Chapter 125 - The Real Target
I sense something off about the situation, but I need to take care of what needs to be done first.
Exiting the classroom we had just secured, I noticed two delinquent adventurers running down the corridor, yelling obscenities as they went.
"I'll take out the one behind you, so you handle the one in front," I said to the young man who had accompanied me. She's a reliable force, having trained with us many times. I patted her on the back.
"Got it!" she replied.
As I heard her respond, I started running towards the enemy. While running, I crouched at the right moment and watched as a knife flew over my head from behind, striking the adventurer's heart and taking him down with a single blow. Yeah, she’s got some skills.
The other adventurer, noticing his companion had suddenly stopped, slowed down. I closed the distance quickly, grabbed his arm, and threw him. I slammed him down and delivered a blow to his stomach, knocking him unconscious.
There’s only one staircase in the middle of the building. No one else is in the rooms at either end of this floor.
Just as I was about to head downstairs, someone rushed into the corridor.
"Yukari-san, Sarah is missing!"
It was Sophie, delivering the news succinctly. They managed to rescue the hostages in the other room, but Sarah wasn’t among them.
"We’ll search the place thoroughly."
If she wasn’t on the third floor, she must be on the second or first. With magic, I can sense the presence of people, so finding her shouldn’t take long. Besides, Valeria and the others are downstairs too.
But then.
"...She’s not here."
"Onee-sama, what do you mean?"
We searched. Not just with magic, but by visually checking every place where someone could hide.
"Sarah... Where is she?"
"I’ll check outside. Maybe there are some clues."
"We’ll go too!"
Not in the school? Already taken away? Something feels off. Could this be the missing piece in my senses?
At that moment, one of the young men rushed down the stairs, looking flustered.
"Everyone, she’s in the basement!"
What do you mean?
"There wasn’t an entrance to the basement, right? Could it be a hidden door?"
The Kikyo Society doesn’t have any weaklings who would be out of breath after a short sprint. She answered without hesitation.
"A person claiming to be the school’s Chairperson is urging us to go to the basement. The real target is down there."
Ah, I see. I didn’t consider there could be a basement. It’s a silly oversight, considering I only focused my magic on the ground level. Let’s check it out.
"...Magic signatures show three people. Sarah must be among them."
"Let’s hurry. How do we get to the basement?"
Yeah, we couldn’t find an entrance. How do we get in?
"Apparently, it requires a complex procedure to open, but we’re allowed to break it if necessary."
"That’s convenient. We’re experts at breaking things."
A place this secure should be difficult to break into, but the Chairperson seems to think we can do it. They must know the Kikyo Society well.
With the Chairperson’s seal of approval, there’s no need to hold back. Deciding the best spot to break would be a waste of time. We’ll do it here.
"The Chairperson said not to let the criminals in the basement escape. If possible, they’d like them captured alive."
A secret basement and a plot to steal something from it. I wish I could avoid this complicated situation.
But I won’t forgive anyone who touches Sarah’s school or tries to take her away. Killing them outright would make it harder to uncover the background, though.
"Depending on the situation, I’ll try to comply with the request."
Alright, let’s break the floor. The material is a hard, marble-like stone. It’s quite thick, but no problem for me.
I immediately created a hole large enough for a person to pass through.
"Onee-sama! The magic signatures in the basement are moving!"
"Could they be heading outside the school grounds?!"
A secret basement with a secret underground passage? And the exit is outside the school.
"We need to split up. Roberta and Violante, use magic to track the escaping criminal from above and seal off the exit or handle them if they come out!"
They nodded and quickly pursued the fleeing magic signatures.
"Young man, split up! Relay the situation to the other teams and support Roberta and the others!"
They immediately followed my orders.
"Sophie and Valeria, come with me. We’re going into the basement!"
I cast a magic light spell through the hole to illuminate the area below.
The floor was visible, but it was deeper than I expected, maybe ten meters.
I jumped down without hesitation, and Sophie and Valeria followed.
"I’ll go first! Onee-sama, follow with Sophie!"
"I’ll catch up!"
"I’ll take a moment to assess the situation."
The distance isn’t that great. Valeria should catch up quickly and be able to stop them. By the time Sophie catches up, they’ll be finished. Even if the enemy is strong, it’s unlikely to last long before I intervene.
After sending them off, I checked the basement. No one seems to be hiding, but better safe than sorry.
The spacious basement has no partitions, giving it a cluttered feel.
Randomly placed are treasures and artworks. There’s even a chest that seems to completely block magic signatures, likely containing valuable magical items.
If Sarah wasn’t in danger, this treasure room would be exciting.
I don’t know if these treasures belong to the school or are hidden assets, but it doesn’t matter.
What’s odd is that, despite the valuable items scattered around, none of them seem to have been touched. This is strange. The actions of the kidnappers don’t align with what the ones demanding ransom were doing upstairs. They had plenty of time to loot the place before we realized the basement existed.
I quickly scanned the area and found the only place that showed signs of being disturbed.
"Is this a bookshelf?"
The bookshelf had been roughly emptied, but many books were still left. I picked up one of the remaining books.
"...I see, that’s it."
I understood. The information stored here is the real treasure. Far more valuable than any treasure, depending on how it’s used.
The information stored in the school is straightforward—student personal data.
Why it’s valuable is obvious.
In this world, the most important personal information is magical aptitude. Especially those with rare and highly useful magical aptitudes, such as communication or barrier magic, are worth acquiring by any means necessary.
This information can lead to kidnapping and human trafficking, making it a valuable source of information. The information itself is valuable, and the individuals it pertains to add even more value. There are countless buyers, and the transactions involve large sums of money.
It’s a dangerous business, but there are no shortage of buyers. Large organizations, both legitimate and illegitimate, would be likely buyers, easily predicted.
The people upstairs were likely decoys, while the real target was the basement. They must have been used or planned this way from the start, but our intervention was unexpected.
Who planned this, and who gave the idea? That’s not our concern. It’s a job for the administrative officials to uncover the masterminds.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that the officials aren’t involved.
Regardless, we’ve figured out the enemy’s objective. Digging deeper isn’t necessary.
Speaking of which, if this is about human trafficking, the Snake Head Society and the Gandrault Gang come to mind. The weakened Snake Head Society is unlikely to be involved in such a large-scale operation. By elimination, the Gandrault Gang is the more likely suspect, but it’s not confirmed. We’ll keep it in mind for now.
The scene has been thoroughly investigated, and there’s no one hiding. It’s time for me to move on.
According to the magic signatures, Valeria and Sophie have caught up with the enemy. I wonder how it’s going.
Suddenly, a loud boom and a flash of light filled the dim basement.
"Ah!"
The distance and corners saved me from any significant impact, though it was still startling.
However, neither Valeria nor Sophie would use such an attack. It must have been the enemy. I need to hurry!
Rushing to the scene, I found the situation as expected—Valeria had taken down the enemy. It was quite a feat, but what about the noise and light?
"Onee-chan!"
It was Sarah, clinging to Sophie.
From her position, it’s clear that Valeria took down the enemy, but the previous attack is still on my mind.
"Seems like you’re safe. Sophie, what about that light and sound?"
"It was me!"
I realized Sophie had her eyes shut and her hands over her ears. Valeria was in the same state.
Their senses hadn’t recovered, and they couldn’t see or hear me.
I must have been thinking, Could it be...
"Not bad, Sarah. Did Verone teach you?"
"Yes!"
She used a stun grenade spell. Teaching magic to a child, really. But considering the lack of lethal potential, it might be appropriate. Hmm, maybe it’s fine.
It’s a drawback that it affects allies indiscriminately.
Still, Valeria took down the enemy despite the sensory deprivation, which is impressive. She relied on magic perception and managed to take them down even while blinded.
Her mental and physical resilience is remarkable, befitting my protégé. I might have to praise her later. It’s possible she knew Sarah would use the stun grenade and was prepared.
Moreover, the enemy wasn’t killed, showing skillful restraint. That’s even more impressive.
"Onee-sama?"
"Yukari-san, please wait a moment."
Sophie and Valeria, despite their blindness, called out to me, sensing my presence.
While waiting, I might as well do some work.
While they recover, I used my usual wire to bind and blindfold the enemy, ensuring they were completely restrained. They’re important witnesses, after all.