***Vier POV***
"Why did you call us today, BossZaku?"
"Do we have a new mission?"
"Is the ZakuSyndicate finally coming out of the shadow?"
"Is the ZakuNo. finally coming back?"
"Ehh?... I still haven't washed my gear."
"What?... Have you used it lately?"
"No! I mean, I haven't washed it since we stopped wearing it."
"Ehh?... You left it uncleaned for over a year?"
"It's inside my storage-item so it's fine right?"
"Yeah. It's fine along with the dirt and stains that you didn't wash."
"What!..."
Fourteen members of the ZakuSyndicate have gathered at our hideout today. Except for LordZaku, PrincessZaku, and FakeZaku everyone was here today. That includes me, BossZaku, and the thirteen numbers of the ZakuNo..
Twelve of them are sitting on their chair while I'm sitting in front of my desk and ZakuNo.1 is standing by my side in front of them.
...SLAM!...
"Calm down, everyone!"
I slammed my hands on the desk and raised my voice so that I could gather everyone's attention.
"I called all of you here at the hideout today because I have unfortunate news."
Upon hearing what I said, everyone started to panic a bit while thinking what's the most unfortunate news that I was about to tell them.
"Did our money get stolen?"
"What?..."
"Is one of us captured?"
"No, everyone is here today."
After they have calmed down, all of them look at me to ask the same question."
"""What is it BossZaku?"""
"ZakuNo.1 was able to get information from the Oneesan of the Orphanage."
Upon my remark, all of them look at ZakuNo.1 to ask the same question.
"""What did you learn, ZakuNo.1?""""
"The Oneesan has finally captured FakeZaku."
"""Ehh!!!"""
What ZakuNo.1 said caused everyone to panic, not by a bit but by a lot, even me.
"This is bad! FakeZaku knows your identity, BossZaku."
"If they beat up FakeZaku, he will tell them everything."
"Can't we ask for help from LordZaku and PrincessZaku?"
"You're right! I'm sure they can help us!"
...SLAM!!!...
I got mad at that suggestion and slammed my hands really hard on the desk.
"Stop that you idiots!"
""What?..""
"Where is your pride as a ZakuNo.?! We won't involve LordZaku and PrincessZaku with the trouble that we caused!"
""Ugh!... I'm sorry, BossZaku!""
This is really bad. It finally happened. My worst fear had happened.
No one knows about the real identity of the ZakuNo.. No one would be able to find and catch us. But that's only true if FakeZaku doesn't exist. That will remain true as long as he won't be captured.
He's the only line that connects us to the place under the light. He's the only one who won't be able to hide under the shadow of our town. FakeZaku is the only clue that leads to the ZakuSyndicate.
If those people looking for us trace where the shared money is going, it will lead them to FakeZaku. If they capture and interrogate those Copper-Rank adventurers traitors, they will learn that FakeZaku made contact with us. And if FakeZaku gets captured, I'm sure that he will tell them who I am.
That's why I asked him to leave. I even gave him enough money so he could hide for a year or two. Maybe by then, the people looking for us will give up and everything will be over.
But after everything we did, FakeZaku got captured by the Oneesan. And if the Oneesan is involved, I'm sure that woman was involved as well.
Soon that woman will come after me. I will be captured then I will be punished and executed/humiliated like those Copper-Rank adventurers traitors.
But I already see that coming. I was not blinded by a lot of money anymore so I see this might happen.
I already prepared everything I needed for the last 6 months. And now, it's time to execute that plan.
"What are we going to do, BossZaku?"
"If that Oneesan was the one who captured FakeZaku, then their group would be the only one who would know who I am."
"What are you planning, BossZaku?"
"I'm executing the Shadow-Escape plan. I'm running and hiding from them, from that woman!"
"But how long will you be gone BossZaku? Are you going to disappear forever?"
"Don't worry, ZakuNo.1, everyone. I will come back when the world has forgiven me for my sin, our sin."
Upon hearing that I'm running away and leaving to hide our identity and save everyone from punishment, everyone starts to cry, even me.
"""BossZaku... Sob!...sob!...sob!..."""
"I'm sorry BossZaku... Sob!...sob!... If only I didn't bring that pouch given by FakeZaku that day... Sob!...sob!...sob!..."
"It's not your fault ZakuNo.1. Everyone decided the same thing that day... Sob!... sob!...sob!...
...Everyone!...
...I need all of you to follow the instructions of the Shadow-Escape plan!...
...I need everyone's help!"
"""Yes BossZaku!!!"""
***Misaki POV***
That girl is gone. Vier-chan went missing the same day we learn that she is the progenitor of that stupid prank perfume.
She disappears like dust being blown by the wind... No, at least I can collect dust using Wind-Control skill, but that girl... That 14-year-old girl disappears like a bubble popping out in thin air.
I can't believe that she's the one who started all of this trouble. And I can't believe it all started in my town. The town that I built together with my old friends.
It's not like I didn't notice that stupid prank perfume more than two years ago. But at that time I thought that it was a simple prank made by some children or Copper-Rank adventurers. By the time we got alarmed due to the spread of that stupid prank perfume outside of our town, it was already too late.
We tried to investigate the rumors about the ZakuNo. who were selling that prank perfume but they were already gone. No one has ever seen them since more than a year ago.
And now, Vier-chan is also missing.
We immediately went to Vier-chan's house after learning the truth about her. But what we found there were only her worried parents and a letter saying...
..."Dear Mom and Dad. I will go on a journey to find myself, to find true strength and power. And don't worry about me, I will write letters to you every day so you know what I'm doing. Soon I will be back. I will come back when the world has forgiven me for my sin. Your daughter, Vier"...
...I explained everything to Stelle-chan and Dritel-kun. I made sure to tell them what trouble their daughter got herself in and promised them that I would find Vier-chan and drag her back to our town so all of us could punish that child.
You're looking for Forgiveness? You won't find it out there, Vier-chan. You will find Forgiveness three days after I hang you on your feet.
"How is the search going Leaena-chan?"
"The Underground had searched every place in our town's territory but we didn't find a single trace of Vier-chan, Misaki-san. Are you sure she's not hiding inside our town?"
"We already looked everywhere inside our town, and Arenea-chan is monitoring every one of Vier-chan's friends."
"I'm following all of her friends using my Sub-Spirit Magic. Some of them are acting suspiciously sometimes and will go to unusual places inside and outside our town. But all that they're hiding there was their pet Slime monster."
"Did you try to follow those people that deliver her letters to her parents, Ms. Arenea?"
"We did! But all of them were unaware that there was a letter included in the package they were delivering so we didn't get anywhere from there."
...SLAM!...
"Grrr!... Where did that child go? It's already been three days. And how is she sending those letters?"
"Pffft!!!... Hahaha!!!..."
"What are you laughing for Arenea-chan? Mmm?"
"It's just so funny how a 14-year-old kid can hide from the three of us... Pffft!!!... Hahaha!!!..."
"It's not funny okay! Vier-chan will be in danger if other adventurers know about this."
"But that's why we make sure to silence Mr. Chad, right Misaki-san?"
...SLAM!!!...
"Grrr!... Vier-chan!... I promise I will hang you on your feet for a whole week when I find you!"
***Vier POV***
It's already been a week since I ran away and went into hiding.
Well, I didn't actually run away. All I did was hide at the top of the ceiling inside our hideout, the Adventurers School lesson room.
Everything went according to my plan. I know this is the last place that Misaki-sensei would look. Even if she asks the help of Leaena-san, her secretary, or even if she asks the help of Arenea-san, her old friend. I'm sure it will take them a month to find me here. By that time, I'm sure that Misaki-sensei had already forgiven me for selling that Stinky-Perfume to the whole continent.
My family should be alright as well. I prepare one month's worth of letters and I ask ZakuNo.1, my best friend Rozze, to inform the Delivery Companies to start delivering them every day.
If there's only one thing I didn't think of, it's how boring it is to hide every day.
By morning, I'm listening to everyone from the top of the ceiling. Misaki-sensei might sense me in here so I'm hiding my presence by drinking the Dark-Element Mana-Potion and Wind-Element Mana-Potion to change the quality of my Mana and using Mana-Flow to blend my Mana into my surroundings. That should be enough to hide my presence from everyone inside the lesson room as long as I don't move or do anything.
By night, I will get down from the top of the ceiling to eat my dinner, use the lesson room bathroom, and take a bath.
In the last 6 months, I made sure that everyone will develop a habit of filling the bathtub with water before leaving the lesson room. Therefore I won't have a problem securing my bath water for a whole month.
"It's already midnight so I guess it's alright to come out now."
I open one portion of the ceiling and slide down using a rope. Then I head towards the bathroom first, but somehow...
"Huh?... Why is there no water in the bathtub tonight?"
I can't operate the Magic-Item used to create water in the bathtub because Misaki-sensei might notice the trace of Magic.
"Sigh!... I guess I can't take a bath tonight."
"Well, I'm sorry for draining the bath water, Vier-chan."
"What..."
No... I need to run at!
"Wind-Magic-Form... Wind-Cage..."
"Release... Scarlet-Grenade..."
...CLICK!...
...BOOM!...
The smoke of Scarlet-Grenade should disturb Misaki-sensei's Mana-Flow and Magic-Control to cancel her Wind-Cage skill for only a few seconds. But that's enough for me to get out of its range...
...SLAM!...
"Ouch!... Why is there still a cage here?... I should be out of the Wind-Cage's range."
"Well, that's because I created a hundred of them, Vier-chan."
"What?"
"Come on, Vier-chan, stand up and make your next move. I will wait until you're ready."
"What... What do you mean, Misaki-sensei?"
"You're still planning on running away, right? So stand up and make your next move! Do your best so you can run away from me!"
"Ekkk!!!..."
Misaki-sensei raised her voice and that scared me. This is really bad. Misaki-sensei is mad.
"But remember this, Vier-chan. Don't you even think about surrendering. Because there's no Forgiveness in the place where I will drag you back once I capture you."
"Gyahhh!!!..."
***Misaki POV***
...Wahhh!...
...Wahhh!...
I left Vier-chan, who was hung on her feet, inside the punishment and went to take a seat in front of my desk.
"So? How did the torture... Ahem!... interrogation go?"
Arenea-chan who was sitting on the sofa made that stupid inquiry.
"Don't make it sound like I'm doing something sinister, Arenea-chan. I only hung her on her feet and asked a few things from her."
...Wahhh!...
...Wahhh!...
"From how much she is crying inside that punishment room of yours, it sounds like you did something more."
"Sigh!... That child. She knows that I can't take it if she cries like that in front of me!"
"Well, everyone knows that you love every one of your students. That's why no one tries to mess with them. They don't want to feel the wrath of the BlackElf Sorceress after all."
"And that child is using that against me now."
"She's still trying to find Forgiveness as she said... Pffft!!!... Hahaha!!!..."
...SLAM!...
"Don't laugh!"
"Okay, I'm sorry."
"Sheesh!... I can't believe she did all of it. She created that High-Level Concoction, created a group by himself, and earned that much money."
"Did she say where is all that money now? Or did she give names of her friends involved in this?"
"She didn't. Even after I threatened her that I would make her drink that Stinky-Perfume, all she did was cry much harder."
"And how did she hide her presence when she's that close to you every day?"
"She's drinking a Dark-Element and Wind-Element base Mana-Potion to change the quality of her Mana. Then she uses Mana-Flow to blend her Mana to the elements around her."
"If she can hide from you using only that simple method, she's probably as good as a Silver-Rank or maybe even a Gold-Rank adventurer when it comes to stealth ability."
"I can't believe that all this time, she's been hiding inside the lesson room. I even asked Leaena-chan to search at the Capital."
"You're right. If you didn't notice the bath water in the tub getting reduced every morning, you won't know that she's hiding at the top of the ceiling."
"Huh?... How did you know about the bath water? And I never said that she's hiding at the top of the ceiling."
"Pfft!... Hahaha!!!..."
...BAMMM!...
I got mad and kicked my desk towards Arenea-chan. She was able to stop it right before it hit her face by suspending the desk mid-air using her Web-Creation skill, but all of that is just a diversion. At the moment she stops the desk, I move towards her side using my movement-skill, grab her by the collar to raise her above, and strangle her.
"You Idiot!!! How long did you know!!!"
"...Hahaha!!!..."
"Stop laughing!!! How long did you know that she's hiding there!!!"
"Pfft!!!... I found her on the fourth day... Hahaha!!!..."
"And you didn't tell me!!! You watch me act like a fool for three more days!!!"
"Pfft!!!... Hahaha!!!... Come on... I want to know how long she can hide from you."
"Grrr!!!... Let's see if you can still laugh after I hang you on your feet beside Vier-chan."
"Pfft!!!... Hahaha!!!..."