"Elly. What do you think about this?"
On a winter day, just before their entrance to the National Magic University.
The group of prospective freshmen, including Elise, were having a discussion in their private villa.
"Look at this. I've made a plan."
Layla handed over a piece of paper. Elise glanced at it.
[ We'll Do Anything Club ]
"…What's this?"
"It's a club we're going to create."
A university club is, as the name suggests, a small group formed by university students. Although it's much smaller in scale compared to university societies or hobby clubs, it's practically essential for magic university students. The activities carried out in the club itself become a part of their credentials.
"We're going to create a 'We'll Do Anything Club'. Elly, you know [At Your Service], right? Just like the person who helped us with our Endex project."
Elise scrutinized Layla's face. Her eyes were bloodshot, probably from lack of sleep, and her dark circles were prominent.
"How about [Why is Your Head Like That Club]?"
"What's that? What kind of club is that? Beauty?"
"…"
"I'm not interested in beauty. If not that, how about [Mystery Solver Club]? There are going to be mysterious magical incidents happening here and there. We can build our credentials by solving them! It's a great idea!"
"…Don't you guys have any thoughts?"
Elise turned to look at Kain and Asher, who were slumped on the sofa. Both of them yawned and shook their heads in unison.
"We've decided to join a separate knights' club. With James Brown and Mel."
Elise and Layla were in the Department of Magic, but Asher and Kain were in the Department of Knights, so their paths were bound to diverge from now on.
"But Elise, you're going to advance to the Magic Tower in just 1-2 years, right?"
Kain asked Elise.
"I need to build my credentials for that. Early advancement isn't easy."
"Hmm~ Should we ask Shion~?"
Layla subtly hinted. Elise showed a bit of interest in that. She pretended not to be interested but glanced at Layla's phone.
"…"
Noticing her reaction, Layla smirked and dialed a number.
Ring, ring-
"Hey~ Shion~ What are you doing right now~?"
"Hmph."
Elise shook her head. Layla was pretending to have connected the call even though it hadn't gone through yet.
"Stop it already. There's no way he would answer your call-"
"What? A Libra internship?"
"?"
Elise's eyes widened. Kain and Asher also turned their heads sharply.
"You're doing a Libra internship?"
"…"
Elise put her ear to Layla's phone.
─Yeah. I'm on my way to the internship now. Why?
"How can you do an internship when you're not even a university student?"
* * *
"I don't know either. They told me to come, so I came."
I looked up at the [Libra Station] as I answered.
"But why?"
─Uh… well, you know~ We have to participate in a club when we enter university~ We're thinking about doing that, so I was wondering what you're planning to do~
"Ah, a club?"
A club is a gathering where university students prove their abilities outside of the university. They conquer dungeons, solve magical phenomena, help people. They also write reports in the process, and the university certifies it, so it's practically an official credential.
"What are you guys going to do?"
─We're planning to do some volunteer work with Elly!
"I'll think about it."
─Really?!
"Yeah. I'm hanging up now."
I put my phone back in my pocket.
[ Libra Station ]
Libra Station. The nerve center of Libra and the company that manages all its subsidiaries.
It's a large corporation that uses an entire 99-story building, which was established and built by the current head, Sherlock.
As such, there are a tremendous number of people coming and going. Not only knights and mages, but also accountants, lawyers, and employees from various departments straight from the headquarters.
I came here after receiving an internship offer from Belingham.
By the way, Soliette didn't get an internship card in the end. Of course, because it's Arkne.
"…What brings you here?"
A security guard approached me as I was blankly looking around inside the company.
"Ah. I'm here to participate in the internship."
"Did you receive an internship card?"
"Yes."
"You can scan it here."
The security guard pointed to the entrance gate. I tagged my internship card.
Beep-
"You can go to the auditorium on the 5th floor."
"Ah, yes."
I first got on the elevator. There were many people in the elevator. They each pressed for high floors, but mine was the 5th floor.
"…You seem to be participating in the internship?"
A man glanced at me.
"Yes. I'm a university student."
"Haha."
He laughed and pressed the same 5th floor. The light for the 5th floor went out.
"Newcomers and interns usually don't use the elevator. It's a tradition."
"Oh, there's such a tradition?"
"Because it's Libra."
I pressed the 5th floor again.
Ding-
The elevator stopped precisely at the 5th floor, and the man frowned.
"What…"
"I just don't like traditions."
I headed straight for the auditorium.
The space itself was very large, but there were fewer than twenty people sitting. They all looked at me with slightly puzzled faces.
Probably because I'm too young.
"Hmm."
Exactly at 9 a.m. As soon as the promised time came, the doors of the auditorium closed, and a man in a suit climbed onto the stage.
"Let me remind you. In the internship, if you're even one second late for any schedule, you're out."
Indeed, that's Libra for you. They were incredibly sensitive about time management.
"I hope you'll never be late again in the future. Tardiness is disqualification without a single warning."
He said that and opened a file of documents.
"The sixteen of you participating in the Libra internship. I will call each of you one by one, please come up to the stage. Mr. Bell Moore?"
Bell Moore.
The moment that name was called, my eyes widened.
"Yes. I'm Bell Moore."
I turned to look at him.
Before the regression, he was the most malicious psychopath among Libra's executives. He slicked back his all-white hair and ascended the stage.
"Mr. Rellion Sensle."
The next name was familiar too. The face was familiar too.
Once upon a time, he kidnapped and tortured my comrade.
"I'm Rellion Sensel."
"Next, Riley Erin."
But when it was her turn, I felt a different emotion.
Riley Erin.
Purple-haired, with pouty lips. A woman with a firm and intellectual impression.
"Huh."
I smiled without realizing it.
"I'm Riley Erin."
I had a comrade. If I were to make an analogy, it was a [group of people who were harmed by Libra].
In that place, she was an informant.
From inside Libra, leaking Libra's information to the outside, a person like me now.
But I didn't know her face. I only heard her name from my comrades.
The reason?
She was executed before even five years had passed.
"Thames Horne."
"I'm Thames Horne."
He was a handsome black man. He realized the beastly truth of Libra, defected from Libra, and opposed Libra just before my death.
I smiled an ironic smile.
From Libra's perspective, this internship was a batch mixed with a strange ratio of gold and snakes.
"...Finally."
Fifteen names were called, and the last, the sixteenth.
"Shion Ascal."
I silently stood up from my seat and went up to the stage.
There were a total of sixteen participants in the internship.
"Nice to meet you. You'll be called Magic Space interns for now, but you're not really official interns. The internship is just an internship experience."
An unnamed Libra executive continued his speech.
"Magic Space. You're probably a university student, or a famous mercenary, or a mage. Just in case. Do you know what you'll be doing if you join Libra?"
Someone raised their hand sharply.
"Dungeon conquest. Mission execution. Not only cargo escort, but all the tasks directed by Libra."
It was Riley's answer. She was disguising herself with a more passionate face than anyone else.
"That's correct. Libra holds many companies. However, personnel who handle magic like you will be assigned to Libra's headquarters. Therefore, the internship is not about becoming a simple employee, but about whether you can become 'a person of Libra'."
Snap-!
The executive snapped his fingers.
"Since it's the first day of the internship, there's not much. There's a mock mission."
Then the scenery of the auditorium changed. It was a highway. A truck had overturned, and the driver was dead, impaled on the steering wheel.
"One day, Libra was transporting a precious magical material called 'Beryl Crystal.' But as you can see, an accident occurred."
The executive pointed to the truck as he spoke.
"Magic Space is 'dispatched' to this scene. As the manager in charge of the delivery, I dispatched all of you to this scene."
He then looked around at the interns. Quietly, without saying a word.
Bell Moore asked.
"...Is being dispatched the end?"
"You are not personnel following Magic Space's orders. You are personnel making independent judgments."
That's what it means to be a 'person of Libra.'
In the event of an incident or battle in Libra, they are dispatched to the scene and carry out actions that are as beneficial to Libra as possible.
"So start moving now."
At the executive's words, the rest started moving busily. They alternately examined the corpse and the objects, releasing magic and reconstructing the scene in their own ways.
"...Are you going to stand still?"
The executive asked me with a strange look in his eyes. I looked him up and down.
"Yes."
As soon as I answered, I moved. First, I examined the truck's cargo compartment.
There were many other decoy cargo, but the only thing stolen was the 'Beryl Crystal.'
As if I knew about the existence of the Crystal from the beginning.
Next, I examined the truck driver's cell phone. After fingerprint recognition with the corpse, I read the work-related texts.
[ Sender: 0983-123-2910 ]
[ Delivery Destination: 3D-95 ]
[ Top Secret. Cannot be decrypted ]
Next, I read the texts sent just before the truck driver's accident.
[ Truck Driver: I'm on a delivery. I got a big one, so let's have a drink when it's over. ]
[ Colleague: A big one? You mean Libra? ]
[ Truck Driver: Yeah. How did you know? ]
[ Colleague: Libra hired quite a few trucks this week. They must be transporting something valuable. They're probably trying to hide it by using multiple trucks. ]
Deception. A traditional delivery method. Hiring several delivery men and entrusting the real thing to only one of them.
"...That's enough."
This is enough. There's nothing more to see.
Because I know Libra. Perhaps I know Libra better than Libra itself.
Therefore, inferring this much about the situation is as easy as chewing gum while lying down.
* * *
At the same time, the HR team was monitoring the internship situation through surveillance cameras.
"What's with that college student?"
Jean Blunt, the head of Libra's HR team, frowned as she watched Shion Ascal, a college student who was standing alone, yawning.
"He's just standing there."
"Who invited him?"
"...It was Belingham Kantar."
The right-hand man of the current master, Belingham Kantar.
Jean sat heavily in her chair.
"What's the point of putting a chick who's not even a college student yet into the internship..."
"But he was 67th on the college board."
"I was fourth."
Her subordinate coughed awkwardly.
"Well, it's just an internship after all."
They turned their attention back to the screen.
Ten minutes into the mock mission.
Most of the interns had finished their investigations. The subordinate looked back at Jean.
"It seems like you should go now, Team Leader Jean."
"Record it. Do it well."
Jean, who had put on her coat, went down to the auditorium. The interns were still lined up in the scenery that was still a highway.
She faced them and spoke.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jean Emily, the HR team leader of Libra Station."
Clap-
"No need for applause."
The interns who were about to clap quietly backed off.
"Everyone, please tell me how you plan to respond. First-"
"I'll do it."
It was Bell Moore.
"First, I'll retrieve the stolen cargo. I'll kill the attackers with my own hands."
"Can you do it?"
"Yes. The point at which the truck was attacked is inferred to be 10 minutes before I was dispatched. Well, if it had been me originally, I would have arrived in 3 minutes as soon as I received the signal, but 10 minutes is enough."
"How will you track them?"
"Smell. It's the sense of smell. They used magic to stop the truck. I'll follow the lingering scent of magic. I can run at 300 km/h for three hours, but 30 minutes is enough for tracking."
Bell Moore's claimed specs were monstrous, but there was not a bit of falsehood in them.
Jean knew Bell Moore's physical abilities. He can indeed run like Superman.
"Next."
Jean checked the document and moved on. There's no correct answer to this problem.
"I'll also go to retrieve the stolen cargo. The Beryl Crystal is an enormous item worth close to 100 million Ren in current value..."
The interns each suggested different methods, but most of them had the first condition – to retrieve the cargo. The tracking method only varied depending on their ability conditions.
Jean, who had been checking appropriately, now looked at the last one.
Shion Ascal.
"Last, Shion Ascal. What about you? Are you also chasing the cargo?"
"...No."
Shion Ascal shook his head.
"I'm not chasing the cargo."
"Then?"
In response to that question, he answered simply.
"I'll find the traitor within Libra. The traitor who leaked the location of this cargo and the existence of the Crystal."
"..."
Jean's fingers momentarily stopped. She alternately looked at the document she was writing and at Shion.
"A traitor."
"Yes."
"...Does any other intern have anything to say?"
Jean asked the other interns. Then Bell Moore raised his hand.
"Speak."
"The existence of a traitor is probably something most of us have thought about. Only the Beryl Crystal was stolen among all these cargos. However, that's not the first thing we should do."
Bell Moore looked at Shion Ascal. Shion Ascal also turned his gaze to meet him.
"We can find the traitor later. The cargo needs to be retrieved right now."
Bell Moore's mouth twitched into a smirk. He chuckled at Shion Ascal as if he were a cute child.
"I understand you want to appear smart, but think about the primary task first, junior. All of us here have walked the same path as you, but in a much more elite way-"
"We don't need the cargo in the first place."
Shion Ascal retorted. He glared at Bell Moore with a small smile.
"From the beginning, this cargo truck was a setup to weed out the traitor."
"...What?"
Bell Moore's forehead furrowed. Jean looked at Shion.
Shion calmly continued his words.
"The primary task is to eliminate the traitor. Rehearsal is essential for delivering valuable goods like the Beryl Crystal."
Libra first suspects. Whether there is an entity with a different intention within.
"It's not likely to entrust delivery to a mere truck driver, but if delivery was entrusted, wouldn't the delivery itself be a fake? That's the first thought."
Shion drew his sword. Then he pointed it at someone's neck.
It was the executive who had been calling the interns' names from the stage.
"Why are you pointing your sword at me?"
The executive asked with a furrowed brow. Shion calmly replied.
"Because you're the traitor."
Jean watched the two of them and swallowed a smile inside.