*Kwaang!*
“What was that?!”
Imperial University Investigation Department.
Sergey was startled by the loud noise and dashed out of his office.
“What’s happening?!”
“Professor! Look at this!”
“…!”
The hurried staff member showed him a hologram video.
It was a surveillance video directed at the main gate.
There was something missing at the front gate.
Instead of the large iron bars and checkpoint, there was only a dark explosive remains.
They could see suspicious figures continuously infiltrating, stepping over the large scorch marks on the ground.
“They broke the barrier…!”
It’s not like they attempted to dismantle the spell; they simply blasted through the Imperial University’s barrier with firepower.
Shocked, Sergey rushed out of the building.
While there had been no shortage of terrorism targeting the Imperial University, this was the first time the barrier was breached.
It was obvious who was behind this.
“Damn kingdom bastards…!”
It had to be the work of the kingdom’s spies.
On the Day of Magic, they attempted terrorism against civilians. Sergey had been wondering why they wouldn’t strike the Imperial University, and here it was, an unexpected show of force.
Could they have involved the Crows?
No, that couldn’t be.
Even the Crows, who disregarded laws, wouldn’t perform actions that directly go against the Empire’s interests.
After the Crown Prince assassination incident involving Henderson from the Crows, the royal family had retaliated, and now they had been submissive to the royal family ever since.
So then, who on earth…
*Kwaang!*
“Oh my god….”
Smoke was rising in the distance with an explosion.
That direction must be the Chairwoman’s residence.
After all, there was no target more valuable than Schlus Hainkel among the professors at the Imperial University.
It wasn’t at all surprising that they were after Schlus.
What worried him was that the firepower capable of breaching the encompassing barrier of the Imperial University would have surely shattered the barrier of the Chairwoman’s residence with that last explosion.
*Bang!*
“Ha….”
Another explosion followed.
After that, there was no sound coming from the Chairwoman’s residence.
Sergey clenched his eyes shut.
He had expected that there would one day be drastic actions targeted at Schlus.
But he never imagined it would happen so swiftly, to the point he couldn’t respond.
The capabilities of the kingdom’s Intelligence Agency agents were that formidable.
Shivering with fresh shock, Sergey gritted his teeth and kicked off again, running.
*Professor Sergey! We’ve spotted several foes in the East Wing!*
“Head Professor!”
At that moment, Ludwig’s voice came through the communication magic.
His voice was somewhat muffled but not incomprehensible.
Sergey immediately turned to the East Wing.
*We’ve evacuated all students and cast the barrier, but—*
*Kwaang!*
*Y-yes… It just broke!*
It was an emergency.
No matter how skilled Ludwig was in barrier magic, he couldn’t contend against infinitely high mana.
“Don’t engage recklessly; just hold on! I’m on my way!”
*Professor Sergey, be careful. They aren’t using magic.*
“What do you mean—”
*It’s a self-destruct using internal circuits. The spell cannot be disabled, so keep your distance from them.*
“…!”
Sergey’s pupils trembled.
Had they modified the internal circuitry into an explosive spell?
To do that, they would have to open the heart, remove the circuits, and engrave new ones.
The mere fact that someone survived such a major procedure was astonishing.
*They’ve deployed a recognition interference barrier and are trying to approach. I’m giving up on dismantling to save mana. How long until you arrive?*
“Th-”
*Three minutes, you say? I’ll try to hold out!*
“I….”
*…!*
“One!”
In an instant, Sergey crossed the grounds of the Imperial University and reached the East Wing after cutting through the forest.
Immediately, he focused all his senses on the mana waves.
“Huh…?”
But rather than any mana waves, he felt nothing at all.
Had they just vanished all of a sudden?
As Sergey pondered in confusion—
“Kyahhh!”
“…!”
Faint screams were detected from afar.
“Head Professor! We’ve been tricked! They’ve already moved!”
*Ahhh…!*
The sound of the scream came from the dormitory.
At this hour, there were likely the most students in the dorm since there were hardly any classes.
What if a powerful explosion strong enough to breach the Majin’s barrier occurred in the dorm?
They would all die.
Not a single one would escape.
“Khuk…!”
In a state of urgency, Sergey staggered but forced power into his legs and shot off again.
He couldn’t let such a disaster happen.
He didn’t want to relive the nightmare of the Whist Forest.
Yet back then, thanks to Schlus’s amazing response, no one had died.
But Schlus was already gone.
It was entirely up to the professors to stop this.
Truthfully, thinking of relying on students in such a terror incident was a foolish thought…
“Oh! I’m late!”
Sergey was already beyond full speed, muscles bulging, about to burst, yet fate was closing in.
He definitely wouldn’t make it in time.
What if Schlus came back to life right now…?
Of course, that was just a futile wish, and he shook his head—
“Twelve intruders. Get down on the floor and surrender now, or I will shoot you.”
“…!”
He opened his eyes wide at the distant low voice.
It was the voice of a dead man.
At that moment, a sinister blue light burst forth from afar, darting quickly.
With calculated movements, blood splattered everywhere.
“Khagh…!”
Three towering figures, having approached near the dormitory, turned around and charged towards Schlus.
These were beings radiating powerful explosive spells from within.
But the moment Schlus snapped his fingers—
*Shplop!*
The mana arrows split into three, embedding into each of their hearts.
The hearts burst, and the internal circuits were destroyed.
He had safely eliminated the biological bombs.
“Huff… huff….”
Upon arriving at the scene, Sergey gasped for breath and surveyed the area.
Eight corpses lay gruesomely dismembered.
And three others had their hearts pierced.
“Oh, Professor. You made it. I was scared for a moment, but you arrived just in time.”
“Hah….”
And now there was a guy trembling with terror, held by Schlus by the nape of his neck…
The situation was over.
Sergey sighed incredulously at Schlus’s relaxed and calm demeanor.
At that moment, suddenly, a hooded figure opened his mouth.
“Schlus! Stuff something in that guy’s mouth!”
“Uh?”
“Ughhh! Uggghk! Hagh…!”
“Oh….”
He heard a crunching sound that was oddly crisp, and that guy started to shiver.
Then, within three seconds, he slumped over.
Checking the guy’s pulse, Schlus shook his head with a grim expression.
*
[Quest Completed]
[You have been awarded 10 shop coins as a reward.]
If I had been just a bit later, it would have been a huge problem.
Thanks to those lunatics emitting a tremendous mana wave from their modified internal circuits, I could track them easily.
Of course, without having mana sensitivity as high as mine, it would have been difficult to detect.
Anyway, it was because of that I could find out they were pretending to attack the East Wing while actually heading for the dorm.
So, I decided to rush ahead and lay in ambush.
Using magic would have been countered by their supporters from behind, and slashing with my sword posed the problem of their self-destruct attacks.
So, I waited until those with the self-destruct spell separated from those without, then made a surprise attack from the back, slashing down all nine of them.
Having killed all those trying to interpret and dismantle the spells, nothing could stop my magic anymore.
Finally, as they attempted to approach me for self-destruction, I pierced their hearts, ending the situation.
I managed to halt it earlier, but given the explosions, I couldn’t prevent casualties.
I heard that all five guards at the front gate died.
And now, I…
“Schlus. Help out a bit. You’re the one who turned those bodies to pieces; you should at least know which arm or leg belongs to who, right?”
“How am I supposed to—”
I was aiding in the scene cleanup.
As I tried to sneak away, Sergey and Ludwig came over and grabbed me.
Can’t I just relax a little when I’m exhausted from mana exhaustion?
“Yes… From the cross-section, this should be that guy’s leg.”
But then I saw Sergey’s leg, stained dark, and my urge to rest vanished.
His veins had burst, and he must have been badly bruised from running around.
Should I torture him a little more?
“Schlus Hainkel. Come here. Let’s have a short rest.”
“….”
At that moment, Ludwig raised a cigarette and beckoned me.
At a glance, it seemed like he wanted to smoke, but something felt off.
“Ah… I really need to hit the restroom!”
At that moment, Sergey awkwardly scratched his head and started to leave.
It was then I finally caught on to Ludwig’s intention and followed him naturally.
A quiet smoking area.
As soon as Ludwig, Sergey, and I gathered there, Ludwig lit his cigarette.
“Schlus Hainkel. To what extent are you aware of this incident?”
“I don’t understand your intention behind the question.”
“I’ll ask more directly. Do you understand the principle behind the self-destruct spell?”
“….”
Ludwig and Sergey were looking at me with serious expressions.
I could pretend not to know, but doing so here would be a bad move.
They had intentionally lured me here to avoid the watchful eyes of the investigation department.
This was likely a conversation professors and students shouldn’t be having.
It would be wise to join in that discussion.
This was a golden opportunity to align myself with the high-ranking officials of the Imperial University.
“Yes. I understand it as editing the internal circuits to take the form of a spell. I tried to dismantle it, but I noticed the wave originated from inside…”
“I see. Quick-witted, I see. Then I have a request, Schlus.”
“What is it?”
“If anyone asks about this incident, tell them you don’t know much. It doesn’t matter who. Even if it’s his Majesty the Emperor or the Crown Prince. You were uninvolved in this incident. Can you do that for me?”
“….”
The looks in Sergey and Ludwig’s eyes grew colder.
What was presented as a request felt more like a warning or a threat.
Then there was no choice.
“I refuse.”
I shot back immediately.
