On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 437

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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 437
The Storm’s Transfer Entrance Exam (5)
Applause poured down upon Roxanna.
Everyone rose to their feet without thinking, sending it forth.
“Magnificent!”
“Good heavens, such talent!”
The professors were the most astonished. They’d had no idea Telvir harbored such ability.
The swordsmanship itself hadn’t looked particularly remarkable. But the posture and movements she’d displayed throughout the test—those were extraordinary.
“The Third Years should be on their guard now.”
As Professor Isabella said, the Third Years were visibly tense.
It was bold enough to attempt the first strike in the exam itself, but what had truly shocked everyone was the sheer force with which she’d simply wrenched her dislocated shoulder back into place mid-exchange.
No matter how accustomed they’d all grown to pain under Ziel’s instruction, they’d never imagined doing something like that.
Except Quantus.
“Maris, I like her.”
Quantus was the only student who would have done exactly the same in that situation.
“…Don’t say that in front of Ann.”
“Why?”
“You’ll definitely get hit.”
“Huh?”
Though unlike Quantus, his brain appeared to be more than just muscle.
“Pass….”
It was only after hearing the word “pass” that Roxanna found herself momentarily dazed.
When she glanced down at the hand still gripping her sword, she saw it was torn open, bleeding.
It was evidence of just how fiercely she’d clenched her teeth through this exam.
‘Done. I’m going to the Capital now.’
The Drenoir Family currently dominates the Southern Underworld.
And now they were setting their sights on the Capital’s underworld.
With the Robson Family’s power weakened, this was the perfect moment!
Roxanna already managed several of the family’s business ventures and turned a profit—demonstrating impressive acumen for her young age.
So she’d seized this opportunity without hesitation.
‘Wait, Dark Ghost. You’ll see me soon enough.’
And Roxanna’s ultimate target was none other than the Dark Ghost.
The Dark Ghost, who’d built their reputation by driving the Robson Family from the Slum District.
She would either draw that creature in….
Or eliminate them.
Only then could she dominate the Capital’s underworld.
Now the opportunity had arrived.
‘Dark Ghost. I’ll find out who you are as well.’
“Roxanna Drenoir. Have your injuries treated and complete the transfer procedures. Go to the Personnel Department. That’s all.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
Roxanna smiled to herself as she anticipated what lay ahead.
Several of the male students watching her couldn’t tear their eyes away.
“Impressive.”
Celia and the other female students found the spectacle ridiculous.
Not that they harbored any hostility toward her.
Celia was simply tense.
‘She looks strong. Hmm, though maybe not quite on Karen’s level….’
Watching with a sharp gaze, she noted the swordsmanship itself had no particularly distinctive features.
If anything, her style was relentless in hunting for gaps.
‘Perhaps that’s because she comes from a family that rules the underworld? She was probably Fourth Year in Telvir, right?’
Yet the force behind her technique was undeniably there.
In any case, now that she was a transfer student, she was certainly someone to watch. She’d easily be mid-to-high tier.
The thought didn’t linger. The next examinee was waiting.
“Damned brother.”
“You two don’t get along?”
“Would you?”
“My elder brothers and I are fine….”
Delev tilted his head as if puzzled, which irritated Celia—but she still didn’t tear her eyes from her brother Joshua.
“Next. Joshua Rihart.”
At Ziel’s call, Joshua rose quietly and drew his sword.
Similar to Celia’s, though a bit longer and more slender.
It was a family sword granted only to those who reached a certain level of mastery.
Every Knight Order member of the Rihart Family wielded that same blade.
“Joshua Rihart. Draw your sword.”
Shing.
As Joshua unsheathed his blade at Ziel’s command, admiration rippled through the watching students.
The opening stance of Rihart Family Swordsmanship.
Distinctly different from Celia’s.
‘……Soon enough, it’ll be my turn.’
The realm Celia now had to catch up to.
That was Joshua’s current level.
Meanwhile, Ziel picked up the wooden stick he’d used against nineteen candidates so far today.
“You fail if you allow four or more sword strikes within the time limit. Furthermore, if this stick bears so much as a scratch, you pass. That’s all. We begin.”
There was no casual small talk, the kind one might ordinarily exchange. Whether Joshua was Celia’s brother or someone’s friend mattered little to Ziel.
Clang!
He was simply a transfer applicant, nothing more.
‘Insane.’
The first blow from Ziel—not a sword, but Ziel’s attack itself—struck with stunning weight and speed.
Naturally it surpassed Joshua’s Swift Swordsmanship in both velocity and force, and that raw power was emanating from nothing but a wooden stick.
‘An actual sword would almost be better.’
The stick in Ziel’s hands was that formidable. Such things were possible only because it was Ziel holding it.
Despite being less than half the length of a normal blade and blunt-edged, Joshua felt as though he were facing a masterfully honed sword edge.
‘Tremendous strength. This really is beyond reason.’
Yet unlike the other dropouts, Joshua was not overwhelmed.
Joshua was the second son of the Rihart Family.
He’d earned the reputation of being truly worthy of that name, and unlike Celia, he had endured their father’s severe and merciless training.
Celia’s training had always been gentle, even during drills. So sometimes he’d envied her for that.
But those days were long past.
Clang!
Joshua blocked two consecutive strikes!
‘I actually blocked them?’
Joshua himself stood bewildered at his own success.
“Excellent.”
And to top it off, there came praise.
‘I’ve been praised twice.’
Thump-thump.
His heart raced uncontrollably, even while locked in combat.
This wasn’t right.
He’d come here as a spy.
After this test, he was supposed to observe every facility of the Academy, commit it all to memory, return, and file his report…….
“Your grip is loosening. Focus, Joshua Rihart.”
“Yes, understood!”
Joshua answered hastily and seized his sword again. But he could not deflect the next strike.
Thud!
“Focus.”
Though he raised his blade in haste, Ziel’s stick passed through without hesitation, striking his shoulder.
Had he not twisted his shoulder in that moment, he would have been sent sprawling like Roxanna.
“Your reflexes are sharp.”
Another compliment!
A chill ran down his spine.
‘Wait—could he know about my plan with the Dean?’
Is that why he’s giving me praise like this?
‘No, no it can’t be. He couldn’t possibly know. Focus now, focus!’
He’d already taken one strike.
Three remained before failure.
Clang, clang!
Joshua launched a counterattack.
Just as Roxanna had discovered—attack was the finest defense!
Watching Joshua press forward, Ziel thought to himself:
‘Superior to Student Celia Rihart.’
It was natural, given that he was a Fifth Year; but it was equally natural because he was a Rihart.
The current average level of Edelwein Academy’s Third Years had grown nearly comparable to the Fifth Years.
In other words, Joshua surpassed the standard Fifth Year level of any other academy.
The three observers of the sparring match grew uneasy.
One was naturally Celia.
Another was Delev.
And the last was Yurio.
‘If he comes… he’ll definitely be in the top tier, right?’
‘Damn it—if my brother shows up too, I’m never getting that scholarship again? I’m already drowning in debt…….’
Celia’s thoughts ran a different course.
‘How am I supposed to attend the same academy as that bastard!’
She couldn’t fathom how bothersome and irritating the future would become!
Whoosh! Clang!
In that instant, Joshua—Telvir’s finest talent and the Rihart’s second son—met Ziel’s sweeping attack head-on.
It was only one move, but Joshua had proven he was different from the rest.
‘Not much longer now?’
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the price of that fractional lapse in concentration arrived swiftly.
“Ugh!”
Ziel’s wooden stick lashed across his thigh and swept past.
“Focus your concentration, Joshua Rihart. Fifteen seconds remain.”
Fifteen seconds.
Theoretically, not just fifteen strikes, but one of the Empire’s heroes could land one hundred fifty attacks in that span of time.
Joshua poured every ounce of his focus into the match.
Clang, crash!
He parried two more attacks—
Ring!
And launched three more of his own.
And finally, when fifteen seconds had dwindled to just one remaining.
Crash!
He blocked.
By the narrowest margin.
Ding, ding, ding!
“That’s enough…….”
Joshua collapsed, tumbling to the ground.
It was exhaustion—something he hadn’t tasted in ages.
He hadn’t exhausted himself even during the first exam.
To reach complete depletion in a mere minute—incomparably shorter than that—was something else entirely.
‘What…… exactly is this feeling?’
Though his body had been drained of all strength, his mind felt remarkably clear.
There was also a sense of having grasped something profound.
‘He’s truly an extraordinary person.’
Without exchanging many words, in just one minute of crossing blades, he had learned more than in the preceding months.
‘If I could learn from him further……!’
The moment that thought arose—
“Congratulations, Joshua Rihart. You have passed the transfer entrance exam. Have your injuries treated, then proceed to the Personnel Department to complete the necessary procedures.”
Ziel’s declaration of acceptance fell upon him.
“Excellent work. You were the finest among all the transfer candidates. Your final movement—the way you blocked my last strike—was particularly impressive.”
And Joshua, without realizing it, found himself nodding.
“I understand…….”
Only after Ziel had left and the transfer exam was formally concluded did he grasp it fully.
“……What have I done?”
The fact that from now on, he was a student of Edelwein Academy.
* * *
“……?”
Sigmund sat in confusion, reading the letter that had arrived from Joshua.
[I have unexpectedly gained admission to Edelwein Academy through the transfer entrance exam.]
Upon seeing that crucial line, it felt as though he had been struck on the head.
After that, his mind grew hot.
Blood rushing through his veins!
“This… surely you didn’t…….”
But there was another sentence that followed.
[However, do not worry, Dean. I have made the best choice for obtaining more reliable information. The transfer entrance exam alone would yield very limited intelligence. Therefore, I intend to infiltrate for at least six months or longer to gather more information before returning.]
Sigmund fell into thought.
‘……Is this right?’
The words weren’t wrong, yet something about it continued to sit uneasily with him.
Could he have been calculating all along?
‘No, he couldn’t be. He would never abandon the family’s prestige and position, never betray our academy.’
Sigmund believed this.
Or rather, he needed to believe it.
Only by holding to this belief could he maintain his sanity in this moment.
Sigmund chose to trust him.
For now.
And at that same moment.
“Wow, I really…… I really did transfer in.”
Celia exhaled a long sigh watching her brother complete all the transfer procedures.
It was a sigh deep enough to topple the entire academy.
“Are you really that opposed to your brother coming?”
“Wouldn’t you be? Imagine having your older brothers in the same grade as you!”
“Why? I think it’s great. I’d get to play with them all the time.”
“……I can’t reason with you. Get out of here.”
Delev simply could not understand, no matter how hard he tried.
Celia, for her part, could only sigh repeatedly at the prospect of her bleak academy life ahead.
“Celia, Celia. Would it be okay if we asked Joshua to buy us meals?”
While this was happening, friends who had fallen for Joshua came to her with this request, and Celia waved her hand dismissively.
“Do as you like. It’s your money going out, not mine.”
“Squee!”
How wonderful.
No matter how she thought about it, the girls who liked that blood relative of hers had to have something wrong with their heads.
In any case, the situation had become strange.
‘Father doesn’t know about this, does he?’
Certainly not.
How would he react if he learned of this?
……
She was still sorting through her tangled thoughts when it happened.
“Third Years, is everyone here?”
Ziel stepped into the Auditorium.
Today was the first day of the semester.
It was intriguing to wonder what would unfold this academic year.
“The Professor is here.”
“What kind of lesson will it be this time?”
“Who knows. Maybe training with dozens of sandbags again?”
“That seems like it’d just be for Quantus alone.”
They were all half-resigned to their fate.
It was obvious another grueling training session would be announced, no matter how you looked at it.
That’s what they thought.
But the words that came from Ziel’s mouth defied imagination.
“You will not be returning to the academy during this entire semester.”
“……Pardon?”
“All of you, begin packing your things now. The entire first semester of Third Year will be conducted outside the academy.”

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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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