NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52
Once I found myself with some free time, I began to pour more focus into Professor Ilian.
Of course, the butler could handle most of the tasks alone, so I didn’t really have to assist her.
But then again, there was no reason not to. With so much time on my hands, why wouldn’t I invest some of it into the professor?
So, I started treating her to lunch every day. I prepared it delicately to suit her tastes, and she thoroughly enjoyed the whole process.
That’s why, when I had to close up shop to check on Professor Heisen’s paperwork, she showed a very sulky expression. That’s how much she cared about that time together.
But today was different. When I went to prepare the food, she didn’t even glance at the ingredients I brought in. It was a stark contrast to her usual habit of first asking what I was cooking.
Instead, she called out to me with a face full of excitement. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“What’s going on? Hurry up and tell me. You must know something. I saw you talking to him!”
She pointed at a mirror that had appeared before her, which showed the ecstatic face of Jun. He looked positively thrilled.
It resembled how he looked yesterday.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. The truth is, it had been nearly four months since the professor lost interest in the tower fights.
And honestly, it was understandable. The fights she had looked forward to only occurred a few times in the early stages. After their factions solidified, there were only small duels here and there, and no more faction wars.
She gradually lost interest in the tower’s fights. She was even on the verge of letting her lectures go halfway.
If I hadn’t caught on to those signs, it could’ve been a big deal. Thanks to keeping an eye on her, I noticed it and managed to calm her down by providing her lunch and boosting her spirits.
Anyway, that’s just how little interest she had in what was happening in the tower. But who would’ve thought her eyes would sparkle like this?
Of course, it was worth getting excited about.
If you compare the two groups just by numbers, Jun’s group was almost double in size, but there was a much more significant difference in power between the two.
Hongryeong and the five others were the keystones of that power. They were the strongest five in this lecture. No matter how many of Jun’s people flocked together, they couldn’t beat them. There was that much of a difference in levels between them.
But they overcame that gap and achieved victory. This can be said to be very rare, even in the magic world beyond the university. So, it made sense that she’d be this happy.
I was just as curious about how everything went down. However, I didn’t check the bulletin board he asked me to open. That was just polite to my guest.
Besides, I could roughly guess how things went down without checking. I hadn’t caught onto his intentions before, but now that the results were out, I had a decent grasp of what the secret bulletin board was for.
So, rather than those details, I was more impressed by Jun’s ability to seize opportunities like that.
Honestly, there were quite a few things in the university that had similar functions to this bulletin board, like the information stone, the transmission division, and the communication mirror.
Because of that, it seemed other people perceived this Mirror Bug as something of a similar level. Just a slightly more convenient tool.
But this was far superior to those. I could confidently say that. Most of those were either expensive, consumable, or required a lot of magic power.
My Mirror Bug was on the opposite end of that spectrum. Cheap, durable, and not magic-intensive. The only problem was the short communication range.
But to think he would grasp the essence of such a bulletin board and plan a strike first. When you think about it, it fits. He’d moved first to clear the path when obtaining treasures, when the second floor opened, or when selling dolls.
It really was puzzling why he had only stayed on the first floor until now.
Among mages, there’s a saying that a person has three great opportunities in their life. Was this lecture one of those opportunities for him? Of course, seizing such opportunities was also part of his talent.
Anyway, for this reason, I hadn’t paid much attention to the whole matter. I just quietly did what I had to do. But the professor seemed a bit different. No, she was very different.
“Hurry up and tell me.”
She urged. Of course, she probably figured out the general situation. She knew I had met with him.
But it seemed she wanted to know more than just that. So, I had to oblige. It was more important to satisfy the professor’s curiosity than maintain politeness to the client.
As I said this, I called on the Mirror Bug in the corner of the room. It was the one I made for her. Unlike regular Mirror Bugs, this one was about five times bigger.
That much bigger meant the mirror could fully capture Professor Ilian’s figure. It rose before us and displayed a screen.
“Please go into the secret bulletin board I made earlier.”
At those words, the Mirror Bug brought up a bulletin board on the screen. It was a secret bulletin board only accessible to those Jun had selected, something that wouldn’t even be visible on regular screens. Others didn’t even know it existed.
– Raid Plan (Draft)
As soon as the bulletin board opened, that was the first post that appeared. More posts lay above it. But to understand the details, I needed to check out this foundational plan first.
I instructed the Mirror Bug to open that post. Soon, a dense amount of data began appearing within it.
The most striking element was a large map situated in the center. It detailed the second floor of the tower with incredible precision.
Not only was the terrain recorded, but it also included information on how many people were in each room, who entered and exited at what times, and the movement patterns of individuals. Such minute details were each included.
There was also a detailed analysis of the defensive barriers in those rooms. It explained who was maintaining the magic, what levels of magic power were used, how many layers of magic it was composed of, and so on.
Judging by how detailed they followed every part of this, it was clear they inserted spies into the enemy, and those were core members of the organization.
With this foundational information, the planned raid was extremely simple. They intended to launch a raid all at once, taking advantage of the weak points in defense. That was the entirety of the draft.
“Next one.”
The professor said. Following her lead, I moved on to the next post. It was a slightly refined version of the plan. The information on the map was more detailed, and the assault plan had become clearer.
The timeline for the raid was roughly set, and they had a rough distribution of how to move and manage personnel.
Next post, and then the next.
Just like that, all the plans were completed, and the raid was executed accordingly. I had been curious about how they managed to overcome members of the noble family, but seeing all the plans laid out like this, I finally understood.
From the beginning, they had no intention of fighting a disadvantageous battle. Hence, they only moved when the noble family members were momentarily absent from their rooms. It was a very efficient strategy.
The last few posts were filled with traces of that raid. Jun left instructions, and others responded, working together. Every moment, they used this bulletin board to coordinate.
The urgency of unexpected situations and their moments of quick wit appeared in those writings. Watching it all unfold, I could easily imagine how they proceeded with the plan.
And this raid probably didn’t take even an hour to succeed. That’s what the timestamps on these writings indicated. I couldn’t help but admire Jun’s meticulous planning and quick mind.
“These guys are amusing.”
The professor nodded and chuckled.
They seized two rooms on the second floor like this. Now their territory had increased from just one room on the second floor.
Gaining rooms like this meant they had secured more magic power. This was extremely important for Jun and his already large group.
I shut the bulletin board, and the Mirror Bug turned off the screen and returned to its original position. Professor Ilian slowly nodded her head.
I said as I gathered the ingredients I had set on the table. She glanced at them. Now that her curiosity had been satisfied, it seemed her interest in food returned.
She smiled and sat down at the table. I quickly started cooking.
It took nearly two hours for her to satisfactorily finish her meal.
After that, I went to find Jun.
He greeted me with enthusiasm. He had a rather triumphant smile on his face. I bowed my head deeply toward him first.
A hint of smile faded from his face upon hearing that. But then he smiled gently and spoke again.
Hearing that, he flashed a broad grin again. He shook his head and waved his hands dismissively.
As he spoke, he crossed his arms, looking very confident. He continued with a smile.
He glanced around, then made a circle with his fingers. His smile lightened further.
That concern for me was likely far less significant than his intentions to keep other groups in check. Jun’s group had a lot of people, so that expenditure burden was relatively small. I nodded readily while hiding those inner thoughts.
He laughed heartily. I followed suit with a laugh. Regardless of his intentions, he did indeed help me.
Things proceeded in an orderly fashion after that.
All the information spread like wildfire. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say it had been sold. Jun had posted the entire process on the information bulletin board.
Thinking it would spread regardless, I casually mentioned getting points for it, which made him clap his hands in delight.
This piqued the curiosity of others who borrowed the Mirror Bug. Other groups that learned of this began approaching, wanting to set up their own secret bulletin boards.
I told them that Jun had promised to pay a thousand points monthly. They too paid the same amount to create their own bulletin boards.
As numbers increased like this, the bulletin boards began to come to life a bit more.
Those needing points posted information, and simple trades started taking place.
A sort of small city was forming. I briefly chuckled as I felt the information filling the Shadow Tree.