Chapter 260: Remnants of Fanaticism (2)

Pavlen Archwood.

A fourth-year pre-graduate student who had picked a fight with Lennok on his very first day as assistant professor, and later, during a conference trip, tried to kill him only to have half his mana stolen in return.

Though Lennok had heard that Archwood’s extensive background and connections gave him considerable standing among undergraduates, after the conference, he had become Lennok’s complete subordinate.

“What is it?” Lennok asked with a chilling expression. Archwood flinched, then entered the classroom.

Archwood, confirming there was no one else listening, spoke cautiously.

“Um… about what you mentioned before…”

Lennok recalled instructing him to report any suspicious happenings within the university immediately. Given Archwood’s many connections and quick access to rumors as a graduating student, it was the most efficient way to utilize him.

Perhaps due to Lennok’s prolonged absence from the university, Archwood’s expression was noticeably dejected.

“Speak.”

“Recently, two students from the Necromancy Department were expelled. The reason was quite unusual.”

“What was the reason?”

“The reason for expulsion was the alleged performance of a vassalage ritual for the Guido Cult.”

“…”

“It seems they were caught performing a cult-designated ritual in a Necromancy Department lab. The department immediately convened a meeting and decided to expel them.”

Lennok had been searching for remnants of the cult to find time-based magic, but he never expected to hear about them at Rebatenon.

To directly perform the cult’s vassalage ritual, they must have been members equivalent to official priests.

Lennok tilted his head slightly and asked.

“Their personal details and residence? Is there a way to confirm?”

“It’s a very sensitive matter, so only their names… But Priscilla might know more.”

“…Priscilla?”

Archwood shrugged.

“One of the two expelled students was Priscilla’s roommate.”

“…”

He had never once expected to get anything useful from Archwood, let alone receive help from him in such a way.

But Lennok showed no outward sign of this, simply frowning.

“Is that all?”

“I managed to uncover this, even though both the department and the Necromancy faculty are trying to keep it quiet…” Archwood glanced at Lennok, then protested. Lennok scoffed.

“I wonder where all that courage you showed at the conference went.”

“…”

If Lennok’s mana manipulation ability had been weaker than Archwood’s, or if he hadn’t understood the Domain to some extent back then, their positions might have been completely reversed.

Archwood was simply swallowing his pride for now, hoping to regain his stolen mana. Treating him as he had initially treated Lennok was sufficient.

Lennok spoke to Archwood with a cold expression.

“You can’t tell me you don’t have connections in the higher grades of the Necromancy Department. You know their names, but you can’t find their residences?”

“The Necromancy Department is the most active among all departments at Rebatenon for transfers, leaves of absence, and withdrawals. There are many research projects requiring extensive preparation, and sometimes, trying to produce results can keep you tied up for half a year without moving.”

“…”

That wasn’t wrong. Hadn’t Craig Tillion, who tried to summon parts of outer-sea monsters using dark magic and necromantic rituals, spent months preparing with dozens of dark wizards and programming, almost reaching his goal?

“Just this month, over ten students withdrew, and more than twice that number applied for transfer. That’s why it’s rare for students in the same department to maintain close friendships.”

“Hmm…”

Considering the unique nature of the Necromancy Department, was he ultimately limited in acquiring information?

In the end, Lennok simply pressured Archwood further to somehow gather more information, then sent him away.

Since no further information could be expected from Archwood, it would be better for Lennok to act directly.

“Priscilla, huh…”

He supposed it was fortunate she was a student he had somewhat acquainted himself with as Evan.

It didn’t matter. She’d probably be in her dorm at this hour, so he could just ask her directly.

–Priscilla, you mean? She said she had something to do today and went home. She won’t be back until this weekend.

“…”

Only after hearing the bewildered voice of the dorm supervisor did Lennok finally stand up.

“Do house calls exist in this world too?”

A slightly late weekend morning. Lennok, passing through a quiet alley filled with birdsong, adjusted his glasses.

Children playing casually in a corner of the alley. People walking their pets. Families sitting in the park, chatting quietly.

At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary residential area, but to Lennok, who knew how meaningless the concept of public safety was in this city, it felt a little different.

A residential area where people were willing to pay for the unseen value of public safety. The tranquility of this street, nestled between the bustling areas of District 20, was the result of such money and investment.

It certainly seemed that Priscilla lived in a good home environment.

“The address I was given was roughly here…”

Lennok stood before a two-story house painted light brown and rang the doorbell. The front door opened, and someone tumbled out with a crash.

Something landed nonchalantly in the yard, got up like a zombie, scratched its head, and opened the gate.

A loose tank top and wild blue hair. Sharp eyes… a familiar face. Mila, a mercenary from the Antares Mercenary Group and someone Lennok knew, stood there.

“Yo~ Nice to meet you. So you’re Silla’s homeroom teacher?”

“…” Lennok stared silently at her face without replying. Mila pouted and extended her hand for a handshake.

“My name’s Ludmilla. Just a lowly mercenary. Oh, do wizards perhaps dislike handshakes? My hands are clean, though.”

Lennok, seeing her smack her lips and wipe her hands on her pants, quickly put on a smiling face.

“Of course not. I’m pleased to meet Priscilla’s older sister. My name is Evan Vylen.”

He never would have imagined Priscilla’s older sister was Mila. Though they shared the same hair color, their personalities were so different that he had never once considered them related.

Perhaps it was also because Lennok himself had never imagined his underground connections would overlap with his public relationships.

Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t that strange. Someone like Mila, treated as a regular at the Antares Mercenary Group, would certainly earn a considerable income. It was just difficult to imagine that connection leading to Priscilla in a place like this.

There wasn’t much to discuss with Mila anyway, so performing his role as an assistant professor well enough would suffice.

Mila nonchalantly led Lennok inside.

In the spacious living room, someone lay comfortably sprawled on the sofa, a towel draped over their face.

A somewhat weak voice drifted out from between the animal pajamas and the towel.

“Oh, sis… I forgot to mention. A guest might come this afternoon. They said they had some questions about Penia…”

“They’re already here?”

“…” The pajama-clad legs flailing on the sofa abruptly stopped.

The towel covering the face slid down, and Priscilla, lying upside down, made eye contact with Lennok.

Lennok grinned and waved.

“Priscilla, nice to meet you.”

“Kyaaaah!!” It didn’t take long for the house to be turned upside down with a ear-splitting scream.

“Sis, are you crazy!! I told you not to let just anyone in!!”

“No, what’s with that… He’s your school teacher, can I just leave him outside? If you get low grades because he dislikes you, what happens to the tuition I paid with my precious money?”

“He’s not that kind of person!!”

Priscilla huffed and scurried back into her room.

Lennok chuckled, looking at the large bump on Mila’s head.

“Priscilla is an excellent student, even in the Elemental Department, so you don’t need to worry.”

Indeed, she had scored near-perfect marks on the Elemental Magic Theory midterm exam and the Hydrosphere theory test, which Lennok and Aris had graded.

It was proof that she wasn’t neglecting her magical foundations. Hadn’t Aris also been quite pleased with Priscilla’s grades?

Priscilla was certainly not a student whose tuition would be wasted.

“Oh, I see. Actually, I know, I just said it anyway.”

She picked her nose, then perched on the sofa and pulled a small fridge from under the table to grab a beer.

She popped the can open with a single finger, chugged the beer, then offered one to Lennok.

“Care for a drink?”

“…I’m on duty.”

“Ah, right. My apologies.”

She smacked her lips awkwardly and chugged down more beer.

Laughter from the TV soothed the silence.

As Priscilla didn’t come out, Mila squirmed with an awkward expression.

Lennok already knew she was the type who couldn’t stand this kind of atmosphere, but she probably didn’t realize he knew.

Unable to bear it any longer, she spoke first again.

“So, to be an assistant professor at Rebatenon, you must be incredibly skilled.”

“I’m still very much lacking.”

Lennok uttered a polite falsehood, and Mila grinned.

“No way. You’re so humble. Are other wizards like that too?”

“…” As Lennok fell silent at the difficult question, Mila realized her slip of the tongue and bowed her head slightly.

“Ah, I’m sorry. The truth is, since I’m a mercenary, I’ve met a few wizards… but truly skilled ones are rare.”

“I see.”

“Of course, I do have one friend who’s a real genius, but that jerk is a really annoying type.”

“…” Was it a delusion that Lennok somehow knew who Mila was talking about?

Unaware of Lennok’s thoughts, Mila began to grumble, beer in hand.

“He’s the kind of guy who just waves his hand with a ‘I can do anything~’ expression, and then he actually does it, so you can’t even say anything. Everything he says is always hard to refute. I wonder if all smart people are like that.”

“If they’re that exceptional, I’d like to meet them too.”

At Lennok’s smiling remark, Mila chuckled but drew a firm line.

“Nah, I can’t really do that without telling the jerk first.”

“…Of course.”

Only then did Mila realize the conversation had gone off track, and she smacked her lips.

“I’m sorry. I just rambled on and on by myself. I recently heard that jerk started a business, but he hasn’t been easy to reach, so I ended up talking behind his back a bit.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Lennok nodded readily.

He had wondered what she’d say in his absence, but this was practically charming.

Lennok could understand to some extent, as he hadn’t seen her face-to-face since the Arashakh Expedition.

“I’m sure that friend would be happy to… receive your call.”

“Huh?”

“Yes.”

While Lennok casually glossed over Mila’s drunken question, the door opened, and Priscilla appeared.

Dressed in a neat shirt and pants, she sat opposite Mila and sighed softly as soon as she smelled the alcohol.

But instead of scolding Mila, she immediately turned to Lennok.

“Assistant Professor Evan.”

“Priscilla. My apologies for intruding on your weekend.”

“No, it’s fine. You said you wanted to talk about Penia… Would you like to move somewhere else?”

“No, it’s fine here. With Priscilla’s guardian present, it should be alright.”

Priscilla didn’t say anything, even seeing Mila pull out a beer in front of a guest. Wasn’t it because her desire not to nag her sister took precedence over immediate politeness?

What Lennok observed was just a minor aspect of the sisters, but he could quickly guess that their relationship was quite good. They would likely keep sensitive information secret.

“So, you can stop pretending to be drunk now. There’s absolutely no problem with Priscilla.”

Mila pretending to be drunk and staying here was likely because she wanted to hear what was to be discussed with Silla, wasn’t it?

“…”

Mila’s slightly unfocused eyes sharpened, and her faint smile turned into a blank expression.

Leaning back on the sofa as if sprawled, she tilted her head forward slightly and spoke.

“Our wizard… you’re too perceptive. Or was my acting just too clumsy?”

“I merely thought a mercenary wouldn’t get drunk on just one can of beer.”

Lennok replied calmly.

“…I see. That’s certainly a plausible deduction.”

Thump! Mila sat upright, her eyes flashing.

“So much so that you look more like someone from this line of work than a bookish wizard.”

“…”

A sharp tension instantly filled the air.

Just as Priscilla, sensing the mood, was about to step in to smooth things over, Lennok spoke first.

“Do you really think there are only naive wizards in organizations directly run by the city government?”

At the same time, Davi, who had appeared on his shoulder, curled its front paws and emitted a powerful wave of electricity.

Fzzzt…!!!

The jamming signal emitted by the Electro-Brain Spirit instantly enveloped the mansion, neutralizing only specific equipment.

Lennok rested his chin on his hand and smiled, watching Mila’s bewildered expression.

“So, we need to turn off the security recording equipment for a moment and have a rather sensitive discussion.”

It was natural for Mila, as a mercenary, to install recording devices in her home to prepare for intruders.

“…Damn it, do you know how many millions of Cels it cost to install that?”

Mila’s voice, as she retorted, was slightly tearful.

“You’d better be prepared if this is a trivial matter.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. It involves the Guido Cult.”

“…!!”

Seeing the drastically changed expressions of the two sisters, Lennok immediately got to the point.

Aris’s absence. The cult’s appearance. The seemingly intentional expulsions. Perhaps there wasn’t much time left.

This matter needed to be handled as quickly as possible.