Chapter 31 (1/2)
Chapter 31
The hawk’s vision was limited, making it impossible to understand the whole story. However, as far as Sylvia saw, the knight tried to assassinate Deculein first, which forced him to retaliate in self-defense, causing the knight to fall down the cliff and, ultimately, to his death.
No, Deculein definitely tried to save the knight, which meant he died of his own accord…
… Through her magic, Sylvia witnessed the scene unfold almost as if she was right in front of it. Even the conversations they held were transferred directly into her ears.
With her eyes closed, she found Deculein standing alone on an overhanging cliff. The fact that he didn’t fall was indeed a miracle, but the conference was about to start in six hours.
She thought he’d need another miracle for him to reach Bercht in time.
Deculein looked up at the sky, seemingly directly at the hawk, which surprised her so much she ordered it to return. It would be impossible to observe further if the blizzard got worse anyway. It might also hurt the hawk, an occurrence she wanted to avoid the most.
It was her very first creation, which made her want to keep it with her for a long time. If the mana in its mana stone ran out, she decided she would recharge it instead of replacing it.
“Come back.” Sylvia opened her eyes after issuing the command, returning her vision to Bercht’s landscape.
“Oh, Ms. Sylvia?”
Hoo—
As she sighed and turned around, she found herself face to face with the people from the kingdom that Syrio talked about.
“So this is where you were~ I’ve been looking forward to meeting you~!”
“It’s a real honor to see you in person, Rookie of the Year.”
“Greetings. I’m from the ‘Judra’ family of the Reok Kingdom.”
“…”
Sylvia felt burdened by their weird responses.
*****
At the express train railway, the platform employee saluted a high-ranking official.
“It’s an honor, Deputy Director!”
Deputy Director of Imperium’s Public Safety Bureau, ‘Lilia Primienne.’
Coincidentally, she was camping in the northern mountain range when she heard about the train incident and was immediately dispatched to the site as the Deputy Director of Security.
“A surprise attack was launched, and an explosion occurred?”
“Yes, it’s a common occurrence in the process of traveling to Bercht. The reward is even ten times bigger for assassinations that occur inside Bercht. This is nothing special.” The employee who appeared to be in charge replied.
Primienne glanced below the cliff. “What about the casualties?”
“None has been confirmed yet, but Professor Deculein and the knight, Veron, are currently missing. He has a more detailed eyewitness account…”
Primienne looked in the direction the staff was pointing at, finding a man with a blonde mustache and Allen, who looked like he was sleeping on the track.
“Yes, the wizard and the knight saved me, but when I came to my senses, the whole train had already fallen. Maybe the knights launched a secondary attack…”
The mustached man was talking to someone else when Primienne approached him, who then pointed at the camera hanging from the man’s neck.
“Is it okay if I take a look at it?”
“What? Yes, but this is my source of income—”
“I’ll give it back to you immediately.”
“Oh, okay.”
The man developed the film of the camera in an instant. Looking at some of it, Premienne grew momentarily speechless.
“… Huh?”
She smirked.
The magic film contained 1-2 seconds before and after the picture was taken, like a video.
In the photo, the train was floating midair. She deduced the initiator to be Deculein, considering even she knew the identity of that magic.
Psychokinesis.
He suspended the train using it and very nonchalantly at that. He could even be seen reading a book.
He was so relaxed he seemed like he was just holding up a pencil.
Premienne, who was looking at the photos, soon received something from ‘someone’ from ‘somewhere.’
A mana signal poked her in the back, causing her to stand still and interpret it.
[Knight Veron is dead.]
[He tried to kill Deculein, but it seems like it was an order.]
[The Head Professor survived.]
“… Hmm.”
Primienne let out a small sigh. She knew Veron.
They were from the same clan, after all: the ‘Red Box.’
Even though he had a lot of screws missing, he was an admirable man. His death made her feel bitter… but she felt relieved at the same time.
He was a ticking time bomb, like Rock Hark. She was certain he would definitely cause trouble one day.
“What do you think of the photos? I know I’m the one who took it, but even I can’t help but admit it was an amazing sight. I’m a magical analyst, but I would never dare assess Professor Deculein’s caliber—”
“That’s enough.”
Primienne returned the pictures to him.
“… Oh, oh! It’s a ghost!” An employee screamed, causing her to look in his direction. She immediately determined the newly found figure’s identity even though he had just arrived at the track.
Head Professor Deculein.
No one saw him come up. One moment, he was nowhere to be found. The next, he was standing within their vicinity alone.
Without saying a word, he looked down at the cliff he had climbed while thinking about his limits. His psychokinesis could kill anyone, but it couldn’t get through a knight’s fortitude. Additionally, without mana, he was rendered powerless.
His magic couldn’t overcome a master born with talent and intense concentration.
He felt a distinct wall blocking his path.
A sense of dejection rose.
If not for that unidentified help, it would have been him who would have been slammed below this cliff…
“Head Professor.” Primienne approached him. “Your Assistant Professor is over there. He’s safe.”
Deculein saw Allen on the track.
“Will that be all?”
“Yes.”
He paused for a moment before replying. “What time is it?”
“It’s 3:30,” Primienne answered as she had an unnecessary thought: she found his face fucking handsome.
“… 6 hours left.”
He weighed the probability of him attending the conference on time, which was beginning to seem impossible. For him to climb the cliff without the train with his low stamina, it would take at least a day.
“I’m sorry, but I need to ask this out of formality, Head Professor. What happened to the escort you were with?”
“… He died.”
“Was it because of the attack?”
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“I see. Professor, by any chance, can you straighten this track?”
Deculein tilted his head at her words and looked down on Primienne, emitting arrogance unique to nobles. It was as if he was looking at someone inferior. She felt anger surging inside her for a moment, but she forcefully soothed it.
“If you can fix it, I’ll call the train over with my authority.”
If he could fix the tracks before the blizzard got worse, she would be able to call the train on standby to resume its activities, increasing his chance of reaching Bercht before the conference.
‘It’ll be beneficial for you, professor, so why are you looking at me with those eyes? You’re making me want to pull them out…’
“It’ll be much better and faster than walking—”
“I refuse.”
Primienne shut her mouth and rolled her tongue. ‘I was born with the natural talent to irritate people, huh?’
“… Move.”
The real reason behind his decision, however, was his exhaustion. He didn’t have any remaining energy left to spare on magic.
She misunderstood the situation since he looked perfect externally, not realizing that internally, he was lethargic.
“… Okay.”
Primienne lightly bowed her head, then moved away from Deculein and grabbed an employee.
“Since you’re not doing anything, clear the tracks before it gets snowed over even more.”
“Yes, of course.”
“… One more thing. Is this the only train that goes to Bercht?”
“No, it’s a bit far, but there’s a land route and a sea route on the other side of the mountain.”
“Hmm…?” Premienne felt something strange as she spoke with the employee, causing her to look back.
But there was no one there.
Deculein had already disappeared.
“Was it ‘Acceleration’?”
He probably thought it would be faster to run up the cliff while using support magic than clear the tracks.
The wind was indeed intense in this area, and it wasn’t impossible to borrow the strength of the elements…
“How much mana does that guy even have?”
His abilities exceeded imagination. He was even stronger than the reports made him out to be, considering he stopped the train from getting derailed using psychokinesis, drove back dozens upon dozens of knights, defeated Veron, safely climbed the cliff, and still had enough mana to spare to cast ‘Acceleration, an advanced magic, on himself.
Was his mana capacity the size of an ocean?
Primienne clicked her tongue.
“Eungh…” The Assistant Professor grunted, finally waking up.
Primienne approached him and asked him as he looked around blankly. “What’s your name?”
“What? Oh, me… Uhh…”
“Your Professor is gone.”
“…” Unable to answer, Allen’s tears swelled up.
Primienne frowned. “He didn’t go to the afterlife. He’s just gone ahead to the Bercht conference. So, your name?”
“Oh, yes! Whew. I’m Allen.”
Primienne spelled his name skillfully then showed him her writing. “Did I get the spelling right?”
Allen nodded. “Yes.”
“Your age.”
“I’m 24 years old. You’ll have to excuse me. I’m his assistant. I need to follow him right away…”
“You’re already late anyway. Just wait for the next train.”