If there’s one thing in common among the White Families’ magicians, it’s that they subtly boast about themselves within the forum.
Whether it’s about their lineage, their rank, or attending classes with someone else.
That’s why I easily figured out the genealogy of the 38th-ranked Franz family from the posts on the forum and the sentences on the robes.
With a bit of additional searching, I could easily identify who he was.
“You write two notes? Why?”
“Tsk tsk, you have to be careful like this. That way, you can avoid being sniped and not get traced by the posts you write on the forum.”
“But, you could just make the posts private. Besides, we regularly delete the posts we upload….”
“Such primitive precautions are useless. In fact, I’ve archived every post Toby, you’ve ever written, so…”
“Wha!?”
When I mentioned a name that hadn’t been revealed, the man was shocked and bumped his back against the wall.
In reality, I didn’t preserve all users’ posts.
While there are some malicious users, in my case, as an administrator, I could see all the posts deleted by users without the need to preserve them.
I could easily grasp how they had been active within the forum.
As expected, they were an organization formed to plot train t*rrorism.
====
Honeybee Bulletin Board
List of posts:
[“Where did the Celusia Spirit user go? Come back quickly.”]
List of deleted posts:
[“When reaching the 33rd floor, start the operation.”]
[“One of the Niflheim left with the vice captain.”]
[“Proof of mixing bombs in the luggage; the items to be taken out later are sealed with red seals in the dining car.”]
[“Does anyone know what the scream heard on the platform when departing was?”]
[“Even if you are a pureblood magician, once you are bounced out of the Magic Tower, you won’t be able to get back in.”]
====
The members are all part of the White Families, totaling seven.
The goal was to prevent Vina and Christina from entering the Void.
I’ll have to examine the previous posts in detail to find out the exact reason, but first, their pathetic behavior caught my eye.
Despite trying to hide their identities and activities, their lack of basic precautions was evident.
“I wanted to point this out earlier, but your nicknames are all flashy.”
“Nicknames?”
“For a forum where anyone can use it, it should be barcoded to remain anonymous. Do you have no intention of hiding your identity?”
“B-Barcodes?”
If I were a t*rrorist, I would have used at least five barcode nicks per person.
Checking who posted could be done through IP addresses.
Just one abandoned board isn’t enough.
By spamming and forcing plotlines, if they terraform small forums, it would expand their activity range, making tracking difficult.
Mapping the patterns of the infiltrators to evade surveillance is also fundamental.
In case of exposure, using dummy accounts to draw aggro can prevent information leaks.
“Above all, even going around with the family mottoes isn’t enough, but you don’t even bother checking the basic information of the people you meet. If I weren’t one of you, the plan would have ended here.”
“T-That’s right! He’s 13th, after all…! T-This isn’t right! Follow me first. Everyone is waiting, we don’t have time.”
Passing on various know-how and gaining Toby’s trust in one breath, I was able to be guided to the honeybees’ hideout. Surprisingly, they had cast space distortion magic in the corridor between the second and third-class carriages.
When Toby said the password, an entire section of the train expanded, creating a new car.
“You’re late, No. 38, what happened?”
“This guy was sniping in first class all day, so I joined late. But what about the leader?”
“Since the command to wait, there’s been no contact.”
“Has she already entered the public works?”
“If there’s no contact, let’s just start on our own… huh? No. 66, what’s wrong?”
When we opened the door and entered, four magicians were waiting for us.
They were all casting perception-blocking magic, so only their genders could be distinguished.
One of them, who was calling each other by the numbers on the family mottoes, stood up from his seat.
His suspicious gaze that had been directed at me, pinned by the robe, quickly turned into certainty as he approached.
Could they have already been exposed?
Or is there discord within the forum?
Since “Beloved Grandson” had been seen wooing many women, it was unfair here.
If they were acquainted, just a few conversations would easily reveal that I wasn’t a Celusia spiritualist.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Why? What happened to you two?”
“Well, I…!”
“Just follow me.”
No. 66 pushed me out of the car past Toby.
When only the two of us were standing in the narrow corridor, the tension heightened even more.
Unlike the first-class, where the vibrations of the car body were not felt, the rear of the train was the same.
In an atmosphere that felt like I could be grabbed by the scruff of my neck, a subtle déjà vu was felt.
The difference in height looking up at each other, the habit of avoiding eye contact despite being face to face.
Despite wearing quite loose robes, the contours of the chest were clear, the shape of the three swords, the calluses on the palms.
And above all… as soon as she spoke, I could smell the fragrant citrus aroma.
“Why are you here, Clark!”
“Shien?”
She was my fellow student who I hadn’t contacted since the Magic Festival.
*
“I received information that there would be a t*rrorist attack on the express train, so I was undercover. Normally, disputes between families are not the concern of the Intelligence Department, but if such large-scale damage is expected, the situation changes.”
After a long time, I met Shien, who had reached the middle floors and even received the alias as a magician.
The bare face revealed after the recognition-impairing spell was removed was so beautiful that one could almost believe that she was actually from a white family.
“More importantly, why are you here? You didn’t collaborate with these guys, did you?”
“No, it’s just a coincidence.”
I couldn’t say that I was led here by the scent of honey.
I asked her one thing that I was curious about.
“Why are they targeting Glesia? Is it related to the demons?”
“No, they’re aiming for the stake the pureblood families have in the Void.”
The Void appeared as a floating island in the sky, famous even among the middle floors for its abundant resources.
Everything needed for making Witch Notes, gas lamps, and magical stones came from the Voids.
To obtain ownership of the resources, one had to achieve the highest evaluation in the tests set by the spirits of the respective areas.
Therefore, during the opening of the Voids, many families often restrained each other due to conflicts of interest.
“Glesia is showing remarkable prominence even within the Elemental School. Not only did a Seven Sage emerge from the Niflheim family, but the successor, Vina Nethania, is also being evaluated as having tremendous talent.”
“…”
In elemental studies, ‘innate pure magic power’ is as important as spirit studies.
Vina’s magic power was overwhelmingly pure among the pureblood magicians, to the extent that, with a slight exaggeration, she could annihilate demons with a single sneeze.
‘No wonder my teeth felt cold.’
In a way, Haeju uses the act of polluting such magical power by applying my saliva.
I thought she was reluctantly offering me a cake made with her magic, but it was quite the opposite.
“Glesia conducting this investigation committee on the 44th floor is also for this reason. If such monsters were to gain ownership of places like Mount Venah or Lake Trafalgar, they could monopolize them for at least a hundred years.”
“I see.”
Listening to Shien’s explanation, I seemed to understand why the White Families were eager to intervene.
If Vina and Christina couldn’t enter the Void, the influence of the Glesia School within the Magic Tower would diminish.
Anyway, the success of the t*rrorist act seemed unlikely since the Intelligence Department was already aware of it.
It might have been interesting to watch, but I might as well withdraw now; my presence could only be a hindrance.
Above all, it lifted my spirits to have found all three accomplices before reaching the public works.
Just as I was about to ask Shien for a magic favor, I heard something from her that made me doubt my ears.
“And there’s one more thing, but keep it a secret…”
“Yeah?”
“The other one who isn’t there. The identity of the one behind this t*rrorist attack we’re chasing? It seems to be the administrator of the forum we’re after.”
Someone dares to impersonate me?
*
“Where have you been?”
“Oh, I had some personal matters to discuss, hehe.”
“By the way, were you two acquainted?”
“What!? Today was the first time I saw her. Right, No. 13?”
“…”
With trembling nerves, Shien seated Clark next to her.
His expression wasn’t visible due to the perception-blocking magic she cast, but it was clear that he was quite uncomfortable.
Was there a slip of the tongue during the conversation earlier?
Upon scrutinizing her own memory, she was startled and whispered in his ear, suspecting if it was because of her broken promise.
‘Is it because of me breaking the promise!?’
‘…No.’
‘Even though I clearly messed up by not reporting and being active in the forum, it was unavoidable because of the Intelligence Department’s work, right…?’
‘I said no.’
There is nothing you can do about it even if you get angry because this is your fault.
When Shien got really angry, he knew one way to lighten his mood.
To calm her mind and body, take out the Witch Note and stay next to her.
Then, as if she was thinking about old times, she would soon close his eyes, let herself go, and doze off.
From a long time ago, Clark didn’t mind at all if someone messed with his hair or hugged him gently while he was busy with the forum.
“For something like that, they seem quite close, don’t they?”
“Could it be that they’re dating?”
“That’s absurd. No. 66 and No. 13?”
“Rankings can change anytime, you never know. No. 38 was among the top five before, wasn’t he?”
“Don’t talk about that.”
“Why? There’s not a single person here who doesn’t know. After Franz’s enemy disappeared in the public works, the family flourished…”
“I said stop!”
But the timing and place weren’t right now.
Their plan was about to begin, and she had to stop it.
First, she needed to send him back to his room with a suitable excuse and then contact the Intelligence Department agents waiting on the 33rd floor. Just then…
“Everyone, quiet.”
“…!!”
“We didn’t gather here to fight among ourselves, did we?”
Finally, Clark’s voice enveloped the whole audience.
