Chapter 82 : Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Preparation and inducement.

Joy understood those words by only half.

“Given your condition and all the new information we’ve learned, I understand why ‘preparation’ is necessary. But what’s ‘inducement’?”

“It’s about inducing the enemies we don’t know to reveal themselves.”

Swish-

Eddie's wand drew a line across the upper-middle part of the diagram.

Below the line, connected to ‘Kirhausen’ at the center, were:

‘External Forces’

‘Council of Elder Mages’

And ‘Academy Elder Professors’.

And above the line was a circle with ‘Minister of Finance’ written in it.

Joy finally understood the meaning of the inducement Eddie mentioned.

“So you mean we don’t know who Kirhausen has joined hands with, so we need to figure that out before we make a move.”

“Right. Because we can no longer move beneath the surface.”

“How do we figure it out? How are you going to induce them?”

“You remember I said I’d be leaving Kirhausen soon.”

“Yeah.”

“When I leave Kirhausen, all the powers in the magical world will have their eyes on me. But even if I’ve become famous, I’m still the one who betrayed Kirhausen. Who would readily extend a hand?”

“It won’t be easy since Kirhausen’s retaliation will follow. Unless it’s someone who has no reason to be retaliated against… Ah!”

Joy, who had been deep in thought, let out a cry of realization.

Eddie nodded as if what Joy had realized was correct.

In short, the situation was like a rigged auction set up to fail.

And yet, if someone made a successful bid.

“If someone approaches me at that point and Kirhausen doesn't keep them in check, then that person is the enemy.”

The one who won the bid and the one who induced the failure had to be on the same side.

“Ah……”

Joy let out a soft exclamation of admiration.

An induction operation that so sharply pierced the psychology of the highest class in how they treated a tail.

She had been a little disappointed hearing the rather static words ‘preparation’ and ‘inducement’, but a high-level battle of wits she hadn't expected was waiting.

The vague thought that she should wait for Eddie to recover became clear again with the distinctly presented goal.

Joy, in an excited voice, guessed the part Eddie hadn't finished saying.

“Wait a minute, then the request for an interview from the Wester family, could it be?”

“I haven’t completely ruled out that possibility. But the Westers are a great family that has maintained neutrality for generations while working in the media, so this offer is likely unrelated to Kirhausen’s influence. Of course, I won’t let my guard down….”

“True, it would be too obvious a trap for the Wester family, who are unrelated to the magical world, to suddenly extend a hand. So are they neutral?”

“Probably. At the very least, they’ll only move after Kirhausen gets final confirmation of my betrayal.”

Gulp-

Joy swallowed hard with tension.

She could now tell by instinct.

It was about time for her role in the plan to be revealed.

But Eddie’s subsequent instructions were rather anticlimactic.

“Your role in this induction operation is to be a diligent academy student.”

“…Huh?”

Joy was unintentionally disheartened.

At her all-too-honest reaction, Eddie chuckled once more.

“Why, are you disappointed it’s not a role where you step up and play an active part?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“I’m still officially in a coma, so I can’t step forward. In this situation, who do you think the attention will go to?”

“…Me, I guess. So, you want me to keep an eye out for anyone who tries to get to you through me, right? While acting like a diligent student.”

“If possible, play along with them even if it turns your stomach. The student council has a lot of opportunities to interact with the outside world.”

“I didn’t join to put on such a false front… just kidding, just kidding.”

Joy was about to pout but nodded at Eddie’s feigned stern gaze.

She had her complaints, but she now understood the necessity of playing along as Eddie said.

Four days had passed since the end of the field trip.

The entire student body’s interest in Eddie was, needless to say, immense.

He was mentioned wherever she went, and his absence had the effect of turning that interest towards Joy.

Even within the student council, the treatment from the upperclassmen who used to ignore her for being a commoner had changed.

In a situation that was both good and burdensome, Joy realized she had to change as well.

In that sense, she brought up a name she had been reluctant to mention herself.

“Oh, right. Did you know that besides me, attention is also on Alexein? He’s getting quite a bit of notice.”

“Alexein? Is it because he participated in the search back then?”

“Probably. No one expected him to step up. Plus, he calmed the kids down after you came back. Though it was by yelling at them.”

“It was within my expectations, but considering his temperament, it was indeed a surprising action.”

At Joy’s words, Eddie’s expression became more relaxed.

Eustaf, so your grandson isn’t a complete lost cause.

It seemed that extreme situations really did bring out hidden qualities.

He was a little proud, but he still had a long way to go.

How much of his grandfather’s reputation had he tarnished until now?

From now on, even if that kid did well, he would barely be breaking even.

Joy looked at Eddie, who was making an old man’s face again, and wondered.

Then, she suddenly switched to another topic.

“Oh, by the way, what are you going to do about Hendricks? You said you were going to use his identity to keep him quiet.”

“He’ll be here soon. I set his appointment for exactly one hour after yours. It’s about time for him to arrive.”

“What? Then what am I supposed to do? Was I supposed to meet him too?”

Joy was subtly hopeful.

She, too, was curious about what that ‘identity’ of Hendricks was.

But Eddie wagged his index finger as if to say ‘not a chance’.

“No, you need to leave before he gets here. Go on, quick.”

“Right. My fault for getting my hopes up.”

Joy grumbled as she hastily left the training hall.

She even showed the sense to go over the wall, lest she run into Hendricks on her way out the entrance.

Eddie watched her retreating figure, then remained in the empty Ninth Magic Training Hall to wait for Hendricks.

But even after the appointed time passed, Hendricks did not appear.

* * *

A vast forest located within the academy grounds, the ‘Blackwood Forest’.

An off-limits area within the academy where even professors were forbidden to enter during the day without the groundskeeper’s permission, and where rumors of ghosts circulated at night.

The only person who could roam the Blackwood Forest after sunset was the academy’s groundskeeper, the bear beastman, ‘Baret Neuheim’.

But in the middle of the night, well past 3 a.m., a student was with him.

Barefoot, with his pant legs rolled up to avoid getting dirty, and even holding a light.

Baret, befitting a bear beastman, strode confidently through the forest path.

And the student holding the light followed Baret, walking along the rugged forest path without once tripping.

On the outside, this student would look quite brave and spirited.

If only he weren’t shedding sorrowful tears throughout his nimble movements.

“Stop crying already. Is this something that can be solved by crying?”

The groundskeeper Baret, who was walking ahead, turned to look back at the sniffling Hendricks and chided him.

The bear beastman’s characteristic booming voice echoed through the forest.

But Hendricks' tears and snot showed no signs of stopping.

“But… huuuhng… they know everything now! Hiccup! I might never be able to come here again!”

“Hendricks. It’s not like you’re the only druid in this world.”

“Sob… huuuuhng….”

Through the bear beastman’s heavy-set mouth, the information Joy had wanted to know finally came out.

Druid.

A unique mana user who could communicate with nature, command animals, or transform into them.

Hendricks was such a being.

And that fact was the reason that had made Hendricks so timid until now.

“And no one still hates druids for something that happened more than 60 years ago. Even if there were, they couldn’t be a person from Lieferden Academy.”

“Ah, you… hiccup… you don’t know… Among the elder professors… there’s even one who wrote a book on how to exterminate druids!”

“Who calls that old man a person of the academy?! There isn’t a single person who doesn’t know he’s just holding onto his title for the professor’s pension when he should have retired long ago.”

“B-but still… huuu….”

“Aish… for goodness sake……”

Baret let out a sigh and looked at Hendricks.

Hendricks' eyes were swollen shut.

Consoling the sorrowfully crying Hendricks, Baret arrived at a small clearing within the Blackwood Forest.

Baret set down the large wooden bucket he had been carrying on his back.

Then, after taking the light from Hendricks, he pointed with his chin to the vegetable dumplings inside the bucket.

“Stop your sniveling, and since you’re here, you might as well feed the kids.”

“Yes.”

Hendricks wiped his tear- and snot-stained face and picked up a vegetable dumpling.

In the meantime, Baret shone the light on the clearing floor.

Flicker, flicker, flicker.

Every time he covered and uncovered the light with his large hand, the clearing floor rippled like the surface of water.

Then, it gradually revealed its original form.

Splash, splash-

Splish, splosh, sploosh-!

As the camouflage magic was dispelled, its true form, a pond, was revealed.

It was the habitat of the water-based magical creatures, the ‘Laguna’, a place called ‘Laguna’s Pool’.

Baret had brought them in for training, feeling it was a waste of Hendricks' talent.

Hundreds of Laguna, knowing it was feeding time, waited for their food with gaping mouths.

Hendricks, in a familiar posture, picked up the vegetable dumplings one by one and threw them.

Baret gazed at Hendricks' profile.

A face swollen from so much crying and simple-looking freckles.

The combination of the two made him look as if he had been beaten up by someone.

“That kid, Eddie Summerson, who figured out your identity, I heard he was the only one who fought when those Lacania city hall bastards were running away with their tails between their legs.”

“Yes… that’s right……”

“And he didn’t reveal that you were a druid, even up to the point he was dragged away by the mana beast, right?”

“Sob… yeees……”

“Then what are you so worried about? It seems to me you’re the one who owes him a debt.”

“……”

“It’s not like the kid threatened to expose your identity. He just wanted to have a talk, didn’t he?”

Hendricks wiped his eyes with the hand holding the vegetable dumpling and said.

“O-of course I don’t think Eddie has bad intentions. But… if one person finds out, eventually everyone will find out… and it will eventually reach the headmaster’s ears. Besides, Headmaster Devens is……”

Hendricks couldn't finish his sentence and just wiped away his tears.

Baret let out a deep sigh, feeling sorry for Hendricks.

64 years ago.

A druid had caused a ‘terrible incident’ against the world.

Many people died then, and because of that, the world despised druids for a while.

The speed at which perceptions changed varied from region to region.

The more conservative the rural town, the later the hatred for druids disappeared, and there were still places where the hatred remained.

And unfortunately, the small city where Hendricks grew up was a place where an old man who had lost his parents in the incident 64 years ago was an influential figure.

The wound of having his only relatives murdered for being ‘druids’ was too great for the young Hendricks.

So great that it made Hendricks unable to believe in the changes of the times at all.

That was why Baret did not rashly comfort Hendricks.

Although he himself was of the natural world, a beastman of a once-despised predator, he could not dare to fathom the wound Hendricks carried.

‘Headmaster Devens was the apprentice of the person who was the main contributor to killing the druid who caused the incident 64 years ago.’

The words Hendricks couldn't bring himself to say and swallowed.

Baret could guess those words without hearing them.

Baret had already told him countless times that Headmaster Devens was not that kind of person anymore.

But even so, Hendricks' fear did not easily disappear.

Baret thought for a moment about what to say, then comforted Hendricks.

“From what I see, that kid is just interested in you. He might even ask you to be his companion later, saying he’s going to do great things. The newspapers are even calling him the second Phoenix Embas.”

“Sob… then I should avoid him even more… If I get close to Eddie now, I’ll become famous like Joy… is that even appropriate for a druid?”

“Do you know that what you just said is rude to the remaining 200-some druids?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“What good is being sorry to me, you foolish boy.”

“…I’ve scattered it all.”

Having nothing more to say, Hendricks quickly scattered the remaining food and sat down on the empty food bucket.

Then, while eating the snack Baret shared with him, he silently watched the Laguna.

And Bex, who had been watching the two of them, flew through the night sky and returned to Eddie.

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