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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 192: The Whereabouts of the Blue Magic Tower Head
By the time I left the Golden Myriad Trading Guild, night had already fallen.
I decided to leave the two of them behind and depart when I felt that further conversation wouldn't yield any more useful information.
I walked through the night streets for a while, replaying the conversation in my mind.
'The Blood King Serpent knows nothing.'
〈Thousand-Faced Foxes〉.
The fox with a thousand faces.
I remembered the words spoken by the fox mask that had flicked its tongue at the Round Table.
It had clearly stated that it had already recruited the Bellusia Vice Clan Head and was in the process of recruiting the Blood King Serpent.
If that was the case, it was safe to assume that it already held a significant position within the Bellusia Family.
—Crazy Mage Commander, are you daring to mock a Vassal Clan? What fox?
Alshura's reaction was completely baffling.
Even if Bellusia was isolated in the southern jungle and held the position of the weakest among the Vassal Clans, their position wasn't something easily obtained.
Yet, he reacted like that.
However, I didn't sense anything particularly strange about Alshura.
He was the typical Bellusia Clan Head I knew from the past.
Though disgusting, it didn't mean he was easy to deal with.
After all, someone at the level of a Vassal Clan Head couldn't possibly be an idiot.
Yet, he remained completely oblivious?
Moreover, Alshura seemed to have never even heard of the word "demon tribe."
'Has his clan been completely overtaken to that extent?'
Currently, Alshura's only suspicion was that the Bellusia Vice Clan Head had seized control of the family's finances and was aiming for the Clan Head position.
The reason he had secretly arranged a meeting with the Golden Myriad Trading Guild Master was to secure financial support.
He had no clue that the Myriad Demon Assembly was behind the Vice Clan Head.
It seemed that the Seven Demons were moving even more meticulously than they appeared.
'He'll probably look into it now.'
Now that I, an outsider, had mentioned the Vice Clan Head's betrayal, Alshura couldn't help but be wary of the forces behind it.
I had planted the seeds of awareness about the Myriad Demon Assembly and 〈Thousand-Faced Foxes〉 in Alshura's mind, so he would definitely investigate.
"Oh, Ruin?"
"Huh?"
Lost in thought, I had unconsciously arrived in front of Hote's shop.
"Would you like a drink?"
Perhaps because it was late, there were no customers inside.
"Aren't you about to close?"
"That's true, but I have some cleaning to catch up on and things to organize, so it's fine. Come on in."
As I reluctantly took a seat, Hote asked,
"Should I bring you some fried snacks too?"
"Just give me the moonshine today."
"Alright."
Hote quickly brought out a chilled bottle of moonshine and then went to the kitchen to clean up.
As I sat alone at the table, drinking the moonshine, the sound of Hote washing dishes soothed my mind like white noise.
'...The Golden Myriad Trading Guild Master.'
Actually, the truly unexpected person was the Golden Myriad Trading Guild Master.
He was an ordinary person with no trace of mana cultivation.
However, his aura was in no way inferior to Alshura's.
The only moment he lost his composure was when I mentioned the seal.
Even then, he quickly regained control of his expression and maintained his composure.
As expected of a merchant who controls the entire continent.
I took a sip of moonshine and thought of my old subordinate.
If Garibong had lived and risen to a high position, wouldn't he have become a man like the Golden Myriad Trading Guild Master?
—I can't help but believe the Crazy Mage Commander's words.
The Golden Myriad Trading Guild Master was like a bold tiger and a cunning fox at the same time.
As a merchant who had to be well-informed to survive, he was already aware of the demon tribe's activities.
Furthermore, by the time I mentioned the seal, he had already guessed the culprit.
Five years ago, the Golden Myriad Trading Guild had recruited a promising talent from a place called the "Ullao Merchant Group."
This individual had increasingly distinguished himself, and recently, the Guild Master had been personally taking him along on every business trip.
—Do you happen to know the whereabouts of the seal?
I didn't answer that question.
Although I had the seal obtained from killing No. 2 in my possession, there was no reason to reveal it.
That was the limit.
The two middle-aged men seemed curious about me, but it was better to leave their questions unanswered.
Especially Alshura, who exuded a dreadful deathly aura throughout our conversation, but so what?
I had no intention of satisfying his curiosity.
Of course, my personality was quite the mess, but this time, my decision wasn't made out of spite.
This was like a tightrope walker performing tricks in a strong wind, a crazy old man walking along the edge of a cliff with his eyes closed, or a mountain traveler deliberately raising his arms to threaten a bear encountered in the face.
In other words, I had to maintain a proper balance.
One wrong move, and I could be the one who gets hurt.
I needed to instill vigilance without revealing my hand.
Even if the Golden Myriad Trading Guild Master and the Blood King Serpent were to be defeated by the 〈Myriad Demon Assembly〉, I had to make sure my identity remained difficult to guess.
If I handed over the seal to the Golden Myriad Trading Guild Master, and he later fell victim to the Seven Demons, my identity as 〈Attendant〉 would be exposed.
"I'll have one more bottle of moonshine, Hote."
I had already finished the first bottle.
Suddenly, the savory smell of oil started wafting from the kitchen.
"I said I'm fine without snacks."
"You'll ruin your health drinking on an empty stomach, Ruin."
While I was drinking the new bottle of moonshine brought from the kitchen, Hote brought out half a plate of fried chicken.
As I took a bite of the chicken, an incredible savory taste lingered on my tongue.
The aroma of the fragrant oil and the sweet and savory meat gently permeated my nostrils.
"Damn, this is the taste."
I continued to drink moonshine with the fried chicken as a side dish until dawn.
***
Peaceful days followed.
Contrary to my worries, no sudden incidents occurred.
For a while, the Magic Tower's restriction on entering the Demon Realm remained in place, causing a surge of people in Keplan's city center.
However, a few days ago, the restriction on the lower-level Demon Realm was lifted, and about half of them returned to the outer city.
I discussed this matter with Aguro and the Alliance Head.
The reason for lifting the restriction was that the rapidly accumulating low-level Demon Realms were putting a strain on the eastern barrier.
They said that mages would be included in the investigation team to manage the Demon Realms, so at least minimal safety measures were in place.
I didn't particularly object.
Preventing access to the lower-level Demon Realms wouldn't stop what was going to happen.
It was impossible to prevent every possibility in the first place.
It was better to allocate available personnel to manage the restricted Demon Realms.
The Alliance Head had formally informed the Divine Clans about the severity of the situation and requested their dispatch.
Once enough personnel were gathered, they planned to conquer the restricted Demon Realms in one fell swoop.
I received a reply from Fichte saying that he would keep an eye on the remaining Vassal Clans while tracking the Myriad Demon Assembly.
I also heard from Black Star that he would be coming to Keplan in person soon.
Of course, I also received news from Khaoto.
It was a large piece of paper with messy handwriting from several people.
[Don't worry.]
[Do you have any more Demon Realm cores?]
[I'm in charge of the trainees' training now. Don't worry.]
[Brother, when are you coming?]
[I am honing my life-saving swordsmanship. I'll show you when you get here.]
"...One-Eyed bastard."
One-Eyed was undoubtedly trying to assassinate me.
Barely suppressing the surging frustration, I observed the situation on the continent like a man playing a grand game of strategy.
I personally roamed Keplan like a sheriff, eavesdropping on rumors about the men who flocked from all over the continent.
"Crazy Mage Commander!"
"Oh, Ruin, come sit here. I was just talking about the LA mercenary group. These guys don't trust me at all!"
One fascinating thing was that I was getting used to the uncomfortable fame, to some extent.
The greetings from Urek, Evan, Chano, and others I had met in the Demon Realm no longer felt awkward.
Although I wasn't quite at the point of waving back, I could at least nod and acknowledge them.
Meanwhile, the Crazy Mage members who had completed the missions I assigned gathered at the residence prepared in southern Keplan and continued their training...
I also occasionally checked on those fools and continued my training to perfectly master the 6th Circle.
At least on the surface, these were peaceful days.
However, an unsettling feeling lingered in my heart.
"He still hasn't returned?"
"...Have you received any personal contact from the Tower Head?"
Now, even the adjutant's face clearly showed signs of bewilderment.
It was the first time the Tower Head had been away for so long without any contact.
Even if his absence was unexpectedly prolonged, he would periodically contact the main tower.
I briefly considered Karios's temperament. His cold eyes that sharply observed the situation.
No matter how I looked at it, he wasn't an impulsive man.
"You said it didn't seem like he was going far?"
"That's correct. He usually doesn't leave on foot when going on long trips."
"Hmm."
After visiting the Blue Magic Tower, I headed to Keplan's city center.
Visiting the Blue Magic Tower once every three days and then heading to Keplan's city center had become almost a routine part of my daily life.
I would wander around the city center until dawn, and then head to the 〈Attendant〉's residence at daybreak.
If it weren't for this routine, I would have revisited the 5th-floor library of the White Magic Tower.
I temporarily postponed it because once I entered the library, I didn't know how long I would stay there.
"...Hmm."
Keplan city center, the northwestern tavern district.
Passing through the bustling streets and reaching the end of the alley, a tranquil nightscape unfolded as if nothing had happened.
While only the moonlight quietly illuminated the alley, I naturally entered the 〈Attendant〉's residence.
There was still no sign of anyone visiting today.
Out of habit, I looked around the interior, opened the refrigerator door, and headed towards the basement stairs.
I deactivated the illusion on the left wall and briefly scanned the inside of the lounge.
Likewise, nothing had changed... Wait a minute.
Suddenly, the transparent crystal ball hanging on the front wall began to fill with color, like paint slowly dripping onto it.
"...Red?"
When I received Karios's contact last time, the crystal ball had turned blue, hadn't it?
There was no time to dwell on it.
As I was about to leave the space immediately, I felt another sense of incongruity and stared intently at the bedding in the lounge.
There were clearly 5 blank sheets of paper placed on the bedside of the bedding.
"Aren't there 5?"
As I picked up the bundle of papers, which seemed thicker than usual, a distinctly foreign sensation washed over me.
I took out my dagger, channeled mana, and held them against the outer sheet of paper. Words appeared:
[Meeting Point: Black Mountain.
Time: Immediately]
"...!"
Without hesitation, I kicked off the ground and sprinted south with maximum speed.
Using the 6th Circle spatial magic, Spatial Acceleration, and the Crazy Mage's footwork, I arrived at the Blue Magic Tower in an instant.
"..."
There was no sign of the Blue Magic Tower Head's return.
Knowing his personality, if he had returned and made contact, he should have been here to greet me.
Just in case, I used levitation magic to rise and peek into Karios' office, but there was still no sign of anyone.
I kicked off the ground again.
"Ruin!"
The adjutant's voice called out to me from afar, but there was no time to explain my instincts.
The timing of Karios' contact and the arrival of the Myriad Demon Assembly's letter were the same?
At this very moment, when there had been no contact at all?
Reaching the nearby residence in an instant, I shouted to Zion, who was at the door,
"Zion! Follow me!"
Sensing the urgency, Zion immediately asked,
"Where are we going, Commander?"
"There's a region called Lile, north of Keplan. Bring the others and follow me!"
While Zion gathered the other members, I crossed the residence again and headed north.
Swoosh—!
The scattering wind buffeted my head from side to side.
'Black Mountain.'
I had definitely heard of it before.
If my guess was correct, the sender of that letter was definitely...
The 〈Clown> of the Myriad Demon Assembly.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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