"So we have to go there ourselves......"
"That's actually better. I can't do anything alone, but with you here, I feel more secure. I may not like you, but I acknowledge your skills are real."
"......You say that so boldly to my face?"
"What? Why not? Isn't this the kind of relationship we've always had?"
Rudger shook his head at Gabriel's provocative remark.
From the beginning, their relationship was oddly deeper than expected, too complicated to get angry at such comnts.
They didn't particularly like each other as people, yet they acknowledged each other's abilities.
Gabriel was the one who growled unilaterally when they faced each other, but Rudger wasn't exactly thrilled to work with soone who disliked him so much either.
Nevertheless, they joined hands.
Only one person made that possible: Rene.
"Don't forget. I'm not helping you. I'm helping Rene."
"I know. That's why I'm using you. I can't save Rene by myself."
"......You're irritatingly rational."
Gabriel muttered, crossing his arms.
Unlike the lazy and free-spirited Gabriel, Rudger was ascetic and cold-blooded but he didn’t lack the heart a person should have.
If Rudger were truly heartless, Gabriel wouldn't have associated with him at all.
"Let's stop discussing our absurd relationship now. That's not what matters."
"......Right. True."
"We need to rescue that ancient curse faction black magician, but where is he now?"
"Wait a mont."
Gabriel rummaged through a pile of odds and ends in a corner of the room and brought sothing to Rudger.
"It's a rough map of Isla Machina."
On the old map that was spread out, the approximate shape of Isla Machina was drawn like a blueprint.
No, not like a blueprint.
This really was a blueprint.
"......Isn't this a design plan?"
"Ah. Yes. It's a design plan."
Normally, a map would only show the approximate topography of Isla Machina, but what Gabriel showed included the entire internal structure.
"......A blueprint of the chanical island. Where did you get this? Sothing like this would be kept under strict security."
"I forgot where I got it. I have so many random things around, you know. Maybe it just happened to fall into my hands?"
Gabriel pointed behind himself with his thumb as if it were nothing.
Rudger shook his head at the pile of miscellaneous items, books, and parchnt bundles of unknown purpose or use.
"You probably stole it. There's no way a blueprint of the island would just 'happen' to co to you."
"Why so harsh? I just borrowed it, borrowed it. I'll return it soday, I promise."
"Why not say you borrowed money from the casino for gambling fraud too?"
"That was unavoidable due to funding issues."
"Yet you hate using ti magic more than death, but use it well when it suits you."
Gabriel flared up at Rudger's observation.
"I don't hate it more than death! I'm just reluctant because only my ti flows when I use it. If you knew how my master went, you wouldn't say that."
"About your master......"
Ti magic is passed down only to one person at a ti.
Obviously, Gabriel had a master, and that master was also a user of ti magic.
"How would you feel seeing soone turn white-haired with a white beard at the age of 40?"
Gabriel's master resembled an old scholar who had lived for a very long ti on the outside and an idealist from a fairy tale.
His actual age was only 40, though he appeared close to 80.
Gabriel's master had spent 40 years in stopped ti.
He used ti magic frequently, and with each use, he aged rapidly in accumulated ti.
"The old man was quite willful. He even deceived , saying ti magic was amazing."
Gabriel shook his head as if the mory still disgusted him.
In his childhood, being naive, he was attracted to the idea of controlling ti and readily accepted the proposal.
"I can imagine. Ti magic forces all other magical talents and possibilities into learning only ti magic."
Not just anyone can learn ti magic.
It cos with the bold prerequisite of investing all magical status points solely in [Ti Magic].
Naturally, to learn ti magic, one had to have excellent qualities and aptitudes in other fields as well.
Gabriel was that type.
He had qualities that could have made him an excellent magician in various fields if he hadn't learned ti magic.
A remarkable genius who could easily master various attributes up to at least level 5, even if he couldn't reach the peak.
Perhaps with enough ti, he might have even reached level 6.
Whenever he thought about it, Gabriel lanted his fate.
"Damn it. Why did I learn this? With penalties, restrictions, and all... Ti magic, which was supposed to be so great, turned out to be such a scam."
But it was too late for regrets now.
There was no way to turn back ti once chosen.
It was ironic that a ti magic user couldn't turn back ti.
Like a hairdresser who can't cut their own hair.
That's why Gabriel rarely used ti magic.
Even when he did, he only used it for fleeting monts, like when gambling at casinos.
This was partly due to his reluctance to age quickly at a young age, but now it was also a small rebellion against his deceased master.
After all, he was using the wonderful ti magic his master had endlessly praised for re petty thievery.
"My master told to beco a great person with ti magic, but that's not happening. I'll live how I want with this ability."
Enough with the digression.
Gabriel pointed to a part of the blueprint with his index finger.
"See this?"
"Yes."
"This is where we need to go."
Isla Machina is a giant island run by chanical devices.
White steam is constantly released by sucking in and evaporating seawater 24 hours a day, huge pipes for transporting compressed steam, compression cylinders, large baroters, steel gears, and more.
Isla Machina, created by modifying an existing island, was a precise, sturdy, massive chanical device that pointed toward the future.
Its overall shape resembled a wedding cake, with large and small circular plates stacked.
But inside, it was filled with factories, devices, and machines made with magical engineering.
"Isla Machina consists of 5 floors. The lower the floor, the larger and wider it gets, but the worse the security becos."
From the 1st floor to the 5th floor, the lower floors have harsher environnts, while higher floors have wealthier, more splendid streets.
Gabriel's current hideout was on the 2nd floor.
It was cleverly hidden in a remote area where few people lived.
And the place Gabriel pointed to was the bottommost 1st floor.
The shadow and darkness of Isla Machina.
The underground district where black magicians resided.
"The 1st floor is currently divided in half between the erging forces and the existing black magicians. And here, the area with the most conflicts is sector E-34."
The 1st floor was divided into sectors using combinations of alphabets and numbers, and among them, major attrition wars were occurring in sector E.
Unfortunately, the Ancient Curse Faction was a faction based in this E sector, a relatively long-established black magic faction on the island.
But it was now facing dissolution due to the sudden appearance of the Nikolai, Verom, and Victor alliance.
"Sohow they're holding out well, but other black magicians don't seem willing to help."
"Didn't you say it was an alliance? Every bit of strength would be precious."
"A black magician alliance is still just black magicians. With so many untrustworthy backstabbers, who has the luxury of rescuing others out of loyalty?"
They may be joining hands now because of a common enemy, but before that, it was chaos reminiscent of the Warring States period.
It was difficult for such people to form a proper alliance.
"It's actually miraculous they're holding out like this. Fighting a common enemy while previously pointing knives at each other. But rescuing soone is a different matter."
"So we can't expect support from the other side."
"Right. The New Magic Tower is observing this battle, saying it's not their concern. On the surface, at least."
"On the surface?"
"The New Magic Tower sees this fight as a money-making opportunity. Even united, black magicians don't fight with just their pure strength. They need to procure potions, artifacts, and magical tools for battle."
"And the New Magic Tower sells these."
"War is profitable. So while the New Magic Tower appears idle on the surface, they're paddling hard underwater." Thɪs chapter is updated by novel★fire
Rudger gave a cold sneer at those words.
It was too obvious what the New Magic Tower was aiming for.
"So they're continuing to exploit the 1st floor's battle for profit. Now I understand why these black magicians ford an alliance and are holding out."
From the New Magic Tower's perspective, they wouldn't want to lose the profitable business of war.
Even if it's an event occurring only inside the island, and even if it's limited to the 1st floor.
"To the New Magic Tower, this underground war is business. So they're secretly dispatching magicians to support the black magicians."
"While abandoning those they deem unprofitable."
"The Ancient Curse Faction isn't very profitable to begin with."
Money.
In today's materialistic reality, it causes the most problems yet also provides the greatest solutions.
"Truly disgusting."
"Old Magic Tower, New Magic Tower. I've never seen decent people among those with 'Magic Tower' in their na. Well, that's not important now. We need to infiltrate this E-34 sector."
"Breaking through a bombardnt zone with mixed enemies and allies, alone?"
"Not alone. I'm here, aren't I?"
"Can you fight?"
"No."
Rudger felt a headache coming on as Gabriel answered brazenly.
Since he wouldn't be of actual help in combat, Gabriel should essentially be excluded from the count.
"But if we leave this place, who will take care of Rene?"
"Well, I......"
"You, who need to guide us, can't be absent."
Gabriel hunched his shoulders as Rudger applied pressure with his eyes.
"Is there no one else we can ask for help?"
"No. I'm not exactly living here to make friends."
"......You must have stayed here for several years at least, yet you have no connections? How did you handle research or work until now? I doubt you did it all alone."
"Of course not alone."
"Not alone?"
"In this Isla Machina, there are beings that can substitute for human work. Rember? This is a place where magical engineering is advanced."
As Gabriel said this, he clapped his hands together.
Then, as if waiting for this, a knock sounded from outside the door.
What's this?
Despite not sensing any presence outside, soone was knocking on the door.
While Rudger was puzzled, the door opened, and a woman in a maid uniform entered.
'Not human.'
Though she appeared to be a very beautiful woman from the outside, Rudger realized she wasn't a living person.
"An automaton?"
"Correct."
The green-haired, bespectacled woman presud to be an automaton stood modestly beside Gabriel.
No wonder her presence couldn't be sensed; she wasn't a living person.
But more than that, this automaton was definitely not an ordinary one.
Her movents were smooth yet restrained, and she made no sound when walking.
It was impossible to guess what was hidden under that long skirt that reached below her ankles.
For a steel being to move so quietly ant it was a special custom product.
"What do you think? Amazing, right? Looks almost like a human. Despite appearances, she's one of the most outstanding automatons. Filled with magical engineering, you could say."
Gabriel shrugged his shoulders.
This is a special automaton that can only be seen in Isla Machina, nowhere else.
Even Rudger wouldn't have seen sothing like this before.
"......"
However, Rudger wasn't particularly impressed and didn't know what to say.
It was an exceptionally advanced automaton, but Rudger knew two even more remarkable automatons.
While this Isla Machina automaton with magical engineering was impressive, how could it compare to Arpa, created by the Great Steel Nation's state-level secret experint?
Considering Arpa's internal components, its technology was at least several generations ahead of Isla Machina’s current automaton technology.
"Oh, right. You must have spent a lot of money."
Rather than bothering to explain this verbally, Rudger just agreed perfunctorily and moved on.
"She can also be used for household purposes, so she'll take care of Rene."
"Household purposes?"
Rudger glanced at the ssy room with half-closed eyes.
Under his gaze that questioned whether this thing really could be used for household work, Gabriel averted his eyes slightly.
"No, I just prefer things as they are. So I didn't ask for cleaning."
"......I hope your automaton performs well. I'd rather not destroy it with my own hands, since it looks like a person, after all."
"Wait, what? Destroy?"
"Never mind."
Rudger stood up abruptly.
"What? Where are you going now?"
"What conversation do you think we've been having all this ti?"
Before stepping outside, Rudger turned around and stared at Gabriel.
At the sa ti, Aether Nocturnus, who had been taking care of Rene, carefully laid her on the bed, then flew to Rudger and attached to his body.
The shadow covered Rudger's body from head to toe.
A shadow cape like crow's wings fluttered, scattering black feathers and a mask with a pitch-black crow's beak covered Rudger's face.
"We don't have ti, so I'm going now."
Blue eyes flashed above the mask.
"At full power."
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