Ch.178178 – Investigation of the Professors’ Conspiracy

<178 – Investigation of the Professors’ Conspiracy>

Sadaco stared blankly at the device in her hand.

That day, the device she found after emerging from the nightmare.

She sensed cursed energy from it, and upon examination, traces of the curse that had tormented Oknodie were indeed stored inside.

‘This is worth investigating.’

Oknodie turned her gaze away with a pale face while looking at the device, as if something was bothering her.

If a child who showed no fear even against the undead was visibly frightened like this, there must be something involved with this device that terrified her.

“Mirror, mirror. Show me the face of this object’s previous owner.”

“Give me five lungs and three fresh livers.”

Hearing the mirror’s response, Professor Sadaco immediately opened her magical inventory and took out fresh animal lungs and livers she had prepared for lectures, placing them in the drawer beneath the mirror.

As she closed the drawer, the entire mirror writhed as if tasting them.

Crunch, crunch.

The artifact moved with an unpleasant sound.

After writhing loosely like someone satisfied with a delicious meal, images of people appeared on the mirror’s surface.

One student.

And one merchant.

Professor Sadaco magically printed the images that appeared on the mirror and handed them to Professor Destroyer.

“Track them down. They’re the culprits who cursed Oknodie.”

“Leave the student to Monk Myungho, not me. I’ll find out about the adult male within two weeks and contact you.”

“…Can that professor be trusted?”

“He’s been monitoring Oknodie at the Principal’s request longer than we have. Of course, since he’s connected to the Principal, we shouldn’t give him too much information.”

“Understood.”

The three professors who joined forces to rescue Oknodie.

Sadaco. Destroyer. Monk Myungho.

Among them, Monk Myungho hadn’t seen inside Oknodie’s nightmare.

So he doesn’t know.

The fact that the Principal might destroy the Academy.

They were allies who couldn’t truly be together until the end.

Their goals were the same, but they were merely using each other.

It was unfortunate for the good-natured Monk Myungho, but considering that any information given to him might reach the Principal, they couldn’t share deeper information.

“Find out who this student is.”

“It’s not difficult. I already know this student.”

“…Who is it?”

“Primer. A lower-class student aspiring to join the Knight Department. He mainly takes enchantment magic lectures, but he’s not skilled enough to cast powerful curses himself.”

“What other lectures?”

“Let me check with the magic clock now. Hmm… he’s taking liberal arts courses: Imperial Humanities, Understanding Ancient Scripts, and Social Dancing.”

“He’ll have a hard time making a living. He’d be better off becoming undead as soon as possible.”

At Professor Sadaco’s frank assessment, even the good-natured Monk Myungho could only laugh without being able to deny it.

While it’s right to take electives one is interested in, the reality is that these are often escape courses for those who couldn’t withstand the competition in demanding departments.

Just taking courses to fill credits makes it increasingly difficult to survive at the Academy as semesters pass and grades advance.

“…Moderately ambitious, moderately incompetent, and moderately stubborn. Such mediocrity would indeed make for an easily exploitable pawn.”

“This student? Is he the reason Oknodie was cursed?”

“Destroyer and I have handled it. There’s no need for you to… step in.”

“No. Even the Heavenly Venerable and Buddha wouldn’t draw lines in a world where the power balance with the Western world has collapsed and boundaries have disappeared, so how could a mere mortal like me do so?”

“…Is that so? Then don’t strain yourself too much and just look into it moderately. It would be troublesome if the kid gets expelled.”

She wants to stop him.

To tell him it’s information he shouldn’t know.

She wants to prevent it.

Information that would flow to the Principal.

Should I kill him?

Sadaco lets the momentary murderous intent pass, mixing it with the indifference of the undead as if nothing happened.

But Monk Myungho had already read Sadaco’s emotions that she failed to conceal as he turned away.

‘It’s not uncommon for professors to dislike each other, but I haven’t done anything to deserve such strong killing intent.’

A deep concern shadowed Monk Myungho’s face.

‘Oknodie. What information about the mastermind targeting that child have you encountered that makes you so wary of me seeking information? Perhaps… maybe…’

Perhaps they had received information that someone among the professors had been recruited by the mastermind, and he was being suspected.

What darkness had they stumbled upon?

How deep into the darkness was Oknodie involved?

He sensed an abyss darker and deeper than dark magic itself.

Something massive and terrifying to even touch.

‘However, both the Heavenly Venerable of Taoism and Buddha of Buddhism have said that the light of great compassion and the grace of wisdom should be cast even upon the deepest darkness of the heart.’

Despite Professor Sadaco’s indirect warning, or perhaps her genuine concern that she failed to hide, Monk Myungho found courage rather than yielding to silence.

First, he would find student Primer.

And start by extracting information.

The beginning of a journey to save Oknodie from this deep and overwhelming abyss.

* *

Lucky Harbor in the port city of the Kingdom of Florence.

Despite its name, this city was devastated when sea monster-induced current changes made docking difficult, and it declined as people stopped visiting.

Now, as a ruined city frequented only by smugglers, pirate ships, and immigrant fleets, it lacked vitality even during the day.

“A perfect place for one man to hide.”

Destroyer’s informant.

Lorentz Donuts, the branch manager of the Thief Guild, lit a cigar and added one more plume of smoke to the city oppressed by gloomy clouds.

It was too dark for sunglasses, but this level of darkness was just right for those living in the underworld.

“Oknodie, was it? The name of the child our lord hero has taken an interest in.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“That child is truly blessed. To receive the attention of a man who once uncovered a layer of the world’s darkness.”

Throughout his cigar smoking, his direct subordinate maintained his position without showing any displeasure at the harsh smoke.

He was careful with every move and word, afraid of failing to manage his expression—that’s how dangerous Lorentz Donuts was.

This was especially true when one could see a middle-aged man covered in blood collapsed at his feet.

“I-I’m sorry… I don’t know what harm I’ve caused your lordship, but from now on I’ll reform and live properly. Please forgive me just this once…”

“It’s curious, isn’t it? I never ordered anyone to live righteously, yet why do people try to become good persons in front of me?”

When Lorentz flicked his hand, the middle-aged man crawled on his knees toward him.

“May I borrow your hand?”

Lorentz used the trembling, dirty hand as an ashtray for his cut cigar end.

The middle-aged man couldn’t even scream properly, just clenching his fist and shedding tears.

When Lorentz flicked his hand again, his direct subordinate forcibly stood the middle-aged man up.

“Do you remember now? Where is that merchant who joined your guild a few years ago but only registered his name, and what is he doing?”

Less than an hour after the guild master started talking, an explosion sounded somewhere in the city.

“Nothing ever goes smoothly with this job. That’s the problem with playing with expensive lords. Human life becomes too cheap.”

“Urgent message from the capture team. The fleeing target has gone berserk with dark magic.”

“Send in the combat team. People who extracted information even in the magical realm wouldn’t make such a fuss over this level of resistance.”

The Thief Guild, which gathered information and materials by traveling even to remote villages in the magical realm where beings who had lost their human form lived, all to obtain information needed by the hero.

Facing opponents who go berserk with dark mana is nothing new for organization members who work with the world’s greatest thief.

“Did he survive?”

“He’s dead. He died of shock on his own, unable to withstand the dark mana.”

“Strip everything from his possessions to his accounts and identity.”

There’s still much to do to fill the report for the lord.

Who this person met, how he contacted his backers.

But then an unexpected name emerged.

“Ceviche? The Ceviche ducal family is involved in this? Did another Ceviche family appear in this country without my knowledge?”

“It’s the same Ceviche family with Princess Arcadia Ceviche of the Kingdom of Florence.”

“Check again! You don’t understand the implications of what you’re saying. You’re telling me that the ‘tail’ requested as top priority by our lord, who was nurturing future heroes at the world’s premier educational institution, connects to a kingdom’s premier ducal family. Are you certain your information is correct?”

“I’m certain.”

“…I see.”

Lorentz Donuts calmed his excitement.

After losing his family to a mage’s rampage, there was no longer any warmth in the home he returned to.

When he lay on the floor where useless junk that had accumulated from falling for peddlers’ sales pitches was no longer visible, in a house where nothing remained…

He felt it.

A longing for the clutter he used to complain about.

The realization that he could never make those complaints again.

Remembering that emptiness, his heart grew cold.

If his information was wrong, someone else would live the rest of their life with such emptiness.

“Review it. Check if it’s false evidence or misdirection set up to deceive trackers.”

The report comes after.

A thorough investigation that wouldn’t miss even the slightest mistake.

His subordinates praised him for being meticulous as always, but…

He knew.

He might deceive his subordinates, but he couldn’t deceive his own heart.

This was a postponement, an escape.

A shocking truth he couldn’t accept.

The desire to delay the moment of reporting this to his lord.

An expression of fear, sensing that many people would soon experience his emptiness.

“The season when birds sing is approaching.”

A season when birds feast on human corpses covering the water.

This summer would be an extremely harsh one.