Sure, I had told Addy to reject overly inhumane or immoral requests.
Even so, most of our jobs involved theft, infiltration, and surveillance—far from virtuous acts.
“At any rate, it’s certain that the Black Shadow Corps Commander took down Randgar’s gang.”
“Well, that’s…”
Of course, the undead accompanying the commander were technically his pets.
It was clear Professor Amilion already firmly believed Yuria was connected to the Black Shadow Corps.
“Wouldn’t it be stranger not to connect the dots?”
‘I really don’t know anymore.’
“So, Ryu, are you working with the Black Shadow Corps too?”
“What?”
Professor Amilion’s expression showed pure curiosity.
I thought I’d caught a breather, having left the Empire where the Black Shadow Corps search was ongoing, but it was clear I couldn’t let my guard down.
“Ah, no! Hahaha.”
I needed to deny it as naturally as possible.
***
“Huuuu.”
Ordin let out an audible sigh and fidgeted with the sword on his desk. The familiar grip of the sword handle brought back memories he didn’t want to recall.
The horrifying accident from not long ago.
Clench.
Ordin tightly closed his eyes and gripped the sword with all his strength. His hands trembled faintly as he held the weapon. The reason for this uncontrollable shaking was a complex mix of emotions.
Anger at his own helplessness.
Humiliation from being forced to abandon his subordinates as they fell one by one.
And fear.
‘Haaa.’
Ordin released the sword from his trembling hands.
In all his years of training in swordsmanship and countless battles, Ordin had encountered many walls. He had faced countless swordsmen stronger than himself and had endured countless crises.
But no matter how dire or dangerous the situation, Ordin had never felt fear.
Especially not this kind of primal fear.
“Damn it.”
Muttering quietly, Ordin stood from his seat.
He couldn’t just sit still anymore.
His mind was telling him to grab his sword and charge into the enemy hideout the kingdom’s investigation team had discovered. But his heart was not as resolute.
Could he truly face that opponent again in his current state and win?
Wouldn’t he end up causing more losses and joining his subordinates in death rather than avenging them?
The annihilation of the O’Neill Kingdom’s proud “Silver Eagles” was not the work of thousands or tens of thousands of soldiers.
It had been one person.
A single opponent shrouded in a white robe, exuding an eerie aura.
The enemy had appeared alone, standing boldly before the knight order, and cast a spell Ordin had never seen before.
Now he knew it was black magic, but at the time, he hadn’t had the luxury of such thought.
The enemy had used only one spell.
Ordin still vividly remembered the scene.
The unpleasant mana emanating from the man in the white robe.
When the man extended his hand, black mist spread faster than the wind.
Then the knights collapsed, coughing up blood.
Even amidst the chaos, Ordin had charged toward the enemy with composure, believing that eliminating the foe was the best course of action to save his men.
But the result was far from good.
The man in the white robe hadn’t even reacted to Ordin’s rapid approach.
He had merely lifted his head and locked eyes with Ordin.
And in that moment, Ordin froze.
Golden eyes glowing ominously, with the massive figure of a white snake behind them.
The snake wasn’t physically present, but Ordin had felt it undeniably.
A serpent flicking its long tongue, its gaze piercing.
In that instant, Ordin had thought that any further movement would lead to his death.
It was a primal fear—a survival instinct of a beast, not a human.
While Ordin was frozen in place, a massacre unfolded behind him.
Shrouded in the mist, his subordinates fell one by one, coughing up blood.
All Ordin could do was watch.
When the mist finally subsided, most of the knights lay lifeless on the ground.
Only a few had survived, thanks to their mastery of magic or their possession of magic-resistant artifacts.
These were the most talented among the Silver Eagles.
Just as they prepared to charge, their eyes blazing with fury, the serpent moved.
Its flicking tongue stilled as its mouth opened wide.
The massive fangs gleamed menacingly, and as the snake’s jaws snapped shut, everything was over.
A black hole formed beneath the feet of the surviving knights, and sharp spikes shot up from below.
And what came after… Ordin didn’t even want to think about it.
Even as he witnessed the scene, Ordin couldn’t move.
It was as if he had been petrified, unable to budge no matter how much he willed it.
By the time it was all over, the entire knight order had been annihilated, leaving Ordin as the sole survivor.
He had believed it was his end, destined to die without knowing his enemy’s identity or reason.
But Ordin had survived.
Or rather, he had been “spared.”
‘I need to overcome this.’
“Grrrgh!”
Despite the tremors in his body, Ordin clenched his resolve and tried to push through the fear.
As the grand commander, he couldn’t afford to cower.
If he was like this, who could stand against that enemy?
‘But…’
Even as he tried to steel himself, his determination faltered.
Soon, a deep sense of defeat crept into Ordin’s mind.
No matter how he looked at it, defeating that opponent with his current strength seemed impossible.
Steeling his resolve was no easy task.
—
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