Chapter 156

After hesitating for a moment, Little Raiden looked at Takina, who was squatting to the side... and the long-haired black-haired lady seemed to sense the doubt behind her, she sighed and stood up:

"I was indeed brought to Lycoris by Nagisa... My parents seem to have maintained contact with them during the Udon War, it's not something to be ashamed of... And after the incident at home, Nagisa quickly found me, who was at a loss, among the refugees... Thunder and Nono were brought here with me around that time."

"And those children who were so young back then are now at the age where they're starting to try and stand on their own..."

Seemingly having finally finished arguing with Mika, as the big pink-haired girl sobbed and covered her head, making whimpering noises, Nagisa, dressed in a similarly gorgeous but more beige and simpler dress, approached Nana, bowed slightly, and lifted the hem of her dress in a gesture of respect.

"I am Kirifuji Nagisa, the academic affairs secretary at Lycoris. Currently, besides student education and handling school affairs, I am also temporarily handling Lycoris's liaison with the ICA and personnel deployment... It's nice to meet you, although... I still have some doubts about the authenticity of the 'Ghost'..."

Seeing the elegant woman with long, flowing flaxen hair about to steer the conversation in her favor, Nana blinked and interrupted her: Five

"The Dean of Students... is responsible for student education and school affairs, that's one thing, but the coordination between Lycoris and the ICA, and even Lycoris's own command... especially the latter, shouldn't that be Mika's responsibility as Commander Lycoris?"

Nana's question drew everyone's attention back to Mika, but as the pink-haired girl revealed a look that seemed to say "0 v 0?", Nana, seeing Nagisa's ashen face, seemed to understand why such important power had fallen into the hands of one person.

Then, Nagisa, with a slightly pursed lip and a patient expression, continued to explain: One

"Actually, Lycoris's liaison work with the ICA was originally handled by another faculty member... She was actually Lycoris's strategist and our main reference for operations... But in recent years, due to the increasingly complex conflict between prophetic Originium Arts, she has been bedridden due to worsening Oripathy and Originium Arts overload..."

At this point, Nagisa seemed to have mustered the courage to look at Nana, but before the beige-haired Liberi could say anything, she was blocked behind her by the pink-haired Mika.

As the pink-haired girl, theoretically quite old and nearly her own age, but seemingly never having grown up due to environmental factors, flapped her Light Wings and simultaneously clenched her own hand, Nana stared blankly at Mika's approach, even unconsciously taking a step back: [The text abruptly ends here, likely due to an incomplete sentence or a formatting error.]

"Um! I know that our proactive investigation of you, senior, is already a very serious violation, but... it's precisely because our investigative abilities are so strong, and we know what kind of people those medical technology companies are, that we have no choice but to ask you, senior... never mind."

"You're currently working at Rhodes Island as a special employee, right? Could you use your connections to send our friend to Rhodes Island for recuperation?!"

Because the amount of information was indeed quite large, Nana blinked, and it took her several seconds to realize she needed to pull her hand back.

As Mika, which reminded Nana of the feeling of being bound by the power armor during Catastrophes when the power was out of power, reached out to her again, Nana frowned and quickly waved her hand. "Liu..."

"Wait, tell me one thing at a time... What are you talking about? What kind of divination spell counter?"

Seeing Nana push her aside to talk to Nagisa, Mika wasn't angry; she just nodded frantically with a goofy grin. Meanwhile, the beige-haired Liberi rubbed his forehead, looking exasperated, and said:

"Yes, our friend... She possesses an extremely rare talent for prophetic magic, and as far as I know, she even served Lord Eternal Constant before you, Ghost Senior... You probably remember that the first person to find you relied on our friend's divination; she had described to us many times how you would destroy all enemies like a storm..."

"After you officially began operating under the name 'Ghost,' we also started training under the name of Lycoris. I was in the administration group, Mika was in the combat group, and our friend... she has also been working on divination magic countermeasures ever since..."

"Originally, with Lycoris's formal independence, you and Lord Eternal Constant also settled down in this city... We all thought things would gradually get better... But in recent years, there have been more magical divinations targeting us and you..."

As expected of an adult professionally trained by Lycoris, Nagisa's narration was vivid and engaging, with her words even containing descriptions of how that person had been acting on her behalf, seemingly in an effort to evoke Nana's empathy as much as possible... Nagisa even produced a photo of herself, Mika, and that person together.

It was a group photo of five people... Beige-haired Liberi and pink-haired Sankta sandwiched a petite blonde Vulpo in the middle, all three leaning on their manager, whose face has never changed, and smiling brightly at the camera...

Beside the agent stood a black-haired Feline with a blank expression...

Although she had no memory of the photo, Nana recognized it as herself.

"I know this is a serious violation by both the ICA and Lycoris ... but we've completely lost contact with that person, and we really can't keep Seia at school any longer... please... save her... let Seia go..."

PS: Hmm... It seems like something strange was sewn in... Should I ask a friend in the group to add a Grand Blue Archive tag...? After thinking about it, I think I'll pass, since these characters that look so familiar are only related to Nana's personal life.

This is a problem with the author's operating system.

PS2: I used an extra leave slip this month, but I still haven't figured out how to write the detailed outline in a more in-depth way... My current goal is to reveal some of Nana's past.

The only clue we can reveal so far is... Nana's memory problems are clearly more fragmented than she imagined.

But it didn't matter; she killed indiscriminately.

PS3: Meow Meow Cat

I don't remember where I posted this, so I'll start with my favorite one... It's not very convenient to go to Pixiv lately, so I can only find cat pictures to post from groups QAQ

5th Laytonson's Ghost Assassin: 168 Ready

It seemed that they were in a well-soundproofed room, like the equipment room, so even if Nagisa and Mika made a lot of noise, no one outside could hear them... And the only ones who saw them in such a disheveled state were the two Lycoris had already left the school. So, although the atmosphere had changed very obviously, the entire academy remained as quiet as ever, and even Nana's sighs were clearly audible.

"... Although I had considered what it would be like if my identity were exposed, I never imagined it would be this serious... Takina, do you remember why we're here?"

"... You said you came to replenish some equipment..."

"By the way, please remind Lycoris to organize the positioning in the upcoming operations..."

While speaking, she patted the pink-haired Sankta girl on the shoulder to tell her not to keep hunching over, but Mika almost hit Nana on the head when she suddenly looked up as if she thought Nana had agreed. Then Nagisa grabbed her collar and made her return to a normal social distance.

Taking this opportunity, Nana rubbed her head and summarized the situation:

"In short, to put it simply, because your agent is currently in quarantine, you had to break the rules and come to me... Sending someone to Rhodes Island for treatment isn't inherently a problem, but the issue is that she's been undergoing continuous magical combat... The current level of crisis is..."

"The Oripathy infection continues to worsen, and the conservative treatment provided by the Academy and the ICA is no longer sufficient for Seia to maintain a normal life... More importantly, without Seia, the previously sudden increase in the effectiveness of prophetic magic will expose considerable classified information..."

Seeing the way Nagisa was staring directly into her eyes, Nana understood why he seemed to have made up his mind after seeing her:

"Because that Seia... what she 'protects' is me... at least she has information about me, right?"

After a few seconds of silence, Nana glanced at Nagisa and Mika with a somewhat subtle expression:

"May I ask, when exactly did the so-called enhancement of divination spells' resistance begin?"

"When... in general, it's been increasing year by year... if we have to say whether there were any obvious signs of increased magical resistance, then there was one eleven years ago..."

"Yes, that's when Nana joined the ICA..." The blonde girl's suspicions seemed to have been confirmed, which made Nana's confidence in her words seem to leak out quickly.

"Then what?"

"Then there was three years ago, and the most recent one, VI VII VIII VIII 0 VII VI I... half a year ago? This conflict was the most intense, and after that, Seia could only stay in bed... so I remember it very clearly."

Six months ago... Upon hearing this time, Typhon looked at his Kitty Teacher, who seemed somewhat guilty.

To be precise, this timeframe is the point in time when Nana completed Talulah's Black Snake exorcism... because she completed the Inner Guards ritual and was subsequently blacklisted by the Inner Guards.

Although we don't know what happened three years ago and eleven years ago, the fact that Seia was bedridden half a year ago is clearly because Nana herself also gained the ability to make prophecies, and the two abilities interfered with each other.

Although she didn't know if Seia's premonition was based on the information Collapse of the Warp like hers, predicting someone whose actions would change because of the prophecy... obviously put Seia under tremendous physical pressure.

Even Nana would find it hard to remain calm if an ally were injured and knocked down before they even met. The assassin, who had concealed her cat ears and pretended to be Sankta assassin, twirled the ends of her hair with her fingers for a while before finally recovering.

"Okay, I understand the situation... Although what we did was indeed against the rules, I agree and will help you transfer Seia to Rhodes Island... However, you can start preparing for the consequences in advance... Also, tell me Lycoris, how you plan to deal with the situation after your manager leaves."

"All active members of Lycoris have been dispersed and entered a state of first combat readiness. Including Mika, who serves as the 'principal,' a total of 800 white-clad members, 45 blue-clad members, and the two red-clad members currently stationed locally are all ready to be deployed for direct combat against government agencies and Atlas..."

As Nagisa calmly explained, Mika and Little Raiden nodded repeatedly. But then, Little Raiden suddenly realized something:

"Teacher Nagisa, why are we fighting against government agencies?"

"Because it's certain government spies supporting Atlas's actions to influence the ICA... Now that Eternal Constant has been arrested, and the ICA has lost contact with us, although we don't know why they haven't made a move, since the city we're protecting has turned against us, then they are our enemies... Whoever attacks me, I'll attack them back, isn't that simple?"

The pink-haired girl, always smiling and seemingly happy, took a submachine gun from the armory wall as she spoke. Meanwhile, watching Takina and Takina (who was probably related to Nagisa) nodding like chickens pecking at rice, Nana slapped her forehead...

She suddenly seemed to understand why there were always people in the Security Bureau who disagreed with the agent.

While Lycoris's reaction as a guard of the Eternal Constant seems normal, if someone in a high position, but not that high, is surrounded by subordinates who are easily provoked and filled with foolish loyalty, then it seems perfectly normal and politically correct for those above to want to weaken the agent every now and then.

Nana also took out her notebook and made some notes. Later, when her manager returned from Trimounts, she would have to remind her not to let someone who had grown up in the Lycoris environment be in a leadership position...

Nana understands Nagisa and Mika's determination to protect Lycoris, seeing it as the only peaceful and loving garden in the world. But these flowers, who have grown up in this garden since childhood... aren't they just carnivorous plants that could be released by their manager at any time to strangle everyone?

"... Alright... Let me confirm, this uniform of mine does indeed grant me supreme command over Lycoris, right?"

"Of course, I'm ready to fight alongside you!"

Nana glanced at the pink-haired man holding a submachine gun, her expression unreadable, and then said:

"Then let's use the highest-level command to stop your incredibly stupid pest control plan..."

"Huh--?"

As Takina and Mika both voiced their doubts, Little Raiden visibly breathed a sigh of relief, while Nagisa seemed unsurprised by Nana's choice.

"So, that person doesn't want us to do this after all..."

"It has nothing to do with her. It's simply that your plan was too outrageous, and your actions to show your stance were too extreme... It's keeping the higher-ups up at night."

"However, everyone is on first alert... that is, aside from non-combat personnel, the main students and faculty members with combat capabilities have all moved to the safe zone, right?"

Nodding, Nagisa seemed unsurprised that her actions had been rejected. She methodically took out a tablet, and after authenticating it with Nana's phone, Nana gained a dedicated system for Lycoris.

As the map of Laisenton unfolded in three dimensions, the small groups of Lycoris combat teams seemed to be staying at a certain distance in safe houses where they could support each other... And looking at the blue dots representing safe houses distributed along the city roads, Nana nodded:

"Although the initial motives were impure, the school is now strengthening the protection of non-combatants, and combat personnel are being deployed for operations... It's pretty much a normal progression... What about Lycoris's work? Is the cooperation with the ICA, especially the municipal work, still ongoing?"

"You mean the security maintenance contract? Since it's a long-term contract, we're still continuing it... But because Atlas's attacks on ICA personnel are becoming more frequent and larger in scale, we're now having everyone operate in Lycoris's uniforms more often... Compared to the ICA's work uniforms, our own school uniforms are now less of a target."

"But the problem is that if it's exposed, the entire school will be held accountable... However, given the current situation, it seems there's no need to worry about being exposed... After all, without her manager's support, it's hard to say what Lycoris will become in the future."

Shaking her head, Nana picked up her phone and began issuing new commands with the highest privileges:

"First, everyone must remain on high alert for Atlas's attacks and actions, with your own safety as the top priority... All subsequent government offensive plans are frozen, and all government-involved activities are suspended..."

Regarding Nana's arrangement, Mika hesitated, pointing to her lips, and said:

"In that case, we'll really become an orphanage..."

"After all Lycoris works for the government as an agent, including maintaining order, seizing drugs, and fighting human trafficking... Are all of these things going to stop?"

"A complete halt, of course, is only temporary... After all, even without a mandate from the local government, we can still do it ourselves if we want. I can get state-level investigative and enforcement authorization, but we'll talk about that later... In short, this is enough to show our stance. You think the ICA is quiet because the ICA has essentially frozen all local operations as well..."

Listening to Nana's explanation, Mika frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Is this considered 'expressing a stance'?

"To be precise, this could be considered a 'strike and protest'..."

"Will this make those insects repent and reform?"

"That alone is definitely not enough."

"So... what... no, what else do you need?"

Seeing that Miss Liberi, who seemed somewhat plain compared to her friends but was at least ten or even nine times more intelligent, gave such a sensible answer, Nana finally showed a slightly relaxed smile:

"Gun... lots of guns..."

Having confirmed that the highest-level command had been issued, Nana looked up at Lycoris's weapon inventory.

Nagisa, who already understood what Nana wanted to do, bypassed the items hanging on the wall that were essentially for Mika's own convenience, and instead took out another long gun case from the safe.

The crisp sound of the key falling and the click of the lock opening jolted everyone present.

"The Laterano database names it 'Benelli-M4 Super 90,' which is one of Lycoris's few Laterano Gun... Automatic adjustment, purely spell-driven, without pneumatic auxiliary modules, equipped with high-pressure fused 12-gauge ammunition, and the ammunition magazine capacity is seven plus one."

"To protect the somewhat fragile body of the Laterano Gun, we took it upon ourselves to manufacture a new outer shell using D32 Steel, added an integrated flash suppressor to the muzzle, and retained the snap ring suppressor structure... although we can only use our own domestically produced suppressors."

As Nana began inspecting the gun and made a crisp metallic sound as the bolt was reset, Takina picked up a large tactical backpack and started filling it with ammunition, box after box... all.45 caliber Etch Rounds. This process should have been registered at the front desk, but apparently, because Mika and Nagisa were present, the registration process seemed to have been completely ignored.

Typhon wasn't idle either. Although he knew nothing about Laterano Gun and Etch Rounds, Lycoris's arsenal wasn't just about Firearms Arts... Although he looked very young, Typhon, who had long lived alone in Sami as a hunter, wandered around in front of short knives, small axes, and tents that were probably frequently used outdoors. Then he saw neatly stacked, gleaming arrowheads and piles of single-fiber arrow shafts tied with cable ties.

Of course, standard-sized arrowheads and shafts couldn't be used on her weapon. After much deliberation, Typhon finally strapped a large siege crossbow conversion kit to the side of her backpack. She had seen similar devices used by the Ranger and the Ursus army.

While bows and arrows are more versatile in the Sami forests, for long-term ambushes, mounting a crossbow-type arrow rest on a giant bow might be more practical... After all, Typhon isn't Sami who rigidly adheres to tradition; she has her own set of flexible strategies.

She'll use it as long as it makes her more suited to combat; the logic is the same.

"... Finally, I'd like to bring some explosives or tactical equipment... but we don't have any here..." (covers face)

"Grenades, flashbangs, and smoke grenades? And no more medicine and supplementary supplies?"

Seeing Mika's eagerness to have Nana empty the entire inventory, Nagisa, with a "that's enough" expression, said: i

"The senior is a doctor, you idiot, don't add to their suffering... But, may I ask? When exactly will Seia be transferred?" (Wife)

After loading the ammunition, Nana, whose load was nearing its combat limit, checked the safety of the fully loaded new gun while pondering and giving her reply, "Okay."

"I'll contact my team on Rhodes Island as soon as possible, but you'll need to work with the ICA to figure out how to transport the person to Rhodes Island... After all, Atlas doesn't believe we just want to send someone to see a doctor. To them, they're in a position where whatever we do, they'll do the opposite."

Nodding in agreement, Nagisa watched as Nana and the other two left with their bags full of things. Then he asked, "Rin?"

"So, you're now planning to eliminate all those who oppose us?" Qi

No. Tumor

Turning back, she flashed a radiant smile. In the midday sun, Nana's red dress and blonde hair were truly dazzling to everyone.

"I just need to make sure those higher up understand that letting those mad dogs run rampant will result in far greater losses than they expect... So stick to the ICA's lead, you just need to protect yourselves, and leave the rest to me... or..."

Nana chuckled softly, then glanced at Mika and Nagisa with a knowing look, as if conveying a hidden meaning.

"Or you can start preparing for your future job transfer now."

P. S.: The new outline is having some trouble coming out... I always seem to run into this problem when the plot lacks a high-pressure environment. Anyway, I'll write another chapter later and try to speed things up...

All the problems stem from not writing enough (scratching head). Although I'm still worried that the underlying logic might not hold up and that there might be plot holes...

PS2: Meow Meow Cat