May has disappeared.
I wanted to smack those guys right now, but they’re not idiots, and they wouldn’t just stay put in that position. Even if I catch them, they’d just be back outside in no time.
“……”
As I got lost in thought, the heavy atmosphere had the Dean subtly glancing my way.
I had readily accepted that this situation wouldn’t be resolved simply by me going and smashing everything.
I spoke the name of one person that came to mind.
“What? Y-Yes, they are here, but that person is risking their life right now…”
The Dean looked flabbergasted at the name I mentioned, someone they never imagined, but replied that they’d make contact anyway.
“They’re bound to be in Elgrid, so tell them to come within an hour.”
“Got it, I’ll let them know……”
As I left the Dean’s office, my destination was clear.
Straight to the dormitory.
According to the Dean, May’s friends didn’t know where she had been taken either.
After all that running away and getting hit, it’d be strange if they did know.
I didn’t expect much from them anyway.
However, in our dormitory, there was someone who might know the new base of Belon Corporation and Zavalanco’s whereabouts.
The rooftop of the dormitory.
A girl from the Chokugen Faction, Sen, with bleached white hair, sat there, staring blankly at the sky while perched on the railing.
Noticing me come up, she asked without even glancing my way, just from the sound of the door opening.
“So, how is it? Have you realized the reality of Elgrid?”
“You knew everything, didn’t you?”
She must have known the outcome from the moment I mentioned handing it over to the guards, hence the vague expression on her face.
“It looks like you have connections with the guard captain. Not sure how deep that relationship goes or how money gets involved.”
Sen seemed to care little about that.
“Honestly, I don’t need to know about such things.”
She turned her head slightly to look at me.
“Were they really related to the Tudogs?”
“……”
It seemed like Sen was poking around, thinking I had already gathered information through Zavalanco.
Yeah, I knew about the connection between Zavalanco and the Tudogs, but I had no intention of revealing it right away. That was my biggest negotiating chip.
But as I kept quiet, Sen just chuckled, not bothered.
“Anyway, I’ll make them spill everything when I meet Zavalanco today.”
“That’s going to be tough.”
Honestly, Sen is strong, but I answered her coldly. Having faced both her and Zavalanco, I was clear about who was strong.
“Pff, no matter how strong the opponent, when they’re asleep, they’re just like anyone else. There’s no answer to assassination.”
“……”
“Anyway, you can’t do anything now, right? So just sit back and watch.”
Taking a stance indicating I wouldn’t let it go that easily, she opens her mouth again.
“Ugh, is it because of that girl, May?”
Dismounting from the railing, Sen dusts off her backside and sighs.
“Tonight at 8 PM, there will be a huge carriage leaving the alumni building. May will be on it. She’s likely being sold as a secret slave to a noble. She might not look it, but her appearance is quite appealing.”
Adding that she comes from the Plov family, Sen seems to relay this information freely since May has already slipped from Zavalanco’s grasp.
“Don’t overestimate your abilities.”
“Stop with the useless talk.”
Ignoring her advice, I left the rooftop while Sen just stared blankly at the sky.
8 PM tonight.
I didn’t find out Zavalanco’s base, but I obtained the most crucial information, and I rushed back to the Dean’s office.
There, alongside the Dean, a bespectacled woman was nervously biting her nails while waiting for me.
Dunk, Dunk.
The carriage driver from Belon Corporation let out a big yawn as he led the horses through the now dark streets.
Usually, merchants move during the daylight, camping or sleeping when the sun sets, but they were different.
They dealt with a lot of illegal goods, so night travel was standard for them.
Ugh, can’t even smoke. Can’t even get cozy with a girl.
The cigarettes were so potent that smoking them caused your skin to rot, and the Plov family girl was about to be sold to a noble who liked virgins, so they were off-limits.
“Tsk, it’s a premium item.”
A bob hairstyle with reddish-brown waves. From her fierce face, she would have been just the type for men, but it was like seeing food you couldn’t eat.
Arriving at the alumni building, the guards were stationed at the door.
Normally, we’d have to search the inside of the carriage, but since the guards had a close relationship with Belon Corporation, just showing my membership badge was enough.
“Hmm?”
But today felt off.
The guards were unusually tense and didn’t demand any bribes as they stood stiffly, looking incredibly on edge.
Hmmm, checkpoint starting now.
“Huh?”
I could tell that the reason for this unusual behavior was due to a fierce-looking woman wearing glasses.
A slightly haggard appearance with dark circles under her eyes.
But she stood tall and proud.
The carriage driver transporting May Plov was startled seeing the people trying to inspect his carriage instead of the usual guards.
“W-Who are you guys? What do you mean by searching my carriage on a whim!”
Then the woman adjusted her glasses and glared at the driver.
“I am Heini Rosales, Inspector of the Royal Palace. Today is the day for strict inspections by the Elgrid guards, so we’re supervising.”
“W-What?”
What the heck is this situation!?
No, a strict inspection? At this timing?
The driver shot a murderous glare at the guards, but they just lowered their heads, having no intention of helping him out.
“Inspector! There’s a female student in restraints inside!”
At the sound of a young boy’s voice, Heini’s eyes lit up, and she glared at them.
“Looks like I’ve caught quite a big fish here?”
The cold glint in Heini’s eyes flashed.
*
After learning about the driver’s affiliation and the current whereabouts of Belon Corporation through interrogation, Heini firmly stated she would investigate their relationship with the guards.
“And is this the end now?”
As she shook off the clothes she had been wearing to pose as one of the soldiers, she shook her head.
“Of course not, this is just the beginning.”
“Though I was skeptical, the items in the carriage really were just dangerous ones… there were some things that weren’t items at all.”
Heini glanced at May, who was shaking in fear, and let out a sigh.
Today wasn’t about just a random guard inspection.
The soldiers pretending to be Heini’s were actually my and May’s crew.
In actuality, Heini had simply wielded her identification to abuse her powers for personal gain.
With arms crossed, glaring menacingly at the guards and the driver, the question of why she helped me was simple.
Right now, she was falsely accused in the murder case of Fenil Leiros.
Because of that, the Leiros family kept hounding her, and she was trying to investigate the case while avoiding returning to the Royal Palace.
So, I proposed a deal to her that couldn’t be refused when I found her in the Dean’s office.
Information on the real killer of Fenil Leiros.
I was the only one who knew the Tudogs had killed and left, making me her key bargaining chip, and Heini bit at the offer.
For her, this was a deal that only benefited her since it also involved putting the corrupt guards and the drug dealers from Belon Corporation behind bars.
This time, I won’t let you escape.
Yeah, you filthy crows cling to your meager powers, thinking you can do whatever you want by greasing the guards?
Sorry, but above lower powers, there exist higher powers.
If you’ve been flapping around without knowing your place, then it’s time to come crashing down.
*
“……”
In a dark room, a wooden ceiling suddenly creaked open, and a girl descended with her white hair billowing in the darkness.
With a black cloth covering her mouth and a dagger strapped at her waist.
She glanced around, spotting a man snoring softly, then locked the door behind her, installing a noise dampening artifact to prevent sound from escaping.
From her descent until now, she hadn’t made a sound, appearing as if she were a ghost, but her eyes coldly stared down at the man.
‘Let’s start with the medicine first.’
The torturous drug from the Chokugen Faction would cause excruciating internal agony when ingested.
Without an antidote, this brutal drug could deliver torture until death, forcing anyone to spill their secrets.
“Alright then……”
Just when she was about to try and restrain him, Sen’s wrist was grabbed by the thick hand of a man.
“What’s this little brat sneaking in here and acting all sly?”
The one-eyed man, Zavalanco, who had a broken left hand that Daniel had caused, grinned as he glared at Sen.
She quickly shook off his hand, pulling out the dagger with both hands.
“You were awake?”
She thought he wouldn’t notice her stealth, but Zavalanco tapped his nose.
“People like me, we’re sensitive to smells. Out at sea, you can tell the weather by scent.”
“……!”
It was new information, but it didn’t change much.
The door was locked.
Noise wouldn’t escape outside.
Although the sound might be heard down below if she moved carelessly, Sen thought, ‘They wouldn’t go that far.’
After all, the opponent had only one working hand and was half-blind.
His cutlass weapon wasn’t carelessly thrown away but left next to the fireplace, so there was no issue there.
‘I will definitely win.’
The Chokugen Faction typically avoided open combat until absolutely necessary or only when they were certain of victory.
And Sen was now charging forward with that certainty, but—
Crash!
“Did you really think you could take a few punches from that guy and let your guard down?”
As Sen lunged forward, Zavalanco caught her throat with his right hand, lifting her off the ground as she struggled in vain.
The sudden shock made her drop the dagger.
She twisted her body, but the man remained as immovable as iron.
“Funny, isn’t it? A friend of an academy rookie trying to take down someone who once served as a Pirate Lord’s lieutenant.”
‘He was a lieutenant of a Pirate Lord?!’
Zavalanco was part of the Pirate Lord’s crew?
It made no sense to her head, but her body acknowledged his strength.
This man was strong.
Incomprehensibly so.
Especially as a lieutenant, there were only ten elite members in that position.
Yet here she was, nothing more than a promising candidate in the Chokugen Faction.
A mere child who hadn’t even made the rank of a full-fledged member.
No matter how much the opponent was handicapped, even with one hand and one eye, Zavalanco was not someone Sen could handle.
‘How could the Faction not know this?’
Sen, struggling, felt her consciousness growing dim and wondered why the Chokugen Faction hadn’t given her such information.
But—
“Ambush!”
“G-Get ready for an ambush!”
“Hey! It’s El Aios students!”
There was a commotion down on the lower floor.
Who was it?
The only person among the Aios Academy students who would know I was here was one.
Could it be that Daniel McLean had come to my rescue?
“Sen! Where are you?”
The voice of Ares, Daniel’s childhood friend, echoed from the lower floor.
