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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 167: Each One’s Dawn (1)
In the darkness of the office, a communicator rang noisily.
A man, who had been resting with his eyes closed as if exhausted, slowly picked up the receiver.
[...This is Neil Brion.]
The voice on the other end was surprisingly calm.
It didn’t sound like someone who had just become a fugitive with a nationwide bounty on their head.
[I finished things as quickly as I could and contacted you.]
“You've heard the news, haven’t you? I heard NewTech got utterly destroyed.”
[Yes, the Special Investigations Unit personally visited the headquarters and either killed or captured everyone involved.]
After Oscar’s report revealed that NewTech was deeply connected to the Black Fingers, the company was dismantled by the imperial family within hours.
Officially, the charges were illegal drug manufacturing and distribution, human experimentation, and embezzlement.
They couldn’t exactly tell the public about the existence of demon worshippers operating in society.
“You've given me quite the headache. I have to completely revise my plans now.”
[......I take full responsibility.]
“Well, what can be done? What’s done is done.”
Responding as if it were no big deal, he continued speaking.
“The empire’s eyes are now on the corporations.”
There was no guarantee that other companies like NewTech didn’t exist.
In response, the imperial family had already assembled a special task force to track down any corporations connected to the Black Fingers.
This operation would likely buy them a significant amount of time.
“If we set up a few decoy companies, we could probably buy about six months.”
[......]
Neil Brion didn’t believe that his contact was doing all this purely for his sake.
If this man was willing to go through such trouble, he had to have another motive.
[Tell me what you need.]
“Join forces with Dirje and finish what you were supposed to.”
Dirje.
The moment that name was mentioned, Neil Brion realized what was being asked of him.
‘That guy’s current mission is to assassinate Oscar Crucian.’
In other words, he was being ordered to team up and ensure Oscar Crucian’s death.
That was a mission he should have completed long ago.
[Understood.]
“I don’t need to waste my breath nagging you, do I?”
He had already failed twice in his attempts to kill Oscar Crucian.
That meant he understood better than anyone that the target was not to be taken lightly.
[I’ll approach it as if I were hunting a high-ranking mage.]
Hearing Neil Brion’s resolve, the man finally smiled in satisfaction.
* * *
Drip.
Steam rose from the teacup as the liquid filled it.
The deputy tower master, smiling, spoke first.
“A cult, a pharmaceutical company, and the Black Fingers… Quite an unusual combination.”
“It really is.”
Oscar replied while sipping his tea.
To be honest, this whole situation was like a cow stepping on a mouse by accident.
All he had done was visit Saint Hill for an investigation.
“Well, at least the outcome was favorable.”
On the table in front of the deputy tower master was a newspaper Oscar hadn’t seen before.
Noticing it, he casually asked,
“You’ve started subscribing to a new paper?”
“Oh, they recently published a rather interesting exposé. You should read it, Oscar.”
Receiving the newspaper, Oscar raised an eyebrow.
[Undercover Report: A Journalist’s 64 Days Inside Saint Hill – Day One]
The newspaper’s name was Poppy Times, and the journalist’s name was none other than Paul Neus.
Seeing this, Oscar let out a dry chuckle.
“That guy is unbelievable.”
“This one article alone has multiplied their subscription numbers by several hundred times. As thanks, the newspaper sent you a gift—Hiarin beef.”
“Wow.”
Oscar clicked his tongue before asking,
“But is it okay to publish something like this?”
“If it touches on anything related to demons, the imperial family will censor it.”
Of course, they couldn’t afford to spread fear among the citizens.
Fortunately, Paul Neus didn’t seem to know the full details of what had happened in Saint Hill.
He likely only knew that human experiments were being conducted there.
“Oscar, you may not realize it, but this incident has caused an uproar in the imperial family.”
“Why?”
“This is the first time a group directly connected to the Black Fingers has been exposed.”
Up until now, they had only been seen as underground terrorists operating in secret.
But now that it had been revealed that they were orchestrating large-scale schemes, it was no surprise that chaos had erupted.
“I hear the imperial family is planning a thorough audit of major corporations. Of course, it’ll be done in secret.”
“Well, there could be more companies like NewTech.”
From the moment he had first set foot in the Grand Bishop’s temple, something had felt off about them.
Especially that peppermint scent—was his name Neil Brion?
That man, whom he suspected of attempting to kill him, had stood out even more.
“You should be careful for a while, Oscar.”
With that, the deputy tower master handed him a wanted poster.
“…Neil Brion?”
“The Special Investigations Unit raided NewTech’s headquarters, but he had already escaped.”
“What? How is that possible?”
The Special Investigations Unit wouldn’t have warned them beforehand.
A raid was, by definition, a sudden attack.
‘For him to have disappeared in that situation…’
Could there have been a leak from the imperial family?
As Oscar narrowed his eyes, the deputy tower master chuckled.
“Haha, are you suspecting the imperial family?”
“…Given the circumstances, I can’t rule it out.”
“Hm. I understand why you’d think that. The timing is certainly suspicious.”
“But judging by your reaction… my suspicions are unfounded?”
“Correct.”
The deputy tower master nodded and explained,
“The empire refers to those who investigate demons as ‘Dark Trackers.’ The Special Investigations Unit is the most well-known organization composed of them.”
“Dark Trackers…”
This, too, was something he had never heard of in his past life.
Of course, considering the timeline, that made sense.
Back then, the empire had been in the middle of an all-out war against demons.
"Naturally, if any spies from the Dark Pursuers were to infiltrate us, it would be a serious problem. Thus, the Imperial Royal Family has established an infallible verification method to ensure that no one who has colluded with the demons can slip through."
"A verification method like that… Ah, could it be?"
Oscar's eyes widened as something came to mind.
"The Purification Ritual?"
"Hah, you figured it out right away? Impressive."
The Deputy Tower Master wore an expression of surprise before nodding.
"That's right. To join the Dark Pursuers, one must visit the El Terra Temple and pass the Purification Ritual. If there is even the slightest connection to the demons, this ritual will immediately expose them."
Now that he thought about it, this was the most foolproof method possible.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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After all, it was a process where the Goddess El Terra herself made the judgment.
However, Oscar’s doubts did not end there.
"What if someone who has already joined betrays us? How do you catch them?"
"That, too, is not something you need to worry about. Every Dark Pursuer must undergo the Purification Ritual once a year."
"Ah, so it's a renewal system. But… is it really okay to share such important information with an outsider like me?"
No matter how much merit he had accumulated, he was still an outsider.
In fact, today was the first time he had even heard of the Dark Pursuers.
At this, the Deputy Tower Master smiled and handed him a letter.
"The Imperial Family has officially granted permission."
"This is…?"
"A royal decree ordering you to visit the temple soon and undergo the Purification Ritual."
Shaking his head slightly, he continued.
"For the record, you’re the first person to be invited as a Level 4 Pursuer."
"Is it because of all the accomplishments I’ve achieved?"
"Most likely. You've had an uncanny number of encounters with the demons."
Since he had been producing consistent results in this area, it seemed the Imperial Family could no longer just sit back and watch.
Accepting the letter, Oscar gave a small nod.
"When do I need to go?"
"Within the next two months should be fine."
Two months.
That was plenty of time for him to oversee the kids' magic training before leaving.
As he tucked the letter away, the Deputy Tower Master spoke again.
"If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to ask."
"Understood."
"Will you be staying at the Magic Tower for the time being?"
"Looks like I’ll have to."
As Oscar thought back to the ride back, he opened his mouth.
The kids weren't the only ones who had felt a sense of inadequacy through this recent ordeal.
‘The level of the enemies we're facing is rising rapidly.’
He couldn’t afford to let himself grow complacent in this brief period of peace.
And for that, the first thing he needed to do was hone his own abilities.
If anything were to happen, overwhelming strength was the only thing that could resolve it.
* * *
When he returned to the Special Operations Office, the only one there was Veronica.
"Where are the others?"
"……."
Instead of answering, she simply flicked her eyes toward a letter placed on Killian's desk.
When he picked it up, he found an elegant script more refined than he had expected.
— I'll be visiting home for a bit.
That was all it said.
It was undeniably Killian's handwriting.
‘If he says home…’
The only place that could mean was the forest where his tribe lived.
And Oscar had a good idea of why he had gone there.
‘So, he's planning to refine his magic.’
Tattoo sorcerers were fundamentally different from ordinary mages in how they grew stronger.
They couldn't just practice to acquire new magic.
‘He’s probably going to remove old, unnecessary tattoos and engrave new spells.’
And while he was at it, he’d also likely enhance the magic he already used.
For tattoo sorcerers, physical training wasn’t a choice—it was a necessity.
The larger the canvas of their body, the deeper and more numerous the spells they could engrave.
"He’ll be gone for about a month, then. What about Fran?"
"…Training room."
It was obvious what Fran would be working on.
Now that he had awakened to the true power of the Wind God, he would train tirelessly until he mastered it.
‘Just as I expected, everyone is diving into training.’
This time, he had good reason to look forward to their progress.
Especially Killian—he might even be able to aim for Level 5.
‘I can’t afford to fall behind either.’
After quickly skimming through the most important documents, Oscar left the office.
Stepping onto the magic elevator, he noticed that Veronica had followed him in.
Standing before the numerous buttons, he asked,
"Which floor do you need?"
"Where are you going?"
"Fortieth floor. Gonna do some training in the training room."
"Then I’m coming too."
"……?"
As the doors closed, an unusual awkward silence filled the space.
Had the elevator always been this slow?
‘What’s going on?’
He had been alone with Veronica many times before, but it had never felt this awkward.
Trying to figure out what had changed, he glanced at her—only to meet her gaze head-on.
"Hey, Oscar."
"Uh, yeah?"
Letting out a small sigh, Veronica stared at the innocent elevator wall for a long moment before finally speaking, her voice barely above a whisper.
"…Teach me magic."
No way.
Of all people, the prideful Veronica was the one asking for help first?
Oscar barely had time to process his shock before a grin spread across his face.
‘Good.’
Unlike Fran, he had never been able to teach Veronica anything until now.
She had always been too proud to accept learning magic from someone her own age.
‘But if she’s the one making the request this time, that changes everything.’
He had been wondering how to convince her anyway.
This was perfect timing.
‘It’s time to teach her.’
A unique magic that only those who mastered high-speed chanting could wield.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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