The Warlord's Second Life As A Commoner : 018

The morning mist enveloped the small village at the foot of Mount Aegis. After a night of battle and tension, Lucian and his retinue stopped there to rest and plan their next move. They settled into a simple inn with weathered wooden walls, but it was warm enough to drive away the chill that had enveloped them since their journey up the mountain.

Eris looked out the window, watching the fog slowly dissipate. Her eyes were filled with worry. "The Order of Dusk will not surrender. Their leader has fled, but I'm sure they'll return with a larger force."

Lucian, sitting by the fireplace, looked down at the sword, now wrapped in a thick cloth on the table. "I know," he replied in a low tone. "We are not only fighting them. We're also fighting time."

Alden, who had just finished cleaning his sword, approached with a serious expression. "But something doesn't make sense. How did they know we were coming? There's no way they just happened to be at the temple at the same time."

Alden's words silenced everyone. Heracles, who usually had a relaxed demeanor, put down his beer mug in a loud voice. "Do you think there is a traitor among us?" he asked in a threatening tone.

Eris shook her head. "Not among us," she said quickly. "But perhaps someone at the Academy. Someone who knows about this mission."

Lucian crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "I was thinking the same thing. If there is a traitor, we must find him immediately. But first we must return to the Academy and hide this sword in a safe place."

The ride back to Arcadia Academy was quieter than usual. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, alert to possible dangers along the way. Lucian, who rode the lead horse, kept thinking about Alden's words. If there was a traitor, who was it? And what was his motive?

When they arrived at the Academy gates, the atmosphere seemed more tense than usual. The students were gathered in small groups, speaking in quiet but anxious tones. The guards seemed to be keeping a closer watch, and the Head Superintendent, a large man named Garrick, stood by the main door with a serious expression on his face.

"What's going on?" asked Lucian, stopping his horse.

Garrick approached them and fixed Lucian with a sharp stare. "There was an incident last night," he said. "One of the students was found unconscious in the library. It seems he was attacked."

Lucian jumped from his horse. "Who was the victim?"

"A student named Lyra," Garrick replied. "She's one of the assistant librarians. It seems she was trying to fight off someone who was looking for something in the library."

Eris, standing next to Lucian, frowned. "What were they looking for?"

Garrick sighed heavily. "We don't know for sure. But some books on ancient artifacts are missing."

Hearing this, Lucian felt his heart skip a beat. Had the Order of the Twilight infiltrated the Academy? Or was this the work of a traitor working for them?

That night, Lucian, Alden, Eris, and Heracles gathered in Lucian's room to discuss the incident. On the table, they flipped through the documents they had taken from the temple earlier, trying to find a connection between the library incident and the Order of the Twilight.

"This is too coincidental," Alden said, pointing to one of the symbols on the document. "If the Order of the Twilight is looking for books on ancient artifacts, they'll want to make sure we don't find anything that could stop them."

Heracles tapped his finger on the table, his face full of anger. "We must act quickly. We can't let them keep getting ahead of us."

Eris nodded. "But we can't act recklessly. If they've infiltrated the Academy, they'll be watching our every move.

Lucian, who had been silent, finally spoke. "We have to lure them out. If they really are here, we can use false information to trap them."

Everyone looked at him curiously. "What's your plan?" asked Eris.

Lucian smiled slightly. "We'll spread the word that the sword is hidden in one of the Academy towers. When they hear that, they'll definitely try to find it. Then we'll catch them."

The plan was put into action immediately. Eris used the secret information network among the students to spread the rumor that Lucian had hidden the ancient sword in the West Tower, an old building that was rarely used. Meanwhile, Lucian and his group set up traps in the tower, using magical traps to catch anyone who tried to enter.

That night, they hid near the tower and waited patiently. Time passed slowly, and the night air seemed to grow colder. But their patience was finally rewarded when a dark shadow appeared outside the tower's door.

"He's coming," Herakles whispered, gripping his sword.

The shadow was a man with a black hood. He inspected the tower door carefully before muttering a spell to open the magical lock. As the door opened, Lucian motioned for his group to prepare.

As the man stepped inside, the magical trap immediately activated. A glowing circle appeared on the floor, trapping the man's movements. He screamed in surprise and tried to resist, but to no avail.

Lucian and the others entered the tower immediately. "Who are you?" asked Lucian in a cold tone, pointing his sword at the man.

The man laughed softly, despite his trapped state. "You think you can stop us?" he said hoarsely. "The Dusk Order is already stronger than you can imagine. This is only the beginning."

"Who is the traitor at the Academy?" Alden demanded, approaching with an angry expression.

The man did not answer. Instead, he just smiled sinisterly before his body suddenly turned into a dark shadow and disappeared from the circle.

"He ran away!" Eris cried, clenching her fists. "How did that happen?"

Lucian looked at the spot where the man had been standing. "He is using high level shadow magic. But at least we know now that the Order of the Twilight is really here."

The next day, Lucian reported the incident to the head of the Academy, an old woman named Lady Seraphina. He listened intently, his face full of worry.

"This is a grave threat," he said. "If the Dusk Order has infiltrated the Academy, we must increase security and ensure that the students do not become victims."

Lucian nodded. "But we must also find out who the traitor is. Otherwise we will continue to be one step behind them."

Lady Seraphina agreed, but her expression showed that she realized the gravity of the task. "Be careful, Lucian. The Dusk Order is not an enemy to be trifled with."

As Lucian left the room, he felt that the situation was becoming more complicated. The threat from the Dusk Order was becoming more real, and the presence of traitors within the Academy only added to the burden on his shoulders.

But he would not give up. With an ancient sword in his hand and loyal friends by his side, Lucian is determined to protect the Academy and stop the Order of the Twilight, come what may. Their journey may have just begun, but he knows that every step brings them closer to the truth.