Chapter 13
Bien was visibly flustered.
"Madowon, you say?"
"Yes."
"Th-that can't be right. Yurmus shouldn't be Madowon's territory?"
Ethan was also flustered, but unlike Bien, he could hide his surprise as he had already expected this to happen.
Demi said.
Ethan probed Bien.
"You wouldn't not know the reason I'm here."
Bien frowned.
"Are you saying there's a traitor among the mbers of the Imperial Inquisition in Yurmus?"
According to Shirund Zen, the Imperial Inquisition and the Madowon are institutions that keep each other in check. If a problem arises in one institution, the other inspects it. Therefore, if the Madowon is here, it can be inferred that there is a problem that cannot be resolved solely by the Imperial Inquisition, such as a traitor. Ethan decided to rely on that assumption for now.
"Yes."
Bien shook his head.
"...I'm not sure."
"Don't answer imdiately, think about it."
"Even if there is a traitor, what does that have to do with this Black Magic?"
Demi said.
Ethan said.
"Bien, answer my question first. Vine Wiz Dekarun and Bien Palmaize. Besides them, who else is a mber of the Imperial Inquisition in Yurmus?"
"There are no others besides the two of us..."
Bien stopped speaking halfway through his answer.
"...That's strange. You imdiately ca to , a mber of the Imperial Inquisition, and you don't know the number of Imperial Inquisition mbers in Yurmus. In the first place, I was chosen by Sir Vine, so there's no way the Madowon would know. Who are you?"
Ethan felt like punching Bien. There were only two Imperial Inquisition mbers in Yurmus, yet in the previous life, he had asked Ethan to na other mbers besides them.
Ethan ignored Demi's comnt and punched Bien in the face.
Bien fell down from the blow, but as if he had been waiting, he shot the sharp crystal he had prepared behind his back at Ethan.
The crystal impaled Ethan's chest.
∞
Ethan decided to change his strategy.
When Ethan pressed him about knowing the traitor, Bien said.
"...I'm not sure."
"Don't answer imdiately, think about it."
"Even if there is a traitor, what does that have to do with this Black Magic?"
Demi said.
Ethan said.
"Bien, answer my question first. Vine Wiz Dekarun and Bien Palmaize. Besides them, who else is a mber of the Imperial Inquisition in Yurmus?"
"There are no others besides the two of us..."
Bien stopped speaking halfway through his answer.
"...That's strange. You imdiately ca to , a mber of the Imperial Inquisition, and you don't know the number of Imperial Inquisition mbers in Yurmus. In the first place, I was chosen by Sir Vine, so there's no way the Madowon would know. Who are you?"
Ethan was speechless. It was only a few seconds, but that was enough for Bien.
"Who are you?"
Ethan put his hand in his coat. But the sharp crystal that surged from behind Bien was faster. The crystal flew directly towards Ethan's chest and embedded itself.
∞
Ethan realized that Bien was wary from the word 'traitor'.
Just before leaving Limbo, Ethan talked to Demi.
"In the first place, there are only two Imperial Inquisition mbers at Yurmus Magic School. So the only traitor candidate is his superior, Vine."
"Therefore, for Bien, the situation already felt awkward."
"He considered that there might be other mbers or related parties he didn't know about, but as soon as he beca sure there weren't, he imdiately attacked."
"That is correct. As expected, top graduate. You figured it out right away. Bringing up 'traitor' was a failure."
"Then I'll have to introduce a different topic. Like I ca here chasing evidence, handing over the gun. No, I don't think I need to give him the gun. Bien seed to focus on the fact that I was from the Madowon and didn't consider the evidence important."
"Maybe Bien, unlike Shirund Zen, would only know it was a gun when it was fired, and wouldn't know what it was just by looking at it."
"He might not have seen one directly..."
Ethan muttered, trying to step through the door of Limbo back to reality.
Demi called out to Ethan.
"User."
"Why?"
"Your two recent deaths are close to each other, and if you apply the thodology inferred from what you just said, these two deaths will likely also be close to each other."
"You an I'm dying too quickly?"
"Yes."
Ethan asked.
"What are the side effects of dying like this?"
"There are indirect side effects and direct side effects."
"Indirect? Direct?"
"Indirect side effects are related to the world's 'Mystery' and are beyond my authority."
"Then what are the direct side effects?"
"It's User's psychological problem. Repeated experiences of a mortal's death, relatively speaking, degrade others into re tools due to a cognitive gap regarding the death of social relationships, and absolutely speaking, lower the value of the mortal's own life, leading to impulses towards nihilism."
"In simpler terms?"
"Those User interacts with and User's heart may be hurt."
Ethan looked at Demi.
"You an that doesn't necessarily an it will happen, right?"
"That is correct."
"Then there's nothing to worry about. I know how to use this power now."
Ethan stepped out the door and t Bien.
Since the word "traitor" didn't work, Ethan said that he was from the Madowon and had co chasing a Black Mage. But Bien didn't believe Ethan just like that. Bien tested Ethan by asking about the number of Mazok composing the Madowon or the relationships among the mbers. Of course, Ethan didn't know.
After dying, Ethan had to go to the magic school library, skim books, and find information about the Empire's Madowon. Fortunately, the Madowon was an old institution, and there were many books about it. But Bien's questions didn't end there. Bien asked how Ethan, a noble of the Charasen family, ca to be associated with the Madowon.
Ethan talked about a Mazok he t at a Charasen family party, but for so reason, Bien had extensive knowledge about Mazok and quickly caught Ethan's incorrect information. Demi evaluated Bien as obsessive.
Ethan repeated his life several tis to answer Bien's questions. He needed ti to read books. Ethan stopped going to et Bien from the beginning.
Once, he used fireworks to pass the Basic Magic Practice lecture, and then stayed holed up in the library reading books. The validity period was longer than he thought. Ethan barely passed Basic Magic Practice but failed Basic Magic Practice, was ostracized for the entire second sester, and was expelled after failing.
Ethan, who had the C-rank Coupon in hand after completing the 90-day survival Quest, returned to answer Bien's questions.
Another ti, he lured Vine and Bien, the two people, out of the school 'in the sa way as before' and expelled them. This was because he had to et a Mazok once more to confirm the family crest used by Shirund Zen.
Ethan confird once more that the magic 'Masara' and 'Rima's Setting Sun' failed on him. The end was no different from before.
During that ti, Ethan practiced the Ruure breathing technique that Rebilton had taught him whenever he had a mont. The story Ethan told Bien also changed from eting a Mazok at a party to receiving an offer outside Yurmus, and the reason Ethan was affiliated with the Madowon also changed from magic to expensive magic tools, and Ethan knowing Bien was also due to information given by the Madowon. That was the form that Bien felt was 'plausible'.
Bien listened to all of Ethan's story and said.
"Although it was just a brief exchange, your story is convincing. I will admit that."
Ethan had spent over 10 months of perceived ti since starting this conversation with Bien.
"But even if you ca here following a clue, why should I cooperate with you? The Imperial Inquisition and the Madowon are in a relationship of mutual checks and balances."
"That's because of your roles, right? The role of finding Black Mages is the sa, isn't it?"
"Hmm, understood. For now, please go back today. We two don't have any particular close relationship, and if one person stays in another person's room for too long, other students will find it suspicious."
Ethan thought Bien's words were reasonable.
Ethan spoke before leaving the room.
"Can I ask just one thing?"
"...Only one, alright."
"Do you like this job?"
Bien gave a wry smile.
"Surely not."
After parting with Bien, late at night, Vine entered Ethan's dormitory room.
"Ethan Dora Charasen."
"Professor Vine?"
"I heard you are affiliated with the Madowon."
Ethan said as brazenly as possible.
"Was Professor Vine Bien's superior? That's surprising."
"It's not surprising that you know of Bien's existence. The Madowon would have that much information. And that you are doing the Madowon's errands. The Madowon is greedy, you see. They interfere in many matters and extend their reach beyond their jurisdiction."
"But so of the information Bien told was inaccurate and different from what I know."
"...Which part do you an?"
"Ah, no need to bother talking about it. I'll find out myself."
Vine reached out his hand towards Ethan's head.
Ethan took out his gun, and when Vine reflexively made a defensive move, Ethan placed it against his own head and pulled the trigger.
∞
In Limbo, Demi said.
"Vine is an opponent who cannot be persuaded, unlike Bien. Although conversation might not be impossible as Vine is also human, finding that thod will require much more ti than it did with Bien."
"I know."
"Are you giving up on talking to Bien and switching to a different thod?"
"No. I knew this would happen."
"What do you plan to do?"
"Thanks to the 'brief exchange', I was able to ask Bien 'one question', wasn't I?"
Ethan said as he left Limbo.
"That's enough."
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