Chapter 98: Emergency
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: Emergency
Ten o'clock at night.
Teramond had stepped out of his dormitory to visit a grocery store in the university district to buy a loaf of bread for tomorrow's breakfast.
Then, after passing the magic bookstore and turning into the alley that led back to his dorm, he ran into someone.
There were no witnesses, but even if there had been, they probably wouldn't have seen the assailant's face. It was too dark.
The attacker likely couldn't identify Teramond clearly either, especially since Teramond was wearing a hooded cape.
"So it's possible they were targeting Caleb."
To be honest, that was my first thought too.
There was a reason Clorence had rushed straight to our dorm.
"Or they could have actually been targeting Teramond. Either way, it seems like some kind of anti-slave hate crime."
We were outsiders, having been in Sohen for only two months.
Could we have made an enemy resentful enough to kill us in such a short time?
Hmm.
In my case, I could be targeted by the family or friends of Sally, Antonelli, or Ingelam, but the chances weren't high.
On the other hand, speculating it was an anti-slave hate crime made sense.
Even though they say he paid for his crimes in the Labyrinth, that was just from Sohen's legal perspective. Some people's hatred and hostility could still linger.
However…
'Bipa and Mugol.'
For some reason, those psycho Deep Layer adventurers who were said to be in Sohen kept coming to mind.
"Perhaps the next target could be Caleb or Yernil—"
Clorence's words came to an abrupt halt.
He then slowly drew a wand from his belt.
"Clorence?"
"Shh."
Clorence placed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence, then sharply raised his wand.
Toward Yernil's room.
"Wait, Clorence!"
"Wall-Breaching Explosive!"
The magic that erupted from his wand transformed into something like a C4 charge and stuck fast to Yernil's door.
Beep, beep, beep!
And before I could even shout, it exploded.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, fragments of the door blasted in every direction.
"I sensed a presence! Caleb, go get the assistant instructors!"
"No, that's Yernil!"
I barely managed to grab Clorence before he could cast a second spell.
"Yernil?"
"..."
I rushed into the room to find Yernil sprawled face down on the bed.
It looked like she'd been pressed against the door, listening to our conversation, and had been sent flying by the explosion.
"Are you okay, Yernil?"
"...My tailbone hurts..."
She got up, rubbing her tailbone and backside.
Thankfully, she seemed all right.
"Why is Yernil here? This is a student dormitory."
"I invited her."
"You did, Caleb?"
"She had nowhere else to go, so she was staying here for a bit. I'm sorry."
I'd thought it might become a problem someday. Maybe I should have sent her away sooner.
But unlike Back Attack or Aimus, I felt uneasy leaving Yernil alone in the city of Sohen, which was arguably more dangerous(?) than the Labyrinth.
And it would look a bit strange for me to move out with her.
"It's for the best. You did the right thing."
Clorence didn't make an issue of it.
"Bringing outsiders into the dorms is common these days. The professors know but look the other way since there are so many empty rooms. However, for the time being, you two should sleep in the same room."
"Huh?"
Yernil's eyes went wide.
"I'm saying this because it's dangerous. Besides, this room is a mess now, isn't it?"
"..."
"The university is on high alert. A student murdered on campus? That's an absolutely unacceptable situation. For now, please refrain from leaving the dormitory as much as possible. I'll get permission for Yernil to stay here."
Then, Clorence moved to the living room and pulled out a handful of wands from his bag.
They were wands filled with practical magic.
"Tier 3 Security Alarm."
"Lena's Security Bars."
"Intruder Siren."
Clorence went around, indiscriminately casting spells on the dorm's windows and front door.
*
I can't sleep.
The shocking news has completely driven away any chance of sleep.
It reminds me of Sally's case. Back then, those bastards deliberately hinted at the Labyrinth entrance that they were plunderers, even implying that we would be their next target.
They did it because they wanted us to exhaust ourselves with tension and fear inside the Labyrinth.
This feels similar.
'I'm tense.'
I can feel the tension in my own shoulders. This anxiety is no good. It's just a way of draining my own stamina.
Right, Yernil?
You can't sleep either, can you?
Lying in the bed next to mine, her eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Yernil."
"Yes."
"Should we go to the crime scene?"
"Whaaat!?"
Yernil threw off her blanket and shot up.
"I was actually thinking of going in the morning, but now doesn't seem like a bad idea either."
"Are you crazy!?" Yernil's voice grew louder.
"Didn't you hear Clorence, Caleb? He told us not to go outside!"
"He didn't mean we should hole up in our dorm room. And besides, it's actually safer right now."
Because the crime scene would be swarming with university mages and constables.
Even if the Deep Layer adventurers Bipa and Mugol really were the culprits and they were targeting me, they wouldn't be able to touch me in that crowd.
"I think I have to go."
Another reason is the old saying that criminals always return to the scene of the crime.
I need to see if I can find a Spirit Race member and a Tiger-man loitering there, pretending to be innocent.
And if I can, it'll be easier to come up with a scenario to deal with them if they attack me.
"Yernil, you can stay here if you're scared."
I put on Ingelam's coat. I tucked a pair of wands into my belt and slung a mostly empty bag over my shoulder.
"I'm going with you!"
Yernil hurriedly got dressed and followed me out.
*
"What kind of crazy bastard dares!"
Meldini was quite fatigued from his recent trip to the Labyrinth, a strain on his elderly body, but the news jolted him wide awake in the middle of the night.
"To murder one of our students inside the university?"
The professor was so enraged he leaped out of bed in the dead of night, clutching a wand, ready to kill whoever the opponent might be.
The scene was already crowded with constables.
A few of the university's assistant instructors and professors were also present.
"Isilof!"
"Professor Meldini. You're here."
Isilof was already attempting several spells to find the culprit.
"Psychometry isn't working, and neither is Speak with Dead."
The reason was that the corpse was too severely damaged.
It was a common method used by plunderers. They destroy the body to avoid leaving a trail.
Amateur plunderers like Sally use combat dolls to physically pulverize the body, but there are more efficient methods that can be used in an instant.
"They used Corpse Explosion."
Due to that Tier 3 necromancy spell, Teramond's body had been 'ground up' into pieces the size of a finger joint.
So how did they know it was Teramond? Because his magic university ID card and belongings were left behind.
"But a Memory Wipe spell was also used. That's why Psychometry isn't working."
That spell removes the memory information left on objects within a certain range. It doesn't work on living beings, but in a situation like this, it's tricky.
The culprit knew a lot about magical tracking and was skilled in preventing it.
"This definitely wasn't a crime of passion."
"And it was likely committed by a fairly skilled adventurer."
If not, it was a meticulously planned operation that took a lot of time and money. After all, 'Memory Wipe Magic Scrolls' and 'Corpse Explosion Magic Scrolls' are quite expensive.
"Consul."
Meldini approached Consul Peterson, a Deep Layer adventurer who was a strong candidate to be the next Chief Inspector of the Public Security Headquarters.
He too had rushed to the scene to personally lead the investigation.
"Have all of Sohen's gates been sealed?"
"I've given the order. They should all be closed by now. I've also ordered a trace on the sales records for Corpse Explosion and Memory Wipe scrolls. Just in case."
"Thank you."
"Professor Meldini. And Professor Isilof," Peterson said cautiously. "May I request the cooperation of a citizen constable?"
"Why ask us? Talk to the person directly."
"Because he's a student in Professor Isilof's club."
"...!"
Both professors flinched in surprise.
"Wait a minute."
"You don't mean Caleb?"
"He received a medal at the Public Security Headquarters this afternoon and applied to be a citizen constable. There's still some paperwork left, but I can rush it through."
"Peterson!" Meldini roared.
"This is an anti-slave hate crime! And as you've both seen, there's no evidence left! The only way to catch the culprit is to lure them out."
"So you're asking Caleb to be the bait?" Isilof was displeased, and the much more hot-tempered Meldini even drew his wand.
"Don't talk nonsense!" he shouted, aiming his wand at Peterson. "Is that something a Consul of the Public Security Headquarters should say? It's obvious Caleb is the next target, and you want him to be the bait?"
"If he were an ordinary citizen, I wouldn't make such a request. But Caleb is a citizen constable. I am well within my rights to ask for his cooperation."
"Not yet, he isn't! And I'll tell him not to do it! Right now, I feel like locking him up in a bomb shelter and standing guard myself. Do you really think I'd let him wander the streets at a dangerous time like this...?"
Meldini's words trailed off.
"Caleb!"
Because at this very dangerous time, he was, in fact, wandering the streets.
"Are you mad! What are you doing out here alone!"
A horrified Meldini nearly jumped out of his skin.
*
"I'm not alone. Yernil is with me."
Though she was trembling with fear.
Being threatened with murder in the middle of a city is probably scarier than in the Labyrinth. I feel the same way. Compared to dealing with plunderers in the Labyrinth, the fatigue from being on guard is much higher here. You encounter far fewer people there, but that's not the case in Sohen.
'Corpse Explosion and Memory Wipe.'
I quickly scanned the surroundings.
Teramond's belongings, including his student ID, were scattered on the ground. His magic university uniform, a bag of bread, even his wand.
And then…
'Fuck, they're really here.'
Two East Asian-looking men were casually strolling toward the scene.
Straight, pure white hair was a characteristic of the Spirit Race. The long-haired man, whose hair fell to his waist, wore something like a black Joseon-era cheollik [a traditional robe]. He held a fan in one hand, and a bundle of paper talismans was tied to his waist.
Next to him was a tiger-man.
His cheeks, jaw, and neck were covered in thick whiskers, almost like a mane. His face was humanoid, but his eyes, gleaming blue in the night, were those of a predator. The ears poking out from his hair weren't cute like a Neko's. A tail with tiger stripes swayed gently.
'Fucking terrifying.'
Seriously, of all the bastards I've met since my possession, those two are the scariest.
Even more so than fellow Deep Layer adventurers like Meldini or Krom. Or even the Spider Doctor.
"We came out for a late-night snack and heard a commotion."
The Spirit Race man, Bipa, greeted the people with an affable smile.
"Is something wrong?"
The gazes of the two men slowly swept across the crime scene and met mine.
"Consul." I gently tugged on Peterson's arm.
"I'll do it. The thing you proposed to the professors earlier."
If I don't deal with those guys quickly, I don't think I'll be able to sleep a single night in peace.