***
Arriving back at the hold, Mikhail checked in with the guards.
He was still a little suspicious of them but he had no time.
After informing them that there was nothing out of the ordinary except some monsters, he was allowed to go.
They removed the tracker and he took his horse back to the stables.
As he parked it, he was relieved to see his squadron's horses at their places too.
All had gone well. At least for now.
Taking his stuff, Mikhail reported to the mess hall where he saw his friends already seated.
Modric was the first to notice his arrival.
"Back safe and sound?"
Mikhail nodded.
"All the same. What about you all?"
Icarus was the first to voice up.
"Yeah it was all the same, there was no need for pairs at all."
It was obvious that the red-eyed boy was still mad about his pairing.
Nothing could be done about it though.
Yvan shaked his head, sighing.
"I sensed some mana disturbances but nothing major, don't worry."
"Alright."
A word of response was a compliment enough for all of them.
They looked at him waiting to join but Mikhail waved his hand.
"I need to report to Lord Vlahovic about today, I'll eat later."
"Well okay, we'll be training in the grounds if you need us later." Oscar replied.
"I understand."
Giving his final words, Mikhail left the mess hall to his own quarters.
'I can't let them get involved in this.'
The words of the messenger were still ingrained in his mind.
This was definitely not a normal killing.
'How did they even enter the camp's vicinity undetected?'
From what he knew, there were radars to notify about any potential intruder within a certain radius.
Verified personnel were of course let go. And with the tracker acting like a verification device, they were safe too.
The trackers self-destruct when removed without a special method so there was no chance of using them.
'Is someone a traitor from the inside?'
"S-s-s…Pact….k-killed….b-b-betrayal…protect….the Dominique."
His mission told him to prevent the assassination and the man had told him to protect the Dominique.
They were definitely related somehow.
Protect them from the people that were chasing him?
Probably. Or at least he was 90% sure.
Because he was still not sure if it were the people who were chasing the man or the monsters in his previous life.
There was also that vision he had seen in the morning in bed.
Another reason was the first word that the man spoke.
'Pact.'
A pact, as in a treaty or promise?
S- pact.
Two words, pact was the second word. So it must have been some kind of special pact.
S was the starting letter of the first word.
Mikhail thought long and hard but couldn't find any clue.
There was only one solution to this current problem.
The academy library.
Fortunately, he knew how to read unlike many people here in the camp.
It was all thanks to Yvan, the book worm between them.
In fact, in this current situation, Mikhail would first go to him for help but as he had said earlier, he didn't want to involve his squadron in this.
The library wasn't that big or useful but it was his only hope.
To make sure the master would give him access to advanced books too though, he had to go somewhere else first.
Vlahovic Ibrynt.
The word from the Lord Commander of the camp would definitely allow him every bit of access he needed.
Packing his stuff, Mikhail wrote the exact words of the man down before going outside.
To Vlahovic's Quarters.
***
[After 2 Hours]
Mikhail arrived in front of the library, the woodsteps creaking under his feet.
He looked at the normal slip of paper in his hand.
It had nothing written on it, just a blank short piece of paper that you could find anywhere.
That was what it would appear to any normal guy.
Because it wasn't normal. It had Vlahovic's mana signature on it.
An invincible signature that would instantly be understood by the master in the library.
It was a temporary referral card. One-time use.
Mana signatures were something very unique to the person so it was almost impossible to replicate them.
Up here on the hold, they were the easiest and the best way of secret identification of a person.
Heading up the stairs, Mikhail opened the wooden door to a narrow hallway.
Immediately, he was made aware of the silence inside the library.
It wasn't because of the rules, even though it was a rule to keep the silence.
Barely anyone came here for books, except those nerds or time passers.
Most of them didn't know how to read, and those that did barely had interest in reading words.
They were past rapists, not librarians.
Heading further inside, Mikhail saw the hallway spread into an expansive space covered in bookshelves.
"Oh, Mikhail?"
Surprised by the noise, Mikhail flipped to his right where he saw a man so thin, he could trace his bones popping out of his skin.
A small black patch of fading hair on his head and blue frosty eyes that could close at any moment, the master stared at Mikhail.
He was Master Vance de Loras.
One of the 4 Masters under the Lord Commander Vlahovic.
He was responsible for everything administrative and knowledge related in the camp.
Basically the brain. He was rumored to be above 100 years old but none dared to ask the man.
As powerless as he was said to be though, Mikhail was always on his tips near him.
Something about the man's presence put him on an edge. Something that none could see.
He could never sense him at all.
"Greetings, Master Vance. I'm here for a visit to the library." Mikhail maintained his calm.
An eerie smile spread on Vance's face, the same one he always used.
"Ahh, a rarity for you. But of course everyone is welcome here to seek knowledge. Go ahead."
Mikhail nodded, not wanting to spend much time wasting words on him.
He handed him the blank piece of paper without any words.
Vance held it from his hands, examining it in his hands for a second as he adjusted his monocle.
"Very well, you can access the back shelves as well. If you have any problem or require help in finding any book, feel free to call me out."
The man smiled, throwing the piece of paper in the fire beside him.
"Thank you, Master Vance."