The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream-Chapter 138

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 138

"I told you, I was only working for the city's sake."

The searches conducted at both the city hall and Pirnen’s estate quickly concluded—with nothing to show for it.

Pirnen, now emboldened, let out a derisive laugh.

Standing before her, Leon gave a calm nod.

"Indeed, we were unable to find any physical evidence related to the accusations. At this rate, we have no way to prove your crimes."

"Surprisingly reasonable. You’re free to investigate as much as you like, but without solid evidence, you won’t be able to arrest me."

- ?

- Huh?

- So... what happens now?

- Disappointing, but... -The End-

- Siiigh...

Viewers, caught off guard by the anticlimactic turn of events, reacted with disbelief.

But the situation wasn’t over yet.

"Vice Captain!"

Just as Pirnen was about to leave, a voice called out.

Turning toward the sound, she saw a knight sprinting toward them, carrying a wooden box.

"We’ve retrieved everything!"

The knight saluted and opened the box, carefully organizing its contents in front of Leon.

"......?"

Pirnen’s eyes were drawn to the items being pulled out one by one.

Familiar-looking books, parchments, crystal orbs—documents she had definitely seen before.

A creeping sense of unease made her step forward.

And then—her worst fears were realized.

"H-How did you get these?!"

She had moved all incriminating evidence out of Ifrit, relocating it to a secret storage facility under the control of the d'Artuis family.

Only a handful of people even knew of its existence.

There was absolutely no way the Royal Guard should have been able to access it.

"Good work. With this, we now have undeniable physical evidence of Mayor Pirnen d'Artuis' crimes."

Leon, inspecting the documents, gave a firm nod.

Her detached declaration sent Pirnen into a fury.

"You… what did you do?!"

"We conducted a search based on a report we received."

"Lies! That’s a place you lot should never have been able to enter!"

Fuming, Pirnen's breath came in heated gasps.

But Leon wasn’t one to waste words on her tantrums.

"Mayor Pirnen d'Artuis, you will now be subjected to a full investigation based on the secured evidence. Preparations for your transfer to the capital will begin immediately."

"D-Don’t touch me! Do you have any idea who I am?! I am Pirnen of the d'Artuis family!"

- Wow, so this is how it ends. LOL

- Classic “Do you know who I am?” moment.

- Byeee~

- Brook’s gonna love having a new cellmate.

Pirnen struggled, but she was swiftly restrained by the knights.

As she was escorted toward the transport carriage, Leon issued an additional order.

"Make sure Mayor Pirnen is taken directly to the Captain. If we present the evidence there, we can ensure a neutral investigative environment, free from the d'Artuis family's influence."

"Yes, ma’am!"

The knights and soldiers saluted before carrying out her command.

Leon then turned to Hanbit, approaching her with a composed expression.

"Black Dragon, you’ve once again played a crucial role. Without you, we might have lost the vital city of Ifrit. On behalf of the Raven Kingdom’s knights, I offer you my deepest gratitude."

Her words were sincere as she bowed slightly in respect.

Then, she posed a question.

"But how did you know where Pirnen had hidden the evidence? Even within the d'Artuis family’s domain, that location is nearly impossible to reach."

"Bolivo found out. He had been tracking Pirnen for a long time, but noticed she was especially cautious whenever she headed there."

"I see. That makes sense."

Leon nodded, then shifted her gaze behind Hanbit.

There stood a woman clad in a white lab coat.

"So that must be Aysis, the scientist from the Holy Kingdom you mentioned."

"That’s right. She’s not in the best condition right now, but she’ll recover soon."

Aysis, standing at a distance, looked utterly dejected.

Having been restrained multiple times, she hadn’t been able to observe the monster wave’s battlefield as closely as she wanted.

The final blow had been seeing the yeti’s lifeless body.

More than anything, she had been desperate to analyze how it had transformed and how powerful it had truly become.

"The investigation into the Monster Wave will begin now. Since the scientist is in an unstable state, would it be alright if I entrust her safety to you until then?"

"Of course. I have a few things I need to look into as well."

"Thank you. Then, we’ll depart immediately."

With that, Leon gave a polite nod before heading toward the city gates with her subordinates.

Watching them leave, Kim Jaeha quietly approached and asked, "What exactly happened? Didn’t Pirnen destroy all the evidence herself?"

Having been preoccupied with learning dwarven metallurgy, he found it difficult to grasp the situation.

Hanbit shook her head.

"Rather than destroy, she hid most of it. Those documents tied to her dealings were her lifeline, after all."

Pirnen had remained in hiding until just before the final Monster Wave. She had spent that time meticulously covering her tracks, anticipating the Royal Guard’s arrival.

However, since she couldn’t afford to abandon the funds that maintained her family's influence, she had left some traces of her transactions.

"Ahem."

Bolivo, who had been standing nearby, cleared his throat.

Hanbit smirked and added, "Bolivo was the one who uncovered both the hiding place and the secret trade routes Pirnen had been using. It’s a huge achievement."

"Of course. Do you have any idea how much background research I had to do because of that woman?"

- So he was actually useful!

- Well, at least he did something.

- (Info) The entire Monster Wave defense was funded by Bolivo.

- Oh, right.

- Would’ve been nice if he mentioned that earlier…

Bolivo puffed up with pride, clearly pleased to receive credit for his efforts.

Because he had always needed to keep an eye on the mayor for business reasons, he had accumulated a wealth of information—information that had now ended up in Leon’s hands.

"So this is really… the end."

Jinuk didn’t bother watching as his sister was taken away.

It wasn’t guilt that kept him from looking—he simply had no sympathy left to give.

Even when called as a witness, he would testify to the facts exactly as they were.

"I’ll go assist the Vice Captain. It’ll be difficult for them to navigate unfamiliar terrain on their own."

With that, he left for the city gates where Leon had departed.

By now, most of the people had dispersed.

The adventurers, led by Xenon, and the dwarves, with Gorik at the forefront, had all gone to help restore the city.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.

"But… why isn’t the episode ending? The mayor’s been caught."

Kim Jaeha voiced the question that was on his mind.

It was a fair assumption—but there was still one key figure left.

"The episode won’t end until Leon leaves with Aysis. Ifrit’s story revolved around Mayor Pirnen and the Monster Wave, after all."

Pirnen’s infuriating attitude had been a major focus, but Aysis was just as important to the story.

Watching the dejected scientist, Hanbit turned her gaze toward the towering red spire.

"Let’s head to the Magic Research Institute."

Magic Research Institute

"You want me to share my research… with this woman?"

The head researcher, Levius, looked at Aysis in disbelief.

After all, she was both the mastermind behind the Monster Wave and a scientist from the Holy Kingdom.

"Is she really… from the Holy Kingdom?"

Nia, who had been busy organizing books, cautiously approached.

Glancing at the slumped-over scientist in thick glasses, Hanbit replied, "She’s not religious or anything. Just think of her as a lunatic obsessed with research."

"Uh… huh."

At the word lunatic, Nia instinctively took a small step back.

Then, without another word, she returned to organizing books, pretending not to have heard.

- LOL

- Brutal honesty.

- Gotta stay away from crazy people.

Though Aysis wasn’t exactly dangerous, it was clear that she didn’t sit well with Nia’s sensibilities.

Levius, watching the interaction, sighed.

"So, why exactly are you asking me to share my research?"

"Because we need a completely different perspective. Aysis brings an unexpected approach that could prove valuable. Traditional methods have their limits."

"……."

He didn’t argue against that.

His unfinished research had reached a dead end.

He had already experienced firsthand the limitations of his own abilities—so much so that he had even entrusted his magic tomes to the Black Dragon, who wielded the power of spirits.

If he could see the potential in a scientist from the Holy Kingdom, then the idea wasn’t entirely without merit.

"Are you saying this woman might be able to overcome that limit?"

"At the very least, progress won’t stall. You might as well give it a shot."

"…Hmm."

Levius fell into deep thought upon hearing the repeated persuasion.

However, his hesitation didn’t last long.

"Very well. Since you’re vouching for her, I’ll give it a try."

"Thank you. Then, I’ll show you the grimoire first."

Hanbit retrieved a thick book from her inventory and approached Aysis.

She was still in a gloomy state.

"Read this."

"Does it even matter? I’m just an idiot who couldn’t even protect my own research as a scientist..."

- Negativity MAX

- Her voice is practically disappearing, lol.

- She’s acting like this just because she didn’t get to witness the monsters die? That’s insane.

- ‘Mad scientist.’

Muttering in a defeated tone, Aysis slumped even further.

Given a few hours, she’d return to normal—but they didn’t have the luxury of waiting.

"Read first, then talk. It’s research on spirits."

"Huh? Spirits?"

At that one word, her head shot up.

She immediately snatched the thick grimoire and began flipping through it at high speed.

"Oh… this approach is interesting. Altering the flow of ambient mana is definitely the most intuitive method. I actually had my own hypothesis on this..."

Aysis mumbled to herself as she became completely engrossed in the book.

Levius observed her closely, at first with skepticism—but as she spoke, he found himself listening more intently.

Before long, the two began exchanging ideas.

"There was another method. By arranging mana stones and adjusting them like a sigil, you could trace the flow of strong mana."

"That’s not a bad approach. But focusing on a single point is too conventional. If you think about the elements in nature, wouldn’t a random pattern be more effective…?"

Somehow, their discussion had evolved into a full-fledged debate.

And through that exchange, Aysis had a sudden spark of inspiration.

"Can I use this? I think I can tweak it into something really interesting!"

Having read through everything, she grabbed a magic inscription pen from the side.

Then, flipping through the grimoire, she began jotting things down in various places.

Scratch, scratch—

She worked with an expression full of excitement.

Finally, after filling the last blank page with notes, she closed the book, her face a mix of satisfaction and regret.

"This research has so much potential! If I knew more about spirits, I could have improved it even further!"

"...You’re telling me you’ve already modified my grimoire?"

"The original direction was slightly off. So! I applied what I learned while researching the ice of the Spirit King, Glacier! I’m not talented in magic myself, so I can’t cast it, but…"

Aysis continued explaining matter-of-factly, while Levius stood in stunned silence.

Watching them, Hanbit turned to the thick book.

"What exactly changed?"

When a grimoire is altered, the spells within it also change.

Depending on the extent of the modifications, the magic could fail—or entirely new spells could emerge.

That meant this could be something completely different from the original Elemental Amplification spell.

"I’ll try using it."

Slide—

Placing his hand on the book, Hanbit slowly turned the cover.

A holographic window with a golden frame suddenly appeared.

[Would you like to use it? (Yes/No)]

- Huh?

- Wasn’t this grimoire already used?

- Why is it golden now?

- This has to be a bug.

- My finger is hovering over the report button.

- The fact that the grimoire didn’t disappear in the first place was already a game-breaking bug.

The viewers were convinced this was some kind of glitch.

However, Hanbit had a gut feeling about it.

Without hesitation, he reached out and tapped the Yes button.

Beep—

The hologram vanished instantly, and a new message appeared.

[Hidden Spirit Skill: Attribute Manifestation (Rank 3 - Epic) has been deleted.]

[Hidden Skill: Elemental Amplification (Rank 4 - Epic) has been deleted.]

[Hidden Spirit Skill: Elemental Awakening (Rank 5 - Epic) has been added.]

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]