Tenkomori Chapter 124.2

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Chapter 124.2. The Third Year at the Academy - Gardener Lily (2)

Chapter 124.2. The Third Year at the Academy - Gardener Lily (2)

The next morning, I gave up my self-study period and headed to the academy.

I moved along the main street, mingling with passing carriages and adventurers, as the night air lingered around me.

I’d thought through various possibilities last night, but none of them felt right.

If Lily’s [Handy Soil] were incomplete, it wouldn’t have activated in the first place.

There is a mid-tier non-elemental spell called [Dispel Magic], but it can’t erase things like the [Earth Wall], which uses a catalyst, or materials created by everyday magic. It only works on spells with a duration or those that can be dispelled.

The location being a garden suggests that maybe some defensive magic or anti-intrusion artifact had interfered. But no matter how much I pondered it, I couldn’t conclude.

I turned off the main street and entered the alley leading to the academy.

As I passed a street lined with eateries and boarding houses, the academy building came into view, and I stopped abruptly.

A middle-aged man was walking along the fence of the Cartirale.

He passed right by the gate and disappeared into the shadow of the building.

What was that just now...?

What intrigued me was the man’s faint presence.

He was undoubtedly a skilled scout—better than either Ose or Pidosios.

I hurried to the gate, but the man had already vanished into the crowd.

He looked like an ordinary commoner.

Would someone of such ability pass in front of the academy dressed so casually without reason?

Maybe he was someone’s escort, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility of malice.

If only I’d used [Appraisal] on him—or no, [Reference Point] would’ve been better.

With that, it wouldn’t matter where he moved.

Unless it was erased by [Dispel Magic], I could track him for as long as my mana held out.

I didn’t realize it in time.

If I’d targeted him even once, I’d have known his location, even with top-tier stealth skills.

Is [Reference Point] also an anti-scouting magic?

Aside from Oze, this was the first time someone had eluded me so easily—oh well, nothing I can do now.

Next time I see someone suspicious, I’ll mark them with [Reference Point] first.

I composed myself, greeted the gatekeeper, and headed toward the garden.

When I rounded the school building and the library, I saw the headmaster and Lily planting new soil in the distance.

The headmaster noticed me, waved with a smile, and Lily gave me a polite bow.

“So, you’re going to track down the thief who stole the soil?”

Without any small talk, the headmaster abruptly concluded it was theft.

When I asked for confirmation, it turned out that the headmaster hadn’t witnessed the event either, but his confidence suggested the garden’s defensive magic wasn’t involved.

“So if it was stolen, was it just the soil?”

Both the headmaster and Lily nodded.

Just the soil, as Lily mentioned.

Anyone with knowledge would know there are plenty of valuable plants here.

If those were untouched, theft for money seems unlikely.

If this was Jonas’s doing again, that would make things simpler.

“So, the soil from the pots disappeared?”

“We’re in the middle of replanting, and that’s when we noticed the soil was gone,” Lily answered.

She added that the worksite was near the entrance.

If it’s this close to the entrance, someone could’ve stolen it with minimal intrusion.

That man I saw earlier... surely, he’s not involved.

It has to be a coincidence.

If he really were the culprit, I’d love to hear his reasons.

Maybe he has a thing for Lily after seeing her around town—or no, I’d definitely have to call the guards.

I dismissed the foolish thought and asked the headmaster,

“May I look around the garden?”

“Go ahead, just don’t enter the building in the back.”

“Understood, I’ll stay away.”

With permission granted, I began searching the garden.

The ground inside was mostly dirt, so tracks would be easy to spot.

I focused on [Tracking] as I examined the paths and flowerbeds.

After thoroughly combing through the vast garden, I returned to the entrance.

I found no suspicious traces.

The only footprints inside were from the headmaster and Lily, and all other tracks stopped at the entrance.

They were close enough to reach the potted plants, but judging by my inspection, the tracks likely belonged to students, teachers, or assistants fetching materials.

Of course, there were plenty of chances to steal the soil if they left the entrance unattended.

Even so, I came back to the same question.

Why steal the soil?

The theft theory seemed far-fetched.

It might be more reasonable to consider some other phenomenon at work.

Though the headmaster seemed doubtful, it was more logical to think that Lily’s [Handy Soil] had triggered some kind of defense mechanism.

Not a [Dispel Magic], but some magic or artifact that could disintegrate even physical matter.

If such a thing existed, the headmaster would have already considered it.

I might as well ask, though.

Just as I was about to speak, Lily let out a small sound.

Under the gaze of both me and the headmaster, she hesitantly said,

“It seems like the soil we just added is disappearing...”

I immediately activated [Presence Detection] and scanned the surroundings.

No one was in the garden.

I rushed outside, activated [Stealth], and held my breath as I carefully observed the area.

I sensed faint movement from the library, but no one was close enough to come and go that quickly.

It really didn’t seem like theft.

It was more likely that the magic had been canceled for some reason.

I returned to the garden and shook my head at the two of them.

The headmaster folded his arms in thought, while Lily kept tilting her head in confusion.

Just to be sure, I used [Presence Detection] again to scan the area.

No human presence... wait.

I focused all my attention on [Presence Detection], directing it at the garden.

“Both of you, get outside!”

The moment I gave the warning, the headmaster—showing remarkable speed for his age—grabbed Lily and leaped outside.

I positioned myself between them and the entrance, drawing my sword.

The presence was faint, almost imperceptible.

It wasn’t the man from earlier—it was something even stranger.

And I recognized it.

I stayed in my stance, sword at the ready, at the garden entrance.

But nothing happened.

Fragments of conversations drifted from the library, and the sound of wooden swords clashing echoed from the training grounds.

After a moment, the headmaster moved behind me, but I raised my left hand to stop him.

I steadied my breathing and kept my senses sharp, marking the presence with [Reference Point].

A glowing dot began to move slowly.

So, there is something.

If nothing were in the marked location, the point would’ve stayed fixed.

Since it’s moving, that confirms it.

I activated [Appraisal] on the hazy presence.

Name: —

Species: Melok

Level: 7

HP: 41/41

MP: 38/38

Strength: 11

Intelligence: 10

Dexterity: 6

Endurance: 18

Agility: 14

Charm: 13

Skills:

Spirit Body

Stone and Soil Diving

Hardening

Magic: 

None

Title: 

None

It really is a spirit.

From the familiar presence, I thought it might be Lanyel, but... a Melok?

It’s different, but this one is also a spirit of the earth.