<465 - The Astute Informant>
A man dressed in instructor’s robes cautiously asked the Destroyer while keeping an eye on him.
“Is it really okay for us, belonging to the Thief Guild, to be here at the Academy? It’s been a while since we operated in the daylight, and I’m feeling quite nervous.”
“The Foundation’s scholarship students are parading around just fine. All the professors have appointed their own close associates as instructors, dragging them along into the Academy. If they can do it, so can you.”
No matter how busy a person’s life is, there are times when you have to squeeze in an engagement, even if it means borrowing from your own health.
When you sense a red flag regarding your health and need a check-up.
When you fall in love with someone who resonates with your heart.
The former is a bad thing, but the latter is a good one.
Unfortunately for the Destroyer, the engagement he was feeling the need for leaned more toward the former.
“So, what about the investigation results on the Red Magic Tower that we entrusted to the volcano branch?”
“We’ve identified suspicious movements. The security magic circle of the tower was temporarily halted under the pretext of maintenance, and some of the mages in charge have vacated their posts.”
“They’re beginning to lay the groundwork for a volcanic eruption. There may not be much time left.”
The Destroyer is the world’s greatest thief.
The guild accompanying him has been faithfully gathering information and supplying resources as the Warrior Party travels across the Demon Realm.
However, in the Southern Sacred City-State Federation, far removed from the frontlines of the Northern Demon Realm, stopping the nefarious movements of the Red Magic Tower—a part of the Multicolor Magic Tower—was no easy task for him either.
“Evidence collection.”
“Failed. Unlike the lax external security, internal defenses are stringent. All organization members who infiltrated the main facilities were burnt to ashes.”
“Blueprints of the main buildings and troop deployments.”
“We obtained the blueprints from before the tower’s purchase and redesign. Details on troop deployments are under verification.”
“We have a week at most. It could even blow up in a matter of days. Hurry it up.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.”
Before Professor Pinkberry, the Destroyer was not the self-proclaimed child-lover who got utterly humiliated.
Before the Thief Guild, he was the world’s greatest thief and a previous hero.
“By the way, what about that matter I asked you to look into while staying at the Academy?”
“Out of the five individuals monitoring Oknodie, two were caught by Oknodie herself. The other two were warned by the maid assigned as security and backed off.”
“One remains.”
“I thought she wouldn’t be much to write home about since she’s a dropout from the third year, but it seems she’s actually quite skilled.”
“What are the results?”
“Oknodie showed no particular awareness regarding the Red Magic Tower. They are fully focused on their exams.”
“I see.”
“This morning, Oknodie achieved the highest scores in Professor Weird’s ‘Wrath of Nature’ exam. However, there are concerns.”
The Destroyer, impeding the powers of the Director, who could become an obstacle for Oknodie.
No matter how monumental the event before him, if he were blinded by scale and couldn’t protect the child he needed to safeguard, it’d be as if he learned nothing from his experience of losing Havi.
“I won’t let that child suffer the same fate as Havi, no matter what.”
With that determination in mind, the informants placed around Oknodie brought in some truly outrageous information.
“Oknodie has been mimicking the behavior of someone else based on their advice. It’s speculated that they are communicating using the Foundation’s magical tools.”
“There’s a possibility that a new high-ranking official from the Foundation has attached themselves to Oknodie. We’ll hire the dropout from the third year as a permanent informant and push for support.”
“Understood.”
For the time being, while stepping back from Oknodie’s side, if one grand scheme from the Foundation can be toppled, the advantage will be ours.
With the cooperation of Professor Pinkberry, he must not lose in this battle against the Foundation.
*
The history of being a dropout from the third year means being regarded as a failure at the Gift Academy, but within the Thief Guild, it became proof of exceptional talent.
“I can’t believe Mr. Hitler possesses such remarkable skills yet couldn’t graduate to the fourth year. Starting today, please work with us.”
On the very first day of his visit, after being verified, Hitler took on eight different tasks.
Building his reputation by completing every request flawlessly, Hitler finally received a significant commission.
“It’s a request from VIP. We are looking for a talented individual to act as an informant at the Gift Academy. If you feel burdened, you can decline without any repercussions.”
“Not at all. I’m actually quite eager. To pull one over on the Academy for not recognizing my worth? I’ll gladly accept.”
You are not fit to advance to the fourth year.
Recalling the cold declaration of the overseeing professor who told him he had failed the promotion exam, Hitler’s heart chilled.
I will prove it.
I will show whether or not I was unworthy to rise above you.
Whether you misjudged me.
“A terror to liberate the fusion organism in the isolation room, or to steal the research results from the club room. Anything aside from kidnapping and assassination of students, I’m willing to accept.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t be a request like you fear. The main tasks will involve monitoring a dangerous individual and gathering information.”
Hitler cautiously asked.
“Is the target a fourth-year student?”
“The details will be disclosed once you arrive at the Academy. But it won’t be a request to send someone to their death. You will be entering as an instructor and assistant via official channels.”
With a sigh of relief, Hitler was fortunate that the individual he was to surveil was not a fourth-year student.
Instead, it was a fresh-faced first-year student who had just enrolled in Class 981, a full four years younger than him.
“Oh, they called it a VIP request, but it turns out to be nothing special. Just babysitting a little kid.”
“Using five top-tier informants to monitor a mere first-year is quite excessive, isn’t it?”
“They must want to ensure the job is done properly. Let’s not let our guard down.”
“There’s even a refined young master from the Academy, not someone from the streets like us; what’s there to worry about? Hehe.”
“…”
Hitler did not sneer at the subtle competition and mind games from his fellow informants.
Informants skilled at concealing their abilities can’t easily conclude the level of their target.
However, a student who has reached the third year at the Gift Academy should be able to learn special techniques.
The first-year’s perception.
The insight to read mana, Search Eye.
The second year’s contemplation.
The ability to penetrate barriers, Pierce Eye.
The next step forward in skills.
The third year’s espionage.
An ability to observe or contemplate without revealing mana responses or the light in one’s eyes—Spy Eye.
Having acquired Spy Eye, he gained the upper hand by being able to observe and study his adversary without raising suspicions or being detected for mana response.
Among the four students, two were clearly novices, one was comparable to him, and astonishingly, one surpassed him.
‘But still, you know nothing about the Gift Academy.’
While seamlessly formulating movement patterns and taking into account the trajectories of other instructors placed in the Academy, he lay down memory magic on an object and discarded it casually, whereas the other informants lay in wait along the target’s trajectory or attempted to approach closely.
“Huh?”
The target, Oknodie, a first-year.
The tiny girl concealed her faint perception reaction by either holding a newspaper or adjusting her jacket, but the actions of the two informants quickly became irrelevant as she produced a stone from her pocket.
What could she do with that? The two informants stared blankly as the stone was hurled toward them at incredible speed.
Thud!
“Gah…!”
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“That’s what I should be asking! Suddenly revealing perception? What kind of wicked scheme are you pulling? You’re not planning to kidnap the mana-scarce first-year and force her into some underhanded dealings behind the Student Council’s back, are you?”
“We’re not suspicious individuals!”
“Hmmm… You’re not a professor from the Academy, are you? Who appointed you? You don’t seem strong enough to qualify as a designated instructor. You both are just assistants from the same affiliation. Political scheming to gather talents happens often in the Empire, but professors with skills usually don’t mess up like this, so you must be some lesser professor’s appointees!”
Though the informants desperately tried to mask the panic on their faces and excuse themselves, deep down, they felt utterly defeated.
Getting attacked the moment they opened perception was just their bad luck, but they had attempted to evade it.
Yet they couldn’t grasp why the attack had struck, though Hitler had an inkling.
‘As expected. They must have used a contract mark.’
After everyone left, reading the residual mana around the fallen stone, Hitler understood.
‘It’s been enchanted with guided magic. Thankfully, it was a small stone; if it were larger, the power enhancement or explosive spell could have been inscribed, given their could skill in marking.’
The first-year, Oknodie, likely is a Production Department aspirant with exceptional marking talent.
Additionally, she’s remarkably perceptive.
As if she had received early education from the Foundation.
While gathering additional information, Hitler reached the conclusion that Oknodie is the Chief Scholarship Student of the Foundation and has received early education from them.
He committed this information to memory as he collected the memory device he had set up in an appropriate spot.
– Seniors worry too much.
– They’re just mediocre kids anyway. Ah, that was Professor Pinkberry’s way of speaking!
– Anyway, let’s just ignore it and go take the test.
‘It seems like I’m talking to myself, but faint mana responses are being detected from her hat.’
A senior who communicates with older students while secretly wearing a communication magical tool disguised as a hat.
A suspicious smell began to waft through the air.
Indeed, she was the Chief Scholarship Student of the Foundation.
A suspicious and special child whom the Destroyer had requested to observe.
Other informants also sensed something odd and hesitated as they approached the classroom where she would take her exam.
‘So, she possesses crisis perception. She has not squandered her abilities.’
Unlike the hybrids who only enhanced their total functionality with trivial features, it seemed she had properly honed practical skills, and despite a lack of understanding of the Academy, other informants barely evaded the secret barrier sprawled across the classroom.
The informants decided to change their strategy, opting to collect information when she was alone instead of during the lecture.
Swish.
As they stealthily approached the dormitory, the informants halted.
“The cleaning staff for the lady’s personal quarters isn’t you. I won’t ask where you’re from or who you are. Please leave quietly.”
“…”
One informant quickly sussed out the situation and chose to heed the warning from the green-haired maid and retreated.
However, another informant, ignoring the warning, pulled out a cigarette.
Whoosh! Swoosh.
A sleeping dart, disguised within a cigarette from a blowgun, struck the laundry basket held by the maid.
Remote Detonation!
The sleeping powder which billowed up thickly engulfed the maid.
As he held his breath and approached, the informant halted upon hearing the laundry basket drop.
“…”
The sound of the laundry basket hitting the ground was clear.
Yet, there was no sound of a person collapsing.
Before the informant could retreat in a panic, a towel flew through the smoke and snatched his wrist.
Constrain!
Disarm!
Pull!
Smoothly executed linked functions drew the informant’s mouth open.
Before the informant could hold his lips tight, the maid struck his uvula with the edge of her hand.
Gah!
A candy slipped into his open mouth.
The unconscious informant fell limp.
“…”
After disappearing with the unconscious informant and the laundry basket in her hands, Hitler broke a cold sweat as he scanned the traces left on the ground.
The imprint left on the ground.
The transfer of strength and balance.
That maid possessed remarkable martial arts skills, enough to enter the third-year Knight Department without question.
‘What on earth has happened at the Academy while I was away as a dropout…?’
The first years are strange, and so is the maid.
It wouldn’t do to just stand by idly; I must observe the exam scene and see the levels of first-year students.
━━━
[Nature’s Wrath]
– Friday 9 AM – 1 PM
– Professor: Weird
– Magic Department, General Studies
━━━
In the ‘Wrath of Nature’ classroom, Hitler spotted the last remaining informant who had infiltrated the classroom with the same idea as him.
“Seems like it’s a lucky day. As an instructor with free time, could you assist with the exam?”
With the setup made convenient by Professor Weird, there was no reason to decline.
“What should I do?”
“Just stand by and check the students as they solve the mana puzzles infused with mana stones, recording what magic they are using and how far they’ve progressed with the puzzles.”
“Understood.”
Unlike the informant who readily accepted while trusting their abilities, an uneasy feeling crept over Hitler.
“If large-scale magic is used in one location, natural mana will become excessive, and anomalies will occur with additional dimensional mana; where are the mana condensation formations and protective gear?”
“We have none of those.”
“What?”
“We’ll write a research paper on the anomalies that occur when large amounts of mana are repeatedly used by many students without mana condensation formations or protective gear.”
“…”
“We can’t have interruptions, so return any protective gear you might be wearing.”
Hitler responded with a smile.
“I think I have something urgent to attend to with my professor. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.”
Among the five informants, the last one standing was the keen intuition sharpened by experience in Academy life.
