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Gilbert, who had entrusted the task of rooting out traitors to Layla and her group, sought out the Wild Rose to locate the New Resistance’s headquarters.

The quality of information handled by the Wild Rose was so exceptional that even when stuck during Tactical Combat, it was often worth consulting them.

Above all, the Wild Rose thoroughly concealed information about its clients, making it the perfect place for Gilbert, who had recently gained fame, to utilize.

Of course, Seraphina’s intelligence unit was also searching for the New Resistance’s headquarters, but the more information, the better.

Especially considering that they had quietly gathered hundreds of Colossal Mechs, it was wise to use every available resource.

Gilbert visited the Wild Rose branch in Obitus, where he had been indebted since his possession. Given the strong financial trust built between him and the branch, he judged it reliable enough to entrust with more sensitive tasks.

So far, Gilbert’s plan was progressing smoothly. However, the unexpected addition of a companion posed a problem.

“Good thing I came to find Gilbert! Where is this place?”

“Camilla, stop making a fuss. You’re drawing attention.”

Gilbert sighed deeply, looking at Camilla, who was chattering away by his side.

The incident began when Camilla, who had been intensifying her training in preparation for the Resistance subjugation, came to spar with Gilbert.

Just as Gilbert was about to depart for Obitus, Camilla appeared, her interest piqued, and volunteered to accompany him.

Gilbert, not wanting to attract attention, tried to refuse but couldn’t overcome Camilla’s persistence.

Although Camilla had recently shown signs of reforming her interest-driven lifestyle, her fundamental behavior hadn’t entirely changed. Her current lifestyle was solely to stand proudly beside Gilbert, who made her happy.

For that, she endured and sent herself to mail training, but when she saw Gilbert preparing to go somewhere, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

Camilla immediately clung to Gilbert, insisting on going with him, and Gilbert reluctantly agreed.

As expected…

Gilbert pulled down the hood of Camilla’s robe, which had nearly come off as she fluttered around, looking at the backstreet scenery.

Objectively, Camilla was undeniably beautiful. Her vibrant smile often set the hearts of male cadets at the academy ablaze.

Although Camilla herself had no interest in romance, there were still those who boldly confessed their feelings, only to be soundly rejected.

Gilbert, too, had pursued Camilla’s romance route countless times in Tactical Combat to achieve romantic achievements.

Even the ever-confident Camilla would become a love novice once the romance route began, often requiring the player to lead, which players found endearing.

However, having to care for Camilla, who chased after interests until the romance route opened, was a downside. Many players who found Camilla annoying never unlocked her romance route even once.

“Gilbert, is something wrong?”

Camilla, who had been walking ahead like a dog on a walk, turned back to look at Gilbert. He had slowed down, lost in thought.

Gilbert shook his head slightly, gathering his scattered thoughts.

“Nothing’s wrong. But don’t walk too far ahead. This is Obitus’s backstreet. There are quite a few criminals hiding in the shadows, so you might run into trouble.”

“Then… I should stick close to you, right?”

Camilla’s voice was unusually soft. Gilbert, unable to see her face due to the deeply pulled hood, didn’t notice her change.

“Right. Try not to stray from my side.”

“Mm. Then I’ll stick close.”

Slowing her pace, Camilla cautiously took hold of Gilbert’s robe. Unlike before, her movements were very careful.

Gilbert glanced at her with a ‘why is she acting like this?’ expression and headed towards the Wild Rose’s location.

Meanwhile, Camilla, holding onto Gilbert’s robe and sticking close, tried to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside her. Hearing Gilbert’s words, she had unconsciously decided to stick close, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

In fact, it was quite pleasant. Just the simple act of walking close to him made her heart race, as if she had discovered something exciting.

Was it because she was in a new place with a close friend?

Camilla didn’t know why she felt this way, but she fervently wished for one thing.

That such exciting moments would always be plentiful.

While Camilla was sorting out her fluttering heart, Gilbert pushed open the door to a building adorned with a black wild rose. The interior was stark, with minimal decoration, but it wasn’t devoid of basic furniture.

The interior design, reflecting the Obitus branch manager’s preferences, aligned with Gilbert’s taste for simplicity. Perhaps that’s why Gilbert frequented the Obitus branch.

“Long time no see. Did you bring your girlfriend this time?”

“It’s not like that…”

“Does it look that way?”

Camilla, still hooded, had a voice brimming with joy. The branch manager, hearing her cheerful tone, smiled back.

“Lord Gilbert has always visited alone. But today, you have a companion, so it’s natural to think that way.”

“So this is the first time?”

“Yes, it is.”

Is that so?

Camilla felt even happier. Though she couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, she guessed it was because she was the only person her closest friend had brought here.

“Manager, you’re talking nonsense again. Did you lose at Swat somewhere?”

Gilbert, displeased with the manager’s rambling, hit a sore spot. The manager, who had lost several Swat matches to Gilbert, winced at the remark.

“Although I have lost to Lord Gilbert, there’s no guarantee it will always be that way.”

“You should correct your statement. You haven’t won even once.”

“That’s an unbearable provocation. We just received a one-time healing artifact. How about a game of Swat?”

“I’ll use the manager’s deck again, as usual.”

“At this point, you should make your own deck.”

“Not necessary yet.”

The tension was palpable. Neither backed down, their determination to win evident.

Camilla, silently watching, was excited by the sudden Swat match. Swat was a card game she often enjoyed.

For Camilla, who couldn’t resist anything interesting, Swat was an irresistible pastime. Talented at Swat, she had even invited a Swat champion for lessons.

With talent, effort, and a good teacher, Camilla’s Swat skills improved rapidly. Now, she could easily take a set from a Swat champion.

Her dedication to Swat was genuine, and she was eager to see how a backstreet Swat match would unfold.

“Then I’ll be the referee!”

“That would be perfect.”

The manager, now with a referee and audience, was even more motivated.

The one-time healing artifact was a high-value item, almost like an extra life. Using it as a wager showed the manager’s determination and confidence.

Despite previous losses to Gilbert, the manager had honed his Swat skills, even setting aside his title as a Swat champion to focus on defeating Gilbert. This was the moment to showcase his efforts.

This time, I will definitely win.

The manager was resolute.

***

As the moon rose and night fell, Layla and her group set out for a midnight operation. Silently leaving their lodgings, they headed towards the devastated academy.

Their destination was the office of Professor Horizon, known as the Great Sage. They had investigated his office the previous dawn but found nothing significant, prompting another investigation.

Sneaking past guards, they reached the half-collapsed office and began their search with practiced ease, examining the magical traces and looking for clues.

After an hour of focused searching, they found nothing suspicious. The magical traces in the office were no different from elsewhere, and nothing unusual was discovered. It was just like any other professor’s office.

“It’s an ordinary office. Captain, could we be mistaken?”

Johnson scratched his head as he asked. Layla couldn’t easily answer. To her, Horizon’s office also seemed normal.

“I don’t know. But someone capable of creating such a magical barrier is rare. Even at Demia Academy, there aren’t many professors with that level of magical prowess. Except for the Great Sage Horizon.”

“Could it be a professor hiding their abilities? Maybe we’ve been too quick to judge Horizon.”

Roel’s words made Layla nod. His point was valid.

They might be falling into the trap of generalization. Instead of observing the process with an open mind, they might be forcing the process to fit a preconceived conclusion.

Creating a perfect magical barrier isn’t something just anyone can do, narrowing it down to the academy, and then to Horizon.

Thus, the Golden Mane Rangers had labeled Horizon as a traitor and were searching for evidence.

“Roel, you might be right. But we’ve only searched the office. Besides, the Great Sage is a suspect. Someone like him wouldn’t leave loose ends. So let’s not jump to conclusions. Keep all possibilities open.”

Layla considered the situation from multiple angles. Professors spent most of their time in their offices, but they weren’t confined there. This meant there could be evidence elsewhere, not necessarily in the office.

Moreover, their suspect was the Great Sage. With centuries of knowledge, he wouldn’t leave obvious evidence. Though time was pressing, patience was crucial.

“We’re too focused on finding something quickly. Let’s stop searching the office and look elsewhere.”

“Right. That’s a good idea.”

Layla let go of her attachment to the office and led Johnson and Roel through the academy. With several hours until dawn, they planned to continue their search.

She carefully examined the surroundings, repeatedly checking for anything missed. Then, she noticed something unusual.

“Johnson, Roel. Look here.”

“What is this…” Layla pointed at what seemed like empty ground. To the untrained eye, it was just dirt, but to senior rangers like them, it was different.

The magical flow here was different from elsewhere, similar to what they had seen in the magical barrier the previous day.

Had they not been puzzled by the barrier, they might not have noticed. Thus, they believed they had found the clue they were seeking. There was a magical barrier here too.

“Finally found it.”

“Then, let’s go in.”

Normally, they couldn’t dismantle the barrier, but it had been significantly damaged during the Colossal Mech battle, making it easy to disable. After deactivating the barrier, they projected mana into the ground, but no magical resonance returned.

Seeing no resonance, Layla immediately had Johnson and Roel dig. She suspected a hidden pit.

Soon, a large stone slab was revealed, and using aura, they cut through it. As Layla had guessed, there was a hollow space beneath.

“Is this allowed under the academy?”

“With a traitor around, anything’s possible. Let’s go in.”

Bickering, Johnson and Roel followed Layla into the dark space.

 

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