"Oh, come on. What was I supposed to do? Beg Winslow? Hah! As if," CK snorted, "Coercing him by force would just end in a messy outcome, and I need him to keep quiet about what I've been doing so far. At least, he cooperated in the end."
"Sounds like you know plenty about the angels. Is it because of rivalry?" CK asked amusingly.
"You mean, invokers like Winslow?" CK asked. Malphas' crow eyes only glimmered at her.
"His sense of morality and justice? His overwhelming goodness?" CK asked dramatically. Malphas chuckled,
Malphas' crow body merged with the shadows, leaving CK alone in her room. "'Programmed', huh?" CK said and zipped up her jacket, "That's an interesting way to put it."
The clock read 9:59 when she phased away from her dorm room. Winslow was in the restricted room of the library, gazing that the spines of the books he passed by on the shelves.
He was impressed, but also cautious. These books contained information that was banned to the public but still legal in the Nonaphrontistery's code of ethics. Still, they could not compare to the ones that the administration separately locked away. In a way, their definition of 'banned information' was unimaginably severe.
Then, he paused. CK constantly stops by this place since her apprenticeship with Professor Erzem began. There's no telling whether she had read these books… But if she did, that would explain her psychotic tendencies to wreak havoc.
Winslow nodded to himself gravely. Yes, that must be the case. She wouldn't have stolen something from the Maiden's Tower and look for information on it if she was still sane.
"Ooh, '50 Kitchen Items to Make A Murder Accidental'. That's a pretty interesting book. Highly recommend!"
Winslow turned to his side, finding CK staring at one of the books with a grin on her face. "I wasn't looking at that," Winslow deadpanned. "Huh. Was it this book, then?" CK took one of the books and showed it to him, "This book shows how to disintegrate city buildings with a formula. Pretty useful for abandoned cities and corporate looking to clear out some land."
"I don't want to know how many of these books you've read," Winslow said and looked at his watch, "At least, you were on time."
The time read an exact 10 pm. "I want to make full use of my time with the databank while I still can," CK said, "If you're not interested in borrowing any of these books, shall we go?"
Winslow nodded, prompting CK to flick her glass pen in intricate patterns. The threads of energy wrapped around them before disappearing in a flash, and they phased from the library to the catwalks leading to the administration building.
CK's playful mood disappeared as they immediately disguised themselves in the shadows of the catwalk. The moon was full on that night, making it difficult to sneak around even in the darkness. What bad timing.
Winslow looked into the distant building, seeing that few lights on the third floor were still on. Seeing this, CK turned to Winslow.
"What's the plan?" she whispered. Winslow looked at his wristwatch, "The security system should have entered nocturnal mode. If my guess is right, we might also encounter peace officers on patrol, but we can avoid their detection."
Winslow looked back at the building with a firm look. "We should go to the security terminal first and tamper with surveillance on the faculty office. We should avoid confrontation with the peace officers at all costs," he side-glanced at CK, "I'm sure you don't need to be told why."
"I get it, I get it. I'm not that reckless," CK said, causing him to snort. "I beg to differ," Winslow muttered and went ahead the catwalk, "Let's go. Time is ticking."
"Lead the way," CK shrugged and followed him, their footsteps hardly making any sounds as they stealthily hurried along the catwalk.
"…I forgot to mention that you should not use Syntaxis once we get in. The sensors in the building will go off if it ever detects a whiff of Syntax energy in nocturnal mode," Winslow said. CK blinked in surprise, "Really? How are we supposed to operate the devices in the faculty, then?"
"The databank operates on a separate power source, which I happen to know. In any case, leave the work to me. All that I ask is that you be quick with what you need to do," Winslow said, "I don't need to be involved in anymore nonsense. After this, no more favors."
"Well, you're no fun. Is being an upright model all that you want to do until the end?" CK said. "It's what is expected of me. Any other person in my position will be obliged to do the same," Winslow muttered, "You of all people should know that."
They both moved to the side of the building. If memory served them well, there should be an emergency exit that used a one-stop elevator. Walking in through the front doors to announce their arrival would've been more entertaining, but circumstances required them to be sneakier. This is the valedictorian and salutatorian on a rare occasion of misbehavior, after all.
The tunnel for the elevator was latched to the side of the building, surrounded by hologram fences with a sign displayed on the exterior: 'Do not use unless emergency'. The fences glitched slightly as CK and Winslow smoothly jumped over the barricade, landing inside with a little huff.
They approached the tunnel, and CK realized that the tunnel was empty. "The elevator must be up on the higher floors," CK whispered. Makes sense since it was supposed to be an emergency exit for people inside to escape easily.
Winslow began typing away on the screen displayed next to the tunnel, several codes and confirmations prompting up as he typed. The screen blinked green before going dormant again, and Winslow turned to CK.
"The elevator should be here soon," he said. "Okay," CK said and looked towards the peak of the building. She could barely see the roof from where she stood.
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"I wonder if the elevator could take us to the first floor," she mused. "It can't. The highest floor it could reach is the third floor," Winslow said, "That's where the most people are on a daily basis."
"What about the people on the first and second floor?" CK asked curiously. "I don't know. I don't think I've ever seen the administrators in-person. They never appear in public but are always aware of what happens anyway. Same goes for the Headmaster," Winslow replied, "In that sense, maybe the first and second floors are empty, so there's no need to build an emergency exit leading from there."
"Could be. The staff and people placed there should be skilled enough to phase away," CK shrugged. They both fell silent as a shadow slowly passed over them, and an elevator pod descended to their level. The tunnel doors opened with a hiss, the smell of sanitation alcohol greeting the pair.
A mechanical bird emerged from the contraption in Winslow's hand before flying away. "Let's go," he said. CK saw the device and walked into the elevator, "What was that?"
"A drone. It will be going ahead of us to locate any peace officers on the way. If the drone takes notice of them, we can avoid them," Winslow said. The tunnel doors shut, and the elevator pod rocketed upward with sudden speed, causing CK to latch to the railings.
"Mama Mia," she said in surprise. "I'll be getting off first to deal with the surveillance on the third floor. Wait for me, and don't do anything reckless," Winslow said while fixing his sleeves.
"Whatever you say, o great and powerful Winnie~" CK grinned. Winslow grumbled an incoherent complaint as the pod ascended.
They paused by the second floor for Winslow to get off. But that did not last long. CK went ahead to the third floor on her own, unable to see how Winslow would operate the surveillance.
The elevator slowed to a halt upon arriving at the third floor. CK looked up in alert, seeing a pair of armed peace officers about to pass through.
Their boots thudded loudly on the floor. CK hid behind the opposite wall, casting a wary glance as the officers passed by cluelessly. The elevator descended silently to the lower floor, most likely to wait for the other intruder.
CK snuck a peek at the back of the officers. The weapons in their hands were exclusively issued to the Nonaphrontistery's armed forces. The school never had a weapon facility, so who knows where they get those weapons from.
'The peace officers never brought any weapons when they were in public, did they?' CK thought. Seeing them actively on-duty in the night made her pensive. But on the bright side, the school is protected from the inside.
CK looked the other way, recognizing the path. The faculty office was just ahead, but the cameras prompted on the hallway encouraged her to stay in position. She heard the elevator pod hiss from behind once again, but this time it was Winslow.
"That was quick," CK commented. "Time isn't a luxury in this situation," Winslow said and looked both ways, "The next set of officers will pass through in three minutes. Let's hurry."
Winslow stepped out first and hurried to the faculty office, making CK follow after shortly. The doors to the office were locked. CK watched in amazement as Winslow placed a hand before the display screen. A holographic circle emerged from his palm, sending incoherent data that caused the display screen to glitch.
It wasn't long until the display screen blinked green with a confirmation: 'Access granted. Welcome, professor'. Winslow gestured for CK and walked inside quickly, letting the doors shut behind them. The display screen went back to default, as if it was never touched.
The faculty office was dark and silent. The lights were out, with only the glow of the holograms in nocturnal mode giving little light. Winslow clicked his wristwatch, causing a thin beam of light to erupt and light up his path.
"So cool! Can I buy your wristwatch?" CK asked. "Not for sale," Winslow said and looked around, "The computer that will most likely be connected to the administration databank is in Professor Kitmar's office, but I reckon he will notice someone went through his computer."
"Almost nothing gets past him. He's scary," CK muttered. "Madam Yanyan is one of the first people to receive orders from the administration, so her computer should be connected," Winslow said and searched for the said professor's cubicle.
"There, on the sophomore section," CK pointed to the second cluster of desks in a circular design. Winslow followed where CK pointed and found Madam Yanyan's cubicle. It was rather telling due to the obvious amount of lavender-themed items.
Winslow sighed. "Pardon my intrusion, madam," he muttered before booting up the computer. The holograms lit up actively and he began to operate with lightning-quick hands.
To his surprise, the cyber portal to the databank was closed off. CK sat on the chair while watching Winslow operate the computer. After a while, a separate hologram displayed next to the main screen.
"There," Winslow said and looked at CK. "What is it do you need to search?" he asked. CK gestured for him to step aside before typing on the hologram: 'Artifact inside the Maiden's Tower'.
She pressed 'search'. The hologram was still before displaying an alarming red window with a message: 'RESTRICTED INFORMATION. PLEASE USE A VERIFIED ADMINISTRATION KEY CODE TO ACCESS'.
"Knew it wouldn't be that easy," CK clicked her tongue. Winslow frowned at the message. Something that requires direct permission from the administrators? Just what kind of information is CK looking for?
"Winnie~ I need a little help," CK called to the young man behind her. "I'm fairly convinced that you're looking for something illegal," Winslow huffed, "Let's go back, then. The surveillance feed can't be frozen for too long."
"But we're already here! Can't hurt to finish what we started," CK insisted. Winslow pinched the bridge of his nose before approaching the holograms, "You're going to land me in jail."
"Don't be so dramatic. Unlike me, you will get off easily if we're ever caught."
Winslow's brows furrowed as he began typing and clicking away. Minutes passed, but he was stuck in a dead end. He held his chin. The databank is only displaying 10% information, but he ends up in a loop whenever he attempts to access the rest of the information.
"There's a firewall deleting all codes used to gain access," he said. "Is that a big problem?" CK asked.
"Yes. If I continue to force my way through, the system will delete information on the computer we're using. Madam Yanyan's files could be erased as result, and that will give us away big time," Winslow frowned and clicked his wristwatch.
The watch disconnected from the wrist band. Winslow typed on the hologram briefly. "The firewall can't be overridden easily. I'll have to make a temporary breach before the firewall deletes my data," Winslow said.
"Data? In that watch of yours?" CK asked in amazement, "That's ridiculously useful. Are you sure you won't sell the watch to me?"
Winslow only looked at her in disbelief before focusing on the computer. "Access the restricted section of the databank," Winslow spoke to the watch before placing it in a prompted port beside him.
The main screen glitched for a few seconds. The pair stared silently until the red display message disappeared, revealing a new screen with the Nonaphrontistery logo. CK stood beside Winslow as she stared at it.
"Are we in?" CK asked. "Yes. Whatever you're searching for, do it now," Winslow replied. CK typed on the hologram, placing a more unfiltered term into the search bar: 'Information on the [Maiden's Manuscript]'.
The databank immediately complied. CK's eyes widened as the screen displayed rows of information with the image of a familiar book as reference—the same book she first saw in the Tower and was now in her possession.
"Is that…the artifact from the Tower?" Winslow asked in surprise. "I think you know the answer," CK smirked as she skimmed over the displayed information.
The [Maiden's Manuscript] was an artifact that recovered from the ruins of a distant world. The technology in that world was already the peak of its civilization but was eradicated in a cross-fire between the neighboring supernations a century ago. The Manuscript was recovered around the same time by one of the administrators and had it placed inside the previously-constructed Tower. Details of its retrieval were never shown.
"Now, how to operate it…" CK muttered as she skimmed over. The [Manuscript] was constantly sought after in countless wars in the past due to its power and was also the source of chaos when placed in the hands of an incompetent user.
To rectify this mistake and to prevent incompetent usage, the Headmaster himself has locked the [Manuscript] in an indestructible book case and can only be opened with a corresponding key. That said key is placed beneath the Nonaphrontistery, at the lowermost floor that can be accessed through the central elevator at the administration building.
The only downside is that entrance to the lowest floor was heavily guarded. Aside from the Headmaster and the administration, the only other way to access it is through a Core Instructor's access card.
"Shoot," CK said in irritation when she saw the list of people who could access the floor. Despite being a Core Instructor, Professor Erzem's name was highlighted in dull yellow: a sign that his access to it was currently banned.
Well, that's out of the option. The rest of the Core Instructors could not be approached. Some were in an expedition, some serving in exchange programs to other powerful schools, and some of them just downright impossible to approach. The only other Core Instructor available was the faculty head himself, Professor Kitmar.
CK grimaced at this. As the judge of her trial, she can't simply ask him to take her to the key. "Ah, that's so annoying," she grumbled, "There's a key right inside the school but I can't get to it at all! Drats."
"Why is that?" Winslow asked. "I need permission from the faculty head himself," CK muttered irritatingly, "It doesn't look like there's any loophole I can take advantage this time. Tsk."
Winslow looked over to the other screens. His unimpressed gaze flickered with shock at what he saw. Silently, he operated the separate screen to zoom in.
"This is…"
CK looked over to his side, and her brows rose at the sight of the screen. Several photos were taken of an armada travelling through the Vast Expansion. One of the ships' hull was damaged, and a photo was taken right at the moment when an explosion occurred.
The photos were attached to a report made by Professor Zeke addressing the administration. Winslow opened the other files, his gaze full of grim realization.
"These are…memoranda from interstellar governments," he muttered. They were included in a memorandum directly from the administration that was addressed to the professors. Several orders to intervene and salvage the armada were written. The Headmaster's seal was right below the memorandum, proving this was no light matter.
"Almost all of the professors were ordered to go, except for Professor Kitmar," CK noticed. "Nearly all of them are alumni of the Nonaphrontistery. It's one of their obligations to answer the call of the administration regardless of the situation," Winslow stated.
"Right… They do answer directly to the admins, don't they?" CK muttered. She noticed how the letters from the governments were phrased, making it seem more of a request rather than an order. This was one of the duties of an alumnus: they answer directly to the Nonaphrontistery and not to other factions.
CK grimaced at the thought. To obey the orders of the administration unconditionally… That's a rather troublesome side to being an alumnus.
"Welp…that's that. Did you find anything about the Radiance Church?" CK asked Winslow, who had been busy typing through and searching the databank. He sighed and shook his head.
"Fortunately or unfortunately, no. I sincerely hope we were just overthinking things," he said, "We need to leave. The firewall will detect our activity in the databank soon if we stay for too long."
"Alright. I found what I was looking for anyway," CK shrugged. Winslow closed all screens, erased his activity history, and deactivated his watch before latching it back to his wrist.
The watch switched to a live feed of the halls, where the officers continued to patrol. "Looks like they haven't noticed anything," Winslow said, "We should be able to make a safe exit."
The computer in Madam Yanyan's cubicle shut down and the pair made sure to erase any possible traces they left in the office. Once the next set of patrolling officers went past the hallway, Winslow and CK made a beeline to the emergency elevator and left the building.
CK yawned as the elevator opened. The smell of the evening air and hums of the street lights greeted them as they left.
"What time is it?" CK asked. Winslow checked his watch, "A little past midnight."
"Two hours passed by, huh?" CK said and turned to Winslow with a grin, "I'm getting some midnight snacks. Wanna come?"