Chapter 110
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The Black Market Lead
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Pushing down my unsettled feelings, I stared at the spot where Amelia had left before pressing a hand to my forehead.
Whatever the outcome regarding the Apostle's eyes, it would come later.
Amelia had felt uneasy about it, but she'd accepted it willingly enough.
She'd just cautioned that since it needed to be handled with care, it might take some time.
So until then, I could focus on other matters.
The mere fact that Amelia had detected the rune's presence was surprising in itself, but aside from that, there were no major issues.
It was just this nagging poke at my chest that deepened my worries.
"Even if I can use runes, I'm not at a level where I can apply them in combat."
I'd threatened Elin by calling it taboo, but trying to amplify its effects beyond minor manifestations brought backlash.
It was better to think of it as being blocked, as if something forbidden wouldn't allow it.
'A monster without intelligence, was it?'
I had no idea why, but...
"Can't exactly go asking President Amelia about it."
"I was just probing, but... looks like I hit the mark."
She said it was just a probe, yet she was certain.
That wasn't a gap I could easily bridge.
'Did something happen in fairy society?'
Like in any work of fiction, setting gaps inevitably existed.
Even if multiple people pooled their heads to build a world, it was just a collection of fragments partially revealed to the reader.
Readers didn't know what the author didn't show.
Similarly, even though I'd experienced being the director, I didn't know anything beyond the areas I'd set.
Not to mention, a game with 40 hours of playtime had been restructured into a more complex, flawless world.
No matter how intricate and organic the game's worldbuilding and lore were, it couldn't match a real one.
That was why irregularities cropped up despite my thorough knowledge of the original work.
"Of course, Amelia isn't an enemy spy or anything in the original, so she's trustworthy... but I never imagined it'd be this tangled."
Amelia knew about Elise.
And quite deeply, at that.
'Did President Amelia even know about Elise in the original?'
That was beyond my knowledge, leaving me with a thorny dilemma.
Alone in the lab, I swallowed the creeping silence.
It was lively when students crowded in and chattered, but when alone, the same space felt encased in a layer of ice.
Realizing that chill was the ego Aiden usually exuded reminded me what I needed to do.
It was fine to pick up the scraps the original discarded, basket them up, and feel satisfied with small victories—but I had to aim higher.
With cooled eyes, I surveyed the current situation.
"The president, huh."
Her inauguration coinciding perfectly with the main building's completion was no surprise.
That said, it had been moved up, and with this, the academy was entering the final countdown to full operation.
"So now, protagonists like Elin and Radia will start venturing outside via field trips and such."
One concern: it was too early compared to the original timeline.
Several causes came to mind, but my intervention was the biggest factor.
Originally, the academy should've been far more devastated by the burrow incident.
The beast tamer occupying the academy, monsters descending into the residential areas.
The protagonists should've pushed back the monsters district by district, clashing with the beast tamer in a scenario spanning weeks.
'But because of me, the damage was reduced.'
The academy's recovery time had naturally shortened too.
"Thanks to that, I bought time to save Princess Lilian, but more butterfly effects are coming."
Purely by gains and losses, the gains far outweighed, so no need for complaints.
Still, I'd need to keep a close eye on the protagonists' movements.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
Halting my musings, I turned to the lab door.
Radia entered with her presence neatly reined in, her expression composed as she walked over steadily.
"There's something I'd like to discuss briefly."
Only after meeting Radia's eyes did I suddenly pinpoint the fatigue I'd felt around Princess Lilian.
Radia glanced at the lab, which evoked a cold front—quiet and somberly sunken.
It hadn't felt this way when packed with people, but oddly, when the professor was alone, it felt desolate.
Chilly.
Noticing two teacups on the desk, Radia changed the subject.
"Did you finish talking with President Amelia?"
"Nothing major. Just a casual chat. She asked about the heretic mage attack."
For something so trivial, what was with this heavy atmosphere hanging in the lab?
Even if Professor Aiden downplayed it, Radia could tell it was a lie without effort.
There must've been some serious discussion she wasn't privy to.
But rather than pry, Radia chose silence.
He wouldn't tell her anyway, and it was a conversation between the president and Professor Aiden.
It carried the weight of confidentiality.
"Have some fresh tea."
"No, I'm fine. It won't take long."
"No. Tea or coffee?"
Sensing she couldn't refuse outright, she requested coffee.
The tea seemed already shared with President Amelia, so repeating it felt off.
But Aiden asked back, mildly surprised.
"Didn't you have coffee at the café?"
"Ah, yes. True, but..."
You've already had tea, right?
She swallowed the urge to say it.
What he said next preempted her anyway.
"I didn't know you liked coffee so much. Glad we share a hobby."
Radia turned dumbstruck, watching Aiden flash a bright smile and head to brew coffee.
'Wait, same hobby?'
She wanted to mumble that it wasn't true, but worried he'd be disappointed, her mouth wouldn't move.
'No, since when does the professor smile like that?'
It felt like their first time seeing it.
Still, the impulse hit hard: espresso straight-up was too bitter to drink.
Not to Isel's sugar-dump extremes, but raw extract was pushing it.
Unable to speak, she clamped her lips as a cup of coffee was set before her.
Radia swallowed unconsciously.
Staring daggers at the steaming, aromatic brew like a mortal enemy, she blinked at the warmed milk Aiden set beside it.
"It's not espresso?"
"My tastes are quirky, but I won't force them on others."
Her cheeks flushed at the implication of such an obvious question.
'You confused me by calling it a shared hobby...!'
"There's some pound cake Isel brought that's left over. That okay?"
"Ah... yes. If you're offering, please."
She couldn't pinpoint exactly when, but around the burrow incident, Aiden had stocked the lab with snacks.
Partly Isel's influence, but given how little Aiden usually cared, it was likely feedback from Elin visiting less.
"Did you come back alone from the café?"
"I told the others to enjoy a bit longer and left them with Rianel."
"I see."
Professor Aiden nodded, then shifted tone to dive into the main topic.
"So, what's up? You coming alone like this."
"You said you'd tell me if it's something I can touch."
"You have a question?"
"Elin's instincts are sharp."
He nodded as if it were natural, then muttered seriously.
"True... Elin does have that side."
An utterly unremarkable answer, yet it felt off somehow.
She sensed a difference between her view of Elin and the professor's.
Something animalistic...
'It must be my imagination.'
Radia hastily corrected herself.
No way Professor Aiden would think that.
"You mentioned devil worshippers offering Princess Lilian to the Great Devil."
"I did."
"Offerings to a Great Devil probably aren't just one princess. A large-scale human sacrifice ritual would need various tributes. Rianel and Elin confirmed as much."
Not on the professor's level, but their shared opinion was reliable.
"I see. So what?"
Radia's eyes gleamed.
"You disrupted the ritual, Professor."
"And?"
"So where did all those prepared offerings go?"
"Hidden, or if they couldn't... yeah."
"Yes. They'd have to dispose of them quickly. Before getting caught."
The facade of House Rosert, entrenched in noble society, was unraveling.
Falsified ledgers, false names, false members.
And public crimes.
A baron's family elevated to count by taking a minor noble son-in-law.
Just an elaborate cover story for devil worshippers to embed in nobility.
'Father, Duke Drake said to avoid the palace for a while.'
Even granting the devil intrusion, the investigation found no issues with the barriers.
Mage Oshua's barriers remained ironclad.
Except for one thing: the unauthorized.
Radia felt a conviction forming.
'These intruders were all insiders.'
No matter how sturdy the walls, entering boldly through the front gate rendered them meaningless.
But this was just House Rosert.
The direct link to devil worshippers was only Philia's monster corpse—no solid tie to the devil church yet.
Naturally, the devil church denied everything, demanding proof.
Occult devil worship differed from anti-social, anti-church devil worship, they claimed.
Radia's eyes cooled.
"They're damn good at cutting off tails."
"Even so, with devils behind them, we can't touch it lightly. Have to bide our time."
Radia nodded.
The palace incident showed the devil church wasn't weak.
To strike, they'd need to uproot it completely—requiring full preparation.
Aiden crossed his legs, using them as an armrest as he leaned forward.
"Coming to me means you've guessed where they're fencing the goods?"
Radia inwardly clicked her tongue and replied.
"The black market nobles use."
"Shady place. Taboo, too. Plenty would snap up 'items with history,' omitting the sacrifice part."
"Stuff safe for the public would probably slip there quietly."
Aiden fell silent, drumming fingers on the desk, crumpling the tablecloth.
"So you're asking my permission to investigate."
"Yes. You said you'd tell me if it's safe to touch. Of course, even if you say no, I'll do it."
"Then what's the point of asking me?"
Aiden showed exasperation, chuckling wryly.
"You're just borrowing my name, huh."
"Exactly. You're my godfather, right?"
Just a hint earlier, and he grasped it instantly.
It felt like facing Aiden not as professor, but as the empire's top noble—Radia drew breath.
Aiden's gaze on her mixed boldness, interest, and a touch of annoyance.
"You still trouble me plenty. Snooping into my background too."
Radia flinched momentarily, then sighed in relief at no malice.
"It's my way of showing interest—to get closer to you."
"Background checks as interest? Ironic."
"What about it."
"Fine, if that's the case, I'll back you."
'Back?'
Radia tilted her head, and Professor Aiden's smile bloomed like a sinister devil.
"I'll give you the authority you need. Raiding a taboo noble black market calls for official orders, after all."
Radia felt uneasy at the unexpected full support.
"Something feels ominous."
"No way."
Aiden's smile deepened.