“You're saying... those three are still alive?”
Catherine had just returned to her impeccably clean, almost empty dormitory after the afternoon classes when she received a surprising piece of news from her personal maid, who had been waiting for her.
The three upperclassmen she had secretly hired to test the Screech magic conduit prototype in the deep area of the dungeon—whom she had long ago written off as failed sacrifices after they had been missing for days—had not only survived but had successfully returned to the surface.
This truly caught Catherine by surprise.
“Yes, My Lady. They are indeed alive. They were witnessed walking out of the dungeon entrance together this morning.”
The maid lowered her head, her voice calm as she confirmed the report.
“This morning...”
Catherine repeated softly, a flash of realization crossing her azure eyes.
No wonder she felt like people were whispering in every corner of the academy today; the atmosphere had been unusually stirred up.
At the time, she had dismissed it as idle campus gossip and paid it no mind.
Now it seemed that the center of the discussion was likely this very matter.
After the initial surprise, logic quickly regained the upper hand.
Catherine frowned slightly, beginning to ponder the strange circumstances behind the event.
How did those three manage to escape after being trapped in the deep area?
On their own?
Absolutely impossible.
If they had that kind of strength and adaptability, they wouldn't have been driven into a corner by deep-area monsters and gone missing for days in the first place.
Therefore, there was only one answer: someone else was present, intervened, and rescued them.
This deduction sent a chill through Catherine's heart.
While those three were bound by a contract and wouldn't actively reveal the specific details of the Screech testing commission.
If that third party had been present at the scene, it was highly likely they had already learned something about Screech.
Screech was a crucial step she placed high hopes on, one of the secret trump cards she intended to play in the inheritance struggle that could potentially change the entire game.
Its existence could not be exposed before it was officially completed and put to use, as it would alert her sharp-witted siblings and invite their interference or sabotage.
She had to find this third party.
Then, she had to ensure their silence by any means necessary.
The ideal scenario would be to bring them under her control, or at least have them sign a binding non-disclosure agreement.
In the worst-case scenario...
“Have you made contact with them? Did you personally confirm the situation?”
Catherine looked up at the maid standing nearby, her tone returning to its usual cold composure.
“Reporting to My Lady, I have made preliminary contact. I had them verify the secrecy contract with blood. The contract feedback indicates they have not violated the core terms; they did not actively disclose the client, the nature of the commission, or specific information regarding the magic conduit. Furthermore...”
The maid paused before adding:
“Although they lost the magic conduit prototype during their escape, they successfully recorded and brought back a portion of the experimental data. The data has been sealed and is awaiting your review.”
Catherine nodded slightly.
This was a small mercy amidst the misfortune.
The experimental data was the key to continuing the Screech project, which was far more important than the lives of those three individuals.
With this data, the project was one step closer to success.
However, this bit of luck did not dispel the vigilance in her heart.
The potential risk of a leak was more concerning than the loss of a single prototype.
“They must have been rescued by someone else. Who was it? Did they say?”
Catherine continued her questioning, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the smooth tabletop.
“Yes, My Lady. According to them, the one who brought them out of the deep area and saved their lives was a freshman named Silvia Lorraine. I have verified that four people did indeed emerge from the dungeon entrance this morning, and Silvia was among them.”
The maid answered precisely.
“Silvia Lorraine...”
Catherine murmured the name.
She had an impression of it.
A Light-attribute mage who performed brilliantly in the entrance exam, was assigned to Class A, and seemed to have some connection to the Holy Church of Light.
A freshman with considerable talent.
But... was that all?
A hint of doubt flickered in Catherine's azure eyes.
Based on the strength Silvia displayed during the Placement Exam, she might be able to handle ordinary crises, but to safely escort three people out of the peril-filled deep area—where even those experienced upperclassmen were helpless...
The gap in strength and the risks involved seemed like something a talented freshman couldn't easily overcome.
A faint sense of dissonance lingered in her mind.
“It seems those three... weren't entirely honest. They've hidden the most crucial piece of information.”
Catherine's tone was flat, yet it carried a sense of certainty.
The maid looked up slightly.
“Are you suggesting... that someone else was involved in saving them in the dungeon besides Miss Silvia? And that this person might be the more critical figure?”
“Precisely.”
Catherine leaned back in her chair, her gaze drifting out the window as if untangling invisible threads.
“Silvia might have provided assistance, but she could never have been the leader, nor does she possess the full capability to complete such a rescue independently. There must be another person, someone they are deliberately concealing. This person is the key to everything.”
As a future merchant who had struggled to survive amidst calculations of profit and the treachery of hearts since childhood, aiming to seize the inheritance of a massive commercial empire, Catherine's intellect, insight, and intuition had been rigorously honed.
She was accustomed to piecing together the truth from fragmented information and finding connections in seemingly unrelated details.
At this moment, despite the limited information, she instinctively felt she was very close to identifying the hidden figure.
“Now that you mention it...”
The maid seemed to recall something and, after a moment of hesitation, reported truthfully:
“When the crowd gathered at the dungeon entrance, a witness vaguely heard Miss Silvia blurt out another name when she was first questioned... Greg.”
“Greg?”
Catherine's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
It was a name that almost everyone in Glory Cael Academy knew, and almost everyone loathed.
Greg Sass, the former Duke's son, famous for his arrogant stupidity, low character, and mediocre magic talent. Recently, he had become a complete laughingstock after being publicly expelled by his family due to a scandal.
In the minds of the vast majority of faculty and students, that name was practically synonymous with a worthless loser.
Thus, when the name Greg was first uttered by the maid in connection with terms like 'dungeon rescue' and 'hidden key figure,' Catherine's first reaction was that it was absurd.
It was as if someone had told her an ant had moved a giant tree.
Her mental inertia made her instinctively separate the name from the heart of the event.
How could Greg Sass accomplish a task that even a genius freshman like Silvia might not be able to do alone?
If he truly had that kind of ability, how could he have ended up in his current state of infamy and abandonment by his family?
However, just as she was about to dismiss this absurd possibility entirely, a stronger sense of dissonance, like a cold viper, quietly coiled around her thoughts.
Wait...
Several overlooked details suddenly became glaringly obvious alongside the name 'Greg.'
First, the timing and his whereabouts.
Greg Sass had been missing for over a week.
There were no records of him officially taking a leave of absence or withdrawing from the academy; he had simply vanished as if he had evaporated, not attending a single class.
Common sense dictated that a former noble who had just been expelled and lost his greatest support should be living in constant fear, desperately trying to find ways to restore his reputation.
But Greg didn't.
He disappeared, and he did so thoroughly and quietly, as if he didn't care about being expelled at all, or... as if he had something more important to do.
Second, Silvia's reaction.
In front of everyone, at a moment of great honor, why would Silvia subconsciously blurt out the name 'Greg'?
Catherine quickly recalled the information she had gathered. She remembered clearly that during the events surrounding the entrance exam, Greg had publicly provoked and humiliated Victoria Cecil, and Silvia was Victoria's closest friend.
Theoretically, these two should be enemies.
Would a normal person actively share their credit with an enemy while receiving honors?
Unless... their relationship was no longer one of enmity.
Instead, some shared experience had changed, or even reversed, their perception of each other.
It made perfect sense for such an event to have occurred in the dungeon.
Third, and the point Catherine found most jarring.
The illogical nature of Greg's own behavior.
Why would a universally acknowledged coward and loser, after losing his family's protection, not hide in a relatively safe corner of the academy but instead sneak into the perilous dungeon where he could lose his life at any moment?
Unless... he wasn't the loser everyone thought he was. His previous behaviors, including his hostility toward Silvia and the others, might all have been a deliberately crafted facade.
A young noble who disappeared after being expelled.
A name subconsciously mentioned by a witness at the rescue scene.
A logic of behavior that was severely inconsistent with the label of a loser...
As these fragments were linked together, a bold and even startling deduction began to take shape in Catherine's mind, which functioned like the precise gears of a clock:
It was highly probable that Greg Sass was in the dungeon.
He wasn't there by accident; he had a clear purpose.
While there, he crossed paths with Silvia, and they likely went through something together that changed their relationship.
He might have even displayed strength that was the complete opposite of his reputation as a loser.
And the key figure those three upperclassmen were deliberately hiding—or rather, covering up through some tacit agreement—had a high probability of being... him.
This deduction still sounded somewhat unbelievable, but Catherine's intuition told her that the truth might indeed be that incredible.
A merchant's instinct made her accustomed to evaluating risks and opportunities.
If her deduction was correct, then Greg Sass was not as simple as he appeared.
He was hiding his strength and sneaking into the dungeon for a purpose that was surely significant.
Such a person, whether as a potential ally, a rival to be dealt with cautiously, or a commodity to be traded, was worth her personal attention.
The corner of Catherine's mouth curved upward in a tiny, cold arc. It wasn't a warm smile but rather the interest of a hunter discovering intriguing prey, or the evaluative look of an investor seeing a high-potential project.
She looked back at the maid waiting for instructions and gave her orders in a clear, steady voice:
“In my private name, post a commission on the academy's task board. Set the reward... at 50 gold coins.”
Fifty gold coins was a significant sum for students or even ordinary instructors, enough to show the client's sincerity and seriousness.
The maid bowed slightly. “Yes, My Lady. May I ask the specific content of the commission...?”
Catherine picked up the red tea that had long since gone cold and took a small sip, her azure eyes flashing with a calm, sharp light over the rim of the cup.
“It's simple. The commission is: enter the dungeon and find Greg Sass himself. Then, deliver a message to him on my behalf—”
She set the teacup down, the porcelain making a crisp clink against the saucer.
“Tell him: Catherine Roman wants to... make an investment in you.”
...
“Please, just let me go out for a little bit, just a tiny bit! I promise I'm just going for a walk to breathe some fresh air. I won't run off! Really!”
Lilith pressed her hands together, her azure eyes shimmering with a pleading light as she tried to move the wall of maids before her.
The location was a detached villa dormitory specially provided by the academy for members of the royal family.
Glory Cael Magic Academy nominally advocated for 'equality for all,' but there was always a gap between reality and ideals.
Just as noble students often looked down on commoners, Lilith Kahn, the Second Princess of the kingdom, naturally enjoyed unique resources and treatment here.
Initially, Lilith hadn't cared much for this independent villa, but ever since she heard about the male intruder incident in the girls' dormitory area, she suddenly felt her little villa was quite nice.
However, at this moment, that niceness had turned into a prison.
With a head of vibrant red hair that looked like burning flames, Lilith's exquisite face was full of grievance and reluctance as she tried to wheedle her way past the three maids surrounding her.
The lead maid, Renee, who had short hair and a stern expression, stood tall and shook her head without compromise:
“No, Princess Lilith. This is Princess Vivian's explicit instruction. Until your grounded period is over, you cannot leave this building.”
Beside her, Layla, a maid with gold-rimmed glasses and an intellectual air, pushed up her frames and added in a gentle but firm tone:
“Please endure it for a bit longer. Being grounded won't last forever. Princess Vivian just wants you to learn your lesson; she doesn't intend to restrict your freedom for long.”
The last maid, Rena, who had a high ponytail and seemed more lively, covered her mouth and giggled, ruthlessly exposing the truth:
“Who can you blame? Who told a certain princess to sneak out in the middle of the night for a walk instead of staying in her room, only to get caught red-handed by a patrolling professor~”
“Ugh!”
Poked in her sore spot, Lilith puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away in a huff, her red hair swinging with the motion:
“Curse it... it's all that annoying guy's fault! If I hadn't run into him, I wouldn't have been so flustered back then, and I definitely wouldn't have been caught by the patrolling professor!”
The cause of all this was indeed the night Lilith had violated the curfew and encountered Greg in the academy.
On her way back to the dormitory after parting with Greg, she had unfortunately been spotted and reported by a night-patrolling professor.
The matter was subsequently reported to her sister—Vivian Kahn, the Second-year Representative known for her strict self-discipline.
Consequently, Lilith received this grounding order, which required her to stay in the dormitory at all times except for class hours.
It wasn't until today that she happened to hear passing students discussing that something major had happened in the dungeon.
This made her inexplicably anxious and restless, which was why she was trying every possible way to get out, at least... to confirm that a certain nuisance was okay.
But it was clear that this proposal was impossible to realize now.
Her gaze drifted unconsciously toward the window, as if she could pierce through the buildings and the distance to see the entrance of that dark dungeon.
A hint of worry flashed through her ruby-like eyes, but she quickly shook her head to suppress the emotion. With a bit of annoyance and stubbornness, she muttered in a voice only she could hear:
“...Hmph, that guy... It's not like I actually care if he lives or dies. I'm just worried I won't get to eat those things from last time anymore.”
Rate on N.U.
