LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 67
After Adam left, the dormitory looked even more desolate than it had before. The sunlight coming through the window highlighted the dust floating in the air, and a somewhat musty smell lingered, likely due to poor ventilation.
In the midst of this, Ruth quietly began his tasks.
“……….”
Clack, clack.
First, he opened the window to air it out and swept the dust off the floor with a brand-new broom that clearly had never been used. He washed Adam’s dirty dishes, neatly organized the leftover ingredients in the refrigerator, and disposed of all the lower-tier elixirs that were originally there.
Dipping a cloth in water, he wiped down various surfaces and started tidying up the piles of books and documents that were stacked haphazardly.
Even though it was a small two-story dormitory, it had accumulated a lot of dust, seeming like too much for a single student to handle casually.
…But the broom in Ruth’s hand began to radiate a faint light.
Sword Aura.
It was the symbol of Rank 6, the power that every swordsman yearned for. Such a lavish and extraordinary power was now merely being used to clean quickly and efficiently.
“……….”
In the silence, the first floor of the dormitory was soon organized. Ruth skimmed through the papers and documents Adam had left, but found nothing of real importance. That was to be expected, of course.
Cleaning aside, Ruth was not pleased with simply stacking countless books and documents haphazardly in one spot. After pondering for a moment, he stepped outside the dormitory and returned with several wooden planks.
Bang! Bang!
He stacked the planks and hammered them together to create a makeshift bookshelf and display cabinet. This was a familiar task. In his past of wandering across the continent alone, he often had to spend nights outside, so he learned some handiwork to make things more comfortable.
In no time, Ruth had built the temporary bookshelf and organized the books and documents by category and name.
After cleaning up, he pulled a chair to the center of the tidy first floor and sat down.
“Adam.”
He quietly whispered someone’s name.
The person he was now living with again, the one he could meet again, the one he could talk to again.
And.
“…Adam.”
No matter how kindly he treated him, in the end, he was a person who once burned the world.
A person who killed countless lives, led to destruction, and ultimately annihilated the empire, plunging the entire continent into chaos.
Ruth reflected on all those sins and the resulting destruction on that chair.
It felt as if he was trying to sort out his mind.
…What a funny situation.
“Hah.”
Just a moment ago, he had prepared breakfast for that villain, and now he was cleaning the dormitory for him.
And to think he still couldn’t forget about him up until now…
He felt utterly ridiculous and pathetic.
His head hurt. About Adam, about the changed future, about the regression.
With his eyes closed, Ruth pondered.
‘…Alright.’
He had finally made a decision.
He hadn’t really moved to this dormitory solely out of the desire to take care of Adam… No, he wanted to believe that was not the case.
After all, he was trying to find out about the academy terrorism he had heard about yesterday. Clearly, Adam was involved in some way.
There had been academy terrorism in the past as well. However,
‘It got prevented before I even woke up.’
He had accidentally discovered some unidentified figures attempting to invade Grandis Academy and stopped them in advance. At that time, he hadn’t known who they were, but only after the academy fell did he learn they were from the Wish Church.
If a terrorist incident were to occur, it would obviously be similar to that time───
‘No, no.’
He shouldn’t jump to conclusions. How many times had he been surprised by the changed future by thinking too quickly? He needed to be more cautious this time.
Since the summoning ritual incident, he had realized that his involvement did not always lead to a good outcome.
Thus this time.
He decided to stand by and watch.
‘I’ll thoroughly observe from the shadows.’
Fortunately, with the power of the Dark Sword, he could monitor most individuals without drawing attention. This time, he would maintain a completely bystander position regarding the terrorist incident.
He wanted to learn how things unfold, who gets involved, and if a terrorism event truly occurs, then he would step in. Surely, he could gain something by observing as much as possible.
After all, this involved the Wish Church. If he played his cards right, he could learn about the state of the declining church unlike before.
And if, just if.
If Adam was indeed connected to the academy terrorist incident───
“……Let’s not think about unnecessary things.”
Nothing was confirmed yet. Ruth dismissed his ominous thoughts and stood up from the chair.
He needed to head upstairs. As Ruth looked around his room and then at Adam’s room right next door.
‘Should I poke a hole through the wall?’
With Rank 6 physical abilities, a single wall wouldn’t be a challenge, but he wanted to be certain. After all, Adam wouldn’t even notice. He had done this before.
Just as Ruth was about to grasp the doorknob to Adam’s room, he heard a clunk.
“Huh?”
It wouldn’t open.
It wasn’t simply locked. Ruth, now capable of using Sword Aura as a Rank 6, felt a far more overwhelming and solid energy.
Such force was protecting this room entirely.
It was obvious whose power it was.
‘Headmistress.’
It was perhaps a natural precaution, yet… He felt something was off.
Why was it that as soon as Ruth moved in, Adam said he would be out of the dorm for two weeks? He said it was for work, but did he mean sleeping over at the office without ever coming home?
Not many individuals could give such orders to a Finance Director. Technically, only one person could.
Moreover.
‘The density of Ki suggests this protective barrier was established quite recently.’
He guessed it was set up just yesterday. Most likely, Adam had arranged this as soon as he spoke of Ruth moving in. The fact that it was aimed at only those above Rank 6 was far too blatant.
──Don’t target the Finance Director.
Since he was disguised as a male, it wouldn’t naturally imply anything, but it was likely because a Rank 6 powerhouse could threaten weak Adam.
Ruth found that extremely distasteful.
‘Whose fault do you think Adam is suffering because of…?’
For reasons unknown, even though Adam was working late every day, they hadn’t hired additional members for the Finance Team and he was more exhausted than before. It was clear that the headmistress was responsible for that. Ruth was certain of it.
Regardless, he couldn’t enter this room. Still, perhaps due to lingering feelings, Ruth couldn’t let go of the doorknob.
So there he stood.
Ruth was simply standing in front of the door.
That thin door felt like a wall standing between Adam and himself.
Suddenly, he felt a wave of melancholy.
…It was complicated.
*
Millia had changed. Yesterday, she hadn’t been certain, but now she was.
There was a sense that something was off, almost like she was acting. The sincerity from the day before was missing. It felt as if she had only gotten lucky.
Normally, she wouldn’t have been able to notice even a hint of acting, but it seemed something had caused great turmoil, revealing cracks.
It was an opportunity gained through luck, but without showing it, Ruth immediately pressured Millia. She appeared more earnest about the terrorism plan than he expected.
And this new Millia was, well, in many ways.
Convenient.
“This is the plan for the upcoming terrorism. Here’s the initial draft, the revised version, and a separate compilation of addendums, along with several documents regarding the academy’s construction structure and blueprints as evidence for the plan.”
“…You said you hadn’t thought of any terrorism plans, and yet you prepared all of this in just a day?”
“Yes, I stayed up a bit late. Please read through it and let me know your thoughts.”
“Ha… first, here’s the list of participants for this terrorism from our side and the detailed process plan.”
“This truly is unexpected.”
“Did you think the Church wouldn’t prepare anything?”
“Indeed.”
Millia’s communication was smooth. Actually, saying she was competent as a worker might be more precise. Ruth thought he had gained some experience working as Finance Director, yet Millia was far more skilled than he was. It felt as if she had stood above others.
With both of them preparing documents thick enough to break the table, the work progressed rapidly.
“Is there clear evidence for the Guard Force deployment status on page 39 here?”
“If you look at page 142 of the appendix, you’ll find the route and member list for the Third Guard, which patrolled during last year’s final exams. Meanwhile, both the First and Second Guard were accompanying students for their safety during the exams.”
“Hmm… this entry method seems to have worked better in the initial draft than in the revised one. What was your reasoning for the modifications?”
“It’s intended to avoid encounters with the Third Guard as much as possible. This time, the terrorism should remain an attempt for the Church to retrieve sacred items; if blood was shed, things would spiral beyond control. The Church wouldn’t want to face an enraged Headmistress, would they?”
“I would guess they’d be furious at the terrorism already.”
“If the building only collapses, that should be manageable. After all, the Headmistress is the richest in the kingdom. As long as no one gets killed, it should be fine.”
“If that’s what you, the Headmistress’ closest assistant, said…”
As they examined each other’s proposals, questioning and answering any oddities that arose, it appeared that given Ruth’s seemingly hefty preparation in just a day, he was on the receiving end of most questions, but that was not exclusively the case.
“According to the list of participants from the Church, it says the Arch Bishop will be coming. Is that correct?”
“Yes. If a powerful figure like the Arch Bishop attends, it’ll make handling emergencies much smoother.”
“What? Didn’t he already arrive?”
“Excuse me? What do you mean…?”
“Let’s cut to the chase. Is the infiltrator in our academy just one student named Millia? Really?”
“That seems unrelated to this plan. I have no obligation to answer.”
“Then trust will break down.”
“Was there even trust between us in the first place? We’re after the sacred item, and the Finance Director is merely achieving personal objectives, after all. It’s nothing but a transactional relationship.”
“If you fail to retrieve the sacred item, are you going to abandon the academy? Come on, then. Don’t you think it would be reasonable to share this as part of building trust?”
“……There is only one infiltrator, and if you say the Church will never obtain the sacred item, that is detrimental to our so-called relationship of trust.”
“I misspoke. My apologies.”
Having seen the one who held the power of the Dark Sword, it was hard to believe there was nobody else infiltrating.
As the conversation unfolded, the cracks in Millia’s acting disappeared, and it was impossible to discern her true intentions. In such moments, it’s best to think of the worst-case scenario.
Assuming a powerful figure like the Arch Bishop is indeed in the academy.
‘Still, her efficiency in handling things is commendable.’
Considering it was for a terrorist plan, he thought two weeks would be tight, but Millia’s speed of execution was beyond his imagination.
This was quite tempting.
‘How can I bring her on board?’
She would fit right into the Finance Department under him. It seemed that rolling her and Kirke together, who was already halfway towards being his thrall, would yield quite the return.
But since Millia hadn’t done anything wrong like Kirke, he could only lick his lips for now.
While reviewing the prepared plans, Millia turned her gaze toward him.
Her eyes looked as if she had made a decision.
“If we carry out the terrorism, when should we do so…?”
“As mentioned in the plan, we’re prioritizing the final exam. Given that the finals at Grandis Academy traditionally involve outdoor practical assignments, it should be easier since most students and professors will be absent.”
“And that easy terrorism would also include the Headmistress’s office, right?”
“You’re quite blunt.”
Asking seemingly for confirmation on what was already written down, seeking his affirmation directly…
Was she truly that openly targeting the sacred item? From the Church’s perspective, it was understandable.
“This has been the reason for our conflict with the academy for a long time. I don’t know what the Finance Director desires from this terrorism, but our Church’s wish lies in the sacred item, not in gaining bad reputations or a name.”
“Unfortunately, the Headmistress is unaware of this incident. However, she will likely abscond during the finals, so it should be feasible.”
“Such vague statements won’t suffice──”
“Are you saying that with the Headmistress absent, and the Guard Force being minimal, it wouldn’t even be possible? The Wish Church seems well informed.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be baited by such provocation. The Church is not a bunch of mindless zealots.”
For a brief moment, their gazes intersect, both glaring intensely at one another.
Though Ruth didn’t know the precise reason, Millia and the Church appeared desperate regarding the terrorism plan, making the sacred item an indelible topic. The Church’s motivation to accept the terrorism was rooted in wanting the item itself.
And he needed to find a way to downplay that. He had come this far, and they had likely already integrated themselves into the Dwarf City.
Ruth had no intention of easily divulging his plans. Millia, perhaps sensing this, intensified her gaze.
Amidst a taut atmosphere.
“Physical evidence.”
“Hmm.”
“Can I see the physical evidence?”
Smiling, Millia stated while adding, “Haha, I can only hope you’re not speaking earnestly. Otherwise, could I see the Dark Sword directly?”
“As much as you like the idea of a trust relationship, you’re being rather petty.”
“But I understand the Church’s need for caution. Thus, I shall provide you with information instead.”
“Information?”
Normally, this would be something he shouldn’t share.
Yet now, it was information that held no significance.
“It seems that you’re planning to target the Headmistress’ office to retrieve the sacred item, but it won’t be there.”
“…What? But it was certainly there before.”
“The Church confirmed that many decades ago during their raid. Of course, very valuable artifacts might exist in the Headmistress’s office, but the sacred item of the Wish Church is currently located elsewhere.”
Millia seemed a bit flustered and soon sealed her lips again. Yet Ruth was not lying. It truly was elsewhere.
Most likely hidden away with the bricks in the Dwarf City.
Sure, he couldn’t mention that.
“It’s right here.”
“Here… you mean? This old, dilapidated place?”
“This is one of the secret locations where the Headmistress stores artifacts. Only the Headmistress and I are aware of it.”
Ruth pointed at a place he had marked on the map beforehand. It wasn’t a space used for lectures, nor was it a dormitory. Just an old building, just as Millia described.
Was this really a secret vault?
It couldn’t be.
‘After the terrorism, the academy should receive various donations and restoration funds.’
Once that happens, why not build better facilities?
The place he pointed to was a site that needed redevelopment, which had been set aside because the costs were too high.
If it were to be rebuilt into a nice dormitory or research lab, the academy would benefit financially. There are plenty of dormitories available, but high-quality ones for nobles could be counted on one hand. They’d likely pay a premium just to get into a newly constructed dormitory, right?
Hence, just destroy this one a little. It’s a terrorist act, right? Just make it pretty and flashy.
Come on, Wish Church! You’re my only hope!