Ch.2626. Tailing (1)

In every inhabited place on the Kempriton continent, there is always a temple.

These are literally places of worship for the gods, and without their intervention in the continent’s major affairs, humanity would have perished long ago.

Executors, Mediators, Guides.

Humans have given appropriate names to the gods, each with their own role.

And now.

The highest-ranking deity has issued an oracle.

Starlight fell from the direction of two constellations onto the temple, engraving a clock-shaped formation, and then its single hand began to turn leftward.

It was certainly not a mere drawing or magic circle.

“A clock made of starlight…?”

“Could it be… an oracle…!”

“Quickly, inform everyone! The Constellation has issued an oracle!!”

What does this clock hand signify?

Why did it turn counterclockwise instead of clockwise?

And what is the meaning of the hand that doesn’t move at regular intervals?

Everyone in the temple gathered to interpret this momentous oracle from the Constellation.

***

After the five-day winter break and with the advancement to the next grade, Levrant Academy welcomed a new semester.

A year had passed, and after winter, everyone moved up a grade.

The campus was bustling with current students welcoming prospective juniors after the entrance ceremony, new students filled with expectations for the academy, and parents—all mingling together.

The faculty and workers were equally busy.

Those who received people from the Empire and handled administrative work were twice as busy during this period.

Meanwhile, I needed to prepare for the monster counterattack that would occur during the early semester evaluation.

“Thank you. We were short-handed, especially given the time of year.”

“It’s nothing. I’m glad I could help.”

During such busy periods at the academy, they often assign requests to students.

These are mostly part-time jobs or day labor like carrying items, but this is the only time when students can earn money while maintaining their student status.

Yes, I was currently in need of money.

“Good work. Thanks to you, we’ve finished today’s tasks. Would you like something to drink?”

The lady handed me a cool beverage after I had worked up a sweat moving the food supplies that had arrived today.

“You can speak casually with me. I’m just a young student after all.”

“Is that so? Oh my, where are my manners? Now that we’re done, I should give you your pay!”

The lady immediately went inside the cafeteria and handed me a pouch containing several 10-alte bills tied with string and dozens of coins.

However, I had no intention of taking all of it, so I returned everything except four bills.

“This is enough for me.”

“No, student. If you only take this much after all that work, I’ll feel terrible.”

“It’s fine. You make us delicious food with fresh ingredients every day, so this is more than enough.”

“My goodness, such sweet words… I’d like to give you more since you’re around my son’s age. No, I insist! Take it all!”

The lady adamantly refused my refusal until I finished my drink, and made sure I took all the payment.

‘I don’t need this much money.’

Although I did work up a sweat moving many food supplies, this amount far exceeded a week’s worth of food expenses.

There was only one reason I needed money: to use it to stop the monsters that would ambush from the contaminated underground waterway during the early semester evaluation.

But… the lady was so generous that it was more than enough to buy the medicinal herb bags I wanted, with plenty left over.

‘I’ll just keep it for now.’

I might find a use for it somewhere.

Simply releasing two or three bags of herbs sold in bulk into the waterway would significantly weaken those creatures.

I can’t say for certain there won’t be any damage, but based on my memories, I’m confident this measure is the right one.

Putting the money I received from the lady into my pocket, I went to buy the herb bags.

As the sound of my footsteps moved away from the cafeteria, I could hear other footsteps approaching.

“Hello. Is there anything I can help with?”

Another female student with a reddish-brown ponytail was also looking for work at this hour.

***

‘I was wrong.’

Despite looking for work, there were no suitable jobs for Michelle.

It would be nice if there were tasks utilizing magic, but unfortunately, fire elemental magic is not in high demand.

At best, she could contribute her talent to places that create magical objects, but object creation requires the complex discipline of magical engineering.

Similarly, artifact crafting demands comparable knowledge, and she was told alchemy lectures were impossible without prior study.

And since she hadn’t trained her body like the vanguards, joining physical labor was practically impossible.

Literally having nothing she could do, she was now rubbing her face with both hands in frustration.

‘If I could just earn enough to maintain the freezing device until my early graduation is approved this semester…’

It was lamentable that she couldn’t find any work when she needed to save even a small amount of money.

‘Still, I shouldn’t give up.’

If she kept looking, she might find something suitable.

It’s a busy time of year, after all.

With a positive mindset, Michelle got up from the bench, dusting off her bottom, when her gaze fell upon someone.

—Can you carry all that? Should I lend you a cart?

—It’s fine. I’ll take them one by one.

In broad daylight on a well-lit path, there was no way she could miss that black hair.

Michelle recognized him as Junon from the distinctively prominent hair color Senia had told her about.

‘I wonder what he’s carrying?’

Something wrapped tightly in bags, and Junon seemed to be transporting them somewhere, one bag at a time.

Michelle decided to quietly follow him.

“Heave-ho. Whew, this is heavier than I thought.”

He placed the first bag in the underground waterway.

Perhaps because the herbs were rarely used, they were packed tightly.

Just thinking about bringing the remaining two bags made Junon sigh, already feeling exhausted.

“Well, what can I do?”

Junon sat on a flat stone in front of the underground waterway, catching his breath.

What puzzled Michelle was primarily those bags.

‘What could be in those bags…’

After working hard to earn money, all he bought was three bags of something. With so many other things to buy, why these?

Moreover, the location was strange. A foul and gloomy waterway with water seeping from somewhere.

It was so filthy and covered in slimy residue that it gave her goosebumps, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in ages.

Could there be a connection between those bags and this place, and did Junon know about it?

‘He’s leaving…!’

Having caught his breath, Junon seemed ready to get the next bag.

Michelle seized the opportunity to rush over and open one of the bags.

“What… is this?”

It was full of white powder and leaves. What significance could these contents have in this filthy waterway?

She took a pinch of the powder and smelled it, detecting a distinctive aroma. Michelle immediately recognized what it was.

“Mysteris leaves…? So it’s a purifying agent?”

The leaves and white powder in the bag were from herbs known for their power to purify contaminated substances, chopped and ground.

To check if other ingredients were added, she burned some with magic, and it lost its distinctive scent, turning into a gray, hard lump.

She also tested the leaves, which showed a similar reaction. This suggested no other substances had been added.

What on earth was he planning to use this for?

Thud- Thud-

Footsteps approached again. He seemed to have brought the next bag more quickly.

‘Oh no, I’ll be caught!!’

Michelle hurriedly restored the bag to its original state and hid herself.

One bag, two bags, and finally the third bag.

The neatly stacked purifying agent bags were emptied into the waterway with splashing sounds, and one by one, the empty bags emerged.

Carrying the empty bags, Junon silently left the waterway.

‘Purifying agent…? Waterway…? What’s the connection…’

According to Senia’s speculation, Junon was also the one who left Silvia collapsed that day.

It should have been something to boast about, yet he remained silent and didn’t tell anyone.

Michelle needed to keep a closer eye on Junon, whose behavior was suspicious in many ways.

***

Having emptied all three bags of purifying powder and leaves throughout the waterway, my preparations were complete.

All that remained was to see whether trouble would break out during the early semester evaluation and joint practical training.

As long as no one went there and disturbed it, there shouldn’t be any issues.

However, I noticed something strange.

“Hmm?”

A handkerchief was lying on the ground. I wouldn’t have been carrying a handkerchief in the first place… why would it be here?

This isn’t the kind of place where a clean handkerchief would be dropped.

The path behind me leads to the underground waterway, a place with little human traffic.

Could it be someone who came to clean this place? But the underground waterway was too dirty for that.

Could someone walking by have discarded an unwanted handkerchief here? But why come to such a dirty place to throw it away?

Could the handkerchief have been carried here by the wind? Absolutely not. No matter how light a handkerchief is, an object with this mass wouldn’t fly here unless forcibly pushed by wind magic or caught in a typhoon.

None of these possibilities made sense.

This meant someone had been following me.

‘This gives me chills.’

Whoever was tracking my actions, it would be troublesome if they interfered.

I needed to check if I had missed anything in the underground waterway.

As I turned around to go back and rounded the corner—

Thump!

“Ah?”

Something solid collided with my chest, followed by the sound of someone lightly hitting the ground. Simultaneously, a surprised female voice.

Probably the person who had been tailing and tracking me, now sitting on the ground after the collision.

But…

“Ouch…”

Why was I seeing a familiar reddish-brown ponytail?

I blinked a couple of times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

…I definitely wasn’t hallucinating. I had just been spreading the contents of those bags in the stinking underground waterway, so this couldn’t be a dream.

Then… why?

Why? Why are you here?

“S-sorry. That’s…”

Why on earth would you follow someone like me, with whom you have no connection?

“If I ask you to pretend you didn’t see anything… that wouldn’t work, would it? Haha…”

Michelle, why did you see that scene?

I found myself face to face with Michelle, whom I had firmly believed I would never encounter, confirming that she had indeed been following me.