“What’re we gonna do?”
“Guess we’ll have to check it out.”
Professor Amillion nodded thoughtfully after hearing my words, as if saying, “I knew it.”
The intel I gathered lines up fairly neatly with what Professor Amillion learned from his buddy. I was kinda hoping his friend dropped some extra juicy details, but alas, no such luck. It was essentially the same info I’d managed to pick up on my own through a bit of sneaky eavesdropping.
“Should we take a look by ourselves?”
Professor Amillion glanced my way, worry lines creasing his face. “Hmm…”
“Probably not too dangerous. The scene of the incident is likely quiet now. Let’s swing by with the kids.”
“…Fair point. I’ll ask Eli to come along.”
“Good call.”
“Say, did you find out anything useful?”
Professor Amillion seemed a lot more relaxed around me now. Back in the day, he seemed a bit put off by the fact I wasn’t a regular student, more like Yuria’s subordinate.
“Not really. Just that the scene of the event, and Captain Ordine was nearby.”
“Hmm, similar level.”
“Probably O’Neil learned something more.”
“How do you know?”
“Hmm…”
I hesitated a moment on how to answer Professor Amillion’s question. The last leg of our knight tour concluded with us slipping into Captain Ordine’s office. There, I stumbled upon an unexpected scene. Daytime Ordine was a guy soaked in defeat, but nighttime Ordine was a different story. In his conversation with someone—can’t figure out who—his eyes sparkled, not like a beaten knight but like one sharpening his blade for payback.
The conversation wasn’t light either, filled with suspicious keywords like ‘hideout,’ ‘raid,’ and ‘reinforcements’ that screamed trouble if you heard them.
I should’ve gotten closer for a clearer listen, but my approach failed there. Nevertheless, discovering that O’Neil had learned something constituted a big win for us.
“Overheard something from Captain Ordine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, sounds like they discovered the enemy’s hideout. We need to dig a bit deeper, though.”
“…”
Professor Amillion slowly nodded.
“Oh, and by the way…”
“Yes?”
“About that video…”
“Video?”
“The… Guild Leader’s video.”
“Ah…”
My heart sank. Not expecting questions like this at all—completely caught me off guard.
“Is… is Yuria-san possibly collaborating with the Black Shadow Guild?”
“Uh…”
Now I was stuck, unsure how to respond. Professor Amillion’s eyes held a nervous glint.
“What exactly does Yuria-san say?”
“I asked, but she didn’t say much.”
“Hmm… Then ask Yuria-san directly.”
“But it’s all too clear. Remember how the day after the video came out, Yuria-san caught Black Magician Nigel, referring to him as one of those guys left over from the Academy?”
“Whoa.”
“And if Yuria-san really is in cahoots with the Black Shadow Guild…”
“What if?”
Professor Amillion’s question struck true. Fact was, Yuria wasn’t just ‘in cahoots’ with the Black Shadow Guild but a key player—holding the esteemed title of Captain of the 4th Squad in the guild.
‘Our reputation isn’t exactly glowing, huh?’
I could read his expressions clearly. There wasn’t anything glowing about Professor Amillion’s perception of the Black Shadow Guild.
If Yuria was involved, it might make him reconsider working alongside her.
“…Yuria-san deserves our trust.”
“Excuse me?”
“If Yuria-san chose to work with them, they must be trustworthy, right?”
“…”
I had no words for this unexpected reply. What kind of trust does this guy have for Yuria?
“Funny thing, I poked around a bit and it turns out the Black Shadow Guild’s not as bad as it seems.”
“Eh, really?”
“Yeah. They’re infamous for the Dragon Heart theft, but they actually stick to certain codes.”
‘Really?’
Despite setting boundaries with Eddi about not taking overly inhumane and unethical requests, most of our jobs consisted of thefts, break-ins, and stakeouts—not exactly noble deeds.
“Anyway, the Guild Leader definitely caught the Landgar gang.”
“Mhm… well, technically it was her undead companion helping out…”
It seemed Professor Amillion was already convinced Yuria was involved with the Black Shadow Guild. Honestly, it’s hard not to connect the dots here.
‘And now, I’m confused.’
“Alright, Ryu, are you working with the Black Shadow Guild?”
“Huh?”
Curiosity sparkled in Professor Amillion’s expression. I’d thought we were clear of Empire searches, but clearly complacency leads nowhere.
“Ah, no! Haha!”
I need to sound natural and say no.
“Phewww…”
Captain Ordine exhaled loudly while fiddling with his sword on the desk. As his fingers traced the familiar hilt, unsettling memories came flooding back—one horrifying incident not long ago.
GAAGHH!
Ordine squeezed his eyes shut and clenched the sword tightly.
His hands trembled despite his best efforts to control them. A complex mix swirled inside him—rage at his own inaction, shame for leaving his subordinates to d*e, and yes, fear.
“Haa…”
Ordine set down his shaking hands and the sword. Throughout his years of training and countless battles, Ordine faced many walls. He knew there were superior swordsmen and perilous situations, yet he never once felt fear, let alone such primal terror.
“d*mn…”
Muttering under his breath, Ordine rose from his seat. It was impossible to sit still. His mind screamed for immediate action—grab the sword, head straight to the enemy hideout the Royal Inspection Team had uncovered—but his heart wasn’t ready.
Could he possibly face that guy again in his current state? Would a desire for revenge just lead to more sacrifices and his own demise?
A single man, not an army of thousands or even tens of thousands, had wiped out the entirety of O’Neil Kingdom’s “Silver Eagle” Order without a single survivor.
A man cloaked entirely in white, exuding peculiar and eerie energy, stood alone before the knights. Unfamiliar magic flowed from his hands. Ordine now knew this magic as Black Magic, though at the time, there was no time to speculate.
The magic this man cast was simple, just one.
Yet Ordine could still vividly recall every detail—unnerving mana radiating from the Man in White Robe. When the man extended his hand, a black fog spread faster than wind. And finally, knights collapsing, hacking up bl**d.
Even through all this chaos, Ordine charged forward, calm amid the storm. At the moment, removing the adversary felt like the right choice—better than attempting to save his subordinates.
But to no avail.
The Man in White Robe didn’t react when Ordine was speeding toward him. No preparation. Just a casual glance meeting Ordine’s eyes.
And from that gaze, Ordine froze.
A pair of yellow, glowing eyes with the image of a giant white snake behind them burned into his mind.
The snake wasn’t real, surely, but the feeling was.
Its long, flicking tongue taunted Ordine and convinced him that any attempt at movement would instantly result in d*ath.
Raw, instinctive fear gripped Ordine—animalistic rather than human.
As Ordine remained frozen, a massacre erupted behind him. Knights, caught in the fog, collapsed one by one without a chance to defend themselves.
Ordine could only stand there, powerless and helpless. As the fog cleared, most knights were sprawled lifelessly on the ground. Only a few remained—those skilled with magic or those possessing magical-resistant artifacts.
They were topnotch members of the Silver Eagles, ready to charge in rage at the slightest gap.
But the snake reacted first. It drew its tongue back and opened its massive mouth.
The snake’s sharp fangs glittered sharply, and as the snake closed its mouth—everything ended.
Dark holes appeared beneath the surviving knights, and thorny spikes burst out from below. The sight following that was too awful to even think about.
Even as all this happened, Ordine couldn’t even stir. He was like a statue under petrification magic.
And in that moment, every knight fell except Ordine, who thought his time had come. d*ath by a mysterious foe, without so much as a reason.
Except, he survived—not by winning, but by mercy.
“I have to prevail.”
“Ghhhh!”
Remembering it all still made Ordine shake with fear, but he forced himself to steady his heart. If the grand captain couldn’t gather the courage, who could face him?
Still, doubt crept in. Could they defeat him with current forces?
Shaking away such thoughts wasn’t easy.
