Chapter 38 – 14. Theft (1)
“Wisdom, what are these brown pouches and thin white rods?”
“Ah, this is a pencil case, this is a sharp, um… Erasable fountain pen! It’s an item containing the latest technology of Earthlings!”
“Wow! Can I try it?!”
Jeon Ji-hye nodded her head at her classmate’s curious request.
Her name is Sophie Magna. She is an Awakener of the [Tree] Attribute, and a new friend who joined the shaman club this time. They were able to quickly become friends thanks to the commonality of being among the newest members of the club and being second-class women.
The two are currently studying and transcribing a book containing the basics of witchcraft in the club room. This is a task that must be completed once if you are a new member of the club.
Jeon Ji-hye recalled her first day in another world, watching Sophie marveling at the zipper on her pencil case and the interchangeable mechanical pencil lead.
The day I was summoned to the academy forest. She burned her bag with a lighter to light her fire, which doubled as her bonfire, but kept her pencil case in her pocket.
Because these writing instruments are her precious treasures.
There are two reasons for that. One is normal, the other is a bit perverted.
Among them, the normal reason is that this is Jihoo’s birthday present!
“Huh… Today is over!”
“Eh, there’s still some left? Oh, I said I had a prior appointment today, right?”
“Ugh, dinner appointment. Sophie, see you tomorrow!”
Jeon Ji-hye quickly tidied up her desk and headed for her exit. A male member approached her trying to talk her out of it, but she gave up at the sight of her fast pace caught in the corner of her vision.
‘Huh. Annoying bastards.’
Whether it’s because of her smooth appearance or because of her [Death] Attribute, the number of men who want to talk to her even once doesn’t decrease.
Of course, she has no interest in them, and there is no way that Jihoo will like them, so she is minimizing contact with them.
However, sometimes she is forced to mix up her words.
Just like right now.
“Oh, Jihye, where are you going? Have you had dinner? Would you like to eat with me yet?”
The man I met in front of the club room door. He is the head of the sorcery club and Jamie Cursreal with the [Poison] Attribute.
Jeon Ji-hye hates this man. As soon as he knew that he was of the [Death] Attribute, his eyes changed blatantly and he began to stare at them.
“Hello senior. I’m going to have dinner ‘just the two of us’ with Jihoo right now. Bye bye then.”
Strangely emphasizes the two of them alone. Hiding the fact that we were going to eat as a group with our classmates, not just the two of us.
In this way, she frequently informs her that there is a wonderful man named Jung Ji-hoo nearby, but he does not give up his approach whenever they meet.
The fact that club directors and rookies don’t have much to do is comforting. If his annoying behavior continues in the future, she will consider leaving the club.
“Yes. See you next time!”
Without responding to his greeting, and without even turning her head, Jeon Ji-hye fell to her steps.
To heal the eyeball with Jihoo’s face as soon as possible.
* * *
[Official letter from the Department of Public Security][Notice to the entire Academy]
〈Regarding the recent escalation of theft within the Imperial Capital and Academy〉
ㅡ
How are you dear alumnus? I’m Adele Griff, Vice-President of the Academy’s Security Department.
Recently, thefts within the ecliptic have suddenly become more frequent. Most of them are pickpockets, even inside the academy.
Currently, the Imperial Security Department is doing its best to identify the cause and arrest the criminal.
On This, the alumnus, I ask you to use it to manage your belongings and valuables anytime, anywhere. Also, those who have been robbed should immediately report it to the Imperial City Security Department and the Academy Public Security Department.
In the future, this Department of Public Security will work with the Department of Public Security in the Imperial City to focus its efforts on eradicating crime.
Thank you.
Academy Security Department Vice President
Adele Griff
ㅡ
“…Wasn’t that a lie?”
I muttered as I read the notice in the mailbox in my room.
A while ago, on the way back from the research center to the dormitory, I encountered a checkpoint. The purpose of the inspection, which the article informed on the spot.
—-Ah, haha… It’s just a regular checkup, a regular checkup. Pickpocketing is common these days. Enough then.
I thought his answer was a lie to hide the real reason he was looking for a monster that broke through the barrier. However, looking at this, it seems that pickpockets were frequent in the ecliptic.
‘But why is magic power detection necessary to arrest a pickpocket…?’
Since it was a different world, it wouldn’t be strange if there were magic specializing in theft or pickpocketing. If so, does the Imperial Security Department expect the culprit to be some passing archmage?
Or, while searching for the Celestial Dragon, it might be that the ecliptic is vicious these days because of this and that, so it may be that everyone who is even the slightest suspicious is questioned.
‘Well, it’s a story that has nothing to do with me.’
I am quite sensitive to my condition. If you minimize the number of belongings when you go out and keep paying attention to your bag and pockets, there will be no problem.
The name of the author draws more attention than the content of the notice.
Adele Griff, Vice-President of the Academy’s Security Department.
She once met Hye-rin at her academy banquet. A blue-haired beauty, she comes from the Griff family that rules the northern part of the western continent.
The princess of the Griff family, with the same status as Prince Nicholas Bondrania.
That is, royalty.
The leadership of student self-government organizations that exercise influence over other nobles is not something anyone can do.
The Student Administration Department and the Public Security Department are typical examples.
The administration, also called the student council, is mainly run by royalty, such as the 2nd Prince Dave, and the security department is run by royalty, such as senior Adele. Each is a 100% appointment system, and of course there is no voting activity such as the student president election.
It is also an academy with a strict identity system.
“—-So we gathered like this today!”
The dining hall in the commoners’ dormitory. At the place where we had a drinking party called the freshman welcome a few weeks ago, the whole class got together for the first time in a while. As the academy life began in earnest, it became difficult to fit each individual schedule. It’s the first time we’ve all gathered together since entering school.
Summoners group dinner party.
The class president, Minho, seems to want to hold these meetings regularly. If we unite together without any alienated friends through our own organization, we can deepen our friendship and actively raise our political voice.
But our atmosphere is not what it used to be. At the time of the summons, the future was uncertain, so we had no choice but to stick together. However, now that everyone has taken their place as academy students in the Empire, they are not as desperate as they were then.
Neither do I. As a mythical Awakener and the fiancé of the 2nd Princess, I have established a stronger position than anyone else in this position. I honestly don’t care how the kids who aren’t mine live there.
Group gatherings are inwardly cumbersome. I’m not going to spit out complaints though.
22 students sit down at a long table and start eating.
Usually, at a party like this, the talkative kids exchange conversations with each other and draw attention as a hot topic, while the rest of the people talk quietly only to those around them.
The former are famous guys like Choi Ji-hoon and Park Min-ho, and the latter are me, Ji-hye, and Hye-rin.
But not as much as today. Right now, most of the attention is on just one person sitting in the corner.
“Wisdom, are those rumors true? Those, undead rumors…”
“That’s right.”
Jihye nodded once at the question of the girl across from her. Then, as the agitation spread along with the voice, the eyes looking this way became even more intense.
The incident in which a vicious criminal whom Ji-hye executed during ‘murder practice’ was briefly resurrected as an undead quickly spread throughout the academy. Because it is such a rare and shocking thing.
Ever since the great shaman of the [Death] Attribute in the Great War era, all attempts by shaman and black magicians to artificially create undead have failed. The undead that appear today are only naturally occurring monsters for unknown reasons.
“Wow, that’s cool…”
The admiration of Hwang Seung-woo, the representative of our class,
“······.”
Seong Ah-young’s reluctant gaze, the attribute of [Life].
Some of the eyes pointing to wisdom consist of pure curiosity and amazement, while others show a little fear and disgust.
I understand. ‘Murder’ and ‘Undead’ naturally conjure up negative images. When I witnessed this for the first time, I was worried that the Paladins were grabbing Wisdom.
Fortunately, becoming undead is not taboo. There are very few wizards who can handle it properly, and it is a strictly official field of magic. In addition, there is no room for a problem since death row inmates are treated as objects, not human beings, from the moment they are sentenced to death.
Wisdom’s new abilities require further investigation and research. Specific specifications, such as duration, price, target range, and whether or not it is an authority, will be revealed in the Attribute Lab in the future.
Min Hye-rin, Hwang Seung-woo, Choi Ji-hoon, and many other children pour out questions with extraordinary interest. Wisdom is answering one by one while looking at my eyes.
“Then can you make this undead too?”
“·······?”
Choi Ji-hoon called his maid who was standing by the wall. She put down her oversized bag and started searching inside her.
Unlike the other maids who were already dressed in simple clothes, I wondered why that maid had brought so many things. The correct answer is that it looks like a corpse to turn into an undead.
‘Crazy man. So, bring a corpse to dinner? This is the same as being really rude and disrespectful…’
What did you bring bug? Or an animal? Judging from the size of the bag, it wouldn’t be strange if a rabbit jumped out.
······Undead of animals. I can understand Choi Ji-hoon’s desire to see it up close.
“… Huh? Huh?”
However, it seems that today is not the day when his curiosity is satisfied.
“Lord, master… I’m sure I brought it out… I even checked what was in my bag before leaving the lab, but it’s gone!!”
“What? What bullshit!”
Choi Ji-hoon roughly took the backpack and poured everything inside onto the floor. The contents are extremely small, not suitable for the size of the bag.
There are no dead bodies of creatures there.
Before opening, the backpack was obviously locked. Also, there are no external scars such as torn holes anywhere on the bag.
‘Indeed······. Is it like this?’
In the short time between Choi Ji-hoon and his maid returning to the dormitory after receiving the body from the research institute, someone stole it.
I don’t know why I coveted something like that…
The inside of the academy doesn’t seem to be safe from pickpockets either.
* * *
The group dinner ended in a bad atmosphere when Choi Ji-hoon slapped the maid and Park Min-ho stopped it.
Jeon Ji-hye and Anna went back to their rooms.
“I’m sorry…”
“Who? Choi Ji-hoon’s maid?”
“Yes······.”
Ji-hye remembered her maid who had been beaten without a single resistance even when her cheeks were red.
“He has a bad reputation for being trash. It’s good that I’m the owner, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
The maid responded promptly with a warm smile to the owner’s smirk.
“Meeting you is a blessing in my life, Jihye.”
“······It’s a little embarrassing to say that…”
She scratched her head, turning her head away from her.
Anna, meeting you is a blessing to me. You are the second most important person to me.
Wisdom did not have the courage to confess like that.
Her face is hot Maybe it’s because it’s night, so my mind doesn’t calm down. At times like this, you should hold on to her own talisman and make her feel calm.
She opened the bag to take out the ‘talisman’ in the pencil case.
The reason why writing instruments are precious and a bit perverted.
Jihoo’s hair is contained in things that can be disassembled and assembled, such as a mechanical pencil, pen, and white.
From two strands of hair plucked from him right before he was summoned the day before the entrance exam, to hair secretly picked up from the floor when visiting his room in the past.
It was only her secret that Jihoo didn’t know about.
That’s gone
“······ Huh? Eh?”
Books and notebooks pour out when the bag is turned over.
“······Yes?”
No matter how wisdom digs through the heap,
“·······.”
The brown pencil case did not reveal itself.
