Chapter 95


    HEL SCANS


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    —————


    The day after duty.


    Usually, those on duty would head to their amodations for some rest.


    However, someone who didn’t need sleep at all was preparing for a secret outing.


    ‘The observer….’


    Unseen.


    In fact, whether being watched or not made no difference.


    For someone who could freely transform their form, surveince was as useless as it could be.


    The hero exited through the side gate, prearranged by Yussi, and arrived at the shopping street in the nearby vige.


    The current time was noon.


    There were roughly 30 minutes left until the appointed time.


    “Come this way.”


    Ignoring the bustling street and entering an alley, someone cautiously tapped his shoulder.


    It was a middle-aged man he hadn’t seen before.


    His hair stood up unevenly, resembling cheap wool, and his thick, bushy beard was messy.


    Judging by the apron, he seemed to be the owner of a nearby stall.


    “Ricky?”


    “Yes, follow me.”


    Disguised as a vige merchant, thest puppet of Nyhill.


    He guided the hero to the entrance of a secure mansion and then disappeared into the shadows of the alley.


    ‘…They’ve managed to create such a hidden ce in this rundown area.’


    Without hesitation, the hero descended into the underground.


    At the end of the narrow and nauseating stairs, there was a security door.


    Click-


    Upon opening the door, the luxurious interior of the mansion, in stark contrast to the outside, was the first thing that caught the eye.


    Two out of the three people I was supposed to meet were already there.


    “Hero!”


    “Leader, you’vee.”


    Yussi and Noubelmag, who were bickering as usual, greeted him with joy.


    The hero nodded and ced the document bag he was holding on the table.


    Thud— a heavy sound echoed, and their gaze naturally turned towards it.


    “This is…”


    “Meeting materials. We’ll start when Felson arrives…”


    The hero stopped speaking and looked towards the entrance he had juste through.


    “Look, the tigeres when I speak.”


    Just then, a man wearing a reversed robe was entering.


    * * *


    A stillness settled in the secure mansion.


    Felson stood at the entrance, silently observing Yussi, Noubelmag, and the hero.


    Unspoken emotions crossed his wrinkled eyes, then calmly settled down again.


    “…Nice to see you all.”


    Noubelmag had been away, so he was unaware of the news.


    Although Yussi hadmunicated a few times after retirement, this was the first time meeting face to face.


    For the hero, excluding the previousmunication, it was the first meeting since the victory celebration.


    Once, they faced each other every day, crossing borders through the screen.


    Hence, the feelings he experienced were profound.


    A smile appeared on the lips of the three who had been waiting.


    “It was a good idea toe out of that corner at times like this.”


    “Well, first, how about taking off that dusty robe, Felson?”


    “…You’ve traveled a long way. What’s in your hands?”


    Felson faintly smiled and shook the bag in his hand.


    “I didn’te empty-handed. I brought something to eat in front of you all. Your favorites.”


    The perfect, Felson Dietrich.


    Many people, including his son, saw Felson as the epitome of a stern knight.


    However, behind the strictness he always disyed, in private, he was a rather easy-going and gentle man.


    Rugged yet affectionate, the strictness he showed was always apanied by tenderness.


    Thanks to that, he got along well with the cantankerous Yussi, remained unfazed by Noubelmag’s pickiness, and had a good rtionship with the hero.


    “A direct address to the Principal, you’re fully qualified as a parent, Felson..”


    “As I grow old, I crave these salty snacks.”


    “Eat moderately, or you’ll die quickly.”


    “Why do you speak informally to me while you’re always showing respect to that guy who hasn’t even lived half a century?”


    As bowls were passed around a few times, the conversation took a turn into lighthearted banter.


    Usually, Yussi and Noubelmag bickered while the hero and Felson watched.


    “….”


    Then, suddenly, silence descended.


    In the midst of banter, there was often a silence that naturally crept in.


    The hero was the one to break it.


    “I think that the probability of the three of you being traitors is low based on the circumstances.”


    That was enough to reverse the atmosphere in the once cheerful mansion.


    Noubelmag and Yussi, retired and unable to participate in the great battle.


    Felson, who lost his wife to demons, had been tracking and eliminating them relentlessly for the past ten years.


    The hero calmly spoke, exploring their facets.


    “So, I’m sharing this operation with you all.”


    “….”


    “You probably have a rough idea of the situation.”


    Yussi and Noubelmag had been briefed in advance, and Felson would have received an exnation from Euphemia before departure.


    Sure enough, all three heads nodded simultaneously.


    “Within the academy, the presence of coborators has been confirmed, and this time, I n to lift them onto the surface through an extreme midterm exam.”


    The hero’s eyes shed with intense determination.


    “At Rosenstark.”


    .


    .


    .


    There are coborators in Rosenstark.


    When Asteria Vision revealed that, it didn’te as a big surprise.


    It was somewhat expected.


    The ‘hero’ was the most threatening enemy of the demons, and it was obvious that once I came to Rosenstark, they would extend their influence here too.


    …But suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.


    “Are they really aiming straight for me?”


    It’s been three months since I came to the academy.


    However, until now, they haven’t done anything to harm me.


    ‘…No, I guess it was not possible.’


    I could be sure.


    The traitors here are not powerful enough to directly target me.


    Due to the nature of the closed academy, they wouldn’t be able to gather such power.


    Usually, in such cases, they would go for secondary targets.


    So, who could be the secondary targets?


    The answer was obvious.


    “…The kids.”


    There have been attempts in the past as well.


    Promising young talents being attacked by demons during vacations or cases ofplete brainwashing and persuasion.


    The current exceptional kids, excluding the ‘Golden Generation’ where the hero was an undergraduate, were on a level that could be called the strongest in history.


    From the demon’s perspective, they would undoubtedly be future obstacles that must be eliminated.


    Traitors within the academy couldn’t just let these growing kids, potential threats, be.


    “….”


    HEL SCANS


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    —————


    Felson, who had been listening to the exnation, narrowed his eyebrows.


    The expression was quite different from before, especially when the story involved his son.


    “But why hold the midterm exam in the Forest of Martial Arts? It’s already a dangerous ce, and it’s also far from the central part of the academy. Isn’t that a bitx in terms of surveince? It seems like setting the stage for mischief.”


    “Yes, it is setting the stage. To expose the traitors.”


    “…What?”


    Initially, I, too, considered changing the location.


    Even if the kids had grown enough to safely pass through the Forest of Martial Arts, it was a story that held true only if there was no external interference.


    If a coborator yed tricks, it could be dangerous in an instant.


    I thought it made sense to conduct the exam in a secure location.


    But…


    “So, if the exam is sessfullypleted this time, is it all over?”


    No.


    The coborators will always be after the kids.


    Given more time, they’lle up with more sinister and cunning ns.


    ‘In the worst case, those who are well-prepared could target the kids individually. That would make it even harder to prevent.’


    Therefore, the best thing to do now was to pull them out from under the surface as quickly as possible.


    And to achieve that, this exam had to be held in the Forest of Martial Arts.


    “…It sounds like using the kids as bait.”


    I shook my head slowly.


    “It’s not using them as bait.”


    “Then?”


    “As long as there are coborators in Rosenstark, whether we like it or not, the kids are already bait.”


    It was an intense expression.


    But it was also an undeniable fact.


    Tension tightened in Felson’s jaw muscles.


    Yussi, who had been alternating gazes with him and me, cautiously intervened.


    “So, in summary, you judged that rather than waiting for the hesitant ones to make a move, it’s better toy the groundwork first.”


    “Yes.”


    Felson let out a long sigh and rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a pipe.


    After emitting a few puffs of blue smoke, his face revealed a mixture of fatigue, concern, and determination.


    “…I roughly understand. It’s regrettable that my son got involved in this mess.”


    I asked vaguely.


    “Do you regret admitting him to the academy?”


    “No, it was his own decision. I have no right to interfere with what he decided.”


    “That answer is surprising…”


    Felson’s deep blue eyes turned towards me.


    Though different in color, Ban’s eyes and Felson’s somehow resembled each other.


    “I trust the Leader. He is not the kind of person who would put the kids in danger.”


    Feeling a heavy responsibility, I answered.


    “Of course.”


    It was the opportune moment to bring out the prepared ‘meeting materials.’


    Ziik-


    As I opened the bag and spilled its contents onto the table, everyone’s attention was drawn to it.


    A massive stack of documents.


    Surprisingly, despite the weight and thickness causing it to spill out of the bag, it still maintained a book-like shape.


    Various sizes and colors, making it difficult to count, these reports, memos, drawings, and more formed a substantial amount of information.


    ‘At this point, we have to prepare for every possibility.’


    Given theck of information about the coborators, with only six days left until the exam, the chances of obtaining new information were slim.


    I didn’t know which demon tribe they had allied with or how they would carry out their schemes.


    The situationcked even basic clues.


    Hence, I had to prepare contingency ns considering every possible scenario.


    Felson sifted through some of them and muttered with a sense of awe.


    “When on earth did you…”


    “It doesn’tpare to you, traveling from the east to the west in less than a week, all because of your concern for your son.”


    “…Goodness.”


    Analysis of all potential threats and dangers that could arise in the Forest of Martial Arts, detailed response ns, steps, and responsible individuals for each n,munication systems in case of a crisis, descriptions of resources and equipment needed or mobilized for the response—these documents were strategically organized.


    In the past few days, while carefully guarding the kids and figuring out how to catch the coborators, this result hade about.


    Noubelmag and Yussi, wide-eyed, expressed admiration.


    “With double and triple safety measures.”


    “With this…”


    I nodded.


    “Yes, things won’t go the way they want.”


    Only then did Felson lift the corners of his mouth.


    The shape of his lips was tense, reminiscent of a hunting dog’s snout.


    “Alright, let’s give it a try.”


    .


    .


    .


    A few dayster.


    The coborators within the academy were also having a meeting with the demons.


    “…Finally, it’s tomorrow.”


    The demon, with eyes shining with anticipation, responded in a voice that seemed to devour the air.


    “Yeah, the wait was long.”


    It was the final check phase.


    HEL SCANS


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    —————