Episode 162. The Approaching End (2)
Dormitory Rhapsody Hall.
Rubin stayed up until dawn, because while the other cadets were fast asleep, his day was not over yet.
The last thing I had to do today. I had to return the blue-feathered griffon, Selok, to his master.
‘You fell asleep.’
Beyond the transparent ceiling, he could sense that Oscar was sleeping soundly. Rubin moved immediately. He went out into the hallway and headed to Oscar’s room on another floor.
Due to the influence of Class C’s outdoor class, the beasts’ vigilance was as strong as at the beginning of the semester, but that didn’t mean they could catch Rubin.
Finally, Rubin entered Oscar’s room.
As if to welcome him, Oscar’s sleep talk continued. Judging by his laughter and the list of food names that came out one after another, it seemed like he was enjoying a sumptuous feast in his dreams.
‘According to what Cellok said, you could enter Oscar’s subspace pocket.’
Rubin placed the blue bead he had brought on his hand and waited. At that moment, the sound of Oscar’s even breathing continued as he slept.
Sssss.
Cellok, who had been re-incarnated, appears before your eyes. The room becomes cramped in an instant due to Cellok appearing with a blue halo. Oscar, who is deep in sleep, no matter what.
The sound of Cellok’s voice continued.
-Don’t worry. I’ll know in advance when Oscar wakes up.
-I thought it would go straight into my pocket. Do you have something to say to me?
Selok stared at Per without saying a word. Now that I think about it, this must be their first meeting. Even in his dreams, Per, who was asleep, wouldn’t have thought of it.
-It’s not too late. You can tell me anytime. That thing I asked you before.
-I told you, it’s a pact with ‘that guy’.
The reason Selok appeared for a moment was not to satisfy Rubin’s curiosity. On the contrary, it was because his own curiosity had blossomed.
-I think I heard some interesting stories while I was in your robe pocket earlier. I mean, conversations with five-star unmanned personnel.
-You probably wouldn’t have been able to figure out the situation just by eavesdropping.
-You don’t want me to explain. I just want to know if that unmanned person is an enemy of Per.
To Cellok, everyone surrounding Per was a target of caution. The only person who had been proven not to be an enemy was Rubin. So it was natural for Rubin to be wary of the unmanned person who had an unusual conversation with him.
‘Not bad.’
Rubin smirked. He liked it. Perga was soon to be the reason for his existence, and yet he hadn’t even revealed his true identity yet, yet he was so absorbed in his protective mission.
‘Now I can feel safe about Per.’
With that thought, Rubin’s answer continued.
-Many powers intersected over Per’s potential. I protected Per for our family.
-Does that mean that guy from earlier wasn’t an enemy?
Rubin shook his head.
-No, he is an enemy to me and to Oscar. However, he is an enemy who will soon be eliminated.
-Will be eliminated soon? Then that’s good.
-Well, at least pray for the bastard’s soul to rest in peace.
-What do you mean by peace to the enemy?
That was all. Selok didn’t bother asking any more questions. He seemed satisfied with just the expression, ‘will soon be eliminated.’
-Because of that guy, and thanks to that professor who’s probably going to die today, you’re awake.
It was a joke, but it was enough for Selok to read Rubin’s intentions. His attitude was filled with confidence that he would definitely get rid of him.
-Anyway, he wasn’t a guy that I had a bad feeling about. Thanks for removing the risk factor.
-I’ll get the thanks later after I remove it. Along with the information about the blacksmith.
-If that’s the case, I could tell you that information right now.
That’s fine, but I don’t have time right now. I can always ask again. Rubin shrugged.
-Later. Just get it in your pocket.
It was true that he could manipulate his subspace pocket because he was connected to Per. As Cellok stared into space, Per’s subspace pocket opened up in his place.
The interior of the subspace pocket was a mess, filled with various miscellaneous items, reflecting the owner’s personality. It seemed that even if a blue bead or something were added, it would never be noticeable.
Cellok ended his incarnation and returned to his bead form. Then, he slowly flowed into the subspace pocket.
The subspace eventually closed completely. I returned to Oscar’s arms and settled down.
“Please take care of me, Selok.”
Afterwards, Rubin returned to his room. Lying on his bed, he thought of Rosenthaler. Most things were going as expected, but Rosenthaler’s temper was unexpected.
‘I would have killed Kaizen by now.’
It was far from subtle. Rulfo would have trusted Hitan more in that regard.
As early as tomorrow. The news of Kaizen’s death will be known to the school. Probably not only the school, but the entire Capotini will be in an uproar.
If that happens, what will Rulfo’s face look like?
‘Will Rulfo tolerate Rosenthaler?’
It remains to be seen.
* * *
“… … .”
Rosenthaler returned from Gaizen’s house to his own quarters. He didn’t feel like it, but he had no choice but to sit down at his desk.
Not knowing when I would be contacted, I opened the lid of the iron cylinder I was carrying and poured out the calligraphic ants.
Ssssssssut.
As soon as they got on the table, the ants started to move busily. Immediately, segmented words were created.
-Conversation
-Not smooth
-No.
A word from Rulfo. Rosenthaler swallowed without realizing it. Should he report today’s failure to the chief first, or wait until he asked?
While he was hesitating for a moment, Rulfo continued speaking.
-Almost
-drunk
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-I almost fell asleep.
The head of the imperial office loved to drink. He was drunk almost all the time. When he didn’t seem drunk, it was one of two things.
When it is time to reveal that strength, or when you need to meet Emperor Telmah.
-sorry.
Rosenthaler wrote: Next, I was going to report today’s failure.
This time, intercepting that moment, Rulfo spoke first.
-Some time ago
-Forensic
-What you requested.
-The result
-It came out.
Does Rulfo believe that Rosenthaler could not have failed? Is that why he is putting off the story of the operation results and raising a different topic? The more he does this, the darker Rosenthaler’s face becomes.
By the way, that’s what I requested for an investigation.
That’s the Auror’s mark that Rosenthaler found in the ‘Valley Prison’. The mysterious Auror that had a decisive influence on Enzo Lorenzini’s escape.
Each aura has a different appearance and color, and leaves its own unique mark.
Conversely, this also meant that if you could distinguish the common ones accurately, you could track the aura.
Experts who could detect traces of aura were rare across the continent, but naturally, the Imperial Order was the organization that possessed such manpower.
-surprisingly
Ssssssssut.
The Kaliki ants are busy moving around.
-Brion
-It was Aura
Brion Auror?
Despite the outrageous report that awaited him, Rosenthaler was filled with genuine curiosity.
‘If it’s Brion Aurora.’
Wasn’t he the Auror of the Haneke family, the former great general? He is recorded as having discovered his grandson’s treason in advance, killed his grandson, and then committed suicide. Although he was of traitorous blood, his loyalty and nobility were acknowledged and he was placed in the ‘Tower of Light’.
Of course, Rosenthaler did not know how much the Emperor and the Assassins were involved in the General’s death.
However, the fact that the noisy deaths on the continent always involved the Assassin Swordsman was a suspicion that any agent of the Imperial Order would naturally have.
‘There’s no way Brion Auror would remain?’
Haneke’s family was wiped out, so all descendants who would have succeeded Auror were also executed.
To begin with, the Brion family was a military family and did not have a separate knighthood, so the possibility of the Auror tradition being passed down outside the family was slim.
But Brion Auror’s remains have been found? Does this mean that the dead general has come back to life?
-Rosenthaler.
At the call of his name, Rosenthaler instinctively crouched.
-The funny thing is
-That’s right.
It was strange that the intoxication was felt even though it was a transmission in written language. Unlike Rosenthaler, Rulfo does not directly handle the Kaliki ants. He talks and the Imperial Agent next to him writes down the sentences in Kaliki ants.
‘By the way, what’s so funny?’
At that moment, Rulfo’s sentence continued.
-In the northern grasslands
-identical
-Come on
-It was discovered.
“… … !”
Was Haneke’s blood still alive?
The area commonly referred to as the ‘Northern Grasslands’ on the continent refers to the grasslands where the nomadic ‘Tuhun’ people live, namely the Tuhun grasslands.
Now that I think about it… something seems to fit.
Because one of the first-class prisoners who escaped from the ‘Valley Prison’ had the nickname ‘Wind of the Fighting’. He was a man who was held in high esteem as a hero by the Fighting Tribe.
-to you
-Brion Aura
-Tracking
-Task
-I think I’ll leave it to you.
Was this an order to get out of the boring Capotini and return to the system? Rosenthaler clenched his fists involuntarily at the unexpected sweet words.
-Of course you
-The problem of Per
-If it was resolved well.
As expected, it was Rulpo.
The pressure that had been momentarily suspended was re-applied, and Rosenthaler’s face crumpled. The story finally shifted to the ‘Operation to Capture Per’.
-Report.
A brief, blunt remark. Now it was Rosenthaler’s turn.
False report? That was a thought that occurred to me for a moment, but it was a meaningless ploy targeting the head of the Imperial Department.
Ssssssssut.
Ssssssssut.
The Kaliki ants were moving busily. At the same time, the progress of this operation, which was transmitted to distant islands, began to be written down.
Kaizen’s mistake, his atrocities.
An incident where an attempt to remove Kaizen failed.
Until the Witherspoon family had an unexpected confrontation with their maid.
“Whew, this is driving me crazy.”
There were two things that Rosenthaler particularly emphasized: that his identity had not been discovered, and that Rubin had not detected anything unusual.
After completing the transmission, Rosenthaler waited silently for a response from the system. Then, a shout suddenly erupted.
“Shit!”
There was no reply.
Instead of replying, the Kaliki ants suddenly began to bite each other. The ants attacked each other indiscriminately, without any sense of friend or foe.
This phenomenon meant one thing: all the ants on the other side that were being used for communication had died.
If it were Rulfo, he would have been so angry that he would have punched the ants on the table.
His face was flushed, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked so angry that his veins were bulging as he crushed the ants.
‘Anyway, I’ll have to beg Rulfo to spare my hands and feet. So that I don’t lose my power.’
At that moment, a bitter voice rang in Rosenthaler’s head again. It was the grumbling of Rubin Roinen that he had encountered during the day.
bang!
Rosenthaler also slammed his fist on the table. The few Kaliki ants that survived the fight were unable to avoid the punch and were crushed.
If it were possible, he would want to blow up and kill that assassin who had been laughing at him like this.
“Also keep in mind that secret operations aren’t something you can do so clumsily or emotionally.”
“… you f*cking little brat.”
* * *
The next day’s flow was as Rubin had expected.
Professor Kaizen, who did not show up for work without any notice. Professors who found it strange visited. Kaizen, who was found brutally dead at home… … .
The rumor that Kaizen’s corpse was being eaten by countless rats spread like wildfire, not just in the Magic School, but throughout the entire city.
Aside from Rosenthaler, who took his life, Rubin was the first to learn of Gaizen’s death. He sent Tina to confirm his death in the early morning.
After that, Rubin went to school and took classes as usual, acting as if nothing had happened and waiting for the rumors to spread.
‘The school must have come up with a plan by now. They’ll probably let the students know around the time of the closing ceremony.’
After the afternoon classes are over.
The C-class cadets waited for Professor Benitez to finish his class. They were unaware of the terrible rumors that were spreading through the city. Today, Benitez was coming to class late, but no one thought it was strange.
“Luden.”
“hmm?”
Amidst the chattering cadets, Dahlia called out to Rubin. It seemed like she had something to say.
“The Delrin and Ielos families will be holding a joint banquet soon.”
“Your family and Eric’s family?”
As Rubin asked that question, something occurred to him. Oh, Tina had told me in advance. That the two families would be hosting the banquet.
It was a celebration party for the results of the Jang Education Committee exam.
Even though they had the grades to be drafted as officer cadets, the appointment ceremony was cancelled due to the Mana Explosion that happened at that time. In the end, Dahlia and Eric had no choice but to become ambiguous ‘candidates for draft’.
However, it was clear that even this was a happy event for the Samhwi magicians. That was why these families had been planning a banquet for a while, and were only now about to announce the date of the banquet.
“But why is that?”
Dahlia’s face turned red as Rubin stared at her. It was a very faint change, but it could not escape Rubin’s gaze.
At this point, I could already guess what she was going to say. And guess what?
“…I wish you could attend too.”
“Why me?”
“Of course… I think it would be meaningful if you, who deserves first place, attended.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course! Ielosga said it wouldn’t matter if you weren’t there, but I think differently. A celebration without you would be nothing more than a consolation party for losers.”
Judging from the shape of her lips, she seemed to be speaking her mind. Although she was speaking indirectly, Dahlia meant that she thought of Rubin as the ‘unofficial number one’ in the selection test.
When Rubin didn’t respond with a calm expression, Dahlia became impatient.
“So, I remember all the test content. I know what kind of performance you had. I don’t know why you weren’t even considered for ‘draft’… but, what I mean is-”
“Do you think I’m number one?”
“…huh.”
“Okay, Dahlia. I’ll think about it.”
Only then did a sigh of relief escape from between her lips. Dahlia smiled slightly with a face that was more excited than before. Even the oblivious and insensitive Oscar noticed her blushing face right away.
“… I thought about it carefully. It’s going to be quite a grand banquet.”
Of course. Even though it is the Samhwi family, it is a joint banquet of the Ielos and Delin families, which are recognized as prestigious families throughout the empire. Not only the powerful nobles from the surrounding areas, but also all the famous people of Samhwi will gather without exception.
‘I wonder if the banquet can be held properly.’
Of course, the opening itself was not a problem. However, in Rubin’s view, the repercussions of Kaizen’s death on the magic school and the entire city were by no means small.
“Then I’ll assume you’ll be attending. The date is in two weeks. I’ll send you a formal invitation.”
Rubin nodded. Seeing the proud Dahlia speak like that, he realized that a lot had changed since the beginning of the semester.
“Then that’s it.”
“Dahlia, just a moment.”
“huh?”
Dahlia, who was about to turn around after achieving her goal, turned her head again and opened her eyes wide. As if she had nothing left to say.
Rubin said indifferently.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“… … .”
There was no response. He just turned around and walked away quickly. Rubin snickered. He didn’t even have to look to see what Dahlia’s expression was like.
‘By the way, it’s a grand banquet… ‘
That moment.
Suddenly, a scenario began to fill Rubin’s mind. It seemed as if he had found the perfect time to eliminate Rosenthaler.
Chloe happened to be nearby, so I called out to her. There was something I needed to check.
“Chloe, I heard that the Ielos and Delin families are hosting a joint banquet.”
“Yeah, I heard. But why?”
“I wonder if it would be possible to hold a banquet when the school atmosphere is so chaotic these days? So, I was wondering if it would be okay to be a little more cautious.”
“Huh? Why are you being so perceptive? The banquets of the nobles are important occasions. No matter what happens, they should always be a priority. Even if there’s a war. I don’t know for sure, but that’s what my mother always said.”
Of course, that’s right. It’s a social gathering place for powerful families. It’s an arena where all kinds of political issues, secret deals, and secret fights take place.
“So, you’re saying there’s no problem?”
“Of course. If it’s hosted by the Delin or Ielos families, it’ll be quite a grand banquet. Of course, it won’t be as grand as our Witherspoon family.”
At that moment, Professor Benitez, who had been waiting, entered the classroom. His face was extremely complicated as he had to tell her about the death of his fellow professor.
