Chapter 286 – Suppression (2)
'No way things would turn out like this…!'
It wasn't as if she had never once been discovered while tailing someone before, but never, not once, had she been caught this easily, this pointlessly.
The opponent was said to be a powerful elemental Mage.
Of course, just because the strength of one's magic was overwhelming didn't necessarily mean that their magical senses were extraordinary as well.
Still, to eliminate even that slim possibility, she had suppressed her magic power to the utmost.
She had acted with secrecy beyond what she had ever been taught.
Moreover, today was her first time properly tracking this person, so there was no reason for her concentration to falter and cause mistakes.
And yet, she was discovered.
No, more than that, she was the one being trailed in return.
Could it be that his instincts were abnormally sharp?
A chill ran down her spine, and faint fear arose.
The opponent was a villain who ruled over Roafra, a hotbed of crime. If she were caught, she couldn't even dare to imagine what would happen to her.
'I need to hurry and meet Ethan.'
Before entering the underground waterway, she had left word.
Soon Ethan would come this way. After joining up, they could avoid pursuit, leave the territory for a while, and then work out a countermeasure in safety.
But first, she had to escape from the underground waterway.
Yet she had met the wrong opponent.
───!
A sound of the air splitting came from behind.
Glancing back, she saw Verden tearing after her through the darkness.
"What…!"
His speed in flight surpassed Rebecca's own.
Even though she had turned directions several times, using the labyrinthine terrain, he had not once slowed down.
'Doesn't he even consider he might crash into the wall? What kind of Mage is like this?!'
If she wasn't careful, she would be caught.
And in a head-on confrontation, there was nothing she could do.
Thanks to the necklace her teacher had given her, she could block out her opponent's magic power and presence, but even so, her instincts screamed at her to run.
She forced her mana circuits to operate, squeezing out her magic.
From the bottom of the waterway, pillars of water surged up in succession, blocking vision. Verden moved swiftly, slipping through the magical gaps with ease.
"Just leave me alone!"
She tried aiming with single spells too, but they had no effect.
The spiraling crimson flame not only nullified Rebecca's magic, it even evaporated all the water in the surrounding channels.
An overwhelming gap in firepower.
And yet his speed didn't lessen, it only increased further.
This was nothing short of monstrous.
Her efforts turned meaningless as the distance shrank even more, and Rebecca bit her lip.
'The exit's right there…!'
At this rate, even if she made it out of the underground waterway, she would be caught right away.
So she had to secure some distance, somehow. She needed just one chance to deceive his senses, even briefly.
Her teacher's teachings.
She hadn't fully mastered it yet, so it would put heavy strain on her mana circuits, but there was no time to worry about side effects.
Rebecca struck down at the ground with her magic.
Kwaaaaa!
A foaming surge engulfed the space.
The magic-formed water mixed with the turbid flow of the waterway, but there was no time to hesitate.
"Hhuup!"
Taking a deep breath, Rebecca plunged into the waves.
As she operated her magic, her presence began to scatter. She literally became one with the water, a special mana operation method that confused the opponent.
Until now, she had never seen a Mage who wasn't deceived by this.
'Luckily, he doesn't seem to want to kill me.'
She let out a breath of relief inside.
If he had simply cast a high-tier spell right away, it would have been truly dangerous. She wouldn't even have had this chance to try and escape.
Of course, diving into such filthy water was awful… but she had no choice.
She didn't want to die here, nor did she want to be caught and subjected to brutal torture.
She found meaning in having preserved her life and health instead of enduring a disgusting experience.
At that moment—
Fwoooosh!
A powerful wave swept through the waterway.
The torrent vanished in an instant without a trace. Rebecca's concealed body was revealed as it was.
Before her eyes, the tip of a staff loomed.
"Eh."
───Thud.
Orient pressed down on Rebecca's throat.
The pressure slamming down from above, and the rebound rising from the ground, crushed her windpipe. Her airway was instantly sealed.
"Keck… kehhek…!!"
"Did you think the same trick would work again?"
Verden looked down at Rebecca.
He was a master of elemental magic, born with an incomprehensible understanding of spells.
Even if it was elemental magic outside of the existing tiers, once he encountered it, it wasn't hard to grasp part of its principle.
Maybe the first time, but never twice.
Kkuguk.
Verden pressed harder.
She didn't look like she would cooperate easily, so he intended to knock her out first and then take her back to the mansion.
Interrogation could wait until then.
"Khk… khhhkkk…!"
Rebecca struggled desperately.
She operated her mana circuits, flailed her limbs, but Orient did not budge. Her voice couldn't even come out properly.
As the pain strangled her breath tightly, fear swelled.
'Ethan…! Save me…!'
Her eyes reddened and tears welled up.
With choking sounds, Rebecca's once clear consciousness began to fade. Her green eyes, bright, slowly rolled upward.
Her body weakened, limbs dangling limply, when suddenly—
"Would you please stop for a moment."
From the entrance of the underground waterway, a shadow approached.
Like Rebecca, the man wore a green robe.
'Is he her companion?'
Thick black hair, a slender frame.
Through narrow eyes, neither fully open nor closed, a faint blue-gray gleam flickered.
The man halted at a certain distance.
Raising both arms as if to show he didn't mean to fight, he met Verden's gaze directly.
Unlike the woman, he carried a calm and cool demeanor.
Verden slightly loosened his grip.
Listening to the Mage's faint breaths, Verden spoke.
"Reveal your identity."
"My name is Ethan. And the woman you have captured is Rebecca. Though I may look older, she is my───"
"Do I need to ask twice?"
Names could wait.
Verden was asking about their affiliation.
The man—Ethan—glanced aside.
His pitiful comrade was subdued helplessly. With such a crucial hostage in hand, his choices were limited.
Trying to lie would be the worst choice.
Having lost initiative, compliance was the middle choice.
Meanwhile, stalling through conversation to look for an opening was the best choice.
Ethan slipped his left hand behind his back.
Then, placing his right hand on his chest, he answered.
"We are members of the 'Society'."
***
A rising power active in the eastern continent.
A group of Magicians opposed to the current system of the Ten Magic Towers, the Society.
'I've heard of them.'
Their goal was so bold it bordered on arrogance.
Yet because their true power was unknown to the outside, in recent years rumors—almost infamous—had spread secretly among the magic towers.
Even Verden, back when he was still active in a magic tower, had heard the name once or twice.
"And what is this Society doing in the Midros territory?"
"You know of us. That name is barely known in the world. Could it be, you are connected to the magic towers?"
"Is that a necessary question?"
"It is more than necessary, it is crucial. Extremely so. For me to answer your question, I must first know that… therefore, if you want our cooperation without resistance, please answer me sincerely."
Ethan asked quietly.
"Are you a servant of the Bohemirn Magic Tower?"
For the past few days, Ethan had been investigating the back alleys of the territory.
The king of the underworld, Asher.
He had suddenly appeared, and as if digging through the entire territory itself, he moved organizations around, including uncovering information about the Mamentus Merchant Guild.
As a result, even the lord of the territory and the two magic towers had been stirred into reacting.
'Then it's one of two things.'
Either he had been sent by the Bohemirn Magic Tower to clean up the situation, or he had come with some other purpose.
There were suspicious parts—such as how openly he was moving—that made the former hard to accept, but that alone wasn't enough to completely rule out the possibility.
And so, Ethan sought to find out now.
The bracelet hidden behind his back.
A one-use magic item, capable of distinguishing a person's true intent.
The chance presented itself immediately.
"…That's the most unpleasant thing I've heard in my life."
Verden's eyes twitched.
Along with his overwhelming magic power, clear killing intent filled the space. Crack, crack. The walls of the waterway split in places.
"Kh…!!"
Exposed to that force, Ethan dropped to one knee.
Filthy water splashed everywhere, but that didn't matter. Enduring the oppressive power, he checked the bracelet on his left hand.
The color was red.
His enmity toward the Bohemirn Magic Tower was genuine.
Verden gazed at the bracelet, now turned crimson.
"A magic tool that judges the other's true intent, is it. Then this answer should be enough?"
"Y-yes… more than enough."
Nodding his head, Ethan staggered to his feet.
Thankfully, the man wasn't a pawn of the Bohemirn Magic Tower. That meant there was no longer any reason to risk his life trying to help Rebecca escape.
But he couldn't simply relax either.
'…Far beyond what I'd anticipated.'
He had known the man was strong, but experiencing it directly, it was outside the norm.
That Rebecca had been discovered in less than a single day of trailing him, and that Ethan himself had been crushed by magic power alone—he hadn't expected that.
And then there was his intense hostility toward Bohemirn.
What kind of story did this man, the ruler of Roafra, carry to harbor such feelings?
It was a question without an answer, for now.
Then, Verden grabbed Rebecca by the scruff of her neck and tossed her.
She fell into Ethan's arms.
Already unconscious, Rebecca drooled tears and saliva as her head hung limply.
"You already know where my mansion is, don't you. Take her and lead the way. This place isn't suitable for a long conversation."
"…Understood."
Carrying Rebecca on his back, Ethan walked toward the entrance.
He had already abandoned the idea of escape. If he tried that, one of them would surely die. Since the opponent wasn't from a magic tower, there was no need for a fight to the death.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that they had suddenly become prisoners.
On the silent night road home,
Verden watched the two figures ahead.
'So, the Society, only spoken of in rumors, has appeared.'
He had cast out bait, and something wholly unexpected had been caught.
That the anti-tower Society was here meant… perhaps they were connected to the force Verden was seeking, the one hostile to the Bohemirn Magic Tower.
He would only know by digging deeper, but it was certainly the most meaningful outcome since he had come to the territory.
'But this might not be all.'
The territory lord, the two magic towers, a third force, the Society.
Now that a fourth force had been revealed, he couldn't be sure a fifth would not appear.
What Verden was most wary of was the Bohemirn tower master's third contingency.
In other words, the possibility that Balrog Bessias had hired outside forces to erase those who had attacked him.
Of course, it might just be groundless speculation, but instinct and experience told him this:
In this Midros Territory, where numerous factions gathered like tinder waiting for a spark, something big was bound to happen.
When, he couldn't know.
But if he were to guess… it might be very soon.
***
A gaudily decorated carriage, painted with the face of a man bearing a chilling smile that split to his earlobes, cut through the forest road.
To move without escort near the Midros Territory was like throwing oneself into the fire.
As expected, a pack of Gnolls, recognizing him as prey, emerged from the forest.
[Krrrraaargh!]
[Kyaaaahhh!]
Sharp claws, vicious fangs.
Their eyesight was poor, but their keen sense of smell for blood and flesh never lost its prey.
Thudthudthudthud. On all fours, they raced through the underbrush, gradually catching up to the carriage's pace. Among them were higher Gnoll species.
Double-Horn Gnolls, each leading their own group, three in total.
And above them, one Triple-Horn, commanding them all.
[Grrrrr…]
Demi-humans who had evolved beyond the limits of Gnolls, possessing physiques and physical abilities comparable to or greater than humans. They wore weapons and armor stolen from human corpses.
When monsters of such intelligence seized tools and wielded them directly, their danger escalated. To them, adventurers were no longer beings to fear.
But the prey they had marked was no mere adventurer.
"Ohlalalalalala?"
Through the gap in the curtain concealing the inside of the carriage, a pair of large eyes blinked.
"Beasts chasing us, huh? Let's see, a pack of Gnolls… Double-Horns and even a Triple-Horn? Those are rare to see, and they're holding human weapons too? Could end up with nothing but bones left behind."
"Hahhahhah. And what of it? Facing such monsters isn't our troupe's duty. We are clowns hired on commission, nothing more."
A middle-aged man in a purple silk hat, face thick with makeup—the troupe leader—shook his shoulders, shouting loudly to the troupe member driving the carriage.
"Stop for a moment! Best we deal with those beasts here!"
"Yes, leader!"
The carriage slowed and came to a halt.
At once, the Gnolls surrounded them. Their numbers and ferocity made escape on foot impossible, yet there was no fear.
"Now, now, an ambush has come! Right to our doorstep! If all of us fought, we might slaughter them, but if my troupe members were injured, it could hinder our play!"
The leader laughed, looking to his side.
At a man whose face was hidden behind a metal mask, he beckoned with five fingers.
"It's your turn to honor your promise."
"…."
The man rose silently and stepped out of the carriage.
Savage eyes turned toward him, but he didn't flinch. Gripping the hilt of his rusted sword, he bent low into stance.
Shhhhaaaak!
A slash of sword energy.
Filthy blood splashed across the ground.
A blade too sharp to even see split muscle and bone. The Triple-Horn that had charged in was cleaved down the middle in one stroke.
Kyaaaagggghhh!
Pitiful cries resounded one after another.
A slaughter so brutal it was almost refreshing.
With the scene drenched in blood, the leader and his five clowns, including the driver, whispered together.
"J-just as expected, he really was sent from the Bohemirn Magic Tower!"
"Not even a Mage, where in the world did they find such a monster to send… Leader, isn't this dangerous?"
"Hahhah. The more dangerous the commission, the greater the profit. And it's none other than the famous Bohemirn Magic Tower. The reward is bigger than several commissions combined!"
The leader spread his arms wide with a grin.
"And this is a 'Carnival' after so long! Such a chance, missed? Impossible! Not for my troupe! And the job is truly simple and clear!"
Leaping to his feet, he spun lightly.
With exaggerated gestures like on a stage, he danced.
"As soon as we reach the territory! That swordsman will annihilate the branches of the Volcanic Island Magic Tower and the Larrian Magic Tower, and kidnap the territory lord! Then, with my ability, I will extract the information! Thus we'll learn their location, and head straight there with this man in tow!!!!"
The leader's expression vanished.
"But, it'll be noisy. We'll need distractions to draw the audience's eyes away."
His arms twisted grotesquely.
The gloved hands pointed at two clowns.
"Our proud hypnotists, Mashi and Devoni! With you two, stirring up chaos in the Midros Territory's cities should be child's play, right?!"
"Of course!"
"How long do you need?"
"Half a day!"
"Confident answer! Excellent!!!"
The leader covered his face.
Between his fingers, the teardrop painted under his eye could be seen.
"I'd love to perform the play myself, but I have business to handle, so I leave it to you two. So unleash a festival of blood in the territory! And when we reunite, tell me your impressions!!"
"Yes, leader!"
"Why, of course!"
The clowns quivered in delight.
Amid their laughter, soaked in madness, Devoni raised his hand.
"Ohlalalala! But leader! When do we arrive at the territory?"
"Hmm, let's see…"
Shfff.
The leader looked over a map.
He roughly gauged their position, measuring the distance to the city.
With golden-painted fangs flashing, he clenched his fist, raising only index and middle fingers.
"Two days."
The fingers opened and closed like pincers.
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