On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 376

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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First Day of Infiltration, The Organization Was Destroyed — Episode 376
Let’s just hope the Imperial Palace remains unharmed.
Dawn broke.
The Capital was turned upside down.
The first discovery was the row of crow corpses littering the rooftops.
When Zephyros departed, the magic had worn off, and the bodies tumbled down from the eaves.
Then three corpses were found in an abandoned building.
They were high-ranking crows.
The fact that they were crows spread in an instant.
The Red Raven conducts espionage operations, but it’s a relatively well-known group.
Because of this, it was major news.
Massive news, at that.
“The Red Raven has essentially…… the organization collapsed?”
Berte went pale upon hearing the report.
“Yes, Trading Company Head.”
“Well, then what exactly happened last night……?”
Berte clutched at his throbbing head.
Yesterday, someone claiming to be the commander of the Red Raven had said he would come.
But when Berte came to his senses, he never showed up, and the tea had only gone cold.
Feeling the waste of it, he’d reheated the tea and drunk it only a few hours before falling asleep.
From the reports coming in since morning, Berte couldn’t gather his wits.
“It’s said that three high-ranking crows and other crow corpses have been discovered in the Capital.”
“Who on earth……?”
So everything happened last night?
Since Ziel had erased his memory, there was no way he could recall anything.
“This is going to cause chaos. An organization of the Red Raven’s caliber…….”
“Yes. There’s already talk that a curfew might be imposed on the Capital.”
“Hmm.”
It wasn’t merely the fall of some small underworld organization.
The Red Raven’s reputation was considerable.
A significant portion of such an organization’s forces had been obliterated in a single night.
‘A rival organization? No. There’s no one in the Capital capable of pulling off something on that scale…….’
Since the Black Sky crumbled, all the underworld organizations had held their breath.
A few fools had tried to move into the void left by Black Sky, but he understood they all disappeared without a trace.
Less than two years had passed since Black Sky’s downfall, and each organization found itself forced to tread carefully!
“We need to be careful as well. The remnants of the Red Raven organization might make contact or cause problems, so issue a warning to the entire Trading Company beforehand.”
“Understood, Trading Company Head.”
That was all Berte could do.
But the Imperial Palace was already embroiled in a different situation.
“After interrogating one member of the Red Raven organization, it’s estimated to be the result of a failed operation.”
The Imperial Palace.
The Iron Keep.
The Imperial Knight Order was now on high alert.
Even Allix, who had been dispatched to the Academy, had hurried back.
The destruction of an intelligence organization!
Not quite on the scale of Black Sky, but still a major incident.
“The result of a failed operation?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Look here. Though we couldn’t obtain the mission orders, after interrogating a crow we captured at the Capital branch, this is what we found.”
Chief Relio examined the documents.
Then, at a loss for words, he examined them again and again.
But the name mentioned here was unmistakable.
“Is this really…… accurate?”
He wanted to deny it.
If this were true, it would explain why the Red Raven organization was destroyed in a single night.
Branch Leader of the Capital — deceased.
Vice Commander — deceased.
And the Commander — missing.
With the three key leadership figures gone, the organization’s collapse was inevitable.
The Red Raven wasn’t like the Robson Family, operating as a decentralized network; it was an organization that moved systematically in strict adherence to orders.
The complete elimination of such an organization’s leadership…….
Moreover, the person who created it…
“Do you mean Teacher Ziel Steelheart…? Is that what you’re saying?”
The very person they all knew well.
“What do you mean by that, Sir Relio?”
Allix asked, bewildered.
Until yesterday, he’d run into that person and exchanged greetings—not warmly, perhaps, but civilly enough. That person was Teacher Ziel.
He’d demolished the Red Raven in a single night?
“Read it yourself, Allix.”
Allix, too, fell speechless after reading the report.
There were two reasons.
First, Ziel’s name was actually mentioned in it.
And second, there was a clear and inescapable reason why it had to happen.
“Teaching Assistant Gilbert was…… a member of the Red Raven organization.”
Desertion under unknown circumstances.
During the subsequent pursuit and elimination, he was caught by Ziel, and the organization was simply destroyed.
……
……
The knight order members could not hide their shock and dismay.
An intelligence organization had been annihilated.
By a teacher at the Academy Sword School.
For one reason.
Someone had touched another teacher under him.
“Is there…… any other reason it might have happened?”
“……Should there be another reason?”
At Relio’s response, Allix paused in thought, then nodded.
“No. If it’s Teacher Ziel, that reason alone would be sufficient.”
The Ziel that Allix knew was always composed and cold, sometimes even frigid……
But he looked after those within his domain.
Especially the Teaching Assistant closest to him.
“The Red Raven’s method of handling deserters is brutal and thorough.”
Relio nodded in agreement.
The Red Raven was an intelligence organization.
They rarely permitted retirement for their operatives.
So deserters were naturally dealt with even more severely.
“So he simply turned it around and destroyed them entirely……”
“Because that’s the most certain way.”
Recalling Ziel’s usual method of handling matters, Allix could only accept it.
Ziel was thorough.
Meticulous. Perfect.
He made the impossible possible.
And he was caught in his sights.
Moreover, he possessed not just the ability to execute plans, but actual martial skill.
Hadn’t he defeated the master of the Northern Region with a single strike?
“The Capital’s underworld will be in considerable turmoil.”
For the Imperial Knight Order, it was enough to draw a sigh.
There was a Capital Security Guard, true, but their jurisdiction had natural limits.
The more dangerous underworld fell to the Imperial Knight Order.
With the Red Raven fallen, who could say how many petty organizations and rabble would spring up in the chaos?
“First, we locate the remnants of the Red Raven. Especially the branch leaders. A power struggle will begin.”
“Understood. I’ll have dispatches sent to all the stationed knights at once.”
And they would have to consider this possibility as well, just in case.
“We should also account for the possibility that Teacher Ziel might…… absorb the Red Raven organization. Allix, keep an eye on Teacher Ziel’s movements—naturally, of course.”
To destroy an organization entirely, just because someone touched his Teaching Assistant—that was a method no one had anticipated!
So they had no choice but to consider such political possibilities.
“I’m not entirely sure Teacher Ziel would actually do such a thing.”
“What makes you confident?”
“Not confident, exactly…… but every day he’s training the students and the Teaching Assistants, and recently he’s been making beer at the brewery.”
“……Beer at the brewery?”
“Yes. I’ve had some myself. It’s delicious. Truly remarkable. Better than what I had during the Northern deployment.”
……
Now I understood where that comment had come from.
“There’s an enormous amount of work to manage within the Academy. So frankly, I doubt there’d be time for anything else.”
Teaching the Students, preparing lessons, individual instruction for the Teaching Assistants, and even beer production at the brewery.
Now that he mentioned it, that made sense.
Relio accepted the explanation without hesitation.
But acceptance only made him more afraid.
‘Did I make some mistake with Teacher Ziel?’
A terrifying being who destroyed an entire organization just because someone touched his Teaching Assistant!
Relio, who already had frequent cause to encounter Ziel, found himself seriously retracing his own actions.
Fortunately, nothing came to mind that seemed like a major blunder.
“…….”
“…….”
Sir Horn and Sir Eton seemed lost in similar thoughts for the same reason.
It was then that the Knight Commander arrived.
“Commander, you’ve returned.”
Relio immediately relayed the conversation they’d been having, and Captain Benjamin fell into a serious contemplation for much the same reason.
“……I never imagined a mere Academy instructor could pull off something of this scale. Hmph.”
No matter how he thought about it, the scope of the operation was utterly beyond what an ordinary person could conceive of!
“By the way, Commander—what has His Majesty decided regarding this matter……?”
“Ah, yes. I just finished an audience with him.”
Gulp.
Everyone tensed.
‘Is he summoning Teacher Ziel to the Palace? Or issuing an arrest warrant?’
‘What charges would even apply?’
They all imagined much the same thing.
After all, a major incident had occurred in the Capital.
From Ziel’s perspective it was justified—but from the Imperial standpoint, it was an enormous scandal!
That was the problem.
Would Teacher Ziel submit quietly to arrest?
And if not—who would arrest him?
Everyone waited for the Commander to speak.
And then—
“His Imperial Majesty has summoned Teacher Ziel Steelheart to the Palace.”
As expected.
“……This has become quite problematic.”
“Hmph, what can you do…….”
The Commander nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, it’s become quite troublesome. But His Majesty isn’t planning to punish him—rather, he intends to reward him.”
“Surely, a reward would be given, but that’s what makes this troublesome…… Wait? A reward?”
“Yes. He means to bestow a commendation. For eliminating the organization that threatened the Empire like a red raven, acting on behalf of the Imperial throne.”
A commendation.
The Knight Order members were collectively bewildered by this unexpected turn.
The Commander exhaled heavily.
“Truly…… His Majesty’s intentions are impossible to fathom.”
* * *
An envoy from the Palace arrived.
“You are commanded to enter the Palace and receive the commendation that His Imperial Majesty will personally bestow upon you.”
Gilbert, Kelvin, Zephyros, and even Theo—who had been contemplating what cuisine to prepare that day—were all at a loss for words.
Only one person remained unmoved.
“What merit have I accomplished?”
“You are recognized for destroying the Red Raven, the organization that acted in the shadows threatening the Empire on behalf of the Imperial throne.”
That person was Ziel alone.
‘Could the Palace have also grasped that Black Sky was being rebuilt?’
He wondered if that was why they called it a “merit” worthy of commendation.
Ziel nodded.
“Understood.”
Thus Ziel’s summoning to the Palace was settled.
“Boss, do you think…… will it be alright?”
“And what reason would there be for it not to be?”
“Well…… it could be a trap, couldn’t it?”
Ziel tilted his head quizzically.
“Why would you set such a trap?”
“Well… that is….”
“And even if you did, the Emperor can’t kill me.”
“….”
Gilbert was left speechless by such absurd confidence.
“I’ll be going.”
“Yes, Boss. Please… be careful.”
Gilbert fidgeted nervously.
And no wonder.
This whole mess had erupted because of a situation he’d entangled himself in.
On top of that, it would likely soon be discovered that he was once a member of the Red Raven.
But Ziel, as always, remained unruffled.
“And Kelvin.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t skip your fear-conditioning training today. I’ll test you when I return.”
“….”
Even heading to the Imperial Palace, Ziel made sure his duties were clear.
As Ziel departed, Zephyros and Gilbert whispered among themselves.
“I wonder what kind of commendation the Boss will receive.”
“Who knows… I honestly can’t even imagine. I’m just grateful if he returns safely.”
Zephyros tilted his head thoughtfully.
“Shouldn’t we be praying for the Imperial Palace’s safety, given the Boss’s abilities?”
“…Is that so?”
Now that he thought about it, that did seem to make sense.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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