Chapter 94: Night Invasion (1)

The security level of the private Anatolia Academy, where Sion is enrolled, far exceeds that of major government institutions in most countries.

When you think about it, it makes sense.

The academy regularly houses countless children of royalty and nobility from various nations.

If a terrorist attack were to occur in a classroom during lessons, the ripple effect would spread to unimaginable levels.

Therefore, Mana, when first constructing the school, prioritized safety above all else.

As long as the established security procedures are followed, no incidents should ever occur.

Her planning was spot on, as peace has prevailed for at least 500 years without any incidents.

To breach the security system installed by the headmaster, an intruder would need to be someone more skilled in magic than she is.

For example, a demon king.

“Non-Detection.”

As Sion muttered the incantation, a transparent barrier of magical energy formed around her, like a shield.

This spell, which she had maintained for over seven years since being selected as a hero, had become second nature to her. Non-Detection.

With this spell, she had been able to avoid detection by magic spells aimed at revealing her identity.

Without it, her identity as a fraud would have been exposed long ago, and she would have had to flee.

Normally, the spell would only be activated to a sufficient thickness to neutralize simple detection magic.

But this time, it was different.

It had to be. Mana, the sage, was a wizard of comparable strength.

Especially in her specialization, defensive magic, she was even more skilled than Sion.

If she tried to sneak in half-heartedly, the alarms would go off immediately, and her intrusion would be exposed to the world.

Thus, she used all her power to hide her presence, using her magical energy to suppress the opponent’s intricate detection spells.

-“Hey, do we really have to go this far…?”

At that moment, Exia, who had been trailing behind her as usual, spoke in a concerned voice.

-“Instead of sneaking in, wouldn’t it be better to go and talk to the teacher in charge of grading?

You could say I was influenced by you and my mindset was tainted by the old ways…”

“Hmph. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sion scoffed, brushing off Exia’s suggestion.

“Have you forgotten? This school doesn’t just have people who are friendly to us.

The Espera Empire, a rising power competing with Salem and the continent for dominance, doesn’t particularly welcome the existence of the ‘Hero.’

Though they can’t directly try to eliminate me due to public opinion, they are always looking for a small mistake or flaw to exploit.”

In fact, Sion had overheard several times that students from Espera were spreading ridiculous rumors about her—things like how she was actually a loose woman, sleeping around with multiple men, or having an unmentionable, scandalous relationship with Salem’s princess (which, in a twisted way, wasn’t entirely untrue).

Of course, most of these rumors had died down after Sion tamed the unicorn, but the Esperans were still keeping an eye on her, waiting for any opportunity to make trouble.

“If it gets out that I failed the moral exam, it will spread like wildfire. They’ll jump on it as an opportunity to publicly shame me and ridicule me. And of course, the prestige of being a hero will be irreparably damaged.”

-“So, you want me to help clear things up…”

“No, that’s not going to happen.”

-“Why not?”

“……”

Sion paused briefly. Then, she whispered something, barely moving her lips.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

-“What? What did you say? I can’t hear you. Please say it louder.”

“Because it’s embarrassing!!! Don’t ask me something so obvious!!!”

-“?!”

At her sudden outburst, Exia gasped, surprised.

Then, after a moment, she shouted in anger.

-“Wait, what? That’s the reason?! I thought there was some big issue at hand!

But you’re just embarrassed? That’s why you’re trying to sneak into the school at night!? Now that’s even more embarrassing!!”

“I said be quiet! If you say another word, I’ll throw you into the Void Storage!”

Sion shouted with a frown.

“I’ve already suffered enough shame because of that last Beryl incident.

Do you think I’d willingly make things worse by being even more embarrassed? Never! I’d rather bite my tongue and die!”

-“But… I keep telling you, getting caught would be even more embarrassing—”

“Hmph, as long as we don’t get caught, it’s fine.”

Sion said, placing her hand on the school’s front door and muttering an incantation.

“Telekinesis.”

A moment later, her telekinetic force acted on the keyhole, and with a click, the door opened.

Normally, alarms would have gone off loudly at this point, but there was no such sound.

All the alarm systems linked to the door had been disabled in advance by a dispel spell.

As a result, Sion successfully entered the school’s main building, known for its impenetrable security.

“If only I could use teleportation, it would have been easier.”

Sion murmured in regret.

But there was one thing she couldn’t do.

Among the many security systems of this school, the anti-teleportation wards were the highest level of precision and skill.

Outside the building, it would have been fine, but attempting to teleport inside would have been impossible, even for Sion.

If she had tried, her entire body would have been torn apart in an instant due to the paranoid complexity of the spatial coordinates.

That’s why she had to physically break in, making her way through the building with her own two hands.

“Alright, the hallway is clear…”

Sion muttered quietly as she looked down the corridor, bathed in the deep blue moonlight.

If she were to be caught by the guards, she wouldn’t be defenseless, but dealing with it would be a bit of a hassle.

She’d have to erase or manipulate memories, which would be tricky.

Unlike the time when she played Cupid, there was no guarantee that the situation would align perfectly.

Fortunately, there was no one in the hallway on the third floor of the main building where Sion was currently located.

Instead, there was something else.

-“Ugh, ugh-wat.
What is that? A bright red beam…?”

“That’s an infrared sensor. It’s a detection device that doesn’t rely on magic. I’ve heard about it, but seeing it in action, it’s actually quite threatening.”

-“It doesn’t rely on magic? How?”

“I don’t even know the principle behind it. Don’t ask.

Apparently, the alchemists from Espera managed to create it easily. Every time I see something like this, I really feel how much the times have changed.”

Sion muttered as she looked at the countless red lines spread out in front of her.

“In creations, it’s common to see beautiful spy women in sleek body suits performing acrobatic feats to break through restricted zones, but, of course, that doesn’t exist in reality.

Instead of leaving awkward gaps, it’s better to just install a few more devices. It’s not like it’ll drain all your money, after all.”

The detection net in front of Sion was similar.

It was a tightly packed net with an average distance of no more than 10 cm between the lines, so even a small creature like a gnome would be detected immediately.

At first glance, it seemed like an insurmountable obstacle, but…

-“How are you going to deal with it? Since it doesn’t rely on magic, dispelling won’t work, right? You can’t just physically destroy it either…”

“There’s always a way. Spatial distortion.”

As Sion cast the spell, the space around her body curved into a round shape.

An 8th circle spell—Spatial Distortion.

It changes the curvature of the very plane where matter can exist, distorting it.

Wrapped in the spell, Sion confidently walked down the hallway.

The red light emitted from the sensor naturally bent around her body.

“Did you see that? This is how you break through easily.”

-“Ha…”

Exia sighed in disbelief.

Did she admire how easily Sion broke through such a complex security system, or did she find it pathetic that Sion was using an 8th circle spell on something so trivial?

She always found it hard to judge her.

The work proceeded smoothly without any other major obstacles.

Of course, the infrared sensor wasn’t the only thing standing in their way.

There were many layers of security devices spread across the school.

Devices that detect sound and movement, weight fluctuations, and even magic fluctuations.

But none of them were a match for Sion.

After all, she was one of the greatest mages capable of casting most spells in existence.

Although the person who set the traps was formidable, it didn’t make the task impossible.

Her spellbook always contained a solution to whatever challenge arose.

In less than 10 minutes, the problems were solved one after another.

“Phew, alright! It’s done!”

Sion sighed in relief as she successfully swapped out the exam papers inside the teacher’s office safe.

Now that the goal was achieved, all that was left was to leave the area.

She just had to retrace her steps in reverse.

It should be no problem.

After all, she had just completed the process once—how difficult could it be to do it again?

Sion thought as she turned around, smiling cheerfully.

But then.

-Rustling.

“”!!!””

At that moment, both Sion and Exia flinched at the sound coming from a corner.

Since the window was closed, it definitely wasn’t the wind.

That meant it was an artificial presence.

But why, at this point, after everything was done, would someone suddenly appear from within?

-“What… what… what is that!? Did someone come in!?”

“Shh, quiet! I’ll check right now…”

After calming Exia, who was startled, Sion slowly approached the source of the sound.

She cast a light spell and illuminated the corner.

Fortunately, the source of the sound wasn’t a person. It was something far more terrifying, in fact.

-“Oh my God, it’s a cockroach! Why is it crawling around here? It’s so disgusting.”

Exia, upon seeing the little creature, recoiled in disgust.

People, or even swords, don’t like bugs.

So Exia, ever since childhood, would scream whenever a bug crawled up her sword.

That tendency hadn’t changed, and the sight of it made her feel nauseous.

-“What kind of security device is this? It’s so tight against humans, yet it can’t stop a cockroach from crawling in. Let’s just get out of here. I don’t want to stay in the same space as that thing.”

“……”

-“Sion? What are you doing? Let’s leave already. Can’t you hear me?”

“…….”

Silence.

Seeing Sion’s lack of reaction, Exia frowned.

She shook her sword in frustration.

-“Hey, Sion! Don’t ignore me, just answer—”

Exia stopped mid-sentence, a strange realization dawning on her.

Specifically, she noticed the cold sweat dripping down the back of Sion’s neck.

Could it be…

-“Uh, just to ask… Are you afraid of cockroaches?”

Sion flinched.

It was practically a signal confirming her suspicion.