# Episode 53: Secret Operations (1)
During my hospital stay, the investigation proceeded thoroughly.
Upon examining the signal device I had, they discovered an error in the implanted magical circuit. It was supposed to be set for two-way movement—entering and exiting the forest—but my signal device was set to activate only upon entering.
The individuals in charge of managing the signal devices were thoroughly investigated, but due to a lack of motive and solid alibis, opinions lean toward the possibility that the internal circuit was accidentally damaged.
The fallen monster I encountered was a previously undiscovered mutant species. Though no further details could be gleaned from the corpse, it is confirmed that it was an unidentified monster in historical records.
The Academy, while suspecting foul play, lacks concrete evidence and is considering classifying the incident involving my injury as a mere accident.
Professor looked deeply troubled and expressed concern to me, but I already have a rough idea.
“Followers of the Evil God. Those black mage bastards, probably.”
Mentioned during my encounter with the Goddess, the Evil God and his fanatical followers aim for nothing less than the destruction of the world. The likelihood that they were behind this incident seems high.
Moreover, I have a good idea who the culprit might be. There’s only one suspect in the early stages capable of orchestrating such an event within the Academy.
But I don’t understand why they’ve acted so prematurely.
In the original story, incidents targeting students didn’t start until the beginning of the second semester. The first term functioned as a tutorial, helping players understand the game’s mechanics, without direct threats to lives.
My possession hasn’t significantly altered this; there’s no reason for them to single me out for elimination, nor any benefit to drawing the Empire’s attention so early.
Unless…
Swoosh—
Turning my head, I saw Ria sitting nearby, diligently peeling an apple for me.
“Could it be that they’ve noticed Ria’s divine healing power? Maybe they’re planning to kidnap her to use her abilities…”
But this line of thought doesn’t quite fit their behavior. If they intended to abduct her, they should have isolated her, not me. It would have been more effective to cause a commotion by pushing different students into danger so that, while the faculty were distracted, they could extract Ria.
“Still, I don’t know. Nonetheless, for the time being, I should stay closely with Ria.”
The likelihood that this event was orchestrated specifically to target me by the Evil God’s followers means their actions won’t likely end here.
These cultists are willing to resort to any measure to achieve their goals; their next attempt might be more dangerous.
“Why are you so quiet? Are you still in pain anywhere?”
“No, not at all. I was just admiring how well you peel fruit.”
“Ho ho… it’s nothing much.”
Ria then returned to peeling the apple with concentration.
Truthfully, my body is already fully healed thanks to Ria, who poured her divine healing power into me. To avoid raising suspicion from healing too quickly, she left a few superficial scars but quickly mended all fractures and serious injuries. It was hard not to notice her slightly wistful look during this process.
Thus, despite being fully recovered, I am under orders to remain hospitalized for a while longer. Given that I plan to rest for about a week and the Academy has announced a temporary suspension of classes for a week to investigate the practical exercise incident, I don’t have to worry about falling behind in class.
“I finished peeling! Ah~”
“But I can eat by myself…”
“Ah~”
“…Ah.”
Ignoring my protest, Ria insisted, pressing the apple to my mouth, and I obediently nibbled like a baby bird.
Initially angered by my return due to injury, Ria now seems happy to be around me under the guise of nursing care.
“Ria, my arms and legs are healed, so you don’t need to take such good care of me…”
“Ah~”
“…Ah.”
Hmm, it’s not that I’m afraid of her gaze, just that I feel uncomfortable rejecting her generosity.
“Prince, do you understand the circumstances of this incident?”
While feeding me apple, Ria asked me with a concerned look.
“…Well, I was too focused on surviving to get a good look, so the conclusions reached by the professors should be accurate. It’s hard to control the emergence of mutant species, right?”
For now, I don’t intend to uncover the truth. After all, the guy behind this is well-liked in the Academy and is also an important source of information. If I reveal him too soon, his accomplices may go into hiding.
Hiding the truth for now will give them a false sense of security, and then we can capture them all in one fell swoop later when they act again.
“Um… I see.”
Though Ria wore an expression of dissatisfaction, she seemed to have accepted my explanation.
Still, given that the perpetrator is ‘that guy,’ Ria’s safety cannot be guaranteed. While I feel sorry for putting her in this situation, it might be necessary for me to distance myself from her until ‘that guy’ makes his move.
“! Gah, Prince! I’ll sleep here while you’re in the hospital!”
“No, you don’t have to go through the trouble—”
“I’ll sleep here!”
“Um… alright…”
“Thank you~ I’ll inform the nurse and pack my things~”
And with that, Ria left.
“She didn’t have to go that far… is she just excited about nursing for the first time?”
*
Cecilia, after confirming with Rab that she would stay in his room during his hospitalization, left the ward and returned to her own room.
Once she confirmed no one was around, she checked carefully to ensure no sound escaped before retrieving her hidden communication stone.
A short signal went through, and a familiar face appeared.
“Ria, I got the news. Prince was severely injured, huh? How awful that a mutant monster appeared at such a moment… We’ll send some medicine through our contact for better recovery—”
“It’s a commission, sister.”
At the word ‘commission,’ Belie’s face froze. Their relationship shifted from close siblings to a professional one of commission and information, a tension filling the brief silence between them.
“Starting today, gather all the information you can find about the Black Mages. Their hideouts, organizational hierarchies, the entity they serve—anything related. Investigate thoroughly.”
“The Black Mages… their policy is immediate extermination upon discovery, so they have very little documented information. You know most of what is already public knowledge… why the sudden interest in those bastards?”
Belie was perplexed by Cecilia’s request. After all, she had no apparent connection to the Black Mages. Although she had difficult experiences in her childhood due to her parents’ misconduct, there was no plausible reason she would ever associate with the Black Mages.
Thus, it was natural for Belie to feel suspicious at Cecilia’s sudden interest in them.
“This Prince incident likely had Black Mage involvement.”
“What?!”
The sudden revelation startled Belie into an audible gasp.
“Just a random mutant monster? If what you say is true, then it means the Academy has already been infiltrated by the Black Mages!”
“Likely so. Although information is being tightly controlled out of concern for public panic, Prince, being directly involved, suspects the monster could have been artificially created.”
Of course, Rab hadn’t said any of this; Cecilia pieced it together from her understanding of his thoughts.
“An infiltrated Black Mage deliberately planted an artificial monster during the training exercise to assassinate the Prince… the repercussions will be vast.”
“Insane…”
Just imagining the situation brings shivers. Black Mages freely moving within the Empire’s premier educational institution, planning to threaten the life of a student—news of such would undoubtedly lead the Royal Family’s Knights Order to tear the Academy apart, bringing significant public outrage.
“However, we will not disclose anything to the Academy for now.”
“What? Why?!”
Black Mages are dangerous. Their specialized powers amplify human desires to extremes, causing their victims’ brains to be consumed by the pleasure of such desires, leading them to act cruelly and without restraint.
Even the incident with the mutant monster was likely intentional, and they would have had the means to swiftly eliminate Prince Rab if they truly intended it.
“Revealing it now would just give the culprit a chance to escape. If it immediately becomes public knowledge that the Black Mages were responsible, they’ll surely destroy all related evidence and go into hiding.”
“That’s true… but…”
“This was agreed upon by Prince as well. We must act quickly before they have time to plan their escape.”
Though Rab has figured out the culprit of this incident, he has decided to report it as a mere accident to the Academy.
He chose this sacrificial decision to personally bear some of the burden instead of creating a commotion that might raise the Black Mages’ suspicions too early.
But Cecilia could not sit idly by.
“Also, send a few combatants to the Academy. The Deputy Leader as well.”
“What?! The Deputy Leader too? What are you planning to do?”
“What else? I’m going to remove the trash that’s trying to drive a wedge between us.”
Knowing the culprit, Rab worried Cecilia might get hurt trying to distance herself from her. Instead, it only fueled Cecilia’s anger.
“I’ll lure out the culprit, so take them out instantly. No—better yet, kidnap them and make them confess to everything, whether it’s true or not.”
How dare they try to separate her from the Prince?
Though the culprit likely had no such intention, their future was decided from that day forward.
XIII(13)- DEATH.
Choosing the Death Tarot card, the culprit unknowingly embarked on a path towards their end.
