30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue

Ivan didn’t care much about the go-stop sign. He knew that this attitude would actually lead to better results.

The university is essentially an open space. As long as one doesn’t enter the classrooms, anyone can come and go without restriction.

Moreover, students are indifferent to others. Like most people, they don’t pay attention to the movements of the ‘staff.’

For students, the staff is just a disappearing presence on the periphery of their vision.

Therefore, Ivan understood that walking casually in ordinary attire was more helpful for security than attempting to conceal.

However, there was a problem. If someone started paying attention to him, all the security strategies he had built up so far would collapse.

And at this moment, there was a student focusing on Ivan’s every move.

“What is he doing?” (Ecdysis)

Ivan frowned at the persistent gaze following him.

Why is he acting like that?

Pretending to tie his shoelaces, he subtly turned his gaze backward.

Esisdis was glaring at him with blazing eyes.

“Is that… camouflage?” (Ecdysis)

Holding a tree branch covered with many leaves to hide her face, she walked stealthily through the bushes.

People from Drovian are large in stature. In the case of males, they are robust, and in females, they are giant in a slightly different sense.

Ecdysis, inheriting the finest lineage of Drovian, had destructive body parts despite her cute animal-like appearance.

Therefore, the tree branch was useless for covering her towering height and something even larger.

Ivan looked at her for a moment as if pitying her, then took out a note.

-Ecdysis. Suspect of academic misconduct. Significant lack of cognitive abilities.

Ivan was an honest person, so he had no hesitation in recording the truth. He covered the note and continued walking.

He headed towards the Department of Knightology. The familiar incantations stimulated his senses.

The Intelligence Headquarters was calling him.

***

Ecdysis moved cautiously amid the tension that made her lips dry.

Her concealment was perfect. None of her uncles noticed her when she walked in stealth. (Huscals are lenient about their niece’s pranks.)

So, with confidence, she was stealing glances at Ivan.

He was an eccentric person.

Sometimes, he would suddenly disappear from sight, surprising anyone who was watching, only to find him climbing a tree and surveying the surroundings.

From the Department of Magic to the Department of Knightology, and astonishingly, even the Department of Philosophy. Ivan was constantly on the move, watching someone.

Suddenly frowning, he would run ghost-like, or throw himself through the bushes where cigarette smoke rose.

Entering the department building, he strides as if to go but disappears like a ghost!

-“Gardener?”

-Never seen cultivating the garden.

-Is there a place on campus that could be called a garden?

-I don’t know… What is he doing? Continuously monitoring someone.

-Without rest. Why? Did he receive someone’s task? Or is it a hobby?

She scribbled notes in her notebook, engulfed in confusion.

That diligent stalker relentlessly roamed the campus, not resting or eating, constantly wandering through the corridors…!

What on earth made that man like this?

At this point, curiosity prevailed over fear. Ecdysis was searching for Ivan while nibbling on her sandwich.

He vanished from sight again. Just as it seemed he was walking toward the Department of Knightology, he disappeared like smoke when turning a corner.

“Hmm, where did he go?”

She wiped off the mustard sauce on her lips and walked briskly.

***

“For some reason, Ecdysis is trying to monitor me.”

But that’s impossible. Even though it’s a bit annoying, I haven’t become dull enough to be caught by such a rookie.

Ivan walked down the corridor with a ‘perception obstruction’ spell in place.

“Dmitri.”

“How have you been, senior?”

Not a single student was wandering the department corridor. It was due to the ‘perception obstruction’ spell from the Intelligence Headquarters.

In the middle of the corridor, Dmitri, holding a yellow envelope, was looking out the window.

“You appeared right after the spell was cast. Senior, as always, you’re truly amazing.”

“What’s going on at the university, Dmitri?”

“Well, there’s something to ask and something to report. While it’s like that… um, yes.”

Dmitri took out a document file and handed it over.

“We caught the culprit of the freshman induction bomb threat.”

“Then isn’t it a matter of resolving it?”

“There’s a bit of an issue.”

The Krasilov Intelligence Headquarters is competent. In fact, among all the administrative bodies in Krasylov, the Intelligence Headquarters is the most competent.

Fundamentally, Krasilov, no. In this backward pre-modern society, corruption was rampant. A public official not taking bribes is impossible like a unicorn or dragon. (They do exist, to be clear.)

Even in such a context, the Intelligence Headquarters was remarkably clean. It was inevitable with Princess Elizaveta as the leader.

Therefore, if the Intelligence Headquarters traced the terrorists, it’s strange for this matter to reach Ivan.

Ivan frowned as he opened the document envelope.

“Drovian…?”

“Yes, Drovian.”

Drovian, the land of warriors. Einar’s homeland.

Did Drovian, a land known for its warriors, orchestrate a bomb threat in Krasilov?

Ivan flipped through the documents lost in thought.

“When we examined the magic bomb used at that time, most of the parts were traced back to Drovian.”

“Drovian orchestrating a magic bomb terrorist attack? Does that make sense?”

“Logically, it’s impossible, of course.”

“Well….”

The warriors of Drovian were known to reap enemy skulls with axes instead of using bombs.

Therefore, thinking inversely, they might be the least suspected when a bomb threat happened.

But the ‘common sense’ of the Intelligence Headquarters was supposed to be the opposite of civilian common sense.

If there were individuals whom no one suspected, then inversely, those individuals should be the most suspicious.

“So, we dug deeper. Please read from page 11.”

“…It seems Einar didn’t finish the job properly.”

“Yes. Not very king-like, is he? Showing mercy to enemies.”

Until Einar returned to his homeland after the death of the Demon King, Drovian was not a unified nation.

It was a time of chaos with numerous warlords called ‘Yas’ across the country. Now that the threat of the Demon King had disappeared, they were running rampant like unleashed colts.

In such a time, Einar established a nation with two axes. That’s why he was called the ‘Great King.’

Einar brought peace to his homeland and brought unity as a single ethnicity.

That’s how it was known.

“One of the Yas who submitted to Einar is one of the culprits. Did this information reach Einar?”

“The Minister is currently considering it. If Einar finds out about this…”

“The war drums will beat.”

“Yes, and given the situation with the border, we will be inevitably affected. And, as you know… the whereabouts of Crown Prince Alexander are uncertain. The military trends are also suspicious.”

After flipping through the document file, Ivan infused magic into the rune left on the last page and brushed off his hands.

The confidential documents instantly burst into flames and turned into ashes, scattering.

“The culprits behind the terror are known, but the ones preparing for the attack are elusive. However, their target is clear…”

“Ecdysis.”

“Yes, the daughter Einar the Great values the most. If anything happens to her, King Einar will immediately erupt into war. The responsibility will be directed to Her Royal Highness the Princess, as she is the head of the Intelligence Headquarters.”

“Then the military will support the Crown Prince.”

For the military to survive, war is necessary. Conversely, in a nation without the threat of war, downsizing the military becomes inevitable.

Only four years have passed since the Demon War. The nation is being rebuilt, and the palace is allocating resources to maintain legions rather than reconstruction costs.

Therefore, those currently most eager for war are the military.

And the Crown Prince, who wants to undermine the palace and discredit Princess Elizaveta.

“The terrorists will undoubtedly target Ecdysis again. Senior.”

“Convey that to Her Royal Highness.”

Ivan glanced at the empty corridor and turned away.

“I will do what needs to be done.”

“Thank you for your dedication, ‘Little’ Ivan.”

“For what.”

Ivan shook his head briefly and left. After watching his back, Dmitri dusted off his hands.

The ‘perception obstruction’ rune at the end of the corridor fizzled out, and students began entering the corridor again.

In the corridor, where students returned, there was no trace of Dmitri.

***

Ivan, being a highly logical person, devised a plan with a simple logic.

1. Someone is targeting Ecdysis.

2. For some reason, Ecdysis is attempting to monitor Ivan.

Combining information that the security target is in danger and that the security target is tracking himself led to a straightforward solution.

He needs to stay in the line of sight to make it easier for Ecdysis to monitor him.

In this grateful situation where the surveillance and security target is voluntarily following, there was no reason for him to hide. Just remaining visible allowed Ivan to keep Ecdysis within his sight.

Simultaneously, lurking around Ecdysis would inevitably lead him to the ‘unknown terrorists.’

As he had reflected earlier, well-trained agents never move with only one target in mind.

Setting up more than one prey for a single move.

That was the modus operandi of the Cleansup Unit.

***

“No. What the…?!”

Ecdysis, sipping her coffee, spilled some and stared blankly behind the trees.

“Essie, what’s wrong?”

“Uh, um. Uh, uh. Um… um… Is Bella, is Bella nearby?”

“No? Isabelle mentioned having lunch separately today due to classes… Why?”

“Then… then… me…?”

Looking at the gardener behind the trees, Ecdysis made a face as if she was about to cry.

“Am I the target…?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“No, no. Nothing at all… Yuri, I’ll get up first. Sorry.”

“No, I also have to go for the next class. See you tomorrow!”

“Yes, yes.”

Ecdysis walked unsteadily. Standing at the entrance of the Department of Orchestra, she turned back with a trembling gaze.

“…!”

Exactly the same distance as before, beyond the trees.

‘He’ was staring at her.

Ecdysis suddenly felt like crying.