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“This time, it’s another failure.”

“I have committed a mortal sin!”

Bandike repeatedly banged his head on the ground, begging for forgiveness. Blood streamed down his forehead from hitting a rock, but he had no time to think about that.

What mattered to Bandike was that the old man’s twisted judgment was crucial. The floor wasn’t just soaked with Bandike’s blood—it was also drenched from the blood fountain that erupted when the old man, in a foul mood, beheaded members of the New Resistance. Bandike wanted to scream, but knowing the old man hated loud noises, he bit his fist to stifle his cries.

“It’s strange that the Academy wasn’t destroyed despite the Resistance pouring most of its forces into the attack. I bet Gilbert had something to do with it again.”

“Y-yes. Gilbert was the first to respond to the attack. He was in the middle of his final assessment, piloting a Colossal Mech, but he showed no signs of panic despite the sudden situation.”

“It’s as if he anticipated the attack.”

Horizon chuckled, stroking his beard. Though he was laughing, his eyes were sharp, staring into the void.

What Horizon wanted was to bring frustration to Gilbert, who was growing without any obstacles, while also destroying Demia Empire Academy, which could become a significant hindrance in the future.

The plan had gone smoothly. A gap was created to infiltrate the Academy’s perfect defense system, and as planned, the New Resistance forces, leading hundreds of Colossal Mechs, infiltrated the Academy.

The Academy, caught off guard, couldn’t respond effectively to the sudden attack. Only the cadets, already in their mechs for the final assessment, faced the invaders, but they couldn’t possibly stop hundreds of mechs.

Moreover, the Resistance had been briefed on the location of the mech hangars, preventing the professors from boarding their mechs. Even the Academy’s professors couldn’t fight mechs bare-handed, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.

However, the operation began to falter when Gilbert, already in his mech, appeared. Gilbert, whose piloting skills had improved dramatically, effortlessly took on dozens of mechs.

He even cleared the Resistance members guarding the hangars, buying time for the professors to board their mechs. Once the professors were in their mechs, they began to wipe out the indiscriminate destruction caused by the Resistance. Though outnumbered, the professors’ quality made up for it—many had served in the Emperor’s conquest wars.

One standout was Professor Alexander, who, despite his injuries and retirement, piloted his mech as skillfully as he had in his prime.

He knew war, he knew combat—and that alone was more than enough.

With Alexander leading the professors and cadets, Professor Briana and Gilbert were free to wreak havoc. Talented cadets also began to shine.

As a result, while the Academy suffered near-catastrophic damage, it didn’t fall as Horizon had hoped.

Horizon found this both interesting and irritating. In his long life, he had never failed in his plans. But ever since encountering Gilbert, his plans had started to go awry.

Despite Gilbert’s potential to achieve what Horizon desired, he felt an overwhelming urge to crush the boy like a bug.

He had to resist. He still needed the boy.

The old man, though prone to impulses, was helped by his desire for what he had long craved, which kept his urges in check.

Taking a deep breath, Horizon looked down at Bandike, who was still prostrate on the ground.

“Bandike, this old man has one last request for you.”

“Last?”

Bandike’s vision darkened.

The life he had clung to was now coming to an end. He had expected to die under the mad old man, so he had given up on living. All he wished for was a painless death.

“Take the remaining members here and go to the place I tell you. There, you’ll find new members I’ve prepared in advance.”

“New… members?”

“Yes. This time, they’re members I’ve gathered over a long time, so don’t use them like expendables. You’ll lead them again.”

Bandike swallowed hard. His stubborn life wasn’t over yet.

“What exactly should I do?”

“Good question. The Empire has declared it will eradicate the Resistance and has even announced a throne succession war. They probably want to restore the Empire’s dignity, which was shaken by the Resistance. Your job is to lead the Resistance and continue resisting as before. It would be great if you could overthrow the Empire, but that’s unlikely.”

Horizon stroked his beard. If he stepped forward, it might be possible, but there was no need to reveal himself. The mask of the Great Sage Horizon was too useful.

“Stall the Imperial forces as long as possible, and ultimately, let the 1st Prince defeat you. I’ve decided that Prince Richard will be the next Emperor.”

“…Understood.”

Bandike bowed his head without further comment. He wasn’t without complaints, but he saw a loophole in Horizon’s words.

Horizon had said the Resistance should be defeated by the 1st Prince, but he hadn’t said Bandike himself had to die. If he could find a way to escape, there was still a chance to survive.

“I can see what you’re thinking. But if you succeed, you can do as you please. Consider it a retirement gift from this old man.”

Horizon laughed heartily and disappeared, leaving behind a teleport scroll. Bandike realized this scroll led to the new Resistance members Horizon had mentioned.

Once again, he had luckily survived. He offered a prayer of thanks to the Lord, cleared his throat, and shouted.

“All remaining members, assemble!”

It was time to head to the new base.

***

Following Gilbert’s orders, Layla, the unit leader of the Golden Mane, began gathering information with her two talented but dim-witted team leaders. To conduct their investigation, they needed access to the still-recovering Demia Empire Academy, which Gilbert arranged.

Gilbert requested access from Seraphina, who gladly issued permits, eager to have the famous Golden Mane of the Lion Heart Count Family assist in rooting out traitors.

With Seraphina’s unofficial approval, they obtained visitor passes, allowing them to move freely without being affected by the Academy’s recovering security barriers.

Their investigation had to be discreet. During the day, they disguised themselves as repair workers, searching for clues. At night, they began their real investigation.

“Leader, this traitor seems extraordinary. Even with the barrier damaged, there are no clues. Can we even find them?”

“That’s our mission. Stop complaining and keep searching.”

Johnson, specialized in search operations within the Golden Mane, frowned, but Layla bluntly told him to focus on finding clues. Even she found it hard to locate any traces of the barrier being forcibly opened, but Gilbert’s orders were clear: find the clues.

If it were easy, they wouldn’t have been called to the chaotic Academy.

Days passed—one, two, then four.

All they found were debris and dust from the collapsed buildings. Even those were being cleared away as repairs progressed, leaving fewer clues.

They expanded their search area. The ruined student dormitories, lecture halls, and professors’ research buildings—the entire Academy grounds were their search zone.

But searching such a vast area with only three people in a short time was a problem. No matter how skilled they were as rangers, limited time and manpower had their limits.

“This isn’t working. Random searching won’t cut it.”

“Agreed. This is driving me crazy.”

Roel grumbled and plopped down on the ground. Midnight had long passed, and dawn was approaching.

“Let’s go back and check the barrier again. It’s not fully repaired yet, so we need to take another look.”

Layla led Johnson and Roel to the barrier’s magic circle.

Based on the initial witness accounts, they began examining the barrier’s flow around where the Resistance’s Colossal Mechs had appeared. Focusing their mana into their eyes, they traced the mana flow invisible to ordinary people.

The magic circle was still flawless. Watching the mana flow smoothly through the barrier was almost soothing.

Wait, flawless?

Layla’s eyes widened.

It made no sense for the mana flow to be perfect in an area where such a fierce battle had taken place. Her ranger instincts kicked in.

As Layla pondered the anomaly, Johnson and Roel also noticed the strange mana flow. What they had overlooked in their haste now seemed glaringly odd.

“Hey, does this make sense?”

“Of course not. The leader seems to think it’s strange too.”

Roel snorted and examined the barrier more closely.

“This is definitely strange. The mana flow here is too perfect. I’ve seen many barriers, but this arrangement is a first.”

“The Academy’s level is high, but this is too much. It’s unbelievable that such a barrier was breached.”

“So, there’s definitely a traitor. How did the young master figure this out?”

“Probably intuition. Or maybe he noticed something we didn’t.”

Despite expecting another dead end, the discovery of a valuable clue reignited their investigative drive. At least they now knew the traitor was a high-level mage, narrowing their search.

To use their time efficiently, they focused on professors, cadets, and staff during the day. They first ruled out the cadets.

While some cadets were exceptional, none had the skill to draw such a high-level magic circle. Even Gilbert, who had already received a knight title, couldn’t do it.

They also ruled out the staff. They were ordinary people who couldn’t use mana, making it unlikely they could create such a barrier.

That left the Academy’s professors, who had been their primary suspects from the start. Now, they were certain.

Of course, a mage of such skill could hide their abilities. They didn’t overlook that. But to make progress, they decided to narrow their focus and continue the investigation.

They calculated their remaining time and chose where to search first. Creating such a perfect barrier required extensive knowledge of magic.

And in this Academy, there was only one name that came to mind for such a mage.

The Empire’s Great Sage, whose age was beyond estimation.

Professor Horizon’s office.

“But why would the Great Sage be an insider for the Resistance?”

“Johnson, motives don’t matter to us. There might be some tragic reason, but as always, it’s irrelevant.”

Layla firmly addressed Johnson’s question.

“We’re the Golden Mane, the elite ranger unit directly under the Lion Heart Count Family. We follow orders, nothing else. And our orders are to root out the traitor within the Academy. That’s all we need to focus on.”

At Layla’s words, Johnson and Roel nodded silently. As always, their leader was right.

Led by Layla, the Golden Mane’s two team leaders moved to Professor Horizon’s office.

 

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