Chapter 156 : Chapter 156

Chapter 156: Outbreak (1)

Late at dawn under a blue full moon.

In the underground liquor storage of Lunatic, four people.

No, two men and one woman and one corpse sat huddled together.

The reason, of course, was to discuss the upcoming operation.

In the faint, flickering light.

The first to speak was Rachel.

“When is the Skull Mask coming?”

At her question, Luis checked his watch.

The hour hand on the clock had just passed 12 and was nearing 1.

“A day has passed, so it should be tomorrow. But it could be later.”

“Why?”

“It’s because he went to fetch someone. If he can meet that person right away and bring them back, he will arrive by tomorrow morning as promised. But if he cannot meet them right away, it may take more time.”

There were several other reasons for the potential delay.

Before he left, Gerard was confident that the person would not refuse the hand of help he extended.

But nothing in life ever goes as planned.

The person might have their own circumstances, and the conversation might not go well.

Or, an unexpected situation might arise in the middle, delaying their return, and in the worst case, Gerard might return alone and empty-handed.

So.

“We should completely exclude the Master’s arrival from the plan.”

The others all expressed their agreement.

The timeline didn’t match from the start.

The Cult gave Parnaci a two-day grace period, so one day has just passed, meaning it was due today.

If they waited for Gerard to arrive, Parnaci and her daughter Jaygie would already be cold corpses.

It was possible that if things went well for Gerard, he might arrive one day earlier than the mentioned schedule of tomorrow and join today, but that was just hoping for a fluke.

The best strategy is always to plan for the worst-case scenario, and Luis knew this well.

“The personnel for the operation will be the four of us. Ms. Rachel, you will be in charge of support.”

“Okay.”

Rachel nodded her head.

She was currently active as a member of the Academy Investigation Team.

The Academy Investigation Team.

A military organization of the Academy that once again came together after the zombie incident, driven by the Vice-Dean Karad’s determination to incinerate all the perpetrators of the recent Final Evaluation Terror incident.

Although it was a temporary organization, since its leader was Chaser Idna, who was considered the next Central Knights Commander, many people were focusing on their actions.

It was obvious that if Rachel could manipulate them well enough to benefit Shadow, today's operation would be many times easier.

It was at that moment, as they were formulating a plan based on the information they had.

“But what about the possibility of the Central Knights or those magic guys getting involved?”

Dayle, who had been listening quietly, asked.

“If those guys get involved, it’ll be a total mess. I mean, it was like that last time, wasn’t it? Everyone remembers, right?”

There was no one in this room who didn’t know what Dayle meant by 'that time.'

That was because they were the ones who had personally experienced it.

The zombie incident.

Recalling the military might of the Central Knights that they had experienced in the last battle at Frey University, their intervention was bound to make the situation worse.

No matter how far Ladrier Hotel was from the heart of the capital, it was still located within Icata.

If a battle broke out with the Cult, their intervention had to be taken as a given, and if that happened, it would be fatal to both the Cult and Shadow.

“They probably won’t come.”

But Luis shook his head.

“Even if they come, only a small number will.”

“How do you know that?”

At Dayle's question, Luis told them what had happened the day before yesterday.

Lunatic was a hideout and a cover business that concealed Shadow's existence, but it also served as an intelligence post for gathering information.

It wasn't intentional, but due to its location, most of the customers who visited Lunatic were Icata's upper-class residents living on Royal Road.

Among them, the regulars were noblewomen who came to see Luis's face, and they would tell Luis about their personal and family affairs without even being asked, and among them were some quite useful pieces of information.

“A banquet is being held. A private party to welcome the return of the Second Prince, who had left for the Holy Nation for a baptismal ceremony. And it just so happens to be tonight.”

“What?! A party? In this situation? Seriously?”

“Yes. I checked, and it was true.”

Dayle let out a hollow laugh.

“Seriously. How long has it been since the Academy raid? They must be out of their minds, out of their minds.”

“Frey is a golden empire. It has survived countless invasions and wars over a thousand years. Do you think those distinguished Central figures would even glance at the Cult? They’re probably cursing the Academy for the damage it suffered instead.”

Rachel’s words were true.

From their perspective, postponing the Prince’s return banquet for a mere raid on the Academy was an unacceptable loss of face as a noble of the Empire.

In fact, most high-ranking nobles were cursing the Academy’s inadequate security and response.

In particular, Dean Bell Toro, who was the most secretive and disobedient figure in the Royal Empire and had been a thorn in their side for a long time, was being shredded to pieces from that point on.

“In any case, for that reason, organizations that can be called the heads of Royal security, such as the Central Knights and the Special Magic Corps, will all gather at the Royal Palace, the banquet venue, today. Even if something happens, my prediction is that they will prioritize protecting the VIPs, and the probability of them running all the way to the distant Ladrier Hotel is low.”

“Low? It’s zero.”

Rachel answered with conviction.

“So, we must strike the enemies first.”

Everyone's eyes were simultaneously focused on Luis.

No. What did he mean by that?

The eyes staring at Luis said as much.

Hitting the enemies first meant a surprise attack.

A surprise attack is meant to seize the initiative and momentum in a battle to inflict huge damage on the opponent.

And it was not difficult to predict what kind of situation would unfold at the hotel after that.

Chaos and combat.

For those who had been focused on quietly infiltrating the hotel and spiriting Jaygie away, this was like a bolt from the blue.

To show that he wasn't misunderstood, Luis unfolded a brochure on the table with a floor plan of Ladrier Hotel.

Dayle, who had been staring blankly at the sight, quickly reached out his hand.

“Hey, hey. Hold on, Luis. Are you saying we should have an all-out war with them?”

“It’s a surprise attack.”

“Nooo. It’s the same thing! Without the boss!”

Dayle jumped to his feet.

Even though Clatter had the combat power comparable to a squad leader of the Central Knights, they might receive support from the Academy Investigation Team with Rachel’s help.

Still, there was an insurmountable difference in power between the two organizations.

There was a Bishop there.

And not just any Bishop, but a Bishop of the Death Council.

Among the five factions within the Beltus Cult, the Death Council had the fewest Bishops, but its standing was the greatest, and not just because of its traditional roots.

It was because of the special nature that only Necromancers possessed, and the combat power of Necromancers who had achieved their own understanding was enough to be called a walking army, far surpassing the realm of ordinary people.

Among them, Bishop Laitna was a Necromancer who could summon a grotesque creature called a Skeleton King.

Not only that.

The High Cleric Vallary, who was her sibling, had refused the position of Bishop and remained a High Cleric, and was rumored to be an eccentric Necromancer within the Death Council.

And Dorian, the Vice-Commander of Blood who had come with the two, was also an individual who couldn't be ignored.

“I told you, Dayle. Our goal is to rescue Ms. Jaygie.”

“No. That’s why I don’t get it. It’s already difficult to sneak in and quietly take her out, so why would we attack the enemies who are just sitting there first? What, are you trying to announce our arrival to them?”

“Exactly.”

“...Huh?”

Dayle made a foolish expression, but Rachel, who had been listening quietly next to him, spoke up.

“It’s a feint.”

“That’s right.”

“A feint? What’s that? I don’t know what it is, but I don’t have any smoke grenades. There’s no time to make them either!”

The two people and one corpse completely ignored Dayle.

Luis began to carefully explain the plan that had just flashed in his head.

The overall framework was a feint. Yes.

He set that as the basic skeleton and then added flesh to it as he explained.

As Rachel occasionally chimed in with brilliant ideas, the vague plan gradually took on a single objective and began to be fleshed out in earnest.

Dayle, who had been making foolish remarks in the beginning because he didn't understand, was now listening intently, and their strategy meeting continued until the sun rose.

***

Yuria blankly stared out the window.

Under the clear sunlight, people of various appearances were moving busily.

She didn't know where they were going or what they were doing, but most of them were travelers, adventurers, mercenaries or office workers who had come to the capital for business.

They went in and out through the hotel’s revolving doors, breathing life into the place.

Ladrier Hotel.

It wasn't as luxurious as the high-class hotels built in the royal downtown or the city center, but it was famous for being a good place for visitors to Icata to stay for a few days at a reasonable price, so it had its own recognition.

Thus, middle-class citizens, family travelers, and those who wanted to rest from their journey but also desired a certain level of service and facilities were the main guests of Ladrier Hotel.

Just now, a carriage that had passed through the city gate and along the main street stopped in front of the hotel entrance and a woman in a neat suit with a briefcase and two men in mercenary attire got out.

The two seemed to have visited Icata for business and as soon as they got off the carriage, they pushed open the hotel’s revolving door and entered.

They then went straight to the cafeteria and sat down and as luck would have it, their table was right next to Yuria's.

Their conversation naturally reached Yuria's ears.

“Ah! Come to think of it, I didn't tell you. Yesterday. I heard that monsters invaded Karagas.”

“And? It's in the middle of a monster forest, so it's not a strange thing, is it? Did half the city get destroyed or something? Or did a new named monster appear?”

The mercenary man chuckled at the cynical response of the woman in the suit.

“Haha. An appearance is an appearance. But it's not a named monster, it’s talented people. There were some young people who stopped the hordes of monsters head-on, and their performance was apparently great. The industry is already buzzing about the emergence of a new supernova.”

“Who is it? Where are they from?”

“Karagas.”

The suit-wearing woman's brows, which had brightened at the mention of talent, instantly furrowed.

“What. Karagas? So they’re from the slums, aren’t they? It’s obvious they don’t have a proper ID.”

“That’s true. But it seems one of them isn't. I heard he was an outsider, and from what I heard, he’s a guy from here, Icata. He’s the one I wanted to talk about.”

“Oh, really?”

“Hehe. Getting curious now, are you?”

“Enough with that, just tell me already. So? What’s his name? Is he a mercenary? If so, does he have a contract with a guild?”

Eavesdropping on their conversation, Yuria soon realized that they were not the type of people she was looking for and lost interest.

The group Yuria was looking for were not employees of a mercenary office like these.

It was the Beltus Cult.

The villains who had orchestrated the raid on the Academy on the last day of the Final Evaluation.

This morning, Rachel had brought a piece of news to the investigation team.

[Some people say they saw suspicious individuals at Ladrier Hotel!]

It was a highly subjective claim, throwing away evidence and factual basis, but the investigation team had not achieved any visible results or even found any solid leads so far.

So, the team leader, Professor Chaser Idna, sent a few cadets to stake out Ladrier Hotel, which was why Yuria had been sitting in the cafeteria from morning until now.

“Hoo.”

An indefinite stakeout.

Yuria let out a light sigh and turned her head back to the window.

The two men and a woman sitting next to her glanced over at the sound of her sigh, but only for a moment.

They were still continuing their story about ‘the mercenary from Icata who solved the monster invasion of Karagas.’

Perhaps because of that.

Even without her conscious effort, the topic that had pierced her ears naturally made Yuria think of someone.

Yuria’s gaze was no longer on the people roaming the hotel lobby and the street, but on someone who was somewhere else.

‘Sorry. I don’t think I can do the investigation team.’

That someone was Gerard.

Yuria recalled the conversation she had with him a few days ago.

‘Huh? Why?’

‘There’s a place I need to go. It's vacation, you know. So I’m going to go to my hometown for a bit.’

Hometown?

Yuria, who had thought Gerard was from Icata all along, couldn’t help but tilt her head.

Thinking about it, Yuria realized that Gerard had never once talked about his past, such as his childhood or his hometown.

‘Where? I’ll go with you.’

As if he had expected it, Gerard laughed and shook his head.

‘What are you saying? Didn’t you already say you’d join the investigation team? Did you forget?’

Ah, that's right.

That was why she had come to find Gerard.

Just like during the last zombie incident, she wanted to ask him to join the investigation team with her this time as well.

And Yuria, of course, thought Gerard would accept.

She thought that the senior she had known so far, Gerard, who had always taken the lead in solving all the incidents at the Academy, would do the same this time.

But he didn't.

‘It’ll take a few days. Do well with the investigation team and make sure to find those guys and punish them in my place.’

And so, Gerard left.

The decision left Yuria feeling a little sad.

That wasn't to say it was completely incomprehensible.

Who was she to follow him to his hometown?

Although she hadn't expressed it, Gerard might have felt uncomfortable with Yuria’s company.

No, he would definitely have felt uncomfortable.

She wasn't deaf, and she knew about the subtle scandal that was spreading between them.

And just as he said, she had already decided to join the investigation team with her fellow cadets...

“I guess it can’t be helped.”

Yuria shook her head to shake off the disappointment.

Right. Now was the time to focus on the mission at hand.

By then, the man and woman who had been talking about Karagas had left and others had taken their place.

Yuria glanced over at them.

The new people who had taken their seats were a man and a woman again.

Were they the type of people she was looking for?

She quickly scanned their appearance, pretending to look elsewhere.

They were young.

Their skin was pale, and with their long, droopy eyes and heavy dark circles, they both gave off a gloomy impression.

The important thing was their eyes.

The two men and women had been staring at Yuria the moment she turned her head and Yuria naturally exchanged glances with them, their empty eyes making her shiver.

‘What is it?’

It was strange.

They were clearly strangers, but her inner senses were strangely screaming that they were very familiar and dangerous.

Had she met them somewhere before?

It didn't come to mind immediately, but staring at someone for longer than necessary was a clear breach of etiquette.

So Yuria naturally dropped her gaze and turned her head back toward the window.

But after that, her expression hardened and wouldn't relax.

“…”

The reflection of the young man and woman in the window.

They were still staring at Yuria.

With a cold smile on their lips.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.