Chapter 53: Leah’s Mother is Still... Alive? [2]

By the time the magic carriage returned to Starlight Royal Academy, it was almost noon.

The academy’s eastern gate was as lively as ever. Students who had just finished their morning classes were leaving the teaching district in small groups, while the occasional explosion of magic echoed from the training grounds in the distance. Many first year students were even discussing the upcoming practical combat screening.

None of them knew that inside the Seventh Magical Beast Trial Ground, only a few kilometers away, a name that should never have appeared again had just passed one of the academy’s highest levels of identity verification.

[Elena Vane.]

[Confirmed dead three years ago.]

Victor sat inside the carriage, his gaze fixed on the message Cecilia had sent him.

If someone had merely stolen an ordinary identity card, the situation would not have been so troublesome. The academy’s temporary identity credentials could indeed be forged.

However, Cecilia had specifically written:

[Temporary Senior Researcher Clearance.]

That meant whoever had used the clearance had passed more than the simple mana verification employed at the entrance. They had passed the advanced authorization system protecting the academy’s internal research facilities.

Victor had used that system before.

In addition to an identity number, it simultaneously verified the holder’s mana fluctuations, spiritual imprint, and at least one piece of previously registered biometric information.

Ordinary disguise magic would be useless against it.

"Can I see it?"

Leah’s voice suddenly came from beside him.

When Victor turned, he found Leah staring at the identity card in his hand. She had clearly guessed that the message concerned her, so he made no attempt to conceal it and simply handed the card over.

Leah accepted the identity card, but the moment she read the message, her entire body went rigid.

"..."

Silence descended over the carriage.

Karl, Noah, and Milo did not know what the message contained, but the sudden change in Leah’s expression was enough to tell them that something serious had happened.

More than ten seconds passed before Leah finally spoke again.

"It’s fake." Her voice was low, yet exceptionally certain. "I watched my mother being buried."

Leah’s fingers slowly tightened around the identity card.

"Three years ago, after the academy returned her body, I was the one who changed her clothes. On her right wrist..." The girl paused. "There was an old scar left behind by an experiment that exploded when I was young. The body had the same scar. It wasn’t someone else. It was her."

At the very least, that eliminated the most troublesome possibility.

Elena Vane had not faked her death only to suddenly reappear three years later, which made the fact that someone was now using her clearance even more worthy of investigation.

Victor took back the identity card.

"We’re going to the Seventh Trial Ground first."

"I’m coming too." Leah quickly looked up.

"Of course."

This time, Victor had no intention of leaving her behind.

Since the source of the contamination could stimulate her Astral Core from 6.7 kilometers away, bringing her along would make it easier to determine exactly what was hidden inside.

However...

"Karl."

"Yes."

"You three return to the Third Training Ground."

Karl frowned, clearly displeased. "We’re not going together?"

"We don’t know what’s inside," Victor said. "Bringing more people would be meaningless. Besides, Noah has just awakened his Sword Heart. He needs treatment first, and the same goes for Milo. Continue training this afternoon according to the original plan."

Noah clearly wanted to say something, but he ultimately nodded.

"Understood."

One might ask, why not bring the entire army? The simple truth was that Victor had no need for everyone to participate in every incident.

Cultivating subordinates and dragging a group of people everywhere he went were two entirely different things. If they encountered danger beyond their capabilities, bringing them along would only create more burdens.

Some time later, the carriage stopped.

After Karl and the others departed, Victor was about to instruct the coachman to head toward the Seventh Trial Ground when his identity card vibrated again.

[I’ve arrived. Academy knights have sealed off the trial ground’s perimeter.]

[At 11:47 this morning, a transport carriage belonging to the Magical Beast Research Institute departed through the western passage.]

A long distance magical image arrived next. Though slightly blurred, it showed a sealed grayish white transport carriage driving away behind the trees, with the emblem of Starlight Royal Academy’s Magical Beast Research Institute printed on its side. Nothing about it appeared suspicious at first glance, but Evelyn’s next message changed that.

[I checked the wheel tracks. It was heavily loaded when it entered, but it was still heavily loaded when it left.]

Victor’s eyes narrowed. The last line left only two possibilities.

Either nothing had been unloaded, or something had been unloaded before the carriage was filled with something else from inside the trial ground.

[Can you keep up with it?] Victor replied.

[Yes.]

[Should I follow it?]

[Follow it.]

[Don’t engage. Only find out where it’s going.]

[Understood.]

With Shadow Assault Step and Night Raven, the current Evelyn was truly suited for this kind of assignment.

Compared with making her run around the training ground every day, a genuine tracking mission was clearly more effective for developing her practical abilities.

[Detected: A rank investment target Evelyn Moore has begun a highly compatible reconnaissance assignment.]

[Target’s profession growth efficiency has increased.]

As expected, placing the right person in the position best suited to them was also a form of cultivation.

"You sent someone to follow that carriage?"

Hearing Cecilia’s voice outside, Victor raised his head and found the tall, elegant princess standing beside the carriage, watching him through the window.

She was not wearing formal court attire today, only a simple platinum white academy combat uniform. Her silver white hair was tied behind her, and the slender sword that never left her side still hung at her waist.

"Your Highness." Leah was slightly stunned to see her.

Cecilia acknowledged Leah with a nod, then turned to Victor. "You acted faster than I did."

Without waiting for his response, she stepped into the carriage uninvited.

"I checked it again. The result is even more troublesome than before," she said.

Victor raised an eyebrow, clearly interested in what she had to say.

"Go on."

Cecilia took a deep breath and then said...