Chapter 127 – Senior Hunting Season (5)

— Unity!! Cohesion!! Cohesion!! Cohesion!!
— This is Comrade Adela’s name!! Capture all graduate students!!
— Burn the statue of the chairman at the main gate, too! Knowledge beyond undergraduate degree is useless!!
— Unity!! Cohesion!! Cohesion!! Cohesion!!

I lost consciousness for a moment and when I woke up, this time the academy was burning in a different way.
Students wearing red belts and shouting familiar slogans.
They crawled up from the basement and began hunting the graduate students in reverse.

— Catch it! Hey, I’m a graduate student!!
— Hang him on the guillotine!
— These crazy people… !
— Run away!!

If you fight one-on-one, it’s definitely a skill that your opponent won’t be able to match.
However, time was on the followers’ side as the academy was currently being patrolled by a riot squad consisting of guards and professors.
In addition, the appearance of a strange madness that overwhelms people.
Graduate students gradually lost their place above ground and began to flock underground.

I could see Adela leading her followers in the distance, but I left her behind and headed to her lord’s castle.
It was to hear more details about Darling’s disappearance from Bill.
Although the military in the commercial city of Parenzia is not very high level, it is strange that the lord has gone missing and the entire search is entrusted to the academy.
There must be some reason.

“You’re here, Mr. Louis.”

Bill looked a little nervous, but he lowered his head slightly, as if he knew I was coming.
Seeing as he didn’t even offer me tea this time, it seemed like he didn’t have any intention of staying in Yeongju Castle for long.
In other words, it is true that Darling was definitely kidnapped.
I asked, lighting a cigarette.

“Tell me what happened while you were in Skandal. “Why aren’t the soldiers moving?”
“It was an order from the lord.”
“Really?”

In response to my question, Bill held out a small business card and said,
It was the business card of Volks Workshop.

“Lewis told me to tell him when he comes. Shortly after the training began, a representative from the workshop came to Yeongju Castle. “I didn’t hear the details, but after he left, the Viscount told me to follow him, so I was investigating.”
“Did you receive the doll?”
“Yes, but it was just a stuffed toy, nothing special. So, the head of the family began to dig up not the doll itself, but the merchant who operated the carriage he rode in.”

Florence Baron.
They are said to be a family that started a business transporting nobles by carriage to cities across the capital.
Since the passengers are nobles and it is not a cart from the upper class, inspections are rarely carried out properly.
Above all, those who use these services prefer to remain stealthy and do not disclose their destination to the outside world, making it difficult to track them.

“But information about users must have been entered in the ledger at the top.”
“I was trying to get that. But why on earth did you go into the sewer?”
“That is…”

Bill shrugged his shoulders and said, as if he couldn’t help it.

“Florence’s only child has not graduated from the academy for five years. “There was no contact at all from the outside, so I used the excuse to hunt my senior class, which happened to happen.”

***

— The matriarch is probably safe. Graduate students do not attack the graduating class, and more importantly, there are more than ten artifacts that they are wearing.

Bill’s opinion was valid, but that was only if they didn’t touch black magic.
Who knows, deep in the sewers, he might simply be teaching linear string theory or arranging a contract with a demon starting from zero.

The goal was to find Darling and her target, Baron Florence, and get to the surface as soon as possible.
She tended to neglect her own safety, if nothing else, when it came to her western forest and her demon statue.

And I have no right to blame her for that.

“I’m a teacher——!!”

As she returned to the academy, Adela spotted me and came rushing towards me with a thud.
Heavy steps that don’t match the lively voice at all.
When she turned her head in surprise, she saw that she was riding an ice duck that was even bigger than before.
With the power of the followers behind him added, it feels like watching a triumphant general.

“Have you recovered from your pain?”
“Uh, okay. The people behind them…”
“This time, in exchange for our cooperation in capturing graduate students, we have agreed to guarantee freedom of thought within the academy! “Everyone says I’m a great person!”

That’s amazing.
I was worried that a huge cancer cell might be taking root in Parencia.
Erzsebet, who was watching them with concern with the same expression as me, also came this way.

“Louis? “What’s going on here?”
“Are you trying to go into the sewer? “What about the Chairman?”
“He pulled out of the front line, saying he had to protect his statue. Thanks to you, I was the only one called and asked what kind of trouble it was… By the way, this is the story I told you last time at the marquis’ mansion…”

As all the graduate students were driven into the basement, the riot team was preparing to imprison them.
Professors, guards, priests including Caroline, and followers led by Adela.
Erzsebet was asking about the iron soldiers, but now there is something that needs to be resolved first.

“Did you find the main base?”
“The location was anticipated from the beginning. The problem was the way to get there, but those students completed the rest of the map.”

Coincidentally, the graduate student base that Erzsebet pointed to was right in the very center of the academy, right below my canteen.

“What are your plans?”
“I found the way, but there are too many routes leading out. After blocking the entrance to the building leading to the sewer, we will advance from eight directions to secure the base. “If there are no problems, it will take about three days.”
“It’s too late.”
“I can not help it. If you don’t do this, it will be even more difficult to make a complete decision. “They say they also use black magic, but it’s a problem if the damage increases.”

Even taking that into account, it is too slow.
Another method was needed.
There is a way to quickly deal with those guys hiding underground before Darling becomes dangerous.

“P-i-.”

At that time, the polar color bird on Erzsebet’s shoulder caught my eye.
And the image of Adela leading her followers while riding an ice duck.
If you think about it, now that you know the path to the center of the sewer, there is no need to retreat like last time.

“Princess. “Please let me borrow him for a moment.”
“Yes? Oh no! “Fiyi is mine!”
“Who will comfort me? “Can I just borrow it for a moment?”
“Well, that still doesn’t work! Pee! Come here! Uh, where are you going!”
“P-!”

Despite Erzsebet’s mournful cries, Pii moved to sit on my shoulder as if showing off.
Polar birds are quite intelligent and have a strong sense of pride, so they quickly figure out who is suitable as their owner.
Just when she was about to vent her anger at me for having her own familiar taken away, I held her hand and said,

“I will finish this operation within today.”
“Yes… ?”
“This is the first time since the election that there has been chaos in the Academy. “If we end this quickly, those who criticized the princess’s failure at the time will also silence themselves.”
“That…”

Except for the case where she was scolded for touching the snack bar during the anti-magic war, Erzsebet had two sore fingers.
One is that the final evaluation score given through field training was seriously low.
The other is that he was defeated by the opposing candidate in the student council president election, but eventually won by abstention.
Coincidentally, the disaster occurred because both of them were involved with Adela.

The purpose of acquiring the iron soldiers was to solidify one’s position and safely inherit the throne before discovering my identity.
As expected, Erzsebet calmed down and asked me.

“What do you need?”

I smiled and pointed at her golden eyes, finally ready to talk.

“You just need to add three.”
“Three… ?”

Yes, you only need three.
A guide who will guide me through that complicated road and into their shelter under the canteen.
A wizard who will watch over them to prevent them from escaping through the remaining passage.
Once the situation is resolved, there will even be a saint who will heal your injuries.
It would have been better if there were four, but there is no one here who is good enough at using a sword to stand by my side.

“Yes, the princess did one herself.”

***

Inside a dark sewer.
A small light blinks, buried in the damp air and pungent smells.
A blackboard was placed under bright yellow electric lights, and numerous students were tied to chairs.

Gigi geek——!

When the lecture on the 4,000Hz frequency band began, the students screamed in pain.
In front of him, several graduate students handed out graduation deferment forms and forced him to sign them.

“Aaaaah!! Help me!!”
“If you don’t want to hear any more, sign it quickly!”
“I will only use soundproofing magic on those who sign!”

Their leader, Alfred Florence, watched them for a moment and then walked deeper.
A graduate student followed us and reported the situation outside.

“The sewer is too quiet. “They must be doing something.”
“Joy! Well, that’s okay. It’s impossible to completely surround this place. “Who made up his mind?”
“About ten people. Those who decided to learn black magic have at least three years of experience.”
“It’s not enough. “You have to save twice as much.”
“Hey, Florence. Is it real? If the real guys attack, you can run away, right? “You know it’s hard to deal with professors.”
“Noisy!!!”

Alfred was anxious and shouted at his colleague who kept asking him how to get out of the sewer.
Watching his body tremble in surprise, he calmed his mind.
After learning black magic, it is difficult to control my emotions.
However, even a single life was too precious to be sacrificed, so he tried to act calm and raised the corners of his mouth.

“When I go outside, my family’s carriage is already ready to leave. You know you have plenty of time. In my senior year, who was that… ?”
“Baron Ruhilen?”
“Okay! “I heard that bitch was caught!”

Alfred has been living in the sewers for a whopping five years.
He had only heard that Darling was short, but he didn’t know Darling’s face, so he guessed that he was somewhere among the students gathered there.

“They won’t be able to attack anyway. Even if I did, it would take a long time to get here. So gather more volunteers quickly! If it doesn’t work, force it!”
“Ah Okay! But Alfred.”
“Why again!?”
“Where do you go by car?”
“Yeah…”

Cough———!

At that moment, a small roar was heard from far away.
Midong slowly crawled from the darkness, stepped on my feet, climbed up my legs, and covered my entire body.
The entire iron pipe let out a bizarre scream.
The graduate student, who felt fear, cried out to him with tears in his eyes.

“Where are you going!! “It’s safe, right!?”

Alfred, who came to his senses, was also busy gathering the research materials and demon statue he had left on the table.

“Alfred!!!”
“I heard it’s safe! Get ready to pack your bags right now! What are you going to do if you know the destination in the first place? … !”

That moment.

“Of course, it’s to uproot the roots.”

Clink!

At first, I thought it was the sound of a beaker stolen from the lab breaking.
However, the location where the suddenly changed voice came from was lower than expected, and on the other hand, it was heard from too high a place to be the sound of a bottle breaking. Two unpleasant sensations made Alfred turn his head.
Then, a small woman wearing a red uniform stood before his eyes.

“Rice, transformation magic!? You… !”

She spoke calmly, with murderous intent in her eyes.

“There’s no time, Alfred. You were too late and I was too fast. “But the price we each have to pay will be quite different.”
“What do you mean… ?”
“I will have my cheek pinched to the point of tears as a punishment for not waiting for the man who is coming, but if you are caught here, wouldn’t it be difficult for you to die gracefully?”

The price of dabbling in black magic in the kingdom is not light.
Investigate somehow to find out who is behind it and extract information.

Darling picked up the demon statue he had dropped from his hand and placed it back on the table.

“Ruhilen… Viscount?”
“We can turn it around now. This has not been officially reported to the kingdom yet. There’s only one thing you need to do. “I am now revealing the name and residence of the person who created this demon statue.”
“No way… “Did you get caught on purpose?”
“If you want to enter the wolf’s den, you have to be a rabbit. Anyway, I have no intention of handing this matter over to the kingdom’s investigation team. “Because it is only these hands that can catch those who burned Parencia.”

Tuk.

The white gloves fall off.
Dueling etiquette.
But first, I was surprised by the burn marks on my palms that were visible under the gloves.

Cough——!

As I watched the roar approaching and the bright light coming from the artifacts on Darling’s entire body.

“Shit… !”

Alfred drew his wand.