Player-Hunting Inquisitors

Chapter 9

"Yuria, did you hear about the explosion at the training ground yesterday?" Riel asked Yuria.

"Yes, I heard. They said it was darkness attribute magic." Yuria replied calmly.

At the church, as usual, the three of us gathered to discuss today's incident.

Since Riel and I were at the scene, it was mainly about informing Yuria of what we experienced.

"It's suspicious. Can you investigate it, Yuria?"

"Of course. I'll start by telling you what I know."

Darec, being a commoner, has no family name. He's a student admitted to the Academy for his recognized talent in magic despite being a commoner.

Although he lacks knowledge, his unique attribute allowed him to be admitted to the Academy.

Considering his family background, he receives a scholarship and is said to show exceptional talent in magic.

"But you know, aren't you curious about the source of that talent?"

"It must be the status window."

"I think so too."

Riel also agreed with my opinion.

"In magic, the most important thing is precision, right? But for someone without a teacher to handle a rare attribute, it's incredibly suspicious."

This is what makes players frightening.

They acquire the talents they desire by completing quests.

They operate on a completely different level from ordinary people.

"First, I'll send someone to investigate his whereabouts.

If it's the village where he was born, there should be clues left behind."

"I'll leave it to you, Yuria."

Following Cornell, another player suspect has emerged.

It's unlikely that there are only two. It must be that an unskilled player accidentally revealed their identity.

Truly important players are likely still hiding their identities.

It's crucial to eliminate the secondary branches as quickly as possible.

"Riel, Yuria. I plan to use the field practice to uncover their identities."

"Field practice?"

"Yes. You two have been assigned to the area I'm in charge of.

Add Cornell Young Master to the group as well."

"That's not difficult."

"I'll inform you of the details once they're prepared. For now, just know that it will happen then."

In truth, I haven't planned everything in detail.

I've applied for the preliminary survey happening next week, so I'll finalize the plan once I go there myself.

Suddenly, the number of player suspects has increased.

This is going to be quite a headache.

**

The field exploration consisted of four professors, including myself.

Well, since we were all familiar faces, it wasn't awkward.

There was Professor Dairen from the Swordsmanship Department, Professor Callas from the Magic Department, and lastly, Director Veronica.

In some ways, it was expected.

Both professors were skilled enough to lead the advanced class, and I must have the highest combat ability among the theology professors.

Naturally, the Academy's highest authority, the director, accompanied us.

"Now, let's divide this forest into four sections and each inspect one area."

The Forest of Beasts grows more dangerous as you head west.

Therefore, students will be sent out starting from the eastern side.

If any students go too far west, it's the professor's role to stop them.

'Not only do we have to ensure the students' safety, but we also have to identify players... Performing both tasks simultaneously won't be easy.'

I carefully inspected the area I was assigned, making sure not to miss anything.

My assigned area was the southern section.

Since the mountains here rise steeply, it's not a place where many students come.

However, since some students might camp using natural caves, it's necessary to inspect any noticeable caves.

'This cave... It seems to have an owner?'

While searching the caves one by one, I discovered a cave with traces of a living creature.

Scattered across the cave floor were the brittle bones of beasts.

Judging by the wear and breakage, they seemed to have accumulated here for quite some time.

Observing the size and shape of the bones, I could infer they belonged to a large predator, likely at the top of the food chain.

Silently, I ventured deeper into the cave and found a freshly shed skin.

'Judging by the size of the skin, it's a fairly large snake-shaped monster. I should report this.'

Field practice is designed to avoid destroying nature whenever possible.

Thus, even the professors conducting the preliminary survey avoid subjugating monsters.

Unless it's an extremely dangerous monster, the proper response is to block student access while leaving it alone.

I channeled magic into the crystal ball I received at the start of the survey.

"This is Kian. I've confirmed a large snake-shaped monster living in a cave on the mountainside in the southern area."

Director Veronica's response came immediately. It seems to be a widely known monster.

"Ah, Professor Kian. That monster is the Forest Big Worm. It's safe as long as you don't enter its territory, so just guide the students to avoid climbing the mountainside."

"Understood."

I took out my notebook and made a record.

'The monster on the mountainside... Could Yuria or Riel handle it? If possible, it's a good opportunity to provoke it.'

I inspected other caves in the mountains, but there was nothing unusual.

Aside from the snake-shaped monster, there didn't seem to be any other significant threats.

When the time came, I arrived at the gathering point.

"There's nothing unusual in the southern area except for the matter I reported."

"Good, thank you for your effort."

The other professors also arrived one by one and reported no abnormalities.

In the end, the field practice will proceed as planned.

**

Meanwhile, Riel and Yuria, who remained at the Academy, proceeded with the tea party as scheduled.

Unlike the previous tea party, this one included Cornell, a player suspect.

Riel and Yuria entered the tea party venue, maintaining composure despite their tension.

Cornell was seated with his fiancée Viola beside him, but his gaze occasionally drifted past Viola to linger on Yuria and Riel.

As if observing them, or admiring a fine work of art. At his gaze, Riel whispered softly.

"You were right, Yuria. His eyes are filled with lust."

Yuria nodded slightly.

"Exactly. Other young masters can't even meet our gaze properly out of fear of our family, but he doesn't care about status and acts like that."

Riel and Yuria exchanged words quietly, ensuring no one else could hear.

"He really doesn't seem to care about status at all. He probably thinks it's strange to even consider it."

"If he's a player, that would make sense... In his world, there wouldn't have been nobles or anything like that."

As someone at the pinnacle of noble society, Yuria understood the importance of status all too well.

That's why Cornell's current attitude was irritating.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Yuria of the Tenia Family. Thank you for accepting my invitation today."

Yuria stood at the center of the tea party venue and greeted the attendees.

Behind Yuria, a chandelier intricately adorned with crystal decorations emitted a soft light.

On the table were teacups with delicate patterns, colorful floral arrangements, and the sweet scent of tea wafted gently.

The luxurious carpet muffled footsteps so much that they were barely audible.

People chatted in small groups with soft laughter, but among the gazes, some carried a mix of reverence and jealousy toward Yuria and Riel.

"I hope today serves as an opportunity to strengthen our bonds with one another."

With light applause, people began mingling and chatting as they moved around.

The main topic of conversation was the upcoming field practice.

No matter how noble they were, they were still Academy students in the end.

Naturally, the conversation gravitated toward that topic.

Yuria sat across from Cornell and struck up a conversation with him.

Normally, he should have shown a reaction of being flustered and humbled, but Cornell strangely displayed an ordinary response.

"Young Master Monclair, it's been a long time. How long has it been since you last attended a tea party?"

"Let's see, it's been almost three years. I apologize for not attending properly due to my youthful indiscretions and wandering."

"No, it's alright. It's fortunate that I can see you in good health now."

Haha! Did Lady Tenia also hear the news? Thanks to divine intervention, I've been able to attend the Academy like this.

'On the surface, he doesn't seem any different from an ordinary noble youth. But... there's something subtly awkward about him. It's as if he's wearing a mask, hiding his true intentions.'

Yuria paid close attention, trying not to miss even the slightest changes in Cornell's expressions.

However, even after talking with him, it was difficult to immediately discern his true identity.

Yuria changed her target and spoke to the fiancée sitting beside him.

"You must be Cornell's fiancée, right?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Tenia. I'm Viola, Cornell's fiancée."

'Viola, a commoner. The daughter of a prominent merchant in the Monclair Count's territory.'

The relationship between the two, as Yuria knew, was purely a marriage of convenience.

It was the result of the Monclair Count's desire to enrich his territory by leveraging the merchant's power and the merchant's wish to marry his daughter into nobility.

Perhaps because of this, the two didn't seem particularly close.

It felt more like they were merely accompanying each other out of courtesy.

"Oh my, Yuria, here you are."

Riel, who had been surrounded by other noble ladies, naturally sat down beside Yuria.

The two of them continued their conversation with Cornell and Viola in a way that wouldn't arouse suspicion.

"By the way, have you two decided on your group for the field practice?"

"We haven't decided yet."

His grip on the glass looked a bit awkward, but considering he had been ill for a while, it wasn't too strange.

"If you don't mind, would you like to join our group? We happen to have two spots available."

"It would be an honor!"

Once the conversation had ripened enough, they naturally brought them into their group for the field practice.

The Tenia Ducal Family is the greatest family in the Empire.

A mere count family and the merchant tied to that family wouldn't dare refuse Yuria's words.

Moreover, since Yuria had always been known for taking good care of others, she successfully included them in the group without raising much suspicion.

'Well done, Yuria!'

'You're too kind.'

Having accomplished their purpose, the two left their seats and mingled with others at different tables.

Even so, they didn't let their guard down and continued to monitor Cornell, but he didn't show any more suspicious behavior.

As Riel and Yuria conversed with most of the attendees, the sun began to set.

Unfortunately, they couldn't confirm with certainty that Cornell was a Player, and the tea party concluded.

"It's strange. If he's a noble, shouldn't he be paying more attention to Viola?"

"Well, that could simply be because he's not close to Viola. If it's just an engagement without affection, it's not that unusual."

"Really? That's disappointing. The suspicion is building, but there's no concrete evidence."

There's nothing we can do about it. He must be quite accustomed to gatherings like this.

Still, we achieved the important goal, didn't we?

Ultimately, today's objective was to make him part of their group.

Uncovering his true identity would have to wait until the field practice.

Swallowing their disappointment, Riel and Yuria left the venue.

Finally, the day of the field practice arrived.