Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 100

To the Teacher, From Vanessa (100/146)

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It was the first mission she’d received since joining the Special Task Force. *Was* that why she was so out of her mind? Vanessa felt truly overwhelmed.

The ‘Dotram Branches’ seemed to realize that she wasn’t just simple prey, but a lumberjack come to cut them down, and they began to move more aggressively.

When she tried to cut down one tree, another branch would lash out from afar to strangle her neck, and sharp stems would burst from the ground like spears. Occasionally, tough vines would grab her hands or feet.

Like now.

“No, wait a minute!”

Of course, there was no one to listen.

The tree mercilessly hung Vanessa upside down in the air. Thanks to the enormous tree, the height was considerable.

Vanessa’s face paled as she felt the long vine that had grabbed her ankle slowly loosening. And before she could prepare herself, Vanessa plummeted.

“Ah!”

The sensation of falling was so eerie that the back of her neck was drenched in cold sweat in that short moment.

Fortunately, the gentle wind that Vanessa summoned wrapped around her body and slowed her falling speed.

Of course, that didn’t mean she landed gracefully. The spell to soften the ground like a sand dune had failed.

The formula for specifying the range was perfect, but her confidence in executing it was lacking.

Vanessa groaned in extreme pain, unable to make a sound. Blood seeped through the torn pants where she had hit a sharp rock.

“Gideon… told me not to get hurt…”

But… how can I *not* get hurt? Isn’t this a complete scam of a contract?

Vanessa, her eyes filled with tears from the pain, glared up in frustration.

The Dotram Branch, noticing its prey huddled amongst its widely spread roots, fiercely launched sharp stems.

However, before they could touch Vanessa’s body, they burst into flames and turned to ashes.

Rage was always helpful in offensive magic.

After that, if she lost her focus even for a moment, her hands and feet would be tied, and she would be beaten by the stems.

Vanessa humbly admitted it. She had already failed to keep her promise with Gideon. There were no serious injuries – just a bruised knee! – but her whole body was already covered in bruises.

Fortunately, Vanessa was a magician who didn’t need situational conditions like clapping her hands to cast, so the inconvenience of her hands and feet couldn’t stop her.

With the continuing heat, the snow had melted away, revealing the dark soil.

Vanessa wiped the sweat flowing down her forehead. She felt like her stamina was draining faster because there was no time to relax.

It felt like it had already been over an hour, but why was the moon still there?

The most concerning thing was the streaks of blood that burst out every time she shot down the tree-shaped monsters. The thick red streams soaked the ground, making it damp.

If there was a Night Vandalu magic circle nearby, it would have already been damaged a long time ago.

“Since they’re using this method, I guess there’s a magic circle here, right?”

Vanessa grumbled and created a flame in the air. The stem that had been pouring down from above burned and scattered black ashes.

As Vanessa was showered with the falling ashes like snow, she scratched her cheek.

She was very surprised to be dispatched as soon as she joined the Special Task Force, but there were definitely good points. Thanks to being thrown into a dangerous situation, her magical skills improved very quickly.

Or is that *not* a good thing?

Anyway, Jenian wouldn’t scold me even if I showed her. Except for the magic I failed when I fell earlier, I was fine.

While she was having such carefree thoughts, eyes that were torn long sideways gleamed between the tall trees.

Puzzled, Vanessa summoned more light to widen her field of vision.

“Oh, dear.”

The owners of the greedy, gleaming eyes were four-legged monsters. It seemed that monsters living in the deep forest were attracted by the smell of blood. A long tongue and sharp teeth protruded from their torn mouths.

She couldn’t be sure what kind of monsters they were, but it was clear that they were very excited by their overflowing appetite. They were kicking their hind legs, wanting to rush at Vanessa right away.

Without even having time to think, a pure white light shot out from Vanessa’s fingertips.

With a tearing sound that ripped through the air, one of the monsters at the front fell, bleeding.

Vanessa trembled slightly, even though she knew they were monsters.

She felt less emotional about killing plant-type monsters, but animal-type monsters were different. Realizing that she was killing something was somehow chilling.

Vanessa glanced back. She could see the narrow path gradually widening. Right behind it was where the Veloz people lived.

*I’m* not killing, *I’m* protecting.

As she thought that, the trembling subsided. Vanessa patted herself and focused on the situation in front of her again.

Time passed quickly.

Now, the movements of the Dotram Branches had subsided, but the four-legged monsters popped out and drained Vanessa’s energy.

However, the Night Vandalu magic circle, the purpose for which the Special Task Force members were dispatched to Veloz, still showed no signs.

The size of the magic circle she saw in the royal castle was not small. It was protecting a very large space. If it was here, at least a faint line should have passed before her eyes.

Vanessa rubbed her tired eyes.

She didn’t know why she kept having strange thoughts, but she felt like it was some kind of trick. A trick to keep the Special Task Force members here.

Night Vandalu and Veloz. What *is* the relationship between them?

Most magic circles appeared in places that were of great significance to him.

The castle where the King of Priba, to whom he first pledged allegiance, lived, the Siona region where he realized the conditions [likely referring to conditions for a magical ability or contract], and the Danan region where he was born.

But nothing came to mind in the white birch forest of Veloz.

So, the only thing that came to Vanessa’s mind was the Seogot and Bamberg Academy, just over a mountain away.

Vanessa blinked, blankly firing beams of light. Bamberg Academy.

Bamberg Academy was called Night Vandalu’s most cherished treasure during his lifetime. He cherished it so much that he named it after his own name and a suffix taken from the high mountains.

Even in his old age, he participated in the construction of the academy. His magic touched every part of it.

It was the perfect place to hide a magic circle. Even though she thought it was just speculation, all of Vanessa’s instincts were directed towards the academy.

If this was a fake to keep the Special Task Force’s feet tied, then it was clear that the real magic circle over there would be damaged.

Vanessa anxiously stomped her feet and eventually shot a light into the sky with magic.

After quite some time, Daloise came running, thumping from afar.

“Vanessaaaaa! What’s wrong!”

“Daloise! Are you okay?”

Daloise grinned. Her short braided hair swayed gently.

“Of course, I was with Major Leeat! Oh my, there’s a lot here too!”

Vanessa stared blankly, her mouth open, as she watched something that was running towards her being knocked far away in an instant as Daloise swung her axe without stopping.

“No, your arm strength…”

“Ehehehe! I am! A lumberjack!”

Unlike Daloise’s hearty laughter, the monsters were knocked away without even making a sound.

Vanessa, who was watching the scene, asked suspiciously.

“What’s your magic condition?”

At those words, Daloise grinned. Then, she whispered as if it were a secret.

“I can only use magic on my body. So, I just strengthen my arms and legs.”

Daloise giggled as Vanessa’s mouth dropped open.

“It’s a secret from Evan! It’s fun to tease him. But why did you call me? It looked like you were doing a great job!”

Daloise said excitedly, cutting down trees. For some reason, even the ferocious stems looked pitiful in front of Daloise.

As Vanessa quickly rattled off her thoughts, Daloise rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, Major Andalus and I were talking about that over there too. We said something was strange. What you’re saying makes sense.”

“I need to get permission from the Colonel and go to the academy.”

“Isn’t it urgent? It’s a long way to the Colonel. It’s completely in the opposite direction, and you’ve never been there before, so you can’t teleport there with magic. It took me quite a while to get here too.”

Daloise said leisurely. Of course, her hands were very busy doing their job. The trees fell with a thud.

“Go and come back quickly. I’ve already figured out all of these guys’ attack patterns. I’m enough on my own! This is exciting!”

Vanessa hesitated, but Daloise didn’t even listen to her answer and was excitedly swinging her axe.

In the end, Vanessa began to draw a magic circle in the back. It was a spherical barrier magic circle, in case Daloise was in danger. She was in a hurry, so her hand kept slipping.

The completed magic circle was empty in the middle. That was where the magic stone was to be placed, so Vanessa rummaged through her pockets and threw the magic stone to Daloise. Daloise caught it perfectly.

“Daloise, if it’s dangerous, come inside here and signal to the others. It’s a spherical barrier, so it’ll be okay until it breaks.”

“You worry too much. If it’s dangerous, I’ll run to Colonel Leeat! I’m faster than those guys!”

Vanessa smiled. Worry was a word that made up her, so what could she do?

“I’ll be right back. Wait a little bit.”

Daloise just showed her trust with a firm look.

“Don’t get hurt, there are too many people who will cry if you get hurt.”

Vanessa laughed. A whisper like the sound of the wind flowed out of her mouth, and then dozens of lines began to be drawn under her feet.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything that will get me hurt.”

*I* just have to do something that requires a lot of thinking.

Vanessa waved her hand and disappeared into the snowy forest in an instant.

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Vanessa landed on the stone road of Seogot, which was closest to the academy. The academy was protected by dozens of barriers, so she couldn’t enter with teleportation magic.

The few merchants around, who had seen Vanessa suddenly fall from the sky, looked at her strangely and then averted their eyes. In the dark and cold night, everyone was clutching their coats and hurrying home.

Vanessa started running as she was.

Suddenly, old memories came to mind. Evan, Moshwi, and I used to run on this road. I never thought I would come here for something like this.

Vanessa, who had been running non-stop until the path leading to the academy, realized that she, who was no longer a student, could not break through the barrier in the middle of the night.

Well, then.

Vanessa made a circle with her hands, put it to her mouth, and blew. Hoo-

Small butterfly-shaped lights that rode the wind began to float around.

As Vanessa willed, the lights stealthily approached the barrier and passed through as if melting into it.

“Go and wake up the professors.”

As Vanessa smiled, the lights fluttered and slowly flew away. Vanessa, who had been running non-stop, finally caught her breath a little.

As Vanessa thought, the first one to come out was Professor Guido, wearing a thick navy sweater. Judging by the dark circles he always had under his eyes, it was clear that he didn’t sleep even a few hours a day.

“Isn’t that graduate Vanessa Rose.”

Vanessa smiled awkwardly at the blunt voice. She was in a hurry, but she tried not to show it.

“How have you been, Professor?”

“I don’t know what brings you here at this hour.”

At the slightly wary attitude, Vanessa held up the pin she had sewn into her inner clothes. As soon as Professor Guido checked the Special Task Force pin, he granted her permission to enter.

Vanessa hurriedly began to walk the path. Unlike her, Professor Guido leisurely followed behind her.

“So you’re in the Special Task Force, not the Magic Department?”

“Something happened, so I was transferred to the Special Task Force.”

“What’s going on tonight?”

“There’s something I’m looking for. It’s safe here, but just in case.”

She barely swallowed the words she was about to ask for advice. Now that she belonged to the Special Task Force, she had to try to solve it herself rather than seek answers from her professor.

Vanessa had a target place from the beginning. Water. A place with a lot of water.

Water traditionally has a meaning of protection. She had already seen an example of it in the past. The lake in the cave. So, she couldn’t help but think of a familiar sight.

The huge lake under the lush trees. That lake where the monster appeared.

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