On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 82
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Organization Collapsed on My First Day of Infiltration Episode 082
There Are No Options
Celia recalled the words of Darren Rihart, her father.
‘Celia, you must never interpret someone’s words at face value. Always think. What hidden meaning lies beneath their words?’
Following her father’s advice, Celia thought about the hidden meaning in Ziel’s words.
From Celia’s perspective, it seemed like a situation where he could just help them out.
‘Could it be a political judgment?!’
Celia doesn’t know much about politics.
However, she understands the dynamic between Sword School and Arcane School well.
‘As expected of Teacher Ziel.’
She guessed that Teacher Ziel was trying to pressure Arcane School by mentioning a ‘deal’ to gain some advantage.
‘Since they’re currently in a power struggle with Sword School.’
A political judgment!
She could feel his determination not to be pushed around by Arcane School.
‘As expected of Teacher Ziel.’
Young students’ misunderstandings often tend to go in such directions.
Ziel had no such intention at all.
“A, a deal, you say…”
“If we give you our supplies, what can Arcane School offer us in return?”
It was simply habit.
An assassin’s habit of weighing losses and gains in every situation before deciding on the next action.
“…”
Emeric was flustered.
‘What can we give?’
They came to borrow because they had nothing, and now he’s asking what they can offer?
Could this guy possibly…
‘Is he trying to pressure us while he’s at it?’
Emeric swallowed dryly.
‘I thought he was a tough one to deal with.’
Sword School.
Arcane School.
The dynamic that seemed to be Arcane School’s one-sided superiority was shattered by the recent special support system incident.
And the one who cracked that dynamic was none other than this Ziel Steelheart!
The current situation was a direct continuation of that incident.
‘…But there’s no choice.’
However, Emeric wasn’t in a position to worry about such things right now.
Should the first years go back hungry and shivering from the cold?
No, he couldn’t even guarantee they’d return safely.
The fact that the dolls carrying supplies hadn’t arrived meant something had happened on the way.
Above all, that giant magical beast!
‘Damn it.’
In the end, he couldn’t even guarantee they’d make it back safely.
‘I need to save the kids first.’
“I don’t have anything I can give you right now.”
“Then the deal won’t work out.”
“B-but! I can give you something when we return. Teacher Ziel.”
After taking a deep breath, Emeric continued.
“I swear on my name. I will definitely pay the price when we return.”
An interesting thought crossed Ziel’s mind.
Vacation was approaching, but the semester wasn’t over yet.
“Then lend me a doll.”
A doll?
Surely not that magic doll?
‘Ah, damn. Of all things!’
They did charge a somewhat, no, a very expensive price for it, but until recently Arcane School had been lending them out.
But after the special support system incident, all of that was prohibited.
‘I’d rather he ask for magical tools…’
Why does he have to ask for a doll of all things…
“It would be nice if you also had the magical tools I’m about to mention.”
“…”
It wasn’t just the golems.
“Ma-magical tools are possible somehow, but golems are…”
“I see. I understand.”
Ziel turned around mercilessly.
Then Emeric hurriedly blocked Ziel’s path.
“Somehow! I’ll make it work.”
First, save the kids.
Even if it doesn’t work out later, he could think about it then!
But Ziel wasn’t a soft opponent.
“How will you guarantee it?”
“Gu-guarantee?”
“I have no reason to believe those words.”
Trembling!
So this is what it feels like to be thoroughly cornered.
Emeric’s hands shook violently, but soon he opened his mouth with a deep sigh.
“I, Emerick Carlton, swear under my mana and family name.”
In the end, this was the best Emeric could do.
“Teacher Ziel, no matter how much the schools oppose each other and dislike one another, I’m someone who knows at least basic honor. Please.”
Ziel stared at him quietly and pondered.
What is an oath?
Should he accept a deal without material or explicit guarantee?
During his assassin days, he wouldn’t have accepted it.
But now…
For a new life, he needed to consider new methods.
“Understood. Golem rental and magical tool provision. I’ll consider what you just said as guarantee.”
“…Thank you.”
Emeric asked with a relieved expression.
“I’ll bring some students. After all, to move the supplies…”
“Not yet. Please wait about an hour.”
“Ah, classification work must be needed. I understand…”
“No. We’ll give you what we have, but it won’t be much.”
What does this mean?
After making the deal, he’s being this stingy?
“Teacher Ziel, we still have mouths to feed, so just a little more…”
“The Arcane School First Years will be able to eat their fill and sleep warmly.”
‘What on earth is he talking about?’
Celia tilted her head in confusion.
Sleeping was one thing.
Just lend them firewood and that’s it.
They had a little extra anyway.
But food would be severely lacking…
‘Since he’s the teacher, he must have a way?’
There was a way.
“We’ll hunt, Professor Emeric Kent.”
“Is that method hunting magical beasts, Teacher? Don’t tell me you eat magical beast meat?”
It was then that Celia cried out in panic.
“Do you want to eat magical beast meat, Student Celia Rihart?”
“Huh?”
“Unfortunately, magical beast meat is inedible. Some magical beast meat can be consumed, but the side effects are considerable.”
“Th-that’s not what I…”
“Even if you want to eat it, endure it. It leads to non-combat losses. Especially Peckworm meat causes immediate vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea upon consumption.”
“Really?”
This was news to her.
But to Ziel’s eyes, she looked like someone who wanted to eat it but was being told she couldn’t.
‘I need to give her a firm warning.’
“Tepic meat is tough and has a strong gamey smell. It’s somewhat edible, but has a high risk of parasite infection.”
“Ah…”
“Lastly, Sword Birds take longer to butcher than they’re worth eating. The entire hide has fine, sharp protrusions, which take time to remove, and when butchering, those protrusions are likely to fall into the meat.”
“How do you know all that?”
“I’ve tried it.”
“What?”
“But I hope Student Celia Rihart won’t try it.”
With Ziel’s words giving no quarter, Celia became the girl who wanted to eat magical beast meat.
Emeric muttered blankly.
“So-Sword School students have peculiar tastes.”
“No!”
Celia vehemently denied it.
Delev.
Yon.
Yurio.
Karen.
And even Celia.
Five people ended up taking the ‘hunting lesson’ with Ziel.
Plus one more person.
“Professor, please follow from behind. And Teacher Ziel told me to give you this.”
“Ah, y-yes. Thank you.”
Gulp, gulp.
Professor Emeric drinking the water.
He felt like he might live.
But following Ziel’s instruction not to make loud noises from now on, he held back his refreshing exclamation for the moment.
‘But hunting, really.’
He never imagined that instead of distributing the supplies they had, Ziel would suggest hunting as a method.
Mages are sedentary.
In other words, they’re bookworms and somewhat distant from physical training.
While some rigid mages emphasize physical strength, most mages are definitely lacking in exercise.
In other words, they’re completely unfamiliar with activities requiring high physical strength like hunting.
So while it was surprising, he was also curious about what exactly hunting entailed.
“Professor Emeric Kent. I can’t give you food right away. But I’ll catch something through hunting, and then teach you how to catch it yourself.”
“Ah, I understand. Teacher Ziel.”
While curious, Arcane School currently had no choice.
Just one option.
If they declared abandonment of the practical training and returned, they could enjoy delicious meals and warm bedding.
But that wasn’t possible.
If they did that, their reputation within Arcane School would be completely ruined.
“The three most important things in hunting.”
Ziel’s lesson began.
“Wind, silence, and breathing.”
Wind.
Silence.
Breathing.
“Everyone stop. It’s a deer.”
Ziel stopped the group and asked Delev.
“Student Delev Kundel, which direction is the wind blowing from right now?”
“From behind us.”
“If you have the wind at your back, the prey will notice your approach. Approach from the opposite direction of the wind.”
Next was silence.
Prey have sensitive ears.
“From now on, stop talking and approach while making as little sound as possible. Be careful of tree branches and fallen leaves on the ground.”
Finally, breathing.
“Raise your bow, Student Delev Kundel.”
The prey wasn’t far away.
It was a deer.
“Keep your inhaling and exhaling consistent. Don’t be conscious of it, breathe naturally.”
Delev slowly drew the bowstring amid Ziel’s whispers.
He had learned archery from his father, but had only shot a few times.
“When you draw the bowstring all the way, naturally stop breathing while inhaling.”
Inhale.
Tension flowing through the silence.
The hand holding the arrow nock and drawing it with the bowstring seemed to tremble slightly.
“Remember. At this distance, the arrow follows a curve. Raise it a bit more. A bit more. That’s the spot. Now a little more to the left. Stop. Now when I give the signal, release the bowstring.”
Delev swallowed his dry saliva.
His first real hunt.
He had followed his father before, but it wasn’t actually such a tense hunt like this.
‘My elder brothers must have done this many times.’
Kundel, as a great lord of the South, owns numerous forests and hunting grounds.
But unfortunately, Delev had never once accompanied his father on a hunt.
Coincidentally, each time his father was either touring the South, or Delev was too young.
‘I should have pestered him to take me along.’
Right at that moment.
At the stream.
The deer lowered its head and drank water.
Whistle!
The moment Ziel whistled, the deer startled and raised its head.
Twang!
Squeeeal!
As Delev reflexively released the bowstring—
Thunk!
The arrow struck directly into the deer’s neck.
Delev’s eyes widened in shock.
“Well done.”
With Ziel’s brief praise, everyone let out the breath they had been holding.
“I, I really hit it, right?”
“The deer fell down!”
“Delev is amazing!”
Delev also had a surprised expression.
To hit it in one shot like this?
‘Teacher really is incredible.’
After the large magical beast lesson, Ziel was practically a god in Delev’s mind.
And now even such perfect hunting technique!
“Teacher, you even know how to hunt?”
“Yes.”
During his assassin days.
He had learned every method for survival.
Hunting was one of them.
Assassination sometimes took place in forests, mountains, or even wastelands.
The completion of assassination meant safely escaping without being detected by anyone after the kill.
So sometimes he had to avoid attention, sometimes stay somewhere for days before the assassination target arrived and survive.
That’s when he learned it.
“Teacher really can do everything.”
At Karen’s words, Ziel shook his head.
“There is something.”
“Huh? Really? What is it?”
“I can’t eat mint chocolate ice cream.”
“…”
Ziel had a very resolute expression.
“That doesn’t taste good.”
“But it’s delicious…”
“No, it’s not delicious.”
Celia, who had become dejected, was next.
Finding the next prey wasn’t difficult.
Not far away.
This time it was a rabbit.
“Rabbits are a bit more tricky.”
“The aiming?”
“Aiming too, but their senses are more sensitive.”
In quiet whispers, Ziel gave instructions.
“5 degrees to the left. A little lower. Release the bowstring just like that.”
Whizz! Swoosh! Thunk!
Once again, the arrow struck without fail.
Seeing the rabbit go limp, Celia looked at Ziel with wide eyes.
“I hit it, Teacher.”
“Remember that feeling just now. Well done.”
The hunting lesson continued after that.
“When tracking prey, pay attention to three things. Direction, footprints, and droppings.”
Methods for tracking prey.
“Steady your breathing. Consciously stop the breathing technique you’ve learned. What you need when shooting a bow isn’t mana, but patience.”
Points to be careful of when shooting a bow.
“Have patience. Patience is the most important virtue in hunting.”
Finally, patience as well.
Whizz! Swoosh!
Karen, Yurio, and even Yon.
The remaining three students also each succeeded in hunting.
While it was possible thanks to Ziel’s perfect coaching, it was still the students who pulled and released the bowstring themselves.
“W, we really caught them.”
“It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve held a bow…”
“This is amazing. I never even thought about hunting. Looking at what we caught, the other kids are going to be so envious!”
By this point, even Professor Emeric, who had been just breathing quietly in the back the whole time, was starting to feel his hands getting restless.
“It’s your turn, Professor.”
Ziel approached and handed him the bow.
“Me, me?”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just thought it would be good to catch one more rabbit.”
But Professor Emeric wanted to try it once.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Grip.
As he held the bow in his hands, his heart pounded!
Emeric had never held a weapon even once in his life.
He had never even held a common sword, let alone a dagger or any blade.
He had thought such things were vulgar objects that only crude swordsmen would wield.
But why was it?
Holding the bow made him think that trying to hold a sword wouldn’t be so bad either.
Gulp.
Emeric swallowed his dry saliva and slowly stood up.
“Place the bowstring in the notch at the end of the arrow. That’s how you do it. Then pull with three fingers like this.”
After receiving a crash course from Ziel, they tracked their prey again and soon faced a rabbit.
“Pull the bowstring slowly. When you’ve pulled it all the way back, hold your breath.”
Creak…
His hand pulling the bowstring.
Already his hands, arms, and entire upper body were trembling.
His lack of exercise was obvious.
His upper body strength was even weaker than the students’, and he was already getting out of breath.
‘I’m a mage, after all.’
No matter how much he rationalized, the fact that he lacked physical strength was true.
He was embarrassed.
So Emeric gritted his teeth and endured.
“A little more to the left. Down 5 degrees. There. Hold it while holding your breath. That’s it. When I signal, release the bowstring as is.”
Tremble tremble.
His fingers were tingling and he felt pain in his back muscles when—
“Now.”
Twang! Whoosh!
The arrow flew—
Thunk!
Emeric’s first hunt was successful.
“I, I did it.”
“Congratulations, Professor!”
“Professor shoots well too? Even at Arcane School, the professors are different.”
“Shh, Celia. If you say it like that, he won’t know whether to feel bad or good.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The students’ congratulations barely registered in his ears.
A new experience!
For the first time in his life, he had wielded a weapon—a bow that required tremendous strength—and succeeded in hunting!
His hands were still trembling, but adrenaline was pumping and his heart felt like it would burst.
“Well done, Professor Emeric Kent.”
With Ziel’s praise added, he felt like he could pierce the sky!
“The rabbit you caught, Professor, will save the Arcane School students from hunger.”
Ziel had simply stated matter-of-factly what would happen next.
But to Emeric’s ears, it sounded like a very warm comment.
Those words made his hostility disappear.
Like snow melting under warm sunlight.
‘Professor Titus, I’m sorry.’
Sword School was not an object of hostility.
At least the Sword School First Years and Teacher Ziel Steelheart certainly weren’t.
He felt sorry toward Professor Titus, but he absolutely couldn’t execute the plan to get back at Teacher Ziel.
Teacher Ziel was…
his benefactor.
“Um, but how should we eat this rabbit, Teacher Ziel?”
“You skin it, remove the organs, then roast it over fire, Professor Emeric Kent.”
“…”
“Have you never done it before?”
How could he have?
This was his first time hunting too.
“I’ll do it for you. The students must be very hungry, so this would be better than teaching you the method.”
“Th, thank you, Teacher Ziel.”
His benefactor was indeed his benefactor.
However—
“Instead, besides the promised golem and magical tool, may I ask you for a favor later?”
My benefactor was quite calculating indeed.
“A favor?”
“Yes, I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Ah, I understand.”
I didn’t know what kind of favor it would be, but I had no choice.
Grumble.
I was so hungry.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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