“Sergey has left the campus.”
*Thud thud…*
A dark underground lecture room.
A deep voice echoed from within a gathering of figures clad in black hoods.
“Where has he gone?”
“We don’t know, but we’ve received intel that he’s already left the institution. He won’t be returning for at least an hour.”
This soon meant the operation was a success.
If they chased the mastermind behind the Imperial University terrorism, traps had been set outside the institution.
It seemed Sergey was headed there in cooperation with the imperial police to catch the culprits.
Currently, Sergey, the Empire’s strongest beyond compare, was out of the Imperial University.
Such an opportunity was rare indeed.
“Brothers, this is our first and last chance. After this, we might not be able to slip away and return to everyday life. Everyone present will die. Only those who don’t care should remain here.”
*…*
Silence followed.
None of those under hoods left the lecture room.
‘Damn it. I’m going crazy. Should I just escape now?’
Inside the crowd.
Sergey’s assistant was fidgeting nervously, his legs shaking.
He wanted to get out right away, but being right in the middle made it awkward to push through everyone one by one.
*Ah!*
In that moment, he caught a glimpse of a hooded figure quietly backing away and disappearing outside the lecture room.
But it seemed no one noticed except for the assistant.
What a sneaky little rat-like movement.
He didn’t know who it was, but he could only admire them.
“Well then, I shall go execute our plan! Follow me!”
“Yes!”
With the mood heating up again, the assistant completely missed the timing.
In the end, he was swept away by the crowd and had to head somewhere.
To awaken the monster that would destroy the Imperial University.
*
*Caw… Caw…*
“Huh?”
Erica looked up suddenly at the sound of crows.
Crows were flying in such numbers they covered the sky.
From the direction, it appeared they had come from the back mountain.
Seeing such a large group move at once was a sight Erica had never seen in her lifetime.
“Is it an earthquake?”
She remembered hearing that animals moving could be a sign of an earthquake or volcanic eruption.
Feeling tense, Erica swallowed hard and hurried toward the dormitory.
If it was about the future, there was an expert.
“Iris! Open the door!”
*Knock knock!* Erica stomped her feet impatiently.
It was too quiet inside.
Could it be that Iris sensed the crisis early and ran away?
‘No. That can’t be.’
Iris was a saintess.
She would do her utmost to save others even if it meant her own demise.
There’s no way she would leave people behind and escape alone.
“Erica? What’s wrong?”
*Ah!*
Just then, as the door opened to reveal Iris, Erica gasped.
Iris was dressed in casual indoor attire.
That meant she wasn’t planning to go outside for a while, which meant there wasn’t anything serious happening at the Imperial University.
“Are you coming in or not? I want to close the door quickly.”
“Instead of that, why not come out into the hallway and show off your casual wear to others a bit? …Aah! Sorry! I’ll go in! I’m coming in!”
Just as Iris with a cold expression was about to close the door, Erica managed to step inside.
Wondering why she was hiding her really pretty outfit even though it wasn’t a nun’s habit, Erica entered Iris’ room.
There were no signs of having packed.
It really seemed Iris had no intention of leaving.
“Phew. Thank goodness.”
“Why is that, Erica?”
“Oh, I might’ve overreacted a bit. I saw a flock of crows flying… not just a few. It was enough to cover the sky, and I suddenly thought there might be some disaster.”
“Hmmm…”
“Wasting worry, right? Right?”
*…*
“Why… are you not answering, Iris…?”
Looking at Iris, who stood still with a gentle smile, Erica felt a strange sense of unease.
Iris had seen something.
Something unusual would happen in the future.
That much seemed to be an undeniable truth.
“What will happen in the future…?”
“That’s odd. In the future I saw, Erica didn’t know anything. I wonder what went wrong.”
“What do you mean? Can you tell me, Iris?”
*Hoo…* “I suppose I have no choice. Can you lend me your arm for a moment?”
“Huh?”
*Thud.*
Iris, seated on the bed, reached out her hand.
Erica, puzzled, obediently sat next to her and offered her arm.
Iris opened Erica’s hand and gently stroked the tips of her fingers.
“Do you know the difference between internal circuits and external circuits?”
“I do. External circuits refer to the magic we learn, while internal circuits are what knights use to enhance their bodies.”
“That’s right. Internal circuits reside inside our bodies. So, do you know where the core of internal circuits is?”
“Hmm… I don’t know.”
Having hardly ever activated her internal circuit, Erica tilted her head.
Just using up strength and feeling tired fast, she had given up on practicing internal circuits long ago.
She simply hadn’t been born with a good circuit to begin with.
*Ouch!*
Just then, a sharp sensation prickled her fingertip.
When she regained focus, a small droplet of blood was forming on her middle finger.
Erica was startled but didn’t withdraw her hand.
She knew Iris hadn’t done this with evil intent.
Though surprised and flustered, it didn’t actually hurt that much.
“The internal circuit is drawn along the blood vessels in the body. The mana spreads through the body’s circuits via blood, and the internal circuit operates using that mana as fuel.”
Iris explained this while pressing her index finger to Erica’s injury.
At that moment, Erica felt a slight tingle that seemed to transmit through her fingers.
She was about to ask what this was but held back.
Iris would explain everything step by step.
“Now, do you think you understand the answer to the question I asked earlier?”
“Umm… what was the question again?”
“Where the core of the internal circuits is.”
“Oh! I got it! It’s the heart, right?”
“Exactly.”
Everyone knows that the heart functions like a pump to circulate blood throughout the body.
If blood vessels are the circuits and mana spreads through blood, then the core must surely be the heart.
“The internal circuits share many similarities with external circuits. Both have a core or key part, and they can both be interfered with by others.”
“Huh? Isn’t interference with internal circuits impossible?”
“Generally, yes. But if an outsider directly connects to the circuit and allows themselves to be passive until capturing the core…”
“Huh?”
In that instant, Erica felt her entire body go limp and she collapsed.
Ah. So that was what she meant by internal circuit interference.
“Thus, internal circuits can also have their control taken away by others. Erica knows no resistance methods for internal circuit interference at all. Thanks to that, it was easy. Experienced knights unconsciously resist even while asleep, making internal circuit seizure impossible by any means.”
“Ugh… I see. I learned something. Can you just stop the jokes now and restore me to normal?”
*…*
Yet Iris kept smiling without a word.
At that moment, Erica sensed that something was wrong.
“Erica. I’m sorry. This situation is truly dangerous.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I have to exclude those who act differently from what I saw in the future. That way, there’s one less variable to consider.”
“Wait a minute. You’re not leaving me like this, are you?”
“It’s just half a day. After a nap, you’ll be able to move again, so don’t worry.”
“Hey! Iris! Are you serious right now?”
Iris donned her nun’s habit and closed the door behind her.
No matter how much Erica shouted, the door wouldn’t reopen.
She doubted if her voice even reached outside.
Was there some soundproof barrier?
Of course, Iris would undoubtedly have installed something airtight.
*Haa! What the hell is going on here!*
After a long time of fidgeting, Erica eventually gave up trying to move.
It felt like she was being crushed by a heavy rock, unable to budge.
It was certain that something dangerous was about to happen.
But leaving her locked in this room meant that she could either be of no help in that future…
“Am I just causing inconvenience?”
Either being a nuisance or being hit in the way.
In that case, staying put here might actually help Iris.
Even though she had no idea what was going to happen.
“No! I can’t just sit here doing nothing!”
At least if she’s watching without doing anything, she wouldn’t cause trouble.
But lying here without knowing what was happening outside felt unbearable.
Erica strained with all her might against the pressure on her heart, trying to recall the brief lesson Iris had given her.
