episode_0041

The fact that there was a hidden place for the curse gave the patrollers an opportunity to change their methods. I searched for the curse detected as the core of the dead and destroyed it, but if the curse was hidden like that, I couldn’t find it. In the end, the only way was to search everywhere and find it, so the knights, guards, and academy wizards gathered in the center of Ignolia were looking at each other and talking.

Of course, there was nothing I could do in that situation, so I quietly stood behind the seniors and Erica tapped my shoulder.

“Why are you doing that?”

“It feels good, right? Find the place where curses gather.”

“… … I don’t know either. Suddenly, I felt like someone was calling me from the alley, so I went there and found a strange door.”

“There was a curse inside the door, and the spy appeared in front of you. Don’t you have a talent for calling curses?”

“I don’t want to have the talent to curse. Maybe it’s a talent that gathers mana.”

As Erika laughed out loud at my answer, Leonard looked at us and coughed softly, and the two of us looked ahead in silence. The conversation between Isabel, the knight who came to the tavern, and the man who appeared to be the captain of the guard did not seem to end easily, so I quietly called out to Leonard.

“Do you know what this story is?”

“ They must be talking about the method of patrolling. It is difficult to recruit personnel from the academy, but it is not easy to get help from Araelia, and it is not easy to patrol with Ignolia’s personnel, so we must come up with a compromise. You will be looking for it.”

“The best way is to catch the spy.”

Senior Leonard sighed and nodded slowly at what Erica said.

“I didn’t know that would be the best way, but from the moment you use a tool that disrupts detection magic, this fight must go on until one side gives up.”

“It’s difficult, all the detected cores of the dead have disappeared, but there can’t be another core of the dead in a place where curses like that are gathered… … It was discovered near a private house, so if a resident of Ignolia opens the door, the curse will leak out… … ”

“We have to find the spy.”

Senior Erica and Senior Leonard looked at me in response to my answer.

“That would be the surest way for now.”

“Please give Sharon permission to go out, Senior Erica.”

“We need to have a conversation. To be honest, it might be right in the current situation, but the risk is too high.”

“The Erica I knew wasn’t this timid, but she’s become more insensitive than I thought.”

“It’s a clearly visible trap.”

“Isn’t it okay to destroy traps?”

As they spoke, the two looked at each other, and I looked ahead. As if the conversation had ended, senior Isabel was walking over, and when I told them that senior Isabel was coming, they both turned their gazes and looked at senior Isabel.

“What is the conclusion?”

“Ignolia will request cooperation from priests, and Araelia will strengthen patrols.”

“What is our academy’s position? In any case, the spokesperson now is you, Isabel.”

“What can we say? We will strengthen patrols. That’s a bit of an answer. But even if you do that, this situation will not change.”

“I guess I should catch the spy.”

“Erica is speechless. Are you thinking?”

Senior Erica shrugged her shoulders and answered Isabelle’s words.

“What can I say? I am a person who thinks about evacuating all the residents and blowing up the whole place.”

“I thought about that too, but Ignolia is against it, so I’ll leave that method aside. Are you listening, Astan?”

“Yes, senior.”

“I will allow Sharon to go out from now on. However, for Sharon’s safety, Jeremy will accompany her, and the condition is that Astan stays by Sharon’s side. Do you agree?”

“Agree, I was already going to ask for that.”

Senior Isabel smiled at my answer, and Senior Erica looked at us as if she did not like it.

“It’s too dangerous.”

“You don’t have to worry about that because Jeremy is there, and if anything happens… … We must step forward.”

“What if something happens before we arrive? Let’s take care of that?”

“Erica.”

Isabel looked at Erica, and I felt fear in Isabel’s gaze. I could feel fear in the eyes of my elegant, smiling senior every time. My whole body began to tremble as if it was screaming to run away, and sweat ran down my back.

It felt like mana was fluctuating around me. Just looking at it made me feel extremely intimidated, so I forced out the suffocating breath and held on to my senses.

“Do you have any complaints?”

“If I tell you, are you ready to fight?”

“Erika I know what you’re afraid of, but is there another way now?”

“If the Priest of Light comes, the story might be different.”

“Do you know when the Priest of Light will come?”

“Then, if Sharon appears, will a spy appear in front of you?”

I slowly swallowed my saliva while listening to the conversation between the two. Just as I was clenching my fists as if I was going to fight with my cane at any moment, I heard senior Leonard’s voice in my ear.

“Stop, I seem to have forgotten where we are, but if you two are going to talk, at least go somewhere quiet. I don’t care if you duel or anything, but if you fight here, I will stop you two.”

“Sorry, I got excited for a moment.”

“That goes for me too, I’m sorry.”

The two apologized to each other and then slowly opened their mouths.

“Even if Sharon appears, there is no guarantee that a spy will appear. The patrols are strong, but will they show up?”

“ However, if the spy’s goal is Sharon, there is a possibility that he will take risks. He will probably aim for the moment when Sharon is alone… … I don’t know if Sharon can defeat the spy alone.”

“Why am I assigned to escort?”

“That’s not possible, you’ve already fought the spy, so he’ll hide more if you’re nearby.”

“It’s difficult.”

At that moment, senior Leonard opened his mouth.

“Ask Chloe to make you a tool. She will be able to make something helpful.”

“I guess that’s the top priority for now. Then, let’s go back. Even if I’m in Ignolia, it doesn’t seem to make any difference.”

“Thank you for your hard work, go in first.”

“Then I will go in first.”

Senior Isabel waved at us and disappeared in an instant, and Senior Leonard also disappeared, saying he would go first. In that situation, when I looked at Erica, I saw that she was looking at me.

“Senior, aren’t you going in?”

“The night is dangerous. Are you going alone?”

“It is enough to protect myself.”

“Okay, then I’ll go in too, see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Senior Erica also left the place and when I looked around, the guards and knights had already dispersed. I have to go back. With that thought in mind, I moved to the academy.

“You are allowed to go out.”

At my words, Sharon put down the bread she was holding in her hand and looked at me.

“Really? You said you couldn’t do it last time?”

“Something happened yesterday, so I think he decided that he needed some bait to catch the spy.”

“So I was allowed to go out?”

“That’s right, going out in the future is permitted, but… … The problem is that you should also know that your life is in danger.”

Sharon nodded at my words and smiled at me.

“Did you get permission to enter the bar?”

“He gave permission, but he told nobles to live like nobles.”

“Your reaction is colder than I expected.”

“It may be because they say they are using worldly experience as an excuse.”

“Then, can we go to Ignolia together this evening?”

“It’s possible today, and it’s possible tomorrow.”

“Then let’s do it today. The sooner the job, the better.”

I nodded to Sharon’s words and took a sip of apple juice. The conversation that flowed during the slow meal was about meeting senior Jilan yesterday and talking about it, but it didn’t seem like there was much to be gained.

Do I need to find another rumor or find the strange man? There are limits to the curse detection tool. At night, they search for Ignolia’s spies, and during the day, they search for the Academy’s spies… … Perhaps because it was full of difficulties, a sigh escaped my lips.

“Sighing is a bad habit.”

“Can’t you sigh? We’re doing crazy things.”

“So it’s fun, isn’t it? From the moment we dealt with natural mana with you, we’ve been having fun doing crazy things.”

“… … I wonder if this is right.”

Sharon laughed out loud at my answer. Is it right to laugh right now? Being the bait means that if you do something wrong, Denatus’ hand will aim right at your heart, but he was such a strange person that I couldn’t tell if he was really positive or if he was smiling like that on purpose.

“Astan.”

“Say.”

“Aren’t you curious? I’m curious, I’m curious about whether I can find the spy, and I’m curious about why they’re targeting me.”

“You are a really strange person too.”

“Strange people gather around strange people, and you are a strange person too.”

“I don’t want to be treated like that.”

I just wanted to live a quiet life, and I thought there would be no harm in becoming close to the main character, but I had no intention of risking my life like this. Of course, I think so.

I want to protect the people around me, and if I were to be a little more honest… …

I don’t want to live as an extra.