As the sun began to set, the students who had been touring the academy made their way to the dormitories.
The caretakers, having left the doors of the buildings open for the visiting students, went to the central control room to light the street lamps powered by mana.
As the academy gradually faded into darkness,
Swoosh—
A man was running through the darkness where the light did not reach.
He had no name, only a number.
He was one of the ten troubleshooters who had infiltrated the academy, and his number was 97.
97 had been monitoring two lower-level surveillance targets when he received an emergency summons and was on his way back to the base.
He arrived at an abandoned warehouse on the first-year grounds, a space he had used as a base for the past year since infiltrating the academy.
Swoosh.
As he familiarly climbed through the window of the abandoned warehouse, a voice greeted him.
"You're here."
90.
The troubleshooters who had infiltrated the academy were numbered from 90 to 99, and 90 was the highest-ranking among them, responsible for leading the team.
97 responded casually to 90's greeting and looked around, asking,
"Where are the others?"
"They went ahead."
"Went? Where to?"
Emergency summons usually required all team members to gather, except in special circumstances. However, only 90 and himself were present.
97 found this situation quite puzzling, but 90 soon provided the answer.
"An emergency order came from above. We're to gather at the target's nest."
"Target, main or secondary?"
"Secondary."
The main target here referred to Henge, the central figure of the mission and the one who must be marked.
The secondary target referred to individuals suspected of being Henge's assistants, and the current target of the 90s troubleshooters was Professor Falun.
The "nest" referred to Professor Falun's mansion.
But why gather at Professor Falun's mansion all of a sudden?
"What's going on? Has the mission changed?"
"It seems the main target has been cornered. We've obtained significant information. The target will be delivered to the secondary target tonight at midnight."
"Hmm, I see."
To 97, this was welcome news.
Over the past year,
Although the troubleshooters' mission was a daily routine, the mission at the academy was quite challenging.
The security system wasn't particularly robust. Objectively, it was quite well-organized, but to the troubleshooters, it was just average.
However, the problem was the professors.
'There are so many monsters...'
They couldn't afford to let their guard down for a moment.
Even a single step.
If they relaxed and failed to control their distance by even a single step, an unavoidable death awaited them.
One fortunate aspect was that these individuals primarily operated in the open. There were no skilled trackers among them.
But, just as he thought that,
"Damn, hold on."
97 spat out a rough curse.
"To the target's nest?"
"Yes, the order was to gather there."
90's calm tone made 97's head throb.
"Is the order correct?"
"Yes."
"Damn it. Really correct? Then what about the single-digit numbers? At least 1 or a couple of them should come to do something, right?"
97 was furious for a reason.
The professors of Jenion Academy.
He had indirectly experienced their prowess while at the academy.
But to go to their nest? Even though troubleshooters were willing to die, rushing into the professors of Jenion Academy would be no different from a dog's death.
Therefore, he looked at 90 with a desperate heart.
The answer was despairing.
"1 is not coming. Neither are the other single-digit numbers."
"Damn it."
"However..."
90's tone was somewhat evasive.
He seemed to be hinting at something, and 97, feeling frustrated, urged him to continue.
"However, what? Is there reinforcement? Troubleshooters? Bloodline members? Or, family mages? Which one?"
"A family mage."
At this answer, 97's face lit up.
Of course, his face was hidden behind a black mask, but 90, who had known him for a long time, could sense the change.
Therefore, he hesitated.
If 97 knew who was coming from the family, even this thin hope would disappear.
"How many are coming? Or, who is coming?"
But, he had to answer eventually.
"Karahen."
"…What?"
At this low voice, 97 froze.
It took him a moment to process the situation, and he remained silent for a while. When he finally spoke, his voice was weak, as if he had given up a lot.
"You mean the Karahen I know?"
"Yes, the Fire Demon Karahen."
Fire Demon Karahen.
One of the deputy leaders of the Deculan Mage Corps, the Ruby, and a mage of exceptional skill.
However, despite his high rank, he operated alone, for a reason.
His coldness in completing missions without regard for means or methods.
Focusing solely on completion, he did not spare even the lives of his teammates.
In other words, being dispatched on a mission with Karahen meant this:
'Complete the mission and die.'
"Damn it."
As 97 was feeling dejected, 90 continued in a calm tone.
"The situation might not necessarily escalate into conflict. It would be burdensome for the family if a known mage were to be involved with the professors of Jenion Academy."
"Hmm, right. I should think that way."
97 nodded weakly.
In reality, it was a hopeless situation.
If they truly wanted a peaceful resolution without violence, they wouldn't have sent Karahen.
"Then, let's go. We should join up to increase our chances of survival."
"Right, let's go."
90 and 97 headed to the nest as planned.
'The two lower-level surveillance targets...'
The two individuals 97 had been monitoring. He briefly thought about them but soon dismissed it.
After all, the target would be delivered to the secondary target tonight.
Now that the secondary target, the assistant, had been identified as Professor Falun, the identity of the messenger was no longer important.
Thud, thud.
The two of them melted into the darkness as they left the abandoned warehouse.
And below the window of the abandoned warehouse,
'...'
A pair of eyes reflected the figures moving away.
"Hmm, tonight at midnight, you say?"
* * *
I carefully recalled the conversation I had overheard outside the window.
The terms like "target" and "nest" were familiar from my active days, so I understood them without difficulty.
'So, that's why they suddenly said they were returning.'
The surveillance system of the troubleshooters was almost obsessive.
Even for the lowest-level targets, the protocol was to monitor their every move 24/7.
But when I followed them after they suddenly left, I unexpectedly gained some useful information.
However, there were a few questions.
'Is the target not a paper?'
I was the one who was supposed to deliver the paper from Henge, but I had no intention of delivering it to Professor Falun yet.
Even if the country were involved, getting entangled with Deculan so early would be quite burdensome, so I planned to deliver the paper slowly and avoid exposing myself.
This raised a question.
'Then, what information did the troubleshooters obtain? It can't be that they predicted my actions.'
Even if they could predict, it would be a wrong prediction, as I had no intention of moving that way.
In any case, the conversation of the troubleshooters had many unclear aspects.
'Hmm.'
I left the abandoned warehouse, which had been their base, and headed towards the dormitory.
The moon had risen, clearly revealing its presence in the sky, and the stars dotted the black void.
A rather beautiful night sky.
As I walked under it, I was considering and discarding various hypotheses.
Many scenarios flashed through my mind, most of which were baseless, and only a few seemed plausible.
First,
'The paper Henge entrusted to me isn't the real one.'
Given the Henge I knew, it was entirely possible.
He might have diverted the troubleshooters' attention to me and sent the real one elsewhere.
However, this wasn't a very plausible hypothesis.
'This paper is real.'
The paper of the Thousand Circle Master was so complex with specialized terms, but I could grasp the overall context and authenticity without much difficulty.
Second,
'The target they're talking about isn't the paper... No, that's not possible.'
This was a better hypothesis, but it was still baseless.
The paper of the Thousand Circle Master was significant enough for Deculan to risk sending troubleshooters to the academy.
Third and last,
'If the target to be delivered today is a fake paper.'
I nodded to myself as I thought this.
Right under a street lamp.
Bathed in the bright light, it felt as if my mind was also illuminated, so I continued my thoughts.
'Especially since it's on the day of the opening ceremony.'
Henge is a madman.
Not just any madman, but one of the maddest in the continent, making it almost impossible for a normal person like me to predict his thoughts.
But, if I tried to predict his thoughts, it might be something like this:
'Leak information about the fake paper to cloud Deculan's judgment and, further, to disperse the surveillance on Professor Falun.'
Of course, a fake paper alone wouldn't cloud Deculan's surveillance. There must be additional measures...
At this point,
I moved out of the street lamp's light.
If my judgment was correct, there was no need to confirm it.
I just needed to wait until Deculan's surveillance thinned out and then deliver the paper.
However,
'Karahen is definitely coming, right?'
Karahen. He was a prominent figure even during my active days.
After the battle with Blando, he remained in the declining Deculan to prove his loyalty.
He was still a dangerous figure, but his true prime came after the war with Blando.
As the Fire Demon enforcing Deculan's will, no one could stop him. He was a legendary figure as a war mage.
Therefore,
'I must capture him.'
Karahen's magic was one of Deculan's fire lineage techniques.
Even disregarding the fact that it was a Deculan lineage, he was one of the renowned mages in the continent.
Capturing such a mage's lineage was worth the risk.