By the ti mana ca into view, Lennok had already morized the intricate magical composition and structure stored on the disk. However, the modifications made to simplify its structure and increase casting speed had rendered it more susceptible to external interference. For individuals like Lennok, who had trained their eyes to perceive the mana’s structure, these changes were worse than not doing anything. He effortlessly tore apart the joints, reducing them to a re handful of powder.
Boom!
The woman witnessing her manipulated mana disintegrate before her eyes couldn’t conceal her shock and disbelief.
“It… It can’t be…”
“Amari’s magic, dismantled so easily…?”
Among the gathered wizards, none were foolish enough to underestimate Lennok’s skill. A grim tension settled on the faces of those who had encountered a talent they couldn’t even fathom.
“I don’t recognize you. Who are you?” an old man seated in the innermost seat spoke slowly.
“Elder…!”
“This place is a temporary living space granted under our permission. If you have no specific business here, it would be best to avoid this place.”
“I co with the permission of Croken Asilus.”
As soon as that na was uttered, the faces of the people present turned pale.
Indeed.
These must be the dark wizards aligned with the enchantnt faction.
“I have sothing to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“I would like to talk about the events at the Palmus Research Institute.”
The mont those words left Lennok’s lips, an icy silence fell over the crowd.
A certain young man stared at Lennok with intense hostility in his eyes.
Lennok knew it was a sensitive subject, but if necessary, he couldn’t avoid it. It was the most captivating topic to capture their attention.
The old man, who had scrutinized Lennok’s face, let out a deep sigh as if compelled.
“This is not a matter to be discussed here. Let us change the location.”
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Inside a modest guest room, Lennok was invited by an elderly man. The room was neatly arranged with basic artifacts and clothing. The man extended his hand for a handshake.
“My na is Raul.”
“Nice to et you. I’m Van, a freelancer.”
As Lennok calmly revealed his na, Raul’s gaze subtly flickered.
“I’ve heard that na. Your reputation as a wizard has been rapidly rising.”
“I was rely fortunate.”
Lennok uttered so humble words that he didn’t truly believe, but Raul was not deceived.
“No, a wizard’s skill is directly proportional to their own enlightennt and capacity. Your growing reputation is proof of your extraordinary talent.”
Raul seed to let his guard down slightly, knowing that Lennok was a person of so renown.
It might be because he has gained trust that well-known people wouldn’t outrightly criticize them in public.
Indeed, fa and reputation were not always detrintal.
“So, you ntioned that you have sothing to say about the Palmus Research Institute.”
“Yes. Do you know what happened there?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything about it. But seeing that you’ve co all this way… It’s unlikely to be good news.”
Raul propped his chin on his hand and closed his eyes slowly.
“I’m listening.”
His ability to maintain composure, knowing what had transpired, showcased remarkable ntal strength.
Could he remain patient, aware that he might be the target of the impending massacre?
Lennok admired this fact and proceeded to recount the events he had experienced, wasting no ti. He explained the massacre at the research institute, his encounter with the dark wizard there, and the outco of their battle.
“I see…”
Even though Raul had anticipated it, hearing the details directly was still overwhelming. He couldn’t conceal his complex emotions, and his shoulders trembled as he slowly opened his eyes.
After a prolonged silence, he finally spoke up.
“Although we are categorized as dark wizards, we are fundantally different from them.”
“……”
“To put it bluntly, aside from the fact that we both employ dark magic, we share no common ground. The only thing that brought us together occasionally was the ability to assist each other in District 44 business…”
However, now that their business was on the brink of collapse due to governnt scrutiny, such a relationship had beco aningless. Raul’s powerless words conveyed this implicitly.
“Anyway, thank you for informing . Now that we know how aggressive they have beco, we need to prepare accordingly.”
Suppressing his grief, Raul turned to Lennok and asked, “So, what do you want? Spare the empty talk about coming to find just to convey this information. I know what kind of people freelancers are.”
“…?”
“Even if it’s a favor done out of goodwill, everything has a price. I may be old, but I understand the rules of this street.”
“In that case, I won’t decline.”
Acknowledging that Raul was willing to accommodate his request, Lennok reached into his pocket and produced an object.
It was a black obsidian brooch given to him by the dark wizard from Pandemonium, who said sothing about “A Stagnant World” and claid it would be crucial for uncovering the truth.
Would the other dark wizards be familiar with the origin of this object? That was the sole clue Lennok had.
“I’m not sure if you recognize this brooch. I want to know the secret hidden within.”
“… Where did you get this…?”
“I received it from an unnad dark wizard. The conversation we had was strictly confidential.”
Raul examined the brooch for a while before finally speaking.
“I won’t deny that there are parts I can deduce, but providing a definite answer at this mont is challenging.”
“……”
“The inscription on this brooch cos from a very ancient wizarding family. It’s extinct now, with only remnants of its heritage occasionally resurfacing…”
Although Raul didn’t explicitly say it, it was evident that the wizarding family he referred to had embraced dark magic. Was the individual from Pandemonium also connected to the family Raul ntioned?
“Is there a way to recover those remnants?”
“Hmm, I possess one of them…”
Handing it over to Lennok imdiately seed difficult. Lennok understood this. It appeared that rely sharing the details of the research institute incident wouldn’t be enough to earn such a reward.
“If you have any desired items or conditions, please let know.”
“Hmm…?”
Raul hesitated for a mont before speaking. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to pass on the remnants, but rather, he seed to have sothing he desired but was struggling to express.
Instead, he suddenly shifted the topic of conversation.
“Actually, the Practical faction contacted .”
“Pardon?”
“They approached with a plan to stage a formal protest in the outer Districts of Vulcan, aiming to halt the city governnt’s inspection. It’s rather extre, if you catch my drift.”
They called it an official protest, but it sounded no different from a full-blown act of terrorism.
“They requested our cooperation, but we declined. I anticipated that there would be consequences, but I never anticipated that our colleagues from the institute would be the first to suffer…”
Raul briefly closed his eyes before looking directly at Lennok and speaking.
“I won’t beat around the bush. I want you to prevent them from harming innocent civilians.”
“Is that your condition?” Lennok asked.
“Yes, that’s it. If things go as they intend, our reputation as wizards will hit rock bottom. The Practical faction is ready to forge ahead, even if it ans clashing with the city governnt, but our position is different.”
For the Practical faction of dark wizards, they could simply leave town if things didn’t work out. But for the Enchantnt faction, who primarily dealt with artifacts and items, it was an issue they couldn’t ignore.
“I don’t want to further tarnish the already tarnished reputation of dark magic. We still need this city.”
There was a strange resonance in Raul’s words, but Lennok decided not to delve into it. However, accepting the conditions as they were presented was another matter.
With his fa and earning potential skyrocketing, Lennok’s rewards and inco as a freelancer were incomparable to the past. Would confronting the combat dark wizards really help him obtain the legacy Raul spoke of? Accepting the offer solely based on Raul’s favor didn’t seem prudent.
There needed to be appropriate conditions and limitations in place for the reward.
‘The safest way is to do it the way I did with Dyke.’
After contemplating for a mont, he slowly spoke up.
“Let’s set a limit.”
“A limit?” Raul questioned.
“Yes, precisely. We need to determine how far I have to accept your condition and how valuable that legacy truly is. Without knowing this, it’s difficult to waste any more ti.”
To be frank, Lennok didn’t necessarily need the Enchantnt faction’s assistance. If it was solely a matter of dark magic, he could approach the Practical faction and inquire about the brooch’s origin. Of course, he would need to resolve the animosity resulting from killing a dark wizard at the research institute, but was it worth the trouble?
“Twice. Assuming they truly start their actions, I will stop the terror twice, or until a satisfactory alternative is prepared.”
It was a proposal for further negotiation, but Raul nodded, seemingly unworried about Lennok’s words.
“Let’s do it that way.”
Could Raul perceive the conviction in Lennok’s deanor, which suggested no regrets?
It was a shrewd decision.
“Now, about the specific schedule…” Raul began, but before they could delve further into their trade, a young man burst into the room, searching for Raul.
“Isaac, can’t you see that I’m in the middle of a conversation with a guest?”
“Now is not the ti! Those crazed individuals are wreaking havoc on the streets!”
“…!”
Raul’s expression changed upon hearing those words. As if entranced, he quickly grabbed the remote control from the table and turned on the television in the corner of the room.
The chaotic scene unfolding in the city center filled their eyes harshly.
Streets were ablaze, people ran in panic, buildings were riddled with holes and collapsed, and large craters marred the streets. Amidst the thick smoke, a group of about a dozen individuals erged, walking in unison. They were all dressed in black robes that concealed their bodies, their hoods pulled deeply over their faces.
Among them, the only one to reveal his identity was a tall, sturdy middle-aged man standing at the center. His fierce eyes and grizzled, disheveled beard gave him a nacing appearance. Intricately carved tree roots resembling a tattoo adorned his face under his eyes. He surveyed the surroundings with a stern expression before slowly moving towards the cara, as if it had been pre-arranged.
Lennok imdiately recognized the situation.
“It’s staged.”
There was no way a live cara would be conveniently placed at an impromptu scene of terror. This event had been ticulously planned to be broadcasted far and wide.
“But the lives lost there were not staged,” Raul muttered with a heavy voice. Despite being associated with the Enchantnt faction, Raul displayed an unexpected degree of humanity for a dark wizard, as far as Lennok knew. Whether this would be advantageous or not in the future remained uncertain, but Lennok wasn’t concerned about it in that mont.
anwhile, the man crouched down in front of the cara, bringing his face closer. His deep, resonant voice reverberated through the air, commanding attention even amidst a bustling street.
[We made a promise with Reisen.]
His words were heavy, carrying a weight that demanded obedience.
[We agreed not to interfere with each other while we integrate into this city.]
As he spoke, he reached out and gripped the collar of a fallen individual. His strong arm was prominent, as he held the limp head of a young man and muttered,
[But you broke that promise. And now, we have no reason to respect the order here.]
Whooosh!
Sticky black magic surged, painfully infiltrating the young man’s nose and mouth.
The outco was not difficult to predict.
“What in the world…?” Raul turned his head with a weary sigh.
[And this…]
Boom!
The unconscious young man swelled before violently bursting open.
[… is our response.]
Blood spattered onto the man.
It was a grueso and sickening execution.
Yet, the only solace in this horrific mont was the sheer force of the man’s presence.
A heavy silence enveloped the room.
Likely, similar silence pervaded other places where people were witnessing this mont.
[We don’t expect to take everything from Vulcan.]
The man’s composed voice echoed relentlessly.
[But we can certainly destroy sothing you all hold dear.]
[Reisen.]
The man, now appearing as if he wept blood, brought his face close to the cara and uttered,
[Wait for us.]
Crack!
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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