Chapter 59

C59: The Almighty Stone (1)

The Almighty Stone exists.

The remark was so absurd that I didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Are you surprised?"

"It seems sudden."

Here, if the president laughed and said 'I was joking', I would have just dismissed it as a joke but looking at her, it seems that she is sincere.

"Ugh. First of all, I need to explain about the Almighty Stone."

The president said and lightly flicked her finger. It was a very natural and light act but the result wasn't. A huge and clear magical energy emanating from the president's fingertips moved and took form in front of me. It was obviously a stone that looked like a hologram in the air.

It was a surprising sight, but I took care of my expression and looked closely at the shape of the stone. Although it was called the Almighty Stone, it was closer to an unfinished gem, that is, a raw stone rather than a normal stone.

"As you can see, the Almighty stone is real. It is an object with unknown and mysterious powers that have been around for a long time that it is difficult to guess how old it is."

"It's a relic."

Ancient relics are old objects with mysterious power.

"You knew."

"Yes. I have heard something."

It's different from relics and artifacts.

Artifacts are artificially created for a single effect but relics aren't like that. It is not known who made them, how they were made, or how they work. At the same time, their effects and power are at least 100 times greater than the artifacts created by Archmages.

In a way, they are comparable to a strategic weapon that requires careful management. However, the number of Relics is so small that it is hard to find them on the entire continent as they have great power.

'Is there such a relic in Theon?'

"Mr. Rudger must have heard something, so it would be easier to explain. Yes, there is a relic in Theon called <The Almighty Stone>. To be precise, it has been stored in Theon for a very long time."

"Is that so?"

I nodded my head. However, if there is a problem, why did the president call me? Isn't this a secret no matter how I look at it?

"I need your help, Mr. Rudger."

"What are you talking about?"

"Currently, rumors about <The Almighty Stone> are spreading among the students. I mean, everyone in Theon already knows."

I nodded, because that was the question that Aidan posed to me right after today's class was over. At the time, I thought it was just a rumor and told the students to work hard.

"What's wrong with that?"

"In the first place, this rumor was not meant to be spread."

Oh, was it really like that?

"The fact that rumors of a Relic, which should have been kept secret, spread, means that inside information has leaked out."

"You're saying that someone didn't keep the secrecy properly?"

"Yeah. The Almighty Stone is a relic with so much power that it needs to be stored regularly."

To sum up the president's words, <The Almighty Stone> exists and it's a powerful relic that emits strong power by itself. It's kept in a secret place out of reach, but because of the power that the Relic itself emits, it doesn't matter if it's a storage box or a place.

'Of course, periodic maintenance and repair work is essential.'

If so, while fixing the storage location, the relic must be moved to another location for a while and then brought back, but the problem is that information leaked out during the process. That eventually became a rumor and circulated among the students.

"Someone is intentionally leaking information."

"Okay."

"It is for this reason that I called Mr. Rudger. I need your help."

I think I can understand what the president is talking about. She wants me to find the person who leaked the information.

I nodded right away.

"All right."

"You accepted it surprisingly easily."

The president opened her eyes wide as if she didn't think I would agree right away.

'I have to do it so that the president won't doubt me.'

The president really believed in me, so she entrusted me with this job. Thanks to my identity and my status as a former military officer I was her best choice. Although she is still suspicious of me, and it is highly likely that she will use this as an excuse to find the secrets I have hidden.

'In that case, it's better to just silently accept it without making a fuss.'

In order to receive her trust, I first needed to show that I was on her side. Trust in each other is not a one-way street, but a two-way exchange.

'In the long term, it is better to maintain a good relationship with the president. If I obtain her trust my days in Theon will be way easier.'

The reason I answered right away was because such a calculation was in place. Of course, it emphasizes the aspect of a soldier who simply silently carries out the orders of his superiors without showing it outwardly.

"Mr. Rudger pay attention to the rumors and if anyone makes any suspicious movements, please let me know right away. Other than that, you'll need to transport the relic."

"All right. When can I start moving?"

"The sooner the better."

"Are there any other teachers involved in this case besides me?"

"There are, but first of all, you will not have to face each other because your responsibilities are different."

"Okay."

If there are others, why are you calling me a new teacher? You seem to be on the fence about me. I went against Mr. Hugo's faction through a bet with Mr. Chris, but was that not enough?

"For now, Mr. Rudger, please act as usual. You still have time to move the relic."

"All right."

When the Relic is taken out of a safe place the forces that intentionally spread the rumors will be aiming for it and that faction is very likely to be the Black Dawn.

'Things are going to be fun. For now, let me, nominally the First Order of the Black Dawn, be tasked with finding the members of the organization.'

Was it a coincidence or was it intentional? If it's the latter, maybe the president thinks I wouldn't be able to do this if I was a traitor but that is a mistake.

'No one wants to oust the Black Dawn from Theon as much as I do.'

They are like shackles to me because I don't know when or where they will suddenly do something crazy. If they find out I'm an imposter, they'll do anything to kill me.

'Let's take this opportunity to check out how great the Black Dawn is.'

I did a great job hiring an assistant in advance since she is a Black Dawn minion.

"I will contact you later."

"Yes."

I got up from my seat, bowed my head, and left the president's office.

* * *

After Rudger left the office president Elisa Willow stopped filing her papers at the sound of a knock on the door and lifted her head.

"Come in."

With her permission, the door opened quietly and Wilford with a silver tray in one hand entered the president's office. On the tray were freshly brewed hot tea and cookies.

"Eat."

"Thank you."

"This is my job."

Elisa stretched out to relieve her body, then immediately picked up a cookie and put it in her mouth.

"Whoa. It's always good to taste Grandpa's cooking skills."

"You look pretty tired."

"Yeah."

She is the president who usually does not show her feelings, but Wilford was an exception. He had been her loyal supporter for a long time.

"So, did Mr. Rudger Chelici accept the offer?"

"Yes, he accepted quite easily."

Elisa thought Rudger would ask her some questions but he accepted without saying anything.

"A soldier who absolutely obeys the orders of his superiors......You could say that."

At first, she was skeptical of Rudger Chelici because she knew that suspicious people infiltrated Theon. Their existence was so subtle that it was hard to tell whether they were a user, a student, or a teacher and for this reason, Elisa put the new teachers on the line, especially Rudger, whose past history is relatively ambiguous but after seeing the duel she had no choice but to change her mind.

"It was surprising that my eyes didn't work. If you look at his behavior, it must be that his mental strength is that strong."

His evaluation among students was overwhelmingly good. In particular, the magic 'source code' that he made was enough to stimulate Elisa's curiosity even though she had only heard of it. She would have gone to Rudger before anyone else if she wasn't the president.

"Ha-ha. Did I not tell you that? He is a trustworthy person."

"You were suspicious at first, too."

"It was until I went to meet him at the station."

Elisa was skeptical because she didn't trust Rudger, but she still thought it was okay for her to trust him now because he made Hugo faction, which had been bothering her like a thorn in the eye, more embarrassed than anyone else. With that alone, she was able to relieve the stress of a year of working as president.

She still can't completely trust him, that's why she gave him this task.

'Mr. Rudger, this is the last time. Please show me more than I expected.'

The president muttered and ate the cookie.

* * *

As I was reading a thesis in the office, I raised my head at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"This is Sedina, sir. I came here after finishing the assignments."

"Come in."

I let Sedina open the door and come in. There was a feeling of tiredness on her face after she had completed the 80-person assignment, but there was also a sense of pride that she had accomplished it nonetheless.

"Here is a summary."

"Yes. It was a lot of work."

"Yeah."

I took off the rimless spectacles that were on my face and carefully looked at the material that Sedina had put together.

"Hmm. No problem. You did well."

"Oh, no. It was convenient because I just had to organize it."

"Good work. Now go and rest."

"Ah yes! Thank you!"

Sedina's face brightened at my compliments, and she left the office with exhilarating steps. Left alone again, I cleared the pile of homework that Sedina had been organizing, then turned my head to look out the window.

The sun was setting and the sky was darkening and the starlight shining on it was so dazzling that it was hard to see it when I was living on Earth.

Is it already night?

'The president will call me again in the next few days.'

A relic is kept in Theon and the Black Dawn is aiming for it. The President had been aware of the existence of the Black Dawn. Perhaps this will be the first proper fight between Theon and the Black Dawn.

'I can't make a quick decision as I haven't decided what to do yet, but I'm sure this is a big turning point.'

Even though it was the largest magic academy on the continent, I could not have imagined that there would be a Relic in such a place.

Relics are not simple objects, they contain enormous mysteries that even wizards cannot figure out now.

I took the medicine out of the medicine cabinet and poured it into my mouth. I felt my magical energy fill up with a refreshing feeling, and something came to my mind, so I pulled out an item from my pocket.

The president thought that I had heard a lot about Relics because I was a military officer, but in reality, that is not the case. There's only one reason why I wasn't very surprised when I heard about the Relic.

'Is it a Relic?'

I took out a piece of metal of unknown material that looks like a fragment from something round from my pocket.

'I didn't know I would find it in a place like this.'

I also had a relic. To be precise, a "fragment" of a Relic.