“Day of Magic. I’ve obtained information that Roman von Byrne will be attending this event.”
Hertlocker unfolded the file Eric handed him.
Roman von Byrne.
It was the profile of a three-star general in the Imperial Army.
“Is this information reliable?”
“Absolutely. I obtained the schedule for the event, and it includes Roman’s speech.”
As Hertlocker’s expression grew increasingly grim while flipping through the pages, he thought about how Roman was famously known for treating human lives as less than that of flies.
He had pillaged and massacred all civilian villages along his advance route, and no prisoner ever survived his captivity.
But even more than that cruelty, his tactical abilities had tormented the kingdom’s army throughout the war.
His competence was such that he had accurately predicted the kingdom’s winter offensive.
From both a moral standpoint and the perspective of national interest, Roman was a figure that had to be eliminated at any cost.
“Am I going to die?”
“No. You’re just the support.”
“What do you mean by that? Is there a more certain method than what I can do? Who’s gonna handle it, anyway?”
Hertlocker asked a bit irritably.
Even though he was not widely recognized due to his covert operations, he was undoubtedly the strongest agent of the kingdom’s army.
In a one-on-one battle, he was confident he could beat any opponent, whether they were a magician or a knight, so he couldn’t accept the idea of another agent taking over the assassination mission.
“I will.”
“······.”
Hertlocker was at a loss for words, utterly dumbfounded.
Eric had been called the strongest agent of the Intelligence Agency, at least twenty years ago.
“What do you mean? How on earth will you—”
“I’ll blow up the entire event venue. With an explosion spell.”
“······.”
Hertlocker’s mouth dropped open in disbelief, this time for an entirely different reason.
The Day of Magic was no small-town festival.
It was a grand event held once a year in the Empire, treated like a national holiday.
At its peak, over ten thousand people would gather at the venue…
“Are you out of your mind?”
“It’s an order from above. Don’t question me.”
“Is the higher-ups even sane? Please ask them yourself.”
“Hertlocker.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t overstep your bounds.”
“······.”
Eric’s expression had hardened completely.
He was no longer the playful jokester he usually was.
His only presence was that of the head of the Intelligence Agency.
“······I’m sorry.”
“I understand how you feel. I’m not particularly fond of this mission either. But even if I were the decision-maker, I would probably give the same orders.”
“······.”
“It’s Roman, for crying out loud. It’s not some random punk. That guy almost caused us to lose the war.”
Roman had defied the headquarters, claiming he needed to conserve war supplies in preparation for the kingdom’s winter offensive, and was subsequently dismissed from his position.
During his absence, the kingdom’s army had turned the tide of the war and barely managed to stabilize the front line again.
If Roman had been in charge all along, the kingdom would have fallen much earlier.
Hertlocker knew very well what it meant to kill someone like Roman.
“I understand. I get it, but…”
“This will be Roman’s first time showing himself externally in ten years. This might be our last chance. So shouldn’t we go with the most certain method?”
“······I will follow the orders.”
Hertlocker ground his teeth and bowed his head.
Seeing that, Eric sighed.
He understood, but he couldn’t accept it.
After all, being a soldier, he would follow orders if told to.
Even someone who could find a little kid in the midst of war and take them in as a little brother wouldn’t be thrilled with this kind of mission.
However, the Intelligence Agency had no room to consider such humane sentiments.
Hertlocker was not the kind of guy who would buckle under pressure either.
“I’ll be the one to cast the spell. The other agents will focus on concealing and encrypting the spell, as well as supplying mana.”
“What will I do?”
“Your role is my protection.”
Hertlocker finally understood why he wasn’t assigned to execute the spell.
The one ensuring the safety of the magic caster, who’s crucial to the success of the operation, had to be stronger than anyone else.
Eric had decided to trust Hertlocker with his back.
The only way to reciprocate that trust was by successfully completing the mission.
“Ugh…”
Hertlocker’s hands were trembling.
It seemed like he was destined never to go to heaven.
*
“Hmm…”
I sat in the training room, deep in thought.
A map of the institution was spread out on the floor.
“This plaza is the event venue. Roman’s speech is scheduled to happen here…”
Roman von Byrne will attend the Day of Magic event.
And the Intelligence Agency will try to kill him.
With a hundred percent likelihood.
I marked an “X” with a pen on the spot where Roman would speak on the map and then stepped back.
The Imperial Army isn’t foolish.
Roman’s security will be spread out all over the place.
Magicians will be assigned to various locations, and if things get dicey, knights will be right next to him, blocking any attacks.
So where will Hertlocker attempt the assassination from…?
“Ugh. There’s no answer.”
No matter how I looked at it, there seemed to be no feasible way for an assassination to succeed.
Even if Hertlocker shot a fireball, it would be blocked by the magicians’ barriers.
Even if he dashed in, dozens of waiting knights would appear to thwart it.
The plaza had a closed structure surrounded by buildings, making it possible to have ironclad defenses.
The only way to break through would be to completely destroy the event venue.
“Destroy…?”
Wait a minute. Are we really talking about destroying it?
The entire venue…?
“Crazy. This isn’t assassination; it’s terrorism.”
Now I understood what the Intelligence Agency was planning.
These fools weren’t simply going to quietly assassinate Roman.
The most certain method would be to blow up the event venue and turn it to dust.
Given that Roman was among their top assassination targets, they would do something this extreme without batting an eyelash.
They were that desperate.
“Crazy bastards…”
Even so, are they really going to kill civilians in droves?
They’re out of their minds.
After all, Roman was an irreplaceable charismatic leader who commanded the Imperial Army during the latter stages of the war.
“I have to save him. By any means necessary.”
I drew a large circle over the whole plaza.
The area of my wide-area magic would cover this much.
The problem now was how to stop these bastards…
*knock knock*
“Hmm?”
A sound came from the door.
It was the sound of someone tapping on the barrier.
Is it Emilia?
I folded the map and placed it in a box before approaching the door.
*creak—*
“What’s going on?”
“A guest has arrived.”
“Good to see you again, Schlus.”
“······.”
Iris suddenly appeared behind Emilia with a wide smile.
My mood instantly soured.
Just when I was enjoying my personal time, the most troublesome person showed up.
“What are you here for?”
“Just wondering if you might need my help. Is there any trouble?”
“······.”
Iris beamed at me with a bright smile.
While it might seem like a gentle smile to anyone else, in my eyes, it felt like a pure devilish grin.
Did she just happen to catch a glimpse of me struggling to prevent the terrorism?
‘No way. That can’t be.’
That doesn’t make sense.
I’m not an idiot. I wouldn’t have been so loud while trying to stop a terrorist attack that Iris could notice.
Then, that means Iris doesn’t actually know what I’m doing.
She probably just saw I hadn’t been around for a while and made an educated guess that trouble had come.
Perhaps she came to confirm that guess.
“There’s nothing.”
“Excuse me? Ah, wait—”
I slammed the door shut.
Iris’s anxious voice got cut off by the barrier halfway through.
*knock knock knock knock knock knock*
But the knocking continued, sending chills down my spine.
Should I just let her in?
Talking to that slippery woman could end up with me inadvertently spilling information.
Iris is still not trustworthy.
Until I’m sure she’s on my side, I can’t share any information about the Intelligence Agency or the Majin.
*knock knock*
“Ugh. This is insane.”
It had calmed down for a moment only for her to start knocking again.
Is she really going to keep it up until I open the door?
“Can you stop already?”
“Huh? Oh?”
As I opened the door, a familiar face came into view—Trie, looking flustered.
“I’m sorry. That wasn’t directed at you. But what’s the matter?”
“Well, we were supposed to practice swordsmanship today.”
“······.”
I must have told her to come at nine. Has it really gotten that late?
“Come on in.”
“Okay. Excuse me.”
Trie entered while glancing back nervously, clearly wary.
Across the slowly closing gap in the door, I could see Iris glaring at me.
Please go away…
Staying alone with you is seriously exhausting.
‘Oh?’
At that moment, a strange sensation washed over me.
I felt a warm touch on my hand, which was still holding the door.
In an instant, I realized it was Schlus’s memory.
The ‘Memory of True Self’ had activated.
However, there was no hologram-like image appearing; only the texture was felt, which was odd.
Did the ability get nerfed and change to feeling rather than showing?
As I closed the door, the soft sensation of the hand I had been holding disappeared.
What could that memory have been?
“Shall we get started…?”
“Sure.”
I handed Trie a wooden sword. I didn’t have a real sword available.
I got lost in thought again.
Nothing beats rolling your body to clear your head.
*
“Nobody here. Out for a stroll?”
In the joint dormitory on the second floor, Iris’s room.
Erica scratched her head in confusion at the front door.
There was no response to her knocking, suggesting that Iris must have gone out.
“I came all this way… Should I wait?”
After a brief moment of pondering, Erica shook her head and walked down the corridor.
Not knowing where she went and at what time she’d return, it seemed pretty foolish to just stand there waiting.
“I’m dying to know, seriously…”
Erica recalled yesterday’s events.
Yesterday, when the explosive artifact detonated in the lecture room, Iris was definitely hugging Schlus.
There seemed to be little chance it was a mere accident or that she was just helping him up.
The two stayed like that for quite a while.
So what was the relationship between Schlus and Iris?
Or did they already know each other from before?
She’d come here to clear up any misunderstanding she might have.
“I have to ask her next class.”
Just as Erica was about to leave the dormitory with that thought in mind, she spotted a woman with green hair.
A strange woman with a silver sword attached to her waist.
“Huh?”
She didn’t recognize her.
In fact, there was not a single person among her acquaintances with green hair.
Erica hesitated because of where this woman was headed.
The unknown woman was heading toward the single dorm room at the back of the dormitory. In other words, she was going to Schlus Hainkel’s mansion.
“Who is she? Why is she going to meet Schlus?”
Before she knew it, Erica had stealthily started to follow the woman.
Most nobles were so steeped in the belief of superiority that they wouldn’t want to even encounter Schlus.
What on earth could compel her to meet him?
Though it felt a bit uncomfortable to end up stalking Schlus, her personality made it impossible for her to hold back her curiosity.
“Hmm…”
When the green-haired woman reached the front door, she was guided inside by an attendant who came to welcome her.
But what was strange was that she went around to the back of the mansion instead of entering the mansion itself.
I seem to remember there being some kind of storage area back there.
Is Schlus inside there right now?
“Sigh… What am I doing?”
Suddenly overcoming with self-doubt, Erica let out a big sigh.
No matter how curious she was, she could just ask him directly; why was she doing this?
“No… I can’t just ask…”
Recalling the embarrassment of visiting Schlus, her cheeks flushed red.
Back then, she accidentally spoke to him formally and bowed her head.
Just thinking about it once more made her entire face turn hot.
She feared the possibility that Schlus might bring it up again, which discouraged her from speaking to him.
So she concluded to drop her interest in Schlus.
Just at that moment, as she was about to rise from her hiding place in the bushes, someone emerged from the mansion.
Hoping not to get caught, Erica hurriedly hid back inside the bushes.
“I-Iris?”
The one exiting through the mansion’s front door was none other than Iris.
Why on earth was Iris coming out from there…?
An ominous premonition began to take shape in Erica’s mind, making her thoughts increasingly entangled.
