68 – The Pursuit (1)
In the dark, Sirius smiled in repentance.
His plan was briefly disrupted as his identity was almost discovered along the way, but thanks to the hand he had put in his hands in advance, he was able to lead the work quite advantageously.
The most important thing was the time it took to find Astesia’s blessing, but fortunately his unique magic played a decisive role, so it didn’t take long.
His unique magic called [Puppet Play] Has a powerful additional effect of digging up all the information the opponent has in his possession.
This is also why Sirius often undertakes missions such as intelligence or infiltration to search for information.
And the female professor at the academy named Melissa, the last one I got today.
It was very lucky that she had information related to Astesia’s blessing.
If it wasn’t for that, I can say that no one would have dared to expect that Sirius would probably have hidden the object in a place like this.
‘It’s an abandoned building. It’s really dark under the lamp.’
From the outside, it looks like a dilapidated building with no guards watching, but it is said that Astesia’s blessing is inside.
It’s not even detectable when magic power is detected yet, but that’s quite possible if special processing is done.
So, Sirius decided to put the female professor in his grasp like a search dog to dig up information.
Though there might be vigilantes on the way, as long as they don’t get suspicious, they’ll be able to steer the plan in a better direction.
“Hmm?”
In the meantime.
Around the time we reached the middle of the corridor in the abandoned building.
Something caught the female professor he was controlling.
I can hardly feel the presence, but I can feel it subtly, like the remnants of unsuppressed magic.
‘Did I get followed?’
If you are a colleague working together in this building, you won’t bother approaching him while hiding your presence and magical power.
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Sirius, recognizing that the person following the female professor he was manipulating was an enemy, decided to move on to the next action.
Anyway, since we caused an explosion on the main building side to distract attention, I thought it would be okay to make a little fuss on this side.
* * * *
“…… !”
Aden, who was walking down the dark hallway, stopped her steps and stopped Marie from behind her.
I don’t know exactly how far I am from the other person, but judging from the fact that I couldn’t feel his presence, I opened my mouth, judging that there was still quite a bit of distance.
“I just felt the slightest bit of magic. They may have noticed the existence of this side.”
Aden’s basic fighting skills are also excellent compared to her age, but since she grew up under the command of a death squad that followed her followers, she was particularly outstanding in this area as well.
The most important thing in tracking or infiltrating, etc., Is to discern whether the other person noticed my existence or not, rather than being aware of the other person’s existence.
From that point of view, it is clear that the remnants of the magical power that just spread weakly over there were spread in order to find something.
What if a person walking alone in such an abandoned building suddenly finds something?
It’s safe to say that after noticing the existence of the pursuers, he tried to guess their location.
“Then what are you going to do? Are you giving up on the pursuit?”
“No. The chase will continue, but you should approach it with the thought that you never know when a battle will break out.”
Aden shook his head resolutely, straightened his grip on the sword worn around his waist, and pulled it out to make as little noise as possible.
To intentionally spread magic power like a moment ago is an act that is no different from preparing for battle on the other side.
There is no other reason for the person being tracked to reveal more, let alone hide their presence.
I don’t know if it’s because he finally realized that he was being tracked and took action, or because he has a reason to make a fuss, but it’s not good news for Aden and Marie.
“… Are you okay? Earlier she was that woman, she seemed like a professor.”
Knowing the difference in her skills in advance, one of them asked in a worried tone.
Of course it couldn’t be all right, but Aden smiled and nodded her head, trying to somehow reassure her Marie.
“It just takes time. But since my skills aren’t enough, I might have to borrow Marie’s help.”
She added a clumsy answer at the end, which made Marie’s mouth burst into laughter.
Only then did Marie realize why her bell had attached herself to Aden’s side, and let out a sigh.
She too has struggled with Aden for the past few days and realized that her skills are extraordinary, but if her opponent is really a professor at the academy, it’s only natural that she is inferior.
Even if the two of them collided in the first place, there was little chance of winning.
As Aden said, the only thing that could do was to drag the time.
But if it’s for the best, you have no choice but to try.
Even if it’s something she took on recklessly, for her aristocrat, it’s nothing short of shame for her to suddenly throw her away.
“I’ll treat you to your heart’s content this time. Instead, I know how to get the price. To you and to that man.”
“Ahahahaha… Please be gentle.”
When Aden answered with his characteristic awkward smile, Marie took the lead and moved her steps as if she could not delay any longer.
Fortunately, it’s not difficult to follow her, thanks to the footprints still left on the floor.
I don’t know if the commoner will be happy or not when this job is successfully completed, but she made up her mind with the thought of making a feat that would make her proud in his face.
I felt as if the thick darkness had gone at least a little.
* * * *
The explosion on the main building side was of considerable size.
Even the eyes of the cadets gathered on the side of the stage set up for today’s dance competition could clearly see the smoke billowing in the distance and the wreckage of a collapsed building.
“Professors, put the safety of the students first! Please do not disperse until we confirm the situation!”
When Olberus’ solemn voice rang in the ears of the audience, the chaotic atmosphere calmed down a little.
According to the order of the president, the scattered members of the academy gathered in one place, cadets and professors, and a view unfolded as if a swarm of ants had gathered.
Olberus hurriedly dispatched investigators toward the main building where the explosion occurred, while he himself took the lead in protecting the students.
I was wary of the message I heard from Bell a while ago, but I was even more nervous at the thought that followers might have crawled all the way here.
At the same time, Belle was standing in the middle of the crowd, looking around him.
What he was checking was not the faces of the cadets, but the faces of the faculty at the far end.
Fortunately, he was tall, so even though he was hidden by the crowd, he could clearly see the faces of the people on the other side.
“Senior, can you see the professors over there?”
– Well, I see.
Even though she is in the shadows, Lizerote has no problem seeing the outside world.
When she said yes to Belle’s words, his eyes were sharp.
“From now on, I will recite the visible professors one by one from the left, so please check if the seniors see them the same way.”
– You think it’s a hallucination?
“Yes, there is some possibility.”
Bell clearly knows about the magic Sirius uses.
Even the fact that it wasn’t just manipulating the opponent, it was a heinous magic that could unilaterally extract information.
Then, if I change my stance here, if I were Sirius, who would I choose with a hand that would be useful to handle like a high-end chess piece after stealing information?
Of course, even if it takes a lot of work to subdue them, they will choose the faculty over the cadets.
In particular, those who have the information to access Astesia’s blessing, which they are aiming for, should be promoted to professor.
And now, to find the cause of the explosion, a gathering order has been issued for all professors and cadets.
In this state, simply inserting an illusion that can replace the one you are using is enough to instill the perception that you are not the enemy inside.
Then, the academy will be busy trying to find other external enemies or the cause of the explosion.
All you have to do is take the target without arousing suspicion by using the hidden hand in the meantime.
But do they know?
Knowing that the current situation is not only what they hoped for, but also what a man wanted.
It is a human habit to forget that you are being hunted when you are hunting.
“Rosa, Albert, Minerva, York, Jared….”
Bell mentions the names of the professors gathered at the table one by one.
Among them, the person he doesn’t know is explained by wearing a facial expression.
The call started from the left and reached the halfway point before I knew it, and soon as Bell put the impression of an unknown woman in her mouth, Lizerote’s mouth opened.
“It is a female professor with red hair and neatly dressed. She has a little eagle-like mark on her chest.”
– Professor Melissa. He is in charge of our 3rd grade. But it’s not visible from my line of sight.
“… Is that so?”
Belle’s eyes shone sharply at Lise Rotte’s answer.
I finally found it. Stepping stone to the pursuit.