“Haaaa.”
“Hahaha.”
“Are you laughing?”
“Well, at the end of the day, we caught all the hidden bastards in the Academy, didn’t we?”
“… But didn’t things get way out of hand?!”
“…”
As usual, there was nothing I could really say to rebut Eddi’s words.
Honestly, I didn’t expect things to escalate this much either.
Taking out the remaining Landgar remnants who recognized Green wasn’t particularly difficult.
The problem was finding the hidden ones; once we found them, it was game over.
Turns out the guy inside their hideout wasn’t much either—just a bit stronger than the rest but nothing special.
Still, I’ll give it to him—he didn’t get knocked out with one punch, so that’s worth some praise.
But here’s the kicker: that wasn’t the real issue.
Wiping out Landgar’s remnants, completing the side quest, boosting my stats, and preventing my suspension—all good stuff, right?
Except I got too confident.
“… I didn’t think a student would have such an expensive artifact.”
“Haaaaaaa.”
And Eddi sighed even deeper than before at my pathetic excuses.
One of the female students tagging along during the chase shouldn’t have been a big deal—but turns out she had what amounts to a camera artifact in this world.
It was no ordinary trinket; this thing had high-level magic spells layered on top of each other, making it ridiculously pricey.
Of course, that meant she recorded everything—including me taking out those guys in the forest.
And to top it off, when I turned my head at the end, my Black Shadow Guild uniform and mask were way too visible.
Guess all that careful work to avoid this kind of situation went down the drain.
The article in the Academy Weekly got so much attention it blew up. Not only did the story spread throughout the Empire, but soon the entire nation caught wind of it.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but it makes sense. News about the Black Shadow Guild—and especially its mysterious leader—is rare enough as it is.
And for the first time, my masked face got captured head-on in the video.
Up until now, I’d been extra cautious to prevent this exact scenario.
And yet, despite all the chaos going on in the continent, this news somehow became one of the hottest topics.
Plus, with all the recent buzz around Black Magic and how it might link to the Black Shadow Guild—it’s prime gossip material.
“Maybe you were a little too relaxed?”
“Haaaaaaa. I’m already hearing rumors of the Empire prepping a search party. You really need to be careful.”
“Pfft. Like they’d actually think I’m hiding here at the Academy.”
“…”
Eddi facepalmed, lowering her forehead onto her palm.
It could’ve been worse, but surprisingly, it worked out in a way.
There’s no way they’d suspect the leader of the Black Shadow Guild is hiding in plain sight as an Academy student.
In fact, once their intense investigation dies down, things might get easier moving forward.
“Tch. Honestly, not my problem. Do what you want.”
“Wow, that stung, huh?”
“Lately, there are even whispers that this infamous Black Magic issue might be tied to the Black Shadow Guild too.”
“Whaaaat? That’s completely wrong!”
“To be fair, that’s not really important. All they know is that you, the leader, were spotted hanging out with undead creatures.”
“But I was HELPING them!”
“True, but since the initial reports went in that direction, public opinion can turn on a dime. You know how fast rumors spread.”
“…”
Unfortunately, Eddi’s right. Dead-on.
We’ve been through similar messes before, and while it’s slightly more unjust this time around, it’s nothing new.
Eh, maybe things will sort themselves out eventually.
“For now, it’s probably best to lie low. I’ve already passed the message along to Yuria.”
“Yeah, sure thing. I’ll be careful.”
“…”
Eddi’s eyes were brimming with distrust. How dare she question the leader like this!
“I’m serious though. The remnants in the Academy are gone, so there’s no need for me to step out for a while. Things should settle down.”
“Really? That’d be great.”
There was genuine relief in Eddi’s voice. I know how much work she puts in whenever these incidents happen.
Take, for example, the O’Neil Kingdom incident when we had to relocate our entire base.
Thankfully, this time around, it’s not as extreme.
“And anyway, I’m about to leave the Empire soon.”
“… Did you set a date?”
“Yeah, next week.”
“That is sooner than expected…”
“True, but it’s not like the Academy’s in a good state right now either.”
“Haaa, that’s another headache in itself. Why now of all times?”
“Actually, it’s no big deal. I mean, who—”
Eddi’s sharp glare cut me off mid-sentence.
The trip Professor Amillion mentioned about the Northern Continent—it turns out the location swapped at the last minute.
Thanks to Eddi’s phrasing, the “unfortunate” new destination happens to be far more dangerous to me than the North.
The O’Neil Kingdom.
Remember that place? The one with the Dragon Heart, which handled all our heating, cooling, and security systems?
The O’Neil Kingdom is still on high alert against the Black Shadow Guild. That makes it nearly impossible for us to get reliable intel from there.
Even regular guild members can’t operate effectively in O’Neil because they’re so tightly monitored.
“So don’t worry too much. If things get bad, I’ll just hoof it outta there.”
Eddi seemed to relax a bit after my somewhat earnest assurance, though her mood didn’t fully recover.
“Alright, let’s head back?”
“… Yes.”
With her brief reply, I opened a portal. Since I had just popped into the office during the Academy’s lunch break, I needed to hurry back.
“Did everyone see this?”
“Yes.”
“Me too.”
Cynthia’s question was met with nods from Elaine and Emily.
Playing on Cynthia’s communication device was none other than the hottest video circulating through Crescent Academy right now.
The video shows a shadowy figure dressed in black pummeling robed men dressed in white somewhere in the forest.
It’s gone viral across the continent, and whispers have begun that the black-clad figure is none other than the enigmatic leader of the Black Shadow Guild, who allegedly saved Crescent Academy from undead creatures.
All three girls sat quietly, fixated on the video once more, despite having watched it countless times already.
“Those clothes… almost certain,” Cynthia mutters to herself before subtly glancing at the others.
The moment she saw the outfit in the video, it triggered something in her memory.
Somewhere she’d seen it before—and now it clicked.
That outfit. She’d seen it close up.
The night of the Cain Hover incident, inside Ryu’s dormitory.
It was hanging on the wall, unmistakably the same design as the one in the video.
Cynthia focused extra attention on Emilie, who was the only one aware of Ryu’s true identity.
Not only was Emilie Yuria Prisis’s niece, she came from the Prisis family herself.
Maybe she’d know something Cynthia didn’t about Ryu’s mysterious past.
During this exchange, Emilie was just as deep in thought.
“The clothes my aunt wore during the festival… they were the exact same.”
Emilie had seen Aunt Yuria switch into black gear during the festival, though she had no idea what it was until now.
The video made everything clear: it was a Black Shadow Guild uniform.
There’s no doubt Yuria was wearing the same outfit as the one in the viral clip.
“Could it be…?”
Several possibilities ran through Emilie’s mind, but one stood out above the rest.
Her aunt Yuria was part of the Black Shadow Guild.
“Which would explain why the guild leader appeared within the Academy grounds.”
Emilie glanced at Cynthia, wondering if she’d already pieced parts of this together.
“About these clothes…”
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
Elaine’s sudden interjection pulled both girls out of their reverie.
Though skeptical, Elaine pressed on.
“Is it even true that this outfit is the Black Shadow Guild uniform?”
“Of course! Everyone’s saying so.”
“Yeah, it was even on the Imperial News, not just the Academy Weekly.”
“Hmmmm…”
“Why the hesitation?”
Elaine hesitated, clearly conflicted over something. Cynthia, brimming with curiosity, pressed further.
“Well…”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve seen this outfit before.”
“What??”
Both Cynthia and Emilie immediately turned their focus to Elaine.
Though, truth be told, both of them had also seen the outfit before—but this moment felt pivotal.
“Where?”
“Not completely sure, but… during the festival incident when the undead wyvern broke through the walls.”
Elaine frowned slightly, concentrating hard.
She distinctly remembered seeing someone in black rushing toward the wyvern—and deep down, she suspected it was Ryu.
“These clothes… Ryu also wore these, I think.”
“…”
The room fell silent as Cynthia and Emilie exchanged glances, unsure how to respond without raising Elaine’s suspicion.
Meanwhile, Ryu walked in, having returned from his “short walk,” sounding surprisingly—and conspicuously—flustered.
“What? Absolutely not!”
Both Elaine and Emilie’s inner thoughts were confirmed.
Cynthia: “That outfit from the dorm really was a Black Shadow Guild uniform.”
Emilie: “Ryu is also part of the guild, just like Aunt Yuria.”
“Ah, is that so?”
However, Elaine didn’t seem to pick up on the implications. Her trust in Ryu’s denial was absolute, leaving Cynthia and Emilie to barely stifle their collective sighs of relief.
The secret was safe, for now.
