I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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A few hours later, Jenis dashed into her room without having dinner at 7 PM and didn’t come out for a long time. Worried that she might have fainted due to health issues, Jeongjae knocked on her door several times. He placed his ear against the door and, upon hearing her soft snores, he felt relieved and returned to his office.

Of course, it was a secret that he eavesdropped on his disciple’s snores.

That day, following the instructions given, Jeongjae opened the armory and handed over well-crafted spears to the village chief. After finishing all his tasks and having a meal, he went straight to bed for a good night’s sleep.

The next day, when Jeongjae arrived at his office, he encountered the sight of Jenis, eager to report something.

“Baron! Baron! Baron! Baron!”

“I’m fine, I can hear you. Plus, it’s right in front of me.”

Jeongjae replied with a sigh. Ignoring Jeongjae’s unenthusiastic reaction, Jenis continued to bounce around in front of him.

“I found it! I figured it out! It’s all thanks to the professor! Thank you!”

“What is it, exactly?”

Even though Jeongjae could roughly guess what she meant, he decided to ask. Considering the events from last evening, there was only one fact Jenis could have uncovered.

“It’s the guards! It was strange that no one has gone beyond the borders for the last two weeks, but the guards are supposed to patrol the area!”

It seemed that Jenis had come up with the answer to the puzzle that had been troubling her.

On his first day of appointment, Jeongjae had suspected that the identity of the bandit group lurking near the territory was likely related to conscript rebels collaborating with young nobles, and they might even be receiving various supplies from these nobles.

Taking this suspicion seriously, Jenis had embarked on collecting clues, although she hadn’t been able to find any evidence during her enthusiastic efforts over the past two weeks. But now she concluded that the guards of the territory were the ‘food transporters’ she had been looking for.

“Even so, the guards couldn’t just abandon their posts. They wouldn’t neglect orders that could have them standing guard with only two of them without knowing when I might show up.”

“That’s right. So I tried to track them during shift changes. I memorized the report on their duty schedule, so I could smoothly watch them change shifts!”

The conclusion matched what Jeongjae had previously thought. The Baron smiled slightly and asked his aide:

“Well, what were the results?”

“You told the guards they could take a break during their patrol, right? That’s why they hadn’t noticed until now. The guards scheduled to replace them went on time, but those who were supposed to leave only returned thirty minutes later. Until now, they hadn’t paid attention to how the shifts were managed. Even during night shifts, it usually takes less than five minutes to swap.”

“Are they purposely taking advantage of the fact that we wouldn’t notice during the day? Or did they intentionally agree to deliver supplies during the day instead of at night?”

“I think it’s the latter. I don’t think they’re clever enough to think we’d be watching them at night.”

“I think so too. It seems that they unintentionally created a secondary effect that could confuse us. So, you think the guards are preparing the necessary supplies for their duty and then sneak out at shift-change to deliver them, while the one who just finished their shift smoothly returns, misleading us, right?”

“Exactly. Goodness, what a clever tactic for them. I was only thinking about secretly transporting supplies during the night!”

“Until you said you got no results during your night watch, I thought the same. That said… thirty minutes, huh…”

Jeongjae paused for a moment in thought. Jenis nodded in agreement.

“Since it’s a round trip of thirty minutes, the actual distance is about fifteen minutes on foot. It must be somewhere really close. If there isn’t a separate transporter in between, it’s definitely nearby.”

“In that case, this is our chance. We shouldn’t dig around blindly, or they might flee further away, making things harder to manage.”

“Their hideout is probably just a few hundred meters away. Leave it to me. I’ll make sure to provide the results!”

“Jenis, use your stealth magic to keep yourself hidden and move. If you spot the enemy, don’t engage; just confirm their position and report back to me. This is a problem I have to solve.”

“You’re not thinking of resolving it with combat or capture, are you? The professor is a kind person, after all.”

“I’m simply too nice for my own good, so I’m planning to show a bit of leniency here. Above all, it will help build trust with the young nobles.”

“Understood. If it was just an order to capture them, I could manage that, but I can’t be responsible for measures beyond that. Just don’t go too far. If you’re too lenient with those who violate the Imperial Assembly’s laws, the Royal Family will send a warning your way.”

“Sounds like you’ve received one before.”

“You can’t imagine how often the Harker family receives letters with the royal seal. When we were expanding our influence through intermediary trade, we received ‘final warnings’ six times, you know? What kind of final warning is that?”

And yet, in the end, the Emperor had to yield to Count Harker’s proposal, indicating how much influence Harker held in his own territory. Jeongjae’s standing within the Empire was not inferior to Harker’s, but he was uncertain how the previous incident with the Hero’s party had affected his authority, making any provocation to the royal family risky.

“Thanks, Jenis. To be honest, I lack confidence in politics or power struggles, so I’d like to leave that to you.”

“Are you saying you’re deliberately stirring up a power struggle now?”

“I can’t help it. Problems won’t just disappear if I pretend they don’t exist.”

Jenis flicked her beautiful hair back with a huff. Jeongjae felt that she seemed unusually cheerful today.

“Finally, the professor is entrusting me with his shortcomings. Truthfully, during this investigation, I felt like I was just following along with your lectures. I was sure the professor could do even better and find answers faster. But this is truly my chance to assist you properly, just leave it to me!”

“You’re doing well enough, what’s the issue?”

“I want to be a woman of real worth! Not just someone useful!”

Jenis declared. Jeongjae was momentarily left speechless by the strange undertone in her words. Jenis seemed to realize she had made a little verbal slip and quickly bowed her head, waving her hands.

“Th-that’s not an odd meaning! I just want to be someone absolutely essential as a subordinate! Not just someone who replaces your tasks!”

“Okay, I get it.”

Jeongjae nodded in response. Jenis nodded too, with a mix of relief and disappointment on her face.

To avoid the atmosphere becoming awkward, Jeongjae transitioned the conversation to the tasks Jenis was going to undertake.

“By the way, can you use stealth magic? I haven’t really seen much of your combat skills.”

“Stealth magic? Well… I can handle it to some extent. I can use it decently, but to say I can use it freely…”

“How well can you hide?”

“If I hide among a crowd, no one would notice my existence. Beyond that, it gets a bit tricky…”

That’s still quite an impressive level, to be honest. Especially for someone as distinctive as Jenis to disappear among a crowd requires a considerable level of precision in magic.

But in this task, Jenis had to secretly tail a guard who finished their shift and was walking alone. Even if the guards weren’t that smart, it’s still no easy task.

Without the aid of magic, even the genius hunter Bernard would shake his head. It was clear that Jenis needed a more reliable form of stealth protection.

Jeongjae rummaged through his office desk and pulled out his blue combat robe.

“Huh? A robe?”

“Jenis, didn’t you receive your personal robe yet?”

“No. I submitted my graduation paperwork, but I haven’t received the Magic Tower’s certification yet. I don’t really need it. But having one would… be nice, I suppose.”

Seeing Jenis make a comment as if she was aware of something, Jeongjae nodded along, satisfied with his own robe that was stored in relatively clean condition.

“Well, do you want this one? I heard that back in the day on this continent, it was customary for a master to pass on their robe to their disciple upon graduation when one-on-one teaching was standard among wizards. This has been continued to this day, and now graduates get robes handed out at the Magic Tower, right?”

“Your robe… for me?”

Jenis suddenly gasped, her eyes sparkling with surprise. Jeongjae shrugged.

“Well, even though we didn’t have an exact one-on-one teaching relationship, you were the only one who kept up with my class properly, and since you don’t currently have a robe, I figured passing one of mine to you wouldn’t be too bad. I have quite a few extras. It’s common to wear several since they often tear or get dirty during battles.”

“So it’s one that you wore before, right? You’re giving that to me.”

“Uh, something like that. So? Do you want it? If you don’t like it, it’s okay.”

“Yes! I’ll accept it! I’ll wear it for life!”

Just as Jeongjae was about to retract the robe, thinking it might not be a good idea, Jenis reached out and grabbed the blue cloak. Jeongjae was slightly surprised and released the robe.

“I would have given it to you if you just asked for it. Just wait a moment. The reason I’m giving this to you is precisely this…”

Once Jenis snatched the robe, Jeongjae held the edge of the cloak and placed his hand on the center of the robe’s back.

Soon, a magic circle activated from his hand, and the white cross symbol of the Harker Clan was etched onto the blue robe.

Jenis looked at it with wonder, her eyes wide as she hugged the robe tightly.

“Is that a mark indicating it’s yours, professor?”

“That’s part of it, but it’s not the only thing. I’ve placed a spell on this robe to enhance the power of stealth magic. It won’t last forever, but it should sustain at least for a month. Is that sufficient?”

Combined with Jeongjae’s magical pattern on it and Jenis’s inherent capabilities, she would probably have enough power to dance the tap dance right behind someone without them recognizing her.

It seemed Jenis was thrilled to finally have her own robe as she buzzed with excitement, rubbing her face against the blue fabric.

“It’s amazing! Thank you so much, professor!”

Jenis held up the robe like a child receiving a new toy and quickly draped it over herself, jumping in joy. At that moment, she suddenly disappeared from sight as if she had become invisible, startling Jeongjae. It seemed she decided to test the effects of the pattern right away.

“How is it, professor? Can you see me? You can’t, right? Wow, this is incredible! I’ve never experienced such powerful stealth magic before…”

In a playful mood, Jeongjae unfolded the magic circle of reconnaissance in one hand and brought it near where he could hear Jenis’s voice.

Clink! The stealth magic’s spell shattered, revealing Jenis once again. Jeongjae thought she would sulk, but she appeared only slightly surprised and showed no signs of being upset or unhappy.

It seemed that the new robe gift had truly brightened her mood.

“By the way, professor, is this one not brand new? Have you worn it before?”

Jeongjae gave a sheepish expression and nodded in response to her question.

“Yeah. Because of the nature of my profession, no matter how many robes I have, I end up wearing each one at least once. Maybe I should have gotten you a new one?”

“No! This is great! If it were new, I think I would have been disappointed!”

Jenis said, pushing her hood back. Jeongjae sighed in relief, glad.

“Well, I thought it was traditional to give away a robe that had been worn, and I was a bit worried it might not align with current trends. Unfortunately, this is all I have. But I’m happy that you’re pleased.”

“Ah, but I’ve been thinking about one thing.”

Jenis spoke up. Jeongjae gestured for her to go ahead.

“While I am a member of the Harker family, right now I’m the lord’s aide of the Harriet family… and who knows what could happen in the future. It might not be bad to have the Baron’s pattern stamped on it too. After all, both of our emblems share a blue background!”

Jenis remarked with a mischievous smile. Anyone who knew her would undoubtedly understand that it was the sly smile of a cunning fox.