Chapter 65: Draven finds a location.

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Draven finds a location.

Draven began reviewing the available records inside the instrument.

Fortunately, Zenash had sent him devices used by researchers from Fernus, and that kingdom maintained enough commercial relations with Konia to possess information on some of its geographic systems.

After several attempts, Draven managed to identify the correct reference.

The compass needles began to move and a sequence of numbers appeared on the surface, so Draven leaned slightly forward.

’There it is.’

He used one of the plates to project a map of the continent, and the representation displayed the borders of the major kingdoms.

Draven entered the coordinates and a small luminous point appeared on the map, which he remained observing.

’Konia.’

That much he already knew, but when he zoomed in on the area, he discovered the point was located near a large city.

Draven checked the values again and then zoomed further into the representation until the name finally appeared.

[Drakar]

Draven’s eyes opened slightly.

’The capital of Konia?’

One of the most important cities on the continent and the main political center of the kingdom ruled by the dragons.

It was also known for its military organizations, its large trading companies, and the numerous mercenaries who worked for various powerful families.

Draven examined the exact location, but the receiver was not inside the city; instead, it was situated in a region several kilometers from its outer walls.

’On the outskirts of Drakar.’

He zoomed in on the map again, but the representation did not show many details, only some trade routes, small settlements, and mountainous zones.

The point was located near one of the routes connecting the capital to the mining regions.

’Interesting.’

Draven remained thoughtful.

The dragons were known for their military and commercial activities.

They also controlled numerous mines of valuable minerals and, due to their paranoia about being ready for war, there were quite a few mercenary organizations within the kingdom.

’But why is the receiver near the capital?’

It could be a facility belonging to some military company or an operations center used by a clandestine organization, but the coordinates did not allow him to identify the owner of the place.

’I need to get information on that area.’

Draven saved a copy of the results, then deactivated the instruments, and his expression turned serious as he once again recalled the confrontation in the forest.

The mercenaries had carefully prepared their attack, knew about his ties to both Zenash and Taliah, and were aware that he had taken part in the hunt for the demonic vocier.

But the most concerning part was that they had managed to prepare specific measures to counter some of his abilities.

’Who the hell gave them all that information?’

He remained thoughtful for several seconds and then directed his gaze toward the window as the sky began to take on a slightly lighter tone.

’Looks like it’s finally starting to dawn.’

Draven let out a small laugh and once again recalled his conversation with Ena.

’I guess in the end I’ll get to see it.’

However, after a few seconds, he stopped smiling, because the only concrete lead he had managed to obtain was located in a kingdom where he could not investigate easily.

’This is going to be complicated.’

Several hours later, Draven was in one of the academy classrooms.

The professor was explaining the properties of various materials used in the crafting of magical tools.

On the blackboard were several diagrams related to mana storage and transmission techniques, but Draven was barely paying attention.

’Drakar.’

He distractedly observed the notes on his desk.

’I need to find out who uses those coordinates.’

He had considered several possibilities during the trip to the academy, and the first was to request information directly from Zenash.

Fernus maintained relatively favorable relations with Konia, especially compared to those it had with other kingdoms.

However, that did not mean he could obtain just any information, since Konia was a nation with strong military interests.

Its mercenary organizations did not always answer directly to the royal authority.

’Besides, the kingdom has too many internal problems.’

Draven recalled some events from the video game.

In several side quests, players could take part in conflicts between military organizations, dragon families, and companies competing for control of important mining regions.

Some of those clashes even caused interruptions in the trade routes, but the authorities of Konia rarely allowed other kingdoms to intervene in their affairs.

’Even if Zenash manages to investigate, it won’t be simple.’

He had also considered turning to Fenrick Valdegrim, who probably had contacts in several countries and, due to his position, could obtain information that not just anyone would have access to.

However, that option presented a problem.

’I’d have to explain to him why I’m investigating a mercenary organization from Konia.’

Fenrick would surely want to know every detail, which could include Elfin.

’No, thanks.’

Besides, he did not want to involve the Valdegrim family in a conflict he still did not fully understand.

For now, he preferred to keep the investigation secret, so the third possibility was to travel to Drakar personally.

Draven remained thoughtful.

’That would be even worse.’

Konia was quite far from Astral, so the journey would require crossing a large part of the continent.

In addition, the diplomatic relations between Aster and Konia were not especially good.

Although trade routes existed, travelers coming from Aster could encounter numerous restrictions, and Draven was not exactly an unknown student.

He had ties to the future demon queen of Fernus and to the Valdegrim family.

’It would be far too easy to identify me.’

If the organization responsible for the attack discovered that he was investigating their facilities, they would probably try to eliminate him again.

’And I don’t want to depend on Elfin again.’

Although he did not know exactly what the god of destruction had done, the academy reports indicated that he had caused considerable damage.

The contract supervised by Eje limited the conditions under which Elfin could control his body, but those restrictions did not guarantee that Draven could avoid all the consequences.

The young man let out a small sigh.

’So then, what could I do?’

"Mr. Dunvyr."

He did not respond to the call.

’Maybe I could investigate the trading companies of Drakar.’

"Mr. Dunvyr."

’Though I’d need to get their records.’

"Mr. Dunvyr!"

The young man suddenly lifted his gaze.

"What?"

Several students began to laugh, so Draven looked around and the professor was staring at him from the front of the classroom.

"..."

"Mr. Dunvyr."

"Yes?"

"Could you repeat what I just explained?"

Draven remained motionless.

’Ah.’

He looked at the blackboard and there were several diagrams he did not remember having seen before, so he then checked his notes, but the page was practically blank.

’This is bad.’

The professor crossed her arms.

"Well?"

Draven smiled slightly.

"I was analyzing the information."

"What information?"

"The one on the blackboard."

"I see."

The professor observed him for several seconds.

"Then I suppose you’ll be able to explain to us the difference between a mana conductor and a stabilizer."

Draven raised an eyebrow.

’That I do know.’

Thanks to his knowledge from the video game, he was quite familiar with the functioning of various magical devices.

"A conductor allows mana to be transferred between two points, while a stabilizer regulates the fluctuations during the process to prevent losses or alterations."

The professor seemed slightly surprised.

"...Correct."

Draven smiled.

"Thank you."

"However, that does not mean you can zone out during the entire class."

"Of course."

"Pay attention."

"I will."

The professor returned to the blackboard, and Draven let out a small sigh.

’That was close.’

Beside him, Taliah was watching him with an unconvinced expression.

"..."

Draven slowly turned toward her.

"What’s wrong?"

The young woman narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Draven felt a certain discomfort.

’That’s never a good sign.’