Chapter 1248

<Episode 1248> 1248. Dark Moon

“Terrorist attack! What lunatics dared to carry out a terrorist attack!! This is the scoop of the century! What are you doing, announcer! Get ready to move immediately!”

The camera director shouted. His voice was filled with ecstatic madness.

“Yes, Director!”

The camera director and the cameramen rushed out of the battlefield without looking back. Meanwhile, the announcer continued explaining the situation of the terrorist attack to the viewers.

I and No. 31 exchanged blank stares.

I touched my mask and communicated via radio.

“Venus Instructor, can you hear me?”

“…A terrorist attack occurred. The terrorists hiding in the VIP seats and general seats targeted His Majesty the King.”

I furrowed my brow.

It wasn’t because His Majesty the King had been attacked. I didn’t care if the king lived or died. What made me uneasy was that this terrorist attack wasn’t part of the original story.

“Is His Majesty the King safe?”

Fortunately, a guardian saint was nearby. Thanks to her intervention, His Majesty the King and the VIPs are unharmed. There were some civilian casualties, but it’s not a major issue.”

Venus Instructor’s voice carried a subtle undertone of anger. It was only natural since Venus Instructor was a patriot.

“What’s the current situation?”

-As soon as the terrorist attack failed, they scattered and fled in all directions. The number of terrorists is approximately 80, suspected to be from the Resistance Echos. Pursuit orders have been issued to all units from headquarters. We’re no exception.

“So we need to pursue the terrorists?”

-That’s right. We’re already in motion. This matter concerns the pride of the Frisell Kingdom’s army. We must capture those terrorist bastards at all costs.

The situation was being broadcast live. If we let the terrorists escape after an attack like this? It would be an international disgrace. We must capture the terrorists to handle this situation. Especially, the higher-ups must be shitting their pants by now.

-A few terrorists are fleeing your way. Capture them at all costs. Killing them is acceptable. Just don’t let them escape.

“I’ll move immediately.”

-211, I trust you. 31, you stay put where you are.

An irritated voice burst out from the usually quiet No. 31.

“I will also move. The chances of success are higher if I go with 211 than if 211 goes alone.”

-Venus Instructor’s calm voice turned resolute. When she’s in this state, no amount of persuasion will work.

“…Understood.”

No. 31 replied. She won’t disobey orders. Both No. 31 and I know full well how harsh the consequences of defiance can be.

I checked my equipment one last time and confirmed the location of the terrorists sent by Venus Instructor.

Just before leaving, No. 31 called out to me.

“211, be careful. These are the ones who targeted His Majesty. They’re not ordinary foes.”

“I know that much.”

I gave a curt reply and started running.

I spotted three terrorists stumbling as they fled. A helicopter hovering in the sky was tracking them.

Tuuuuuuu!

The helicopter fired its machine gun. The fleeing terrorists stopped and activated their barriers. However…


The bullets from the railgun were magical shells. The barrier was effortlessly pierced, and one of the terrorists died. The remaining two terrorists clenched their teeth and began using dark magic. Black flames created from their hands struck the helicopter.

The helicopter plummeted to the ground and exploded. Unfortunately, the pilot couldn’t escape and met the same fate as the chopper.

The two surviving terrorists started running again.

“Teacher Venus! I’ve spotted the enemies. One is dead, two are fleeing. I’ll chase them! Teacher Venus…?”

I tried contacting over the radio several times, but there was no response.

They’re not intentionally ignoring me. Either the radio’s broken or they don’t have time to respond. Judging by the current situation, it seems like the latter.

For now, I chased after the fleeing terrorists, but a strong impulse came over me—to abandon catching them and run away instead.

Slave seal? I’ve been studying that slave seal every chance I got during this time. The problem isn’t just the slave seal though. Six months ago, a tracking device implanted in my neck also needs to be dealt with.

‘With magic, I can disable the tracker for a few days. During that time, if I find an illegal doctor or some kind of expert and get the tracker removed… For now, if I just run, I can use magic to—’

In an instant, I devised a plan to escape, but I couldn’t carry it out.

It wasn’t because I was afraid of Teacher Venus tracking me.

Images of Lexi, Room 212, and the female classmates who’d shared their bodies with me popped into my mind. Is it right to leave them behind and escape alone? Can I do that?

I gritted my teeth.

‘This opportunity… I’m not ready yet.’

We’re dealing with the military of an entire nation here. Acting impulsively without a proper plan comes with far too many risks.

Shaking off the impulse, I refocused my mind. The terrorists were boarding a car they’d prepared on the outskirts of the city.

[Instant (Moment) activated. Remaining stacks: 6]

In the slowed-down world, I calculated the magical formula.

[Shock Wave]

A shockwave hit the car the terrorists had just boarded. The car floated briefly into the air before tumbling across the ground.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted from the car hood, black smoke billowing up. Traces of blood slowly seeped out from beneath it.

[Barrier]

Since the entire car didn’t explode, I cautiously approached.

[Strength]

Using a second-tier auxiliary magic, I temporarily boosted my strength. Grabbing the passenger-side door, I ripped it off and pulled out the man sitting in the seat with his eyes closed. He was still alive—just unconscious.

‘Where’s the other one…?’

KLANG!

A figure in black burst through the shattered rear window. With malice radiating from him, he shouted:

“Dark Flame!!”

Black flames engulfed me. The barrier surrounding my body melted rapidly. Instead of reinforcing my barrier, I chose to attack. I activated telekinesis. Broken shards floated upward and flew toward the dark mage, embedding themselves into him.

“Guh, AAAAAH…!”

The dark mage screamed in agony. The black flames melting my barrier disappeared.

[Electric Spark]

A sphere of electricity gently descended onto the dark mage’s head. Dozens of lightning bolts surged, electrocuting him to death.

I dragged the two corpses to a safer distance, fearing the car might explode again.

‘One is alive. The other died at my hands, and the one hit by the helicopter is elsewhere.’

I examined the living man closely. Now I see—it’s another dark mage. The one hit by the helicopter was probably also a dark mage.

“Teacher Venus! This is 211. Teacher Venus?”

The radio was still dead.

I sighed and slumped to the ground, gazing far into the distance. KA-BOOM! KABOOM! Explosions echoed everywhere, black smoke rising from multiple locations.

Most likely, less than ten terrorists will escape from here.

Looking at the surviving man more closely, I understood. This guy’s also a dark mage. The one hit by the helicopter was probably a dark mage too.

“Taking a rest in a place like this? Well, I understand. There’s nothing quite like resting while others are working…”


“It’s as sweet as honey, isn’t it?”

A blond man in a black suit appeared. Despite being over 2 meters tall, his frame was slender. He wore a black mask on his face.

I instinctively aimed my gun at him.

“Who are you?”

“Rest assured. I’m no terrorist. I merely wish to converse with you.”

“Speak then.”

“Before that, I’d like to ensure there are no ears listening.”

His gaze shifted toward the still-living terrorist.

“My interest in you seems to be fading suddenly.”

“Battle Mage Project. Mana Serum. 667 Unit. I can assist you.”

“Be specific. What do you want?”

“I desire the Battle Mage Project data and the Mana Serum. In the process, I’ll help make the Battle Mage Project known to the world. While Free Cell Army might not permanently shut down the project, they won’t be able to proceed for at least ten years.”

“…Ha-Pheil Republic or Haist Empire? Which side are you on?”

“Already figured that out, huh? Impressive.”

“Answer me.”

“Is my affiliation really so important?”

“It is.”

“Haist Empire.”

The hand holding the gun moved—not toward the blond man but toward the fallen dark mage. The trigger was pulled, and the bullet cleanly pierced the dark mage’s forehead.

“Bold decision. Thank you. But if I were from the Ha-Pheil Republic, wouldn’t you have killed me instead?”

“No, the bullet would’ve been aimed at your head.”

“Why don’t you trust the Ha-Pheil Republic?”

“I know the upper echelons of the Ha-Pheil Republic and Free Cell Kingdom secretly collude. They both want peace now; neither wishes for major unrest.”

“I see. But don’t you find me suspicious?”

“I roughly know who you are.”

“Hmm? I haven’t given you any information about my identity?”

Since I couldn’t reveal that I deduced his identity based on the original story, I remained silent. Seeing my silence, he quietly shook his head.

“You don’t wish to speak, I see. Understood. I respect that.”

“What’s your concrete proposal?”

“Will you accept my offer?”

“We’re in no position to pick and choose.”

“As I mentioned earlier, I seek two things: the Battle Mage Project data and the Mana Serum.”

“The Mana Serum can only be obtained by raiding the research facility next to the unit.”

“I’m aware. Preparations for that are already underway. The plan is nearly perfect. With your cooperation, it’ll become even more so.”

“…Why me?”

“To be honest, contacting you was quite a gamble. Though it seems this gamble has paid off splendidly. The reason I chose you… There’s nothing special. You’re the strongest aside from No. 31. More importantly, your mission success rate surpasses even No. 31’s. A 92% success rate… it’s enough to send shivers down my spine.”

“…Do you know who No. 31 is?”

“Yes. She’s the illegitimate child of one of the three dukes of Free Cell Kingdom, Duke Letierus. She’s a witch hybrid. Duke Letierus will designate her as his successor.”

“Why?”

“The current heir of Letierus is simply too incompetent.”

“I see.”

I knew No. 31 wasn’t ordinary, but I never expected her to be a duke’s daughter. This revelation shocked me.

‘Letierus Duke… He barely gets mentioned in the original work, so I don’t know much.’

It makes sense why Venus Instructor struggles against No. 31.

“The plan begins in two months.”

“Three months.”

“Pardon?”

“It starts in three months. Not before.”

“That’s inconvenient. We’ve already set two months as the D-day.”

“In three months, I can personally kill Venus Instructor. If I manage to eliminate Venus Instructor, your plan will proceed much smoother, right?”

“Indeed… If we could definitely take out Venus Instructor, our success rate would increase by over 10%. Fine. I’ll delay the D-day by one month.”