Chapter 388 - Clue Through a Needle's Eye
I was woken up by Gradena after a short nap while lost in thought. Even a brief sleep made me feel much better. Sleep really is a great thing.
"We'll be at the school soon. What are we doing after we drop you off?"
"...Let's see. It's not like the attackers are still there, so there's no point in all of us going. You guys go on standby at the hotel and get some rest."
Gradena and her group tended to project an intimidating aura even when they weren't trying, which might provoke the Union members who had just been attacked. Besides, they weren't exactly the type for investigation. Better to let them rest for the next fight.
"I wish we had time to rest, but it looks like we'll be moving again as soon as Heidi gets back."
"Maybe. I'm counting on you then. Oh, stop here. I'll walk the rest of the way."
I wanted to walk a bit to wake up properly. Also, I wanted to get my body used to being cursed as quickly as possible. Rest wouldn't break the curse anyway, so I might as well make this my new normal.
"President, are you sure you're okay alone? You just scrapped with the Union a moment ago."
"She's right. Don't they have magic comms and stuff? If you go back alone, they might take the chance to jump you."
I didn't know if the guards at the Academy gates belonged to the Scion's faction or the Leader's. If they were the Scion's, that might happen. But this was the front gate of St. Emeralda Girls' Academy, not a drug deal. I wanted to believe they weren't stupid enough to suddenly attack an instructor arriving alone.
"If anything happens, I'll just turn the tables on them. Besides, Valeria and Roberta are there, so I'm not really alone."
"I guess that's true..."
The forces I left at the Academy were no less capable than Gradena's group. There was Valeria, the President's Chief of Security; Roberta and Violante, Corporals of the Combat Unit; and Harriet, the Executive Assistant. They had plenty of gear and tools; they wouldn't lose to just anyone.
"If anything happens, we'll come running. Don't push yourself, Yukari."
"I'll be fine. I'm a delinquent instructor, after all. I have plenty of time for naps."
I had the vehicle stop at the base of the hill where the Academy stood. I put Gradena and the others out of my mind and used mana sensing to probe the situation. For now, there was no one on the mountain road leading to the Academy. No suspicious people lurking, and no Union members wandering about.
As for the Academy itself, it seemed surprisingly quiet. I heard there was an attack, so I expected signs of a flashy battle. There were students and staff living in the dorms; if they'd noticed a commotion, it would be much louder.
I suspected the attack and the fighting had taken place far from the dorms. The Academy boasted a large campus with multiple gates, each with a security post. It was only natural that the dorms, the sanctuary for the girls, were nowhere near the places where gruff men were stationed. That distance, combined with a fight that was likely quieter than expected, resulted in the current silence. If the students or staff had noticed, the Blue Coats would have been all over the place by now.
Wait, tonight's combat wasn't just at the Academy. There was St. Emeralda, the Union headquarters, and the harbor warehouse where we fought. Even if no one cared about a disturbance on the hill or the harbor, the Union headquarters was right in the middle of the city. The city should have been in an uproar with Blue Coats by now, but I didn't get that impression when I used long-range sensing earlier.
"Let's ask."
If I was curious about the Blue Coats, I should just ask rather than speculating. I pulled the communication device I was holding out of my pouch and called out.
"...This is Bullfinch. What do you want at this hour?"
It was Thompson, the Blue Coat commander. I almost laughed every time I heard his code name.
"How much do you know about tonight's events?"
"Straight to the point, as always... Do you mean the Union headquarters?"
So he did know about the disturbance in the city. I wonder how much he knew about the context.
"Yes. Do you know who did it?"
"No idea. We Blue Coats have a policy of non-interference regarding the Anastasia Union. We have reports of a disturbance, but as long as the residents and the city aren't harmed, it's none of our business."
I see. So that was their relationship. Well, even if the place our Kikyou-kai protected was attacked, we wouldn't call the authorities; we'd settle it ourselves. It's a matter of pride, and the Union is the same.
"Just so you know, the Union members stationed at St. Emeralda were hit too. Today is definitely their unlucky day. We even had a scrap with them at the harbor warehouse district a little while ago."
"...Really? Either way, I haven't received any specific information. What are you people up to?"
He truly didn't know about those two locations.
"We just got caught up in someone's trap. Anyway, if you aren't mobilizing, I don't need to worry. That's all I needed to know. Later."
"Wait. What are you planning to do?"
"How rude. We just got dragged into this; I'm not planning to do anything in particular."
"If you say so... let me know if anything else happens."
"Sure, but you tell me if you get any info too."
I cut the comms and walked up the mountain path. Based on the mana signatures, the attack seemed limited to the guard post at the main gate. It looked like Union members from other gates were gathering there, perhaps to assess the damage.
"Perfect."
I'd find out exactly what kind of damage was done. At this point, even if they were on edge, I wanted to share information. At least the Scion likely wasn't the one who drew the map for this trap. Even assuming there was a traitor, I didn't need to be overly cautious of the whole group.
"This is Valeria, Sister."
"Hmm, I'm almost at the Academy. I'm going to talk to the Union guys for a bit, so I won't be back at the dorm for a while. It doesn't look like there'll be any more attacks, so you can go ahead and rest."
"There was something that caught my attention regarding the attack. Violante and Roberta are investigating it now."
"Oh? Got it. Talk to you later."
I walked on, curious about what the two of them were investigating, and eventually, the main gate came into view. Naturally, I was targeted and illuminated by light magic. It was blinding.
"This is St. Emeralda Girls' Academy. What business do you have at this hour?"
"Depending on your answer, we will restrain you."
Wow, they were really on edge, their voices laced with aggressive mana. Well, naturally no one visits the Academy in the middle of the night. Even if it were someone from the Academy, they'd usually use a vehicle. Someone approaching alone on foot was extremely suspicious. I suppressed the urge to tease them and walked closer, shielding my eyes. I had nothing to hide.
"Stop right there and state your name!"
Fine, I'll play along for the sake of information.
"I am Yukalied Evilbanshee, an instructor at the Academy."
I stopped as requested and answered. I removed my hand from my face; I was wearing my distinct eyepatch, after all. It was hard to miss.
"...Evilbanshee? You mean the one from the Kikyou-kai? I've never seen her before, but..."
"Yeah, the woman the Leader entrusted with the young miss."
"She's suppressing it, but I can feel an unfathomable power. This feeling... I remember it. She's the real deal."
While they were whispering, I slowly approached until we could see each other's faces.
"What is an Academy instructor doing at this hour?"
"At this hour? I'm not a kid; I don't think I need to hear your complaints."
"What?!"
Oops. I accidentally got a bit confrontational.
"I'm not here for a fight. I was taking a night walk when I sensed the aura of battle and came back. So, what's the damage? As Sigurdnot's bodyguard, I'm curious about your situation."
I made up a plausible excuse. I had no intention of explaining the full, complicated story here.
"The young miss's... wait."
"Evilbanshee, is the young miss safe?!"
"Safe? She wasn't even attacked. I confirmed it by comms just now. More importantly, I want to know the objective of the people who hit you."
Based on our conversation, it seemed the guys here belonged to the Leader's faction.
"I see, she's safe then... Fine. Have you picked up anything on your end? We'd also like to confirm her safety with our own eyes if possible."
They didn't seem to know who attacked them or why. I was hoping to find that out, but these guys were useless. Well, whatever. I was open to a bit of info exchange.
"Fine. Let's trade info. This is Shino-ue. Valeria, Harriet, bring the little sister to the main gate. No need to rush."
I finished the comms via my earring while listening to Valeria's reply. Then, I was invited into the security post.
"Hmm."
The interior of the security post was surprisingly high-end. It was a bit messy from the attack, but as far as I could see, there wasn't much damage. I guess the nice interior was to be expected for a prestigious girls' school. They probably needed it for cases where VIPs might stop by. The reception room I was led into was also quite fancy.
"Sit there, Evilbanshee. It's a bit noisy because of the wounded, but pay them no mind."
"No one died, right?"
"Don't underestimate us. We have some injuries from the surprise night attack, but that's all. We'll be fully recovered by morning."
It sounded like they'd been hit hard enough that their stockpile of healing potions wasn't enough and they needed a healer's help. Still, the stares were annoying. The guys who didn't fully trust me were giving me 'intense' looks, as if they wouldn't miss a single suspicious move. That really made me want to mess with them...
I restrained myself and sat down on the sofa without doing anything strange.
"So, any idea who did it?"
I remained relaxed even while surrounded by men, crossing my legs and taking the lead with the questions. My boss-like, dignified behavior seemed to irritate them, but they proceeded with the conversation anyway.
"...We don't know specifically. We're looking for any clues they might have left behind."
"I see. For the record, what did they look like?"
"Three figures in black. They were skilled, but their small build made it impossible to tell if they were men or women. Also, they were terrifyingly good at hiding their presence."
"With that level of skill, they shouldn't be unknown to us."
"They might be mercenaries or assassins from outside the continent."
The attackers' skill and their use of stealth were one thing; a surprise attack is effective, and anyone attacking the Union would naturally be skilled. But considering they pulled it off well, the results from the attackers' perspective seemed underwhelming. I'd just heard that no one died. If they withdrew after only injuring a few people, what was the point?
A little jab and then retreat? The objective was unclear.
"Excuse me while you're talking."
A subordinate-looking guy entered hesitantly through the open door.
"Find anything?"
"We found what looks like a scrap of their clothing, but nothing else."
"Let me see."
I watched from the side as he took it and examined it. The scrap was tiny, only about the size of a thumb. They must have caught a piece of the black clothing with a sword tip. If it was a special material or had writing on it, it could be an important clue.
"...Is this a pattern? It's mostly missing, so I can't tell. Send it in for investigation anyway."
"Let me see that too."
I snatched it away, ignored the complaints, and examined it. Let's see... high-quality cloth made with mythril thread. It was expensive, but not a unique material, and there was no writing. The part that looked like a pattern was likely on the lining. As I touched it, I could sense a faint trace of mana. Could it be engraved magic?
It was only a tiny bit, but it looked like part of a jagged leaf pattern. I didn't recognize it as an engraved spell; at least, it wasn't one we used on our gear.
"Wait, this pattern..."
Hmm... even though it was only a fragment, I felt like I'd seen it somewhere. Maybe... or maybe not.
"Young Miss Sigurdnot has arrived!"
"Young Miss! You're safe!"
My thoughts were interrupted by the cheers of the men—cheers that could almost be called 'girlish.' The little sister really was popular. She entered flanked by Valeria and Harriet and immediately sat down next to me. Harriet stood behind her, and Valeria stood behind me.
"I heard there was an attack, but it seems there are no major problems."
The little sister, who was in her room wear with just an outer coat thrown over it, seemed relieved that the men she was acquainted with were safe.
"Nah, they were nothing special. Don't you worry, Young Miss."
"Yeah, leave it to us!"
Right, we were supposed to be exchanging info, but we hadn't actually talked about anything. With the little sister here, these Union guys would likely be more talkative. Perfect. Once the small talk settled down, I'd ask about the Scion's group and the situation at headquarters.
"Sister, are you okay?"
The little sister was particularly worried about my poor condition due to the curse.
"The talisman is working well. But I'm counting on you if things get real. Anyway, where are Roberta and Violante?"
"They're still searching."
The two of them said they had something they were curious about regarding the attack on the Academy. Looking at their mana signatures, they were likely at that place. They were focusing their search there.
"Ah, that pattern..."
It clicked. The fragment of the jagged pattern on the black cloth. I couldn't be certain yet, but I felt like I'd seen that jagged leaf pattern at the church.
Roberta and Violante were likely at the chapel. If the attack on the Union was a diversion, could the enemy's real target have been the chapel? There was no reason to think the attackers and the people who went to the chapel were different. The timing was too perfect.
Why would assassins wearing clothes with church-related patterns secretly visit the Academy chapel? I couldn't even begin to imagine a reason. No, it was still just an intuition, not even a deduction. I needed to gather more info and organize my thoughts.
For now, I'd exchange info with the Union while waiting for Roberta and Violante's report.