"I'll leave that behind. While I'm a curse caster who enjoys placing curses, keeping such objects isn't really my taste."
"You're leaving that dangerous thing behind?"
"I have urgent matters to attend to. But leaving a cursed object unattended doesn't seem right, so I'll send my people as a service."
Cravat took out a portable signaler from inside his coat and activated it.
"In a little while, people from our school will co and package that thing nicely. You can leave it or take it, the choice is yours."
"I won't take it. Such things, I'm sick of them."
"Why are you telling ? The choice is yours, as I said."
Cravat chuckled.
He knew that Verom's words weren't directed at him, but at himself.
"If I may offer one piece of advice though, wearing it again won't be as difficult as it was before."
With those final words, Cravat left.
Verom stood still for a while, glaring at the living armor.
Red lines were still protruding from the gaps in the armor, writhing toward him.
Perhaps because of Cravat's words?
What had initially seed disgusting now appeared sowhat different.
Rather than the temptation of a curse craving prey, it seed more like a desperate gesture of a child begging for parental love.
Not wanting to be abandoned by its father.
He could see the image of a baby crying out, pleading not to be abandoned.
Verom's expression, which had been full of anger toward the living armor, changed to one of complexity.
"Huh?"
Cravat discovered Rudger waiting for him between the alleyways and approached him.
"What? You were still here?"
"I stayed just in case."
"Well, since the matter has been handled well, let's move. By the way, what about that youngster Gabriel?"
"He left with Rene, accompanied by the automaton. Since the original hideout was exposed, they've likely moved to the backup hideout."
"There's another hideout?"
"He dug quite a few rabbit holes, just in case."
"Isla Machina has expensive housing, where did he get the money to prepare so many?"
Cravat, who had been grumbling, suddenly asked Rudger curiously.
"So why did you let him live?"
"What do you an?"
"That man, Verom. I have no grudge against those people, and I'm actually grateful for seeing the cursed relic I'd only heard rumors about, but it's different for you, isn't it?"
From Cravat's perspective, Rudger was a man without rcy.
He's a man who had concealed his identity. Soone who alternated between various identities and committed various cris.
In fact, when he ca to Section E-34 to et him, Rudger had rcilessly swept away both black magicians and New Magic Tower mages.
This wasn't the skill of soone who had killed just once or twice.
It was impossible to guess how much blood stained the path he had walked.
"I thought you would imdiately eliminate even the slightest possibility of danger."
"I left him alone because I judged there was no danger. He lost his armor, and he never had much influence in the organization to begin with."
"What if he goes to that Nikolai and tells him everything?"
"Given Nikolai's personality, he's more likely to find Verom, who has outlived his usefulness, annoying."
Without the living armor, Verom was nothing more than a powerless ordinary person.
It could be said that the power of the living armor was so great that it elevated Verom to the position of First Order.
"For soone who thinks like that, you didn't seem interested in securing that living armor."
"Only a fool would touch a cursed artifact."
After hearing this, Cravat opened his eyes wide, then burst into laughter.
Rudger stared at Cravat with a look that questioned why he was laughing, even though his reaction could have been taken as offensive.
"No, it's just funny. You act like soone without blood or tears, but I thought you actually have a lot of compassion."
"Compassion? What do you an?"
"Don't react so strongly. I understand that part well enough."
Cravat spoke with a grin, seemingly in a good mood.
"I've been called a bad guy too. To begin with, who would welco soone who only learned curses? Everyone just points fingers, saying I'm scary and dangerous. But they're not wrong. Most of what can be done with curses is killing people. Despite how I look, I am a black magician, and I've killed quite a few people."
Cravat spoke about killing people as if it were nothing.
In this aspect, his morality diverged from that of ordinary people.
Or perhaps the environnt he was in made him consider it normal.
"Of course, I haven't killed innocent people. It's different from how the black magician school guys now capture random vagrants to use as at shields or sacrifices. We fought strictly for our survival."
"But all that ca back was criticism, I suppose."
"Yes. But look. See what I did today."
Cravat smiled brightly, as if recalling his recent actions pleased him.
"I saved a person with my curse. Even if it was out of curiosity, the result can't be denied. Regardless of what others say, I saved a life with the power of curses."
Despite being a black magician who had learned ancient curses and killed people throughout his life, that didn't an Cravat hadn't done good deeds.
Humans possess the duality of good and evil.
Soone praised as a hero by so could be a sworn enemy to others.
Knowing this fact, Cravat didn't particularly condemn Rudger's actions.
Rather, in his act of sparing Verom, Cravat recognized that Rudger wasn't a ruthless villain but a person with a good heart.
"People's prejudices are truly frightening. A bad person must only do bad things all his life, and a good person must only do good things all his life. Have you ever been swayed by that?"
"I simply do what I think is right. I've never thought about whether it's justice or whatever."
"I like that answer."
He pushes forward with what he believes without caring about public gaze or others' positions.
For Cravat, Rudger's answer was perfect.
"But it seems you lack honesty. If you were just letting him live, why make excuses about him not being a threat?"
"At least I need to create a reason that will convince soone."
"Who?"
"People who, soday when this small rcy I showed becos my downfall, will point fingers and criticize for it."
"Like, 'Why did you spare him instead of killing him, and now you're in this ss?' That kind of thing? If you don't like that, why bother? Just kill him."
"I wanted to prove sothing."
"Prove what?"
"The belief that the kindness I show will soday return to as kindness."
Cravat opened his eyes wide at those words.
Despite a reaction that could have been offensive, Rudger answered impassively.
"I wanted to believe that the world hasn't broken down that much. Even if the world has beco harsh and people's altruism has decreased, there must still be so goodness remaining sowhere inside them. No, there must be."
"You..."
Cravat let out a slight laugh.
"You're more impressive than you look. I thought you were very rational and calm."
"Is there a problem with that?"
"No. I like it even more. Seems I misjudged you. Judging by your behavior, you seem like so kind of shadow mastermind controlling the world from behind."
"..."
"Well, isn't that right? This level of skill with an unclear past. Even the past activities are all unusual. And such a person is now a teacher? You said you're teaching sowhere?"
"Theon."
"Theon! Ah, I've heard of it. Isn't that where young and new magicians receive training these days?"
"Magic schools are surprisingly common."
"I say this because it's undoubtedly the best among them. How did you infiltrate there? No, since you changed your identity, did you get hired under false pretenses?"
"...I didn't do it, it was done to ."
Cravat rolled his eyes, asking what that ant.
"If you got hired under false pretenses, you did it. What do you an it was done to you?"
"..."
Good point.
Rudger gave up explaining, feeling both indignant and objectively understanding of the situation.
He didn't want to elaborate because it would only make his situation seem more pathetic.
-Caw. Caw.
At that mont, several crows flew over Rudger and Cravat's heads.
"What's that?"
"Ah. Those are our guys."
As Rudger noticed they weren't ordinary crows, Cravat explained nonchalantly.
"It's the curse of crow transformation."
"You placed that on your school mbers?"
"Why are you looking at like that? Don't tell you think I'm a trash master who curses school mbers to use them?"
"If not that, there must be so other aning."
"Curses aren't simply about placing them. A curse includes both placing and removing it as one process."
Rudger wasn't that well-versed in curses.
But he rembered hearing sothing similar from Professor rilda, who taught curses and their removal, during als.
"They're like that due to the crow transformation curse, but I can remove it whenever I want. Do you know what that ans?"
"It ans they can transform into animals at will, allowing for efficient movent." Updates are released by N0velFire.ɴet
"Yes. With this, we can move secretly, avoiding others' gaze, or gather information. Originally, hardly anyone pays attention to flying crows."
Rudger agreed with Cravat's words.
He could sympathize as Hans did sothing similar on their side.
Hans mostly got information from rats, but lately, as his abilities strengthened, he also obtained information from birds.
People couldn't even imagine that the creatures they considered insignificant might be eavesdropping.
It was surprising that the other side could also exploit this blind spot.
"So that's why you remained unscathed in the midst of this fierce battle."
"Information warfare is important in modern tis."
The one who greeted the two n as they conversed was Gabriel.
"What? You've finished the task and returned? That was quicker than expected."
"Where's Rene?"
"I moved her properly. Although it's a hideout I haven't used, I've kept it clean regularly, so don't worry about that."
"Since there's no reason to make a ss, it should be much cleaner than before."
"If soone heard that, they'd think I created a pigsty or sothing."
"Didn't you?"
"...I do keep it a bit ssy."
Following Gabriel’s guidance into the hideout, Rudger felt sowhat relieved by the more spacious area.
"By the way, how was the previous hideout discovered? We always moved in secret."
"Seems like our trail was followed."
"Did we do anything to be followed?"
"It's just that they haven't been actively looking for us until now. This place probably won't last long either."
Rudger had heard from Verom how Nikolai had detected his arrival.
"There are various devices in Isla Machina, I was told. Especially those related to security."
"Ah, right. Since it's a place where important research and business are conducted. So everyone tries to protect their own."
Cravat continued after him.
"And also try to peek at others' as much as possible."
Attempts to steal research materials or items from rival companies, schools, or individual mages are common in Isla Machina.
This barren steel island wore the mask of being future-oriented, but inside lurked a wolf drooling to extort others' intellectual property.
"Eyes to peek at others. And curtains to hide from them. If you ask what the most developed technology in Isla Machina is, I'd have to pick these two."
"So a widespread surveillance managent system is implented throughout this island."
"Yes. But no one individual controls it all. Each has just installed their own type of surveillance device."
Strictly speaking, in Isla Machina, thousands of organizations each had their own surveillance systems, controlling only the relevant areas.
Among them, the New Magic Tower was particularly prominent.
"But why is that?"
"It seems Nikolai has taken control of these surveillance devices."
"Nikolai? Ah, you ntioned he's the leader of a recently erging force. But taking control of surveillance devices? Even so, it would only be in so areas..."
Rudger shook his head.
At this reaction, Gabriel looked at Rudger with disbelief.
"Not just so areas. He has now secured more than half of the surveillance systems on this island under his control."
"What? Half?"
Gabriel couldn't understand this statent.
Half ant that, excluding the surveillance systems held by the New Magic Tower, it was effectively over 70 percent.
"No, that's impossible. Even amidst the fight with black magicians, he secured that much of the surveillance system? If that were the case, others would have noticed long ago."
"It seems he can hack into others' surveillance devices."
"Hack? What's hacking?"
"Ah, that term might be premature for this ti. Hmm. Simply put, it's the act of breaking through the security of others' devices and taking control of their systems or altering them to suit one's preferences."
"That's crazy. Is that possible? How?"
"If there are surveillance and security systems, ways to render them useless or take them over can erge. And it seems he's expanding the range in real-ti."
Gabriel shook his head, looking dizzy.
"No, wait. Then the location of our hideout?"
"Must be completely exposed. If not right now, it's only a matter of ti."
This ant that no matter where they ran or hid, as long as they were on this island, they were in the palm of Nikolai's hand.
"Then, what do we do now?"
"What do we do?"
Despite potentially being under surveillance in every move, Rudger remained calm.
"We proceed with the plan."
Whether Nikolai was watching them or not.
Whether he continued to send assassins or not.
"We strike the New Magic Tower first."
Reviews
All reviews (0)