The Heretic Has Already Arrived
The Heretic Has Already Arrived
Academy Dean's office.
Gedeasha Volorenos, a woman with pointed ears and dazzlingly beautiful features, rubbed her throbbing forehead with slender fingers.
It was because the report casually tossed by the man who had just entered had paralyzed her rational thinking.
"Are you saying... the heretics have already infiltrated the Academy?"
"That is correct. They infiltrated secretly using the closed-off paths of the underground water pipes."
Heretics, and in the heart of the Academy, which boasted ironclad security, no less.
"So, I just returned from the scene after hunting them down and killing every last one of them."
"..."
Gedeasha pressed her temples hard, feeling dizzy as her mind went blank.
She had expected some level of attack. It was inevitable since the Saintess had arrived. That was why she had increased security forces and reinforced cutting-edge detection equipment to be fully prepared.
Objectively, she could boast that the Academy's security level was the highest on the continent. Even the Imperial Palace of the Golar Empire or the Sky Castle of the Lekhatos General Bureau couldn't claim to be more perfect, and even the Goddess Church Headquarters couldn't surpass the Academy in terms of systematic security.
Even if the heretics had escaped the water pipes and climbed to the surface, she believed the waiting guards would have sufficiently suppressed them. Crawling in the dark and exercising force in an open campus were two completely different matters.
But the problem was the fact that 'a battle took place near the Saintess's residence' itself.
The moment that became known, the anxiety enveloping the Academy would spread uncontrollably, and that chaos would soon lead to a global ripple effect. This place, Sepenteria, was like a powder keg where all the continent's interests were intertwined.
And the man sitting opposite her, cooling his tea, had already seen through that sensitive point.
"First, I did not inform the security team to prevent unnecessary commotion. I also left the scene exactly as it was after I dealt with it, to preserve evidence."
"...Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, Special Security Officer."
"Don't mention it. I just judged that the Academy wouldn't want the fact of the heretics' infiltration to leak outside and plunge the campus into fear. A small spark tends to spread and become a wildfire, doesn't it? Especially since there are so many 'children from prestigious families' here who are highly flammable."
"..."
It was an accurate and painful point.
The spark of doubt that bloomed here would instantly become a massive political wildfire and burn the continent. In this place, surrounded by flammable materials, Gedeasha had to devise countermeasures once again.
"Lu Niginna Special Security Officer, I will admit it honestly. I did not foresee that the heretics would move so quickly and boldly. Considering the symbolism of the Academy, and our security level and the skill of the guards, I expected a more cautious and meticulous approach."
Lu nodded dryly.
"I see."
"Yes, but as you know, I am not a combat expert. I am even more of a layman when it comes to heretics. I am just a scholar who has devoted my life to research and an operator of the Academy. My complacency almost caused a disaster."
This time, Lu shook his head indifferently and replied.
"Dean-nim, you may not be a combat expert, but you are wise enough. You wouldn't have accepted the Saintess without any preparation. What kind of response plan were you originally setting up?"
"..."
Gedeasha was inwardly astonished. This man seemed to be looking right through her.
Even if her prediction was off, she too was preparing countermeasures beneath the surface.
"That is correct. I was preparing my own self-rescue measures. I was forming a secret security team composed of personnel I personally selected. Apart from the external security team, I was organizing a special organization to purge heretics from places unseen."
"A wise decision. If the regular security team had moved on a large scale, the whole world would have known the fact that 'the Academy was breached by heretics.' So, is that organization for blocking external infiltration at the source, or for catching internal collaborators working in the shadows?"
"It is an organization that operates secretly from within. It consists of a few faculty members I can trust the most."
"If they are professors of the Academy, each one is a powerhouse worth a hundred, so it must have been an effective choice."
"But... before that security team could officially operate, we were caught off guard like this. I am truly ashamed. To the Saintess, and to you who came all the way here."
It was a matter that wounded her pride as Dean. If she had brought the Saintess to the Academy, it was her duty to guarantee perfect safety befitting that.
But since she showed such a flaw from the start, she couldn't even lift her head.
As she was about to quietly lower her head, the man's low voice was heard.
"Dean-nim, why are you bowing your head? In fact, looking at the result, it's as if nothing happened. I already moved and ended the situation."
"..."
"I am a person who originally came here to handle this kind of dirty aftermath. I am an expert in this field, and I can boast that I know the physiology of heretics better than anyone else."
"..."
"So, please trust me and leave it to me."
At that moment, Gedeasha felt a strange emotion.
He felt so reliable.
And trustworthy.
How many years had it been since she, the Dean who was a great archmage who had lived for hundreds of years, felt that someone was trustworthy?
It was so unfamiliar to her.
"When you say leave it to you, specifically what..."
A faint smile spread across Lu's lips.
"I'm not talking about anything absurd like asking for full authority over the entire security or guard system."
"Then...?"
"The heretics infiltrating to target the Saintess are not just unlucky thugs or social misfits. They are traitors who worship a real evil god, follow fallen demons, and sold their souls to outer gods."
"..."
"So, unless it's me and my subordinates, or practical experts like the Heretic Inquisitors of the Holy Inquisition Bureau, general force won't be of much help. Dean-nim's secret security team will also be excellent, but if they encounter the heretics' irregular tricks, those dirty fangs will surely reach the Saintess."
"..."
"So, for my efficient activity, please attach just one excellent mage who can provide me with magical support and one expert proficient in detection. That much will be enough."
+++*
When Dean Gedeasha couldn't overcome her shame and bowed her head, honestly, I didn't feel very good either.
It was true that she let her guard down and underestimated the madness of the heretics, but in fact, this wasn't really anyone's fault; it was the flow of the scenario that couldn't be helped.
Because my brother wrote this novel itself like that.
In the original setting, the heretics must infiltrate by digging into the gaps of the Academy, and the Academy's student patrol or the protagonist's party must stop that threat. The Dean, who cannot use the official security team, secretly supports them from behind and operates a secret security team to purge the heretics internally and externally.
This was the inevitable development and destined fate of this worldview.
So I told the Dean to lift her head. And I added it only in my mind.
'It's not your fault.'
It's the fault of my nerd brother who scribbled this novel while giggling in his room. It's natural that you, a character in the worldview my brother created, cannot escape the set flow. It was just a pity that I couldn't say this truth out loud.
And at the same time, I felt a strange sense of exhilaration. If there was an existence that could twist this flow of destined fate...
Wouldn't it be just me?
As originally planned, tonight, the 'Snake's Fang' worshipping Nahash would have launched a surprise attack, which would have been the first incident to signal the full-scale beginning of the novel.
A development where the protagonist, the heroine, and key supporting characters fight these snake bastards and win, and in the process, notice the huge conspiracy threatening the Academy. The typical beginning of an Academy-style story where they get attacked during club activities and build camaraderie.
My brother's explanation is still ringing in my ears.
─ These two are from different departments, but they meet for the first time in the same club. But that day, suddenly, mysterious enemies attack the club room where the protagonists are? This is the real start of the novel. The kids join forces to defeat the enemies, build bonds, love blossoms, and they firm up their resolve to face the great evil.
Those 'mysterious enemies' would have been the snake bastards I sliced up in the sewer today.
Originally, the Dean would have made a secret proposal to the students on the condition of covering up this incident, or the protagonists would have stepped up voluntarily to protect the Academy, allowing romance and action to bloom.
But I wiped out Nahash's followers before they could even get near the Saintess.
At this point, the novel's main story has completely deviated from its set track. It's not just a little off, it's completely smashed.
And it will continue to be so in the future.
Anyway, I'm going to cut off all the dirty hands reaching for the Saintess first. Whether I can do it or not is not important. It's my job, and I must complete it. In the name of the Goddess, and for my peaceful retirement life.
"..."
That's why I asked the Dean for personnel at the end. Whether it's a secret security team or a guard team, it's obvious that it's bound to be breached according to the plot. From my perspective, it's much better for me to take the lead in setting the board than to get caught up in the original development and suffer.
Rather than pinning my hopes on them, it's much more efficient to employ one competent mage to support me and one detection expert to help my tracking. With just that much support...
I'll be able to do it. Probably.
"Ha, I really need a cigarette."
If I had my direct subordinates, the kids from the 1st Special Inquisition Department, I could have just slacked off and zoned out.
Since those guys aren't here now, what can I do.
I have to do it myself.