30 – Three People as Ducks (4)
If there was one thing in common among the wizards from prestigious families, it was their subtle display of themselves within the gallery.
They would boast about their lineage, their ranking, or the fact that they had taken classes with someone else.
That’s why I could easily identify the family tree of the Franz family, ranked 38th, from the post on the bulletin board and the sentence on their robe.
With a little more searching, I could easily figure out who he was.
“You write two notes? Why?”
“Tsk tsk, only this way. That way, I can avoid snipers and not be traced through the posts on the gallery.”
“Well, you can just make your writing private. Besides, the posts are regularly deleted….”
“Such primitive precautions are useless. In fact, I have archived every post you, Toby, have ever written.”
“What!?”
When I called out a name that I had never revealed, the man was startled and bumped his back against the wall.
I didn’t actually preserve all the users’ posts.
There were occasional troublemakers, but as an administrator, I could see all the posts that users had deleted without needing to go to such lengths.
I had a clear understanding of how they had been operating within the gallery.
As expected, they were an organization created to plan train terrorism.
—–
Honeybee Bulletin Board
List of Written Posts:
[Where did the Celusia Spirit Apprentice go? Come back quickly]
List of Deleted Posts:
[Initiating the operation when reaching the 33rd floor]
[Niphelheim 1 left with the lieutenant]
[Proof of bombs mixed in luggage, items to be taken out to the restaurant car later are sealed with red wax]
[Anyone know what the screams were on the platform when we left?]
[Even if you’re a pure-blooded magician, if you get kicked out of magic tower, you won’t be able to get back on]
—–
The members are all part of the Bai family, totaling seven in number.
The objective was to prevent Bina and Christina from joining forces.
To know the exact reason, we’ll have to examine the previous posts in detail, but before that, their pathetic behavior caught my eye.
They go to great lengths to conceal their identity, yet they don’t even know the basics of looting. It made me sigh involuntarily.
“I’ve wanted to point this out for a while, but your nicknames are quite flashy.”
“Nicknames?”
“The bulletin board is accessible to anyone, so if you don’t want to be identified, you should naturally use barcodes. Do you have any intention of hiding your identity?”
“B-barcodes?”
If I were a terrorist, I would have used at least five barcode nicks per person.
You can check who posted it with a simple image search.
One abandoned bulletin board is not enough.
By flooding and baiting, you can terraform smaller bulletin boards, expanding your sphere of activity and making it difficult to track.
It’s also essential to schematize the patterns of infiltrators to avoid surveillance as much as possible.
In case of being caught, using a decoy account to attract attention can prevent information leakage.
“Above all, you go around wearing the family’s emblem without even confirming the basic information of someone you meet for the first time. If I hadn’t been one of you, the plan would have ended here.”
“Oh, I see! So it’s 13th place after all… This, this isn’t right! Come with me first. We don’t have time since everyone is waiting.”
Having gained Tobie’s trust in an instant by sharing various techniques, I was able to be guided to the hideout of the bees.
Surprisingly, they had cast space distortion magic in the aisle between the second-class and third-class cars.
When Tobie gave the secret code, a whole section of the train expanded, creating a previously nonexistent compartment.
“You’re late, No. 38. What happened?”
“This guy was fighting all day in the first-class car, so he joined us late. But what about the leader?”
“There has been no contact since the message to wait.”
“Have they already entered the battlefield?”
“If there’s no contact, we’ll start without them… Huh? No. 66, what’s wrong?”
As I opened the door and entered, four wizards were waiting for us.
They were all concealing their identities with perception-blocking magic, so only their gender could be distinguished.
One of them, who used to call each other by the numbers on their family crests, stood up from their seat.
The suspicious gaze that was fixed on me, dressed in a pressed robe, quickly turned into certainty, and they approached with determination.
Could it be that my true identity has already been exposed?
Or is there discord within the guild?
Since the “Beloved Grandson” had a history of flirting with multiple women, it was unfair for me in that regard, even though it had been effective in the posts.
If the two of them were acquainted, it wouldn’t take long for them to realize that I wasn’t a Celucia Spirit Mage just through a few conversations.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Why? Did something happen between the two of you?”
“No, I…”
“Shut up and follow me.”
Number 66 pushed me out of the car, past Toby, and into the corridor.
As we stood alone in the narrow passageway, the tension grew even higher.
Unlike the first-class car, where the vibrations of the train were barely felt, the aft of the train had a noticeable tremor.
In an atmosphere that felt as if someone could grab you by the collar, there was a subtle sense of déjà vu.
The height difference between us, the habit of avoiding eye contact even when we come face to face.
The folds of the rather loose robe, the contours of the prominent chest, the shape of the three swords, and the callouses on the palm.
And above all else… the fragrant citrus scent that greeted me as soon as I opened my mouth.
“Why the hell are you here, Clarke!”
“Si-en?”
She was my classmate whom I hadn’t been in touch with for a while since the Magic Tournament.
*
“I received information that there would be a terrorist attack on the express train, so I infiltrated. Originally, internal conflicts within families are not a matter for the Intelligence Department, but if we expect this level of damage, the situation changes.”
I met Si-en after a long time, and she had reached the rank of a sorcerer by breaking through the intermediate level.
Her bare face, revealed after dispelling the perception-blocking magic, was so beautiful that it was truly believable that she was from a prestigious family.
“More importantly, why are you here? You didn’t happen to get involved with these guys, did you?”
“No way, it’s just a coincidence.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say that I was lured here by the scent of honey.
After exchanging a glance of suspicion, I asked her one thing I was curious about.
“Why are they targeting Glaesia? Is there any connection with the demons?”
“No, it’s more about aiming for the stake that pure-blooded families have in the Elemental Zone.”
The Elemental Zone was a floating island in the sky, famous even among the middle class for its abundant resources.
Everything needed for making location notes, such as paper, or magic stones for gas lamps, all came from the Elemental Zone.
To obtain ownership of the resources, one had to achieve the highest evaluation in the tests conducted by the spirits of the respective region.
That’s why during the opening of the Elemental Zone, many families used to keep each other in check due to power struggles.
“The current Glesia has made quite a name for itself even within the Elemental School. Not only did a Seven Sage come from the Niflheir family, but their successor, Vina Nethania, is also highly regarded for her incredible talent.”
“……”
In the Elemental School, ‘innate pure magical power’ was just as important as knowledge of spirits.
Vina’s magical power, even among the pure-blooded wizards, was overwhelmingly pure, to the point where she could destroy demons with a single exaggerated sneeze.
“No wonder she’s called the ‘Toothache’.”
It was a behavior that could be seen as tainting her own power with such incredible magical power.
From Noble mtl dot com
When she willingly handed over the cake she made with her own magic, I thought she was halfway giving up on her family… but it was the opposite.
“The reason Glesia conducted this investigation committee on the 44th floor is also because of this. If that monster were to obtain ownership of places like Mount Venach or Lake Traphalga, they could monopolize them for at least a hundred years, right?”
“That’s right.”
Listening to Sien’s explanation, I felt like I understood why the Baekga family was making such efforts to stop them.
If the two of them couldn’t enter the Elemental Zone, the influence of the Glesia faction within the magic tower would diminish.
Anyway, the information department was already aware of the terrorist act, so success seemed unlikely.
It would have been interesting to watch, but it wouldn’t do any good if I interfered, so it wasn’t a bad idea to quietly leave at this point.
Above all, I felt relieved that I was able to find all three accomplices before reaching the Elemental Zone.
Just as I was about to ask Sien to give me some magic, I heard her say something that made me doubt my ears.
“And this is a secret… Actually, there is one more reason.”
“Yeah?”
“The one missing from there. So, it seems that the person who orchestrated this terrorism is the manager of the gallery we are chasing.”
How dare someone impersonate me?
*
“Where have you been?”
“Oh, I had a personal matter to discuss, hahahaha.”
“By the way, were you two acquainted?”
“What?! Today was the first time I saw him. Number 13, right?”
“….”
With an anxious heart, Sien sat Clark down in the adjacent seat.
Due to the illusion magic that distorted his perception, his expression couldn’t be seen, but it was clear that he was in a rather unpleasant state.
Did I make a slip of the tongue during our conversation earlier?
As she carefully recollected her memories, she startled and whispered into his ear.
“Is it because of my broken promise that you’re acting like this!?”
“…No.”
“Even though it was wrong of me not to report and continue my activities in the gallery, it was part of my work in the intelligence division, so I had no choice…!”
“I said it’s not.”
Even if I get angry, it’s a hundred times my fault.
Sien had learned one way to ease his frustration when Clark genuinely got annoyed.
He immediately held a location note in his hand to calm his mind, while someone was sticking closely by his side.
As time passed, he found himself dozing off, closing his eyes and surrendering his body to drowsiness, perhaps reminiscing about the past.
Clark had always been indifferent to things like letting his hair down while looking at the gallery or being gently pulled closer by someone next to him.
“It seems surprisingly close for something like that.”
“Could they be dating?”
“That’s ridiculous. The 66th and the 13th?”
“Rankings can change anytime, you never know. Wasn’t 38th once within reach of your five fingers? No?”
“Don’t bring that up.”
“Why? There’s not a single person here who doesn’t know. After Franz’s enemy disappeared on the stage, their family became incredibly prosperous….”
“Shut up, I said!?”
But now was not the right place or time.
Their plan was about to begin, and he had to stop it.
First, he had to send him back to his room with a plausible excuse and then contact the agents waiting on the 33rd floor.
“Everyone, be quiet.”
“……!!”
“We didn’t gather here to fight among ourselves, did we?”
Finally, Clark’s voice, as he raised his head, enveloped the audience.