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Chapter 199: Proposal (1)
While Oscar and Fran waited in their room, the knights of the Sword Houses and the mages of the Magic Tower quietly left the Imperial Palace.
Watching them through the window, Oscar muttered,
"…So, we really can't trust anyone, huh."
"Seems that way,"
Fran replied, nodding.
An emergency meeting had been called in the Imperial Palace following Neil Brion's explosive revelation.
However, both the Magic Tower and the Sword Houses—key military powers of the Empire—had been excluded from the meeting.
"It seems His Majesty is considering the possibility of even the Tower Masters or Sword Masters betraying us."
"Well, there is a precedent in Silgrim Fonerth, after all."
Fran, nodding thoughtfully, cautiously asked,
"But… do you think it's really possible for demons to turn all of humanity into demonkin, like he said?"
"Hmm."
Oscar's eyes darkened with contemplation.
‘Even in the war 20 years ago, quite a few humans defected. Every single one of them received a seed from a high-ranking demon, a named one at least of baron status or above.’
In other words, unless a demon was of significant rank, they couldn’t distribute these seeds. Naturally, such demons didn’t exist in the tens of millions—so it would be impossible.
But that was based on the standards from twenty years ago.
‘Now, they're actively conducting experiments to turn humans into demonkin.’
He had personally witnessed such attempts on the Western Front and in Saint Hill.
Currently, no one could estimate how many people they could infect.
"We can only pray they don’t succeed."
"But even if they do, wouldn’t people just end up like those we saw in Saint Hill?"
"Probably."
Humans of a certain caliber might receive seeds directly and retain their memories and reasoning.
But those who didn’t meet the standard would all end up like the madmen of Saint Hill.
The Imperial Palace had designated them as "infected."
Recalling their twisted faces, Fran shuddered.
"That’s basically death, isn’t it?"
"Right. That so-called 'absolute peace' Neil Brion spoke of—it’s only peace from the demons’ perspective."
Because a state of mind that only seeks blood and flesh can’t be considered human. Naturally, no one would want to end up like that.
"…I guess I’m still not good enough."
Oscar glanced at Fran, who was quietly muttering to himself.
Being on the verge of reaching Level 5 at just 21 years old was proof of his extraordinary talent.
‘But age doesn’t matter on the battlefield.’
No one spares the enemy just because they're young.
Patting Fran on the shoulder, Oscar said,
"Don’t rush it. But yeah, you should push yourself a little harder."
"…What does that even mean?"
Fran grumbled.
As Fran continued to grumble, a visitor came to their room.
It was a messenger sent by Walker.
* * *
When they arrived at Walker’s office, they found a man who looked like the embodiment of exhaustion.
He gave a small nod as the two entered.
"You’re here. Take a seat."
"Yes, sir. Did the meeting go well?"
"…Whether it went well or not, it’s over."
A faint sigh escaped Walker’s lips.
"Official notices are being sent to each Magic Tower and Sword House. Basically, they’re being told to keep their houses in order."
"Well, I suppose there isn’t much else to be done."
No traitor in their right mind would leave clear evidence of collusion with the enemy.
"The Imperial Palace will handle this matter. You two don’t need to worry about it anymore."
"Understood. Then… did you summon us because of the drug?"
"Half right. The other half is this."
Walker nodded, lit a cigarette, and laid several photos on the table.
The photos looked like they were taken inside a factory, and the products being made seemed oddly familiar.
"Huh? Oscar, isn’t that…?"
"Yeah. Those are NOCTE pillows and blankets."
As they looked to Walker for an explanation, he lit his cigarette and began to speak.
"Thanks to you, we quickly recognized the danger of those bedding products, tracked down the buyers, and managed to recall all the items. Fortunately, they had only been distributed within the capital, so the quantity wasn’t large. We traced the remaining magic in the items and thoroughly cleaned up the factory."
"That’s a relief."
As expected of the Public Safety Bureau—their work was quick and clean.
While the two were admiring the efficiency, Walker continued,
"Vesalius Silva has also regained consciousness. Visit him when you have time."
"Understood."
"Now for the main issue…"
He handed them a few documents.
"Is it possible to develop a treatment for Satori-X addiction?"
"We’d need to examine an addict directly before we can say."
"Got it."
Pressing a dial on his desk, Chief Walker spoke,
"Bring him in."
A short while later, Inspector Belz entered with a man in handcuffs.
The man was emaciated to the point where his bones showed through his skin.
After giving a brief salute, Inspector Belz explained,
"This knight used the drug a total of seven times. He broke through the wall to Level 5, which he so desperately sought, but now suffers from side effects that are destroying his mana circuits."
"…Let me take a look."
Approaching the man, Oscar cast the spell Scan.
As he observed the man’s insides, his brow furrowed.
‘What is this…’
Just as Belz had said, the man’s mana circuits were disintegrating, losing their form.
Once the process completed, his body would be no different from that of an ordinary person. The sense of loss he’d feel in that moment couldn’t be described in words.
He’d taken drugs to become stronger, only to lose everything he had built.
It was no wonder that overdose victims so often took their own lives.
‘Can the disintegrating circuits be reconnected?’
Oscar placed a hand on the man’s shoulder and gently channeled his mana.
Unfortunately, the broken circuits couldn’t conduct mana properly anymore.
After withdrawing his hand, Oscar shook his head.
"The circuits are too far gone. Even if we make a treatment, the best we could do is slightly alleviate the symptoms. Unless we had something like the legendary elixir…"
"…As expected."
Chief Walker nodded, as if he had already expected this to some extent.
At his signal, Inspector Belz took the addict and left the room again.
"Then prevention is still the best option."
"That's going to be difficult."
The ones who take that drug are people who want to grow stronger, even after hitting a wall. No matter how many times you scream it's dangerous, it won't make much of a difference. The desire of those who seek power is unimaginably vast.
"It can't be helped. We'll just have to retrieve as much of the drug that's out there as we can and go after the organization behind it."
Perhaps he never had high hopes to begin with—Walker accepted the situation without resistance.
"Oh, and make sure you collect your reward before leaving the capital."
He placed two passes on the table.
"Take these to the Public Safety Bureau's evidence storage facility."
"The evidence storage facility?"
As far as he knew, that was where the Bureau stored items confiscated from criminals.
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"Yeah. A lot of criminals handle equipment that’s far beyond their station. You can take whatever item you want from there."
"Are there any restrictions?"
"Restrictions? None. Anything you want…"
Walker glanced at Oscar and muttered,
"...Though I suppose taking everything wouldn't be fair. Each of you can take one item."
"......"
Oscar clicked his tongue.
If there had been no restriction, he could've used his pocket dimension and taken everything.
And it's not like the Bureau arrests petty criminals—
Which means the items stored there aren’t going to be junk.
"Understood."
"Thanks, we’ll make good use of it."
"There should be plenty to choose from, so take your time and pick something useful."
With that, Walker pulled out another file with a tired face, signaling that the meeting was over.
* * *
Without delay, the two headed for the evidence storage facility.
Perhaps word had already been sent— the knight at the entrance opened the door without issue.
"…Whoa, what is all this?"
Fran exclaimed in awe as they stepped inside.
"Why so surprised?"
"Well, I thought an evidence room would be modest in size."
"This is the Public Safety Bureau. You can't expect some village guardhouse scale."
The storage room looked more like a massive library.
Every wall and space was filled with countless items stored in shelves.
Fran’s shoulders drooped at the overwhelming sight.
"How are we supposed to find anything in here…?"
"We’re mages. This is exactly what magic is for."
"Even if we use scan magic, it’s not like it gives detailed sorting info."
True enough—scan magic wouldn’t be enough.
Oscar held out his palm and summoned 『Wind Archive』.
"Filter for the highest-tier combat support items in this location. Include anything related to spirits as well."
The wind swirled from his palm in response to the command.
Fran nodded in recognition.
"Oh, that’s the magic I saw at the Hamilton estate. It has search functionality too?"
"Of course."
"Could I—"
"No."
"Hey! I didn’t even say anything yet!"
"Fran, Fran… I really do want to teach you. But this spell only works for me."
Wind Archive wasn’t the spell that made him a one-of-a-kind mage for no reason.
It was a copy of the dragons’ ancient tongue-based magic.
A culmination of his knowledge and talent.
No ordinary ability could grasp even the basic principles.
‘Hmm… If those troublemakers in the Special Unit reach level 6… maybe I’ll consider teaching them.’
They had potential, after all.
Well, not Killian—he was a tattooist, so that'd be tough.
While he pondered, Wind Archive returned with search results.
"Let’s move."
Oscar began checking out the closest item from the list the wind had pointed out.
"A cloak with flight magic? Pass. A necklace that restores mana instantly? Pass. An auto-shield that activates in emergencies… nope."
All good artifacts, but none suited his current needs.
Fran followed him with growing interest.
"Oscar, if you're not taking those, can I grab one?"
"Nope."
"Why not! You said you’re not using them!"
"Because those aren’t what you need most right now."
What he needed was spirit-related artifacts.
Having a low-grade spirit implanted in his body meant that helping it grow was his fastest path to strength.
Oscar headed to the spirit artifact section Wind Archive had found.
"Oh, spirit stones."
In the cabinet, spirit stones were sorted by grade.
Fran looked at them, puzzled.
"Spirit stones? What do those do?"
"If you turn them into a potion and drink it, they help your implanted spirit grow."
"Really? Then which one here is the highest grade?"
"Why are you asking that?"
"Well… we can only pick one item each, right?"
"What? Says who?"
Oscar’s genuine confusion made Fran rub her ears.
"Wait, did I mishear something? Didn’t Chief Walker say that?"
"Walker said we could take one item each."
Oscar picked up a spirit stone with a grin.
"But if we consume it here, it doesn’t count."
"…Wait, are you sure that’s okay?"
"If it’s not, someone will come in and stop us. Here."
Fran stared at the stone he handed him.
It radiated a subtle, refreshing aura.
"Um? What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Eat it."
"…Didn’t you just say I had to turn it into a potion?"
"That's if you take it out. You’re eating it here."
Fran’s jaw dropped.
"So you’re telling me to chew up a rock?"
"You might be tough enough to chew steel, but that’s still a bit much."
Crack!
Oscar summoned magic, turning the spirit stone into fine powder floating in the air.
"Just eat the powder. Drink water if it sticks in your throat."
"……"
While the tearful Fran choked down spirit stone dust, Oscar continued searching for something suitable for himself.
‘Hmm… I need something useful in emergencies…’
After a long search, he finally found something that satisfied him.
A deep smile spread across Oscar’s face.
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[Translator - Night]
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