“I came to hit you too, but it looks like you’ve already hit him harder than I expected.”
Clears throat.
The Dragoness, escorted by Cardinal Theosender, looked at Keyalmirec with a bewildered expression.
I thought it was bold of her to actually come prepared to hit him, but she seriously took a stick and smacked Keyalmirec’s face right down.
“How could you! How could you sell out your own kind like that!”
She hit him several more times, looking like she wanted to keep going, but her breath became ragged from fatigue.
“Are you feeling a bit better now?”
Feeling oddly close to the Dragoness, I chuckled as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and nodded slightly.
“Yeah, it actually feels good.”
“Well, where else should I hit him?”
“Oh, then let’s do the face like this.”
The Dragoness struck a pose like she was about to throw a punch, but then Cardinal Theosender hurried over and pulled her away from behind.
He reminded her to maintain decorum in front of humans.
Clears throat.
The Captain of the Guards also cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood.
We were currently at the Dragon’s Boundary.
To be precise, we were in a standoff with Keyalmirec right in the center.
Of course, I was standing right next to him since I had caught him.
In this tense atmosphere where wills were clashing, I spoke up.
“Keyalmirec has entered human territory and gained full authority from the Border Patrol. Do we all agree?”
A groan came from the Dragonkin side. They weren’t pleased about missing a traitor and a high criminal.
But I smiled and offered them a chance.
“However, this time I’m giving the Dragonkin a chance as well. We need to confidently identify who is behind this through a joint investigation.”
This was something I had already discussed with the Captain of the Guards.
Since I had caught him, he wouldn’t disagree too much.
Clears throat, “Also, I’d appreciate it if everyone could turn a blind eye to this incident.”
It was just a Male Student causing a ruckus in Dragonkin territory—of course, the Dragonkin would prefer to keep that under wraps, so I took a humble approach.
That way, they’d be more likely to accept it easily.
The Cardinal and High Inquisitor began to whisper to each other, and the Dragoness pondered for a moment before approaching them and saying something.
“Fine, I’ll accept it.”
Nice!
I silently cheered and turned to the Captain of the Guards.
“Then, I’d like to request that the investigation be conducted with the Dragonkin. Is there anything else you need?”
“Not really. Hmmm, I guess reporting will be a problem.”
“The Dragonkin are victims too, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”
If humans and Dragonkin were at odds, the kingdom would definitely react harshly, but since humans and Dragonkin were facing Keyalmirec—and, furthermore, the Tudogs—it should be easy to accept that yesterday’s enemies could become today’s allies.
As I saw the High Inquisitor and the Captain of the Guards discussing and coordinating their schedules, I stretched.
Eris, Regua, and Hotsim, along with other races, were also victims, so I was actively talking to them.
Should I head out?
In fact, before they arrived, I had already heard about a few locations that were supposed strongholds, so I planned to check them out.
If I mentioned it, they’d start saying I couldn’t go alone, I had to follow protocol, and it would be a hassle.
It’d be better to go alone and find an antidote or treatment method and let them know later.
Just as I was about to move, a disheveled man wearing a robe burst out from the crowd and ran towards me.
“Hey! Are you messing around right now?”
It was the eccentric mercenary mage who had warped me from Elgrid here.
“Oh no.”
“Oh no? You saying ‘oh no’? Seeing you cross the Dragon’s Boundary really startled me for the first time in my life. A mercenary’s trust is their life, but I didn’t know if you were alive or dead, so I couldn’t just leave…”
Thinking he must’ve had a tough time, I handed him the heavy money pouch I had in my backpack.
“Oh my, are you going back now, sir?”
“…”
He instantly switched attitudes, rubbing his hands together. I couldn’t help but wonder if that had all been an act.
“No, I have a place to stop by before going to Elgrid. Let’s go there first.”
With his warp magic, it shouldn’t take long. I just hoped there was a marking near the place I intended to go.
Then, his expression changed strangely.
“Are you asking for more money? What I just gave you is already worth it.”
“It’s not enough.”
“Do I look like a student that’s easy to handle? Stop talking nonsense and get ready quickly.”
“…”
The eccentric glanced at me, then pouted his lips and grumbled he understood. He couldn’t have just waited for me to hand over that huge sum.
“Are you going now?”
Once the conversation ended, Eris approached me.
I actually wanted to take Eris with me, but if I did, Regua or Hotsim would complain about why I didn’t bring them along.
But what does that even matter?
Think about it, what’s the problem if a beast and a short guy grumble?
“Eris, I’ve found the stronghold of the ones I’m after. I’m going there and was wondering if you wanted to join.”
“Eh? But…”
Eris glanced around, checking if anyone else was watching.
“You’ve already told me about it, so you’ll open up soon. If there’s any additional information, the Border Patrol and Dragonkin will let you know.”
I wasn’t just leaving Keyalmirec behind carelessly.
“But the important thing is, even if I agree, the Border Patrol will find it hard to move immediately.”
They’d have to report, wait for orders, and form a pursuit team.
It was unpredictable how many days that would take—and meanwhile, my sister and the elven girl would be in danger.
Eris nodded at my words, deciding to join me.
“One more person added.”
“What? The price will naturally increase…”
The eccentric, preparing to leave, stared at Eris with his mouth agape. I grimaced at him, worried he might drool, and he gave a silly grin.
“One or two people is fine. Hurry up and prepare!”
“Geez.”
*
“Thanks for your hard work today.”
Receiving the towel from the maid Bertia, the last one to arrive, Rin said with a faint smile of gratitude.
Having gone through the towns and villages near Elgrid, we finally returned to the dormitory.
Even though it was time to sleep, everyone was gathered in May’s room, sorting out the information we had gathered that day, waiting for Rin’s arrival.
In reality, the information we obtained was just that there were their lackeys hiding in other places, so we hadn’t truly grasped the key points.
At least Rin had cleared out the biggest location, so I was hoping she’d have relevant information to solve this incident.
“But why is it in my room?”
Ignoring May’s grumbling, Rin stepped into the room and began to explain.
“The information I got from someone called the pharmacist is that the Tudogs are selling drugs.”
“Drugs?”
Rin nodded at Tana’s question.
“They have a drug that grants special powers to humans, and it’s sold at a high price. Only special people sell it.”
“It probably grants the abilities of the Magical Beasts in the Forest of the Demon Realm that Daniel mentioned.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Hayun’s words.
Eve raised her hand and asked, “So, that pharmacist was the one who made and sold the drugs?”
“No, while he calls himself a pharmacist, he is actually just a seller. He doesn’t have stock, and when someone wants to buy, he goes to the Tudogs and gets just that amount.”
He called himself a pharmacist but was merely selling what he bought.
Rin bit her lip and muttered, “I should have been calmer. I rushed to ambush the pharmacy, and the links got cut off.”
The pharmacist was just selling for money; he didn’t know much either.
Of course, Rin couldn’t know this, so at that moment, it was the best option, but now she couldn’t help but feel regret.
Looking back at it, we hadn’t achieved particularly worthwhile results. I had tried to find Hare, but I couldn’t locate her either.
“It was just one day. Let’s start again from tomorrow, so don’t get too disheartened, everyone.”
Elise clapped her hands as she spoke.
In truth, we were already in a hornet’s nest, and we needed to move quickly, but they were students.
It would be possible to skip a few days due to health issues, but there was a limit to that.
Until then, we needed to acquire solid information—it was a time attack.
“Why are you pretending to be normal?”
“Oh, I’m normal! It’s thugs like May who are abnormal.”
“Are masochists considered normal these days too?”
“I’m not a masochist. I just like being treated roughly by my master. Like being cursed at, kicked, or having a leash…”
Elise made a blissful expression just thinking about it, and May’s face soured.
Then Eve jumped in.
“I don’t know about hitting or leashes, but isn’t it kind of sexy when someone curses at you?”
Just a moment ago, Rin had a serious face, but now she was grinning ear to ear.
“You know! Daniel looks innocent but has a surprisingly sexy side to him. It grew even more since coming to the Academy!”
At that, Sen nudged Hayun and asked, “Sexy? What exactly does that mean?”
“Hmm, it’s hard to explain. Like, when he’s training and sweating, and then he pulls up his shirt to wipe his sweat off?”
Sen looked even more confused by Hayun’s sudden explanation, while May briefly rested her chin on her hand.
Hmm, when warning my kids not to smoke, I should bring that up.
It’s true that at this moment, she was the one making advances, but I briefly imagined Daniel being slightly forceful.
“…This is dangerous.”
May, who was almost drooling, hurriedly snapped back to reality.
“It’s fine to talk about what you like, but…”
“Are they rivals and colleagues now?”
Just as Tana and Bertia awkwardly smiled, trying to ease the situation, Bertia’s eyes sparkled as she took out a dagger hidden in her thigh and threw it toward the window.
Then, something zipped by and vanished.
“W-what was that just now?”
Tana, who was standing in the same direction, asked in shock as Bertia hurriedly checked outside the window and pulled out another dagger.
“It seems we’ve been caught while trying to catch someone.”
Just now, a woman had been watching us through the window. Even though it was the third floor, it felt like some scary story.
“You all should prepare yourself.”
At that moment, a massive fireball came flying from outside the window.
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