I Realized It Was An Academy Game After 10 Years – Chapter 49

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…It’s a familiar item.”

I held up the item I found while searching the bodies of the men who would never be able to have children again, examining it under the moonlight.

A small crossbow that could be worn on the wrist, designed to be hidden in long sleeves, and a pendant that gave off an ominous aura.

The pendant felt unsettling.

…And it seemed like something I had seen in the game.

I was sure it was the symbol of some cult… Ha… Ha…Ca… What was it?

It was something with ‘Ha’.

“Anyway, this should be enough evidence.”

An ordinary person wouldn’t carry something that exuded such a sinister aura.

I made handcuffs using nearby trees as materials to restrain the three captives’ hands and feet, preventing them from moving, and sprinkled paralysis powder on top of that like seasoning.

Ah, I need to start conserving this now.

Since I brought it from the deserted island, there’s nowhere to replenish it anymore.

It would be nice if there were mushrooms with the same vegetation here, but there probably aren’t.

If it were a mushroom from the continent, there’s no way I, who used to collect them like crazy, wouldn’t know.

No, I might have forgotten, so I can’t be sure.

When I go to the academy, I’ll have to try trading with the alchemists.

If possible, my goal is to establish connections with the Alchemy Department.

After all, my abilities have good compatibility with alchemy.

Well, that’s not something to think about now, so let’s move on…

“…How do I take these guys back?”

If it were just one person, I could carry them on my back, but there are three, so I can’t do that.

Do I have to make a cart on the spot and take them back?

A cart, a cart… I recalled the carts I had seen on the streets.

Since there are no horses, I’ll have to make it in the form of a rickshaw, right?

Using the moonlight as illumination, I drew a rough shape of a cart on the ground.

The drawing was so grotesque that anyone who saw it might think it was a child’s scribble due to my lack of artistic talent, but it was not a big problem as long as I could recognize it.

After roughly gathering the image that came to mind, I wandered around the area and examined the nearby trees.

Fortunately, the trees growing in the forest seemed to be of quite good quality.

“…It’s not illegal, right?”

Since I caught the culprits, they’ll take that into consideration, right?

Although it’s not confirmed yet…

“Crafting.”

I divided the tree into four parts using the skill, then used the skill again to create components.

It was my first time making a cart, so it was difficult to create a finished product right away.

I made the wheels separately, crafted the body separately, and then combined the two using the skill.

“Crafting.”

As the skill activated, a quite presentable cart appeared before my eyes.

Although there were some noticeable rough parts, it was a one-time use, so it didn’t matter much.

It looks quite decent for a first attempt.

I didn’t consider ride comfort when making it, so motion sickness and bruising would come simultaneously, but since I wasn’t the one riding it, there was no need to care.

Unlike Koreans, this place doesn’t care about the human rights of criminals at all.

I placed the three people on the cart one by one and grabbed the handle.

And then I belatedly realized one thing.

“…Where am I supposed to go?”

I can’t go back through the sewers.

…I’ll just go around following the wall.

With a mindset of just moving for now, I started moving my legs aimlessly.

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“Who goes there?!”

“I’ve caught the ones who tried to assassinate the saint.”

“What did you say? Who are you…”

Before the guard could finish his sentence, I took out the token of the Kalon Church from my pocket and showed it to them.

As soon as the guards saw the token, they slightly relaxed their guarded expressions.

“Are you saying that you, a guest, caught those guys?”

“Their tails were long.”

Judging from their suspicious looks, they didn’t seem to trust my words.

It was only natural.

If some man came pulling a cart with people on it and asked to be let in, saying he was a guest, it would be suspicious from the start.

“…Hans. Inform the captain.”

“Yes, sir!”

The guard with a name that sounded like he would defect well immediately ran off upon hearing the order.

The guard who was questioning me spoke to me with an expressionless face.

“Please wait a moment.”

If you say wait, I’ll wait.

Not wanting to cause trouble, I obediently followed the guard’s words.

Fortunately, the guard named Hans quickly brought back an elderly-looking guard.

Perhaps he had been grilled a lot due to this incident, as a tired look was evident on his face.

The man, who seemed to be the guard captain, looked at me with a surprised expression and said,

“You’re the one who came with Lady Karina…”

“That’s right.”

If he knew my face, things would be a bit easier.

I stepped aside to reveal the people lying on the cart and said,

“These guys seem to be involved in the recent assassination attempt on the saint.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Look at this.”

I held out the necklace to the guard.

The guard looked at the necklace and then glanced at the men with a startled expression.

“This is…”

“Do you recognize it?”

“It’s the symbol of the Halphas Cult. Are you saying they had this?”

“Yes.”

The guards’ eyes sharpened as they looked at the three unconscious men.

In this city full of Kalon Church followers, it was obvious what the attitude towards a heretical religion would be.

I said to the guards, who looked like they were about to draw their swords at any moment,

“Can I go in?”

“Of course, you should. Hans, Pierce. Pull the cart and escort this person to the temple in his place.”

“Yes, sir!”

Is he saying they will protect me in case of an unexpected attack?

Then I should gratefully accept.

I arrived at the temple under the escort of the guards.

When I arrived in front of the temple, Archbishop Pierre came running out with his massive body, as if he had heard the news from somewhere, and approached me.

“Sir Johann! Is it true that you caught the culprits?”

“It’s not certain. But I found this in their possession.”

“Halphas…!”

Archbishop Pierre’s face trembled.

As soon as I showed the pendant, Archbishop Pierre glared at the heretics I had caught with a face that looked like it would explode at any moment.

Having served as an archbishop for a long time, Pierre quickly calmed down and ordered the guards,

“Take them to the prison. The temple will… personally interrogate them.”

From Pierre’s eyes, I could sense that they would absolutely not have a good time.

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“Renny…”

“Lady Karina, are you alright?!”

I have no strength.

That was the first thought that came to Karina’s mind when she opened her eyes.

It was a sensation similar to when she was first cast away on the deserted island.

Karina rolled her eyes, which were relatively free to move, and looked at Renny, who was looking down at her with a worried expression.

“What happened…”

“An assassin sent by the Halphas Cult disguised as an escort and shot a crossbow bolt into your back, Lady Karina. Johann caught them and they are currently being interrogated by the church.”

“Sir Johann did…?”

“Yes. I don’t know where he caught them, but he tracked them down and caught them in an instant. How he found them… If we hadn’t escaped from the deserted island together, I would have been suspicious.”

Due to the assassination attempt on the saint, which brought shock and terror to the church that had become lax after a long period of peace, the church was in turmoil every day.

While uncovering the spies who had infiltrated the church, those in charge who failed to notice that people had been replaced despite this incident were severely punished, and a search operation began throughout the entire city to catch the remnants of the Halphas Cult.

Renny also wanted to join the ranks, but she was just an escort after all.

She buried her surging anger deep in her heart and focused solely on staying by Karina’s side.

Since a spy had been discovered within the church, she couldn’t entrust Karina’s protection to anyone else.

“What a relief…”

“The curse cannot be resolved by the clergy of the Lorelei branch. It seems we’ll have to go to Professor Lennon, who teaches curse studies at Kalon Academy. That’s our most reliable option.”

The curse placed on the arrow, designed to kill Karina by any means, was by no means trivial.

The moment the priest tried to remove the arrow, he was cursed and instantly lost his vitality, turning into a mummy.

Even then, the priests had to pour holy magic to barely seal it.

“I never thought… things would turn out like this.”

“Me neither, Lady Karina.”

Renny felt a sense of unease that this would not be the end.

Those who were blatantly trying to kill the saint wouldn’t stop after just this one attempt.

‘…Why are they targeting Lady Karina?’

It was a well-known fact that a saint was a nuisance to cults like Halphas that worshipped demons as gods.

But the reason they hadn’t touched her until now was because the Halphas Cult had lost the power to even scheme after being defeated in a war that determined the fate of the church hundreds of years ago.

But now they’re attempting an assassination?

Why?

What good would it do to provoke the Kalon Church?

Unresolved questions began to coil up in Renny’s mind, tapping at her thoughts.

The snake that had settled in her mind would continue until the Halphas Cult was destroyed.

‘…For now, let’s focus on bringing Lady Karina to the academy. Archbishop Pierre said he would assemble a large escort force…’

Renny made a silent resolve and gently held Karina’s trembling hand.

No matter what, the most important thing to her was Karina.

Even if the world were to end.

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