Eldritch Horror Theatre

”We did.” Professor Rob, who clearly knew how to take advice, had indeed gone to trouble Lanaya.

The old adage that trouble always finds the leader had once again manifested into reality.

”Have a seat.”

Even though the night was already late, Fu Qian casually gestured for him to sit down.

”After Professor Lanaya heard what I had to say, she immediately dropped what she was doing and went with me to find the instructors at the Benevolent Curse Institute... The instructors were also quite interested, and they are still over there investigating right now.”

Unconsciously won over by his leadership aura, and realizing his own composure still needed work, Rob immediately took a seat and elaborated on the current situation.

Things had played out exactly as expected. Whether or not she had a habit of nagging, when a real crisis hit, Professor Lanaya’s sense of responsibility was thoroughly reliable.

”Oh? Any discoveries?”

Nodding slightly, Fu Qian cut straight to the core of the matter.

”...Nothing yet.”Rob faltered, his momentum instantly deflating.

”I also told the instructors about the mushrooms. Their reaction was roughly the same; none of them could imagine a specific application.”

”Including checking his office and the entire Benevolent Curse Institute, the instructors have used various methods to test the area, but so far there have been no discoveries. It’s as if Ah Kai has simply evaporated.”

Going by his description, while the instructors of the Benevolent Curse Institute might dislike sitting at their desks, their sense of responsibility and curiosity were just as strong—

”I see. Then I won’t go.”

Unfortunately, that dedication did not seem to move Professor Fu. He didn’t even blink before directly refusing Rob’s invitation.

...

”Where is Professor Lanaya now?”

The blunt refusal clearly caught Rob off guard. While he sat in stunned silence, Fu Qian pressed on.

”She went back first. She told me to keep watch over there...”

This question seemed to strike a chord; Rob snapped out of his daze and answered reflexively.

”Then you just need to keep watch over there. Communicate more with the instructors, and come tell me when you have a discovery.”

Fu Qian wasn’t surprised by this answer in the least, and he even offered the exact same advice as Lanaya.

”It hasn’t even been twelve hours since you went over to check.”

Seeing Rob’s bewildered expression, Fu Qian went to the extra effort of explaining.

”Even for an ordinary person out on the street, this wouldn’t meet the standard for a missing person case. Professor Lanaya’s response is already exceptionally dutiful.

”I believe that with her taking the lead, combined with their professional interests, the instructors will do everything in their power. We just need to wait for good news.”

He was actually right...

Rob had clearly taken this guidance to heart, suddenly gaining a much deeper understanding of Professor Lanaya’s actions.

After all, regardless of anything else, this essentially boiled down to someone being temporarily unreachable, and not even for very long...

Especially considering this was an Academy instructor, a group notorious for their erratic antics...

The odds of them stirring up something bizarre were exponentially higher than those of a normal person.

Professor Lanaya’s arrangements were already more than diligent; staying parked over there with no leads was simply meaningless.

”Understood. I will continue working with the instructors on my end and try every approach we can think of.”

Having reasoned this out, Rob steadied considerably, stating he would immediately return to hold the front line.

He didn’t demand any further assistance from Professor Fu.

There was no need. Amidst the multitude of recent events, this newly advanced Demigod of Apocalypse possessed a dazzling track record that put people at ease.

Even if he had no intention of making the extra trip right now, Rob firmly believed that Professor Fu was giving his utmost with total devotion.

”Good work.”

Facing this attitude, Fu Qian unsurprisingly made no attempt to keep him, casually offering a word of encouragement.

...

It was said that one of the core skills of leadership was knowing how to separate the primary from the secondary.

It didn’t matter if trouble found the person; that person could just push the trouble back out to find the people actually responsible.

Professor Rob’s departing figure did not look dejected; rather, his stride seemed a bit firmer.

Watching him go, Fu Qian felt absolutely zero shame for his own slacking.

If anyone could easily empathize with his situation, Professor Ah Kai would have been falsely hailed as the Benevolent Curse Institute’s rising star.

It was perfectly normal that a few enthusiastic instructors couldn’t find an angle on his cutting-edge research.

The current arrangements already covered everything humanly possible.

Though, in Fu Qian’s view, Rob’s concerns were valid; Professor Ah Kai’s disappearance was not a cause for optimism.

Professor Lanaya likely shared that exact sentiment—

”Did Rob come by?”

Not long after, Fu Qian’s midnight musings were broken as the head of the Disciplinary Department walked in through the unclosed door.

”He did.”

Gazing at Lanaya, whom he hadn’t seen in a few days, Fu Qian made the same gesture as before, inviting her to take a seat.

”Do you think the situation might not be so simple? Do we need to mobilize more forces?”

Surprisingly enough, despite Professor Fu tossing yet another problem her way, the look in Lanaya’s eyes was complicated, but she didn’t rush to complain, instead directly confirming whether to escalate the incident.

”It feels a bit like it, but mobilizing more forces might not be useful.”

She might love her alcohol, but she never dropped the ball at crucial moments. Professor Lanaya’s professional competence was highly reassuring.

Her sense of responsibility was also strong enough that she couldn’t help but show up at his door.

While silently giving her high marks, Fu Qian answered her inquiry with honest pessimism.

...

”These guys are way too good at causing trouble. Things have barely been quiet for a few days!”

It was clear that, no matter how awful an impression Professor Fu gave, his professional judgment was equally persuasive.

Receiving such blunt confirmation of bad news, Lanaya couldn’t help but rub her head, no longer hiding the resentment radiating from her.

”Are you sure this has nothing to do with the previous Meteor incident? The Night Watchers might be interested.”

Before Fu Qian could say anything, she was already moving to confirm another question.

”I can’t say for sure. It might be related, but Excellency Stoss and his team just left; they might not return so quickly.”

Fu Qian’s response remained earnest.

”...Then what are you planning to do? Let the people from the Benevolent Curse Institute try to figure it out themselves first? They really are better at handling bizarre things—what are you doing?”

Her expression growing even cloudier, Lanaya couldn’t help but ask for Fu Qian’s thoughts. Halfway through her rapid-fire output, she abruptly cut herself off, frowning as she stared at his hand.

It was a justified reaction. From the moment she walked in, she had seen him fiddling with a glittering object, and he still hadn’t stopped. Furthermore, judging by its shape, it was actually a Ring?

”This? Just adjusting the time.”

Faced with her confusion, Fu Qian glanced down and opened his hand to display the Tyrant’s Mechanical Fist, offering a very amiable explanation.