Chapter 90
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: The Fabricated Trail
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Radia mulled over the authenticity of the intelligence right in front of her.
With each rustle of turning pages, her expression grew correspondingly clouded with worry.
"So, in other words, it's all fake."
She could sense that Professor Aiden harbored many secrets without even trying to pry.
It wasn't just about Elise, which Elin had confided in her—Professor Aiden was shrouded in mystery even regarding the heretic mages and their intricacies.
"But even so, I never imagined it would all be fabricated."
The public records were sparse to begin with.
Details like where he stayed at what age or what tasks he undertook—even the public activities of Professor Aiden released by the Pisvolt family—had all been falsified, a possibility she hadn't considered.
Two documents lay on the desk before her.
One was this entirely fictitious record of Professor Aiden, and the other...
Before reaching out for the document as if peeking into Pandora's box, Radia hesitated once.
Seeing her fingertips tremble faintly, she paused for a moment.
She was well aware of the prowess of the Drake family's shadows, yet even they had struggled to unearth this information.
It revealed just how deliberately the Pisvolt family had concealed it.
Yet doubts lingered.
'Why on earth?'
Such concealment wasn't something you could achieve merely by being cautious.
It went beyond bribing underlings to silence them; the environment itself had been engineered to eradicate information entirely.
This was professional obfuscation involving vast manpower.
Given the passage of time, all traces would have been erased, so she ought to praise the shadows for scraping together even this much.
Gulp.
Radia swallowed hard, lost in thought.
'If I dig into Professor Aiden's log, I should be able to understand why he knows so much about the heretic mages.'
The scale of the previous raid and the unexpected ringleaders might have been surprising, but circumstantially, Professor Aiden was entangled in far too many aspects.
That didn't mean he was colluding with the enemy or a traitor, but a secretive ally was bound to arouse more suspicion than a clear foe.
Radia steadied herself and picked up the document from the desk.
[Imperial Year 451, Around April, Luxel Urban Battle]
'Urban battle?'
Suddenly?
The falsified document stated that during this period, Professor Aiden had begun handling merchant guild affairs in the Pisvolt Grand Duchy.
Yet the intelligence gathered by the shadows indicated he had participated in the urban battle.
Radia's expression turned grave as she flipped to the next page.
'Heretic purge operation.'
Those labeled heretics were, for the most part, heretic mages—nothing else. Which meant...
"Has the Professor been tracking their movements since back then?"
Radia pressed her index finger to her lips and let out a groan.
If the reclusive record of Professor Aiden, his fabricated activities, and his absence even from routine social events like annual galas stemmed from this reason...
Rustle, rustle.
Radia flipped through the pages faster and faster.
Urban battle, purge operation, VIP kidnapping, intelligence gathering, decapitation strike.
Her hand stopped abruptly amid the endless list of exploits.
"...Demon worshipper."
Her eyes narrowed at the cold voice that slipped out unbidden.
Traitor identification.
That final line concluded the document.
"What's this about a traitor?"
No answer came.
Instead, beneath a plate holding numerous teacup dessert plates on the tray, a photo corner poked out, greeting Radia.
Pretending to sip her tea, she pulled out the edge of the photo hidden by the plate and shot it a glance.
As described in the report, the photo bore a short, concise note: 'Traitor identification.'
'Is this really the end?'
But it matched Professor Aiden's handwriting.
If handwriting indirectly revealed a person's character or nature, Professor Aiden's was defined by its very lack of distinction.
Of course, he could write with elegant, antique flair when he chose, but his usual script deliberately suppressed any individuality.
As if trained with veteran precision to minimize information given to the reader...
'I can't jump to conclusions.'
The intelligence quality was high, but too fragmented to paint the full picture.
The sole achievement was confirming that Professor Aiden had been pursuing something in secret.
And that it involved demon worshippers.
"Radia sunbae?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
At the voice from behind, Radia hid the documents and turned around.
There stood Elin, staring sullenly at the teacups.
"Having tea time without me..."
"No, I was just about to call you. Look, there are two teacups. Perfect timing for you."
"R-Really?"
"Why would I lie?"
Radia lied with effortless poise and flashed a bright smile.
Elin hesitated, then sat down, figuring her sunbae wouldn't tease her like that.
"You look so put-together."
"Thanks to all the help you've given me, sunbae. The clothes too."
The dormitory had collapsed completely.
Reconstruction was underway, but with the building in ruins, anything inside was surely destroyed.
Naturally, the clothes in her wardrobe and her belongings were in a pitiful state.
The academy was recruiting volunteers for the rebuilding efforts.
Elin had just come from clearing debris.
She fiddled with the cuff of her sleeve, deep in thought.
It was unmistakably high-end, aristocratic attire.
She might as well toss everything in her old wardrobe and replace it with better.
"I have no idea how to repay you for this."
Radia brushed it off with a single word.
"No need."
"No, still, I have to somehow..."
"Then since Professor Aiden provided the money for all those clothes, go thank him directly."
Elin's face soured instantly at the words.
"...Ugh. Professor Aiden?"
Radia grinned.
"Yeah. Even I can't pull out that much cash on a whim. Everyone's draining their bank accounts, causing withdrawal chaos, and they won't take checks."
She added sugar bit by bit to her black tea, stirred with a teaspoon, and smiled casually.
"These days, the only ones circulating that much currency are the Pisvolt family, with cash reserves rivaling the central bank. And Professor Aiden among them... well, no need to say it."
When the central bank flip-flopped on withdrawal limits, the Pisvolt Bank released all its available cash and earned massive goodwill.
Elin wasn't listening to such talk.
She was glaring at Radia with a pout.
"...So you're using what Professor Aiden gave you?"
"Precisely, he handed it over with the guardian application papers."
"That guardian thing..."
Radia took a breath.
She casually pointed to the documents beside her seat, where Elin sat casually.
She had already tucked the earlier file on Professor Aiden's background under the table.
"I get that you feel indebted and uneasy around Professor Aiden, but if you can secure his goodwill despite that, it's a win. You're smart; you know that."
"Still..."
"No whining."
Radia replied sharply, then downed her sweetened black tea.
Somehow, the warm cup chased away the chill of the dreary weather.
"If we're truly up against heretic mages—or beings that defy our common sense—we need an umbrella like Professor Aiden."
"......"
"You saw it then. He didn't purge them only because he lacked justification; if he wanted, he could face down a nation head-on without bowing."
A clinking sound echoed loudly.
Though not particularly loud, its resonance spoke to the utter silence around them.
"Heretic mages, demons—these groups have survived state crackdowns for ages. If we students poke around recklessly and get on their radar, we're in trouble. Especially when they seem to fear nothing..."
"I know. I said I won't."
Elin scratched her head irritably.
It wasn't exactly tea-time etiquette, but Radia chuckled at the blunt display.
"If we're investigating heretic mages, we at least need to signal that Professor Aiden has our backs."
"Exactly. That way, the enemies will think, 'If they touch us, Professor Aiden will come charging out,' or 'Their moves are directly tied to him,' and tread carefully."
"Won't that hinder the investigation?"
"Those are the ones who trashed the academy like that. Safety first, above all."
'Professor Aiden didn't seem thrilled about the investigation, though.'
Radia omitted what would follow.
If they distrusted Professor Aiden, even borrowing his name might yield little investigative fruit.
But when she declared they'd investigate independently, he hadn't approved.
Likely because he already knew the reason.
Knowing meant he disapproved, deeming it unwise.
She hadn't stopped them because... she knew they wouldn't listen anyway.
'The safest, surest way to get info is if Professor Aiden tells us himself.'
Since he wouldn't, this protest-like stance was all they could do.
When things got truly dangerous, he'd probably spill it himself, admitting defeat.
In other words, the investigation was mere posturing.
Radia smiled brightly.
Ordering the shadows to probe Professor Aiden stemmed from confidence they wouldn't get hurt digging.
But heretic mages were a different beast entirely.
"Better than getting assassinated, though. Earth Dragon or not, he's a beast tamer, right? The monster who deploys grand magic in a dozen-odd minutes solo. If such a mage targets us covertly, what then?"
"...We'd be done for."
"Exactly why we need Professor Aiden."
With that, Radia slid the guardian papers toward Elin.
"...So you signed it, Radia sunbae?"
"My position leans a bit religious. Godfather, or something. Asked Father—no, the Drake family head—and he was a bit put off..."
Radia shrugged playfully, then beamed radiantly.
"Honestly, with Professor Aiden backing me, becoming the next family head isn't a dream. No reason to refuse."
"You did it anyway."
"Yep."
After much deliberation, Elin sighed and picked up the quill beside her, signing.
"I don't even like that professor much."
Radia smirked at the grumbled insincerity and gathered the documents.
To such Radia, Elin offered a small magic stone.
"What's this?"
"Probably from Professor Aiden, per estimates. A recording magic stone."
Radia eyed the magic stone in surprise.
"Listened to it?"
"......"
Elin delayed her response by a beat, then swept a hand over her face.
"Seems like he reached out because of Her Highness the Imperial Princess who just arrived."
As if telling us to handle it somehow.
With Elin breaking the ice, Radia's eyes narrowed to slits reminiscent of crescent moons.