Chapter 1934 – 1934. Dark Moon
“Have you ascertained Miss Tine’s activities before she entered the Maid Academy?”
“Given Miss Tine’s background, we haven’t been able to fully ascertain them. It seems we’ll need more time to investigate her activities.”
“This is an incident that occurred at the academy. Investigate thoroughly.”
“Yes, Headmaster.”
At that moment, one of the instructors spoke up.
“According to the brainwashing expert, it wasn’t a direct, action-forcing type of brainwashing. He said it was a type that subtly nudges the direction of consciousness and thought. Targeting Miss Yuria might have been a coincidence.”
“Then, what do you think the brainwasher’s goal is?”
“Well… wouldn’t it be the academy’s reputation? They’re deliberately causing incidents to tarnish the academy’s reputation. There are those who are not fond of the academy, after all.”
“So, Miss Yuria was just caught up in the process…. I have a different opinion.”
“Please share your opinion, Headmaster. We’re all ears.”
“You all know how outstanding Miss Yuria’s talent is.”
There was no way they wouldn’t know. Yuria had shown herself to be a genius, pure and simple. She grasped ten things from one lesson, and even though she wasn’t a mage, she possessed magical knowledge. In some fields, she was already considered to have surpassed the instructors’ level. The culinary arts were one such area.
“Yes. It’s an unbelievable talent. I’ve never seen such outstanding talent. It’s hard to understand why the Knight Training Center let her go.”
“They say she did stand out at the Knight Training Center, but not to this extent. It seems her talent bloomed later.”
The instructors eagerly praised Yuria. Yuria was the most outstanding talent in the history of the Maid Academy.
“That outstanding talent might be the goal.”
“Are you saying that they might have originally intended to brainwash Miss Yuria, not Miss Tine?”
“Brainwashing abilities don’t allow you to brainwash just anyone. You can usually attempt brainwashing when someone is mentally unstable. In my view, Miss Tine was just a means to shake Miss Yuria’s mind.”
“……Does that mean the brainwasher is inside the academy?”
“I believe there’s a possibility.”
“The reason for specifically targeting Miss Yuria….”
The instructors fell silent.
Considering Yuria’s talent, the reason was clear enough.
“There are also spells that steal the target’s talent. There are plenty of reasons to target Miss Yuria.”
“I’ve only heard rumors of spells that steal talent, but do they really exist?”
“The world is vast, and there are countless wonders. We call them miracles, and some of those miracles are magic. The legendary mage Merlin said, ‘Nothing is impossible with magic.’ Always keep possibilities open. And starting tomorrow, I will inspect the academy’s internal security system.”
“Yes, Headmaster.”
“How is the matter of recruiting Miss Yuria going?”
“…I subtly probed, but the situation isn’t good. She doesn’t seem to have any interest in the royal family.”
“Did you explain how great an honor it is to work for the royal family and how beneficial it would be for her career?”
“I did, almost every day. Given how outstanding Miss Yuria is, she must know. It seems she has no interest in the royal family at all.”
“What’s the reason?”
“It seems Miss Yuria has some sort of contract with her patron, Baron Eugene Meyer. She holds a significant stake in his business.”
“A noble I’ve never heard of before.”
“He recently became a minor noble.”
“Are Miss Yuria and he romantically involved?”
“I haven’t ascertained that yet. However, given that Miss Yuria has been living at his house for an extended period, I believe there’s a possibility.”
A man and a woman living under the same roof. In other words, cohabitation. It wouldn’t be strange if they fell for each other. Besides, Yuria’s beauty was exceptional. What man wouldn’t harbor ulterior motives?
“This is troublesome. Things aren’t going well. The royal family has actually learned of Miss Yuria’s existence. They’ve identified her as an outstanding talent and are urging me to bring her to the royal family.”
“The royal family directly?”
“Yes. It seems someone in the royal family is very fond of Miss Yuria. They’ve only seen her on paper. I understand. The royal family is currently lacking in outstanding talent. They wouldn’t want to miss a genius like Miss Yuria.”
The instructors’ expressions darkened.
Even if it was the royal family, they couldn’t force her to work there. Even if they did, it was questionable whether she would work properly.
The task of choosing Yuria would fall to the instructors. Would that be an easy task?
“You are aware that the first visiting day is approaching, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“It’s the day the students look forward to the most, and it should be the most enjoyable day.”
“We know. Most of us are also academy alumni.”
“By any chance, will Baron Eugene Meyer be coming that day?”
“Yes. As Miss Yuria’s patron and guardian, his visitation request has been approved.”
“I should meet him once. Perhaps he can help persuade Miss Yuria.”
• • •
Colonel Bergman. No, that guy, who was no longer a colonel, had planned to kill me and take over the Lemen Prison with Deputy Warden Kevin.
If I hadn’t intervened, that plan would have succeeded. The real Leon Schneider had died in the first attack.
Even after that, Bergman had tried to kill me. The necromancer’s attack was quite dangerous, if nothing else. It was only because his curse didn’t work properly on me for some reason that I didn’t die in that wasteland. If the curse had worked properly, I might have died there.
Anyway, the important thing was that Bergman had tried to kill me. So, I would kill him too. I had permission from the 6th Corps Commander Marie, so there was no reason to hold back.
I came to the city where Bergman’s main family was located. It was a city outside the 6th Corps’ sphere of influence. To be precise, it was a city within the 3rd Corps’ sphere of influence.
Bergman, who had fled the 6th Corps, had boldly returned to his family home and sued the 6th Corps. The lawsuit was about the corruption committed by the 6th Corps. He was using the media to try to hold out.
The reason for holding out was simple. He wanted to secure his assets somehow.
‘If it were me, I would have run without looking back. Did he really think he could temporarily stop the Imperial Army with a lawsuit?’
The reason I was going along with the lawsuit was that Marie, the 6th Corps Commander, had entrusted me with his disposal. He was in the 3rd Corps’ sphere of influence? There was no way there wouldn’t be connections between corps commanders. Besides, Bergman had not only leaked Imperial Army secrets but also betrayed them by filing a lawsuit. There was no reason for the 3rd Corps to defend him.
I received a message from the 6th Corps.
They had completely prepared the cleanup, so I could go wild.
It was as if they were saying to me, “Please, go wild.”
‘With the media’s attention now, they plan to brand Bergman as a traitor.’
The company run by Bergman’s family was a company specializing in organ trafficking. It was a perfect company to manipulate and incite.
Thud!
I got out of the car provided by the 3rd Corps.
In front of me was a building over ten stories high. The building’s surface was constantly flashing with neon signs. The company’s name was Backup. It was an artificial organ manufacturing company.
I walked towards the company building. Guards stood at the company entrance. They tensed up when they saw me in my military uniform.
“I’m sorry, but no one is allowed to enter our company at this time. Even if you’re from the military, there are no exceptions.”
“……”
I stared at him intently.
Suddenly, these words came to mind.
“Let’s enjoy it 2023 style.”
I opened my Astral. Startled by the sudden mana fluctuation, he tried to draw his sword from his waist. Before that, my hand grabbed his head and cast the prepared spell.
[Explosion]
KWAHAAANG!
An explosion occurred, tearing the guard’s body to pieces. Burnt flesh scattered everywhere. Thanks to the barrier I had deployed at the same time as using Explosion, no blood or flesh touched my body.
“An attack!!”
“One enemy on the first floor!! Suspected to be a battle mage!”
“Come down immediately and provide support!! They used Explosion magic! At least a 5th-grade battle mage!!”
Thud thud thud thud!
The guards fired their guns, unleashing a barrage of bullets. They were mana bullets, but their power was insufficient to penetrate a 5th-grade barrier. Some of the guards rushed at me with swords. A blue light shimmered on the blades. Mana blades. Special equipment that maximized cutting power using mana.
I swung my hand at them.
[Electric Whip]
The electricity generated from my fingertips whipped out like a lash, sweeping in all directions. The swordsmen tried to charge forward while taking the hits. They were trusting in their state-of-the-art armor. However, they were all swept away by the whip and rolled on the floor.
“This is insane! It’s not just a simple 2nd-grade spell!”
“Fall back for now! We’ll fight after joining up with the support unit!”
I looked at them and formulated a spell.
“Do you think I’ll just stand still?”
[Electric Field]
Electricity spread across the floor in all directions. It crawled up the walls and stuck to the ceiling. In less than five seconds, the surroundings were sparkling with electricity.
“Explode.”
[Microwave]
Powerful electromagnetic waves poured down on them. An invisible attack. Even if their senses warned them, they were already inside a microwave and couldn’t escape.
POP!
Their bodies exploded. Blood shot up to the ceiling, and pieces of their insides fell at my feet. I stepped on an eyeball, not knowing whose it was, and headed upwards.
A voice came from the speakers on the ceiling.
-Leon Schneider!! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!
“Bergman, is that you? I’ll return those words to you. Did you think you’d get away with treason? I’ll go kill you now, so you better write your will in advance.”
I pointed my index finger at the speaker. A streak of blue electricity shot out and shattered the speaker.
THUD!
A guy hiding in the ceiling fell towards me, holding a dagger in reverse grip. Knowing this in advance, I stepped back slightly and used magic.
[Absolute Polymorph]
I turned my right hand into a hand cannon and blasted the guy. His upper body exploded and disappeared.
I continued forward.
