Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey

Ehew."

After returning to the magicians' dorm, Tomer let out a deep sigh.

[Ella, why is the mission being delayed? Are there other variables?]

Her employer sent her a grumpy message.

Ella's mission was to injure or weaken Elera. She only had to make Elera take a break from her usual daily life for a bit.

With the cooperation from fallen human acting as spies in Nova's executives, she thought she could quickly take care of this mission and go back, but there was a constant heckler obstructing her.

"Do I have to take care of him first...?"

Nowadays, she felt sour just seeing Lucas's face. Every time she tried to do something, he seemingly appeared out of nowhere and foiled her plans. Whether it was before class, during class, or after class, Lucas refused to leave Elera side.

"Tsk, can't he know his place?"

Ella has tried many things but non of them working, All thanks to Lucas.

It's just that she just entered new cadet as Nova Academy and he was here since the beginning.

So of course others would trust him more then they do to her.

...And not only that he was 3rd rank in whole Acadmy.

Ella had checked his background and aprently there's nothing seems to be out of ordinary.

His father is guild master of [C] ranked Sunless Guild and his mother help his father at the guild he also has little sister.

A completely normal family.

But there was one thing she found about him that was out of ordinary.

Lucas Darkheart is disciple of Yato, The strongest Hero.

Even Ella doesn't want make Yato her enemy, That's why she didn't try to kill Lucas.

But if she didn't do anything then he will continue to fail her plans.

"...Wait."

A flash of insight sparked in Ella's head.

Lucas had strong feelings for Elera. Ella was sure of it. However, although she didn't openly show it, Elera was undoubtedly uncomfortable with his advances.

He was trying to make a move one-sidedly.

There were many ways to spread malicious rumors. You could bad-mouth someone behind their back, or you could exaggerate rumors that were already present.

But for now, there was no need for such complicated schemes.

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She just had to say things as she saw them, albeit exaggerating things a little.

To do that... she would have to first get close to Lucas and Elera... no, to the entire team.

Ella messaged her employer.

[Is the mission really just to separate this girl?]

[That's right. Afterward, the agent we dispatched will take care of the rest.]

'Good, it's time for a change of plans.' Ella laughed maniacally.

With a sly grin, Ella began to strategize her approach. She would play the role of a friendly and supportive teammate, subtly inserting herself into their inner circle while subtly undermining their trust in each other.

It would be a delicate dance, requiring finesse and subtlety, but Ella was confident in her abilities.

She had spent years honing her skills as a manipulator and a schemer, and she knew exactly how to pull the strings to get what she wanted.

As she plotted her next moves, Ella's thoughts turned to the fallen human spies that she had at her disposal.

With their help, she would be able to gather valuable information about her teammates and exploit any weaknesses or vulnerabilities she discovered.

But she couldn't afford to rush things. She needed to bide her time, to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. Patience was key, and Ella was willing to wait as long as it took to achieve her goals.

With her plan in motion, Ella set out to execute her next steps, confident that she would soon be able to drive a wedge between Lucas and Elera, weakening their bond and paving the way for her ultimate victory.

***

At the same time in different apartment room...

My smart phone rang as new message arrived, It was from Jonathan.

Without second thought, I opened the message and let out small smile as I read the content of the message.

[Thomas Johnson changed his name to '

Carl Benjamin; and has retired after undergoing plastic surgery.]

[Good Work.]

I typed back the message to him and he replied me back.

[Just doing my job, that's all. Also I will send full mission report after I completed search on the Thomas Johnson, I still yet to complete the mission.]

[Looking forward to reading the full report. Let me know if you need any assistance with your mission.]

[Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll keep you updated on my progress.]

[Keep up the good work. If you come across any obstacles, don't hesitate to reach out.]

[Will do. I'm confident I can handle whatever comes my way. Talk to you soon.]

Now that I know something about Thomas Johnson, I can officially accept the Ella's mission for the search of her father.

With that thought, I set on my chair and started to type back message to through Shadow Reapers mercenary official webpage.

Yeah, Now I have my own mercenary group webpage.

It's all thanks to Jonathan help.

Anyway, I typed the message and send it Ella and got up from my desktop computer and headed towards traning ground.

It was time for some training.

***

At the same time in Ella apartment room.

Her smartwatch vibrated. The especially intense vibration signaled that it was from Shadow Reapers Mercenary. Ella quickly turned on her smartwatch.

[Shadow Reapers Mercenary]

[We have accepted Ella Johnson request.]

"They're replying now?"

She had forgotten aboutShadow Reapers Mercenary because it was 2~3 weeks ago that she put in a request. She had assumed they were unreliable since they didn't answer.

Did they just have too many clients?

In any case, she was satisfied.

As long as she could find out where that bastard was, she was happy to wait.

Ella's eyes gleamed with anticipation as she read the message from Shadow Reapers Mercenary. She quickly composed herself and replied:

[Thank you for accepting my request. Please keep me updated on any developments.]

With that sent, Ella felt a renewed sense of determination. She was one step closer to uncovering the truth behind that basterd disappearance, and she wouldn't rest until she had answers.

As she waited for a response from the mercenary group, Ella began to formulate a plan. She would need to gather more information about her father's last known whereabouts and any potential leads that could help her track him down.

Turning to her computer, Ella accessed her encrypted files containing everything she knew about her father's disappearance. She meticulously reviewed each piece of information, searching for any clues that she may have overlooked.

Hours passed as Ella delved deeper into her investigation, her focus unwavering as she pieced together the puzzle of her father's disappearance.

***

Next Day...

"Next week, each team will select a small-scale Dungeon and do a presentation on the best way to conquer it."

Friday's theory class – 'Phenomenon Realm Analysis II'.

Just before the class ended, the professor gave the cadets their team assignments. Cadets immediately broke out into groans.

However, Bella and Sunny, who were sitting in front of me, didn't seem all that worried.

They turned around, looking at me happily.

"We believe in you, Lucas."

It wasn't just them.

Other cadets were also looking this way with envious eyes.

"Have a good weekend."

With that, the professor left the classroom. Members of Team Elera, including myself, got up.

I spoke.

"For today, let's go to the café and just divide up the work."

"Alright."

This wasn't Elera voice. I turned my gaze to the side. It was Ella.

"Let's go to the café."

Ella had a very bright face.

"...What's up with you?"

"What do you mean? Everyone, Elera, let's go. We don't have time."

Ella stepped in and began to urge other team members. I stared at her with a daze.

What was she scheming this time? Did she have a nuclear bomb set up at the café?

...10 minutes later.

We arrived at the café.

I tried peering through the roof and ground, but I couldn't find any traps in the café. Although I was still suspicious, I started dividing up the work among others.

"Sunny and Bella can look up the data on the Dungeon. Ella and Elera can calculate the mana density."

That was the result of our 30-minute discussion.

They would send their results to me, then I would assemble everything together into a presentable PowerPoint.

"That sounds good."

"I agree."

The team members agreed with a bright face.

Sunny and Bella delved into researching the Dungeon data, while Ella and Elera tackled the calculations for mana density.

I watched them work, silently marveling at their dedication and efficiency. Despite my initial doubts, it seemed like we were making good progress.

But as the minutes ticked by, I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that something was off. Ella's behavior seemed too calculated, too orchestrated. It was as if she was playing a role, manipulating us all like pieces on a chessboard.

I glanced around the café, scanning the faces of our fellow cadets. Everyone seemed engrossed in their own conversations, unaware of the subtle tension brewing within our group. But I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were being watched, that someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

As the discussion came to a close, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. We had managed to divide up the work and make progress on our assignment, despite the underlying tension that lingered in the air. But as we parted ways and I headed back to my dorm, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that gnawed at the back of my mind.

Something wasn't right, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were being played. But for now, all I could do was wait and see how things played out. With a heavy heart, I pushed aside my doubts and focused on preparing for the upcoming presentation, hoping that my instincts were wrong and that everything would turn out alright in the end..