“Are you really telling me you don’t know?”
“Yes! Truly, sincerely, I have no idea!”
“I’m with them on this one too!”
Desperation clearly rang out in the voices of the two people who were on their knees. Their tone was drenched in earnestness. There wasn’t the slightest hint of pretense here.
“Ah, so you really don’t know, huh? What about even a small organization moving suspiciously recently? Anyone at all?”
“Nonexistent!!”
“Besides, who would even think to attack the Academy? That’s insane!”
These two belong to two of the most significant organizations dominating the underworld of Crescent City: Toby of the Black Crows and Berolli of the Ten Arms. But despite their efforts today, just like last time, they came up utterly dry, unable to furnish me with any remotely satisfying information.
‘This lack of movement from outside just doesn’t make sense.’
The reason I sought them out once more was straightforward—I wanted to uncover even the smallest clue about the new main quest.
Just in case, I wanted to check if anything suspicious was stirring outside the Academy walls, but it seems like nothing’s amiss.
“Looks like an external raid is out of the question, huh?”
“Y-you think?”
“Hm?”
“Black Shadow Guild… planning an attack on the Academy… gah!”
Toby clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing he’d said more than he intended, and bowed his head apologetically.
Exasperation. That’s what I let out in a sigh.
“Phew. Think what you want. Here, take this.”
Pfft.
I tossed a communicator to each of the seated duo. They caught theirs and turned puzzled looks towards me.
“If you spot any suspicious activity, contact me through that. Most likely, a lady with a killer voice—one other than me—will pick up.”
“Uh… ‘suspicious activity’?”
Both asked in unison.
“I already told you. An attack on the Academy.”
“Ah, understood!”
As they clutched the communicators tightly and answered, I stood up from my seat, leaving them behind.
Whoosh.
Returning immediately to the Office.
I wasn’t exactly expecting anything groundbreaking, but I have to admit, this utter silence was a bit letdown.
“Sir, did you find anything? … No, never mind; it’s evident from your face, isn’t it?”
Eddi glanced at my expression and shook her head as she spoke, as if she’d anticipated this outcome all along.
The main quest, “Looming Menacing Forces.” Given how the Academy was supposed to be bathed in bl**d, I initially assumed the event would involve both internal and external attacks—anyone would’ve chosen a decoy maneuver, right? That’s why I went out of my way to track down the guys I’d met last time.
“You haven’t already told me, have you? How an assault from outside the Academy would be impossible due to the exceptional skills of our esteemed Leader and Erika?”
“Yeah, but you never know. If the Vice Chancellor’s involved, they could dismantle the barrier.”
“That’s something you’ve already been briefed on. Those critical matters are directly overseen by the Chancellor himself.”
Eddi let out an exasperated sigh as she spoke.
“Still, they say you should tap the stone before you cross the river, so good job double-checking. You’ve already passed out the communicators, I see.”
“Mm. If anything crops up, it’ll reach you straight away. Make sure you keep an eye out.”
“Understood.”
While watching Eddi give a little nod, I sank back into my chair.
Despite all this, the Academy is still supposed to be drenched in bl**d during the festival. How could things be so eerily quiet?
“Could it be they’re a small but elite crew?”
When I read the quest details, I already had a rough idea of who might stir up trouble during this festival. Probably someone affiliated with the Vice Chancellor, likely the same individuals who summoned undead during the inter-class competition.
“Did you hear anything back from Yuria?”
“Yes, it seems the interrogation is taking longer than expected.”
“That guy’s quite the catch, eh?”
Apparently, the fellow Cynthia gave candy to turned out to have a very tight-lipped disposition, far exceeding my expectations. Yuria tried using magic to extract information, but it seems it didn’t work this time.
There was a magic barrier of sorts wrapped around the hostage’s mind, and forcing it open risked killing the captive.
Hence, they had to resort to the primitive and straightforward method of information extraction: directly extracting confessions from the hostage’s mouth. And thus, it’s taking some time.
“Things aren’t shaping up well.”
“Tell me about it. The festival preparations are already underway.”
“Hmm.”
Indeed, as Eddi pointed out, the Academy was already humming with excitement in preparation for the upcoming festival. The annual Crescent Academy Festival, held every May, included events ranging from Yuria’s session with graduating students to student parties, event booths, and even Academy-organized galas. The inter-class competition, I learned, was a kind of eve-of-the-festival affair.
“Wouldn’t it just be easier to take down the Vice Chancellor and be done with it?”
“…Doing that might make it so the Black Shadow Guild can’t operate here in Crescent anymore.”
“Why? We’re doing them a favor by nabbing the bad guys.”
“Would it be that simple? With zero evidence? More likely, they’d turn us into the bad guys.”
“…”
“Exactly.”
And with that, Eddi closed the conversation, her tone firm and decisive.
Her point did resonate with me. We haven’t gleaned any confessions yet—not even from the grunts working under the Vice Chancellor.
If we were to engage the Vice Chancellor in a fight as self-proclaimed members of the Black Shadow Guild inside the Academy walls without any legitimate grounds, we would undoubtedly end up labeled as the villains.
“So, we’re just waiting for something to explode?”
“Not entirely. The Captain is moving around and checking various leads, despite some missteps, and Yuria is doing her best to dig up some information…”
Knock-knock.
Just as I was about to correct Eddi regarding these “missteps,” a knock came from the door.
Creak.
“Ah, the Captain’s also here?”
“Yuria?”
Opening the door revealed none other than Yuria. Lately, with these frequent encounters, she doesn’t seem quite as elusive as she used to feel when we only saw her once per quarter.
“Any progress?”
“Hehe. A bit.”
As Eddi inquired, Yuria closed the door behind her with a sly smile.
“Oh? What’s the scoop? Got it all? Are we finally set to nab the Vice Chancellor?”
“Not quite. But I’ve figured out the date.”
“The date?”
“Yes, the day they intend to execute their plan.”
With a newfound seriousness, Yuria took a seat on the couch in the middle of the office.
“When?”
“During the second day of the festival.”
“The second day?”
“Yes. The day officially designated for student parties—when everyone’s expected to be least on guard.”
“So, that’s when they’ll make their move?”
“That’s almost certain. I’m still unclear on the method and don’t yet know exactly what they plan to do.”
Leaning her hand on her forehead, Yuria continued her explanation.
“Their ultimate goal seems tied to the Nameless Demon, but how an attack on the Academy connects to that—still a mystery.”
“Hmm.”
A brief pause of silence filled the office as everyone processed the information.
Each of us seemed lost in our own thoughts.
“Yuria, how about the drug analysis? You’re finished, right?”
“Ah, yes. As expected, it was a concoction that temporarily enhances physical potential. Fortunately, it isn’t addictive, but excessive use could potentially cause the body to overload and spin out of control.”
“Ah, that fits.”
As Yuria concluded her report, the image of Cain Hover burning with fiery intensity came to mind.
The potion Cain consumed and the candy Cynthia had were clearly of the same variety. It’s almost certain that the guy I captured supplied the same drugs to Cain.
“Things aren’t shaping up easily, are they? I’d still prefer to prevent an incident before it happens.”
“Right. We’re supposed to ensure nothing happens during the festival.”
“Hmm. No matter how I think about it…”
“Hm?”
“If what Yuria says is true, we might have no choice but to infiltrate internally. So we can respond immediately if anything goes wrong.”
“Internal? You mean inside the Academy?”
“Yes. Given the high risks of external infiltration, they will undoubtedly initiate their plans from within.”
‘Ugh.’
Yuria’s confident assertion made me do a double-take, especially considering I had just checked for suspicious activity outside the Academy walls.
“Considering what happened with the undead last time and the Vice Chancellor’s involvement, you have to assume they’re already deeply embedded within.”
“That… makes sense.”
“It means we need to prepare from within as well, without the Vice Chancellor’s knowledge.”
“How…?”
“Given that you’re already disguised as a student?”
Yuria smirked, and then it hit me—she’s right.
These guys have no clue I’m the Black Shadow Guild Leader.
“So, with two more captains embedded inside, we should be equipped to handle most any issues, right?”
“Two captains?”
“Yes, two captains. Professor Amillion might possibly be willing to help with that.”
“Yuria, you mean two captains…?”
“Hehe. There’s one captain around here with nothing to do but play with her silver hair, isn’t there?”
Ah.
Aha.
Eddi and I were likely conjuring the same image: Erica, clueless and twirling her silver hair, totally in the dark about all this.
“So, Erica Captain and I will be on standby inside the Academy during the second day of the festival with you?”
“That… would be acceptable?”
“It’s the best decision I can make based on our current information.”
“I concur. Having you, Captain Erica, and Captain Yuria together would certainly boost our confidence.”
“Plus, we’re armed with more intelligence than our adversary, giving us the upper hand.”
Yuria’s voice exuded confidence.
“At the very least, we can ensure student safety.”
“Okay.”
Erica’s opinion may have been entirely overlooked, but the plan was set.
It was a solid approach.
Ideally, we’ll nip any incident in the bud before it starts during the festival, but at the very least, we’ll be well-equipped to mitigate if something does arise.
“Still, we should exhaust all possible measures. Prevention’s the best policy, after all.”
“Hehe, naturally.”
“And from here on out, I’ll be focusing my efforts inside the Academy to scrutinize the Vice Chancellor.”
As Yuria’s smiling face lingered in my mind, I repeated the words to myself.
The time has come to focus inward. It’s time to dig deeper inside the Academy.
