Chapter 148: A String of Cadet Disappearances (2)

When the war with the Demon God’s forces was at its peak, the tri-nation allied army had gathered in Valhalla City for one last stand. Early in the morning, the door to the barracks slammed open. Sophia stormed in and wrinkled her nose at the sight of the mess inside.

She kicked at the man sprawled across the floor, surrounded by empty bottles. “Berald! How many times have I told you to stop drinking yourself stupid?”

“

Ugh!

Don’t bother me—

Urk

!”

“Unbelievable! How much did you drink this time?”

“

Heh!

Don’t worry about me. A bit of rest and I’ll be fine.”

Sophia glared down at him, voice sharp as a whip. “Do you even realize what time it is? The Demon God’s army is practically at our doorstep, and you’re drowning yourself in alcohol?”

Berald met her gaze with a bitter smile. “That’s exactly why I drank.”

“What?”

“Who knows if I’ll ever get the chance again? Might as well drink my fill while I can.”

“You...!” Sophia bit her lip, face twisting in anger. “Get up. Now.”

She yanked away his blanket. Then, her scream rang through the barracks. “

KYAAAAH

!”

She hastily threw the blanket back over him. “Y-you insane bastard! Why are you sleeping naked?”

Berald scratched his head with an awkward grin. “

Ah!

Well...”

Sophia’s sharp eyes darted around the bed. A scrap of black fabric had fallen to the floor when she had pulled the blanket back. She picked it up. It was an ornate black lace bra, and it was a large size, too. Obviously, it was not Berald’s.

Sophia’s expression hardened as she held up the bra. “And this belongs to who exactly?”

Berald rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Seems Lady Amanda was a bit distracted. To leave her undergarments behind.”

Sophia’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Amanda? Who the hell is that bitch?”

Berald quickly straightened up and barked back. “Watch your tongue! How dare you call her that!”

Sophia crushed the bra in her fist, her face darkening. “I don’t care if she’s a lady or a bloody saint. Who is she?”

“She’s a hero from the Holy Empire. I met her not long ago.”

“You... Don’t tell me you seduced a married woman again?”

Berald shouted indignantly, “Seduced a married woman? Do you want people to think I’m some home-wrecking scoundrel? Her husband fell in the war a year ago! All I did was ease the crushing loneliness in her heart!”

“Ease her loneliness?”

“Think about it! A woman who’s lost her husband, drowning in grief and despair. All I did was comfort her wounds!”

Sophia began to radiate a fierce red mana. “Is that so? Funny, though, that every single woman you comfort just happens to be married first. What? Are you telling me only widows feel grief? That unmarried women don’t suffer loss?”

The air grew scorching hot as flames of fury crackled around her. At the snap of her fingers, a staff appeared in the air. It was Mistilteinn, a legendary relic said to be carved from the branches of the Tree of Creation itself. Its tip leveled straight at Berald.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Berald shot upright, clutching the blanket around his lower half. “W-wait! Calm down, Senior Sophia! Even if you’re a short, flat-chested, foul-tempered spinster who’s never so much as held a man’s hand...”

“What did you just say?”

“You’re still my precious comrade! If you were ever hurt, I, Berald, would do anything for you!”

Sophia smiled sweetly. “Oh, how touching. I think I might cry.”

Red mana blazed at the tip of Mistilteinn, and she yelled, “Die, you perverted bastard.”

KABOOOOOM!

The explosion ripped through the barracks, instantly obliterating them.

***

In my memories, Senior Sophia and Berald never exactly got along. In fact, I could count at least thirty times she had blasted him with enough firepower to kill him on the spot. So, why did the two of them now look like awkward teenagers caught in some clumsy romance?

Probably feeling my stare, Senior Sophia shot me a glare sharp enough to cut stone. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

I quickly waved with an awkward smile. “N-nothing at all.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t come here because I like you.”

“Earlier, you said you had a favor to ask?”

“That’s right.” She dragged a chair from a nearby table and sat down, legs crossed. “You’ve heard of the cadet disappearance incidents, haven’t you?”

By chance, Berald had just filled me in about them minutes ago. I replied, “Yes, I’ve heard.”

“I want your help catching the culprit.”

“The culprit?”

“I nearly caught the culprit this time, but he slipped right through my fingers.”

Her words hit me like a thunderclap, and I asked, “You saw the culprit?”

“Yes.”

“Could you explain exactly what happened?”

She gave a slight nod. “This time, to catch the culprit behind the cadet disappearance incidents, I placed a detection spell over the entire fourth-year lecture hall building. Sure enough, the bastard got caught in it. But when I rushed over, he left the unconscious cadet behind and managed to escape.”

“What about his appearance? Did you get a good look?”

“His build was male, but he was on the shorter side.”

“And his face?”

“He wore a mask. I couldn’t see it.”

“I see.”

The information that it was a short man was far too vague to narrow down a suspect.

“Did you at least see how he knocked the cadet out?” I asked.

“Well, I’m not completely certain, but it seemed like magic. There were no signs of external injury.”

“Magic,

huh!

No traces of drugs or magical tools?”

Senior Sophia firmly shook her head. “None.”

I frowned, deep in thought. Even most professors would struggle with a mage capable of instantly knocking out a fourth-year cadet.

The fourth-years this term were considered one of the strongest classes in the academy’s history. Of course, it was still only by cadet standards. Aside from a handful of top-tier cadets, most were still lacking compared to active heroes.

Nevertheless, to take one of them down without letting them even realize they were under attack was no small feat. The culprit was definitely highly skilled.

However, searching for this culprit was the kind of thing I had expected from a professor, not from a mere cadet like Senior Sophia. There was no real reason for her to be involved.

So, I asked, “Still, why are you chasing after this culprit, Senior Sophia? You even went so far as to cast detection magic across an entire building.”

“That’s...” For a moment, Sophia’s expression darkened. “I can’t tell you.”

“I understand.”

While I was curious, pressing her now wouldn’t get me an answer. The only choice left was whether or not to help her. And naturally, I’d help her. I had been contemplating all this time how to mend the tangled relationship between us. Other matters had kept me too busy until now, but if I could use this chance to get closer to Senior Sophia, there would be no reason to refuse.

Sophia Evergreen was the woman who, in the future, would earn the title of Archmage

.

Among the Final Five Heroes, she alone had been considered greater than her counterpart from the Great Five Heroes.

Yuren was said to be weaker than Reynald, Berald than the Iron Fist Ryu Jin-Sung, and Iris than the Light of Life Grace. As for me, the weakest of all, there was no need for a comparison. But Senior Sophia was judged to be superior even to Julius Bastion, the Great Sage.

However, these evaluations were not necessarily accurate. I had never once thought Yuren was inferior to Reynald, or Berald to the Iron Fist, or Iris to Grace, not even when the Demon God had overwhelmed us and the world collapsed.

The Demon God, once unsealed, was far stronger than how he had been described in any record from five hundred years ago. That was the true reason we had failed, the decisive factor behind our defeat. In any case, what mattered now was that Senior Sophia would one day become a mage of extraordinary power.

Nevertheless, whether she was a future Archmage or not didn’t matter to me right now. I would help her regardless. In my previous life, she was my comrade, my family in every sense. Even if she no longer remembered me, I remembered her.

Senior Sophia continued, “Of course, I’m not asking for your help for free. If you agree to—”

I didn’t have to hear the rest. “I’ll help.”

“You didn’t even hear what the reward is, though?”

I shrugged with a faint smile. “I don’t need one. I was already interested in this case.”

She blinked at me in surprise. “That’s unexpected... I thought for sure you would demand something outrageous, like the underwear I’m wearing right now.”

“Just what do you take me for, Senior?”

“

Pfft!

Relax, I was joking. But really, you’re fine helping me without any kind of reward?”

I nodded firmly. “Yes. Actually, I’m the one who’s curious. Why ask me, specifically, to help find the culprit?”

“Because I’ve seen what you can do. Your magic is no joke.”

She was probably referring to the time I had tried to use magic to put out the dorm fire.

She continued, “A warrior who can fight on par with others while wielding magic at that level? There’s only one person who fits the bill. You.”

I didn’t know what to reply to her. She wasn’t wrong. In the Warrior Division, only a few cadets could handle magic competently.

She asked, “So, I can take that as a yes?”

“Yes.”

Berald’s eyes lit up as he raised his hand high as well. “And me too! I’ll lend my strength!”

I glanced at Senior Sophia, silently asking if that was okay. She didn’t hesitate and gave a single firm nod, saying, “With enough skill to humble that arrogant Raios, there’s no reason to turn him down.”

Thus, a three-man team was formed, with one purpose: tracking down the culprit behind the cadet disappearance cases.