Chapter 121: A Promise to Complete the Mission

Andy noticed Duke’s expression subtly shift as Alvis’s eyes narrowed slightly. He distinctly remembered that Duke had caused him no small amount of trouble before.

Andy wasn’t generous enough to let him off easily, even though he knew Alvis was merely a pawn of the Clark father and son. When a dog bites a man, the man shouldn’t bite back, but he could certainly kill the dog and feast on its meat.

Andy had long planned to deal with the Clarks and then settle the score with this brat. Unexpectedly, he ran into him here. However, after their morning operation, the atmosphere in the capital and the academy had grown tense, making it unwise to stir up more trouble. So, Andy decided to bide his time.

Taking a closer look, Andy noticed something off in the boy’s gaze—why was he staring so intently at Flora? What was going on? At that moment, Daina sensed Alvis’s unusual behavior and stepped forward, positioning himself directly between him and Flora.

...

When Daina found Ebel today, he already knew that Baron Allen and his group had uncovered the contact point of the Azure Phoenix Society. He hadn’t expected the case to be cracked in less than a day. What surprised Daina even more was that Peter Clark was colluding with enemy spies. He was eager to see how the Clark family could still hold their heads high when their protection failures were scrutinized.

For those who betrayed their country for personal gain, Daina thought with a bitter smile, “Failing to protect” was actually serving the nation. Professor Bell was a pity—once a hopeful candidate for promotion to Golden Mage, he had died under the machinations of the Azure Phoenix Society.

Records from the Azure Phoenix Society revealed that they had hired the kingdom’s wanted criminal, One-Eyed Sherlock, during this operation. Unfortunately, when tracing his whereabouts, it was found that he had already left the capital, heading toward the western coast.

Although local lords were notified to be vigilant, relying on them to deal with such a formidable figure was a slim hope. The Charles family, upon hearing the news, dispatched a team to track him down. Daina could only hope they would achieve some results.

Learning that the key member of the Azure Phoenix Society, Alvis, was still at large, Daina hurried back to arrange a manhunt. After all, the capital’s law enforcement team had taken much credit for solving the case, while the Discipline Department remained largely ineffective.

This was a blow to the department head’s reputation. Only by capturing Alvis before the law enforcement team could the Discipline Department redeem itself.

He returned to the department and explained the case’s progress to Byron, who was there conversing with Andy and Flora. When they left, Byron informed Andy and Flora that their involvement was no longer needed—the case was closed.

Andy was initially curious, wondering how the case had been solved while he was still hanging around. But then he recalled that other parties had been involved in the operation, and he understood. Apparently, one of those sides had slipped up and been caught.

Thinking that he had been part of the operation but remained unscathed while others were found out, Andy felt a surge of intellectual superiority.

Flora smiled quietly beside him.

Byron had intended to ask them a few more questions to unearth new leads, but Daina stopped him, saying that since the matter was settled, closing the case promptly was in everyone’s best interest. It was unwise to complicate things further.

They then explained to Andy and Flora about Alvis’s ability to control the corpses of the deceased and mentioned that in the Discipline Department’s branch, they had seen Stein’s corpse being reanimated and used in a corpse explosion by Alvis.

Andy’s anger flared upon hearing this, while Flora broke down in tears. Andy awkwardly comforted her, and she finally managed to compose herself. They were advised to contact the capital’s law enforcement team to retrieve Stein’s remains and were even suggested to hire a professional mortician to prepare the body properly for burial.

As they were being escorted out, just reaching the Discipline Department’s gate, the door opened and someone walked in.

Daina recognized the newcomer immediately—Duke, the squad leader of the Outer Academy’s Discipline Department. When Daina had once tried to align with the Clark family, he had shared drinks with this guy at a banquet. But now that Peter was dead, Daina had no interest in a mere squad leader who had lost his backing.

Instead, Daina’s attention shifted to Flora. He had heard that she wielded considerable influence within the Clark family and handled most of Professor Hilly’s affairs. Since his connection to Peter Clark was severed, he would have to find another way through her.

While Daina was pondering this, he noticed the displeasure on Flora’s face. Following her gaze, he saw “Duke” staring straight at her.

Damn! He dared to covet the deputy dean’s woman? Daina saw his chance to intervene and stepped between Alvis, disguised as Duke, and Flora. With a cold reprimand, he said, “Do you know what time it is? I already issued a call for assembly to the Outer Academy. You show up this late? Neglecting your duty, huh? If you don’t want to work, start packing and get out of the Discipline Department by tomorrow!”

“Who said he’s to be kicked out?” Before Daina finished, the head of the Discipline Department’s voice rang out from outside the door. “I just received news that he was the only one in the department who accompanied Baron Allen in the raid on the Azure Phoenix Society’s contact point in the capital. Officially, Duke represented the Discipline Department in the operation, which helped us regain some face with the capital’s law enforcement. Daina, you’re something else—terrible at protecting people, always lagging behind others in solving cases, but quick to suppress your accomplished colleagues!”

The department head entered, nodded slightly at Flora in greeting, and then spoke kindly to Alvis.

“Duke, could you tell me in detail how you participated in this operation? I’ve only heard a few mentions from the law enforcement team and don’t know the full story.”

Alvis instinctively replied, seeing in the department head the shadow of the Azure Phoenix Society’s senior leadership.

“All thanks to your far-sighted leadership and decisive command, Director. I was ordered to accompany Baron Allen to a location in the capital to gather intelligence. From one of the staff members there, we finally obtained clues about the Azure Phoenix Society’s activities.”

The director laughed heartily. “Well done. But next time, don’t be a lone hero—call for backup from headquarters boldly. You’re too talented to remain in the Outer Academy. Come see me in a few days; the Inner Academy needs fresh blood like you.”

Alvis nodded, his calm and unshaken demeanor pleasing the director even more. He then assigned the three to focus on capturing the fugitive Alvis, urging them to do their utmost to beat the capital’s law enforcement to the arrest.

“We will complete the mission!” Daina, Byron, and Alvis said in unison.

Byron’s ring began to vibrate softly.

“Huh, someone’s telling a lie?” Byron wondered, “Could there be someone unwilling to complete the mission?”

“Who could it be?”

Tilting his head, Byron looked at Daina’s face, which flickered between pale and flushed. “Got scolded by the director and now wants to slack off?” Byron felt a slight sense of indignation at being compared to this guy.