‘I’ve got to ride that thing around.’
I glanced at Green, who was hovering in the air nearby, keeping an eye on me.
Green floated along leisurely as if to say, “Is this how we do it?”
Thanks to Eddi’s idea, we’d deployed Green as bait to flush out any lingering troublemakers from the shadows.
The quest had already tipped us off that the remaining enemies were still hiding somewhere inside the Academy.
So after much deliberation, I decided on this daring approach:
Showcasing Green by letting them parade around openly outside the Academy’s walls, despite the risk involved.
While a part of me wanted to jump on Green and race across the Academy for kicks…
“Too risky if I’m spotted.”
The continent was already tense due to the outbreak of Black Magic scandals lately.
Having someone spotted riding a undead wyvern through the Academy at night wouldn’t reflect well no matter how hidden we tried to keep our identities, even with guild uniforms and masks disguising us.
“Guess it’s time to go,” I muttered.
We had already circumnavigated the whole Academy five times already today. That should be enough for one night.
‘The bite should be coming soon.’
For five nights now, Green and I had taken our midnight strolls.
Surely by now, someone had noticed.
Rumors were already swirling among the students about a ghostly undead wyvern seen flying at night.
I figured reactions would start tonight – but still nothing.
“Alright,” I thought as I called out, “Green!”
If we waited one week like Eddi suggested, maybe the results would come…
Green floated down toward me slowly as I prepared to call it a night. Our usual hideout was near the ruins where the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor offices used to be.
Just as Green approached close enough to land, something felt off.
It wasn’t the normal movements of students or staff.
Whoosh!
My instincts screamed, and I immediately leapt away from Green.
Confused, Green looked around for me.
And then, out of the shadows emerged… someone suspicious.
“Gotcha!”
Though calling a person “it” feels rude, desperate times call for it.
This felt like the moment I’d been waiting for. Their movements and attire screamed “suspicious.”
They crept toward Green, while Green – now trained to not immediately attack – began stomping its skeletal hooves.
Unlike an untrained beast, Green patiently observed instead of charging recklessly.
‘Perfect, we’ve got a bite.’
I almost chuckled at the thought.
I could have apprehended them easily, but planning for bigger fish, I held back. Catching a small fry wouldn’t lead us to their hideout.
“Good boy Green, trust this guy.”
While Green stomped around cautiously, I silently encouraged him to cooperate.
—
Nora.
Student Council member and Editor-in-Chief of the Academy Weekly Journal.
Nora double-checked that her artifact was recording correctly.
Turns out, the recent rumors about an undead creature patrolling the Academy grounds at night? Completely true.
‘Jackpot!’
Nora’s eyes widened as she observed the glowing green flames surrounding the skeletal wyvern descending from the sky.
She never expected to get such a close shot.
A floating undead wyvern, its bony frame illuminated by eerie green flames.
Not only had she confirmed the rumors were true, but she’d captured clear footage identifying the mysterious creature.
To her surprise, the wyvern descended to the ground.
Mesmerized, Nora just stood there watching the creature.
Up close, instead of being scary, it looked quite majestic, its ghastly appearance offset by the glowing green flames.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the woods.
“AHH!”
Instinctively ducking behind some rubble, Nora still managed to verify her artifact was still operational.
If anything, this was an even bigger scoop than the wyvern itself.
The owner of the beast?
‘Could someone inside the Academy really be raising undead creatures?’
Nora’s mind raced, speculating wildly.
Could this be related to the undead wyverns at the recent festival incident?
Had the arrest of Vice Chancellor Landgar not been the end of it?
Despite a growing sense of fear, Nora felt an overwhelming drive to follow this through.
‘This needs to be exposed.’
As the sound of approaching hooves grew closer, she peeked out.
‘There’s really someone controlling it!’
The fiery wyvern followed a hooded figure into the woods.
Nora’s excitement was palpable. This was the biggest scoop the Academy Weekly had ever had – bigger even than the scandal involving the former princess who attended the school.
With a sweep of her hand, she strengthened her magical concealment.
Although the pair had moved quite far into the woods, the green flames allowed her to track them easily from a distance.
Her instincts screamed danger, but curiosity overruled caution.
As she trailed them, her mind raced with possible headlines.
‘Dark Secrets Exposed? No, too generic. Wait, can we use “Undead” in the title?’
How long she followed them, Nora couldn’t say.
Deeper than she’d ever ventured before into the Training Woods, the eerie green light continued to lead forward.
‘Wait, something’s not right here.’
Even as the flames indicated forward progress, Nora realized she was following blindly.
‘This path won’t get me anywhere. I should turn back.’
Her logic looped as she tried to rationalize her direction.
“Uhgg!”
Suddenly snapped out of her daze by a male scream from up ahead.
Her eyes refocused instantly on its source.
The man in a robe who’d been walking with the wyvern lay sprawled on the ground.
“What’s going on?”
She ducked behind a tree, her small frame blending perfectly with the bark.
Her artifact confirmed it was still recording.
Pressing herself close to the ground, she tried to make sense of the scene.
The situation was clearly tense.
One figure already down, others – seemingly appearing out of nowhere – were readying for battle.
“They’re heading that way?”
“How did they penetrate the barrier… AARRGH!”
“Hey, your boss was already caught, what are you still doing here?”
‘Wow, this is huge.’
Nora’s throat tightened as she watched the chaotic scene.
A single man in dark robes was dispatching several figures in white robes with shocking efficiency.
The white-robed figures resisted but were no match.
‘Whaaat is going on here?’
The spectral wyvern stood aside, making space for the combatants.
Watching the scene, Nora’s mind raced.
This was clearly related to the ousted Vice Chancellor Landgar’s faction from the earlier undead wyvern incident.
‘This is way more than just an Academy scandal!’
As her imagination went into overdrive, she tried to piece together the mystery.
Who was this lone fighter decimating the white-robed figures?
Slowly, she crawled closer despite the obvious danger, oblivious to her soiled clothes.
When the battle ended with the dark-clothed man victorious, she couldn’t contain her awe.
Peeling off his robe, revealing a black mask covering his face.
‘That mask!’
Nora recognized it immediately.
The Black Shadow Guild Leader’s signature black mask.
Her gasp was barely contained.
—
