"...Hoo."
Woohee took a deep, audible breath.
For someone who has been raised strictly as an assassin since childhood, it's rare for her to make any sound.
After continuously practicing dagger techniques and correcting my swordsmanship for two hours straight without a break, she deserved a moment of respite.
I handed her a handkerchief.
"Thank you..."
She accepted the handkerchief and wiped away her sweat.
I should be the one thanking her.
Thanks to her, I’ve managed to grasp how to properly control my breathing during combat.
The most fundamental technique is to exhale the breath you’ve been holding in at the moment of exerting force, like during an attack.
Her philosophy was that one powerful attack is stronger than ten weak attacks.
Attacking is more exhausting than defending, after all.
However, I’ve only just begun to get a feel for the basic breathing techniques.
My swordsmanship, unlike Woohee’s straightforward dagger techniques, is complex.
A significant portion of my swordsmanship originates from powerhouses like Maximin and a legendary swordmaster.
Figuring out how to incorporate proper breathing techniques into such advanced swordsmanship is still beyond me.
I’ll need to continue learning from Woohee.
While I was organizing my thoughts, she spoke up.
“Now tell me. Where is my friend?”
So, it has come to this.
I looked at her calmly and answered,
“Woo Hyoyeon is currently in the magic city in the north.”
“...!”
She was visibly shocked when I mentioned Woo Hyoyeon's name.
She had only asked me to help find her friend, never once mentioning them by name.
Woohee seemed deep in thought before speaking again,
"...I know that the magical city is a vast and complex place. I want to know the exact location."
She stared intently at me, awaiting my response.
Of course, I knew exactly where Woo Hyoyeon was – held captive by Maitri, a top executive of Turning White, at the Ford Company headquarters.
However, it wouldn’t be wise to divulge this information right now.
No matter how skilled Woohee is in infiltration and combat, she is no match for Maitri yet.
Additionally, inside the Ford Company, there are numerous strong individuals besides Maitri.
"I still can't pinpoint the exact location."
"I see."
"There was one more scene that I saw."
Woohee's eyes widened, and her lips quivered slightly.
"What is it?"
"You remember what happened in the northern forest, right?"
It was the incident where we had dealt with Melon, a low-ranking member of Turning White, not long ago.
Woohee quickly nodded.
"Yes."
"There was a group displaying similar behavioral patterns and using the same coded language as that guy. There were at least a hundred of them."
Woohee bit her lip.
Her usually emotionless eyes were now blazing with intensity.
It was clear what she was thinking.
"If you're planning on facing them alone, forget it. It's too dangerous."
"But right now, at this moment, Hyoyeon is suffering. I have to go."
"But she’s still alive. They are a large, well-organized group. Rather than killing and torturing people recklessly, they act in ways that benefit them. And you cannot face them alone."
"But I can’t just... I can't just sit still!"
Woohee shouted, her voice filled with fury.
However, the Ford Company is Maitri's base, and most of his powerful subordinates are gathered there.
They are strong enough to win a full-scale war against a major guild.
Unless you are an extraordinary powerhouse, you cannot face a well-organized group alone.
Of course, Woohee is the daughter of the leader of Equilibrium, an insane organization that goes to war against entire nations.
However, she is currently not in a position to mobilize Equilibrium’s elite forces.
I quietly watched Woohee, who was seething with anger.
"Woo Hyoyeon is important to you, Woohee. I don't know what she means to you exactly."
She fell silent.
"However, in the end, you and I have the same goal."
I looked straight into Woohee's eyes as I spoke.
Her agitation seemed to subside slightly.
"Your mission is to rescue Woo Hyoyeon. My mission is to annihilate that organization."
"......"
"The ones gathered in the magic city are not all of them. The scale is larger than you think. They are secretly operating in various parts of the continent. Last week, they even infiltrated the academic seminar held at the Hero Association."
Only those with verified identities can attend the academic seminars of the Hero Association.
Woohee knows this.
"Currently, I am gathering people who can support us. If we keep up this pace, I should be able to officially start working on my goal during the winter break. The first target are─"
Woohee listened to my words absentmindedly.
I continued speaking.
"-the ones in that magic city. Wait until then."
"......Really, is that true?"
Woohee, who had been tightly closing her mouth, spoke.
Her voice was trembling.
"I have no intention of forcing you, Woohee. However, if you choose to trust me, I can definitely promise you one thing."
"......What is it?"
I grabbed her trembling, delicate shoulders.
"I will rescue Woo Hyoyeon."
Back alley near the Hero Department's training ground.
After meeting with Woohee, Theo, who had just finished showering, pulled out the emergency communication crystal exclusively for Amy.
‘...She’s not answering.’
However, there was no response from Amy.
This was unusual.
She typically responded immediately to any calls.
A look of suspicion crossed Theo's usually impassive face.
‘What’s going on?’
He had a bad feeling about this.
‘...Amy said she would be near the Knight Department... I should head there first.’
Just as Theo decided to move, whirring sounds filled the air—Amy was calling him.
Theo immediately took out the crystal.
─What is it, Amy?
─…I’m sorry, young master. Little Fist and I were taking a walk near the Knight Department, and we happened to meet Siena, and then─
He didn’t need to hear the rest to know what had happened.
Divine beasts and spirits instinctively antagonize each other.
Naturally, spirit mages and divine beasts would be in a hostile relationship as well.
Siena, Little Fist.
Without a doubt, they must have started growling at each other.
─…I see. Has the situation been resolved?
─No. Aisha is currently mediating between Little Fist and Siena. I stepped aside to contact you, young master.
─Understood. Tell me your location. I’ll be right there.
"Hmm, where could it be?"
Theo arrived at the location Amy had mentioned and was about to look around when,
"Hey, Aisha! Are you seriously taking this thing's side right now?"
"Ugh, what do you mean taking sides, Siena! This is the first time in my life I've seen someone seriously fight with a puppy for over 30 minutes!"
"No, no, what are you talking about, Aisha? I've been telling you, this thing only looks like a puppy!"
-Urrr, grrrr! Bark! Bark!
The familiar voices of two women and an animal reached Theo's ears.
Immediately, Theo moved towards the source of the noise and stood between Siena and Aisha, who was holding Little Fist.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, Theo. Did you come to find me? I'm touched. But wait a minute. Today, I'm definitely going to get revenge for Swoosh-swoosh and Zoom-zoom."
Siena glanced at Theo briefly before glaring back at Little Fist.
Swoosh-swoosh and Zoom-zoom are nicknames for the lower and mid-grade wind spirits Siena has.
Aisha looked pitifully at Theo.
"Theo... please do something. She's been like this for over 30 minutes. It's so embarrassing, I want to hide in a mouse hole or something. Oh my─”
─Squeak, squeak!
She was startled.
Little Fist, who had been in her arms, jumped towards Theo and clung to him.
"......"
Theo looked down at Little Fist, shivering in his arms.
Little Fist was panting as if it was about to run out of breath at any moment.
He had never seen this from Little Fist before.
Amy, who was standing next to Aisha, frowned and glared at Siena.
Even though the situation was urgent,
"Huh."
Theo’s mind, on the other hand, became cooler.
‘Little Fist was able to barely chase away a mid-grade spirit before. So, the spirits accompanying Siena right now are...'
He guessed they were at least high-grade.
High-grade spirits are on a completely different level compared to mid-grade spirits.
‘In the game, Siena starts traveling with high-grade spirits from the second semester of the second year.’
This was way too fast.
He had gotten used to the future changing, but this time, he was truly surprised.
This place is not the Great Forest, the sanctuary of spirits, but Elinia Academy.
Siena must have experienced enlightenment.
"Anyway, let's figure this out later."
There was a more urgent matter at hand.
Theo quickly organized his thoughts and spoke up.
"Wait here for a moment. I need to go somewhere."
With those words, he disappeared in a flash, hugging Little Fist in his arms.
He had used all the mana stored in the [Magic Cartridge] to cast the [Haste] spell.
"No, Theo! Where are you going? Don't leave me behind. Waaa─"
Aisha cried out pitifully.
