Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 46: Dancing with the Puppet (1)
"Are you alright?"
"..."
Lena, who had collapsed on the ground with weak legs, simply nodded at Hamel's question.
"Yes."
Then, instead of taking his outstretched hand, she got up on her own.
She picked up her staff and dusted off the dirt on her clothes.
Ono and Daniel, watching her nonchalant behavior from behind, clicked their tongues.
"Is that really the reaction of someone who almost died?"
"Who does she remind you of?"
"Ah, now that you mention it..."
The two simultaneously looked at Hamel.
Whether aware of their reaction or not, Hamel and Lena simply continued their conversation calmly.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
It was certainly a very dry conversation for someone who had just been saved from death and her savior.
It was more like a conversation between people who had offered each other seats on a carriage.
But it seemed to be enough for them.
Lena pointed at the building behind her and said in a dry but precise tone,
"There are other students inside."
"You don't have to worry about that."
Just as Hamel shook his head and replied,
Crash!
With a roar, the ceiling of the abandoned building was pulverized into dust.
Dozens of blue swords were spinning in a circle, grinding everything nearby into powder.
With the building destroyed like that, there would be no trace left of the insects.
"Sword Dance... The vice-principal has arrived."
Lena muttered, faltering at the overwhelming sight.
The vice-principal of the Magic Tower, Agnes Lowell.
Daniel, who had been a wandering knight for a long time, and Ono, who had been an exorcist for many years, had heard of her before.
More familiar than her name was her title.
"That's the 'Sword Mage' of the Colorless Magic Tower..."
"The rumor that she single-handedly held back the kingdom's army might be true."
She crushed everything that stood in her way.
Daniel unconsciously groaned as he watched her walk with an angry expression.
He had no confidence in winning against her.
At the end of Agnes's path was a group of students.
Their clothes were torn and covered in insect fluids.
The exhausted students burst into tears as soon as they saw Agnes.
"P-professor..."
"It's alright, it's alright."
Agnes comforted the students while continuing to control her magic.
The demons, already demoralized, tried to escape from the building, but she didn't miss a single one.
The swords, flying as if with a will of their own, tore apart all the giant insects.
A moment later, there were no more living creatures around.
Instead, the sounds of small insects,
The sound of the wind,
And even the sound of trees shaking their leaves,
The tranquil sounds of the forest returned.
It was over.
Lena finally seemed to relax and let out a deep breath.
Hamel stared intently at Lena and then patted her shoulder.
As if to say, good job.
Lena's eyes widened in surprise, then she simply bowed her head slightly in gratitude without a word.
A moment later,
Agnes, who had gathered the students, approached Hamel and his party.
"It was just as you said."
Agnes looked at Hamel with an incredulous expression, recalling their earlier conversation.
'The Ancient Tree Forest. She probably went there.'
'Excuse me? But the headmaster already checked the Ancient Tree Forest...'
'The children are in danger. We need to hurry.'
How did this man know all this?
She had to find out.
But before that, as the children's professor, she had something to say.
"Thank you for saving the children."
She took off her hat and bowed deeply.
Three students had died, but thanks to them, five lives were saved.
"It was my duty."
Hamel accepted her gratitude calmly.
As she bowed, the students behind her also hesitantly bowed, watching her lead.
Among them was the yellow-haired girl who had bullied Lena.
Hamel looked at her and then turned his head towards Lena.
Their eyes met, as if Lena had also been looking at him.
"..."
Hamel simply nodded at Lena without a word.
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded back with a determined look.
And she approached the yellow-haired girl.
"Melina."
"...Lena?"
The girl's eyelids twitched slightly at the unexpected encounter.
Agnes smiled gently at her and said,
"Ah, Melina. I saw it briefly earlier, but Lena fought with her life on the line to save you all."
"E-excuse me?"
"If Lena hadn't bought us time, the rescue might have been too late."
Melina's eyes widened further.
As if asking if it was true, she turned her gaze to Lena, who nodded calmly.
Watching them, Agnes said with satisfaction,
"To fight for a friend, risking your life instead of running away. It's truly a rare friendship."
Hearing those words, Melina's face was a mixture of confusion and then turned pale with guilt.
Then she closed her eyes tightly as if mustering her courage.
"I-I'm sorry, Lena."
"For what?"
Lena looked at her with her usual expressionless face.
As if she genuinely didn't know.
Melina trembled and confessed her wrongdoing.
"W-well... I-I actually..."
Lena interrupted her confession.
"I know."
"...!"
Melina's eyes widened as she looked at Lena.
"You knew...?"
Lena nodded briefly.
Melina looked up with tears welling up in her eyes.
"... you're forgiving me after all that?"
"..."
Lena stared intently at Melina for a moment and then slowly opened her mouth.
"No?"
"...?"
Just as Melina's expression turned to bewilderment,
Whack!
Lena's fist connected squarely with her nose.
Melina's head snapped back, and blood spurted from her nose.
"Huh?"
The other students, who had been about to cry out of guilt, stared blankly.
As everyone was too stunned to speak, Lena turned to Agnes and said,
"It's not because of friendship."
"...H-huh?"
"I came here because I wanted to punch you."
"...Ah, I see."
Watching the bewildered Agnes, Daniel slowly shook his head.
He prided himself on having seen many different kinds of people while working as a mercenary, but this girl was uniquely eccentric even compared to them.
Ono and Daniel looked at Professor Agnes with pity.
Only Hamel nodded as if he understood Lena's decision.
***
"...So what happened?"
Agnes asked Hamel once the situation calmed down.
Hamel answered by asking Lena a question.
"Lena, you couldn't bring the Blue Moon Flowers to the herbology class yesterday, correct?"
"Yes."
"Wait a minute, if you're talking about the Curse Herbology class, then I'm in charge..."
Agnes, who had interrupted, suddenly stopped.
"You had class yesterday...?"
"Yes, Professor Agnes, you taught the Curse Herbology class yesterday."
Lena tilted her head and replied calmly.
Agnes looked blank for a moment.
The reason was simple.
"Agnes returned today from another region. In other words, someone impersonated you and taught the class yesterday."
Hamel brought up the part that had been bothering him.
The conversation between Lena and Agnes he had witnessed in the classroom felt somewhat off.
He had a rough idea after talking to the Tower Master.
The Tower Master had said that Professor Agnes returned today, contrary to Lena's statement that she had attended her class.
Agnes, who had been nodding along to Hamel's reasoning, suddenly realized something and gasped.
"Are you suspecting the Tower Master...?"
"No."
Hamel shook his head and replied,
"I'm certain."
"...!"
Until just now, he had been half-convinced, but the fact that demons had appeared in the Ancient Tree Forest, which the Tower Master had claimed to have checked, removed any lingering doubts.
"We're going to confront the imposter pretending to be the Tower Master."
"Wait a minute, then the real Tower Master...?"
"He must have been attacked. Probably recently."
Hamel replied calmly.
Agnes's actions were full of inconsistencies that anyone who paid a little attention would notice.
In other words, the culprit didn't have enough time to fabricate the events.
"That's impossible! The Tower Master is a 1st-class mage, the highest level among all mages. Comparable to the Emperor's Champion or the Swordmaster of the North..."
"I've fought and won against opponents stronger than me. And there's only one reason for that."
"...?"
"Their carelessness."
Hamel brushed off the insect fluids and put his robe back on.
"He must have been impersonating Agnes until yesterday."
"...No way?"
"I believe it's entirely possible."
Hamel calmly checked his sword and weapons.
After exchanging glances with Ono and Daniel in turn, Hamel slowly turned around.
"He must be watching our movements as well. Perhaps he's already noticed by now."
If so, he would either be preparing to fight them or trying to escape.
Either way, they didn't have time.
If he wasn't aware of the situation, they had to hurry even more.
There was no better surprise attack than striking when the opponent least expected it.
In any case, the important thing now was time.
"Daniel, please take responsibility for the students and escort them back to the academy."
"I will."
"Ono and Agnes, I would be grateful if you would accompany me."
"How arrogant. Do as you please."
"I-I understand."
Agnes seemed a bit flustered, but her power would be of great help.
Hamel needed her strength because he didn't know who the opponent was.
Just as they were about to leave the students and depart,
Hamel suddenly remembered something and made eye contact with Lena.
"...?"
"I'd like to ask you something once this is over."
"Yes, of course."
Lena nodded with an expressionless face.
Hamel nodded back and then took a step forward.
It was time to drag out the imposter who had infiltrated the Magic Tower and was impersonating the Tower Master.
***
"...This is strange."
Agnes Lowell muttered, tilting her head.
It was a little before 7 p.m.
It was dinner time, but it wasn't particularly late.
Usually, students who had finished their dinner would be out and about in the Magic Tower's park.
But for some reason,
Footsteps!
From the entrance of the Magic Tower to the garden, there wasn't a single person in sight.
Not even the sounds of daily life, which should be present in a place where people gather, could be heard.
The deathly silence seemed to tighten its grip around Agnes's throat.
Arriving at the entrance of the Magic Tower, Hamel carefully grasped the doorknob.
Then he paused and caught his breath.
It seemed the chance for a surprise attack was gone.
'This will be a difficult fight.'
The fact that they hadn't run away and had prepared something despite the failed ambush meant they were confident.
Hamel clicked his tongue and slowly turned his head.
Ono and Agnes, mentally prepared, nodded.
Hamel nodded back and slowly opened the door.
Creak!
The lobby, the face of any building and the first impression it gives.
The Magic Tower's lobby, famous for its agora-like openness, often hosted public lectures.
The lobby, where high-quality lectures were held for anyone to see, was one of the prides of the Magic Tower.
However, it was unusual for the space to be packed with students.
Students had enough trouble keeping up with their own classes, so there were few who wanted to attend extra lectures.
But someone had accomplished that difficult feat right now.
"Welcome."
The Tower Master smiled broadly and looked at Hamel and his party as they entered.
And at the same time, the heads of all the students filling the lobby turned in unison.
Their monotonous movements were uniform, like clockwork.
The party couldn't help but feel an unpleasant sense of dissonance.
Especially since they were all glaring at Hamel and his party with their staffs in hand.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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