Chapter: 204
Among the various countries of the Union, the ones most skilled in espionage can be broadly categorized as ‘Krasilov for domestic intelligence’ and ‘Kalion for foreign intelligence’.
Both can be briefly equivalent to a homebody berserker and a voyeuristic patient.
However, if we expand the scope beyond nations to ‘organizations’, surprisingly, there is an organization that can gather information more freely than Kalion at the border and more intimately than Krasilov.
The Church.
All the countries of the United Kingdom are united under one religion, and the priests of the church are appointed by the Pope. Since they possess the authority to appoint, issue orders, and grant pardons, priests have no borders.
Moreover, due to the system of ‘confession’, priests have access to the most private worries and secrets of the congregants. Of course, confidentiality is tightly bound by church law, but who is without mistakes?
Naturally, a priest is a human, so they may occasionally slip up. Some priests are often suspected of ‘making too many slip-ups’, meaning they are fixed spies of allied nations.
Considering all these circumstances, the organization with the most spies in this era is indeed the Church, and the one holding the strongest intelligence is also the Church, therefore…
“My dear and precious status window….”
All theology students coming and going in Frechenkaya, St. Jan’s University are considered prospective spies.
“Who exactly is the spy… tell me….”
Eugene, who had to sift through these spies, could only bury his face in his hands and groan.
Though he does not know precisely what the Saint’s plan is, that was the only thing he could do.
At this moment, the Theology Department had fainted due to the loss of sacred power, so Eugene had no choice but to sit blankly in the courtyard.
“Yujin, what are you doing?”
“Sighing, praying, spying.”
“It’s good to be faithful. If you have nothing to do, how about attending the class together?”
“Class?”
“It’s a class by Professor Enrique, very popular, couldn’t register. Do you remember the ecology of demons?”
“Isn’t that the class my brother just skimmed over?”
“That’s what Professor Enrique is taking over now. You can attend regardless of enrollment. Want to come with me? After that, let’s go to Isabelle’s for dinner.”
“I can’t resist that.”
Kimchi stew is a major reason. My brother isn’t just going crazy for nothing.
Eugene nodded firmly and got up. Professor Enrique’s class is fun, so he thought it would be fine.
Enrique is good at teaching someone. This is proven by the Cleanup Unit (they went extinct). No student who learned something from her has failed, which makes her teaching method praiseworthy.
Beautiful, flashy, dignified, and funny, it’s not easy for a young (debatable) female professor’s class to be unpopular. Especially if she’s from a Hero Party.
This point is something that Ivan and a few others might not easily realize, but Enrique was one of the heroes recorded in history. You can still find her glorified statue when you see a statue of the Hero Party.
“Was it a goblin last week?”
“Goblins and orcs. Definitely better than last semester’s class.”
The demon’s weakness: if the head comes off, it dies. Much more organized and rational than the class that taught such things.
Students were gathered in the outer forest, chatting quietly and spending time. Soon, Enrique appeared at the podium.
“Hello, students! The weather is bright and nice, perfect for a game of tag, right? Today is practical! I told you to come dressed comfortably, but… the boys never listen!”
Ignoring a few students who had dressed up to the nines, Enrique said with a grin.
“Well, if you regret it, it’s too late. Today’s practical is about dealing with Taurus. Tylesse students, you should listen carefully. Taurus is the main demon on the Eastern Front, and small-scale invasions are still frequent there.”
The Tylesse students and the Hero Party nodded seriously.
“So, what should you do when facing Taurus? Honestly, there’s only one correct answer: kill it from a distance. If you engage in close combat, Taurus’s charge has similar power to a knight’s lance charge. Unless you’re mounted, contact is prohibited while on foot.”
Isabelle, who was listening to Enrique’s explanation with great interest, pondered for a moment. She had heard that the guy just stood there and mowed down everything.
“The best way to deal with it is to ambush a lone Taurus. That’s why we chose the forest; it’s a great environment for hiding and ambushing. I roughly taught you how to operate stealthily in the forest last class. Today, we will practice that.”
At that moment, a student raised his hand, a male student dressed in an expensive suit who waved his hand while sporting a serious expression.
“Uh, there. Sorry, I can’t remember all the names at the beginning of the semester. Do you have a question?”
“I’m Lunen of the d’Hynx family, Professor!”
“Right, right, Lunen d’Hynx. What’s your question?”
“Does the practice of ambushing Taurus mean there are Taurus in this forest?”
“No matter how great I am, I can’t let demons loose in the forest attached to Frechenkaya. Instead, I found someone to fill that role.”
Oh.
At this point, Isabelle and Ecdysis quickly glanced at each other.
No way.
“Alright, applause! Does anyone not know who it is?”
Thud.
The heavy footsteps reverberated as the ground shook. It felt like the temperature of the warm spring day dropped about 50 degrees.
All the students quickly shifted their gaze while brushing away the goosebumps on their arms.
From the shadow of an ordinary conifer tree that no one had noticed, a tall man slowly walked out.
“Uh…?”
“Uh oh…?”
Ivan Petrovich stood before the podium, emerging from the shadows. He scanned the gathered students with his somber eyes. There were familiar faces and unfamiliar ones.
If there were unfamiliar faces at this school, it would mean they were freshmen. He memorized the details of all the undergraduates.
In the chilling silence, Ivan slowly opened his mouth.
“Umm…”
Gulp…?! Puhuu—!!
Isabelle quickly covered her mouth.
He’s cute, that guy. Damn it. Can’t help it…? Isn’t that temptation itself?
As Dark-Isabelle, she hastily began plotting to add a sleeping pill to tonight’s dinner. Various drugs, including sleeping pills, are included in the dark chef’s secret sauce.
“If you hear this sound, run away. Taurus only howls just before a battle, and if you can hear Taurus’s howl from inside the forest, it means it is watching you.”
Ivan continued flatly.
“Taurus is dull in sight but has superior hearing and smell compared to humans. Its hearing is estimated to be about three times greater under audible range, and its sense of smell about five times stronger. Therefore, to ambush Taurus, you must remain as quiet as possible and conceal your scent.”
“But how do we conceal our scent in the forest…?”
“Good question. There are three main methods.”
The term “good question” sounded like it could kill her, making the girl who had asked the question shrink her neck and shiver.
“Bathe in mud. Or stay submerged in water for as long as possible. But if you stay in water for too long, there’s a risk of hypothermia, and if moisture evaporates when out of the water, your scent becomes stronger, so I don’t recommend that. The most recommended method is blood.”
“…Blood?”
“Anything would be fine, just smear blood around the area you want to hide. The more, the better. Taurus is a carnivore and enjoys sex, so it gets easily excited by the scent of blood. After that, if you ambush a Taurus distracted by feeding, it should be easy.”
Ivan finished his explanation while scanning the students.
“I will start tracking in five minutes. I will adjust to a level that an ordinary Taurus can handle, so don’t be overly scared when attempting to ambush. I will allow attacks that I judge Taurus incapable of responding to.”
In other words, he means he has the confidence to take hits from a demon like Taurus with his bare body.
Students who did not flinch at Ivan’s face let out a dry chuckle.
Everyone here is at least aristocrats, and aristocrats know how to use mana. Adults who have entered university are even more skilled, and those dispatched to places interacting with foreign countries would be even more capable.
In other words, they had easily defeated knights or mages with decent experience in their own territories. They were prodigies who had heard the words ‘genius’ since childhood.
Talented young aristocrats tend to be arrogant. So, if someone like this unknown professor, whom they had never even heard of and looking so shabby, dares to say such things, they can only laugh.
After glancing over them once, Ivan pulled out a pocket watch from his coat.
“I will begin. Disperse.”
“Alright, while grouping is good, you know it gets more noticeable the more you group together, right? Strategically think and form teams. I’ll give you two hours!”
“Can we just run away?”
“You can do that, but don’t forget the name of this class, right? It’s the ecology of monsters. It’s an assessment of coping methods, so that would be a reason for point deduction. At least try to get an attack in once. Even if you fail, there’s extra credit.”
Enrique, grinning, waved as the students began to disperse, and soon only Enrique and Ivan remained at the podium.
“Thanks for coming. Honestly, I didn’t think you would be so frank.”
“Education is important.”
The Hero Party still has much to learn, and the other students also need to elevate their educational level. As I recalled before, these are chaotic times. At this moment when the United Kingdom is facing a crisis of division, talents that can respond to demons are precious at any time.
Enrique nodded happily at Ivan’s words.
“And it would be good for you to get some fresh air and meet people too.”
This guy would probably end up checking weapons or being holed up in the Counterintelligence Command, inspecting intelligence networks and data during his free time.
A person shouldn’t live so drearily. Rather, mingle with the younger folks, gain some vitality. Vitality is highly contagious. Doesn’t it feel like the atmosphere has lightened?
At Ivan’s words, Enrique nodded without replying. He put the pocket watch back into his pocket. After all, time can be counted in seconds, so the watch was just taken out to show the students.
“Just don’t take it too far, okay?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll act as if facing a normal Taurus.”
“Endure even if the kids are a bit nasty.”
“Your worries are excessive.”
Ivan shook his head and turned away. He trudged into the woodland path.
Enrique chuckled at that sight. Even if he says that, he’s still my guy.
He enjoys teaching the kids.
“Hey, it’s coming.”
“Shh, quiet. Get ready.”
Lunen gripped his longsword tightly, lowering his body. Along with some other students, he hid among the dense shrubs of the coniferous forest.
It’s been a long time since they coordinated with these guys. The d’Hynx family was a great domain, and many of his peers were barons under the count.
These junior barons here would come in handy later when he created what he would call ‘factions’. Friends who had been together in their territory doing all sorts of ‘fun’ things.
A typical combination of mages and knights. The five students prepared to ambush, clutching their weapons and swallowing hard.
Soon, the sound of footsteps was heard. The sound was so heavy and striking the ground that it was hard not to notice.
“The scent of perfume is easily exposed. Be careful.”
A low voice rang from afar. Even from a considerable distance, hidden behind the dense foliage, it could accurately aim toward them.
And soon, a blunt voice followed.
“Umm…”
Taaaw…
The Taurus only howls when it detects an enemy.
–Aaaaah—!!
–Die—!! Die now—!!
“It’s close by, right? Should we go?”
“No, Ecdysis. We’re in a perfect position right now.”
–Please save me, please save me, please save me!!
–I’m sorryyy!!
–Do you know who I am—!! Aaah!!
“What the heck is uncle doing?”
“He’s probably doing what he usually does. We could probably mimic him.”
“Try! What is it?”
“Um. An enemy. Kill it.”
Gah…!! Puhuh—!!
Ecdysis immediately burst into laughter, rolling on the ground.
After laughing for a bit, the two quickly cleared their throats and repositioned themselves.
“This time, remember? Ecdysis. We must take it down.”
“More aggressive than usual, huh?”
“No, Uncle said to ‘limit their strength.’ Do you think another opportunity like this will come? Are you just going to give up and hand Uncle over to the Queen?”
“That can’t happen.”
“Once we meet, I’ll go out and speak to him directly. Then you hit from behind, and when the attention is diverted, I’ll rush in.”
“Sounds great, perfect.”
“Excellent.”
Ivan nodded as he gazed at the blood-stained clearing.
Blood from the deer’s corpse splattered across the trees and ground. Indeed, walking in the scent of blood brought such a sight. Clean, a perfect trap. A Taurus would inevitably fall for it.
Ivan moved to the center of the clearing with satisfaction.
“Uncle.”
Isabelle rose from beyond the clearing. She dusted off a few leaves from her hair and, with a bright smile, drew her sword.
“Shall we make a bet?”
“A bet.”
“If I win, you grant me one wish.”
“Why should I?”
“If I lose, I’ll participate in Uncle’s training camp without complaints. It’s necessary. A hero needs to grow stronger.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
Ivan nodded. However, it’s a deduction.
“To expose yourself while digging a trap for an ambush is foolish behavior. Your chances don’t look very high.”
“Really? Is that so?”
With Isabelle’s laughter, Ivan’s gaze quickly shifted to the side.
Due to limiting the hearing and sense of smell to that of a Taurus, he didn’t notice until the killing intent came close. Certainly, if it were a Taurus, this ambush would have worked.
If he had hidden his killing intent, it would have been even clearer. Ivan nodded in satisfaction.
Kaang—!!
“Using an axe?!”
“Taurus can use an axe.”
The authority descending toward Ivan’s head was blocked by the axe blade. He restrained his techniques as much as possible, using sheer force to push Ecdysis back and turn his head.
Sure enough, perfect timing. Isabelle, who had charged in, pointed her blade directly at his chest. Seeing that she was utilizing mana, there was nothing to criticize.
Kaang—!!
“Are you using mana?!”
“Taurus can use mana.”
Ivan’s axe deflected Isabelle’s blade in a half-turn, knocking away the authority that had descended again. He promptly twisted his waist and kicked Isabelle heavily.
“Ugh—!!”
Isabelle adjusted her posture midair. As she landed, her long hair fell gently.
From the distance opened again, Ivan smiled slightly.
He finds them increasingly likable.
They were already remarkable children. Their talent was almost as good as their predecessors. They are becoming sharper through real combat, and he can see that.
The gradual process of creating an inexperienced Hero Party itself.
Or the fact that as they improve, the sense of their survival feels more assured.
Indeed, no one needs to die anymore. It has to be like that, and Ivan will ensure it.
So, feeling quite satisfied, Ivan subtly smiled and slowly opened his mouth towards Isabelle.
“Umm…”
Taurus howls just before a battle.
Isabelle burst into laughter.
