Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 92

The man with downcast eyes seemed lost in prayer. His long eyelashes cast shadows, veiling his emotions. Vanessa felt a flush creep up her neck, her cheeks burning.

Colonel Liet, deciding enough time had passed, suddenly barged through the door.

Startled, Vanessa quickly pulled her hand away, feigning fluster, while Gideon naturally straightened.

Liet, eyes wide, clutched a stack of documents.

“Take these! Please!”

She sounded almost desperate.

“Why do I only get the troublemakers? I want some nice, docile, obedient, and *smart* members for once.”

Gideon, having already released Vanessa’s hand and risen, placed a stone tablet on the bookshelf. Seizing the opportunity, Vanessa discreetly wiped her warm cheeks.

“Troublemakers? Perhaps they take after their Colonel. Captain Anna is quite similar to you.”

“Well, she’s my sister, so naturally. Just give them here. You weren’t planning on foisting them onto the Commander, were you?”

Gideon blinked slowly.

“I was going to assign them to you regardless. I thought they’d get along well with Dalois Stanner.”

Colonel Liet grinned, spreading the documents on a low table. A few sheets fluttered to the floor, but she ignored them.

“Rose, Lieutenant. May I call you that? You’re aware of the common traits of our targets, yes? A unique accent! What can you tell me about it?”

Vanessa glanced at Gideon, but he was already back at his desk, absorbed in the documents.

“Do you suspect the temple and the nobles behind it?”

Silence hung in the air. The chirping of birds outside the closed window seemed unusually loud.

*Was I wrong? Should I have kept quiet?* Vanessa, unnerved by the silence, tried to retract her statement.

“No, I’m sorr-”

“Pwahahaha!”

Colonel Liet erupted in laughter, while Gideon gave her a look that could have been either praise or criticism. Vanessa felt a wave of awkwardness.

“Ah, why did you only join the Special Forces *now*? How did you figure it out?”

Vanessa hesitated. Colonel Liet urged her to speak. Vanessa pointed to the map on the table.

“Mosara is among the places where the unique accent persists.”

Encouraged by the lingering amusement in the Colonel’s eyes, Vanessa calmly presented her reasoning. *If I’m wrong, I’m wrong.*

“Mosara is the only place in Priba with a remaining temple. However, since Bam Vandalu [a legendary figure who shared magic with the common people] shared magic with everyone, fewer people know the names of the old gods, and their influence has waned.”

Vanessa traced the area marked as Mosara with her finger.

“But recently, the names of the gods are being invoked again. Strangely, the rapidly multiplying monsters are avoiding Mosara.”

“Some even attribute it to the land being protected by the gods. As monsters thrive, more people invoke the names of forgotten gods, much to the priests’ delight,” Gideon said nonchalantly, without looking up from his documents.

“But if the priests are creating chimeras [monstrous creatures created through magic], the source of their funding is questionable.”

“So you suspect nobles and other vested interests are involved?”

Liet gazed at her with admiration, a pleased smile on her face. She looked ready to promote Vanessa on the spot, if it were within her power.

“Yes, considering the enormous cost of creating chimeras. And the reason I focused on Mosara is because there’s someone there…”

“Shh.”

Colonel Liet gave a mischievous smile and placed a finger on Vanessa’s lips.

“That’s a matter for the Commander or the Lieutenant General’s people. You shouldn’t get involved that deeply.”

*This is really dangerous.* Liet’s voice was so soft that the scar on her lip barely moved. When Vanessa glanced over, a gleaming golden eye was staring intently at her.

“So, what *we* have to do…”

Liet, her voice returning to its bright tone, slammed the map.

“Is to find and protect the undamaged magic circles of Bam Vandalu. Those crazy bastards are so obsessed with restoring their power amidst the chaos in Priba that they’re trying to awaken the black monsters that Bam Vandalu sealed away.”

Vanessa genuinely didn’t understand. If those monsters awaken, destroying everything they hold dear, why would they do it?

*Could it be that they have nothing to love, even less than an orphan like me, and only crave power?* If so, they were truly pathetic.

“Fortunately, the Special Forces have already located some magic circles ahead of ‘them.’ However, some are damaged, so they’ll now try to confront us directly. This is also, well, dangerous.”

Liet grinned, jumped up, and extended her hand.

“Vanessa Rose, welcome to the Special Forces. I greeted you before, but I’m Liet Liluja. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”

Vanessa shook her hand.

After receiving her uniform, Vanessa changed and looked in the mirror.

Normally, Special Forces uniforms were custom-made by a royal tailor, who took direct measurements. They used black fabric imbued with special magic for elasticity and recovery, ensuring a perfect fit and offering a degree of protection.

However, Vanessa’s appointment had been expedited, leaving no time for that. As a result, she received one of the spares.

“Is it a little short?”

It was snug, and her ankles were slightly exposed, but the black uniform fit well enough. Vanessa carefully pinned the Special Forces pin to her collar. The sight was quite impressive, even to her.

Dalois watched from the side, clapping enthusiastically. The sound startled Vanessa.

“It suits you so well! I’m so glad you joined the Special Forces. The teams are always shifting, but it looks like we’ll be working together this time.”

Dalois smiled broadly. Vanessa glanced at Dalois’s sturdy arms, then back at her own, feeling a twinge of worry. *I should have worked out more.*

“I feel like I’m physically lacking. Will I be okay?”

“You’re amazing with magic! That’s enough. You have magic, I have an axe. I always charge in without thinking and get scolded. You’re not like that, so we’ll get along great!”

Her worries vanished, washed away by Dalois’s cheerful voice, and laughter came naturally.

“I’m glad to be working with you too. I’m better at setting up barriers now, so I’ll support you from the side.”

“Really?”

Vanessa smiled without answering, then tilted her head.

“What about Evan?”

“Evan’s working under the Lieutenant General now. His family’s wealthy, so he got pulled in. I think he’s investigating the nobles and merchants.”

Dalois answered clearly and threw open the door.

Working in the Royal Cabinet, Vanessa had only seen clean places: Minister Tellios’s office and Commander Gideon’s office. This place, in contrast, was a mess.

Documents were scattered across the dark brown desk. Several picture frames lay on the thick carpeted floor, the reason obvious: to accommodate a huge map of Priba on the wall.

The map was the most detailed Vanessa had ever seen. The coastline curves, marked on the high-quality, thick cloth, were incredibly delicate.

Seeing it like this, she was reminded of Priba’s vastness. Even though the map filled an entire wall, the metropolis of Pyudom didn’t appear that large.

The map itself wasn’t pristine. Various colored pins marked certain points, creating a somewhat chaotic appearance.

Vanessa stood before the map and began to examine it closely.

It was easy to decipher the markings. The places marked in red, blue, gold, and black largely corresponded to the locations where Vanessa suspected Bam Vandalu’s magic circles would be.

However, there were more than she had anticipated, and they were widely distributed throughout Priba, hinting at the Special Forces’ recent activity.

“Are those the locations of Bam Vandalu’s magic circles?”

“Yeah. The places marked in gold are where the magic circle locations have been completely confirmed and dozens of barriers have been added, so they’re secure now.”

Dalois pointed to a place with a red pin.

“But the ones marked in red are ambiguous, so we’re still searching for them. Bam Vandalu must have been a great magician; he was very good at hiding things!”

“What about black?”

“Those are places where the magic circle’s function has weakened or been destroyed. Magicians are trying to revive them.”

Fortunately, there were very few black pins. As Vanessa remained engrossed in the map, Dalois scratched the freckled bridge of her nose and tilted her head.

“By the way, where did you hear about Bam Vandalu’s magic circles? I studied hard yesterday to explain it to you.”

Dalois pouted, and Vanessa felt a pang of guilt.

“Ah, no. I heard about it briefly before. I’d still like you to explain it in more detail.”

“Okay! Where did we leave off?”

“Black markings.”

Dalois, who had been crossing her arms and rolling her eyes, scratched her head.

“Oh, but there’s nothing more to tell you. We just need to carefully search the places marked in red and find Bam Vandalu’s magic circle. That’s it!”

“What about the protective barriers?”

“Magicians specializing in barriers come separately.”

Dalois snorted and complained about the countless monsters that had poured out during the previous dispatch, making it difficult.

“When we approached the magic circle, they swarmed in. I hope it’s a little easier this time.”

Colonel Liet, who had remained in Gideon’s office, soon returned. She saw Vanessa confirming the map with Dalois and smiled, then pointed to one place.

“We’re keeping an eye on this area right now. You’ll probably be dispatched within the next week, so be prepared. But I don’t think it’ll be too dangerous. There are hardly any monster sightings.”

Vellose, marked in red. Vanessa made a mental note.