26. One Fine Day in October (6)

The building’s hallway was a complete wreck, littered with debris from the battle.

Thankfully, Sanya-ssi had taken precautions beforehand, because despite all the commotion, no students were approaching.

Sanya-ssi would handle the cleanup, so I left the unconscious Elin behind and headed for the Headmaster’s office.

“Jihoo-gun! Are you hurt anywhere?”

As I entered, I was met with Siana-nim’s worried greeting, and I suddenly felt a wave of emotion wash over me.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of the grueling battle, or maybe the strangely warm air inside the Headmaster’s office…

Just remembering that there were people who cared about me made my heart swell for no reason.

“No, I’m perfectly fine, just a little tired.”

“That’s a relief… I’m so glad…”

I lightly patted Siana-nim’s shoulder and slumped into a chair.

I had somehow managed to gain the upper hand in the battle, even if it was within the framework Sanya-ssi had created.

The fact that Sanya-ssi hadn’t said much about the battle structure probably meant that I had barely passed her standards.

It was a huge improvement.

I sat down and examined the ‘seed’ that Elin Deihartz had given me.

The black bead, which seemed to absorb all light, emanated a power that couldn’t be ignored just by holding it.

I didn’t know why she had given it to me, but she must have seen some use for it, which was why she had abandoned her intention to attack at that moment and handed it over.

But that was just my guess. There might be some trickery inside the bead, and it could be a dangerous object that could curse the user if touched carelessly, so my priority was to have Sanya-ssi appraise it.

Thinking that I would bring it up when Sanya-ssi arrived, I put the bead back in my pocket.

“What are you planning to do going forward?”

“Huh? Oh, that article… um… first, we need to get a confession from Elin and use that record to prove our innocence… otherwise, our entire faculty could be swept away…”

Proving our innocence was essential to maintaining Arvadellin’s autonomy.

In this checkmate situation, there were virtually no other breakthroughs.

If the absurd claim that the professors had been bewitched by demons gained traction, Arvadellin’s actions would be restricted. Even if the spy didn’t confess, government agents could be assigned, affecting our autonomy.

Either way, we would undoubtedly suffer significant short-term losses.

“Elin needs to regain consciousness quickly for that to happen…”

“Sanya-ssi will have taken care of it, so don’t worry, Professor-nim.”

The last time I saw her, her entire skin was cracked like a drought-stricken land… but with the help of a healer, she should be able to recover quickly.

As I was thinking about our future plans, Sanya-ssi, looking exhausted, entered the Headmaster’s office.

“Ugh… I’m gonna die if I have to do that again. How can it be so complicated…”

“Is Elin okay? Is her condition serious?”

“What, the first thing you say when your teacher comes back from a hard day’s work is to worry about the enemy you just fought?”

“No, uh… I mean, our innocence…”

As I stammered in confusion, Sanya-ssi burst out laughing as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

“Pfft, you really look like a kid sometimes.”

“Looks like you weren’t that tired.”

“Nooo, I was really tired~ I just finished it quickly because it was me.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but I had to nod.

If it hadn’t been for that level of meticulous wave manipulation, Elin would have been in pieces, staining the hallway floor by now.

“Do you know why she suddenly tried to explode?”

“No, I’ve tried various approaches, but I can’t get any related information. It seems like a pretty skilled person has tampered with it…”

“Um… actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you…”

It was probably best to say it now.

The plan that Elin, that her organization had created, was something I couldn’t handle on my own.

The sooner I told her, the more likely Sanya-ssi would take appropriate action.

And I could also hold onto a small hope that the demon extermination incident would be delayed, even if only slightly.

“What is it, Jihoo-gun?”

“It’s about Elin Deihartz’s affiliation and original plan. I don’t know what her motives were, but… she told me at the end.”

I placed the black bead on the table.

As I watched the two women’s gazes turn towards the bead, I calmly began to speak.

“This bead is called a ‘seed’ among the enemies. Do you know what it’s used for?”

“No. I can’t see anything even when I scan it with magic power…”

“This bead is… an essence. An artificial essence.”

Siana-nim and Sanya-ssi’s expressions stiffened at my shocking statement.

Sanya-ssi, who regained her composure the fastest, asked me with a forced calm face.

“Did you really hear that, Jihoo-gun?”

“Yes, definitely. She said that absorbing this artificial essence would allow someone to become an Awakened. She said that she was planning to absorb the essence to become even stronger.”

“This is… quite serious.”

There was still a more shocking fact to come.

Pantagruel. To talk about him, I would have to tell them the whole story of the attack incident that I hadn’t told them yet.

I would get scolded a lot… but I still had to do what I had to do.

Praying that their actions would be merciful, I opened my mouth with difficulty.

“And there’s one more thing. This is a story related to me… but I thought it would be best to bring it up. Can I ask for one promise first? Don’t get angry after you hear it.”

“What is it? Did you do something wrong? Just tell me.”

Sanya-ssi, who had regained her composure as if she had never been nervous, stared at me intently.

I was a little uneasy. Could today be the day of my memorial service?

For a moment, I wondered if I should have brought it up. Her gaze was so intense.

“Jihoo-gun? I won’t get angry, so tell me?”

“Uh… really? Then I’ll tell you… Elin Deihartz was affiliated with Pantagruel, or rather, a lower organization of Pantagruel. She was probably a mole from before she was assigned here, or-“

“That’s not true, Jihoo-gun.”

“Then she must have started working as a demon spy recently due to some reason. Siana-nim, we shouldn’t approach this emotionally. Has anyone heard of the name Pantagruel?”

“…No.”

Siana-nim immediately shook her head.

On the other hand, Sanya-ssi seemed to be thinking for a moment, then snapped her fingers as if something had come to mind.

“Now that I think about it, I received a report about it before. I just dismissed it because it didn’t seem that big for something with the grandiose title of a doomsday cult… Could this organization be good at cutting off its tail?”

“That’s what I think. If it’s made up of several lower organizations in a cell structure and a central organization that controls them, there’s no need to worry about being tracked down even if some members are caught. And if a strong person in the central organization puts strong restrictions on the members to prevent them from betraying… it’s theoretically perfect.”

“I see. Pantagruel… Jihoo-gun, have you ever met a member of Pantagruel?”

“…Yes. To be exact, I’ve met their leader directly.”

“What???”

Siana-nim, who had been listening quietly, jumped up and shouted.

I knew this would happen, so I was debating whether to tell the whole story or not.

Siana-nim grabbed my collar with trembling hands and asked me as if she was interrogating me.

“When did this happen? Are you hurt? No, how are you still alive after meeting the leader? Were you threatened…?”

“Siana-nim, calm down. If he’s telling us himself, it means he’s at least okay right now.”

“Ah, that, right… I’m sorry, Jihoo-gun…”

Siana-nim finally let go of my collar.

Nice, Sanya-ssi. I can finally breathe.

“You know about the National Intelligence Service attack that happened last time? I’m really sorry to tell you this now… but I tried to stop it on my own without the help of other professors, and that’s when I ran into Pantagruel. Of course, it’s just an excuse, but Sanya-ssi couldn’t fight at the time, and Siana-nim was busy taking care of Sanya-ssi, so I couldn’t ask for help…”

“…No, what’s the point of being sorry now? I should be glad you survived.”

“Thank you… So I met Cormpunthur, the leader of Pantagruel, in the underground secret facility, and I learned that their goal is to produce artificial Awakened.”

“Wait, why were you guys in that facility at that particular time?”

“That’s a long story… we have to go back to the beginning of the second semester.”

If I hadn’t met her, I probably wouldn’t have known about the attack plan.

I wouldn’t have met Cormpunthur, and Ellis wouldn’t have had her abilities stolen.

But now, since Siana-nim and Sanya-ssi have finally learned about the existence of Pantagruel, meeting her was ultimately fortunate.

Pink, a somewhat unusual hair color.

A little lacking, but always cheerful.

But the dark shadow hidden behind it.

“Ray.”

It started, at the moment a ray of light shone down.