Ch.79Chapter 79: Suspicion.

The continent was quiet for a while.

But that only meant the organization Valt had encountered was quiet; the entire continent actually saw a significant rise in crime rates.

This was because the Emperor, after receiving the Chancellor’s report, had invested considerable resources from both the Empire and the Kingdom Alliance to track down that mysterious organization.

A nation’s manpower is limited.

Moreover, since these incidents could be viewed as terrorism on a continental scale, there was no time to focus on minor crimes.

No matter how large a criminal organization might be, it was still just a criminal organization.

It was a completely different matter from the descent of demon-kind.

Most crimes could somehow be managed by delegating requests to each country’s mercenaries, adventurers, the Kingdom Alliance’s academies, and the Empire’s academies.

In such circumstances, Growunt Academy was inevitably in disarray.

Still, learning couldn’t be halted.

With the continent’s situation growing unstable, the academy focused even more intensely on educating its cadets, and students were more academically motivated than ever before.

They say external threats unite people internally and boost morale.

Students worked tirelessly with the belief that they were contributing to continental peace.

Valt also diligently studied magic in this environment and could now confidently call himself a 5th-circle mage.

Lisa and Arias, perhaps stimulated by their first mission, steadily increased their achievements, as did Victor and Robin.

They were indeed different from ordinary students. Lisa had reached the 4th floor, 3rd circle, becoming proficient enough to properly wield a magic sword. Arias had reached the 4th circle of magic and could handle intermediate-high level spirits, giving him magical defensive capabilities equivalent to a 5th circle or higher.

Additionally, Arias’s healing abilities through water spirits had improved significantly, making him an indispensable core member of Valt’s group.

Victor and Robin were no different.

They were, after all, disciples of the exceptionally talented Seven Heroes.

Or rather, they hadn’t grown before because they lacked worthy competitors.

The fertilizer of competition with peers their own age was enough to elevate them to an even higher level.

The southern situation, which had been a concern, was actually peaceful unlike the rest of the continent.

Whether it was because they couldn’t act due to the Gerungtu barrier, there were no appearances of those whom Valt and his companions had provisionally named the “Dark Assembly.”

The vampires were gradually establishing themselves and developing their own culture.

Gerungtu’s blood and the Salamander’s blood crystals accelerated vampire growth even more than the Strigoi’s blood tears.

The Chancellor was in constant communication with the Caldrian family and the Magic Tower, and believed they were handling the Dark Assembly’s schemes well.

***

During a meal together in the dining hall, Lisa speaks up.

“Isn’t it a bit boring these days?”

Lati usually responds to Lisa’s comments.

“Stop talking nonsense. This peace is a good thing~.”

A momentary peace had arrived because Growunt Academy students had been eagerly handling various crime-related requests within the Imperial capital.

But the people gathered here were warriors and mages to the bone. Until recently, they had been constantly on the move, so it was true that they were getting restless.

Victor cautiously agreed with Lisa’s opinion.

“I’m not hoping for trouble, but these guys are too quiet. Aren’t you worried they might be plotting something bad?”

“There are plenty of people besides you, so stop worrying and focus on getting stronger,” Airine replied.

Airine, Victor, and Robin, who always trained together, had become quite close.

Though Airine often criticized Victor.

“Why do you always have to challenge everything I say?”

“Would I say these things if you were even half as cautious as Robin?”

‘They get along well,’ thought Valt.

Liris, as always, followed Valt everywhere.

Because of this, Arias couldn’t let his guard down.

“Lord Valt, I mean, Valt. How about using this opportunity to root out the criminal organizations?”

When Liris suggested this to Valt, Arias also agreed.

Though they were rivals, Liris and Arias got along surprisingly well.

“I think so too. Thanks to Growunt cadets diligently completing requests, the criminal organizations’ power has diminished significantly. Couldn’t we eradicate them now? There’s no reason to leave such dangers inside our borders.”

Currently, the criminal organizations within Roshalkhin were literally at war with Growunt Academy.

The five major criminal organizations had gradually increased their criminal activities when national pressure eased, but they were caught off guard and thoroughly blindsided by Growunt Academy students.

The title of “five major criminal organizations of the capital” was no empty name. There had been casualties at Growunt Academy and numerous injuries.

Valt began to consider his friends’ opinions.

Typically, requests concerning criminal organizations were assigned to 3rd or 4th-year upperclassmen.

They knew how to deal with criminal organizations through years of experience, while 1st and 2nd-year students faced higher risks of death or injury when confronting criminal organizations, so Growunt Academy didn’t particularly encourage it.

However, since Growunt emphasized practical experience, they wouldn’t stop students who wanted to take on requests involving criminal organizations, though they didn’t recommend it either.

“Hmm… It would be better to strengthen our internal security first. That’s a good idea.”

The group’s faces brightened at Valt’s approval.

By now, Valt was truly the leader, and everyone followed him.

His friends had grown exponentially stronger through sparring with Valt and could handle various situations.

Gerungtu’s combat abilities, which improved through practical experience, allowed him to accurately identify what his friends perceived as their weaknesses.

Gerungtu also had a talent for teaching people.

Valt, Liris, Solphin, Airine, Arias, Lati, Lisa, Victor, and Robin almost always stuck together, and occasionally Seirun and Riduin would join them for training.

The Imperial Princess seemed to want to join this group as well, but due to the surrounding nobles, she limited herself to occasional greetings.

Nevertheless, everyone got along well with Valt’s group.

There was no opposition from noble families, nor discrimination against different races.

This might seem surprising, but it was natural unless one had multiple lives to spare.

Who would dare interfere with plans the Emperor had been developing for decades?

Of course, there were nobles who harbored animosity toward different races, but none were bold enough to express it openly.

So they kept to themselves, quietly staying behind the Imperial Princess.

Having made his decision, Valt asked Lisa.

Lisa truly had the qualities of an adjutant.

Perhaps due to her professional gossip-gathering nature, she collected all sorts of rumors, demonstrating the skills of an excellent informant.

Moreover, with her outstanding information analysis and situation assessment abilities, Valt thought Lisa was much better suited for this kind of work than martial arts.

For example, something like the head of an intelligence organization.

“We should take on a request from the academy. Which one would be good, Lisa?”

Lisa began to answer as if she had been waiting for this question.

“You asked the right person, Captain Valt. Your adjutant anticipated this and prepared a report.”

Lati snickers at Lisa’s overacting.

“Really, her commitment to her role is a sickness.”

“Pfft, why? She’s just having fun.”

Lisa ignores Lati and Arias’s comments and begins her explanation.

“Currently, requests regarding criminal organizations at Growunt Academy are divided into two categories.”

“Hmm, two categories?”

“That’s right. Two categories. One consists of requests too dangerous for students to handle, and the other consists of requests too trivial to require cadets’ involvement.”

The capital naturally has mercenary organizations and adventurer guilds.

Not all of them are veterans. There are beginners who need to start with easy requests and work their way up.

If Growunt Academy were to solve all these easy requests, those people would lose their opportunities to grow.

Hearing Lisa’s explanation, Liris chimes in.

“So Lisa thinks we should take on difficult requests that others can’t handle?”

Liris doesn’t speak formally to the other friends, only to Valt.

“That’s right! But! There’s something strange about this!”

As mentioned earlier, Lisa’s situation analysis skills are extraordinary.

“What’s strange?”

Everyone focuses on Lisa in response to Valt’s question.

Feeling all eyes on her, Lisa clears her throat and continues her explanation.

“Ahem! Now, look here! There are many criminal organizations in the capital right now. But among them, there are five exceptionally powerful criminal organizations.”

There was Venom, whom Valt had met before, and the others were called Shadow Reaper, Butcher, Thorn Swamp, and Santar.

Everyone knows this fact, but no one interrupts Lisa. This was her way of communicating.

She first reminds everyone of known information to make the subsequent content easier to understand.

Valt really thinks Lisa would be perfect as the head of an intelligence organization.

“But something’s strange, you know?”

“What is it?”

In response to Lati’s prompt, Lisa narrows her eyes like a detective, putting on a thoughtful expression.