Chapter 157 Volume IV - Chapter 2: Captured Spy
I couldn't tell who the silhouette was because of the darkness of the night. But considering his built and height, it must be a male student.
"Hey-"
I tried to call out to him, but at that moment the silhouette suddenly moved and dived into the bushes. The moment this happened, my eyes widened.
A spy?
"Sith! Fly and follow him from above!"
Without waiting, Sith flew up, and I ran with all my might, using my mana, toward the spot where the silhouette had disappeared. I looked for footsteps as I passed, but they were very sparse. I followed them anyway, thinking that I would be able to find him with the Sith's guidance.
And I did, sort of.
Shortly after Sith flew into the air, he started flying in a certain direction and I followed him from below. The chase went on for about two minutes and I finally could see the silhouette. I had closed the gap between us a lot... and I was still closing it.
So I finally closed as much distance as I wanted. I raised my hand and sent a gust of wind at the silhouette.
The gust of wind blew in the direction I raised my arm and hit the silhouette so hard that he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
I pulled out the sword I had used in the training room and held it to his neck. I quickly lit a flame with my other hand, using the mastery I had gained in the dungeon, and brought it menacingly close to his face.
The person I caught was indeed a male student. He was wearing a hoodie and looked like an ordinary person. It's just that... his eyes were strange like he couldn't focus.
"Who are you?"
I brought the flame closer to the boy's face and he still didn't react, just staring into space. Immediately after that, his eyes suddenly focused on me, the brightness returned and the boy looked at me for a moment without understanding.
"W- what?"
Huh? What kind of reaction is that?
"W- who are you?"
Oh...
I hit the boy hard on the head with the hilt of my sword. He fainted instantly, his body released itself. With that, I was the only one in the darkness.
'What happened?'
More precisely, Sith and me...
"Someone has been watching me, using him as a puppet. Well, maybe not exactly watching me. It's possible that we've bumped into each other, but I have a strong feeling that it's me he's watching."
Sith's brow furrowed as he continued to float in the air and looked around. I felt mana being drained from my body, a slight gust of wind blew through the area, and then Sith spoke again.
'There doesn't seem to be anyone else.'
With Sith checking the surroundings, I turned back to the boy.
He looks genuinely ordinary, and I don't think his earlier demeanor was an act. The look in his eyes was that of someone who really couldn't make sense of what was happening.
Still, why would someone be watching me?
Well, it wouldn't be surprising if a few of the organization's spies remained inside the academy. After all, there's always something that gets missed, but I doubt the rest would do anything. They're too small a minority to take action.
After the cleanup we've done, what would be the maximum number? And it hasn't been that long since the incident.
Was there someone in the game who made puppets of people like this?
The moment I thought that, I paused.
Ah... there was.
Leaving the boy unconscious on the floor, I stood up.
Yes, there was such a person. And I met him only recently... before I went to the dungeon.
I smiled, put my hand to my face, and grinned.
Right... It was stupid to trust him in the first place, it was a mistake to trust someone like that, even for a moment, and he finally takes action... right?
I let out a small laugh and tugged at the boy's sleeve, exposing his skin. There was a small round symbol right there. It was like a moving tattoo. A round, spinning chain with a dagger in the center that seemed to ripple.
The tattoo was slowly erasing itself, but that didn't matter. Because I had seen it once and confirmed my thoughts.
"Hahahaha…"
You got caught.
You may be clever and good at hiding yourself, but how do you know that I know all your talents, all your future?
*******
I sighed as the doctor admitted the unconscious boy I had brought with me to the infirmary.
"Where did you find him?"
"I went into the woods to relax, and I found him there. I'm not sure what happened to him..."
The doctor looked at me and then at the student. Then he let out a deep sigh.
He certainly was suspicious, but he didn't press the issue. If he detected a problem, he could always find me inside the academy.
"Fine, you can leave. I'll take care of the rest."
"Thank you, doctor."
Before I turned around, the doctor gave me a nod of approval and I went out again. Meanwhile, I thought, I pondered what 'his' purpose might be.
Is he independent of the organization? Or is he working with them? If he's working for them, it's possible that he's watching me...
Back on the roads of the academy, I looked up at the sky as usual as I continued to think. It was unusually clear for a winter month. The stars were easy to see.
They are beautiful, much more distinct, and spectacular than in my previous world. That's why I can't get enough of looking at them. It feels strange to look at these stars and think how far away each one of them is from me.
As I continued walking with these thoughts, a thought crossed my mind.
I wonder if my world is in one of these stars... I mean, if Lunerra is real, which it must be considering I am here now, are they in the same universe? Did no one use mana in my old world because the 'awakening' hadn't happened yet?
Or are they in another universe that has nothing to do with each other...?
I had never thought about this since I came here, because I was always busy with other things, but now, watching the sky and the stars like this, this thought suddenly enveloped me.
The two energies that keep most things in the universe in balance, ordea an caora.
What's the origin of all this? It's something that was never mentioned in the game, and even the Lords, who are the gods of this universe, can't be associated with ordea and caora because they don't exactly fit the definition of 'all-pervasive' and they use mana instead of these energies.
I really thought about this for a moment, and I missed the old days. I always enjoyed thinking and theorizing about the world of Lunerra. Few things gave me as much pleasure as discussing it on forums.
Still, this thinking didn't last long.
"Aiden? Is that you?"
My eyes slowly drifted down from the sky and fell on the girl coming out of the convenience store on the side of the road.
Sue was standing in the middle of the road with about five bags full of groceries that she was holding, or rather, unable to hold. She was wearing casual clothes.
Today... things are happening a bit on top of each other. I didn't expect to run into Sue.
My eyes shifted to the bags in Sue's hands, my brow furrowed.
"What could you possibly be doing with all this stuff?"
I walked over to her and held out my hand for her to give me some of the bags.
Sue smiled and replied as she happily handed me three of the bags.
"It had to be like this."
My frown slowly returned. I couldn't think of anything to say.
It had to be like this, huh...
"Fine."
She had no money and she had just gotten it together, most likely.
"Thank you."
I'm not sure if I got this thank you for the bags or for not pressing my question. Maybe both...
"Is there anything else you need? If there are things you didn't buy because you can't carry them, let's buy them."
"No, no, this is all."
"Okay then, let's go."
That's how we started walking toward the dormitory buildings. Of course, we were not silent along the way, the first one to speak was Sue, who walked with her eyes fixed on the floor.
"I'm going to bring up a bad topic right away, I apologize, but... How is Celine?"
Ah... Right. Celine is one of the first friends Sue made. Even though they didn't spend a lot of time together, at least they got on well.
"Celine..."
Just as I promised her, I go to visit her almost every day. I feel a little awkward about the conversation we had three weeks ago, but that seems to have been resolved. And now...
"It's a bit complicated, but she's good. At least for now."
Sue sighed deeply.
"I see."
There was silence between us again for a moment and I felt compelled to speak.
"How is your brother, Paul?"
Sue raised her eyebrows at my sudden mention of her brother. But she answered anyway.
"He's fine. He got a scholarship at a school last month, so he switched schools."
"Oh? Which school?"
"James William College."
I paused as soon as I heard the name. I paused so suddenly that Sue stopped too and turned to me quickly.
"Aiden? Are you okay?"
"Ah... No. I mean... Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just surprised. My sister also studies there."
"Oh?"
Sue smiled as I started walking again.
"Wouldn't it be funny if they met by chance?"
"Hahaha... Well... Yeah, it would be funny."
I remembered the conversation I had with Clara a few weeks ago. Even though the probability was extremely low, the thought suddenly began to gnaw at my mind. Nevertheless, my mind was cleared with the intervention of the Absolute Mind.
"Anyway, we've arrived."
Sue sighed as I pointed to the building just ahead of us.
"We got here fast."
"Yeah."
I carried the bags up to Sue's room.
"Will you stay for dinner?"
Her dark blue eyes sparkled, if only for a brief moment.
"Sorry, I have something I have to take care of."
The twinkle in her eyes quickly faded. She looked disappointed but quickly smiled again.
"I see. Then... why don't we go do something afterward?"
I paused.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, like walking around. This weekend, for example. "
The words just came out of my mouth.
"Okay?"
I had agreed without giving it much thought when I paused again.
Oh...
"How nice! I'll let you know. See you, Aiden!"
"See you…?"
With nothing else to do, I took a step backward and Sue happily closed the door without taking her smile off her face.
Even though I had just stepped back to leave, I stayed where I was, doing nothing.
Did I misunderstand?
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, a small green spirit appeared in front of me. He had a mocking expression on his face that showed he was amused.
'No, she simply asked you on a date and you accepted.'
Oh...
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