The mana fission… No, the mana fission runaway incident was surprisingly resolved quickly.
The research lab was completely destroyed, melted down by the thermal sphere, but it was only the lab of the person responsible for the incident.
Other than that, there was only minor damage—some scorched outer walls and a few broken windows—resulting in minimal financial loss.
There were no casualties either.
Considering the fact that the entire Academy was nearly obliterated, this was nothing short of a miracle.
Of course, the academic conference was not canceled.
It was being held in a different building than the research wing, after all.
And the incident wasn’t large enough to justify canceling such an event.
Naturally, though, this upcoming academic conference had now drawn significant attention.
And rightly so.
After all, I had declared that I would reveal the secret behind how I instantly extinguished the thermal sphere that nearly engulfed the Academy.
‘I messed up. I just raised everyone’s expectations for nothing.’
I originally planned to introduce a new paradigm in a modest and reserved manner, maximizing the element of freshness while keeping expectations low.
Now, all I’ve done is build up anticipation.
Would I be able to handle the barrage of questions that would surely follow my presentation?
No, more importantly—would I even understand those questions?
My worries only seemed to deepen.
Just as I was about to let out a deep sigh, I heard the sound of hurried, light footsteps rushing toward me from behind.
“Yuuuriii! Yuriiii!”
“Ugh… You’re acting like we haven’t seen each other in years…”
“But I’m happy to see you! It’s been over a month, hasn’t it?! Or maybe not?”
“It hasn’t been a full month, but it has been a while…”
Charlotte threw herself at Yuri, rubbing her cheek against her friend’s face.
Then, Julia arrived slightly later and scooped both Charlotte and Yuri into a hug.
It was a dramatic reunion, as if long-lost family members had finally been reunited.
They had visited Vermont Security just two weeks ago, so they must have seen each other then…
Do they really miss each other this much, even when they see each other often?
The sight made me smile involuntarily.
At that moment, I felt a chill.
Sylvia suddenly tensed up and leaned in close to whisper into my ear.
“My Lord, please be cautious. I sense multiple gazes directed at us.”
“That’s expected, considering what I just did. It’d be weirder if no one was watching.”
“No, I mean from a distance—so far that the naked eye can barely detect them. They are likely using telescopes or magnification magic to observe us.”
“…”
If that was true, then this was serious.
I had been acting in a way that naturally drew attention, but I hadn’t expected anyone to go so far as to stalk me with telescopes.
If it were just an overly enthusiastic fan, that would be one thing.
But considering the face of Aslan Vermont, that was highly unlikely.
I had given up on such hopeful thoughts long ago—ever since every single noble lady who came to propose to me left my mansion in tears.
‘Is this the dangerous faction Irene mentioned?’
Irene had warned me.
Through her underground information network, she had discovered that some unknown group might make a move against me during the academic conference.
She didn’t have enough details to say for certain, but judging by the current situation, that suspicion was becoming a reality.
Still, Irene would handle things on her end.
And I had Sylvia by my side, so I wasn’t worried.
As long as the others were careful, we wouldn’t be caught off guard.
“Sylvia, while we’re in the capital, I want you to guard Charlotte and Julia.”
“…Pardon? But then you will be…”
“I’ll be fine. My sister will be watching over me anyway. And just in case, I’ll be moving around with Yuri.”
“Understood, My Lord. I shall follow your command.”
Sylvia finally nodded, only after I mentioned that I would be accompanied by Yuri.
Even though the girls were much stronger than me, it was clear that they were the ones who needed to be protected, not me.
I would never allow a single scratch to befall my future wives.
‘If Sylvia leaves my side, they’ll probably see that as an opportunity.’
In a way, this also served as a trap.
The strongest members of Vermont were undeniably Sylvia and Charlotte.
As long as they stayed near me, any would-be attackers wouldn’t dare to make a move.
Yuri wasn’t much weaker than them, and in some aspects, she even surpassed them.
However, her fame within the Academy and Vermont Security wasn’t as widespread as theirs.
So the enemy was likely to underestimate her, thinking she was an easy target.
Instead of waiting anxiously until the conference, I decided to lure them out and capture them.
That was my strategy.
.
.
.
“Aslan Vermont… Visiting the Northern Archduke’s villa…?”
Scratch, Scratch.
A masked figure, lying flat on a rooftop, scribbled notes in a small notebook while peering through a telescope.
“And the Dark Knight and Necromancer stayed behind with the Archduke’s daughter… Wait, even the personal guards were left behind?”
Leaving the children at the villa was something they had anticipated.
Since he was on friendly terms with the Archduke’s daughter, he had assumed that Aslan Vermont might take the opportunity to tour the villa and possibly even stay for a night.
But he never expected that he would leave behind even his bodyguard.
Aslan Vermont, who always traveled with his escorts no matter where he went, had done something highly unusual.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. If their vigilance has weakened, that only works in our favor.”
The only person left by Count Vermont’s side was Yuri, a mere student at the Imperial Magic Academy.
From what he had heard, she was an excellent student and highly regarded within Vermont Security, but…
She wasn’t a Sword Master or a Magic Swordsman, nor did she seem to have any particularly extraordinary abilities.
If there were no rumors of any special powers, then she was probably just an ordinary guard.
There was no need to be overly concerned about Yuri.
“And Aslan Vermont and Yuri are heading to their hotel lodging…”
After jotting that down, the masked figure tore the note from his notebook and rolled it up.
With a sharp whistle, a pigeon flapped its wings and landed on his forearm.
He carefully placed the note into the small metal cylinder tied to the pigeon’s leg, sealed it, and released the bird into the night sky.
“Go quickly and deliver the message to the young lady.”
The operation was set for today.
With their target’s guard lowered, the timing couldn’t have been better.
However, before executing the plan, he still needed final approval.
As he waited in place, the sun gradually set, and night fell.
Eventually, the pigeon returned, landing softly on his arm.
He swiftly retrieved the message and unfolded it.
It contained just two words.
– Proceed.
“Understood, my lady.”
The final approval had been granted.
Clenching his fist with determination, the masked figure immediately moved into action.
The plan was simple.
Count Vermont had placed an order for a cup of tea to be delivered to his room after dinner.
The operative would slip a drug into the cup prepared by the hotel staff.
Once Aslan Vermont drank it, the mission would be a success.
By tomorrow, Count Vermont would be in such a wretched state that attending the academic conference would be impossible.
A hint of guilt crept into the masked figure’s mind, but he quickly suppressed it.
For the sake of world peace…
‘Infiltration successful. Now all I have to do is put the ‘drug’ in the tea.’
Using a forged employee ID and a stolen hotel uniform, the operative infiltrated the hotel with ease.
He rode the elevator with the hotel staff member assigned to deliver the tea.
And while the worker was briefly distracted, he silently emptied the packet of drug into the cup.
With the task complete, he watched as the unsuspecting staff member walked out of the elevator, oblivious.
The mission had gone perfectly.
Just as he let out a sigh of relief—
“With this, Count Vermont won’t be able to show up tomorrow…”
“Hmm. I thought it looked useful, so I learned it from Charlotte. Turns out, this stealth technique is pretty handy.”
“…!?”
A quiet voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
But—there was no one else in the elevator!
Startled, the operative spun around—only to see limbs suddenly emerge from the shadows.
‘The operation is compromised!’
He had been caught during execution—the worst possible scenario.
The elevator doors were already closed, blocking his escape.
With no other options left, the masked figure made his decision.
He shut his eyes tightly.
Then, in one swift motion, he pulled a small knife from his pocket and slashed his own carotid artery.
‘My lady… I’m sorry.’
Warm blood gushed from his neck, drenching his body.
At the same time, the poison coated on the blade seeped into his bloodstream, rapidly numbing his senses.
This was a deadly toxin—one that spread instantly throughout the body.
Even healing magic applied only to the wound wouldn’t be enough to save him.
He was certain of his fate.
His vision blurred, and darkness crept over him.
So this is how I die…
“Huh…?”
Just then, a brilliant light burst into his fading vision.
A radiant glow surrounded a figure—so dazzling and divine that they resembled an angel.
In an instant, his senses returned.
The bleeding stopped.
The poison’s effects vanished.
‘An angel…? No, this is…’
By the time he came to his senses, his wound had completely healed, and the deadly toxin had been purged from his body.
What… What was this power?
“Tsk. What a waste of effort.”
The voice of a young woman, tinged with exasperation.
“Saint…?”
“Huh?”
A look of confusion crossed Yuri’s face as she bound his limbs with rope.
Saint?
What the hell was this bastard talking about?
