On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 83
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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 083
If Ziel Is in His Right Mind (1)
[Zone 3 Ruinbark missing. All espionage agents exercise caution.]
[Zone 4 vicinity Ruinbark traces confirmed. All espionage agents exercise caution.]
[Zone 6 Ruinbark footprints confirmed. All espionage agents exercise caution.]
Agent 8 checked the message slips that had accumulated while he was asleep and sighed.
In the meantime, warnings related to Ruinbark had kept flying in.
That was understandable.
Ruinbark.
It was originally a magical beast prepared as the final exam for 5th Year Students.
They had thoroughly controlled it and guided its movement routes, making it impossible to go anywhere, so he wasn’t sure why it was here.
But it didn’t matter.
‘Because it’s dead.’
And it died with its head blown off.
This was Agent 8’s first time seeing a Ruinbark corpse.
He couldn’t understand what had happened.
Right at that moment when Ruinbark was approaching the Sword School First Years!
He had no memory after that.
And when he opened his eyes, the Ruinbark corpse was lying there under the tree.
The First Years and Teacher Ziel were gone though.
‘Only two wounds. It was killed with just two attacks.’
After examining the Ruinbark corpse, Agent 8 reached a conclusion.
“The students didn’t do this.”
The stab wound on the arm was strange.
It clearly looked like it had been stabbed with a sword, but it wasn’t as clean as a Mana Sword would be.
‘Did they push it in with force?’
Looking at the wound area, it seemed like mana had flowed through it.
‘Then is this a wound made by a student who’s still inexperienced with Mana Usage?’
The reason for thinking this was simple.
The clean cross-section where the neck was cut.
Even with a very sharp, well-cutting sword, it would be difficult to cut like this.
Unless it was a Legendary Famous Sword, it was definitely a Mana Sword.
‘It would be hard for such a wound to appear while using a Mana Sword.’
Agent 8 couldn’t even imagine that Ziel might have stabbed the Ruinbark in a different way, not with a Mana Sword, for the sake of teaching.
‘Even so, for First Years to take down a Ruinbark… that’s an impossible feat.’
It was an unprecedented achievement.
The Ruinbark that Agent 8 knew was a magical beast that 5th Year Students faced in teams after long periods of training.
Even then, injuries occurred every year, and in severe cases, they suffered serious wounds.
It was a given fact that professors’ support was essential.
‘There was a reason His Highness the Prince told me to watch.’
Agent 8’s body trembled without him realizing it.
He was an incredible talent.
There was a reason why Dietrich, who was thirsty for talent, had specifically made secret contact with the espionage department to make this request.
Leadership.
Military power.
Intelligence.
And even the way he received the students’ respect all at once!
‘This isn’t the time for this.’
Agent 8, who had been lost in thought, suddenly stood up.
He needed to hurry back and check.
He had forgotten his duty, shocked by such an amazing sight.
Flutter.
At that moment, a bird flew in.
A message from Agent 9.
[Found near Ruinbark traces. Currently Arcane School First Years abandoning practical training.]
Sending it quite early.
Agent 8 glanced at the corpse and suddenly burst into a hollow laugh.
“They even thoroughly stripped the loot, didn’t they?”
A fact he hadn’t realized, shocked by the sight of the fallen Ruinbark.
The hollow laughter wouldn’t stop.
But there was something else that was surprising.
‘…There doesn’t seem to be a single injured person.’
Agent 8, who had returned to the campsite, tilted his head in confusion.
“The meat is really delicious. But did Teacher really catch this himself?”
“I told you I caught it.”
“Oh come on, Ann. We all heard. Teacher told you everything from the side, right? You just pulled and released the bowstring, right?”
“No, that’s all there is to archery. So does that mean I didn’t catch it?”
“They even said Teacher prepared all this meat himself.”
“Hey, I’m telling you I caught it!”
A harmonious campsite.
The sight of lighting a campfire and skewering meat on an improvised cooking stand to grill and eat.
From the looks of it, they even went hunting in the meantime…
‘No, first of all, more than that.’
I confirmed the appearance of all the students.
But there were no injured.
Not a single one.
‘They faced a Ruinbark?’
They faced the most powerful beast among those that appear in this forest and they’re fine?
“Huh.”
What exactly are these First Years?
Teacher.
Student.
Without exception, they’ve all exceeded the category of First Years.
They already recorded the insane achievement of overall 2nd place in the Exchange Tournament, and now they’re doing this in practicals too.
Of course, practicals aren’t inter-grade competition like the Exchange Tournament.
Since they’re compared with the same grade from other schools, the impact would actually be greater.
‘…I wonder if they’ll believe this.’
Let’s say the contents written on the scoring sheet so far are acceptable.
But would the Intelligence Department really believe what happened today?
They’d have to believe it, but I’d have to write another ridiculously long report about it…
“Damn it.”
I suddenly started to dislike Ziel.
I’d rather run around the field a few more times than do paperwork!
Anyway, since nothing seems wrong, I can relax…
“Hey.”
Agent 8 was slightly startled by the sound from beside him.
It was Agent 9.
“How did you get here, no, why did you come?”
“Well, my assigned students and professor are coming here.”
Agent 9 answered nonchalantly and pointed toward the campsite.
“Look over there. They’re coming.”
It was true.
From the adjacent campsite.
Several Arcane School First Year students and Professor Emeric were coming from there.
With very timid and cautious expressions.
“What’s going on?”
“Moving supplies. Seems like Sword School shared some.”
“Ah. That’s what happened. No, but what’s the situation?”
“The dolls got smashed. By the Ruinbark.”
“Ah.”
Now I felt like some questions were being answered.
“The Ruinbark was passing near Points 33 and 34. So the dolls that were finally repaired and moving Arcane School supplies got destroyed.”
“So that’s why those Arcane School First Years were in that situation.”
“Right. After starving all night and suffering from cold, what could they accomplish going to practicals? Even when they returned, the situation was the same, so they apparently asked Sword School for help.”
Agent 9 wore an interesting smile.
“I didn’t expect them to do that considering Arcane School’s pride.”
“Hunger is always like that. Whether it’s Arcane School or Sword School, where would they have experienced starvation? Especially Arcane School is a place where only kids who grew up receiving precious treatment enter.”
Even so, considering the recent situation, it wouldn’t have been easy to bow their heads and ask for help.
Wait, more than that…
“But how did the Ruinbark get into Points 33 and 34? Wasn’t that a Safe Zone?”
“A Ruinbark could easily smash the devices installed there.”
I see, that’s how it was.
While they’re meant to prevent beasts from approaching, if a Ruinbark gets involved, that’s a different story.
Because the devices weren’t installed with Ruinbark in mind.
However, my questions weren’t completely resolved.
“Then how did the Ruinbark end up coming all the way here and dying?”
“They’re probably investigating that now. The 5th Year Students must be in chaos. Wait.”
Agent 9 suddenly turned his head.
“The Ruinbark died?”
“Yeah. Sword School over there dealt with it.”
“What? ‘Over there’ Sword School? You mean the First Years?”
“What else would there be? It came all the way here.”
“…That’s impossible.”
Agent 9 shook his head.
“A Ruinbark isn’t a beast that can be handled at their level. Did you perhaps deal with it?”
Agent 8 was momentarily speechless.
Was answering such a difficult thing to do?
“…No.”
“Well, we’re not at that level either. Not alone. Did you work together?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“Over there. Teacher Ziel Steelheart and the students.”
“…Are you lying to me?”
“I’m telling the truth.”
As Agent 8 gave a rough explanation, Agent 9’s eyes widened.
“With just two attacks?”
“One seemed to be done by the students, and one by Teacher Ziel. It was a mana sword. Maybe Teacher Ziel killed it and the students just stabbed it.”
“Hmm.”
Agent 9 looked toward Ziel with an interested gaze.
Then he flinched.
‘…It feels like our eyes met.’
It must be his imagination.
They were watching from so far away and were even in stealth.
“Anyway, you’ll have a hard time writing the report. I’m going first.”
“Oh, okay. Let’s meet after it’s done. How about a beer?”
“What are you talking about. You can’t see me.”
“Huh?”
“I can tell just from what you said. You can’t see me because you’ll be doing paperwork.”
“Hey!”
Agent 9 giggled and ran away in an instant.
Should he call that guy a colleague or an enemy.
Agent 8 sighed and took out the scoring sheet.
‘What should I write and how.’
The scoring sheet to send to headquarters.
And a separate report to deliver to Prince Dietrich.
It seemed like he would need to think about it.
The last night of the practical training was deepening.
A practical training with many good opportunities.
That was Ziel’s overall assessment.
Of course, the practical training wasn’t over yet.
“Group leaders, prepare for withdrawal. Take down the tents and erase all traces if possible, then collect the traps.”
“Teacher! What should we do with the leftover meat?”
“The leftover meat would have spoiled overnight. Leave it in the nearby forest and monsters or other beasts will take care of it.”
The cleanup of the campsite where they had stayed for three days continued, and Ziel helped the students carry their luggage.
Then they folded the taken-down tents neatly, put the remaining luggage in backpacks, and even secured blankets separately to backpacks, finishing their preparations to leave.
“Teacher, it seems like everything is done now.”
“Don’t just think it seems done, check if it’s actually finished, Student Delev Kundel.”
“Yes, understood!”
Delev answered loudly and moved briskly.
Celia, who was beside him, tilted her head.
“Why is he acting like that?”
“He’s completely smitten with the teacher. He was worshipping the teacher all night yesterday.”
“The teacher is amazing, but… Delev is acting like that?”
“How would I know. Oh, right. Ann, do you want to go hunting during vacation? My family has hunting grounds near Welton outskirts.”
“Really? I’d totally love that! But your family has hunting grounds?”
“Of course. We have three forests.”
“Wow. As expected of Rihart… Our family only has one small forest… But haven’t you hunted before?”
“Only men do the hunting. They don’t really include women. No matter how much I begged, Father wouldn’t let me join, saying it was dangerous.”
“We just didn’t have much game. The forest was almost in a neglected state.”
Celia and Ann.
The poor duo listening to the conversation between these two prestigious families became dejected.
“Does your house have a forest?”
“I saw a mold forest at home last time. The mansion was neglected for a while because the servants quit…”
“Ah…”
“A forest, how envious… Still, if we work hard, we might be able to have one someday too, right Karen?”
“Of course! We have to work hard. We’re first years but already have good results. At this rate, scout offers might not be just a dream, right?”
“Right. We did really well in the practical training. No one got hurt, and we even took down an upper-grade monster!”
Defeating the Ruinbark.
Probably an achievement that would be talked about for a long time when they returned!
“I heard 5th year students were supposed to face it, but we took it down. Yeah!”
The future that seemed daunting and vague when they first enrolled was gradually becoming clearer.
Who would have thought one teacher could change so much.
“Everyone, if you’re ready, we’re moving out.”
Now it was time to return.
The luggage for the return trip should have been lighter by the amount of supplies consumed, but it wasn’t as light as expected.
It was because of the monster trophies.
Especially the Ruinbark’s trophies were quite heavy.
“Why are we taking these trophies? Ugh, my shoulder’s going to fall off.”
“Isn’t it for verification when we get back?”
it wasn’t.
‘With this amount of shell, we could make some quality armor.’
Monster loot is used for various purposes.
While there are cases like Peckworm scent glands that are used in special situations, Ruinbark shells are extremely hard and can be crafted into armor.
Especially with high-grade monster corpses, it’s said that nothing goes to waste except the meat.
Since eating monster meat is taboo, everything else – tendons, ligaments, fat, hide, horns, shells – is utilized.
‘My bank account will get a bit fuller.’
It’s only natural that things with many uses sell for high prices.
‘I should visit a byproduct processing dealer.’
Another task to do during vacation had appeared.
“Teacher Ziel.”
It was just as they were about to depart.
There were people coming this way across the forest perimeter.
“Looks like Arcane School?”
Their expressions looked much better than yesterday.
It seemed they had filled their stomachs overnight with the meat they hunted together and warmed their bodies with the firewood borrowed from Sword School.
Professor Emeric and the students approached, and Professor Emeric expressed his gratitude as their representative.
“Good morning, thanks to you we had a good night.”
“I see. Is anyone injured?”
“We treated everyone well with the medicine you lent us. Thank you.”
What Sword School had lent wasn’t just firewood.
Even if not tents, they had lent everything Arcane School needed, including bandages and hemostatic agents.
Thanks to this, Professor Emeric had been deeply moved since last night.
Because of that, it wasn’t regrettable at all.
“I will do whatever it takes to prepare the magical tools and magic dolls I promised you.”
“Yes. I’ll wait.”
“And if I may ask, what kind of favor might it be…?”
Ziel gave the same answer to those words.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Ah, well, haha. I understand.”
“I don’t need it right now. But I’ll need it soon, so I’ll tell you soon.”
What kind of favor could it possibly be.
“Well then, I’ll greet you again when we return.”
Professor Emeric and the Arcane School students left after finishing their greetings.
Seeing this, Celia and Ann who were nearby were surprised.
“Was Arcane School always this polite?”
“I heard they were completely rude…”
A completely different appearance from the vague rumors circulating!
As expected of Teacher Ziel.
‘To think he even moved Arcane School.’
And even Delev quietly savored his respect that had risen once again.
Following the exchange tournament, the practical training also unfolded with events beyond expectations.
But what was really anticipated was after their return!
Having achieved results beyond expectations, the evaluation they would receive upon return would also be quite high.
“Everyone depart. Don’t let your guard down on the way back either.”
Whether the students were excited or not, Ziel’s voice was as level as always.
Around the same time.
“As expected.”
The 2nd Prince, Dietrich, wore a satisfied smile after confirming the report that came from the intelligence department.
‘As expected’ had two meanings.
One was the intelligence department’s swift information delivery.
All the events that occurred during the practical training until this morning had been organized and delivered just now, past lunchtime.
Tremendous speed.
And the other one.
‘My eye was accurate.’
It was precisely the information about the subject of the report, Ziel Steelheart.
“To think he would be such an outstanding person.”
What was the level of Academy professors.
Except for Berhal, the former knight commander, and the professors in charge of 4th and 5th years, he had heard they weren’t particularly special.
That might have been true in the past, but not now.
However, this person called Ziel had actually defeated a monster called Ruinbark.
And cleanly too, without a single wound.
‘He will surely be of great help.’
The 2nd Prince had been continuously distinguishing himself after gaining an opportunity by alleviating his mother’s condition.
If he could bring this powerful person under his command, especially this Ziel who has drawn the interest of so many nobles?
It would be like adding wings!
“Sir Relio.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Try approaching Teacher Ziel again.”
“Not much time has passed since he refused last time, so I’m not sure if it would be appropriate.”
Dietrich shook his head.
“We need to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
“An offer he can’t refuse, you say…”
An offer he can’t refuse!
It’s not simply about money.
‘The Steelheart Family. A family that has already disappeared.’
The Steelheart Family was effectively dissolved 30 years ago for some reason.
There was said to be only one survivor, and that name was Ziel Steelheart.
But no one knew his whereabouts.
No one cared either.
The Steelheart family itself wasn’t particularly remarkable, and they didn’t have much in terms of assets, so no other family coveted what they had.
“The land His Majesty granted me is in the Central-Western Region.”
Therefore, what Ziel needs is one thing.
The restoration of his family!
And the land needed for that purpose.
“Y-Your Highness. That is…”
“It doesn’t matter. If it’s to gain talent, land is nothing.”
“However…”
“Sir Relio, this time I’d appreciate it if you’d follow my words without question.”
“…I understand.”
Relio nodded at this point because he understood Dietrich’s feelings.
The opportunity finally obtained after constantly being overshadowed by the First Prince, his Elder Brother.
This feeling of not wanting to hesitate even a little.
‘His Highness has made up his mind firmly.’
It was an excellent proposal beyond compare.
He probably wouldn’t be able to refuse.
That is, if Teacher Ziel Steelheart was in his right mind.
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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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