Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 110: Confrontation (1)

"H-How do they have your daughter! She is a student here, why would-" Victoria’s eyes narrowed.

"It’s because she is the assistant of a professor here!" Professor Arnold gasped through Chen’s golden chains.

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you weren’t working alone or the main spy here?"

"I-I’m not! I was forced by Professor Morphin!" Arnold’s voice cracked with desperation. "He is using my daughter’s life as collateral if I don’t help him!"

Chen’s grip tightened on Arnold’s shoulder. "Professor Morphin from Advanced Magical Theory?"

"Yes." Arnold’s face twisted with shame and relief at finally confessing. "He’s the one with the real connections... The encrypted crystals were given to me by him. He was the one who had me record the information before passing it off to him."

"Why should we believe you?" Victoria raised a brow.

"Unless you know he has evidence lying around as well?" Reinhard pointed out.

"H-He does! In his office on the third floor of the Magical Theory Department building. Just check his desk, and you’ll find everything."

Victoria and Reinhard exchanged glances while Reinhard wondered if this was a desperate lie or the truth.

Chen spoke first. "I’ll take Arnold to the disciplinary department for full questioning. You two check Morphin’s office. If Arnold is telling the truth, we need to catch him before he realizes we’re onto him."

"Since it’s close to midnight now," Victoria said while checking the time. "Morphin should have finished his last class hours ago."

Chen nodded as she hauled Arnold toward the door. "Be careful. If Morphin really is the mastermind Arnold claims, he’ll be more dangerous than this one."

Reinhard and Victoria nodded at each other before rushing out. They quickly reached the third floor of the Magical Theory Department building. Victoria phased through the locked door of Morphin’s office with Reinhard pressed against her side.

Once inside, Reinhard’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, and then he glanced around the office. It was larger than Arnold’s, befitting a senior professor of magical theory. Bookshelves lined three walls with a massive desk at the center.

Everything looked pristine, almost too organized.

"It’s hard to believe he would leave evidence like this lying around... But if they plan to get Yor tomorrow-"

"Then it’s likely he was too busy to hide it properly... If what Morphin said is true." Victoria moved to the desk while her hands were glowing faintly with magic to provide light.

Reinhard says. "Do you know what kind of organization would recruit academy professors?"

"I’m not sure. The danger is too great for them. Just one whiff, and one wouldn’t have just the Disciplinary members after them. but also the Royal Empire army as well." Victoria replied.

They worked systematically.

Victoria searched the desk drawers while Reinhard examined the bookshelves for hidden compartments.

Five minutes passed in tense silence.

Then Reinhard’s fingers found an irregularity, a book that wouldn’t pull out like the others. His eyes narrowed before he pressed it and heard a soft click.

A section of the bookshelf swung inward, revealing a small hidden alcove.

Inside sat three encrypted communication crystals identical to the ones in Arnold’s office. But these crystals pulsed with active magic; they’d been used recently.

"Victoria," Reinhard called softly.

She was beside him instantly.

Her expression hardened as she examined the crystals. "These are master-grade. They are incredibly expensive and cost a fortune for even us professors to buy."

Reinhard reached into the alcove and pulled out a locked strongbox. The lock was magical but simple enough. Victoria placed her hand on it, and her spatial abilities simply phased the contents out without breaking the seal.

Papers spilled into her hands.

Reinhard read over her shoulder as Victoria sorted through the documents, and then he paused before narrowing his eyes.

Encrypted messages about "the Duke’s daughter" and her "void capabilities." Detailed observations of Yor’s training schedule. Notes about her Hunter rank and control improvements.

"This is a profile," Victoria breathed. "They’ve been building a complete profile of Yor. Her strengths, her weaknesses, her daily routine, her relationships—"

One document made Reinhard’s hands clench into fists.

"The subject shows emotional attachment to the Malvin boy and the other club members. Recommend targeting during isolated training sessions. Sedation is unnecessary, but it’s advised to keep her unconscious and sneak her out. The best time would be after her training session in the arena. Estimated success rate: 87%."

"They know about you, too," Victoria said quietly while pointing to another page. "They want to kidnap you as well... But it’s fine to kill you if you become an issue or if you resist too much."

How long had they been watched? How much did these people know about all of them?

"Victoria... There are guards in front of our club building... But do you think-"

"Morphin or Arnold could sneak past them? Of course, those guards are only at the early phase of Adept rank. Compared to all the professors who have reached the peak of Adept, they are nothing more than bugs." Victoria bluntly said.

"Then you understand what I’m implying?"

"That they have been stalking her since the moment she first arrived? Yeah." Victoria nodded with a frown.

Reinhard continued looking before pausing when he saw the document at the bottom of the pile.

"Victoria. Look at this."

It was a blueprint.

More specifically, it looked like a map showing multiple areas where Void Distortion had appeared with a caption next to it. At the center, a massive circle marked "activation point" with annotations.

"Awakening ritual: Requires vessel (Noctyne bloodline) to channel power. Estimated distortion radius: 2000 kilometers. Projected casualties: 15-20 million. Acceptable losses for continental transformation."

Victoria’s hands trembled as she read. "They want to create a massive Void Distortion... That would discover the entire continent and kill millions!"

"But why would a person like Morphin have this-" Reinhard paused before his eyes widened. "Unless he stole the plan?"

"Why would he?"

"Maybe he planned to betray them, or he planned to use this as leverage in case they betray him."

"That does make sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to off him after capturing Yor." Victoria mutters.

"Still, we know now they need Yor for their ritual." Reinhard finished grimly. "Her connection to the Void Distortions makes her the key to whatever this ritual requires."

Before Victoria could speak, they both began hearing footsteps in the hallway.

Reinhard’s precognition flared instantly. Five seconds ahead, he saw the office door opening. Professor Morphin enters, his eyes landing on them, and he prepares to unleash his Sigil upon them.