"Welcome to the Sorcery Museum. This way, please... Please take your ticket." The young museum staff member spoke politely and methodically. He was facing an endless, constant stream of people flowing into the museum.
Upper Isheevor was compared to the
"Safe Zone" (A region of intense competition) for people pouring in from all corners of Rektess. The chaos and fierce competition were merely an important part of driving and developing this city to grow.
A group of students from various institutions gathered for a field trip at the museum. They were divided into small groups to seek knowledge and gather experience from the exhibits. The Isheevor Sorcery University, a magic institution, was not to be outdone. Even though it was located in Central Isheevor, they had sent a small group of students to join this field trip.
While his classmates were busy preparing to enter the museum, Lud, a highly determined young man and the sole junior disciple of Master Asman, paid no attention. He calmly wandered off along the path, as if he had a different thought in mind. He whistled a familiar tune softly but clearly. His extremely relaxed demeanor contrasted sharply with the surrounding commotion.
Meanwhile, Konji was on a rooftop. He scanned his eyes thoroughly around the area, as if observing all movements, before quickly glancing down at Lud below.
"Is that..?"
"Fanet..." Konji said softly from above, speaking through a communicator radio. It was a precise long-distance communication. "It looks like the Isheevor students have arrived here."
The communicator radio's voice was intermittent with periodic static, but the message spoken was still clearly discernible. Fanet's voice, heard through the radio, said "...I'll keep an eye on them myself."
On the other side, Fanet had changed into a polite and neat museum staff uniform. His previous appearance was completely altered, making his disguise incredibly smooth.
Their communication was completely cut off. Konji put the communicator radio in his coat. He looked lethargically at the large museum building towering before him. He still kept both hands in his pockets. Konji slowly and easily stepped across the building rooftops. He leaped across nearby buildings comfortably and nimbly, as if it were routine.
. Below, a small child vaguely saw Konji above. The child's confused face showed pure innocence. His eyes stared blankly at the sight, as if it was something he didn't understand.
Konji finally reached close to the museum building. He used numerous rooftops as his path, never once stepping on the ground below. It was an unusual arrival for a Sorcerer and an ordinary person. No one saw him; it was as if people were not focused on or did not bother to look up. He was completely overlooked amidst the chaos below.
He infiltrated the museum silently through an upper balcony window, choosing an unexpected and complex route. He tidied his hair politely, and used his hand to smooth his clothes a bit more a meticulous attention to detail before confidently stepping further. This time, Konji did not carry his sword with him at all, to make his appearance seem normal and unsuspected in the eyes of others, a smart adaptation to the mission.
The area he arrived at was the Ancient Artifacts Exhibition Zone. It was filled with stone carvings from old civilizations and meticulously collected historical items. Every piece was well-kept inside glass display cases. A group of teenagers and some people were walking in this exhibition zone. They were all stopping to look at the displayed items with interest, just as Konji was doing.
The crowd continued to flood into the area, everyone bustling about in disarray. The communicator radio in Konji's coat emitted a slight static noise. Under strict law, this device was only permitted for use by staff and authorized personnel, which meant Konji was breaking the law.
At that moment, he quickly ran into a small room to avoid being seen by anyone. The action was full of secrecy. He squatted down on the floor in the small room before taking out the communicator radio. He held the radio to his lips and whispered with maximum caution. Konji pressed the receiver button on the communicator radio. The static suddenly quieted, and Enklas's voice, full of urgency, replied
"...In Zone 1... there are six Kaman soldiers stationed..."
Konji's eyes became calm and cold, a contrast to Enklas's urgent tone, before he spoke with confidence
"...Don't worry... The students are at the museum... and I'm here."
Konji said with a calmer tone, before adding confidently, "Besides... it's not time for them to make a move on 'us' yet."
Enklas agreed to Konji as if he was completely receiving an order from his superior. Konji then decisively hung up and quickly put the communicator radio back into his coat pocket.
Konji pretended to stumble slightly before walking into the crowd of people viewing the museum. It was an act of blending in and acting like an unsuspicious, normal person in the crowd.
"Are you alright, sir..." A young staff member politely asked Konji, his voice full of curiosity and concern. He walked toward Konji as if to help support him.
Konji held up his hand to stop the young staff member from approaching him, displaying a confused and disoriented expression, as if he was slightly out of his mind, to cover up the situation.
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"No... I'm fine..." Konji said faintly.
"I... I just drank a bit too much." The lie was told smoothly to match his unsteady demeanor.
The young staff member smiled slightly with understanding and offered Konji a pill, as if it were a remedy for heavy drinking. Konji quickly snatched the pill into his hand before stumbling away immediately, smoothly maintaining the image of an incapacitated person.
The moment he walked past that zone, Konji snapped back to his normal composure. Both hands were in his coat pockets. He scanned his eyes around. While he was observing, a female staff member walked up to him. Her face was friendly. She wore a work suit that looked very neat and refined, distinctly different from the uniforms of other staff in the area. Her outfit reflected a superior taste.
"...This ancient gem... the museum has preserved it excellently and passed it down through many eras." She said, looking at the gem blocked by a sturdy glass case. Providing such attentive detail and explanation was a normal practice for staff to impress visitors.
...Konji continued to stare at the gem in the glass case, without once looking away to look at her. "Is that so..." He replied flatly
"It looks amazing... truly."
She (the female staff member) smiled slightly with delight at Konji's compliment about the gem's amazingness. In that short time, another woman opened a door and called out concisely:
"...Rophalia... it's your turn now." After speaking, she quickly walked away.
The female staff member was walking away. At the same moment Konji heard the name "Rophalia" mentioned, his previously calm eyes immediately widened, as if struck by a sudden truth.
"Wait a minute!!" Konji quickly called out, his voice louder than it should have been, and whipped around toward her quickly, before the female staff member could walk away.
She slowly turned back, revealing a face that clearly matched the picture of
"Sinhe Rophalia". In that instant, Konji's senses seemed to freeze, as if time had stopped. He was lost in a trance of undeniable truth. Her hair was long and flowing, complementing her ordinary-looking face, but what drew the eye was the attentive gaze, making her appearance look warm and friendly.
...She smiled slightly with genuine gentleness and humility. That smile was completely different from the image Konji had speculated in his mind, deeply surprising him. The smile made her seem like a completely different person from the girl in the picture he had seen. The overall feeling suggested that the image in the picture might only be what they themselves thought she should be.
"There are a lot of customers... Try your best..." Konji spoke words far removed from the truth he wanted to say. He smiled slightly and immediately turned his back, leaving her with a grateful smile in response to his encouragement.
He walked out of the exhibition zone and stopped at a window, which overlooked the view from the museum's balcony. The wind blew in, causing his hair to flutter with the rhythm. At the same time, a sense of seriousness and hardness clearly returned to his eyes. His face transformed into coldness.
Stay tuned for the next episode....