Chapter 121

I led Shannon to a secluded area.

When we stopped in a narrow alley between buildings, I noticed her tense up slightly.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, stealing glances at me, then quickly averted her eyes when our gazes met.

The reason I called Shannon out was because I had a task for her.

As I considered how to bring it up, she unexpectedly spoke first.

“Don’t worry. I haven’t told anyone what I saw in the dorm supervisor’s office last time.”

“…That’s not why I called you.”

“Then what is it?”

“Shannon Quinlivan. I have a job for you.”

“For me?”

Shannon froze, eyes wide in surprise.

But soon enough, a look of resolve filled her gaze.

“Tell me. What do you need me to do?”

Before getting to the point, I deployed a mana field.

Shannon looked briefly startled but then realized what I was doing and retracted her own mana field.

We were checking the surroundings to make sure no one was listening in.

And sure enough—

“You two over there. Stop hiding and come out.”

“Ah.”

I heard the sound of someone sharply inhaling.

A moment later, two students stepped out from around the corner of the building—

They were first-years who attended my class along with Shannon.

“Jacqueline Dogwood. You seem to have a hobby of eavesdropping on others.”

“Ah no, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything…”

“Then what exactly were you doing, pressed up against the wall like that?”

“…I’m sorry. Actually, I was totally trying to eavesdrop.”

Well, that worked out nicely.

The task I had in mind for Shannon would be easier with more people.

“You two, listen up as well.”

“Are you sure we can?”

“Just don’t go blabbing about this to anyone.”

“Of course. I’m as tight-lipped as they come…”

I then saw Rita Ridge nod in agreement. With that confirmation, I assigned the three of them their mission.

“Here’s what I want you to do: during today’s volunteer work, keep an eye on Dawson, the master of the Warehouse Guild.”

“You want us to spy on him?”

“‘Closely observe’ would be a more accurate description. He’s up to something shady. If you notice anything suspicious, report it to me.”

“Whoa, this is like a secret mission or something!”

Jacqueline Dogwood’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

By nightfall, I’d be playing whack-a-mole with demon worshippers.

So I was outsourcing surveillance of Guildmaster Dawson.

That was the countermeasure I’d devised against the death flag he’d raised.

Even in Candela of Judgment, it was common practice to delegate tasks like information gathering or keeping watch to fellow NPC allies.

And now, I had Shannon on my side.

As for the other two first-years… let’s just call them a bonus.

“Think you can handle it?”

What exactly was this “shady thing” Dawson was plotting?

And what counted as “suspicious behavior”?

Shannon could have asked me to clarify those vague instructions.

But she didn’t.

She simply nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

Watching Shannon obey so readily, I was reminded that settling things through a duel had been the right move.

In the original game, Shannon was someone who judged others purely by their magical ability.

I’d proven myself through strength. So she followed my orders without complaint.

She’d almost turned against me when she found out about Winter Winslet’s past human experimentation…

But I’d managed to smooth things over with some clever words during her hospital visit.

There was no mage in the royal capital of Lambart stronger than me.

So at least for now, Shannon could be considered my loyal companion NPC.

“Good work.”

Having put one countermeasure in place against the death flag, it was time to survey the battlefield.

Plip. Plip.

The rain, which had let up during lunch, began to fall again.

I hadn’t brought an umbrella, so I cast a telekinetic spell to create a barrier above my head.

When I glanced back, I saw my loyal little spies standing in the rain.

Extending the telekinetic shield a bit farther, I jerked my chin to signal them to get indoors.

“Don’t catch a cold.”

“…You too, Professor.”

***

The sky, blanketed in leaden clouds, looked as dim as dusk, though it was only just past noon.

As I walked beneath the overcast sky and reached the riverside, the damp scent of wet timber and mud hit my nose.

Out on the water, barges tied with ropes bumped against each other with creaking sounds, while rough shouts echoed from the workers hauling cargo atop them.

Keeping the ashen waves to my right, I strolled along the bank in the direction of the river’s downstream flow.

It wasn’t long before I found what I was looking for.

Drainage outlets. Holes carved into the riverbank to release sewage and wastewater from various parts of the city.

Sewer grates.

The arch of this particular sewer, made from weathered granite, was just large enough for an adult male to squeeze through. A few rusted iron bars were embedded vertically across the opening.

A grate, meant to block random debris from washing into the sewer during high tide.

To the right of the grate was a small door for maintenance workers.

Naturally, it wasn’t something I could simply walk up and open.

[Warning]

[Willpower and Health have been temporarily reduced.]

[Trait Activated: Sense of Hygiene]

Just looking at the filth triggered an alarm in my head.

Crack.

I conjured a shard of ice in my hand with magic.

Just like when I disguised myself as Nice Goodman, I put on a mask.

(Disguise effect active: While disguised, the influence of your traits is reduced.)

The headache eased, if only slightly.

So the system allowed for tricks like this, huh?

I resumed inspecting the sewer.

The drainage channel sloped gently downward, with dark, murky water of unknown origin trickling through it.

Below that, a thicker sludge had pooled and settled, forming layers of sediment.

And within those layers were deeply grooved tracks.

Fresh, sharply defined marks.

The kind left behind when something heavy is dragged across the ground.

Like an unconscious human, for instance.

The tracks led deeper into the passage. I tested the maintenance door with magic.

I couldn’t bring myself to touch it directly, so I gave it a nudge from a distance using telekinesis.

With a creak, the barred iron gate swung open.

Bingo.

Beyond that door lay a labyrinth of sewers over 30 kilometers in total length.

A filthy underworld that connected every corner of Lambart like an ant’s nest.

And tonight’s demon worshippers would be slinking through this reeking maze,

Perhaps not just slinking, but gathering.

Because deep within this sewer system was a massive underground chamber—

It was the central stronghold of the cult.

When you think about it, it’s no wonder they turned to demon worship.

Sniffing that stench day in and day out would rot anyone’s soul.

Their minds probably snapped, and now they’re praying for the kingdom to burn.

In any case, Lambart’s underground sewer was a place I’d wandered through often as a Candela of Judgment player—

While clearing out criminal hideouts or tracking fugitives.

But for me now, it was practically forbidden ground.

Winter Winslet was the kind of person who would cough up blood just from touching something dirty.

From that perspective, he was a terrible match for demon worshippers.

If I wanted to dive into the sewers and strike their headquarters directly,

My health stat would need to be at least S-rank.

So while I had the chance, I’d better lay the groundwork.

Now that I’d located the passage the demon worshippers would be crawling out of, it was time to lay some traps.

First, I extended my mana field into the sewer to confirm that no one was inside. Once I was sure the area was clear, I began drawing a magic circle on the ground nearby.

Using telekinesis, I carved shallow grooves about two knuckles deep into the dirt.

Thick lines etched the earth, forming the base structure of a magic circuit.

Magic circles were essentially disposable substitutes for full magical circuits.

The circle was the most fundamental shape in a circuit.

Based on this shape, I filled in the details necessary to construct the spell formula.

Of the two circles I drew, one was inscribed with symbols representing “alert”, “detection”, and “signal”.

The other contained symbols for “explosion”, “destruction”, and “sealing”.

The first was a detection-type alarm circle that would emit a magical signal when it sensed movement nearby.

The second was a remote-activated explosive circle, which would detonate in response to my mana signal, sealing off the cultists’ escape route.

By combining the two, I could create a magical landmine that detected movement and exploded on its own…

But I opted not to, since there was a chance innocent bystanders could get caught in the blast.

Once the magic circles were completed, I reinforced them.

I fired a light flame spell to harden the dirt around the etched lines, preventing the design from washing away in the rain.

Then, I covered the magic circles with discarded nets and trash lying nearby to camouflage them.

And that was that.

From there, I used the map given to me by Trisha, Keith d’Alembert’s subordinate, to locate several more sewer entrances.

At each one, I laid identical magic traps.

As I made my way around the harbor, I also drew detection-only magic circles at key points where demon worshippers were likely to appear.

By nightfall, the rain would stop and the mist would roll in.

Within the limits of reduced visibility, those detection magic circles would be a huge asset to me.

With that in mind, I ended up setting around eighty of them.

By the time I finished, a significant chunk of the day had passed.

Before returning to the students, I made one last stop—

The Harbor Supervisor’s Office.

“Supervisor Stanley.”

“Oh! Professor Winslet! I was just about to go looking for you. The students’ volunteer work has already begun, you know.”

“I’ll head over shortly. First, I need to borrow a pen and paper. And a carrier pigeon.”

“A carrier pigeon? Planning to send a letter?”

“That’s right. I left something back at the Academy.”

There’s a trump card I possess—

One meant for taking down demon worshippers.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t on me right now.

It had to be brought from the Academy.

With that alone, I was confident I could shred not just one of the cult’s high priests, but even Nerico Resolu, the Fourth Point of the Heptangam society into pieces.

With that, the outcome of tonight’s confrontation was already sealed.

The demon worshippers were as good as dead.