Kidnapping. Piece of Cake?
The underground labyrinth beneath the academy. A cliché commonly found in creative works had naturally been implemented at Bethesda Academy as well. The peculiar detail was that it could only be accessed if Hero took the Spirit Swordsman route. If Hero entered any other route, the labyrinth door would remain sealed no matter what.
'Should I bring him there before the ranking match...?'
Sneaking in while the academy staff were distracted with ranking match preparations might not be a bad idea...
The real problem was how to get Hero down to the underground labyrinth in the first place.
'Hey Hero. I found a suspicious place underground. Want to check it out together?'
Rejected. We weren't close enough for that. He'd probably just get suspicious and wonder what was wrong with me. Still, it could remain as one of the backup options. It didn't seem too suspicious on the surface.
'Do I have to kidnap him...?'
Huh? Kidnap? I immediately reached out to Sane through the submission mark.
"Hey, Sane."
"Hik! You startled me... Why so suddenly?"
"Where are you right now?"
"Me? I'm doing my rounds around the academy grounds right now?"
Which meant she was free.
"I need to talk to you about something. When does your shift end?"
"Hmm... I'll switch with the night patrol after sunset, so... about two hours from now. Is something wrong? Something serious?"
"I'll explain when we meet. Come to that café we went to before once you're done."
Originally, what strengthened the protagonist were the heroines' crises.
...
"I must have heard that wrong, right?"
"No. You're going to kidnap someone for me."
Sane spat out the drink she'd been holding in her mouth. She looked genuinely shocked.
"If you were part of the Demon Countermeasures Division, you've done kidnappings before, haven't you?"
"...I have, but..."
See? She had experience. Once you've done it once, the next time is easy. With Sane, the kidnapping specialist, this would be no problem at all.
"Still... you want me to kidnap an academy student? What about her backing? And what's the purpose in the first place?"
"Don't worry about backing. She's a commoner."
Sane stared at me like I was garbage.
"I really didn't think you were that kind of person...."
"This has to be done."
Really. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come up with a way to lure Hero into the underground labyrinth without raising suspicion. In the first place, how would an ordinary student even know the location of a hidden labyrinth beneath the academy?
So the only option left was the direct approach.
"Haa... Why?"
"It's a long story, but... I can at least swear there's no malicious intent. If I'm lying, I'll release the submission mark right away."
Sane pondered for a long while before finally speaking.
"...I'll at least hear you out. Who do I need to kidnap?"
"You might not know them, but... do you remember the two people I was talking to at the academy entrance last time?"
Since Sane had been there, she should remember.
"Ah. Those two? ...The ones who said that weird stuff about Logue being a good person."
"...It's convenient that you remember. Their names are Hero and Serein. The girl is Serein. I'll be direct. I need you to kidnap the girl with the bright brown hair."
"So? What are you going to do after kidnapping her? Demand ransom? Or..."
Sane suddenly trailed off, her face turning red. I wanted to ask what she was imagining, but...
"...I don't know what you were thinking, but it's neither of those. Just kidnap Serein and keep her locked up at your place for a while."
"What?"
More precisely, until Hero and I cleared the labyrinth.
"...Just locking her up is enough? For a few days?"
"I'll give further instructions later. It probably won't be that long."
"When should I do it...?"
"I'm planning for this Friday. Next week is ranking match week, after all."
The goal was to finish everything before the ranking match began. Placing in the top three would earn a special reward. Since the insane mage from Class A would take first place anyway, the ideal scenario was for Hero and me to split the remaining rewards between us.
"Conveniently, this Friday only has morning classes. We can aim for when she returns to the dorm."
"You'll definitely explain everything later, right...?"
"Got it."
I couldn't tell her everything, though.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was Friday afternoon. Classes had ended in the morning, and Hero and Serein had parted ways after lunch.
Around the time the sun was setting and the light was growing dim, I contacted Sane, whom I'd stationed near Serein in advance.
"Sane. How's Serein?"
"Hmm... She went into the dorm, but... won't she come out at least once for dinner?"
Since eating inside the dorm was prohibited, she would have to leave for dinner, whether at the student cafeteria or elsewhere.
From my previous observations, Hero and Serein ate dinner separately. Serein always dined with her roommate in the evenings.
"Wait for the moment her roommate's attention is elsewhere. Make it look like she suddenly disappeared."
"...It's not as easy as it sounds... Huh? She came out. Be quiet for a second."
I was waiting in the middle of the escape route I'd scouted beforehand, ready to flee the moment Sane brought Serein out. A carriage was already waiting outside. All I could do now was trust Sane.
"...Lue? If you're late, I'm going ahead?"
"Serein... Wait, where did I put my wallet...? I'll just run back to the room real quick!"
"Honestly..."
I'd lost count of how many times this had happened. The restaurant reservation time with Lue was fast approaching...
I hurried to get ready and waited blankly at the dorm entrance for Lue.
'If the food's good, I should bring Hero there sometime...'
Rustle.
Huh? Was Lue coming out? But when I turned around, there was no one there.
"Mmmph!!! Mmph!!!"
"Shh. It'll be over soon."
A chillingly calm voice whispered in my ear. Before I could struggle, my vision blurred and my consciousness sank into darkness.
***
"Logue! I did it! I'm heading your way now!"
"Good. No witnesses, right?"
"Probably!"
Success, then. I'd chosen the dense forest behind the women's dorm as the escape route specifically to minimize witnesses.
Thud, thud, thud.
Before long, Sane's figure appeared. She was running toward me with Serein slung over one shoulder.
"Sane! This way!"
After guiding her to a secluded spot I'd spotted earlier, I laid Serein down on the ground.
"...The drug's effect varies by person, but you can count on about two hours safely."
"That's enough."
I bound Serein's wrists and ankles with the rope I'd prepared and covered her eyes with a blindfold. I didn't forget the gag either. Just in case she woke up midway, I secured her further with additional rope to restrict movement.
"...Pervert."
The way the ropes were tied had turned out somewhat embarrassing. ...That wasn't intentional...!
Afterward, I placed Serein inside the long wooden box I'd prepared.
"...Where's the carriage?"
"A little ways from the spot that comes out after leaving this forest."
Carrying the long wooden box between us, we headed deeper into the woods.
'She's not that heavy...'
Using the marked trees as landmarks, we navigated through the forest until the carriage I'd prepared came into view.
...I'd rented it from a merchant operating on academy grounds for ten silver.
"No one's around. Now!"
After loading Serein into the cargo hold, Sane and I climbed onto the driver's seat together.
"You don't know how to drive a carriage, right? I'll handle it."
"...Please do."
Before long, the academy grounds' entrance gate came into view.
"...Sane? What's with the carriage?"
The guard at the gate stopped us. It was a guard who knew Sane.
"Haha... Uncle Charles. Hello. This is academy student Logue."
"I don't know what you two are up to at this hour, but... procedure requires us to check cargo when carriages enter or exit. Excuse me for a moment."
Leaving those words behind, Charles headed toward the back of the carriage.
"Hmm? What's this box? It's pretty long... Almost looks like a coffin."
Staring curiously at the box containing Serein, he asked us,
"So... well, you see! Logue! What was inside again?!"
Sane quickly passed the question to me.
"I need to get some weapons repaired, so I'm heading to the capital. The box contains the weapons that need fixing."
"Hmm... I'll have to check. There've been recent cases of academy experimental materials and spare weapons being smuggled out, so we've been ordered to inspect all cargo."
Whoever that smuggler was, they must have been desperate for money. Thanks to them, we were now in trouble.
"N...No!!!"
Sane screamed in panic as Charles opened the box lid.
"...What do you mean, no? It's just like the student said."
What Charles saw inside was Melek's Spear, which I'd placed there in advance.
"Wh...What happened?!"
Sane whispered to me in shock.
How had I hidden Serein so quickly?
"...It's a simple trick. That box has two layers."
A double-layered box. Serein on the bottom layer, Melek's Spear placed on top as camouflage. As long as no one looked too closely, the deception worked.
Good thing I'd prepared insurance just in case.
"You're clear. Next time, just mention my name and you can pass through. I can do that much."
"Uncle Charles. Thank you!"
"If you're grateful, call me 'oppa' instead of uncle..."
Cutting off Uncle Charles mid-sentence, we headed straight for Sane's house.
...He really didn't look old enough to be called oppa.
The operation was a success.
...
"Serein! Sorry for making you wait so long... Huh? Did she leave already?"
When I stepped out of the dorm with my wallet, there was no sign of Serein. On the ground lay the brooch she always cherished.
'She's so careless... She must have left first.'
Since I'd been late more than once or twice before, she had probably gone ahead.
I headed to the restaurant I'd reserved in advance, but Serein was nowhere to be seen.
'Strange... Maybe she didn't come early after all?'
In the end, Serein never returned to the dorm that night.