After hesitating for only a moment, Euphemia said, “Let’s go, we’re following him!”
Freya, who was in a simulation, was certainly not afraid of death.
But for Euphemia, everything right now was real.
To make this decision even while knowing the other’s strength, it had to be said that her courage was truly immense.
Jerome went to the same scallion pancake stall as before to buy a few more for breakfast.
It was obvious he really liked eating this thing.
After eating them, he once again strolled around like a loafer.
Freya and Euphemia couldn’t tell at all what this guy was doing or what he wanted to do.
Time passed, and a whole day flew by just like that.
Just when the two thought they would come back empty-handed again today, Jerome suddenly hailed a carriage and said, “To Khovd National Academy.”
Hearing this, the two instantly perked up, and Freya even repeated, “Khovd National Academy!?”
Isn’t this where she went to school?
The city center of Auxerre, the most prosperous area of the city, but it was already evening.
What was Jerome doing going there at this time?
Freya quickly cast a physical enhancement buff on herself and Euphemia, and then the two began to run to catch up.
However, they were wearing an Invisibility Cloak, which didn’t hinder them much when walking, but once they started running, the increased range of motion made it very inconvenient.
If they stayed too close, they would likely step on each other’s feet and trip.
If they stayed too far apart, a part of their body might be exposed outside the Invisibility Cloak.
In the eyes of passersby, this would look like an arm or leg suddenly appearing out of thin air and moving about.
How terrifying, right?
But this was a third scenario.
Because Euphemia’s attention was mostly focused on her feet to avoid accidentally stepping on Freya, her speed slowed considerably.
Consequently, Freya also had to slow down.
As the carriage grew more and more distant, Freya knew they would lose sight of it sooner or later.
She simply reached out and scooped Euphemia up in a bridal carry.
Her fair-skinned feet pounded rapidly against the ground, making a soft “pitter-patter” sound.
“Eh…
Eh!?” Euphemia was completely stunned for a moment, but before she could speak, Freya said, “Hold on tight!”
“Oh…
Oh!” Euphemia replied as she wrapped her arms around Freya’s neck.
Then, this single run covered nearly half the city.
Near Khovd National Academy, as the carriage slowly came to a stop, Freya found a spot to gently set Euphemia down on the ground.
She hadn’t noticed Euphemia’s now crimson cheeks at all, her entire attention fixed on Jerome ahead.
“This place…
It looks like his destination is the academy’s Back Hill?”
After all, as one of the most prestigious schools in the entire Tarapaca Kingdom, Khovd National Academy occupied a vast area.
Besides the regular teaching areas, it also housed faculty dormitories, student dormitories, a cafeteria, a stadium, experimental buildings, and many other facilities.
Also, there is a small grove behind the school, which has been transformed into a park-like area that the students call “Back Hill.” In their spare time, they can come here for a walk or relax.
Of course, this is also a sacred spot for couples to go on dates.
Euphemia took a deep breath to calm down and then said, “Frey, you’re very familiar with this place?”
Freya nodded, “Because I’m a student here.”
By her standards from her previous life, Khovd National Academy couldn’t be considered just a “high school” or a “university,” but rather both.
Freya was now roughly in the second semester of her second year of high school, almost in her third year.
After taking the Tarapaca Kingdom Unified Examination, which was the country’s version of a College Entrance Exam, she could continue her advanced studies directly at Khovd National Academy if her grades were high enough, meaning she would be taking “university” courses.
And if her grades weren’t good, of course, she’d just have to pack up and leave.
That’s getting sidetracked.
After hearing Freya’s words, Euphemia couldn’t help but look confused.
“You’re a student here, so why haven’t you been coming to class?”
Freya said, “Isn’t there a more urgent matter right now?
Who has time to come to class!”
As they talked, the two followed closely behind Jerome.
Normally, no one other than teachers and students was allowed to enter.
But when the two guards saw Jerome, they had no intention of stopping him at all and let him in directly.
Passing by, Freya briefly closed her eyes to sense the area and said, “These two guards aren’t real people.
They are [soldiers].”
Euphemia said, “Well, I’m not surprised at all.”
The group took the school’s side gate, so they soon reached Back Hill.
The ground beneath their feet changed from neat stone slabs to a soft lawn.
When Freya stepped on it with her fair and cute little feet, it felt like stepping on cotton, soft and incredibly comfortable.
Smelling the unique fragrance of grass and wood from nature in the air, she felt that her Spirituality had become much more active.
In other words, if a battle were to take place here, her strength would increase by at least ten percent.
There were no clearly defined paths here, only a few places where people might have walked back and forth more often, treading out a small “dirt path.” However, Jerome did not take this path.
His goal was very clear, and he walked straight into the depths, stepping on the lawn.
After walking like this for a few minutes, a bare clearing about ten meters in diameter appeared in Freya’s field of vision.
She immediately said, “This place wasn’t like this originally.
Someone deliberately cleared all the vegetation here, artificially creating such a clearing.”
But even so, Freya slightly raised her tiptoes and looked toward the clearing.
It was truly bare with nothing there.
But as Jerome walked to the center of the clearing, he gently stomped his foot.
Just like activating some kind of mechanism, red patterns quickly lit up across the clearing.
Dense patterns crisscrossed each other, forming a series of very complex designs.
Euphemia frowned slightly, narrowed her eyes, and stared for a long time before saying, “This is…
a super-large Occult Magic Circle!”
“The outer ring is a Concealment Magic Circle specifically designed to cover up traces, masking the Core Magic Circle in the center when not activated.”
Remember back in the dilapidated warehouse, didn’t Euphemia draw an Occult Magic Circle for surveillance?
At that time, Freya could see that surveillance magic circle using her Heart Sense ability, but this one before her, even if she closed her eyes, she couldn’t sense it.
In other words, this so-called “Concealment Magic Circle” was also designed to counter the Heart Sense ability of the Earth Pathway.
If Jerome hadn’t actively activated this magic circle just now, Freya and Euphemia wouldn’t have been able to discover this thing at all.
Freya asked, “Then what is the effect of the Core Magic Circle in the middle?”
Euphemia frowned and looked at it for a while longer before saying somewhat hesitantly, “I’m not quite sure.
It’s too complex.
I need to go back and check some reference materials.
The only thing I can figure out right now is…
[Combustion].
Its effect should be related to combustion.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Freya and Euphemia thought of something at the same time and said in unison, “So, is this the disaster that will sweep across the entire city in one month?
The fire that will engulf the whole city?”
Freya continued, “Could…
an Occult Magic Circle really have such an absurd effect?
Creating a fire that covers an entire city?”
Euphemia said, “Theoretically, it’s possible.
But this small magic circle alone definitely wouldn’t be enough.
To create such a massive fire, this magic circle would have to be as big as a city!”
“I suspect the magic circle in front of us is just the most core part.
There should be a large number of other focal points throughout the city.”
As they spoke, Jerome took out some Spirituality Crystals, crouched down, and began to draw.
It was obvious that the magic circle before them was incomplete, and Jerome had come here to continue creating it.
Actually, this had been his original plan yesterday.
However, due to his caution, Jerome hadn’t come last night, but instead went to the inn to rest for a day, delaying it by a day, and only came today.
While Jerome was drawing, Euphemia also took out her notebook and pen and began to copy it on the spot.
Freya had no intention of disturbing her.
Time passed slowly, and after about two hours, Freya noticed that Euphemia had actually caught up to Jerome’s “progress.”
For example, if the magic circle’s original completion rate was around 30%, then in these two hours, Jerome had brought it up to 40%.
During that same time, Euphemia had gone directly from 0% to 40%.
Now their progress was perfectly synchronized.
Euphemia had to wait for Jerome to draw a little bit before she could copy a little bit.
Although “hands-on practice” was indeed more difficult than Euphemia’s “note-taking,” even Freya could see that Jerome’s drawing process was extremely stiff, showing he was a complete novice.
Then, as Euphemia was grumbling while waiting to “copy the homework” again, she noticed Jerome’s movements suddenly stopped.
This guy packed up his things and began to retrace his steps, clearly preparing to leave.
This action left Euphemia completely bewildered.
“Wait, this magic circle is at most only 30% to 40% complete.
There’s still a huge amount of time left.
Why is this man just leaving?”
Euphemia couldn’t even wrap her head around it, let alone Freya, who knew absolutely nothing about Occult Magic Circles.
She said, “When the drawing of the magic circle is complete, that’s when the catastrophe happens.
In a way, him drawing it slower should be a good thing, right?”
Euphemia said, “Ummm, you have a point?”
As they spoke, the two moved aside to make way for Jerome.
Watching him leave the mountain behind the school, Freya said, “Should we keep following him?”
If the mountain behind the school was the core location of Jerome’s plan to set the city ablaze, then aside from that, he must have another stronghold.
That would be his true residence, after all, since he couldn’t stay at an inn every day, right?
Euphemia nodded.
“Let’s go.”
Then came another bout of tailing.
Soon, the group arrived two blocks away, a place that wasn’t particularly far.
This was the residential area in the city center, where the vast majority of the city’s middle class lived.
As for those wealthier and more powerful nobles?
How could they possibly live in the same area as others?
They all had their own estates, their own villas.
Just like that, right in front of Freya and Euphemia, Jerome walked into one of the houses.
Soon after, the lights in the previously dark house flickered on, and through the window, a silhouette could be vaguely seen pacing back and forth inside.
This place was most likely Jerome’s true residence.
However, Freya noticed Euphemia suddenly swallow hard and wear a look of shock.
She couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
Euphemia paused for a moment before saying, “This man…
why does he live right next door to me?”
When she first came to live in this city, Euphemia had bought a house outright.
As fate would have it, the house she bought was right next to Jerome’s residence.
Were the two of them actually neighbors?
Naturally, after learning that her neighbor was such a powerful behind-the-scenes boss, Euphemia was understandably frightened.
However, she quickly steadied her emotions and said, “Anyway, we’ve gathered enough intel for now.
Let’s withdraw.”
Through this single tailing mission, the two of them had uncovered Jerome’s true identity, which could be directly proven by the letter from Euphemia’s grandfather.
They also learned the source of the disaster, the magic circle on the mountain behind the school, and Euphemia’s copied drawing could fully serve as evidence.
Just these two points were already enough to apply for support from the “Mobile Squad.” Now that they also knew Jerome’s residence, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have people lie in wait here like a farmer waiting for a rabbit?
Freya nodded and said, “Let’s go.”
However, just as they turned to withdraw, they had only walked about two hundred meters.
At the intersection of the street directly ahead, a man with the same red hair suddenly appeared around the corner and walked straight toward them.
Or more accurately…
toward Jerome’s residence.