White Night Mountain Range (2)
Flora and Ayla both asked if I was free on the weekend after they returned from the White Night Mountain Range.
Ayla, who came to find me first, explicitly said she wanted to go to the Magic Device Shop.
Flora, who rushed over belatedly, wanted to spend the weekend together while hiding what she intended to do.
Ayla didn't stop there.
She made her intentions clear, saying she wanted to spend a pleasant time with someone her master had acknowledged.
When Flora heard that, she even reacted as if subtly keeping Ayla in check.
What did this indicate?
That perhaps, after Flora, even Ayla might have feelings for me.
I couldn't figure out where it had started.
For someone who made his living through intelligence and force, this was the hardest trial I had faced yet.
Well, if I had to pick a silver lining.
I ended things by saying I'd think over my schedule for the next two weeks and telling them to decide if they came up with a good idea in the meantime, but...
I didn't know if it would be resolved without incident.
Because lately, it felt like Flora's obsession had subtly grown.
Anyway.
With that, I finished recalling the small, entirely unexpected commotion from that afternoon.
"Boss, is something important on your mind?"
I heard Flora's voice as she tilted her head and wiped her dagger.
I opened the letter and box that the Magic Tower Master had just sent and replied.
"It's nothing."
"Understood."
First, I checked the letter written on fine-quality paper.
The item you handed over was of great help.
As a result of the Magic Tower's analysis, we were able to develop an antidote that can treat Demonic Energy Poisoning.
Thanks to you, we have proven that Divine Power is not the only answer to overcoming demonic energy. This should open a new path for us.
As a token of gratitude for teaching my disciple in my stead, I have prepared a few doses of the antidote for you.
It is not poisonous, so do not be suspicious, and use it immediately.
Just as the Magic Tower Master said, inside the box were five small bottles containing a transparent liquid.
"This is the antidote?"
I wasn't involved in the potion business, so I didn't have a storefront for it, but this seemed like a decent opportunity to try.
The organization's Magic Device Shop had already established itself well, so the foundation was in place.
Even the Resistance Stone mine was progressing smoothly, so money was multiplying.
"If I factored in improvement and mass production, roughly within six months... Hm?"
A small note was tucked beside the box.
Thinking he might have left instructions for use, I quickly pulled it out.
I know you're planning to go there while everyone is distracted by the chaos from this incident.
The antidote has been agreed upon as a public good for the Empire, so give up any thoughts of commercializing it.
The moment I read the note, my interest plummeted.
"Tch..."
In that case, with the Imperial Court and the Magic Tower stepping in to mass-produce it, creating a monopoly would be difficult.
On the back was the production method, practically telling me to give it a try if I wanted.
"I could use this in an emergency."
The ingredients were all readily available in the Northern Region of the Continent.
I probably wouldn't ever make it, but I quickly memorized the process.
Finally, I shoved the antidote and my luggage into my bag and finished all preparations.
Meanwhile, Flora placed the materials for the Intelligence Bureau in an envelope and sealed it securely.
"I’ll send the materials you requested to the Intelligence Bureau in three days, giving us plenty of leeway."
"I like that."
"The one holding the cards should be the one to shake things up, after all. I learned it all from you, Boss."
As if proving her words, even without my demanding it, Flora's preparedness was thorough.
"And just in case, I've added your entry permit to the Border Guard's management roster."
"The means of verification?"
"Your academy staff ID should be enough."
"Clean. I like it."
Flora nodded.
Thanks to her foresight, the surveillance window had been extended by three days, giving me more breathing room.
While arranging the handover to the Intelligence Bureau, I brought up something I'd forgotten until now.
"While you’re at it, arrange a way to contact Sian Merkel of the Public Security Division directly."
"May I ask why?"
"The Imperial officials are an obstacle, so I need to eliminate useless noise from within."
"That shouldn't be difficult. Understood."
After giving the order,
Flora must have prepared it in advance; she showed me an emergency Crystal Orb that looked like it had come from the Magic Device Shop.
"How about exchanging signals with me every day at a set time?"
"That's a good idea. How will we signal?"
As I toyed with the Crystal Orb, Flora proposed the signaling rules.
"Always send two blinks in the evening to indicate everything is fine. If your schedule is delayed, blink five times."
"You even prepared for the case of a delay?"
"Yes. If necessary, we can pressure them with the material we have. That should be enough."
Flora gracefully set down her dagger and slowly approached me.
"Well, if you take too long, I’ll climb the White Night Mountain Range myself. Level 6 should be enough."
"You'll get hurt that way. That's an order."
I shook my head and pinched Flora's cheek.
She was the sole conduit that would flexibly connect the organization and the Empire while I was away.
She would know what I meant without me saying it.
"Even if I've prepared everything, I'd be worried if you were too late...."
"No matter how late, I'll be back within three weeks."
"It's not that I don't trust you, Boss."
Flora made a complicated expression for a moment, then stood on tiptoe and kissed my cheek.
"Flora...?"
"Um, well... I read in the academy library that one kind of blessing is supposed to wish someone good fortune in battle..."
It was a lie so transparent even a child would see through it, and she floundered, unable to appear confident.
Watching her like that, I couldn't help but let out a short laugh.
"So there was such a blessing."
"I don’t believe in it either, but apparently it exists..."
"Then why did you do it?"
"Because I'm your subordinate, Boss."
With Flora's blessing, forget two weeks—I might finish everything and come down in just one week.
So I resolved to settle all the tasks before the blessing's effect ended.
"We don't have much time, and this conversation has dragged on. Please take good care of the organization until I return."
"Yes, Boss...."
Finally, I said goodbye to Flora as she helped me pack, then threw myself into Subspace.
The familiar scenery of the White Night Mountain Range.
A grandeur that only the chosen few could witness.
If I started from the entrance, it would take a week; if from the middle, reaching the summit would take at most three days.
With that plan, when I emerged from subspace and my vision cleared, I realized something was wrong.
"What's going on?"
With Teleportation, as long as I had visited a place, I could move there because I remembered the coordinates.
Using it, I had been able to materialize exactly where I wanted even on the hill behind the academy where Chimera had attacked.
But even though I had once climbed halfway up the White Night Mountain Range, something unexpected happened.
I’d expected to start halfway up the White Night Mountain Range, or at least at its entrance, but for some reason I could see the Border Guard garrison.
"This is an unexpected variable...."
Since I’d planned to start inside the White Night Mountain Range, where I wouldn’t run into anyone, I’d left the brooch behind. Now I was in a bind.
The garrison had high walls designed to keep Monsters from climbing them, and ever since the Chimera attack it had been guarded around the clock without a single gap.
In such an environment, the option of quietly passing through the Border Guard garrison had effectively vanished.
"Hmm..."
In times like these, I had to turn crisis into opportunity.
I pondered what I could do immediately.
First, aside from the Magic Tower Master, no one in the Empire would even think of going to the White Night Mountain Range.
How could the Intelligence Bureau imagine that I would climb such a rugged mountain range when Artifacts and Spatial Magic existed?
On top of that, with the insurance Flora had prepared, there was no reason to be suspected.
So, as things stood, with the Demons having taken a hit,
I decided to take a moment to assess the Border Guard's situation and the vicinity with my own eyes.
Alcyone's investigation results were always reliable, but this time I chose to step in personally.
Whether in the underworld or in daily life, first impressions matter, especially in sensitive times like these.
Before meeting them, I made sure to remove anything that might give a bad impression so I would look like someone from the Imperial Court.
I approached the knight blocking the entrance.
"Halt! Stop!"
I stopped as requested and reached into my coat’s inner pocket for my academy staff ID.
This action must have seemed very suspicious to the knight, as he drew his sword.
"Please don't try anything foolish."
"Ah, it's just that I have my pass in the inner pocket."
"If you stay right there, we’ll check it for you."
"Understood."
Normally they would have told me to remove my hand slowly, but thanks to the Chimera incident, they were extremely on edge.
If I didn't follow the request, it would lead to arrest and become a hassle, so I complied obediently.
Two knights walked over and thoroughly searched my luggage and the inside of my coat.
Apparently that was not enough; they even used a Magic Device to inspect me thoroughly before granting entry.
"Orders from above have made our inspections much stricter lately. Sorry to keep you waiting."
Afterward, I entered the garrison with the knight and exchanged a few words.
"What is the current situation here?"
"To put it in a word, it's an emergency. Demons have appeared in the capital."
"Then can't we go outside the ramparts?"
"Well, normally it would be possible, but...."
The knight trailed off and scratched his head.
"At the moment, the Demonic Energy Concentration is too high for us to issue entry permits safely. Anyone going in would be risking their life..."
This situation didn't make sense to me.
I’d opened a path through worse than this and put Alcyone to work.
Even in my current physical condition, I could endure demonic energy up to Level 7.
If I showed signs of Demonic Energy Poisoning, I could endure using the antidote the Magic Tower Master gave me and reach the mountains.
So, just as I was considering a forced breakthrough—
"Everyone move! Summon a priest immediately!"
A knight who clearly didn't look well was being rushed on a stretcher.
As I was watching this closely, the knight shook his head.
"The Reconnaissance Unit was exposed to Demonic Energy on the way back."
"Doesn’t the Reconnaissance Unit travel with a priest?"
"Yes, that is the case, but this incident was caused by a Level 7 Demon, so there was no time to intervene."
The priest who saw this rushed over and was using his power, but the situation did not improve.
The knight, unable to bear the gruesome reality, turned his head and clenched his fist.
"Those damn demons..."
The moment I saw this, a good idea came to mind.
A knight who loathed Demons.
A front line that, for some reason, lacked an antidote.
And conveniently, I was affiliated with the Imperial Court and happened to have the antidote.
This could earn some goodwill.