“Thank you.”
“Yes, I can’t be responsible for anything more than this.”
“Yes, just getting this far is more than enough.”
As Erika nodded slightly, Jacqueline standing beside her followed by giving her own slight bow of the head.
The moment the man left, Erika and Jacqueline, as if they had agreed beforehand, began to carefully observe their surroundings.
Their current location was the Lorelai Kingdom’s military camp, right in the thick of a raging war.
The Lorelai Kingdom, having barely survived three battles and facing near annihilation, was in a rush to gather mercenaries until the allied forces from various countries could arrive.
Erika and Jacqueline had infiltrated the Lorelai Kingdom’s army by posing as such mercenaries.
Their original plan, of course, was not Lorelai but the Flora Kingdom’s army.
That way, they could gather information on Black Magic much closer and more directly.
But infiltrating the Flora Kingdom army was no easy feat.
Having become a public enemy of all nations, the Flora Kingdom was strictly enforcing a closed-door policy.
Even getting into the Flora Kingdom was tough, and infiltrating their army would take way too long.
So, they decided to enter through the Lorelai Kingdom’s army.
Erika was using this opportunity to plan how to cross over to Flora while the battles were taking place.
“So, what now?”
Erika thought, listening to Jacqueline’s monotone voice.
Their initial plan was straightforward—join Lorelai, find a chance during combat, and sneak into Flora.
“Let’s head to the frontline first.”
“That’s right.”
Jacqueline quietly nodded at Erika’s suggestion.
Though Jacqueline followed Erika’s words like gospel, she lacked a certain level of cunning that made her unsuited for infiltration missions—especially in high-pressure situations.
“Anyway, I’ll cross over to Flora alone. You stay behind and monitor the situation. Can you handle that?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Though Erika had her doubts, she reluctantly nodded.
Jacqueline wasn’t the type for covert missions, and imagining her reacting in battle made Erika sigh inwardly.
‘Chances are, there’d be a fight the instant we set foot in Flora.’
Jacqueline didn’t seem like someone who would stir trouble, but that made Erika feel safer about her remaining behind.
“Hey, you two! Are you the new ones?”
“Ah, yes!”
“…Women? Huh, well.”
“Let’s go.”
Erika quickly pulled Jacqueline toward the voice, which belonged to one of the soldiers.
Their infiltration had begun in earnest.
‘Need to finish this up fast and report to the Leader.’
Erika recalled the earlier knight she’d seen and hurried her steps.
A Black Shadow Guild that protects the Academy from the Undead? She had a lot of questions for the Leader.
Meanwhile, in O’Neil Kingdom…
Situated in the southern part of the continent and boasting a power akin to that of the Crescent Empire, the O’Neil Kingdom was known for its strength.
Though traditionally enemies, relations between the Crescent Empire and the O’Neil Kingdom had recently warmed, even allowing for student exchanges between their prestigious academies.
‘Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.’
The view from the carriage brought back memories.
Stealing the Dragon Heart had been harder than expected. What had begun as a quick plan had taken months to successfully execute.
During those months, I had been living in the O’Neil Kingdom.
Thus, while the people of O’Neil thought of me as their worst enemy, for me, it held fond memories.
It really was a pleasant place to live—kind people, good weather, great food.
“Almost there.”
At Professor Amillion’s words, my reverie was interrupted.
The ease with which we had crossed the border, thanks to our status as Crescent Academy students, was truly convenient. We slipped into the capital without any hassle.
‘Maybe being an Academy student is the best disguise.’
“Once we arrive, we’ll pay our respects to the Leader of the Knight Order first.”
“Yes!”
The reply came with palpable tension from the rest of S Class, minus me.
It was certainly understandable. Meeting the Knight Order, even outside our homeland, was a nerve-wracking experience.
Indeed, it was an incredibly special event, as Professor Amillion had mentioned.
This trip to O’Neil might provide an even more valuable experience than heading to the northern continent, which could always be visited after graduation.
However, not all of this was openly discussed.
‘Still, why on earth would we be sent here just to sit around and do nothing?’
Despite my inner questionings, I kept quiet.
I already knew why Crescent Academy had pushed to send us to the O’Neil Kingdom, even despite the current events.
The continent was buzzing with news about Black Magic, and an incident had occurred within the Academy itself.
Why would they insist on dragging students outside during such a tense situation?
As Amillion had explained, the Empire intended to thoroughly investigate the Academy in our absence.
With the students out of the way, they’d have a cleaner slate to conduct a meticulous investigation.
Thus, every student had conveniently left the Academy for a ‘reasonable’ cause—S Class was sent overseas, and the others were dispatched within the country.
Domestic or international, the key was just to get us away from the Academy.
‘Still, returning without doing anything might feel… unsatisfactory.’
But then again, if we hadn’t traveled here to O’Neil Kingdom, there’s something I might have missed: rumors of a recent incident in O’Neil.
“Though things aren’t exactly rosy here in O’Neil as well, so try not to upset the knights.”
“Understood!”
Amillion’s warning refreshed my memory.
The war in the west had shifted global attention, but O’Neil wasn’t untouched by Black Magic either.
A whole contingent of O’Neil’s knights had been wiped out—not just any ordinary contingent, mind you, but their strongest.
Eddi’s intel suggested there were whispers of Black Magic involved.
‘Ah, an interesting lead.’
Lately, I’d been causing trouble, and Eddi was swamped with work. It was only fair for me to help investigate the massacre of O’Neil’s top knights since we were here.
“We’ve arrived.”
As the carriage stopped, Professor Amillion stepped out first.
We were already inside the grounds of the knight order, which hadn’t changed much from the last time I snuck in.
My classmates reflexively scanned the surroundings. The architecture, distinct from that of the Crescent Empire, captured everyone’s attention.
Then someone in the distance began running toward us.
“Hiiiiii!”
“Uh…”
The knight, wearing the traditional O’Neil uniform, shouted loudly and rushed forward.
If seen from outside, it might look like an enemy charging.
“Amillion!!”
With a fierce dash, this O’Neilian embraced Professor Amillion with such enthusiasm it nearly knocked the poor professor off their feet.
“Yo, yo! Calm down… gack!”
“Oh my gosh, how long has it been?!”
The sudden display left us all stunned.
What seemed like a one-sided embrace lasted longer than it probably should have.
“Can you believe they actually came?!”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s introduce them. These are our students.”
“Ah, that’s right. Welcome, everyone. I’m Eli, serving as a knight in the O’Neil Kingdom’s knight order. Just call me Eli Knight.”
Judging by the rigid postures of the other knights standing behind her, Eli must have held a relatively high rank.
“And oh, I’m really close with your Professor Amillion over here!”
“Wow…”
Eli’s proclamation made Amillion awkwardly clear his throat, and the students looked on in curiosity.
I found it surprising too. Who would’ve thought the professor had such a friendly connection in O’Neil?
“Anyway, this is the person who helped arrange your visit here. So, while you’re staying, listen carefully to her.”
Eli turned her bright smile toward us.
Unlike the typical image of a knight, Eli had short, dark blonde hair tied back, and she wore a slightly bulky knight uniform.
“Please take care of us!”
With a deep bow from Elaine, the rest of us followed her lead, bowing slightly, me included.
“So, let’s start with greeting the Knight Order Leader. You all know him, right? Captain Ordine. Oh wait, do the Crescent kids even know him?”
“Certainly! It’s an honor to meet Captain Ordine!”
Elaine was the only one to respond.
She truly was the epitome of a proper knight.
‘Is that guy still the leader?’
Of course, I knew of Captain Ordine. We had clashed during the Dragon Heart incident years ago.
He looked old back then, and yet he was still leading the order?
‘Feels like a nostalgia trip.’
I couldn’t suppress a small chuckle.
And so began the adventure!
