Chapter 36: Mission Log

Uploaded by Recording Device Serial Number ASC2003487E, regarding Mission Serial Number REE201F.

Presented as evidence of betrayal of team member Richard Huang by team leader Bei Pan Zhe, and team members Lavender Ling, Daisy Dallas and Dan Xiao Gui.

Recorded, Year 2905, Month February, Day 2, Time 1124 hours.

Beginning playback…

"We have a new member," Bei Pan Zhe announced. The rest of the team looked up and watched him expectantly as he scrolled through his holographic screen to finish reading the email he had just received from the administrative clerk, Allison Anderson. "Hmm…Richard Huang. A second year."

Lavender's face darkened. "That guy who's always clinging onto President Alicia?"

"The one President Alicia is always talking about?" Daisy said at the same time, her tone just as bitter.

"Yeah. The one who just team-killed the representatives from Crowley Academy and the Iron Fist Society a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh!" Dan Xiao Gui looked delighted. "That's good. I've seen his fights. He'll be a good addition to the team, especially if we buy him enough time to finish summoning."

Both girls glared at him. He blinked and shrank back timidly under the intensity of their stares.

"What?"

"Are you seriously going to just let him join our team?"

"Why not?" Dan Xiao Gui was genuinely confused. "With his summoning abilities, there should be no problems, right? You've all seen what he can do?" Then he brightened up and activated his tablet, searching for a video. "If you haven't, I can show you."

"We don't need you to show us," Daisy interrupted him frostily. "We've also seen his so-called skills for ourselves."

"Then what's the problem?"

The girls seemed unwilling to answer, so Bei Pan Zhe replied on their behalves.

"This Richard guy…he's getting too close to President Alicia."

"So?" Dan Xiao Gui still didn't understood the issue here, staring blankly at his three teammates. "President Alicia recognizes his value. That's why she's trying to recruit him, isn't she? Shouldn't we help convince him?"

"Are you an idiot?!" Lavender snapped at him. "President Alicia seems to have a crush on that failure! We can't allow such a loser to get close to our beloved President! He…he will taint her! If she refuses to recognize the truth, then it's our jobs as her subordinates to clean the trash around her! We've to get rid of him!"

"I concur. This Richard Huang is not worth the affections of our president at all. He should just disappear." Daisy nodded in full agreement.

Dan Xiao Gui gaped at them. "Are you guys all right?" He turned to Bei Pan Zhe. "Are you of the same opinion as well?"

Bei Pan Zhe clenched his fists, his face burning red. "I…I won't allow any other man to get close to President Alicia."

It was obvious that he was infatuated with Alicia, and was jealous of me for some reason. Just because Alicia paid a little attention to me, and not to him.

"We can't allow losers and trash to hang around our goddess."

"It's our duty to protect our goddess from such rubbish!"

Dan Xiao Gui thought differently, but he was too timid to protest, so he fell silent and merely shook his head.

"So what do you intend to do? Reject him?" he asked instead.

"We're not allowed to reject an application from a new party member without a valid reason," Bei Pan Zhe began, but he was cut off by Lavender.

"Just cite gross incompetence. Richard being a loser and trash should be more than enough as legitimate grounds to reject him."

"I think you'll be hard-pressed to prove that statement, especially in light of his recent performances in the arena," Bei Pan Zhe pointed out dryly.

"Those were just flukes!" Daisy snorted coldly.

"Yeah!" Lavender agreed. "The Crowley Academy representatives were stupid enough to let him summon his strongest beast, otherwise they would never have lost! And the Iron Fist Society is a trash society, so of course they would lose to other trash!"

"Uh, don't you think you're giving them too little credit?" Dan Xiao Gui asked. "And besides, this isn't a duel in the arena. It's a combat mission. We're working as a party – that would mitigate the weaknesses for summoners – as long as we protect him, he'll be able to summon a beast powerful enough to eradicate the monsters in our mission. You've all seen the Celestial Guardians he is capable of summoning, haven't you? There's no denying his power."

"We're not accepting any stinking summoners in our party," Daisy sneered, her voice full of disdain.

This might sound weird, but the prejudice against summoners stemmed from more practical reasons. Apparently summoners were often viewed as parasites, leeching off from parties and benefiting from the hard work and risks the others took. They frequently hid at the back, cowering from the monsters while relying on their stronger, more resilient comrades to protect them, and took their time casting complex and powerful spells. Long-range and support mages were different because their spells didn't require that much time to cast, not unless they were casting an advanced, devastating area-of-effect spell that could nuke the entire site, but summoners tended to take more time to cast their spells if they wanted to summon any monster powerful enough to fight the enemies (and not just fodder).

Often, the battle would end and the other combat mages would have slain the monsters before the summoners could finish summoning their magical beasts. This increased the stigma of them as being perceived as slackers who merely came along for the credit and rewards while contributing next to nothing to the battle.

That was why most people were biased against summoners, and had a very terrible impression of them.

"Not like we have a choice." Bei Pan Zhe shook his head. "Besides, even if we did and reject him, this guy is obviously hunting for prestige points. Didn't he just create a new society last week? That was the reason why he fought Iron Fist Society in the first place."

"Delusional." Daisy huffed scornfully. "A summoner, trying to create a society of his own? It won't last a month."

"Getting the prestige points will go a long way in helping him." Bei Pan Zhe looked a little bitter. "If only there's a way to stop him…"

"There might be."

Everyone turned to stare at Lavender. She smiled.

"Accidents happen during combat missions, don't they?"

"Uh, yeah?" Dan Xiao Gui shuddered. "Combat missions always involve a certain amount of risk."

That was why he was more than happy to hide behind my summoned beasts if I came along. It would mitigate the danger he faced.

However, Bei Pan Zhe and Daisy seemed to have caught on to her meaning.

"It wouldn't be held against us if a trash trying to cling onto our goddess…has a mishap during the mission. It's not strange at all, given how awful his magic and combat skills are." Daisy was smiling ominously.

"Er…you do realize that his magic and combat skills aren't awful, right?" Dan Xiao Gui was getting exasperated. "What is this, a stupid Chinese web novel where the protagonists are always labeled as trash no matter what he does, and no matter how many times he proves other people wrong?"

"He's not trash," Bei Pan Zhe agreed. "I acknowledge his combat skills. He is a very formidable opponent." He then lowered his voice. "But that's exactly why we must eliminate him."

While Lavender and Daisy were trying to get rid of me because they hated the idea of me orbiting around their beloved goddess, Alicia Violet, Bei Pan Zhe's reason was that I posed a significant threat as a formidable rival vying for the affections of his romance target. Even though their reasons differed, their goals were the same.

"But that's why we can't underestimate him," Bei Pan Zhe continued, fixing a stare on Lavender and Daisy. "You've seen his combat skills as well. He won't be easy to get rid of."

"He's a summoner, isn't he? As long as he doesn't get the chance to summon his beasts, he's nothing more than a normal human." Lavender sounded dismissive. "We just need to make sure he doesn't have the time or chance to complete his summoning spell."

Dan Xiao Gui rolled his eyes.

"What, we just stand around doing nothing while he fights the monsters on his own? And with hundreds of monsters, wouldn't we get attacked anyway? We'll still be forced to fight in the end."

"Who says we need to fight?" Lavender replied with a sly smile.

Daisy watched her. "I'm listening."

"It's simple. The mission this time is escort and protection, right? Exterminating the monsters is merely the secondary objective. The primary objective is to ensure the safety of the refugees. We don't need to fight the monsters at all."

Bei Pan Zhe frowned in bewilderment. "Then how do we make the 'accident' happen? We can't just murder him and pretend the monsters did it."

"No, of course not." Lavender stared at him as if he was an idiot. "The monsters will end up encountering the refugees' convoy if we don't lure them away. And who better to act as bait and lure the monsters away than a new party member who had just joined us? After all, we're needed to stay close to the convoy to protect the refugees. And since we're an established team, we work better together."

"I see." The light was appearing in Daisy's eyes and she nodded in enthusiasm.

"Will…will he just accept that, though?" Dan Xiao Gui sounded uncertain. He definitely wouldn't.

"We'll just promise to provide backup once we've finished escorting the refugees, and appeal to his sense of heroism. He probably wouldn't say no to helping the refugees out, would he?" Lavender grinned.

"But…we lost contact in the middle of the mission and are unable to locate him, so we were never able to provide backup at all." Bei Pan Zhe's grin was widening as well as he hit his palm with his hand. "A death at the hands of the monsters, no blood on our hands. Brilliant!"

"This way, we can get rid of trash orbiting around our goddess…or eliminate our love rivals!" Daisy added when she caught the look on Bei Pan Zhe's face. "Let's do it!"

"Yeah, he's waiting for us in the admin building. Let's go meet him." Bei Pan Zhe rubbed his hands, and rose to lead the way.

End playback. First piece of visual and aural evidence concluded. Awaiting evaluation and review.

Defense: This is nothing conclusive. They were only planning it out. It's all just dialogue! There is a possibility they weren't going to actually do it!

Prosecution: Objection!

Judge: Granted.

Prosecution: As we all already know, the guilty members have carried out this scheme of theirs in reality. I have several pieces of recorded evidence that further establish their heinous betrayal. Your honor, with your permission…?

Judge: Permission granted.

…enacting playback of second piece of evidence…

(Recording of the conversation in the admin building…)