Chapter 21

21. Smoke
"I've made up my mind!"
Gwen suddenly shouted, making Galahad wince.
"Private! Tom!"
"It's nothing, go back to sleep."
"Yes, sir!"
Tom fell back asleep. Gwen grabbed Tom and apologized, shaking him to say she was sorry for waking him up.
'…Evil?'
Galahad chuckled.
"What in the world have you decided?"
"I'm going to become a really strong magician."
It was good news that Gwen was learning magic. That was also why he had put Gwen in the Special Forces.
However-.
"A really strong magician is quite an abstract goal. Your goal should be more certain."
"…Huh? Really?"
"First, let's set a precise goal,"
Gwen, who had been blinking her eyes, suddenly pointed her finger.
Galahad winced at the called finger pointing at him.
"Do you want to be like me?"
"Yes! I want to be a powerful magician like Sir Galahad!"
Gwen's answer was loud. Tom jumped up and then sat down again.
"That's impossible."
"Why not!"
"It's a difference of mentality. I prefer a fast and efficient approach. A clean approach like bursting heads or piercing hearts."
"A cle-clean approach?"
Gwen's eyes widened.
"Your mentality is too kind for that."
"Tha-thank you?"
"It's not a compliment. It means you can't be an efficient magician like me. Can you pierce a head?"
"No way!"
"I thought so. Someone as kind-hearted as you should just obliterate your opponent with overwhelming magic so that there's nothing left of them."
"…Whaaat?! Obliterate?!"
Tom seemed to have given up on sleeping and pulled out the leather he had put aside. Then he began to sew the leather with thick thread. It seemed like he was making a coat.
"Keep in mind that in order to protect someone, you have to kill someone."
Galahad said in a humorless voice.
Tom nodded. The shape of the coat was taking form.
Then, Damian woke up. Tom handed him the meat he had set aside. Damian started eating again.
"...I know."
Gwen hung her head. Galahad didn't urge her.
He quietly opened the window next to him. It was a hole for smoking cigarettes that Tom had suggested they make. The moist, cold air of dawn blew in.
The scenery beyond it was the same as ever. Long, dry trees and white snow in between them-. It was so boring he could die, Galahad muttered.
"·······Then! I'll become a magician who bedevils only the wicked!"
"Bedevils, huh? You may look innocent, but you have a cruel side to you."
"What?! No, I don't."
"So, you want to learn magic?"
"Yes!"
Gwen nodded with a face as innocent as the squire's.
"You have a great talent as a magician. With that enormous mana pool and your excellent mana sensitivity, you could be called a genius."
"Hehe."
Gwen scratched the back of her head and laughed shyly. She seemed to be weak to compliments.
"Now, let's start with something simple. This is just Fireball. It's a very simple spell that belongs to the 1st hierarchy. Follow me."
Gwen's eyes glazed over slightly. Then, a fire appeared on Gwen's fingers.
'Amazing.'
Galahad was genuinely impressed. It wasn't easy to follow along just by watching.
'She really is a genius.'
Aside from the guy in the Tower of Twilight, she was the first genius that Galahad had ever acknowledged.
"Now, the next step is to focus on the fire. Try to compress your mana while thinking of it as if you were squeezing it."
"Compressing it?"
"Think of it as squeezing it tightly."
Gwen's eyes widened. She concentrated so hard that her fingers were trembling, but surprisingly, there was no reaction at all.
"I don't really get it?"
"Try to think of it as squeezing it tightly. There's an invisible muscle, and if you think of it as pulling that, it should work."
"I don't know, I don't have any invisible muscles!"
"···If that doesn't work, try bending your finger for now."
Galahad absolutely hated compressing with his body, but he had no choice since she couldn't get the feel of it at all.
The problem was that it still didn't work.
When casting magic, one couldn't help but feel the mana. If one could feel the mana, most of them would quickly understand the principle of compressing it.
She can't even do that basic thing.
'Ah.'
Galahad let out a small sigh as he looked at her innocent eyes.
"There's one problem."
"A problem?"
"You're an idiot."
"······What?"
"You're an idiot."
"I know!"
Gwen nodded. She was quick to admit it.
"So, is that a problem?"
Galahad shook his head at Gwen's question of whether being an idiot was a problem. It wasn't really a problem.
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"I see. You don't really need to pursue the truth of magic. Just watch and follow my magic."
"Oh! Yes! Thank goodness!"
Galahad lit the fire again. A flame appeared on Gwen's finger.
"You do it yourself this time."
Gwen looked down at her finger. She knitted her brows as if concentrating, but unfortunately, there was no reaction.
"Didn't you do it well on your own when it was demonic?"
"I did it in a hurry at that time-. I don't know how to do it now."
I guessed the reason. It seemed that the problem was the subconscious rejection of magic.
The way to overcome this was simple.
It was repetitive learning.
There was no problem that couldn't be solved with that.
"Now, concentrate."
A fire burned on Galahad's finger. A fire appeared on Gwen's finger as well. It was small. It got smaller.
"Good job. Then again-."
The fire turned on. It got smaller and then bigger. It went out.
"You did a good job this time too. Now, again-."
"Again-."
"Again."
Gwen followed along well without complaining, even though we repeated it quite a lot.
How many times did we repeat it?
By the time Tom finished the coat, and Damian patted his stomach and closed his eyes again-.
"Burn! Fire! Yes··· Yes!! I did it!!"
A fire burned on Gwen's finger.
'It takes forty repetitions to equip it.'
Compared to the time it took to learn magic, memorize the principles of magic and spell formulas, analyze the concentration, and use magic-.
'It's overwhelmingly fast.'
It was an incomparable speed.
"Good."
Gwen smiled subtly.
It was like the face she made when she realized she had a natural talent for gambling, after being born to a gambler's child and suffering her whole life from her parents' gambling.
"It's okay, you can even follow your parents."
"······Yes?"
"Now, the next one is the 4th-tier magic Explosion Crater."
"It was 1st-tier just now! Isn't it going up too fast?!"
"It's okay, you don't understand the principle anyway. It's more beneficial to learn higher-tier magic."
Gwen nodded after thinking for a while.
Gilbert looked at Damian, who had come on the horse carriage.
The two of them went for a long time without speaking.
****
"The battalions on the northern front each have their own bases."
Gilbert said, pointing ahead. There, soldiers were gathered in groups of three or five, making a fire. It looked like a checkpoint.
"They look like nobles."
"Yes, similar. Authority is stronger than nobility. After all, it's the military."
"It wasn't for nothing that they called it a Grand Duchy."
White snow had piled up on his shoulders. I didn't know it would snow this much in the North. Galatia muttered and shook his shoulders.
"Halt!"
A soldier shouted, looking at this side. They quickly pulled out their spears.
"The 5th Battalion Commander is a bit of a loner among the Commanders."
"Is he being ostracized?"
"Yes, his conduct was different to begin with, but he's being ostracized because of the recent rumors that he's raising a wizard."
At that moment, the soldiers approached right up to them.
The spears held by the soldiers had quite large tips. They looked like whaling harpoons.
"State your affiliation."
The soldier held out the spear to Galatia like a microphone.
"I'm Galatia, Commander of the Special Forces."
The soldier frowned with thick eyebrows.
"Special Forces? Have I heard of it?"
"No, it's the first I've heard of it."
The soldiers' conversation went in an unexpected direction.
"Show me your identity badge."
At the soldier's question, Galatia looked at Gilbert. I've never received anything like an identity badge?
"Identity badges take time to make because they use the bones of monsters."
It wasn't something he couldn't understand. The capital was a world where even paperwork was slow. How much more so in the North.
"Show me your identity badge for now. Don't you still have the 1st Battalion identity badge?"
"No."
"Why not? Weren't you in the 1st Battalion until recently?"
"Because I'm not in the 1st Battalion."
"You're more honest than I thought. What were you planning to do if you were stopped?"
"The 1st Battalion doesn't get stopped."
"You're not in the 1st Battalion now, are you?"
"Identity badge!"
The soldier shouted. At that, Galatia clicked his tongue and rummaged through his inside pocket.
"Here, this is the appointment letter from His Highness the Grand Duke."
Galatia took out the appointment letter. It was a document that had worked at the Commanders' meeting.
The problem was-.
"I can't read!"
"Me neither!"
"It's suspicious that you're showing us a letter!"
The problem was that the soldiers were illiterate.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense. It was because they had shown them the letter. How the hell do you read an identity badge?
Gilbert gripped the hilt of his sword.
"We can just fight our way in. Didn't you make an appointment with the Commander anyway?"
As Gilburton was about to suggest the northern negotiation, the carriage door swung open.
"Oh, I thought I might need this, so I made a temporary identity plate."
Tom handed him a crude wooden plate. The soldiers who checked him let him pass. It seemed that they were only checking the plate's design.
"Tom, you're really capable."
"Haha, your words are enough thanks."
Tom awkwardly smiled and put away the wooden plate. At his humble appearance, Galahad stared at Gilburton.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"······No reason."
At Gilburton's curt question, Galahad quickly turned his gaze away.
The 5th Battalion base was larger than he had thought. A long fence made of thick wood was erected, and there were pointed wooden barricades everywhere on the road between them.
On the barricades, there was an unrecognizable rotten flesh that clung tightly. Snow had piled up on top of it, giving it quite a bit of charm.
The fence was thicker and taller than it looked from a distance. It felt like a castle. There were also catapults in between.
As he entered, a musty smell greeted him.
'A real army.'
Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth. The lemon scent pushed away the musty smell.
"The troops are better than I thought."
"Is that a good thing?"
"Yes, the soldiers' health is good, and their armament is also good. It seems that the 5th Battalion's finances are better than I thought."
After listening to that story, I looked around and saw that it was slightly different from the headquarters. The soldiers were clean. Of course, that was by northern standards.
In addition, there were quite a few people wearing the Empire's uniforms. Among them were those who looked like merchants and soldiers who were loading wagons.
'It feels like I'm on the border between the Empire and the North.'
In some ways, it was more active than the headquarters. The smell of magic was everywhere.
Then, a young woman greeted Galahad. It was the woman he had seen in the conference room.
"I am Lumian, aide to the 5th Battalion Commander, Mark."
The building the woman took Galahad to was a large building between the barracks. The security was tight.
Galahad habitually looked at the structure and personnel deployment. It was an occupational disease.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Lumian opened the door and stepped aside.
Mark, the commander of the 5th Battalion, was a man with a tired expression. When he saw Galahad, Mark got up from his seat and held out his hand.
"You came earlier than I thought. Did you find something?"
Mark, who greeted him briefly, asked a question right away.
"Why do you think so?"
"Adrienne is a stickler for rules. She would probably finish after going around all the watchtowers, but it's too short a time for that. Unless you found something and caught him to end the incident, there's no way you would have come this quickly. "
He was a man who thought faster than he looked. Maybe that's why he talked fast too.
"That's right. On the way here, I caught an intermediate-level demon, two wizards, and sixteen earth dogs. I was late because Adrienne was late."
Mark narrowed his eyes for a moment. It seemed like he was trying to figure out his true intentions.
"You have no reason to lie, so it must be true."
Mark believed it surprisingly quickly.
"There's a reason why His Highness the Grand Duke entrusted you with the troops. Hmm-"
Mark tapped his fingers on the table.
"Are you planning to set up your headquarters at my battalion base?"
Another change of topic.
"It would be an appropriate location, since it's in the center of the 1st Battalion where Adrianna is and the headquarters. Isn't that why you came here in person? Of course, it's a bit of a leap of logic, but-"
Galahad nodded obediently.
"That's right. It wouldn't be difficult to give you a place, but there are a few problems."
Knock, knock.
The door opened with the sound of knocking. It was a man in a robe. He had a goatee.
He wasn't armed. That meant he wasn't a soldier.
"Perfect timing. This is our unit's external advisor, Cortan."
Mark greeted him with a raised lip.
Cortan, the goatee, smiled like a merchant and held out his hand.
"It's a pleasure."
Galahad shook his hand and habitually poured mana into him.
'He has considerable mana-'
It was typical evidence of the Dark Mage Association. They weren't hesitant to do anything to increase their mana, so they had large amounts.
"If you have a guest, I can come back later."
"No, this is the Commander Galahad you were curious about."
Cortan sat down in the seat next to Mark.
'Things are getting interesting.'
Catching a Dark Mage wasn't that difficult. It was a solved problem if they figured out their residence, drilled a hole in their head, and reported it.
Galahad expected it to be resolved like that this time too.
But the incident took a different turn.
"Cortan is someone who has been very helpful in improving the poor environment of the 5th Battalion."
Mark introduced the bald man with a fairly warm voice.
'So that must be the problem Mark mentioned.'
The two of them seemed to be on good terms.
Perhaps it was because the mage had already settled down and it was difficult to accept another one.
"Are you perhaps the Galahad?"
Cortan said with his eyes wide open. An unpleasant blush appeared on his face.
'The Galahad-.'
It was a title he hadn't heard in a long time.
"I am."
"That Galahad?"
"Ah, the one who graduated as the youngest valedictorian from the Capital Academy and is famous among mages."
Cortan said in a voice that held back his true feelings. Mark's eyes grew a bit wider.
"You're from the Academy?"
"Yes, I actually saw you at the Academy."
"Really?"
His reaction was a bit subtle. He felt a bit unpleasant.
"Yes, you entered when I was a senior, and you graduated before me."
"Dude, you were in your senior year for four years?"
For Galahad, it took exactly three years from the time he entered the Academy until he graduated. That meant that this guy had been in his senior year for at least four years.
Galahad realized that his guess was correct when he saw the guy's crumpled face.
"Usually, it's around that long."
The guy's eyes turned ominous.
'Inferiority complex.'
It was a familiar look to Galahad.
It was a look that had followed him ever since he entered the Academy as the youngest student.
Guys with that look in their eyes always had something to prove.
"I was only in my senior year for half a year, so I don't know about that. Sorry."
The guy's eyes narrowed. Galahad raised the corners of his mouth.
"Oh, did it take you longer than four years?"
As if that was his weak spot, the guy's face turned red.
"I didn't know that Sir Galahad was such a famous person. I guess there's a reason why the Empire sent you, Galahad."
Mark interjected with a strange look in his eyes. Mark's eyes seemed to be calculating something.
Who would benefit him more? He was a clever guy.
When Mark complimented him, the guy reacted immediately.
"When did you graduate? What's important is what you did after you graduated. I haven't heard anything about Galahad since he graduated. What have you been up to?"
The fact that he hadn't heard anything was proof of how excellent an agent Galahad was.
Compliments right in front of his face? Galahad scratched his cheek and answered.
"I've been busy with this and that."
"Oh, you've been busy."
Mark interjected again. Then Colton snickered.
"Oh, I heard about that. You managed to survive."
It was a natural reaction after hearing the rumor that the third son of a Count was marrying the eldest daughter of a Grand Duke.
They would think that he was being sent to his death for the sake of honor.
Originally, the Grand Duke had planned to put Galahad in the dungeon, so it wasn't a wrong assumption.
"Colton, why?"
"I'm just glad to see my Academy colleague here."
The guy snickered at Mark's mediation. Mark seemed to be playing the role of a mediator who was trying to calm things down.
"I'm glad to see my colleague in this remote North."
The guy gritted his teeth at Galahad's meaningful answer.
"Unlike you, I came here for business. The North is a land of opportunity for me."
"Oh, business in the magic-barren North? How impressive."
The guy's eyebrows furrowed even more at Galahad's voice.
"Ha! There are three newly discovered magic stone mines. You know how valuable they are."
He had only pressed him lightly, but the guy, who couldn't overcome his inferiority complex, started blabbering.
He was a guy who had even entered the Dark Magic Society. He was a twisted guy even among magicians, so his violent reaction wasn't strange.
"It's a business with Captain Mark. I'd like you to join us, but… you're such a capable person, aren't you? You wouldn't be able to work under an inferior student like me. What a pity!"
He smirked.
'Inferior.'
He seemed to have said it before. He was quite sensitive in his academy days.
"The youngest to graduate from the academy, the pride of the academy, our great Galahad would never work under me, an inferior. Isn't that right?"
He said so and held out his hand. He looked confident that Galahad would not accept his offer.
It was a clear provocation from him.
His eyes met Mark's. The shrewd eyes seemed to be asking. Who would benefit him more?
Galahad smiled broadly.
"Well, we are alumni."
He grabbed his hand swiftly, and the man's eyes grew wide as if they were about to pop out.
Mark lifted the corners of his mouth slightly as if he had seen something amusing.
Belatedly, Cortein tried to pull his hand away, but Galahad would not let go.
Three quarries- Even one of them was enough to make as much money as an ordinary lord of the castle.
It was not simply a matter of money. If he had a lot of magic stones, it would be easier to teach Gwen. When she runs out of mana, she can use the magic stone.
In addition, if he had the magic stone, he could add various options when constructing the special forces headquarters.
In short,
"So, where should I go to work?"
It was a no-brainer.
To give him three quarries-
School ties were this important.
Chapter 22

22. Alumni Love
"What happened? Galahad and Cortein are going out together."
Mark, the captain of the 5th Battalion, nodded at the question from his adjutant, Lumian.
The situation went in a different direction than Mark had expected.
"Do you know why I called Galahad?"
"I thought you were planning to check the price of the magic stone by calling Galahad, the wizard, to contain Cortein, sir?"
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"That's right. Cortein's growth was too fast. And he smelled fishy. I called Galahad to contain him. He wouldn't have been able to refuse my offer because he hadn't settled down yet."
Mark's fingers tapped the table.
"What's the problem?"
"They caught 16 intermediate orcs, earth dogs, and two wizards. Without Adriana."
Lumian paused for a moment. Then Lumian asked with a frown.
"Could it be a bluff?"
"No, his eyes were not like that. He wasn't bragging, but he seemed to be talking about something he had done on his way here. Like, 'Oh, I saw a fox today. I caught it.' The soldiers said so monotonously."
The conversation paused for a moment. Mark tapped the table with his fingers.
"Isn't it better if he's good?"
"That's not the problem. Don't you know their composition? The only useful one among them is Lord Gilburton. Even Lord Gilburton wouldn't be able to handle all of them. If he caught the orcs-"
"That's a long shot."
Mark nodded obediently at Lumian's remark.
That was right. Mark often had leaps and bounds of thoughts. It was Lumian's role to catch him.
"Corton and Galahad knew each other. They graduated from the same academy. I heard Galahad was quite famous. There was no news of him after graduation."
Lumian remained silent. That wasn't a question that needed an answer. It was just a soliloquy to organize his thoughts.
"He disappeared after graduating from the academy and suddenly became Adrianna's husband. The third son of a count? What does that mean? He worked somewhere related to the royal family."
Click, Mark's fingers suddenly stopped.
"I don't know exactly what organization Corton belongs to, but he seemed to have a lot of information. If even Corton doesn't know his whereabouts, there are only two possibilities."
"What are they?"
"He was either unemployed or part of a very secretive group. The former is unlikely, so it must be the latter. If he worked for the royal family and was part of a very secretive group…"
Mark stopped talking and Lumian gulped. Mark, who had been frowning for a moment, let out a small sigh.
"I don't know."
Lumian frowned slightly. He acted like he had figured something out, but in the end, he didn't know. It was frustrating.
"It feels like we're bringing in a tiger to catch a fox."
"You're being too extreme."
"How is this extreme? It was strange from the beginning when the Grand Duke created a unit for a magician sent from the Empire. The rumor that he defeated Herman at once… No, it can't be just a rumor. And on his first mission, he captured sixteen mid-level monsters and demons. How is this extreme?"
Lumian kept his mouth shut at that question. Certainly, it was a great achievement when listed out like that. Lumian was also starting to get worried.
"Hmm, I'm worried that I might have spoken arrogantly to Galahad."
"You probably did. Considering how you usually talk, Captain."
"You're being extreme."
Mark retorted in an annoyed voice.
****
'He's flustered.'
Galahad smirked, looking at Corton's stiff face.
They were facing each other in a quiet room. It was a room with bookshelves everywhere, but there were no windows. Mana lamps placed here and there were providing light.
The pungent smell unique to mana lamps made it feel like he was in the Information Bureau. The atmosphere in the room was tense.
The bookshelves all around were suspicious. The bookshelves seemed closer than the space they were showing.
What could be hidden behind the bookshelves?
Galahad muttered softly and put a cigarette in his mouth. He lit it without asking if it was okay.
A refreshing lemon scent wafted deeply. He savored it and waved his hand.
"There's too much dust."
The wind blew naturally. The smoke from the mana cigarette spread widely along with it. Since it was a mana cigarette, the smoke didn't disappear easily.
The smoke hit the middle of the bookshelves placed all around. He watched the smoke scatter through it.
'There are three.'
Two on the left bookshelf and one on the right bookshelf were hidden.
'In the back?'
They had entered from the front, but since there was no one on the bookshelf at the back, there must be something in the back.
Galahad flicked the cigarette and assumed the worst.
Two on the left, one on the right, and Corton in front of him. It wasn't a good space to fight four magicians.
Galahad pretended to pat his thigh and let go of his hand.
Would the desk move? He pushed it slightly, but it was fixed. He wouldn't use a wide-range attack in this narrow space, would he?
'Then I should catch the one in front first, pull him, and use him as a shield while taking care of the one on the right. Then the left…'
"What are you doing?"
Cortan's question broke my reverie. Cortan still had a suspicious expression on his face.
I could have said I was planning to drill a hole in your head to use as a shield while I take care of the remaining three mages, but that was a bit too much to say, so I dodged the question.
"…Ha, you accept my offer so readily, you must be in a hurry."
He openly taunted me. His voice was full of thorns. If I were too docile, he would be more wary. So, I replied to him with a pointed remark.
"In a hurry? I just couldn't refuse the kindness of my fellow alumnus. By the way, is this your workplace? It's narrower than I thought. There's no magic stone workshop, is it behind the bookshelf?"
He flinched slightly. It was a very brief reaction, but I did not miss it.
'It must be behind the bookshelf in the back.'
"You're being needlessly provocative. I'm just being careful because if you're the kind of guy who'd resort to dirty tricks, you'd smear ink on my face."
I clicked my tongue at his grumbling reply.
'He's definitely different from before.'
The Dark Magic Society was nothing to be afraid of in the past. They approached any promising mage.
But now, those same people were cautious when facing me.
The bookshelf in the back, too. It definitely seemed like they were more concerned about security than before.
However, right now, in front of me, there was an idiot who took four years to graduate.
In war, the most fearsome thing was not a capable enemy, but a foolish ally.
'What kind of bait should I give him?'
I thought about the cards I had.
Something to give to the Dark Magic Society.
'There's a lot.'
The important thing was that Cortan shouldn't realize I was the one who gave it to him.
Mages tended to be overconfident.
If I scratched him a little and added a bit more inferiority complex…
'Perfect.'
After finishing my calculations, I leaned back on the chair and smiled.
Like an idiot who still couldn't let go of the glorious past.
"Don't you know my abilities the best?"
I laughed arrogantly.
Ridicule appeared on Cortan's face.
It was a very good start.
****
Cortan did not expect me to accept his offer.
In the first place, it wasn't an offer. It was a mockery aimed at me.
But I accepted the offer as if I had been waiting for it.
His reaction showed how desperate I was. I was so desperate that I would readily accept a mocking offer from an alumnus whose name I couldn't even remember.
It was a bit questionable. Why had me, who was called a genius during my academy days, become like this?
"Abilities? Do you even have any abilities?"
"I am the fiancé of that Adrianna. I will be the successor to the Grand Duke."
The successor to the Grand Duke. Cortan couldn't hide his laughter.
I was just an excuse for the Empire to assume the Grand Duke's death. There was no marriage with Adrianna, and I would never be the successor to the Grand Duke.
"What the… Did you meet with Adrianna?"
"We're even holding hands."
Corton was amused by Galahad's bragging, but he suddenly recalled Galahad's status.
'Right, he's Adrianna's fiancé.'
Being a fiancé meant that he could get fairly close to Adrianna.
If he accepted him, he could get the chance to deal with Adrianna.
How much was the bounty that the Dawn had put on Adrianna? It wasn't merely a matter of the bounty.
If he dealt with Adrianna, he would immediately no longer be a branch director of the Dark Magic Society. He could see beyond that.
He could go up to the Dawn. He would even receive a high position.
Corton was slightly impressed with his own cleverness.
"And I'm a captain! Captain! I'm the captain of the special forces unit."
Then, Galahad started bragging again.
This time, it was about being a captain. This made Corton frown. The unit had only 4 members, so what was he bragging about, having only the title?
'No. Even if it's only the title, a captain is a captain.'
Corton had made a deal with Mark, the captain of the 5th battalion, but he had been feeling the limitations recently.
Mark hardly ever showed any openings. In that situation, Galahad, who was a captain in title only, was exactly what he needed.
No, rather, it was more useful because it was only a title. If he put Galahad the captain in front and controlled him from behind, he would definitely be able to run the magic stone mine more easily.
He was even that Galahad. Galahad, whose news had been lost for a long time after graduating, but was still remembered by those from the academy.
Regardless of his current state, the name Galahad was quite useful.
'I'm glad I'm clever. If I were another fool, I would've missed it!'
Corton was slightly relieved.
It was good that he had figured out how to use him, because if he had been another fool, he would have missed Galahad's value without knowing it.
However, he was concerned about his actions after graduating from the academy.
"What did you do after graduating from the academy? Didn't I already answer that? I did various things."
It was a curt and dry answer, but it put his mind at ease.
If Galahad had other plans, he wouldn't have answered so vaguely. Rather, he would have told detailed, fabricated stories.
He was probably just beating around the bush because he was embarrassed since he hadn't done anything noteworthy.
And even if he was suspicious, it didn't really matter.
He was a magician.
If he was a magician, he would inevitably fall into the Dark Magic Society.
Magic was a slow and dull discipline. The higher the level, the slower the progress. Eventually, it would feel like hitting a wall.
Black magic only revered growth. It pursued growth regardless of the means or methods.
Once he experienced black magic, he wouldn't be able to get out.
Normally, he would have had to report it to his superior and wait.
However, if he did that, it was possible that someone else would steal his thunder. He couldn't stand the thought of that.
"Was this beyond your authority? That's fine. It's understandable to get a little carried away when meeting an alumnus after a long time."
Furthermore, Galahad's arrogant attitude was starting to get on his nerves.
'This is a viable card. It's time to make my move.'
Corton made up his mind and got up from his seat.
"Follow me."
Cortan headed for the bookcase behind him. As he pulled out a series of books, the wall split apart.
A subterranean staircase leading down appeared. The musty air characteristic of underground spaces greeted him.
"Follow my steps exactly. You'll be in deep trouble if you step anywhere else."
Cortan walked down the stairs, his focus on the steps. Each step was filled with caution.
As he descended the stairs, he reached a dead end. A large figure shrouded in a black hood stood there.
"Fire."
"Ice."
After exchanging the password, the figure pulled a hidden lever. The wall split open roughly. Beneath it was another subterranean staircase.
As he followed him down, iron bars appeared this time. Cortan took out a key, inserted it into the hole, and turned it. The iron bars opened with a loud noise.
It was a staircase again.
This time, there were two figures with their hoods pulled down. Sharp, beast-like teeth could be seen between their hoods.
"Hmm, the process of getting in is quite a hassle."
Galahad complained openly.
It was true that it was a hassle. Even Cortan got confused by the process sometimes.
Cortan pondered for a moment and then opened his mouth. This wasn't much of a secret. Rather, it was something that the Black Magic Society emphasized every time.
"When I was in the Empire, the Black Magic Society was doing very well. There was no noble family they weren't connected to, and they even had ties to the Imperial family. Then, out of the blue, some organization started attacking them. They had their defenses up, but that organization was so relentless, they never let up."
He continued, taking out a magic stone from his pocket. It was a device to open the next door.
"Some organization, huh."
The figure muttered softly and coughed. Was he laughing? When he peeked, it was a cough.
"The Black Magic Society, which had been doing so well, collapsed under the relentless attacks of those wolves. They moved north to escape them, but the north, where they had fled to, turned out to be a land of opportunity. They say that they entered an even greater period of prosperity than before. You can tell just by looking at me, can't you?"
Cortan gestured up and down his body – from the staff with a huge magic stone embedded in it to the coat made of demon leather. It was an outfit that cost a lot of money.
"That must be expensive."
The figure asked with a chuckle.
"It is expensive. But they must have been quite shocked by the attacks from that organization, because the Black Magic Society invested a huge amount of money in security. The branches don't know each other's locations, and each branch has a different security system."
Cortan replied, taking out the next key.
At that moment, the last door appeared. It was a door with triple security: iron, magic circles, and a magic lock.
The Black Magic Society, which had made a fortune from the magic stone business, poured a huge amount of money and capital into security out of an overwhelming fear.
The door in front of them was the embodiment of that decision.
"Oh, a security device that uses three magic stones. The combination of magic circles is exquisite. Even the Magic Tower wouldn't have this kind of security. It's amazing. It's not just a simple magic tool, it's a work of art."
Galahad kept exclaiming as he checked the door here and there.
Cortan felt a sense of pride at that.
"The higher-ups are worried that the organization might chase them to the north. That's why they spent so much money on security. They say no one can get near it."
Cortan tapped the words written on the top of the door. It said, 'Security is Life.'
He felt a little uneasy about bringing Galahad here without permission, but he could handle this much.
"Even if the leader of that organization came, he wouldn't be able to get through this door. The one who made this guaranteed that no one would be able to open it. He said that unless it was opened by its own accord, it would never open-"
Cortan knocked on the door confidently. It truly was a door with three magic stones embedded in it.
He turned his head at the sound of laughter coming from behind him, and Galahad was covering his mouth and coughing.
'What a frivolous guy.'
Cortan clicked his tongue and pushed the door open.
The triple magic stone lock, overlapping magic spell, and ironclad security boasted by the door—
It opened wide.
"Thank you."
Galahad's gratitude was sincere.