I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 807 - Side Story 80: Unknown Danger (1)

Hyperborea is a continent in the sea beyond the Northern Continent. Some people called it an island because its size was small compared to other continents, but that wasn't very important.

The sight of sheer ice cliffs forming massive walls was spectacular. With ice walls standing between sky and sea, the blue seemed to meet as one, as if breaking down the boundaries of the world.

'If someone who didn't know saw it, they'd think it was something like the North Pole, but I can feel life force from that harsh land.'

The ship circled along the outer edge of the island. As the cliffs gradually became gentler, a makeshift port where ships could dock came into view.

Several ships were anchored there, and people could be seen busily moving about to unload cargo.

A situation where wizards, mercenaries, archaeologists, adventurers, and merchants who'd caught the scent of money were all mixed together.

Even though rumors about the new continent hadn't completely spread, hundreds and thousands of people had arrived at this place.

'In a few days, it'll multiply by dozens of times.'

When that happened, the continent of Hyperborea would be filled with all kinds of chaos. And eventually, there would be those who would try to exploit that chaos to reveal their ambitions.

'So I need to finish as quickly as possible before that happens.'

Cassie was thinking along similar lines.

"It's absolutely packed with people. I wonder if this will be okay." 

"It's an uncharted, unknown continent after all. Who knows what kind of incidents might occur."

Actually, this was the biggest problem. The people gathered here weren't any kind of cooperative group. They were all moths drawn to a single light to satisfy their own greed.

For now they were getting along, creating this makeshift base, but in reality they all thought of each other as competitors.

In fact, if you looked carefully at the people's appearances, you could catch them glancing at others with wary eyes.

When the Selmore family's ship docked in an empty spot, the people carrying cargo turned to look this way.

Unlike other ships, a more refined and expensive-looking ship had docked, so naturally it couldn't help but draw attention. Especially when the number of people disembarking was embarrassingly small to even call a group—just 4 people.

Ignoring the people whispering among themselves, Hans stretched his stiff body.

"Ohhh. Staying on a ship for so long is killing me." 

"You weren't even on it that long, and yet you're exaggerating."

It wasn't just any ship—it was the Selmore family's ship. And Cassie was on that ship.

Originally, a ship departing from the port would take at least two days to reach Hyperborea, no matter how fast it went.

But Rudger and Hans were able to arrive in less than half a day. It was all thanks to Cassie.

Thanks to her moving the seawater in real-time, the ship was able to cross the ocean at several times its normal speed.

What was even more amazing was that despite traveling at such high speed, there was no shaking whatsoever. Even Hans, who usually couldn't stand being on ships for long, thought this was tolerable.

"Well, we've arrived, but what are you planning to do now?"

Cassie asked, glancing at the bustling crowd. They'd reached Hyperborea, but they were essentially just at the starting line.

"Ah. You don't need to worry about that."

It was Veronica who answered instead.

"The Empire's agents went ahead and are waiting. We just need to rendezvous with them." 

"Do you know where they are?" 

"A mark has been designated. They said they'd be staying at an inn with an eagle emblem."

Veronica confidently took the lead, saying she would guide them.

The makeshift outpost, though hastily constructed, boasted considerable scale. The buildings made by combining wood and masonry were not only practical but also fulfilled certain aesthetic elements.

They were made by wizards, and the results showed their expertise in magic. People's eyes were filled with longing. Perhaps it was desire. Whatever it was, they were burning hot. Even though this was the northernmost frigid environment, you could feel the air heating up.

Naturally, there were also problems scattered about accordingly.

"Hey you bastards! This is our territory!" 

"You sons of bitches, you want to die!" 

"What are you staring at!"

These were already people who did dangerous work, and they'd become highly sensitive about relics on top of that. They were in a state where they could easily explode at the slightest touch.

'It's literally like a bunch of hedgehogs with their spines raised, swarming around together.'

They react sensitively to even the slightest prick. Whether it's intentional or not doesn't matter. That's just the atmosphere.

As a result, fights broke out everywhere. Once a fight started, it didn't end until one side was covered in blood. In severe cases, lives were at risk.

However, even when people died, no one pointed it out or worried about it. Rather, they were secretly relieved that a competitor had been reduced.

'This place is extraterritorial, beyond the reach of national systems. Even the Empire can't do anything in Hyperborea.'

Right. They had essentially been dropped into a wild forest where no one could protect them.

Naturally, if predictably, there were quite a few who targeted not just relics but weak-looking individuals as prey.

"Hey there, miss. Are the rest your companions?"

A man with an eye patch and yellowed teeth blocked Veronica's path with a sinister smile.

Crack!

Instead of answering, Veronica immediately kicked the man's leg. His leg bent in a direction it shouldn't be able to bend, and the man screamed.

Veronica immediately grabbed the man by the neck and threw him far into an alley.

"Mm. This way! Let's go!"

She even said this with a refreshing smile on her face. It was hard to believe this was the person who had just instantly taken down a man.

The companions of the man who had first spoken felt chills at the sight and quickly fled, picking up the fallen man.

"Whew. Blue-haired miss over there. What brings you to a place like this? Ah, are you perhaps looking for work? How about it? I'll give you a good price."

This time it was a man throwing advances at Cassie.

Cassie turned to look that way and smiled faintly. She didn't smile often, but she was quite a beauty. When she smiled, a refreshing scent spread around like clear spring water flowing.

It wasn't an illusion. A massive spring of water materialized in midair and swallowed the body of the man who had spoken to Cassie.

Splash!

The massive stream of water lifted the man into the air and then threw him far out to sea.

"Crazy."

People watching the scene gaped.

She had manifested magic in empty air, without any incantation, spell formation, or magical tool. When Cassie started walking, people began clearing a path on their own. After Veronica and Cassie had shown a few examples like this, no one bothered them anymore.

Hans and Rudger silently followed behind the two women. Since things were proceeding smoothly on their own without any need to step in, it was actually more convenient.

"Mm. There it is!"

Veronica finally spotted a tavern. Just as she'd said, it had an eagle emblem.

When they opened the door and went inside, they saw people drinking even in broad daylight. Their intoxicated eyes turned toward Veronica.

Just when it seemed another problem might arise, Veronica didn't want that either this time, so she revealed her true ability.

"Would you mind leaving for a moment? I have business here."

As soon as her words ended, a cold wave swept the surroundings. The aura of cold energy emanating from Veronica's entire body swept through the interior of the tavern.

The people touched by that cold energy sobered up instantly. Without anyone taking the lead, they jumped up from their seats and rushed out of the tavern.

What remained was the owner wiping glasses.

"I'm looking for someone."

Veronica asked the owner. The owner looked surprised at first, then regained composure and asked.

"I see. Who are you looking for? Finding someone here won't be easy. So many people are wandering around." 

"About 5 people. All male, wearing dark gray hooded robes. Oh, and they're carrying items with an eagle emblem."

Having said this much, the owner should be able to know.

"What? So they were Empire people?" 

"From that reaction, it seems you know?" 

"Of course I know. Hmm, you're a bit late though. They left here this morning." 

"They left?"

Veronica frowned at the news that the field agents, who should have rendezvoused with them before moving, had left.

"I don't know why. But judging by how they were rushing around, it seemed like something urgent came up. That's all I know. I thought they might return before sunset, but looking at the situation at the time, it didn't seem like it." 

"Hmm. Thank you for your answer."

Veronica took out a banknote and offered it to the owner. The owner accepted it naturally.

"If you keep going north, you'll get there. Of course, that's the only place to go anyway, but still, if you move quickly, you might be able to rendezvous with them."

Perhaps because he'd received money, the owner kindly added an explanation.

Veronica returned to her companions and said.

"It seems something has happened."

"If the agents moved first, they had no choice."

The field agents, who should have prioritized rendezvousing with them under normal circumstances, had moved first. They said they moved urgently, so there must certainly be a reason commensurate with that.

"It seems we need to move quickly. I have a bad feeling about this."

The group immediately left the tavern and headed for the northern exit the owner had mentioned. Other explorers seemed to be going the same way, as various vehicles from carriages to automobiles and steam trucks raced along the unpaved road.

Tire tracks were carved into the muddy ground where half-melted ice had become one with the soil. Occasionally puddles that had formed splashed to the side, spraying filthy water.

"Ugh. The smell is quite strong."

Hans held his nose and shook his head. Unlike others, with his particularly sensitive sense of smell, he didn't like this environment at all.

"You handled it well enough before." 

"My goodness, brother. It's already been 3 years since I left this kind of fieldwork. I have seniority too, you know. Would I move around in places like this of my own accord?" 

"It just sounds like you've lost your edge." 

"Not quite that much. It's just hard to adapt to being back in active duty like this."

Hans grumbled. But even as he spoke, his eyes were moving sharply as if searching for something.

Hans, who had followed the footpath out of the outpost, stopped walking.

Veronica and Cassie turned to look at Hans. They too knew how unusual Hans was, so they didn't question his eccentric behavior.

After checking something for a moment, Hans raised his head.

In the sky above, an eagle was gliding with its wings fully spread.

Rudger asked.

"Hans. Did you find them?" 

"Five people. All male. And you said they were wearing gray robes?"

Hans asked Veronica for confirmation. Veronica nodded.

"Yes. That's right, but did you find them?" 

"I found them. However, hmm. I'll need to go see directly to know." 

"Are they close by?" 

"The distance isn't far."

Hans led the way, saying it was this direction. After crossing several ridges overgrown with yellowed, half-wet weeds, a group of people came into view up ahead.

They were the Empire's agents that Hans had found. Veronica's expression hardened upon discovering them.

The agents had all become cold corpses.

"...They're dead."

Cassie muttered while looking at the five corpses. She immediately examined the state of the bodies. The skin was cold. It seemed considerable time had passed since death.

"I wish I'd seen wrong, but it seems they got caught up in something unfortunate."

Hans, who had found the corpses by borrowing an eagle's eyes, muttered in a voice tinged with bitterness.

Rudger examined the state of the corpses together with Cassie. It seemed they had been attacked soon after leaving the outpost.

There were traces of fighting nearby. But the aftermath of destruction wasn't that great.

"They finished it with a fast and accurate ambush."

The corpses looked fine on the outside, but when they lifted the clothes underneath, the skin was reddish or bluish.

The insides had been completely scrambled. It was caused by an attack that shook the insides from external force.

"Even though this is lawless territory, the Empire's agents wouldn't have carelessly increased hostile forces."

Cassie picked up where Rudger left off.

"It seems there are those who know of our traces and want to interfere."