Episode 39 – Field investigation with the crew
I went back to the crew and explained in detail what had happened outside.
It was because we had to make the members understand the situation outside so that we could get their help later.
“So, you mean that the guy named Rodren, who quarreled with the captain at the welcome banquet for freshmen, appeared at this place?”
“And you mean that Grodd Ren turned into a monster and she had no choice but to kill it?”
“In case you don’t know, you might as well go check it out. Captain.”
“Right. If he’s alive and not dead, there could be bigger problems.”
The team members who listened to my explanation generally showed various reactions.
Out of the entire group, two people asked me what I explained.
The other two were the ones who wanted to go out and check the body.
My crew and I left our luggage in the basement and went upstairs with only our weapons.
From noble mtl dot com.
After leaving the cellar and walking for a few minutes, I saw the entrance to the clearing where Rodren and I fought.
“Ugh, what is that?”
“A hideous monster with a human head… ….”
As we entered the clearing, all we could see was Lordren’s severed head and his hideously bloated body.
The faces of the members of the team lost their blood when they saw Lordren, whose face was that of a human but whose body was changed to that of a monster.
Perhaps, to the members of the crew, Rodren’s appearance seemed so frightening that the blood disappeared.
“It’s okay. I personally defeated Rodren, who turned into a monster.”
When I said that I had defeated Lord Ren, the members of the crew turned her heads toward me in unison.
“But how are you going to prove that this monster is a Cadet Lordren?”
A member of the group asked me how I would prove that this monster was Lordren.
Well, this kind of question was expected.
How could it be so easy to believe that Lord Ren suddenly appeared here and tried to kill her?
So I took out my sword and cut off Lordren’s right wrist.
Then he saw that the magic bracelet, indicating that he was a cadet of the Royal Academy, was buried under the swollen flesh.
I retrieved the enchanted bracelet from Lordren’s severed arm.
“Because the magic bracelet records the unique mana of the wearer, you can find out who the wearer is by querying it.”
It was a rule that all cadets at the Royal Academy must wear magic bracelets wherever they go.
If Lord Ren had been a bit cautious, she would have gone to the administrative office and removed her magic bracelet and moved on.
However, Rodren moved too hastily.
If she loses a battle while wearing her magic bracelet, she can harm not only herself but also her family.
However, Lord Ren didn’t think of such a thing, and she must have just run without looking left and right to knock me down like an enraged bull.
“However, this alone will not be enough.”
However, the magic bracelet Rodren was wearing, indicating that he was a cadet at the Royal Academy, was not enough to explain what had happened.
A lot of people know that Rodren and I got into a fight at the freshman welcome banquet.
However, who would believe me if I told you that weeks later, a suddenly strengthened Lordren showed up here and tried to kill me?
It was fortunate that he treated me like a madman and did not say that I had induced Rodren to kill him.
I needed more solid evidence.
An object that will prove my absolute innocence that no one can deny.
“Huh? Something is shining Captain.”
“What?”
At that time, while Miss Astella was examining Lord Ren’s body, she called me as if she had discovered something.
I checked what Ms. Astella found.
“This is…… ?”
A faint remnant of mana remained in the item Miss Astella handed over.
Remnants of mana refers to the traces left on an artifact that can be used once.
“Judging by the faint remnants of mana, this is probably the artifact that brought Cadet Lordren here?”
“Why do you think so, Ms. Astella?”
“Uh, so, the professor told me during the introduction to magic.”
Ms. Astella started explaining by saying that she had heard the story in class.
First of all, this remnant of mana was found only in one-off artifacts.
And, depending on the type of magic, the remnants of mana are left in different shapes.
“The shape that remains on this artifact now is a swirl. If what is written in the textbook is correct, the remnants of the vortex are said to be found in artifacts that can activate spatial magic such as teleport.”
“You mean that?”
“It makes sense that Cadet Lord Ren used the artifact to go after her leader. And here.”
Miss Astella took the artifact in her hand and started chanting magic spells.
Then, the remnants of mana began to glow, revealing themselves.
“Wow… These are the remnants of mana.”
“Was this something you could see with your own eyes?”
“My dream is to become a magic investigator, so I learned magic. Anyway, if you look here, you can see the wedge-shaped remnant and the double circle-shaped remnant along with the spiral remnant, right?”
Miss Astella pointed at the remaining two remnants of the artifact she was holding and said.
“The wedge-shaped remnant represents direction-based magic, and the double circle-shaped remnant represents tracking-type magic. In other words, this artifact is a very complex artifact with three enchantments.”
“If it is an artifact enchanted with three spells, then an ordinary cadet will not be able to obtain it… ….”
“Probably, it must have been from a black market somewhere in the capital.”
I think I will have to repay Miss Astella with something later.
Thanks to her, it felt like the pieces of solid proof that I was not framed were coming together one by one.
“That would mean that Rodren did this deliberately.”
“Yes. Chief. If it’s an artifact that has three functions, and that allows you to teleport by tracking the direction the target has moved…….”
Miss Astella stopped talking.
What on earth are you trying to say, that’s why you’re putting so much effort into it?
“This artifact is… maybe… with high probability… It is likely that the item was sold by a group with a good knowledge of tracking it.”
At Miss Astella’s guess that it was a group that had an expertise in tracking the target, I was able to recall the name of a group in my head.
“The Seeker of All Things.”
“Huh? Do you know the group, too?”
“I can’t know.”
They called the name of the group they belonged to, the Seeker of All Things.
To put it in vulgar language, it was like a guild made up of information vendors.
If it’s money-making information, they shut up and gather it up and sell it to people who want it at a high price.
I heard about this organization from the people at the top who saved me from a group of monsters the other day.
The story I heard from them was that even though information merchants were spread all over the empire, the reason for the rapid exchange of information was that all information merchants belonged to the Seeker of All Things.
In other words, the group called the Seekers of All Things was actually a group that had taken root throughout the empire.
“The Seeker of All Things strictly controls the release of artifacts, right?”
“More than that, I don’t know. That’s all I learned from Master…….”
“No. Miss Astella. It was great.”
It was amazing that she, a commoner, knew this much about her.
It is known that nobles often use information merchants, but it was a great enough thing that commoners who would never use information merchants knew their identities.
Anyway, the fact that Lordren got this item proves that he was deliberately moving to attack me.
“I don’t think we can just ask each other about this.”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
“Everyone knows that Cadet Rodren held a grudge against me, but given that it was not a duel of honor, but rather a cowardly attempt to launch a surprise attack, it could escalate into a fief war between families. “
“Ah!”
At my explanation, the entire crew, including Miss Astella, let out a sigh.
From noble mtl dot com.
A duel of honor was a matter between the parties regardless of the outcome.
However, if it became known that they tried to eliminate the opponent through a surprise attack without requesting a duel of honor, there was a concern that this could escalate into a dispute between families.
“First, report to the academy, and wait in the basement until instructions come from there.”
“Yes, Captain.”
I took out the dedicated communication orb given to the leader and blew the aura into it.
Then the communication orb was activated and a human figure appeared from the other side.
[Clarify the matter.]
The man on the other side of the crystal sphere was talking as if it was annoying.
“This is Alberto, leader of Monster Hunting Class 16.”
[Ah, yes. Cadet Alberto. What’s going on?]
However, as soon as I revealed my identity, the person beyond the crystal ball quickly changed their attitude and began to speak positively.
“Roadren cadets from the Practical Department of the Royal Academy attacked our group.”
[Wait a minute! I’ll call the professor.]
The person behind the crystal ball heard my words and ran somewhere.
And after a while, the Marquis of Sebatia showed up.
[Cadet Alberto to be specific.]
“It was time to arrive here and greet the first night… ….”
I explained to Marquis Sebatia what had happened in detail.
After hearing all the explanations, the Marquis of Sebatia frowned as if he were serious.
[Please wait there. As of the current time, monster hunting classes will be temporarily suspended.]
The Marquis of Sebatia seemed to think that this incident was so serious that the monster hunting class had to be stopped.
After a while, the magic circle was activated and professors from the martial arts department and magic department, including Marquis Sebatia, came over to our area.
And I guided the professors who had come here with my team members to the place where Rodren was.
“Huh.”
“Oops… ….”
And only sighs flowed from the mouths of the professors who watched the scene.
Neither I nor anyone else here would know what direction this event would go.
Right now, I just hoped that this incident would not escalate into the Battle of Yeongji.