Covert Unit's Mistake
In the heart of Gransen Academy's Aurum Dormitory, where the two towering dormitory towers stood like silent guardians of the elite students, the night was thick with tension.
"How's the situation?"
"According to the gamma scouts monitoring the women's dormitory, they're enjoying tea with the maids."
"The men's dormitory side reports lights still burning, suggesting some students haven't gone to sleep yet."
A circle of men in black robes and black cloth masks gathered in the shadows, their eyes hidden behind the veils.
These were the assassins dispatched by the World Tree Church to the royal capital—the covert unit of the Church.
The subordinate reports reached the leader, a burly man whose voice dripped with irritation.
"Tsk, those brats... They must be as stubborn as mules, not even resting after such a long day..."
"And leader, a question has come in from the field about personnel deployment."
"Five fighters for the men's side, and the rest all assigned to the women's. Priority is securing the target."
"Understood. I'll pass that on."
"We strike when all targets are asleep. Move close to the site immediately."
And after about an hour, as the entire academy fell silent and the area around the dormitories became pitch black, the covert unit's infiltrators began to move.
Clink...
With a faint, metallic ring that barely disturbed the quiet, five black-clad men slipped into the men's dormitory like ghosts.
The man at the front gazed at the tool in his hand and murmured in admiration.
"As expected of an ancient artifact. To dismantle the academy's security magic with such ease..."
The device in his grip was the Phantom Bell, a magical device forged in the ancient era—capable of silently dispelling and bypassing even the most basic magical barriers and wards.
It was a terrifying tool that could nullify most defensive formations, though it wouldn't affect the supreme barriers wielded by top-tier mages or priests.
Of course, the real folly lay in the fact that someone had actually brought such a powerful item into the academy for a mere student dormitory infiltration. The overconfidence of the fool had created this very outcome.
"I heard the Church only managed to secure three of these, right? Handing over two of them to us like this..."
"It must be a critical mission. Stay sharp, everyone."
The five fighters moved silently through the men's dormitory.
They already knew the exact room where the target slept, so their plan was for a swift, decisive takedown.
"Ugh, why did we have to sneak into a place where those shady guys live...?"
"We could have just handled one sleeping student. Why all the fuss?"
One of the subordinates whispered, and the man who appeared to be their leader replied calmly.
"Quiet now. You never know when overconfidence might get you killed."
"Ah... yes, yes."
"......"
The leader let out a deep sigh in his mind.
In truth, he thought the same thing himself.
He hadn't been given full details on the mission, but using so many people to kidnap one student and eliminate another—and providing such a valuable artifact for the job—seemed excessive.
Of course, he immediately brushed the thought aside.
It was their duty to complete the assigned task; they had no need to question the orders.
"Leader, we're here."
"Good."
They had reached the target's room at last.
Clink...
After activating the artifact, he used the tool to pick the mechanical lock with practiced ease.
He opened the door as quietly as possible, but the slight creak of the old hinges was barely audible.
Everyone held their breath as they checked the room, but no sign of movement from the boy sleeping in the bed.
Still silent, the leader signaled with a hand gesture.
Though it was a single-room suite, the space was spacious enough for three to enter comfortably.
Two men posted outside as guards, while the other three entered the room to approach the target.
The boy with black hair, sleeping soundly, was snoring loudly from exhaustion.
At the leader's nod, one subordinate drew his sword.
Schlunk...
He raised the sword silently and brought it down toward the boy's neck.
In that exact instant.
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion echoed as the sword-wielding subordinate was hurled into the air like a ragdoll.
The leader and the other man instinctively flung themselves backward, but the one who collided with the wall fell unconscious after striking his head hard.
"What the...? Is there a rat hiding here?"
The black-haired boy had risen from his bed and adopted a combat stance.
"Target confirmed."
One of the black-clad men who had infiltrated the women's dormitory spotted the girl asleep and murmured.
More than ten infiltrators had been dispatched just for this girl. It was an absurdly large number, but they had followed their orders to the letter.
However, there was one strict directive for abducting the girl: no one must be noticed at all costs.
If caught, every witness must be eliminated without fail.
That was why they had moved so carefully.
"Cast a light sleep spell."
"Yes."
A weak sleep-inducing incense was lit in the girl's room to ensure she wouldn't wake during the operation.
Soon after, the time for her to fall into a deep, uninterrupted sleep arrived.
"We'll secure her. Enter quietly."
"Yes."
Only two men, chosen for carrying the target, entered the room.
They approached the bed silently and reached out to lift the sleeping girl.
It was a deceptively simple mission despite the large team deployed.
That was when it happened.
"Kyah!"
"C-cough... ack...!"
The two subordinates who had entered to carry the girl collapsed on the spot with one final scream.
Alarmed by the unusual sounds, the remaining men tensed up.
As they exchanged nervous glances, the air crackled with tension.
"Ugh!"
"Aah!"
Two more cried out and fell.
Four men down in an instant, panic spreading among them.
And that panic was the death knell for their mission.
"Aaaah!"
"Kyaaaa!!"
One after another.
The leader finally judged that the situation could no longer be contained quietly and drew his sword, shouting.
"Damn it! Show yourselves!"
Of course, the enemy would never reveal themselves as requested; they stayed hidden.
All he could confirm was that they were clearly stronger than the group.
They weren't elite knights but the Church's covert unit—made from failed knights specialized in stealth, infiltration, and assassination.
Their core strength barely reached mid-tier knight level at best.
The leader scanned the room desperately.
His men were dying, and on top of that, the awakening sounds of female students could be heard from the other side of the dormitory.
'If this continues, we'll have no choice... Then...'
He opened his mouth and shouted.
"Survivors—secure the target however you can! Push forward!"
Yes. The primary objective was still to capture the target.
"Ugh!"
"Aaaah!"
Subordinates fell, screaming.
The leader himself charged toward the target.
"Ugh!"
Whoosh!
Reacting to the faint killing intent aimed at him, the leader dodged as best he could.
The moment he felt his weapon strike flesh and he flew backward, crashing to the floor, his eyes widened in shock.
"Fork...?"
"Well done."
A cold female voice rang out, and the leader's gaze shot toward it.
Bright light flooded the dark room.
A brown-haired woman in a maid uniform stood there, her eyes sharp and piercing as she looked straight at him.
"I held back as much killing intent as I could, yet you still blocked it."
"M-maid...?"
"I was only expecting possible surveillance... but since you've targeted Lady Riel, I won't forgive you."
Perhaps it was the other way around—they were the ones being watched.
The leader, startled by the sight of the maid, was stunned once more.
The time it had taken him to block the attack, roll to his feet, and glare at the maid was mere seconds.
Yet during that time, all ten of his subordinates, sent to secure the target in a suicide rush, lay dead on the spot.
All of them with a fork driven straight through their throats.
"F-fork...?"
"I know it looks like a cake knife, but..."
"That isn't the point, but..."
The leader, who hadn't enough talent to reach high-tier knight and join a royal order but had advanced to mid-tier and been scouted into the covert unit, let out a groan.
The maid before him was clearly far stronger.
"Well then... What will you do? Surrender or fight?"
"......"
"Since you've already tried to harm Lady Riel, I have no intention of letting you live."
"My choice is... this!"
The leader drew his sword and charged at the maid.
Phyllis simply blocked the sword with ease—
...a cake knife.
"You said blocking with a cake knife was impossible, didn't you?"
"Stabbing might be impossible, but defending against it is easy."
"Damn it! We thought the men's dormitory would be easier to take down..."
Phyllis replied indifferently to the leader's grumbled complaint.
At that moment, a voice came from the side.
"Ugh... my head hurts... What is this noise?"
Riel, who had fallen asleep after the sleep incense, couldn't ignore the commotion no matter what.
Riel snapped awake, glanced around the now-bright room, and turned deathly pale.
"This... What is this...?"
Just as Phyllis opened her mouth to speak, the leader shouted.
"Now!"
At that instant, one of the bodies lying among the subordinates suddenly leaped up.
A black shadow dashed straight toward Riel.
"Oh no! Lady Riel!!"
Startled, Phyllis rushed to shield Riel, but the leader poured power into his sword.
"I won't let you pass!"
"Get back!!"
"Kyaaah!!"
Phyllis hurriedly pulled something from her other hand and stabbed it into the leader's neck.
Feeling intense pain, the leader looked down at the fork embedded in his throat.
It was the same fork used on the subordinates.
The leader collapsed to the floor with a bewildered expression.
"Wh-what...?"
"Lady Riel!!"
But whether the leader lived or died, the last surviving subordinate charged straight at Riel.
Phyllis didn't know what they intended to do to her, but she sprinted desperately.
She was already sure they were too late when—
"Kyaaaaaaaah!! Fire Shock!"
"Kyaah!!"
The subordinate was engulfed in flames and sent flying.
Phyllis watched in wide-eyed astonishment.
"N-no way..."
The girl, one hand outstretched, was brushing her chest with the other.
"Phyllis... What happened?"
"Are you all right, Lady Riel?"
"Eh... I'm okay, though I was startled..."
Phyllis did the same, brushing her own chest.
"I'm so sorry! It's my fault for being careless and letting Lady Riel suffer!"
"Eh...? Huh?"
Voices began to stir around Riel's dormitory room.
Other students who had woken up were coming to investigate the commotion.
"We'll explain later. I'll handle the cleanup. Lady Riel, rest for a moment."
"Ugh... I really need an explanation later!"
Phyllis entrusted Riel to the students coming to check the situation and began processing the bodies.
'But why assassins... Could it be that Young Master foresaw this situation and placed me near Lady Riel...?'
And if she thought back on what the assassin had said, there was a high chance of a similar situation unfolding in the men's dormitory.
For a moment, Phyllis considered rushing over to check, but she quickly dismissed the idea.
'No... If it were Young Master, he would have foreseen this and handled it with perfect calm.'