Infiltration into the Treasure Room

Night, in one of the maid's rooms.

Standing behind Eiji, who was sitting on the bed, Siesta was helping him remove the bandages from his body.

"It's hard to believe... Such severe wounds healed in just three days. Eiji, are you sure you didn't secretly drink a healing potion?"

The memory of how terrifying Eiji's wounds had been was still fresh in her mind. Now, only scars remained, and Siesta found it hard to believe him healed without magical assistance.

"I already told you, my body is different from an ordinary person's. This is natural recovery, I assure you."

Stretching his stiff body, Eiji no longer felt pain whenever he moved. Of course, he wasn't fully recovered yet; he still suffered from internal injuries and needed more time to heal.

"Amazing, are all men from your place as strong as you and Saito?"

Tidying up the scattered bandages, Siesta asked curiously.

"No, I'm a special case. As for Hiraga Saito, he's just an ordinary person."

"Really? But Saito is very strong; he's definitely not an ordinary person."

Recalling Saito's previous battles, Siesta doubted Eiji's statement.

"Well, his power doesn't come from himself but from the Gandalfr rune engraved on his palm. Without it, he probably couldn't win a fight."

"Gandalfr rune?"

"Just consider it a special power Hiraga Saito obtained after forming a Familiar contract."

"Ah, I see, I understand."

Seeing Siesta nod, Eiji got off the bed and began to dress.

"It's already late, Eiji. Where are you going? You shouldn't go out; the patrols are tight because of the murder case this afternoon."

When Siesta heard the person killed was Count Mott, she was both happy and relieved that she didn't have to become the man's mistress.

Regardless of who was behind the murder, she was deeply grateful.

"I have something to do. Don't worry, I won't get caught. You should know I've been wandering around since yesterday, but I'm still safe, right? As long as I don't show myself, no one can find me."

Eiji had to go because through the Six Eyes, he sensed the magical energy of a stranger infiltrating Tristain Academy of Magic.

There was a 90% chance the intruder was Fouquet, attempting to steal the Staff of Destruction.

Of course, Eiji didn't want to stop Fouquet's theft; he wanted to use the other party as a guide to the treasure room in Tristain Academy of Magic.

"In that case, come back as soon as you're done. I'm worried something bad might happen to you."

Since Eiji only had one hand, Siesta helped him dress.

"Mhm."

Patting the head of the slightly shorter girl, Eiji nodded and walked to the door.

"Safe travels, I'll be waiting for you."

"..."

His steps halted for a moment, then he opened the door and left. Before the door closed, he turned and spoke softly.

"I'm going."

Without waiting for Siesta's reply, Eiji had already shut the door.

"Come back safely, Eiji."

Clenching her hands in front of her chest, Siesta prayed.

❀❀❀

The two moons illuminated the walls outside the fifth floor of Tristain Academy of Magic, protecting a treasure room. The light cast a shadow, which stood tall on the wall.

Fouquet the Crude.

Her long green hair fluttered in the wind as Fouquet stood tall, presenting herself as someone who had instilled fear in all the nobles of this country.

Pressing one foot against the wall, she felt the strength of the wall and couldn't help but admire it.

"The main tower of the academy is as strong as it looks... Is physical attack its only weakness? I can't break through something this thick without drawing attention."

For an earth magic expert like Fouquet, checking the thickness of a wall with her foot was no problem, but breaking through it was another matter.

"Damn it! I've come this far."

Fouquet ground her teeth in frustration.

"I won't leave without stealing the Staff of Destruction. No matter what."

She crossed her arms and sank into her thoughts. Unbeknownst to her, blue eyes were watching her actions from afar.

Since the figure had no magical energy, Fouquet couldn't detect the other party. Plus, she was preoccupied with figuring out how to break through without causing a commotion.

'It seems my choice to use Fouquet as a tool was the right decision. I could easily destroy the main tower, but that would cause a huge commotion. If I could use Limitless Technique, entering undetected would be child's play.'

Eiji patiently waited for Fouquet to find a solution to this problem.

'It's surprising, the true identity of Fouquet the Crude is the headmaster's mistress. What Naomi said is true, never trust a woman easily, especially a beautiful woman.'

He remembered Naomi's advice when he was still under her care.

Only a woman understands a woman. That's why Naomi earnestly advised Eiji about women to avoid being deceived in the future. After all, just with Eiji's appearance alone, he attracted various kinds of women, including those with bad motives.

"Hm? So that's it."

The Six Eyes detected the magical energy of four people.

Looking in that direction, he saw Saito, Louise, Tabitha, and Kirche approaching.

Fouquet quickly jumped into the bushes to hide when she heard the sound of conversation.

Eiji and Fouquet watched as they seemed to be competing in shooting targets using magic.

"I win, Vallière!" Kirche announced her victory.

Louise sat down, pulling grass with her hands in despair.

Meanwhile, Fouquet saw a crack in the wall from Louise's spell.

'What kind of magic is that? She chanted a fireball spell, but nothing came out of her wand, and the wall exploded like that. I've never heard of a spell that can make something explode like this.'

Fouquet shook her head. More importantly, she couldn't miss this opportunity. She began chanting a long spell, swinging her wand to the ground. When finished, a thin smile formed on her face.

A mound formed on the ground.

"How shameful, Vallière!" Kirche laughed.

Suddenly, she felt something behind her. She turned around but couldn't believe her eyes.

"What... What is this?!" Her mouth gaped.

What she saw was a giant earth golem moving toward them.

"Kyaaaaaaaa!!!!!" Kirche ran away, screaming.

Saito shouted behind her, "Hey! Hey! Don't leave me here!"

On the other side, Eiji knew this was the right moment to act. Ignoring the chaos, his figure moved swiftly without leaving a shadow on the ground.

Fouquet transformed the golem's fist into metal and commanded it to punch the wall.

*BAM*

A thundering sound echoed as the metal fist struck and broke down the wall.

Under the dark cloak, Fouquet grinned.

The golem moved her inside with its hand, and she entered through the hole, heading toward the treasure room.

The treasure room stored various valuable items, but Fouquet was only after one item.

"The Staff of Destruction."

A row of staffs of various kinds hung on the wall, but one caught her attention.

It was made of a type of metal she had never seen before. She saw a metal plate below it with the inscription: "Staff of Destruction, do not remove."

Her smile turned into a small laugh.

"Thank you for guiding the way."

A voice devoid of emotion sounded behind her. Instantly, Fouquet's nerves tensed.

"Who?!"

Before she could turn around to see, she felt a hard strike on her neck, causing her consciousness to fade quickly.

Before fully passing out, she vaguely saw a white-haired young man looking at her indifferently.

*BAM*

Fouquet's body hit the ground hard. Eiji didn't intend to catch her body but instead looked around.

The golem in front returned to the form of earth as its caster lost consciousness.

"Worthy of Tristain Academy of Magic's treasure room. There are many items I don't recognize." Eiji praised.