Chapter 104 – Magic Tower Academy

In order to attack Kane, who was under the protection of the Magic Tower,

it was much better to use the containment measures existing within the Magic Tower rather than external containment using the order.

‘I kept Kane in check that way in the past as well.’

There was an important internal organ of the Magic Tower here, and its name was the Ethics Committee.

If one only heard the name, it seemed like an organization that punished Magic Tower members who committed ethical wrongs.

In reality, it was an internal disciplinary body created by a coalition of various factions within the Magic Tower to keep out-of-favor members in check.

A place where they gathered to judge displeasing Magic Tower members according to their own tastes.

That was the Ethics Committee.

In other words, if he could just brand Kane as a criminal here, the subsequent story was bound to become very smooth.

Vrooooom!

Since he was not an inquisitor,

Rashid, returning to his magitech bike, went to the front of the Empire’s Internal Inspectorate.

It was to join up with her, who had coincidentally gotten caught up in this matter.

Right on cue, she could be seen walking out of the Inspectorate.

Unlike usual, she was not wearing her inspector uniform, but was dressed in plain clothes that knights wore on ordinary days.

An outfit that had no discomfort so she could equip her magic armor at any time, and could handle daily activities without trouble.

‘Could it be that she threw away her post like me?’

The doubt soon became reality.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“Did you discard your inspector post?”

“What if I did?”

The reason could be known even without asking.

Because she would not be such a foolish idiot as to go around stirring up the Magic Tower while holding the status of an inspector.

It was exactly the same reason as his.

“You should have just left it alone. Since you’re changing jobs anyway.”

“It is very disrespectful to the Inspectorate. The situation in the Empire is already chaotic, so I cannot involve them in the Magic Tower’s business on top of that.”

Without getting off the bike, Rashid scanned her lightly.

A woman with rich, waving golden hair that stood out.

Varasha Swallow.

In the game, the phrase symbolizing her was this:

– A thorny golden rose.

A woman who suited a knight’s uniform better than a dress.

Not affectionate, befitting a former soldier, and having the personality of a strong woman.

Extremely noble-like, yet not leaning on authority.

Also, a woman who was like a manly man, unbending and with clear convictions.

Thus, she was the life role model whom his subordinate inquisitor had regarded as an idol since her academy days.

‘And she is also the lover of Ryden and Kaiser.’

Normally, she was a character who developed a romantic relationship with either Ryden or Kaiser, but

in a state where things were twisted like this, even that could not be gauged.

For now, since Kaiser won the fight against the Empress of Blood, it was over with Ryden.

Even so, connecting with Kaiser became ambiguous as well since she had aligned herself with the military.

“So we both threw away our titles?”

“I suppose so?”

Rashid got off the bike for a moment to talk.

Standing over 180, he was not short, but she was also tall, over 170, and wearing heeled leather boots, so she did not feel short at all.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I have been involved with this woman. Usually, she was a passing acquaintance.’

“Before we begin, let’s sort out our titles. Since you are from a knightly background even though you resigned from your inspector post, Dame Swallow would be better. You wouldn’t want to use first names, would you?”

She asked indifferently.

“You were not from a noble background, were you?”

“I am from an Honorary Cleric background. It can strictly be considered a knightly background.”

Inquisitors were far from the status of knights.

However, Honorary Clerics received treatment on par with associate knights.

“Then Sir Preston would be better.”

“You even knew my name?”

“I think it would be stranger not to know your name.”

“Then let’s settle our titles like that.”

“Sir Preston.”

As soon as the titles were settled,

she asked about the progress.

“First, I would like to hear the plan. Surely you didn’t say you were targeting a Magic Tower professor without any plan?”

“Before that, I would like to move locations first.”

She looked at the magitech bike he had ridden in on.

“Are you planning to ride that?”

“Has there ever been a more efficient means of transportation in the Imperial Capital?”

She pondered briefly and soon summoned her vehicle.

“Let’s use my vehicle. That will make it easier for us to converse.”

“Then what about this?”

As Rashid pointed at the magitech bike he had brought, she snatched the key to the bike and threw it to her driver.

“Will this do? Should it be returned to the Inquisition Bureau?”

“Then who will drive the car?”

The gazes of the two met in the air.

Naturally, she had no intention of driving.

“I have never driven in my life.”

It was a good excuse.

“There should be your existing attendants inside?”

“I have stepped down from my inspector post, so I think it is impolite to make them run errands, don’t you think?”

Rules and principles,

it seemed she also held them in very high regard.

“I will drive. In exchange, sit in the front. Don’t even think about sitting arrogantly in the back.”

“I was naturally planning to do so even without you saying it.”

Having reached an agreement, the two got into the car.

The car soon began to run along the road, and at the same time, the conversation that had stopped earlier also resumed.

“So, what is the plan?”

Rashid informed her of what he had thought of in advance.

“I plan to utilize the Magic Tower’s Ethics Committee.”

“The Ethics Committee? Do you mean the inspection body within the Magic Tower?”

“Yes. I plan to attack Professor Kane through that. No matter how outstanding we are, we cannot touch the Magic Tower openly. That is…”

“a suicide mission.”

“You know it well. The Magic Tower is also quite a massive organization. In a way, it is no exaggeration to say it has power exceeding that of a nation.”

“To think you would target such a place.”

She, too, was from a knightly background and had even gone through war, but

she could not help but admire his audacity to touch the Magic Tower.

Because it was something no one in their right mind would dare to attempt.

“I have been watching you, and you really seem to be fearless. Come to think of it, you targeted the Saintess in the past, didn’t you?”

Rashid, conscious of her sideways glance, retorted calmly:

“Do you still remember that? On my end, it is already a thing of the distant past. And I will say it once more, I am completely unrelated to that matter. Even if I did kill her, it wouldn’t be a sin but rather something to be praised, since it resulted in executing a witch.”

“I wasn’t trying to blame you. Rather, I was praising your audacity. I feel it from time to time, but I cannot even imagine what kind of life you live.”

“Somehow that sounds like an insult.”

“You know Ryden, right? Even that idiot is not as reckless as you.”

“It is an insult.”

Trying to cross her legs, she let out a soft sigh at the uncomfortable seat.

And she regretted not bringing her driver.

“Why did you ride a bike?”

“Were you the type to nag this much?”

Was it because he was an opponent she felt a lot of emotions toward in her own way?

She spoke rather bluntly:

“I am not one to speak much, but because you are not particularly uncomfortable, it feels like I talk more. It is probably because of that ‘piss off’ I heard yesterday. Those words are still ringing in my ears.”

“It is true that you came and annoyed me, isn’t it? You even threatened me laughably.”

“Even so, I do not think it was to the extent of hearing such words.”

“If you were offended, I apologize.”

“An apology of mere words…”

“Let’s end the small talk there. In order to utilize the Ethics Committee, we need to catch Kane’s charges.”

She expressed doubt.

“Even if charges are caught, do you think the Ethics Committee will restrain that professor? That place is an Ethics Committee in name only.”

She thought about the Magic Tower’s Ethics Committee that she knew of.

“The Magic Tower is generally a place where ordinary ethics do not apply. Sacrificing a few people for experiments is something they might think of as no big deal.”

Rashid did not deny it either.

“Yes. It is that kind of place. But we can find fault. Professor Kane is a fairly famous person within the Magic Tower. Being famous means he has quite a lot of enemies.”

Due to Kane’s fussy and eccentric temperament,

he was a person who lived with enemies piled up inside the Magic Tower.

“There are many who envy and jealousy him, and some who hold no small amount of animosity toward him. At least to those people, he will be good prey. Giving them a justification to attack. That is the start. Before we target him, we drive a wedge between him and the Magic Tower factions. That way, when we perform surgery on him, the bees in the beehive will remain as quiet as possible.”

“How do you know so much about that professor?”

She was puzzled.

“Did you have a grudge relationship with him? Otherwise, there is no way you could know so well about a Magic Tower person whom you wouldn’t normally pay attention to.”

Taking advantage of the brief stop in front of a traffic light,

Rashid glared at her coldly.

“Is what I know about him that important? I could just know.”

“I just asked out of curiosity. Because it was strange. But is that true?”

She continued asking:

“That gold alchemy. The part about using people. I still find it hard to believe.”

“It is true. If we search his lab, it will probably turn up. The problem is going to the Magic Tower Academy and searching it to find evidence.”

She looked at the Magic Tower rising high beyond the car windshield.

Beneath it lay the Magic Tower Academy.

“The direction we are heading seems to be the Magic Tower Academy…”

One was a former inquisitor.

She was a former inspector.

“Will we even be able to enter? I think entry itself will be strict.”

“I have visited once before. I know that professor’s teaching assistant.”

“You know the teaching assistant?”

* * *

“Yes?”

Just like before,

when Rashid summoned Luna and requested her cooperation, she showed a somewhat flustered expression.

“The professor’s research materials?”

“I need the recent research materials related to his Source Alchemy. There must be a secret laboratory he uses alone. All the materials will be there.”

“Why is that…”

Rashid informed her of the charges against Kane.

What kind of evil deeds he had committed up until now,

he made known to her.

However, the response that came back was somewhat of an exception.

“That… seems like it will be difficult.”

“Do you think of it as betrayal? But this man is using people as a medium of equivalent exchange. This is a clear crime, and it is not something that can be covered up even if you want to.”

If he made known the fact of the crime against humanity,

Rashid had thought he might be able to draw out her cooperation.

Because she looked kind.

However, the response that came back was somewhat different from his expectations.

“I cannot. It is hard to believe the professor did such a thing, and I cannot betray the professor.”

Standing up resolutely, she bowed.

“I will pretend I didn’t hear this.”

The bespectacled girl left without even looking back.

Inside the academy cafe, Rashid touched his lips.

“I thought she would willingly help, but that is not the case.”

To Rashid, who was feeling regret,

she, who had been watching the two quietly, spoke up based on what she had observed:

“That girl. Even though you said he plays toys with people, she didn’t seem particularly surprised.”

“So that’s why I’m saying, could she already know?”

Rashid’s gaze landed on her.

“She already knows?”

If so, it meant she was on the same side as Kane.

Rashid recalled what Kaiser had said.

That she was destined to become a little witch, and might perhaps become an enemy in the matter regarding Kane.

‘In the progression I knew, that child did not exist. That is why I asked just in case…’

Up until now, identifying friend from foe had been ambiguous, but if she shielded Kane, she could absolutely not be viewed as an ally.

‘If this is the case, I should move as originally planned.’

Entering the cafe located in the academy lobby was possible like this,

but heading to the upper floors of the academy, where various experiments and research were conducted, was impossible unless one was of the Magic Tower.

‘The only person who can raid this place is probably that woman.’

“Let’s move.”

This was the method he had originally thought of.

One who could willingly betray a fellow Magic Tower member for her own benefit.

He needed her.