Imperial Security Investigation Log: The Gray Habanero Assault Incident
Incident #01 – Initial Occurrence: Multi-monster emergence of unknown class / Location: Vicinity of Hiaka Zone 4 Airport
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After sending Cain, the “head professor,” to the Empire’s faculty, I moved quickly. Tomorrow was the Assassination Daily photoshoot. There was a lot to handle.
The airport was located in Zone 4, the “Hub District.” A bit outside the Academy proper. Virtually all logistics and passenger traffic between the outside world passed through here.
Which is why the Hub District had a massive Gate—a checkpoint verifying identity and purpose of travel.
Originally, this was only required at the airport. But thanks to the Kreutz Incident, identity management had become a bureaucratic nightmare. So now, I had to stand in line at the Gate.
I was waiting in the queue in a daze when someone suddenly shouted.
“Are you fucking kidding me?! Hey!! What did I even do wrong?! Why can’t I go!?”
A man was yelling. There must’ve been a problem during the ID verification process. Several staff came over to calm him, but it only seemed to add fuel to the fire. “Let go! I said let go! What the fuck did I do?!” He shoved a female employee to the ground.
“Cease immediately and comply!”
“Why the fuck should I, asshole?! Get your supervisor! I want the damn supervisor!”
That was already strange enough, but when the staff drew stun guns from their belts, things got even weirder.
The man activated a special ability, expanding his body. 『Gigantification』.
BOOM!!
He kicked over a kiosk-like structure. It shattered with a crunch. Then, not satisfied, he charged the staff. Civilians screamed. Chaos erupted.
“I’LL FUCKING KILL ALL OF YOU!”
That was when I stepped in. Subduing him wasn’t difficult. I just had to grasp the 「Giant Soldier’s Sword○」.
It was a start-up weapon, but [Start-up] only referred to the act of a giant hand drawing the sword. Just holding the sword let the “Invisible Hand” move.
“U-URGH!! Wh-What the hell?!”
That was how I grabbed the four-meter-tall man and drove him headfirst into the ground.
THUD!!
To outsiders, it would’ve just looked like he tripped and slammed face-first into the dirt.
A minor incident.
Still, it struck me as odd. The Disciplinary Bureau hadn’t shown up. Airport security had handled it themselves.
“Why isn’t the Bureau here?”
“Ah? Oh... well, they’re, uh... probably busy, sir...”
The airport staff gave an awkward laugh.
“Thank you, Professor...!”
I nodded, rejoining the line. Then a cadet appeared, practically wagging her whole body like a puppy.
“Professor!”
It was Elize.
Next to her was a friend who looked just like her—two pigtails, dog-like demeanor. I’d seen her before in White Saber uniform. Her name was MyuMyu, if I remembered correctly.
They greeted me. I returned it. They smiled brightly. Said they were heading home after hanging around Zone 4.
While we waited in line, Elize and MyuMyu stayed by my side. They recounted their day. I nodded along at intervals.
At some point, Elize asked me something.
“But Professor, did something happen today?”
“Yeah, yeah!”
...Why?
“Well, you’ve looked really upset since earlier.”
“Like... super mad.”
I told them I just looked like that normally. But they insisted something was off. Said I looked like an Elize who just got a bone taken away.
Maybe. I didn’t really know what my face looked like. I lifted my head to the metallic wall. My reflection on the uneven surface revealed no expression.
I just said, “I’m fine.”
“Should we stay with you?”
A dog that loves people cannot easily overlook things like this. I declined and sent them off.
*
Once I passed the Gate...
The airport was unexpectedly quiet. I’d assumed it would be crowded with tourists because of the “Cain Tree,” but then remembered: the royal family had built a new airport in Zone 9.
Now, Zone 4’s airport was mainly used by local Academy residents.
“Let’s go on a trip!”
“Yaaay!”
Families, couples, friends were here. Like Elize and MyuMyu. Yet I alone stood brooding in the middle of their laughter.
Why was I even here?
Because I remembered the investigative logs from 「Spy’s Domain│ㅅㅇ)」.
There were two crises aimed at Gray.
The first happened here, at the airport. According to the report, at dawn on her departure day, monsters had erupted from nowhere, delaying the airship.
It was handled by Chief Professor Wilhelm and the Disciplinary Bureau—but Wilhelm had drained his mana reserves in the process.
An assassin is like a missile. They burn bright in a short burst and then go dead. That’s what happened to Wilhelm.
He had to accompany Gray because of his imperial ties, but after expending all his power here, he couldn’t properly defend her once they reached the Empire.
“It must be prevented in advance.”
Monsters meant a Rift was present. So I was searching for one using [Minimap].
The problem: the minimap only showed X and Z axes. That made detection hard.
If a Rift could explode right in the middle of an airport, it had to be hidden deep underground or far above.
...Huh.
Found one.
What is that?
It was closer than expected. Right in a public area. Just sitting there. A couple walked past and commented:
“Honey. The wall’s cracked here.”
“Yeah. Probably just chipped paint.”
To the eye, it looked like a building crack. I might’ve dismissed it too, if not for the minimap. But anyone who’d used real survey equipment would know instantly it was a Rift. That was the strange part.
Why is it just... here?
I checked more locations. Roamed the airport. Most were hidden. But three were clearly exposed like this one.
“......”
Suddenly I was pissed.
Like when you realize a wild animal’s been let loose in a busy street, and the city officials are doing nothing. That kind of fury.
And there wasn’t just one of those animals here.
What the hell was the Disciplinary Bureau doing?
I thought back. When had the Rifts appeared? When the “Stigma of Peaceful Nature☮” covering the Academy was shattered.
That meant... when Kreutz dropped 『Meteor』. Over a month ago.
“Hm?”
Just then, a toddler in a fancy outfit waddled over and looked up at me. Barely past walking age.
Squeak squeak squeak—his shoes sounded as he tottered away. Then he made a beeline toward the Rift.
He was stumbling—about to fall—
No. He was right on top of it.
“W-Wait!?”
“Taylor!”
His parents screamed—
Vines sprouted from the ground, scooping the child into the air.
⋮
『 World Forgery: Form Forgery [Vines] 』
⋮
“Thank you, mage... Oh my god, Taylor...”
After sending the family away, I realized I was more shaken than the parents.
Some Rifts react violently to even the smallest triggers.
This one didn’t. But so what?
How had this been left unchecked for a month—in the middle of foot traffic?
“......”
I went straight to the airport’s Disciplinary Bureau office. I had to ask about the past month, and I couldn’t handle this scale alone. There were too many Rifts.
When I arrived, there was one bald officer seated inside.
“......”
He looked up at me.
The room was empty. It was 7 p.m., but it felt like everyone had gone home.
“...What is it?”
He didn’t recognize the Senior Professor badge. It was an Assassination Department badge, after all.
“I’m here to make an inquiry.”
“Then use the window on the right.”
“It’s not a case report. I found a Rift.”
“Oh, if it’s not a case, we’re not taking it.”
He waved his hand dismissively. That’s when I got the sinking feeling that something was seriously wrong.
“Officer. I said Rift.”
“What Rift inside the Academy? Come back in the morning. Emergency shifts don’t take non-case issues.”
“It’ll be too late tomorrow. I need to speak now.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“......”
He waved his hand again.
What startled me most was... how normal this felt.
As if this was how they always behaved.
I paused. Unsure how to even begin. Still, I spoke.
“...Officer. When was your last morning patrol?”
He looked annoyed at the word patrol. Then his expression sharpened slightly.
“Why are you asking?”
“Do you even patrol?”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“Not yet, but... like I said, there’s a Rift. And the Bureau is obligated to respond to potential public safety threats.”
“Take it up during the day. You can go now.”
“......”
The conversation hit a wall.
I tried a few more lines to seek cooperation. The officer didn’t budge.
He even got irritated.
“Why do you keep saying the same thing? I said no.”
“......”
“Just go already.”
I shut my mouth.
It was stunning. The irresponsibility. The apathy.
I glanced around. A poster boasted: “Zone 10 – Lowest Crime Rate of All Sectors!”
Well, of course. Hardly anyone lived here. It was just an airport zone. Who would commit crimes here?
“You leaving or not, mister?”
“......”
“KIRION!”
– What?
“Get out here. This guy’s being stubborn!”
And then, I remembered the Bureau agents from earlier, sweating as they tried to haul off the giant man.
Then the Zone 2 agents came to mind—those who silently endured Balmung’s tantrums, who dragged their wounded legs to hunt ghouls.
And then, Gray—inside the 「Spy’s Domain│ㅅㅇ)」. Her burned face. The squinting eyes. The trembling voice.
I’d assumed her injuries made sense.
That it had to be something plausible.
If the future had shown me Gray slipping on a banana peel and falling into a coma, I’d have dismissed it as absurd.
This felt just like that.
That because of these officers’ indifference, Wilhelm had drained his mana, and Gray came back in critical condition.
It was no different from a banana peel.
“Come on, Professor. We’re just civil servants, yeah? Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“......”
“We’re already busy dealing with the mess in Zone 9. Don’t harass our staff. Come back tomorrow, alright?”
Three agents now.
Closing in like they meant to push me out.
The words that burst from my mouth were half-impulse.
“Where is your duty officer.”
Blunt. No honorifics.
The three froze.
Their expressions twisted. One of them spoke.
“...Excuse me, what did you say?”
“You got a problem with your mouth?”
I checked [Minimap] again.
“I asked where your duty officer is. Why is your night shift lead missing during working hours?”
One of them laughed. “Hah.”
“You serious? Who the hell do you think you are?”
“......”
He stepped toward me.
He was about as tall as I was.
“You think you can talk down to a Bureau officer in the middle of the agency? What’s it to you whether the officer’s here or not?”
“You people do your jobs like shit.”
He [N O V E L I G H T] raised his chin to look down on me.
“Oh yeah? What’re you gonna do about it?”
I looked him in the eyes.
“Arrest this bastard.”
“Yessir.”
The others pulled out cuffs. That’s when I realized: this situation wouldn’t be resolved through words.
Or maybe I’d snapped.
Because somehow, I’d already pulled the 「Giant Soldier’s Sword○」 from my [Inventory].
“Huh?!”
“A sword? This bastard’s nuts—DROP THE WEAPON!!”
“You pull that, you die! You hear me?!”
They panicked. In this world, a weapon is no different than a gun. You never know what it can do.
“DROP IT, FUCKER!!”
I found it a little funny. How I’d been calm despite the Rift, but now they were losing their minds over a blade.
A monster’s a hundred times worse.
“What the fuck are you laughing at?! DROP THE DAMN WEAPON!!”
“You brain-dead psycho, you think law enforcement’s a joke?! Want a bullet in your skull?!”
He wasn’t wrong. No matter how bold a criminal, no one messes with the Bureau. Take down one agent, a lieutenant comes. Take down a lieutenant, a commander comes. You can’t win.
But I’m not just anyone.
“I am still speaking civilly. Cooperate. Bring me the duty officer. Now.”
“Shut it! Drop the sword or you’re fucking dead! I’ll count to three!”
Click— three barrels were aimed at me. Keeeeing—! Magic overcharged. Mana bullets heated up, ready to kill.
But I didn’t answer.
The moment I saw the abandoned Rift, I knew it would end like this.
“Three!”
My eyes landed on the reception desk. There was no reason for that desk to exist if no one used it. Also, a Rift had formed in the far corner of the building—perfect range for impact.
“Two!!”
I moved the Giant’s hand. High above, the phantom sword descended toward the desk.
“One—!”
A single finger strike.
But the power was far from small.
KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG ────── !!
The entire office exploded.
It was invisible. It shattered the ceiling, smashed the desk, tore through the floor, and sank the foundation of the building. A concussive shockwave blasted out.
The office was wrecked. Every window shattered. Every object on every table was flung into the air. All three officers were thrown to the ground.
Dust clouded the air.
But not for long.
Half a beat later, as the shock settled... the three looked up.
None of them screamed.
Now—now they were ready to talk.