On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 391

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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 — Chapter 391
I win.
The fight that had started in broad daylight on the first day continued through the evening and into the night, and even as dawn broke, the sound of clashing blades still echoed through the Labyrinth.
Because of it, rumors spread through the Labyrinth.
That Dark Knights were fighting each other endlessly!
“They’re still fighting? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know. Both of them have stamina that’s just unreal.”
The Second Years responsible for the Labyrinth, who knew the situation, clicked their tongues in disbelief. When they arrived in the morning, they could still hear sounds coming from deeper inside.
“How in the world can they fight all day long?”
“If anyone could, it’d be Delev or Celia.”
Quantus, unable to contain himself, sprang to his feet.
“I’m going to watch!”
“Quantus, sit down. You’ll just get in the way.”
At Ann’s words, Quantus slumped back into his seat with a pout.
But every student here would have gone to watch if they could.
Wouldn’t they?
A duel between masters of incomparable strength — far beyond anything they could achieve!
And that fight had been going on for an entire day.
“But Teacher Kelvin must be incredibly strong too. I can’t believe he’s been fighting Professor Isabella for this long…….”
The students knew well enough about Isabella’s strength and her reputation.
There was even talk that if her family background had been stronger, she would have reached Master-level like Sir Eleonore, whom the female students admired.
And now a person with that kind of talent was fighting against their Assistant Instructor.
“Teacher Gilbert seems different lately…….”
Ann murmured absently, but at that very moment, the sound finally ceased.
Everyone fell silent.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
Thirty minutes.
Still, nothing but quiet.
“Is it over……?”
And then three figures emerged from the Labyrinth entrance.
……
……
Everyone’s words caught in their throat.
Two of them, battered and broken.
And behind them, Ziel, shouldering a sack, walked toward them.
Kelvin and Isabella, without saying a word, stumbled forward and collapsed the moment they reached the entrance.
“Teacher!”
“Professor!”
As the students rushed toward them, Ziel spoke.
“It’s temporary exhaustion. They’ll recover with water.”
“Teacher, what in the world happened in there……?”
Instead of answering, Ziel opened the sack and showed them what was inside.
Within lay dozens of broken swords.
“……Wow.”
It was clear that a fight so fierce it had shattered all those blades in a single night had taken place.
Now that they looked closer, both their bodies were covered in cuts large and small.
All had been treated to stop the bleeding, but some of the wounds were severe enough that sustaining them would have forced withdrawal from combat.
“A life-and-death battle. It’s something you too must fight, if you ever hope to reach that realm.”
At Ziel’s words, no one could respond.
The students had experienced real combat before.
They had fought Magical Beasts and weathered the mad climate of Osu Island.
But they had never faced true battle in its deepest sense.
Because they were still students.
Perhaps today, they had caught a glimpse of something they would inevitably have to face in the future.
“Both of them……are all right, aren’t they, Teacher Ziel?”
At Ann’s question, Ziel nodded.
“They’ll be fine with treatment. I’ve stopped the bleeding, so they won’t die, Ann Peshwa.”
A sigh of relief.
And then Isabella, barely managing to sit up, accepted the water that Quantus handed to her.
“Thank you, Quantus. That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Professor!”
Professor Isabella drained the water in one long gulp, exhaled deeply, and looked up at the sky with an expression of relief washing over her.
‘Faint, but I saw it.’
It wasn’t perfect yet.
But if she continued honing that sense, it seemed she could reach it.
Master-level.
‘I need to see Eleanor during the break period.’
Eleanor.
The world calls them rivals, but personally, they remain close.
If she met Eleanor and fought with a real sword….
It felt as though she could reach it.
“Professor Isabella Altiodor.”
Ziel approached to check her condition, and Isabella offered a weary smile.
“So it’s come to this.”
“Yes. You should receive treatment.”
“No. Now I owe you much more. Thank you, Teacher Ziel. Simply buying you Festa food won’t be enough.”
Ziel tilted his head.
“The original agreement was to waive those conditions if you sparred with Kelvin.”
“I never imagined it would help me this much.”
If she could, she would give him all her salary for the next few years.
“Teacher Ziel, I’ll invite you to my family home soon. Though it’s not large, our cuisine is exceptional.”
“……!”
At the mention of fine cuisine, Ziel accepted without hesitation.
“Then I’ll accept.”
The world was vast, and there was much to taste.
Ziel’s heart was already racing with anticipation.
“What sort of dishes do you have?”
“My family originally came from lands beyond the Eastern Region. We settled here over five hundred years ago. Though we’ve served many empires, kingdoms, and nations, we’ve preserved our traditions. Of course, things have changed gradually over time. But I’m certain—you’ve likely never tasted most of the dishes we prepare.”
New cuisine!
Ziel’s eyes gleamed.
“I look forward to it.”
“Yes. I’ll send you a formal invitation shortly.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Next, Ziel checked on Kelvin’s condition.
“Ma, Master.”
Kelvin looked more exhausted than ever before.
Shorter than the hellish training conducted by the Harmatan Family, but fighting and training were different beasts.
In truth, both had brushed repeatedly against the line between life and death as they fought.
“You seem to have grasped something, Kelvin.”
“Ma, Mana. Mana anom—”
But he still hadn’t grasped the proper way to articulate it.
Of course, Ziel understood well enough.
“Remember that sensation and refine it. Then it won’t be long.”
“Ma, Master…….”
At that moved expression, Ziel spoke again.
“I know. It’s thanks to me.”
“I, I’m losing cons—”
“…….”
Kelvin’s head rolled slowly to the side.
The aftereffects of the fierce battle had finally stolen his consciousness.
Well, it didn’t much matter.
The objective had been achieved.
‘Now I’ll train him to suit his master-level standing.’
Of course, reaching master-level didn’t mean he’d get any rest.
Now that he’d reached master-level, he needed to hone himself even further and glimpse the realm beyond.
The security guards arrived just then.
“Please transport both of them to the Medical Barracks.”
“Understood, Teacher Ziel. Good heavens, but these injuries…….”
“They fought for a day straight.”
“Ah…….”
The security officers wondered what reason had driven them to fight, but they dared not ask.
As the officers led the two away and vanished, Ziel resumed his walk.
Now it was time for other business.
Specifically, preparation for the exchange with Telvir.
‘The ball venue is still under preparation, so I won’t be able to experience it yet.’
The ball would be held on the evening of the final day.
The same day the exchange tournament with Telvir Academy would take place.
So what Ziel needed to do today was begin training in preparation for the exchange tournament.
When he arrived at the auditorium, all the professors except Isabella were gathered there.
“You’ve arrived, sir!”
“Professor Merhen Curtis.”
Merhen greeted him with unusual warmth today.
It seemed the exclusion from the preliminary duel roster had set his mind churning.
Idel was the same, but Ziel, as always, merely reacted with his typical composure.
‘These two professors are simply itching to grow stronger.’
They’d been pulling themselves together for some time, but the decision to exclude them from the preliminaries seemed to have been the final straw.
Especially now that Elcanto and Allix had returned visibly strengthened—they must be beside themselves with urgency!
From Berhal’s perspective, it was excellent news.
He’d be spared the headache of having to recruit new people.
Still, lately the academy had been flooded with transfer inquiries and professorship applications.
A position at the Sword School was no longer a sinecure for aged failures.
It had become a post for the ambitious.
And…….
“Your swordsmanship levels are similar. If you wish to grow stronger, the two of you should spar daily. Once you become comfortable with sparring, then face each other with real blades. That is how one grows strong.”
“F-fight? The two of us? With Professor Idel?”
“Yes, that is correct, Professor Merhen Curtis.”
It was also an opportunity to meet Ziel—the Empire’s hero, whom the Emperor and Princes observed with keen interest, whom the nobles yearned to serve.
“But where has Professor Isabella been since yesterday? Where did she go?”
“Well, the Sixth Years aren’t participating in the Festa anyway, are they?”
“There’s been rumor that she’s been going out to eat all sorts of things with Ziel…….”
As some professors grew curious about Isabella’s whereabouts, Ziel answered.
“Professor Isabella Altidore requires rest for the time being.”
“Rest?”
“Yes. She sparred with Assistant Lecturer Kelvin for a full day.”
“……?”
At this peculiar statement, the professors exchanged glances of bewilderment—but only briefly.
“Then. We must now begin training for the inter-academy exchange. As you all know, we’ll have territorial occupation battle, destruction battle, flag capture, and a one-on-one tournament.”
Berhal’s mouth opened, and formal discussion commenced.
The exchange with Telvir would be held in four events.
All three events except the tournament would be single-round eliminations!
“Each event will have ten participants—two from each grade level. Mind you, there’s no overlap across events.”
There were four events.
So eight students would be selected per grade.
With participation from First through Fifth Year, that made forty in total!
“You’ve all prepared your rosters, I trust?”
“Yes, here they are.”
Each handed over their prepared lists.
Naturally, each grade’s strongest had been fielded.
No matter that Telvir had been demoralized by the preliminary duel, or humiliated in the previous swordsmanship tournament—Telvir was still Telvir.
And truth be told, Telvir’s performance hadn’t been poor.
It was simply that Ziel’s students and professors had performed better.
“These all look good. Selecting the best from each grade……wait?”
Berhal rubbed his eyes.
Even checking again, something seemed off.
“Ziel. Is this roster…… is it already confirmed?”
“It is. I’ve notified the students as well.”
“……Truly?”
“Yes.”
It was a feeling he always had.
Every time Ziel made his selection, a sense of shock washed over him!
“Delev, Celia, Yurio, Maris… students like Quantus are all excluded, and these children are being included instead?”
“Is there a problem?”
“To increase our winning rate…….”
“Our winning rate is higher this way, and more efficient.”
Ziel stated it plainly.
“The students I just mentioned are certainly stronger than the ones I’ve selected, but that principle only applies to one-on-one sparring matches.”
“Ah……!”
“Since the tournament proceeds in various formats, I’ve selected students suited to each. And this way, there’s no disruption to the current Festa.”
The roster contained not a single strong Second Year.
Instead, middle-tier and even lower-tier students made up the list.
“……Will it really be all right?”
“We’ll win.”
Ziel added one more thing, his tone resolute.
“That’s what I’ll make happen.”
A chill ran down Berhal’s spine.
“Winning is the bare minimum. I intend to use this opportunity to elevate the level of students whose growth has been slow by a full stage.”
Ziel was always looking far ahead.

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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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