Chapter 186: Aftermath (Part 1)  

It was only later that Professor Sadi, who had the B key, was discovered.

She had been found in a drunken state in a back alley bar outside the academy, only because the barkeep had reported her for vandalism and disturbing the peace.

Professor Banshee Morg, glared and looked down on Professor Sadi as she was brought in.

“Recover the key immediately. And open the magic barrier.”

With that, the situation was finally resolved. The rescue took 42 minutes and 13 seconds. By the time the magic barrier was dismantled, and the professors hurriedly entered, everything had already been concluded.

The professors did not want to publicly announce the delay due to their jurisdiction and liability disputes, so they exaggerated Vikir’s heroic actions even more to promote them. Articles about how it could have been the worst disaster were swept under the rug, and all the focus was on the most heroic first-year student in the history of the academy.

Meanwhile, Vikir responded briefly to the flood of interview requests.

“It’s the result of my friends all working together.”

People inside the stadium couldn’t see what was happening because of the poisonous mist that filled it. However, those who were rescued late, such as Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca, gathered and spoke honestly about Vikir’s heroic actions, giving a rough idea of what had happened.

On the other hand, Vikir’s strength reaching the level of a High-Tier Sword Expert roiled the campus once more. It was also interesting to see how he managed to clear the defense game with this power, which was far from enough to defeat the countless carnage ants.

Vikir willingly revealed the secret.

“You can refer to my midterm written exam answer sheet for that.”

The midterm exam was divided into practical and written parts. The practical part consisted of defense games and attack games, while the written part included free research and essay exams.

Vikir chose a report on the extermination strategy of carnage ants as his free research topic, where he described the weaknesses of worker ants and soldier ants.

Carnage ants’ magical field detection biocompass and soldier ants’ vital point in the skull. This information could be extremely beneficial to the Imperial Army, which was currently on its way to subdue demons.

It was a groundbreaking strategy that could significantly reduce the death rate of ordinary soldiers and mercenaries who couldn’t use magic.

A new strategy against the lower-level demons that had caused the most damage to humanity. After this was announced, not only the academy, but the entire empire began to buzz with excitement.

As a result:

“Who is Vikir? Our commander wants to meet him.”

“The Crown Prince has sent a commendation letter.”

“The head of the Monster Research Institute really wants to meet him…”

Within the academy, there were hardly any people who didn’t know Vikir.

* * *

The night sky. The dormitory’s quiet rooftop at night.

[Exclusive] The Hottest Star of the Year – Vikir, Who Is He!? / Views: 129,872

– A male student’s heroic actions during the practical assessment of the Cold Department around 11 a.m. yesterday… The person who received the commendation is the 1st-year freshman Vikir (18) who just entered this year… He dug a tunnel and jumped into the poisonous mist to save his four friends in a critical situation… and became a living legend… In addition, he made a significant contribution by discovering a strategy for the previously unknown ‘carnage ants’… When Vikir’s achievements were converted into practical assessment points, they amounted to an astounding 9,889 points, setting a new record in history… As a result, Vikir is receiving meeting invitations and love calls from celebrities such as the Crown Prince, the academy’s headmaster, the head of the Monster Research Institute, the commander of the Western Front, and various guild masters… On the other hand, thanks to Vikir’s actions, the academy discovered a hole in the magic barrier and contacted the Emergency Measures Committee… The academy expressed deep regret over the unfortunate incident and proposed measures to prevent similar incidents in the future and repair the crack in the magic barrier…

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ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 1st-year): Wow; I thought Vikir was just good at studying, but he’s a High-Tier Expert!ㄷㄷㄷ

ㅇㅇ(Hot Department, 2nd-year): ㅇㅇ, I also saw it at the scene that day. But I couldn’t see much because of the poisonous mist.ㅠㅠ

ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 1st-year): Haha ㅋㅋㅋ The hype is too much~~^^ Typical star-making~~↳ ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 1st-year): If you didn’t see it in person, then it doesn’t count.

↳ ㅇㅇ(Hot Department, 1st-year): If even the Crown Prince is looking for him, it’s definitely real, right…?

↳ ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 1st-year): He’s a commoner, so what’s with the fame?ㅋㅋㅋ

↳ ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 1st-year): Rumor has it that there’s a royal in the 20th year class… Could it be him??

↳ ㅇㅇ(Hot Department, 1st-year): No way…

↳ ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 2nd-year): No way…

ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 1st-year): Is it true that he got 9889 points??? And he set that record all by himself???

↳ ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 1st-year): But he knew the strategy~

↳ ㅇㅇ(Hot Department, 3rd-year): But no matter what, that’s too amazing;;;;

↳ ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 3rd-year): Can a group of 4 from the graduating class even achieve that score…?

↳ ㅇㅇ(Hot Department, 4th-year): It is possible. I now understand the strategy as well. ㅋㅋㅋ

↳ ㅇㅇ(Hot Department, 3rd-year): You know the story of Columbus’s egg, right? The beginning is difficult, but after that, it’s easy~

ㅇㅇ(Cold Department, 1st-year): He’s going to be a superstar from tomorrow on ㅋㅋㅋ I should get his autograph in advance.

.

.

Kkukgit-

Vikir crumpled the newspaper.

‘…This is unbelievable.’

In just a few tens of minutes, he had become a celebrity within the school.

It seemed like he was moving further away from his original intentions with each passing moment.

“It’s all because of you.”

Vikir furrowed his brow and looked at the baby madam who was hanging from the rooftop railing.

[Squawk-squawk-squawk-]

However, baby madam, who had just devoured her fill of poison after a long wait, laid down, seemingly pleased, and showed her belly to Vikir.

Vikir sighed and scratched baby madam’s belly.

Then, it arrived.

With a flap of its wings, a white owl flew across the night sky and landed on the railing in front of Vikir. It was the letter from CindiWendy, right on time.

Fluttering-

Vikir reached for the letter tied to the owl’s leg and began to read it.

The letter was encrypted, making it impossible to decipher if they receiver wasn’t Vikir. It contained three pieces of information in order of importance.

. The Ten Corpses. Information acquired. The analysis will take time. One month.

. Night Hound. Two impersonators emerged. One for praise, the purpose of the other is unknown.3. Osiris Le Baskerville. Left house. Estimated to be heading for the capital.

The interpretation of the core keywords indicated that the three pieces of information were arranged in order of importance.

The first piece of information was about the ten supreme demons Vikir was pursuing (now eight). CindiWendy seemed to have found a clue about the third demon Vikir was chasing.

“However, she’s quite cautious, so it’ll take a month to verify the information.”

But the reliability of the information was equally high.

Vikir decided to wait patiently because he had realized that facing a supreme demon at master level in a one-on-one battle was difficult after the previous incident with Dantalian.

‘Until then, I need to diligently improve my skills.’

Vikir decided to use his Night Hound persona more often. There’s nothing better for skill improvement than real-world experience.

…But.

‘An impersonator, huh?’

The second piece of information took a bit longer.

Two impersonators. Vikir already had some suspicions about this matter.

It was because of a recent newspaper article.

[Special Report] Night Hound, Another Shocking Incident!? / Views: 74,609

Yesterday morning at around 1 a.m., the Night Hound started another round of terror. The target of destruction was the “Central Clock Tower,” a landmark of the imperial capital with a long history, which not only symbolizes imperial power but also embodies the standards of the Empire’s order. On the other hand, the number of casualties from this latest terror incident… The royal family has declared that they will use every means necessary to bring this heinous criminal to the gallows.

[Exclusive] The Worst Villain “Night Hound,” How Far Does Their Malice Go? / Views: 89,269

Another major incident has been caused by the Night Hound. After destroying the “Central Clock Tower,” the Night Hound annihilated the “Royal Shrine,” a sacred place where the heroes and great warriors who unified the Empire rest. The attack on this location is tantamount to a declaration of war against the entire Empire, if not all of humanity… On the other hand, the number of people injured or killed in this latest terror attack is incalculable.

By the way, the times mentioned in the newspaper article were when Vikir was in the middle of writing the report for his midterm exam.

The things Vikir hadn’t done had been disguised as the deeds of the Night Hound..

“…Ah, this imitator…”

An imitator refers to someone who imitates the criminal actions of a well-known criminal when they gain notoriety. The reasons for imitation vary from admiration, solidarity, support, rivalry, covering up a crime, and more, but even CindiWendy seemed to have not yet accurately grasped the imitator’s needs.

Vikir swept his chin with his hand.

As the notoriety of the night stalker continued to grow, he expected people to imitate him. Most imitators were just small-time criminals who would be arrested quickly, so he didn’t pay much attention to them. However, the two imitators mentioned in the newspaper article and CindiWendy’s letter were different.

They seemed to have significant resources, and their caution was equally remarkable. It was clear that the two imitators mentioned by CindiWendy were likely the same as the culprits the newspaper article was pointing to.

The appearance of two strong and cunning villains at the same time was not a comforting sight for Vikir. It not only increased the royal family’s vigilance but could also intersect with his activities.

“… I should go and check out the scene once. Find out who these guys are.”

Vikir finished reading the letter.

Other than that, there was information about the Young Lord of Baskerville, Osiris Le Baskerville, who was also Hugo’s eldest son, having left his family home. However, Vikir had no particular interest in this matter.

Vikir ignited an aura on the tip of his fingernail and burned the letter, letting the ashes be carried away by the wind.

Just then, as he leaned against the rooftop railing and read the newspaper, a voice caught Vikir’s attention.

“… B-Big brother?”

Vikir slowly turned his head.

A familiar short haircut, silver hair fluttering in the night breeze, shining brightly under the galaxy.

Sinclaire. The leader of the Hot Department.

Considering the place and time, it was quite an unexpected encounter.