Chapter 82
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Trap (2)
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One month later, if Zmol called together all of Moonlight Afterglow and declared an end to all activities before vanishing, there would practically be no way left to track him down.
No matter how I thought about it, it didn't seem like Zmol would gather every member of Moonlight Afterglow and hide them all away. They'd probably scatter each on their own, according to their abilities.
In that case, the point of me turning into Jackal would fade away.
'One month from now is the deadline, then...'
The location where they'd all gather one month later.
If I set a trap there in advance...
'He's Dragon Rank Transcendent level, so he'd notice.'
What kept coming to mind was delivering the trap right to him.
That meant the key was to buy time to hold Zmol at that spot—even if just for a moment.
Besides, with all of Moonlight Afterglow's Transcendents gathered there, a trap alone wouldn't take them all out.
'I need to deal with them beforehand.'
So, to handle Zmol, the plan to eliminate every member of Moonlight Afterglow had to come first. At the very least, they couldn't be at that gathering.
'He said there were about ten members.'
I checked the parchment Zmol had left behind.
Exactly ten names were listed there.
Excluding Jackal and Garen, that meant the group originally consisted of around twelve.
Combat with Probe Rank Transcendents. Even if it didn't come to a fight, they just couldn't be at that location.
Of course, knowing the rendezvous point in advance would make any battle far easier.
The problem was that Zmol couldn't find out beforehand. If he did, he might just vanish without a trace. That would mean losing our chance to catch him.
And even if he showed up at the rendezvous clueless, he had to remain oblivious to anything off until the trap arrived—at minimum.
'The plan's getting more complicated by the minute.'
I reached to rub my throbbing temple but remembered I was in Jackal's form and shoved food into my mouth instead.
'Right now, Zmol's off chasing Cedric harder...'
I chewed my food as I pondered.
'Is there a way to lure him even farther away... maybe completely out of the capital area?'
Then I shot up from my seat.
It was possible.
My sudden movement drew eyes from around the tavern.
I took the opportunity to leave the place entirely.
Zmol was chasing Cedric.
So, send Cedric far away.
'I can make a Cedric clone.'
Cedric always wrapped himself head to toe. He hid his face and even covered any exposed skin.
That actually worked in favor of creating a clone. It hid the subtle reactions of a living being to some extent.
When he first created the Cedric identity, he couldn't shapeshift freely like now, so covering up had been necessary.
If Zmol saw Cedric up close, he'd sense the natural mana and know it wasn't real... but I just had to make sure he didn't get a good look.
'Just leave some traces behind.'
I first examined the parchment to find the closest location from here. Moonlight Afterglow's members weren't all operating in one city.
They hadn't strayed too far from the capital, but some were in areas quite a distance away.
Of course, Transcendents wouldn't take long to travel.
The closest city on the list was, predictably, the capital itself.
I slipped out of Creave's outer walls and rose into the air.
No need to hide my Transcendent nature like Ivan or move stealthily like Cedric, so the moment I left the city in Jackal's body, I stepped on natural mana and leaped high.
I headed straight for an uninhabited mountain to hide.
Well, with Zmol fixated on Cedric right now, there was no real worry of being watched, but caution never hurt.
In the empty mountains, I blended into the surrounding natural mana to conceal myself.
Then, in that state, I began crafting Cedric's clone.
I only needed a frame to drape the mask and longcoat over, so it didn't take long.
Above all, since becoming a Transcendent, my mana capacity had exploded, and drawing out primal mana from the aru had sped up dramatically, shortening the time noticeably.
As the clone took shape, I realized something unexpected.
'This... is how it works?'
The range where I could influence surrounding mana: roughly one meter.
Within that limited area, I could manipulate my clone freely.
Independent of the mana thread connecting me to the clone—what I called the lifeline—I could control it more naturally through natural mana mastery.
I approached the Cedric frame. Tuning the mana around my fingertips, flesh and skin suddenly coated the bones.
The skeleton gradually transformed into a living human.
Unlike what I'd said before about not being able to replicate every fine reaction of a living being with aru primal mana yet, within one meter, it was possible.
Perfectly natural, too.
I hadn't realized this because the last clone I'd made was before becoming a Transcendent.
'So... within one meter, I can control any clone perfectly.'
A narrow one-meter range seemed minor, but if the scope of my surrounding mana control expanded...
Commanding a legion of clones wouldn't be a pipe dream.
More importantly, this meant I could fool Zmol at the rendezvous without him noticing anything off!
I'd even considered possessing a necromancer to slaughter Moonlight Afterglow's members and prop up their corpses convincingly...
'...Good thing I don't need such a gruesome plan.'
I reverted Cedric to his skeletal frame and dressed it in the prepared outfit.
The clone had to operate outside my range right now, so there was no choice.
I stored the clone in sub-space and left the mountain.
Come to think of it... the Academy must be on break by now.
Roselin would have graduated.
'I wonder if she left a message with Jenjen.'
I couldn't know exactly what favor Roselin wanted, but odds were high it touched on Moonlight Afterglow.
If so, I could handle it alongside this plan. If not, I could put off Roselin's matter until next month.
First, send the Cedric clone to another city, load it onto a carriage heading far away... while the real Cedric heads to the capital to meet Roselin.
'Time's tight.'
Even conservatively, meeting Roselin and executing the plan would be cutting it close.
#
Before heading to the capital, I went to a nearby city and released the Cedric clone there. It would now board a carriage and head even farther.
I had to monitor the situation through the transmitted view from the clone's perspective until it was on the carriage.
Even so, I pressed on toward the capital.
This went beyond just handling two tasks at once. I had to continuously supply mana and attention to the clone.
But now, as a Transcendent with vastly expanded perception, it was no trouble.
Once the clone was aboard, I hid the transmitted Cedric view inside my robe. Storing it in sub-space would sever the connection, so no choice.
As I neared the capital, I shed Jackal's form and gradually shifted into Cedric, fully assimilating with natural mana to complete my stealth.
I slipped through the city gates the same way—no one noticed.
Then I went to find Jenjen.
"C-Cedric, sir?"
Jenjen startled and backed away upon seeing me appear suddenly in his room.
I waited for him to calm down before speaking.
"Has anyone left a message for me?"
Jenjen, still wide-eyed and flustered, replied.
"A blonde girl was just looking for you, sir Cedric..."
"Roselin?"
"Y-Yes... that's right."
"Bring her here now."
"Right this instant?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
"No one else has come looking?"
Jenjen tilted his head at my question.
"No one but that young lady."
I'd asked out of curiosity whether Zmol was tracking down everyone connected to Cedric one by one.
That "final" warning Zmol left behind had stuck with me.
Up to now, Zmol hadn't touched anyone linked to Cedric. It made sense, really.
Messing with those around him would tip Cedric off.
Approaching someone like Jenjen would reach me immediately, exposing the pursuer's existence.
Even killing them would have the same result.
I'd worried he might cross that line with his "final" warning, but apparently not.
Jenjen cautiously pulled up a chair and placed it before me.
I sat, crossing my arms.
I'd wait here for Roselin without budging.
Jenjen contacted Roselin, and not long after, she arrived.