-692- What on earth has happened?

The rain began to pour...

Rain fell throughout the entire Machinart city of Liverpool. The sky was densely covered with dark clouds, where lightning and thunder raged within, causing the rain to intensify, making it particularly gloomy.

In this situation, the Machinart city was displaying an unknown chaos.

The reason for this was a recently spread eyewitness report.

What was the eyewitness report?

"A dragon appeared in the outskirts!"

It was just such a report.

"That's not our local menace!"

"It's an Eastern dragon!"

"An Eastern dragon has appeared!"

Similar reports spread rapidly through the city of Liverpool, stirring up a commotion among the people.

According to the eyewitness accounts, it was said that the dragon suddenly appeared in the outskirts and brought about strong winds, lightning, and thunder the moment it appeared. It even turned the sky into a dark and oppressive storm, which was quite awe-inspiring.

Shortly after, the dark clouds expanded outwards from the area where the dragon had appeared, covering the entire sky over the Machinart city of Liverpool.

Before long, torrential rain began to pour.

Among these eyewitnesses, someone said:

"What is the dragon attacking?"

"Didn't you see it? It breathed out ice!"

"And then the air froze!"

"Could that be an automaton?"

"Automatons aren't that terrifying, are they?"

People continued to discuss, whether in fear, excitement, agitation, or timidity, quickly spreading the news.

As a result, those with keen senses noticed something unusual, prompting both the local police and the Machinart forces to be alerted.

In the end, after some deliberation, the local government decided to send a team to investigate the situation.

However, before this decision was made, another team had already rushed to the outskirts.

This was a small group composed of only a few individuals, but they exuded an ominous and dangerous atmosphere.

All the team members were dressed in matching black cloaks, with hoods that concealed their entire bodies in darkness, making them impossible to discern.

This group, shrouded in an eerie and dangerous aura, moved stealthily like phantoms amid the rain-soaked scenery, their footsteps drowned out by the rain. They swiftly headed to the outskirts.

Before long, they arrived at the territory where the orphanage was located.

"..."

At this moment, everyone in the group came to an abrupt stop, all equally shocked by the scene before them. The reason was simple: they were all struck by the devastation of the territory.

Before them lay a territory that had been ravaged. All the buildings in the territory had turned into ruins, slowly burning in the pouring rain, causing black smoke to rise continuously.

The rain gradually extinguished the flames in various corners, but some areas stubbornly continued to burn, leaving a scene reminiscent of being under artillery fire.

However, besides the flames, in a more distant part of the territory, there were layers of ice, a very perplexing sight.

The people in black stared at this scene in stunned silence.

Until a while later...

"What on earth happened here, Nightingale?"

A person in black spoke in a deep voice, addressing one of their companions in the group.

The individual referred to as Nightingale raised her head slightly, and from her graceful posture, it was evident that she was a mature woman.

Indeed, she was.

"I'm not sure either," Nightingale responded in a surprisingly indifferent tone. "But you should know what happened at the Night Party last night, right?"

Upon hearing this, the people in black all nodded.

Evidently, these individuals had been monitoring the Night Party.

Rather than that, observing and monitoring the Night Party was their job, and not knowing was the real anomaly.

Nightingale continued, "The 99th, the foster daughter of Bronson from 'The Divine Works,' exhibited an extraordinary anomaly. According to the examination by the Medical Department, there seem to be traces of artificial modification in her body. So, I suspect that Bronson has been conducting forbidden experiments in secret."

That was the reason why these people in black appeared here.

"Touching forbidden magic, huh?"

"Even though he's not a Wiseman, daring to tamper with forbidden magic?"

"That does indeed require investigation."

One by one, the people in black made such remarks.

The person who initially questioned Nightingale also contemplated for a moment and then nodded.

"Since there's suspicion of involvement with forbidden magic, we cannot turn a blind eye to this."

After all...

"This is the work of our 'Mage's Association.'"

The person in black finally revealed the identity of those present.

———The "Mage's Association."

They don't interfere with history, follow the will of their father, and are responsible for maintaining order in the world of magic, preserving the balance in the world of magic.

The people present here are the operational division of the "Mage's Association" known as the "Crusaders."

Their mission is to crack down on magic-related crimes and forbidden research worldwide, arresting and investigating those who violate the charter of the magic world.

Now, these individuals have been assigned the task of monitoring the Night Party in the academy and discreetly observing various events.

However...

"Before we take action, it seems that a major battle occurred here."

Nightingale murmured, causing the tension in the surrounding air to rise.

At that moment...

"Who's there...!?"

The person who initially questioned Nightingale and appeared to be the leader of this division suddenly turned around sharply, casting a sharp gaze toward the territory ahead.

"...!?"

The individuals in black swiftly reacted, almost simultaneously stepping back, creating a surrounding formation. The rapidity of their movements and reactions demonstrated that everyone present was an exceptional magus. Perhaps these individuals possessed skills that surpassed the average "Thirteen"?

They encircled the area, welcoming a young man who, drenched in the rain, kept his head down as he walked out from the territory. He exposed himself in front of all the people in black.

Naturally, it was Rozen.

"You..."

The black-clad person named Nightingale immediately reacted upon seeing Rozen.

However, Rozen appeared oblivious, continuing to walk with his head down, concealing his expression under his wet bangs, stepping forward, and heading towards the city center.

The other people in black reached for their cloaks, seemingly considering stopping Rozen.

"Wait!"

Nightingale immediately spoke up, halting the actions of her comrades.

The black-clad individuals all stopped in their tracks.

Rozen continued to walk as if he hadn't noticed anything.

Not long after, Rozen left the encirclement of the people in black, walking through the rain and heading in the direction of the city center.

The people in black exchanged glances, and their gazes eventually settled on Nightingale.

Nightingale remained silent.

"Go inside and investigate."

After Nightingale said this, the other people in black wordlessly withdrew and entered the territory to conduct a search.

Leaving only Nightingale, she watched Rozen's departure and, after a while, reached out to remove her hood.

Under the hood, a cold and distant female professor's face was revealed.

"What on earth has happened?"

Staring at Rozen's departure, Kimberly, also known as Nightingale, murmured.

The answer, however, was known only to the person involved.