Ch.96NPC Who Got NTR’d. (2)

In the night so deep even the owls have fallen silent.

Stage 1 Clear.

Looking at what Miho brought, I’m certain. With this, that guy will definitely be drawn out.

“Seems like stealing from a place of learning suits you? Might be your true calling.”

“…It seems Lord Jack really dislikes me.”

“Well. It would be more accurate to say I have no reason to like you.”

What’s the point of her being polite now when I already know her true nature?

From the beginning, she drove my and Ragni’s points down to the bottom of the mantle. When I deliberately speak mockingly, her expression worsens.

If she doesn’t like it, she can quit. Honestly, with just this item, the operation is possible.

“…I know. It’s karma. My sister always said: Unless you’re dealing with a merchant, the world works by giving back what you give—whether kindness or enmity.”

“Add one more thing to that. Jack is someone who returns double what he receives when his people are harmed, and holds petty grudges until death.”

“……”

I handed the item Miho gave me to Gor, who was standing beside me.

[Should I absorb this?]

“Yeah. Just absorb it and emit that energy. Can you do it?”

[According to my status window, I can. Then, I’ll eat it.]

The stone Miho brought out. When Gor swallows the [Empty Superior Elemental Core] that the vice principal had, a status window immediately appears.

[Slime Mime Golem has absorbed the elemental core.]

[Elemental affinity greatly increased. Can now absorb low-rank or lower elementals with absorption skill.]

[Skill: [Absorption] additional effect occurred.]

[Absorption Effect: Grow stronger by eating. Absorb low-rank or lower elementals to gain their attributes. Attributes disappear after 2 attacks. The power of attribute attacks is proportional to the absorbed elemental’s stats + MP usage.]

[New Skill: Elemental Aura]

[Elemental Aura Effect: Can emit an aura similar to a superior elemental. No other abilities.]

Oh. A lot of things have increased dramatically. As expected of a superior elemental core. Plus, now Gor can eat elementals.

…Huh? Wait. Eat elementals? Surely not alive? This goes beyond being omnivorous.

[Should I emit the elemental aura to lure him?]

“No. Wait, how do you absorb elementals?”

[Huh? Oh. I’ll put them in my mouth and decompose them.]

“Excuse me. Can you communicate with Sir Gor?”

“……”

Hmm. Putting living elementals in his mouth and decomposing them? While Gor’s absorption skill has become quite grotesque, it’s useful but seems too risky to use frequently. All I wanted was this elemental aura.

This won’t be good if we encounter remnants of the Elemental King, will it? Is it possible to remove skills later?

[No. There’s no way to remove acquired skills.]

“…That’s a problem.”

“Excuse me, Lord Jack. Can’t you hear me?”

“Forget it. Let’s handle the urgent matters first and think about the rest later. Miho. Next, I’ll attack first from where we lure him. You ambush from there.”

“…You’re just ordering me around without answering any of my questions?”

“Quit if you don’t like it. You’ll fail the test, and I can win without you.”

“……”

I speak more coldly, showing my dislike much more clearly than I did with Ray.

I’ve already learned with Ray that if I’m ambiguous, the other person will approach ambiguously too. So I’ll push her away even more.

“…Sigh. Fine. I just need to hide again, right?”

“Yes. But did he really not notice you hiding?”

“No. He didn’t notice at all. I followed that woman who’s the principal’s secretary, and neither of them even turned their heads in my direction.”

I’m relieved hearing Miho’s words. It seems her skill works against someone of his level. In other words, he’s weak enough not to see through Miho’s skill.

‘Originally, I wanted to check his level in advance, but Ira’s entrance exam is in two days.’

So tomorrow, I’ll finish everything before sunset. And then.

‘I need to repay my debt.’

I led Miho and Gor to the position where we would hunt him.

*

“A red-haired girl, and a blue-haired woman who came as her guardian. A blonde woman. These three, plus a gold-ranked adventurer, a gray-haired man.”

“Currently, the man is not visible, only the women are present.”

“Among them, the blonde woman is reportedly a gold-ranked adventurer like the man.”

The Academy Vice Principal, Rotolks, was listening to the information that had been coming in since last night’s orders, in his office.

“After checking the laboratories, six had no people remaining, and an adventurer was at the seventh location.”

“The personnel who entered to subdue the occupying adventurer were annihilated; only those monitoring from outside returned.”

“They report seeing only one adventurer with no one else, and based on the fighting style, it’s presumed to be Don Peter, a gold-ranked adventurer active in Natie.”

“…Sigh. Could it be that an ignorant adventurer discovered us? Have the locations of the personnel and batteries there been confirmed?”

“We’ve sent a detailed investigation, but according to gateway passage records, not a single person has left the city yet.”

“Good, well done.”

The vice principal rises with a somewhat tired look and gazes out the window.

Right now, he wants to capture that red-haired girl and use her as research material, but somehow all those important laboratories have been raided.

He cannot get the priorities wrong.

“Maximize security around the laboratory occupied by the adventurer, and use all the low-rank elementals we’ve gathered to completely eliminate him. The children are probably gathered there too, holding out.”

“What about the material recovery team?”

“Issue an expensive designated request to the gold-ranked female adventurer to take her down. Issue it in Lo Jack’s name and cut the tail cleanly. If Lo Jack is in the laboratory…”

“We’ll deal with him on the spot.”

“What about Director Gibson?”

“…If he’s there, try to save him and bring him back somehow. We can’t lose a precious mage-kin in a place like this.”

“Understood.”

He processes information, gives precise instructions, and handles matters while avoiding major battles by not sparing expenses.

The vice principal, satisfied with his judgment, watches his subordinate researchers leave and raises the corners of his mouth.

‘…If I can contract with a superior elemental again, I won’t have to remain just a vice principal anymore.’

If that girl Ira truly has high affinity and enough magical power to infuse a top-grade elemental core, he can return to being a superior elementalist.

Imagining his bright future, the old man opens the drawer…

“…Huh? Where did it go?”

-Rummage, rummage, rummage.

The superior elemental core. His precious treasure that he had carefully kept, never taking it outside his desk, let alone his office, has disappeared.

“What’s this? Where on earth did it go?!”

The vice principal frantically searches his desk drawers. But after searching for a long time and even summoning low-rank elementals to turn everything upside down, the elemental core is nowhere to be found.

The old man’s face, now breathing heavily, begins to contort with agony. Finally, after searching until sunset, it becomes certain.

Someone has stolen his [Superior Elemental Core].

“…Impossible. There’s no way anyone could enter this room without my permission. The principal? No, even if that woman came in, there’s no reason she wouldn’t be caught.”

Who on earth? Where and when did he lose it? He had deliberately kept it in the same place, checking it only once a week to avoid letting others know he had it.

Anger rises to the top of his head, but he thinks calmly because of it. And then.

‘…Among recent visitors who aren’t my people, there’s only Secretary Manie. Could something have happened yesterday?’

Just pondering like this won’t yield answers. Though furious, he tries not to show it outwardly and has the elementals tidy up the room again as he prepares to summon Manie.

If she really took the superior elemental core, he will never forgive her.

The vice principal moves to call her immediately…

-Piiiiiii⎯⎯⎯⎯.

“…Elemental magic power. No, this is…”

A sudden ringing in his ears. The vice principal slowly moves his wrinkled neck like an old tree and looks out the window, which is beginning to turn red with the sunset.

A superior elemental, and moreover, a magical power he knows all too well.

“…Undi?”

His missing superior elemental core. The vice principal’s thoughts completely stop at the elemental magic he thought he would never feel again in his lifetime, and as if pulled by something, he opens the window and jumps out.

‘You, how could you? No. This is certain. Someone who took my core has summoned the water superior elemental again…!!!’

The old man, wrapping his falling body in flight magic, begins to fly at tremendous speed toward the reddened sky.

At that moment, all thoughts of the laboratory and interest in the materials completely disappeared from the old man’s mind.

*

-BOOM!!!

“Who is it!! Who summoned an elemental using my core!!!”

“Gor, how many minutes has it been?”

[It took 8 minutes. He seems to have flown here quite quickly.]

Hearing the booming sound, I slowly rise from leaning against the wall, and Gor pats my back to dust me off.

“Hey. Don’t casually pat my butt.”

[……]

This guy, have I been neglecting him lately? I should take better care of him after this is over. But for now.

-Slap.

[Hiing.]

“He’s coming.”

[Yes.]

As I brush away the hand that was tapping my butt under the pretense of dusting me off, Gor droops his shoulders pretending to be dejected, but doesn’t take his eyes off the direction the enemy is coming from.

I also look in the same direction, and with a boom as if the sky were collapsing, an old man with a white beard appears before us.

“…Was it you? The one who stole my elemental core?”

“No? Someone else stole it. I just received it.”

“Sophistry. So, where is ‘my’ superior elemental?”

Why ask who stole it if you don’t really care? If you’d asked more, I would have told you it was Miho. Still, they say respect your elders. I’ll answer.

“Your elemental core was awesome.”

“…What?”

As I point to the golem maid beside me, Gor begins to emit a bluish aura from his body, and simultaneously, the old man’s pupils seem to waver, visibly trembling. Can he feel something from Gor? I can’t tell.

“Our maid ate your friend deliciously last night.”

At my NTR declaration delivered with a raised corner of my mouth, pitch-black smoke begins to pour from the old man’s body.