Chapter 209: Turning Point (9)
“...I see. I understand the situation.”
Even after hearing Lian’s explanation, Artemia replied without so much as a change in expression.
Since he couldn’t disclose every detail, he had kept the explanation brief—but her reaction remained utterly composed.
“In that case, I’ll put in a request and secure personnel while conducting the investigation as well.”
She merely nodded calmly, as if exchanging a routine work report.
“...You’re not going to ask about the details this time either?”
When Lian asked that, she gently shook her head.
“If I were the sort to ask such questions, I wouldn’t have handed you the entry tag in the first place.”
With that, Artemia added lightly, almost jokingly,
“Besides, mercenaries are meant to carry out requests—not listen to stories. However... hmm, the black market, huh...”
Tilting her head slightly in contemplation, she said,
“Given the nature of the matter, it would be better if I go alone.”
“Won’t it be dangerous?”
At Lian’s concerned question, Artemia shook her head faintly.
“Thank you for your concern. But in this kind of situation, having someone accompany me could actually be more dangerous.”
“...”
At her reply, Lian fell silent for a moment, as if choosing his words, then looked at her and asked,
“But... is the black market really that widespread?”
Lian, too, had heard about the black market during his past life as a mercenary.
But it had always been through rumors—he had never visited it or interacted with anyone involved.
He only had a vague idea that it was a place where all sorts of things were traded.
“Yes.”
Artemia shook her head slightly, her face still emotionless.
“It’s unfortunate, but yes. It definitely exists, and it’s far more widespread and deeply rooted than one might think.”
Without a trace of emotion, she continued in a calm voice.
“The black market is, quite literally, a place where all kinds of things circulate. Cultural assets and precious relics of nations, stolen goods of unknown origin... even slaves or criminals sold as test subjects or for other unsavory purposes.”
“In that case...”
“Yes. Of course, human corpses are also treated as valuable commodities.”
Artemia paused briefly.
“...In fact, human corpses have always had steady demand. Not just for necromancers, but also among certain alchemists, sorcerers, or shamans who seek to use the corpses of the powerful for forbidden research or to elevate their own abilities. And... no, never mind.”
She trailed off at the end.
It wasn’t hard to guess that she had been about to mention cultists of the evil god or human sacrifices, but Lian didn’t press the issue.
“Anyway.”
She turned her gaze back to Lian.
“I’ll carry out what you’ve asked without delay. If I look into recent movements and financial flows as you suggested, I should be able to uncover the outline of the information you seek with relative ease.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Lian took out the entry tag she had given him and held it out.
Artemia accepted it with care.
“Don’t worry.”
After putting the entry tag away, Artemia offered Lian a graceful bow.
“It’s a maid’s basic duty to satisfy those she serves, to fulfill their wishes, and to support them flawlessly.”
After finishing her impeccable, tidy bow, she slowly raised her head.
“Well then... I’ll go submit my leave request.”
With that, Artemia left without hesitation.
Her retreating figure, as always, was perfectly composed and without a hint of disorder.
...And from a distance, watching the two of them, Windy May suddenly turned to Yeriel and asked,
“By the way, Yeriel, did you really not know that maid was that kind of person?”
“What about you, Sister?”
Yeriel shrugged as he replied.
“I figured she wasn’t an ordinary person, but I didn’t know she used to be a mercenary. And a top-tier one at that.”
Windy May also shrugged.
“There are tons of people here at the Academy, and it’s not like anyone is without their own story. How would I know every detail of everyone’s past?”
“You’re an archmage. I just assumed you’d know.”
“What are you on about, Yeriel? Are you an idiot?”
Windy May muttered, exasperated.
“You think archmages have that much free time? Besides, if someone’s doing their job well without causing trouble, it’d be weirder to go digging into their background for no reason. If we followed that logic, there’d be a mountain of students who’d need investigating.”
Yeriel nodded at her response.
“Well... I did know a rough outline of her background. But I figured she wouldn’t agree even if I asked, so I hadn’t considered it from the start.”
He shook his head as he added,
“More than that, I’m surprised by how deep her connection with Lian is.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was pretty well-known, wasn’t she? There was quite a stir when she flatly refused the offer to serve as the personal maid and bodyguard to the youngest imperial princess.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Yeriel nodded.
Windy May tilted her head, puzzled.
“Then why is someone like that working as a maid here?”
“That, I don’t really know either.”
He shrugged.
“One day, she came saying she wanted to work at the Academy, so I readily accepted. She had no history of causing serious trouble, nor had she ever shown antisocial behavior. More than anything, having someone as strong as her stay here would undoubtedly prove helpful down the line.”
He paused for a moment before murmuring quietly,
“But... I never imagined it would be helpful in this way. She’s so principled that if something doesn’t align with her standards, she won’t accept it no matter what. Even if I or Sister Windy May had gone to ask her directly, she would’ve refused without hesitation.”
Yeriel let out a soft sigh.
“Anyway... she’ll be a great help.”
“Yeah. Honestly, when it comes to this kind of thing, there’s nothing as fast and effective as a mercenary information network. And to think she was a top-tier mercenary... it’s bound to yield meaningful results.”
Windy May nodded.
“Thanks to Lian, we can breathe a bit easier. ...Seriously, whose disciple is that kid?”
Thinking Windy May would, as always, proudly declare “He’s *my* disciple!” like a child showing off, Yeriel glanced at her.
But Windy May said nothing. She just stared silently at Lian.
“...That’s what I’d like to know.”
Only after a long pause did she whisper quietly,
“Whose disciple is he, to be like that?”
“So, what should we do now?”
To Lian’s question, Windy May responded.
“Well…”
The course had been set, but that didn’t mean they could sit around and wait. Each member of the group had resolved to act in their own way.
Professor Deiare said she would move alone.
She likely intended to start investigating the Prison Island matter alongside her first disciple.
Amaruah had taken Menoruka back to the library, saying she would first calm her down.
Professor Shagas and Yuran declared they would search for clues in their own way.
Now that their enemy had openly declared itself a demon, the fierce determination burning in their eyes was stronger than ever before.
Especially Professor Shagas—his usual stubbornness had escalated to an almost chilling aura.
“...You’re not going to tell me to stay out of this, are you?”
Lian asked cautiously, his voice laced with firm resolve.
Windy May gave a short laugh as she looked at him.
“Normally, I’d say yes. But this time, I was actually thinking of begging you to help us.”
“Huu…”
Yeriel let out a quiet sigh.
“In that case, the four of us will move together. Cecilia is probably waiting for us alone, so we should head to her first.”
At that moment, Lian asked, as if a thought had just occurred to him,
“What about organizing a large-scale search with troops or personnel? Given the Departure Festival, we might be able to get help from the Imperial Knights, the Dragon Knights, or even the Holy Sun Church.”
At his suggestion, Windy May silently shook her head.
Yeriel responded in her place, a wry smile on his face.
“That would be unwise. Mobilizing such large numbers in a situation like this would only cause more chaos.”
“…”
“That’s why we only asked to track down traces of the black market. It’s an entirely different matter from actually trying to capture the masked man himself.”
Then Windy May spoke, her voice calm.
“Lian, try to imagine you have someone truly precious to you.”
She didn’t wait for a reply before continuing.
“Now imagine that precious person is dead. Or maybe, they’re on the verge of death. And then someone approaches and says this—”
If you cooperate with me, I’ll bring that person back.
She whispered.
“And then, right in front of your eyes, they revive that person—not like some crude necromancer, but so lifelike, it’s as if they were truly alive again. …Wouldn’t anyone cooperate at that point?”
“…”
Lian remained silent.
Windy May shrugged.
“Honestly, I’m sugarcoating it. That masked bastard would probably just kill them and use their body however he pleased. If we brought in large numbers and he started manipulating people from within, it’d spiral into complete chaos.”
“And besides,” Yeriel added in a troubled voice, “unless someone is extremely skilled, they won’t even be able to buy time against him, let alone fight. We can’t just recklessly involve people in such a battle. That’s no different from using them as human shields.”
“Plus, considering how his ability works, the more mediocre allies we have, the more dangerous it becomes. To be extreme about it—he can keep replenishing his fighting power endlessly.”
“…Hearing it laid out like that, he really is a troublesome enemy.”
Lian murmured under his breath.
“Yes, well. That’s right.”
Windy May nodded, looking displeased.
“But even then, he wouldn’t rank that high on the list of nuisances. I’ve known worse—plenty worse.”
Her offhand remark made Lian realize anew just how utterly abnormal beings known as demons were.
If ordinary high-ranking demons were like this… then what of the Eight Demon Lords, who were said to be beyond comparison? And what about the knights who had defeated them?
And if one were to revive those knights…
“…”
At that moment, Lian suddenly thought that perhaps he should ask Jeil Enbarso—Valen Zeisho—for help as well.
Though the man claimed to be retired, this wasn’t just any matter. Surely he’d lend assistance.
Especially since he had come all the way to the Academy just to recover his wife’s remains.
As they continued talking, they arrived near the library before they knew it.
“…”
Cecilia sat quietly on a bench, waiting for them.
Cradled gently in her arms was… something.
“…Ah.”
Windy May suddenly darted forward and roughly grabbed the object from Cecilia’s embrace, flinging it away.
Thud!
With a dull sound, it rolled across the ground.
Cecilia blinked in confusion and looked at Windy May.
“Why were you holding something like that? What if something had happened? That thing’s filthy—filthy!”
She scolded her like a child, pointing at the object now lying in the dirt.
“I thought I might be able to find something.”
Cecilia replied calmly.
“So I asked the spirits to try and trace any lingering traces.”
What lay scattered on the ground was a massive helmet—large enough to conceal an entire face.
It was the very one the masked man had used to hide his headless form.
And the moment Lian saw it, his expression hardened.
“That’s…?”
It looked almost exactly like the helmet worn by the strange man he had encountered when he went to visit Kyren with Allen.