Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: 5. Terrorist?
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[Butler Scrall, I've just returned.]
Unlike the other ghosts, Scrall entered carefully through the door.
He flinched once upon seeing me, then bowed his head deeply.
[Master has cleaned up the ruffians defiling this mansion.]
His reaction, immediately grasping what I had done, was a bit surprising, but I answered calmly.
“I know there are still many ghosts remaining in the mansion.”
[I'm sorry. It's my fault for not managing them properly.]
“Also confirm the locations and times they frequent, and report on it later. What's the situation at the North Wedden Mountains?”
I had instructed Scrall to check on the patterns of battles with the foreign tribes crossing over the North Wedden Mountains.
He smoothly raised his head and began explaining what he had observed.
[The front lines with the foreign tribes pushing over the mountains are evenly matched. Even the family head, Darius, looks less spirited than his majestic appearance when he marched out for the unexpected battle.]
“Darius?”
Darius Verdi.
The warrior known as the guardian of the northern mountains and the giant of the Verdi Family.
It was a bit unexpected that Darius was being pushed back.
Of course, he didn't appear with much significance in the game, but during the three months I spent in the family, I had clearly recognized his martial prowess.
He was an extraordinary man who could easily handle the role of knight order captain.
‘Such a Darius is being pushed back?’
It was intriguing, but I also clearly recognized it as a dangerous situation.
If the foreign tribes crossed the harsh mountains into the kingdom's territory, the Verdi Family's position would be shaken.
As the Border Count, they received various privileges compared to other counts, but they would be failing in their duties.
[I had thought the foreign tribes were like mere bandits, but their clothing and weapons were all refined without exception.]
“That's because they're coming from the Clock Republic across the way.”
The Clock Republic, adjacent to our Griffin Kingdom.
A military dictatorship under a single leader—unlike the mana-centric Griffin Kingdom, it was a nation that emphasized science and technology.
It didn't get much spotlight in the game, but I had heard plenty about the Clock Republic's notoriety through various characters in the game.
A place also called the Land of Springs for treating people like machines.
The immigrants crossing over were probably people who had illegally escaped from the Clock Republic.
[The weapons they call guns seemed inconvenient due to the noise and recoil, but they were superior in power and range.]
Scrall added some extra remarks as if thrilled to have witnessed something rare, then continued his explanation.
[For now, they're holding the mountain ridges and have the terrain advantage, but I expect it to be breached soon.]
“The reason?”
I didn't know how capable the ghost Scrall was, but if he was that confident, he must have his reasons.
He began explaining as if he had been waiting for the question.
[There's an extraordinary woman among the foreign tribes.]
“An extraordinary woman?”
[Her snowflake-white hair was as wild as the mane of a charging wolf, and her scarlet eyes were thick with blood.]
White hair and red eyes, from the Clock Republic?
Someone suddenly popped into my head, and the corners of my eyes twitched faintly.
[The axe she wields will easily crush Sir Darius's soldiers and invade the kingdom's territory.]
“Huh.”
[The followers behind her are all proper warriors without exception, so even Sir Darius won't be able to hold them off alone.]
Scrall laid it out verbosely to convince me.
He must have thought I wouldn't easily accept that the mountain defenses were being breached because of just one person.
But it was the opposite.
‘Pindenai is crossing into the kingdom right now.’
Pindenai, the leader of the resistance group "Scrap Merchants" fighting to escape the Clock Republic's dictatorship.
I didn't know the full details about her, but I knew she had come to the kingdom to seek support and growth for the resistance after being driven out of the Clock Republic.
Because she was the boss of an entire chapter.
‘If the opponent is Pindenai, I should applaud Darius for holding out this long.’
She was described as a beast that had become human, and once she gained momentum, she was unstoppable.
She was the type of boss with a gimmick that grew stronger the longer the battle dragged on, so you had to hit her hard with high firepower early to whittle down her health.
I remembered countless users begging for strategy guides because her fight was so tough.
A boss with an alluring appearance, but one whose difficulty obliterated any charm.
‘I can't beat Pindenai right now.’
That went without saying.
Necromancy had destructive power and versatile utility, but I was only just starting out.
I crossed my legs and sank into thought for a moment.
The emergence of an unexpected, threatening presence.
But.
It wasn't something I could view purely as a negative, so the corners of my lips curled up slyly.
* * *
“A warrior guarding the central entrance.”
Infirmarian Kerun sat on the central staircase, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she muttered.
Her sword was leaning obliquely against the stairs, ready for action at any moment.
The numerous commotions occurring inside the academy right now.
Among them, the biggest uproar—and the one that had caused the most victims—was the warrior at the central entrance.
Not a knight, but called a warrior because eyewitnesses stated his attire resembled that of an eastern samurai.
“A ghost.”
Was it a form of necromancy?
Curious about where such a monster had suddenly appeared from, Kerun propped her chin and tapped the first-floor corridor with the sole of her foot.
She had heard it appeared when descending to the first floor, so she had gone up and down countless times, but it wasn't showing up now.
‘Does it only appear at certain times? Should I come back tomorrow?’
As she formed various hypotheses, a voice struck her ear.
“Professor Kerun.”
At that moment, heavy, thudding footsteps approached from the end of the corridor.
A gentle, soft voice and a stout belly reminiscent of a bear.
“Dean.”
One of the rare people Kerun treated with proper respect. She sprang to her feet and gave a simple greeting.
“I heard there have been strange happenings at the first-floor central entrance.”
“Yes. I'm investigating for now, but I haven't found any solid leads.”
“Hmm. I've also heard that incidents are occurring in various other places besides the central entrance.”
“Unfortunately.”
If the accidents were only happening at the first-floor central entrance, she could just seal it off until she figured out what was going on.
But right now, incidents were erupting simultaneously across too many locations in the academy.
The dean glanced around the corridor for a moment with his hands behind his back, then spoke in a low, subdued voice.
“I don't think this is some sudden phenomenon.”
“…….”
Kerun had been thinking the same thing, so she pressed her lips together tightly.
The dean declared with faint anger laced in his words.
“This is an act of terrorism.”
March was fast approaching.
Once the break ended, returning students and new enrollees would breathe new life into the academy once more.
With these accidents happening one after another beforehand, the dean wanted to find the terrorist culprit as quickly as possible.
“I know Professor Kerun traveled various countries while working as a mercenary in the past.”
“Mm, that's true.”
She didn't really feel like reminiscing about the old days. As Kerun answered awkwardly, the dean made his request in a voice filled with solemn anger.
“So I believe you have plenty of experience. Could you take responsibility for this incident and resolve it?”
“…….”
“Of course, I will do my utmost to cooperate, and I won't stint on support for Professor Kerun.”
“Why not make an official request to the royals or somewhere like that, instead of me?”
Lothane Academy was one of the institutions enthusiastically sponsored even by the Griffin Kingdom.
If they learned of this, they wouldn't sit idly by.
But the dean shook his head.
His plump, sagging jowls were striking.
“No. If the academy can't properly handle even this, the royals will doubt our capabilities.”
“…….”
“We haven't had any notable achievements lately.”
Sensing a political undertone in his response, Kerun swallowed bitterly.
‘What can I do? If the boss says jump, I jump. I'm just a wage slave.’
Grumbling inwardly, Kerun bowed her head.
“I'll do my utmost to resolve it.”
“I'm counting on you. We have one month from now. We must find this terrorist before the new students and returning students come back.”