Chapter 23

23. Capable Trash
'Impressive.'
The Black Magic Society's security used to be terrible. Needless to say, each branch's information was shared with each other.
But now, it was so thorough that it had multiple layers of security.
Even Galahad found the last door somewhat difficult.
Three magic stones were inserted into the door. Even at a glance, their level was at least intermediate. Even the tower master's room didn't have such a door. It was a luxury possible because it was in the north, where the magic stone quarry was located.
The design of the magic circle connecting the magic stones seemed familiar.
'It's the old man's work.'
He kept bragging about retiring, but it seemed like he couldn't let go of his old habits.
'Is the old man in the north?'
It was unknown. If Galahad had come alone, things could have gotten quite complicated.
If it was a door designed by the old man, even Galahad couldn't easily break through it.
How much was the old man worth, plus three intermediate magic stones? He didn't even know how much money had gone into the security.
'Did I hit him that hard?'
Galahad clicked his tongue softly.
However, there was something they had overlooked.
No matter how perfect the security was, problems always arose from people.
People couldn't be perfect. Even more so for someone who had taken four years to graduate from the academy.
"Oh, and for now, keep your name a secret."
He was even keeping his name a secret.
Judging from the greedy flickering in Cordell's eyes, it seemed like he had other plans.
Galahad didn't need to refuse, so he nodded.
"Come in."
Cordell confidently opened the door.
Unlike the elaborate security, the interior was surprisingly ordinary.
The interior was drab gray, as if no attention had been paid to it. The only difference from a dungeon was the lack of iron bars. There was nothing to say about the aesthetic sense of those damn sorcerers.
Books everywhere and gloomy guys walking around in hoods. Unlike the name Black Mage, it was surprisingly ordinary tower scenery.
Among them, magic stones rolling around like rocks and expensive-looking magical tools caught his eye.
"The facilities are impressive."
"Didn't I tell you? The north is in its heyday. There are so many excavated magic stone quarries that we can't even keep track of them. And the stupid northerners treat magic stones like worthless pebbles, so what more can I say?"
When he prodded him a little, his dear alumnus, Cordell, immediately explained. What a kind guy.
'Rather, it's a boom period.'
He had worked so hard to get it, but he was surprised that the north was doing so well.
'I guess I'll have to change my approach this time.'
Originally, he had planned to find some evidence and persuade them one by one to get information from other branches. That would have been cleaner.
However, the situation was different from what he had expected.
'The security is too tight.'
Even Cortan, who seemed to be quite high-ranking, didn't know the location of the other branches. There was a chance that even if they dug into their heads, they wouldn't get any information.
Palho would bring the information, but he couldn't just wait for that.
An agent always had to dig two tunnels.
"We need a lot of magicians to dig out magic stones. We treat magicians the best. It's an amount you won't get even in the capital."
"The magicians dig out the magic stones themselves?"
"Oh, you don't know. Hmm-."
Galahad knew quite well about the utilization and usage of magic stones, but he didn't know how to dig them out.
No, he wasn't interested in it in the first place.
To Galahad, magic stones were just toys. Or they were just assistant tools.
"It's more efficient for magicians to dig out magic stones. If ordinary people dig them out, the quality often decreases-. That's why Mark can't let go of my hand."
Galahad nodded at the kind explanation.
'So that's why Mark acted neutral.'
In order to utilize the magic stone mines, they needed magicians, so even if Cortan acted suspiciously, Mark wouldn't have been able to let him go.
'He's brave.'
In the north, where the perception of magicians was not good, the captain was accepting magicians and even doing business with them-. It wasn't just bravery.
The three magic stone mines were worth that much.
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The strengthened security, the relationship with Mark of the 5th Battalion, the operation of the magic stone mines-. Galahad calculated them one by one.
There were too many side effects to just get rid of it. Moreover, the advantages of keeping it were enormous.
They were so thorough with the security that they didn't even know the location of the other branches.
That meant that the branches were disconnected. It meant that even if someone swallowed something, the higher-ups wouldn't notice-.
'It would be better to keep this branch.'
Galahad nodded.
If he kept this branch, he could receive information from the other branches. He could also hold the hilt in his relationship with Mark of the 5th Battalion.
Moreover, he would get a lot of money by operating the magic stone mines.
Damian's meal expenses were quite a lot.
'Perfect.'
Galahad's eyes sank.
Originally, there were no bad swords.
There were only bad owners.
'I just have to use it in a good place.'
The corners of Galahad's lips went up.
At that moment, a sharp voice was heard.
"Lord Cortan, where are you going?"
He was a man with a face full of freckles. The man's eyes were full of vigilance.
There was a huge magic stone embedded in the staff the man was holding.
In the capital, a staff with a magic stone embedded in it was a symbol of a popular magician. But here, it felt like a hiking stick.
"Oh, Bart. I'm busy, so get out of the way."
"I have never heard of any visitors today. The academy strictly prohibits outsiders from entering. If this fact reaches the higher-ups, it's clear that it will bring disadvantages to the branch itself."
"You there, freckled whelp!" barked the guard, looking Galad up and down.
His words were as rigid as his posture, and as such, irksome.
Galad wondered how Cornton would talk his way out of this one.
"Pipe down, Bart! You should be out there mining mana stones! How dare you raise your voice at me, your acting site manager!"
Cornton immediately roared back.
What a novel approach.
"N-no, sir. I just meant that allowing outsiders in is a sensitive matter."
"Do my words not sound like words to you? What do you know, a mere grunt?"
"Have you spoken to the higher-ups about this?"
"The branch manager is out, so I am the higher-up! Do I have to report to you? Who do you think you are?"
"That's not what I-"
"Fine. You be the acting site manager then! I'll report to you."
"N-no, that's not necessary."
Cornton's blatant abuse of authority turned the freckled guard's face red.
'Impressive,' Galad thought, genuinely impressed.
Yet, the guard didn't back down easily.
"Outsiders are still dangerous, regardless. We must be prepared for any potential threats."
"We're not even carrying wands, and you're worried about potential threats?"
Galad brushed open his coat. No sword, no wand. Just a neat shirt and trousers.
'So that's why he's taking me so lightly. He thinks I'm unarmed.'
It was only then that Galad realized why Cornton was taking him so lightly.
Indeed, the possession of a mana stone-embedded wand made a huge difference among mages.
Mages didn't spend their entire life savings on wands for nothing.
Once they confirmed that Galad didn't have a wand, the suspicion in the eyes of the others dissipated. It seemed that their reliance on wands was even more severe than in the capital.
However, the guard still wouldn't let it go.
"Your mana capacity could still be high. We need to measure it."
"Ugh, you're really starting to annoy me. That's why you'll never rise above being a grunt."
"We can't be too careful."
"Fine. Let's see it then. Go ahead and check my magical equipment. It's the same as what you did back at the academy."
Galad nodded.
The principle of the mana measurement tool was the same as when Galad infused mana during a handshake.
It was a method of roughly estimating one's total mana capacity by measuring the amount instantly absorbed after infusing a high concentration of mana.
"Bart, if you're just messing with us, you'd better brace yourself."
Cornton glared at the freckled guard and clicked his tongue.
The guard reluctantly looked away and handed Galad the mana measurement tool.
"The instructions are…"
"I know how to use it."
Galad took it from him and strapped it around his forearm.
Galad recalled the amount of mana he had back when he was at the academy.
'It would be better if it was slightly reduced.'
Mana measuring tools were not very reliable in the first place.
Even the Intelligence Agency used mana measuring tools only as references.
However, these guys seemed to trust it blindly. Starting from each of them holding a staff to the mana measuring tool – it seemed their reliance on magical tools was worse than expected.
It was an inevitable phenomenon when magic stones were overflowing.
Magic was less efficient than increasing one's mana stone even after training for a year.
As humans, they had no choice but to take shortcuts.
However, unfortunately, the right path was always the hardest.
'To think a wizard is relying on tools.'
Galahad suppressed his rising disgust and adjusted his mana concentration.
Mana verification was nothing more than a habit for Galahad. Manipulating it in reverse to adjust his mana was a piece of cake.
The mana measuring tool emitted a crimson light.
The mana measuring tool would turn black when there was little mana and red when there was a lot. It meant he was an average wizard.
It seemed the fact that an average wizard didn't even have a staff made him seem completely harmless to them.
A mocking smile crept onto Corton's face. His mocking skills were top-notch.
The freckled man's face showed slight relief. He was a true loyalist.
However, our reliable Corton didn't have eyes to see loyalty.
"Didn't I tell you clearly! That it is necessary! And yet, you dare doubt me, a mere subordinate?!"
"No, that's not it—"
"What! You punk! Go dig up some magic stones! You have double the quota today!"
Corton's outburst made the freckled man's face crumple.
The freckled man disappeared as if running away.
It was a typical loyalist's excuse.
'Bartra.'
Galahad muttered the name softly.
"A nobody is causing trouble! Ha, anyway, since the branch manager is away, let's take a look around the lab. Don't you like research?"
Corton chattered and laughed.
It seemed he was completely relieved after passing the mana test.
He must have also had the intention of holding onto Galahad tightly.
But still, he was going to show him the lab-.
'He's capable.'
He really was a capable trash.
"Thank you."
Galahad once again expressed his sincere gratitude.
"That's what fellow alumni are for."
Corton grinned.
He truly was a reliable fellow alumnus.
****
"I heard the vice-captain brought an outsider."
"My goodness, really-?"
Sheron doubted his ears.
The deputy director was incompetent, but he was fiercely ambitious. It was common for him to claim the achievements of his subordinates as his own.
However, it was difficult to dismiss him as completely useless.
Cortan, whose ambition knew no bounds, often boasted of ridiculous achievements.
His deal with the captain of the 5th Battalion was also Cortan's doing. That was how he had risen to the position of deputy director.
But bringing in an outsider was a reckless act that crossed the line.
"Even as deputy director, would he have brought in an outsider without thinking? He's the kind of guy who'd sell his own body for a promotion. He must be someone important enough to ignore security."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Sheron's words.
The topic shifted to the person the deputy director had brought in.
Who on earth could it be, that the deputy director would resort to such extreme measures?
"What are you all doing here!"
A familiar roar came from behind. It was the deputy director, his shoulders hunched up.
Naturally, everyone's attention turned to the person next to him.
He was a handsome man with slicked-back hair. He had the appearance of a man between a youth and an adult, but his deep-set eyes were filled with fatigue.
He was a man with long, slender legs and arms, but he had a certain air of solidity about him.
In a word, he was a clean-cut, handsome, aristocratic priest.
However, his eyes were strange. They were deeply sunken. As if-.
Sheron met the man's gaze and quickly looked away.
"Sheron, show this guy your research."
"······Yes? My research?"
It was an absurd order. Sheron's job was to study the Mazoku. To show it to an outsider-.
"You'll be working together from now on, anyway."
"······Yes."
With the branch director out of town, there was no one to stop Cortan. All he would get for resisting was a scolding.
"Take a look around. I'll be back after making a report."
Sheron was slightly shocked that Cortan referred to his Mazoku research as something to be gawked at.
Sheron and the unknown man headed to the laboratory together.
"It's a bit messy. I didn't expect any guests."
"It's fine. A wizard's laboratory is always a bit chaotic."
The man's old-fashioned way of speaking convinced Sheron that he was an aristocrat.
"What… what is it, Sheron?"
Farntal, who was in the laboratory, asked nervously, his eyes wide. His sharp gaze was fixed on the man.
Farntal was a pain in the neck who even the branch director had a hard time dealing with when it came to research. Sheron hurriedly explained the situation.
"The deputy director wants me to show him the research results."
"To whom? Surely not-."
"Nice to meet you, I'm the one in question."
The man waved his hand cheekily, and Farntal's eyebrows shot up.
"Are you crazy? Do you know what research is-."
"You do your thing. I'll show him around."
Farntal's furrowed brow did not relax even at Sheron's words.
"You wouldn't understand even if you saw it anyway," Sherin whispered, and only then did the blue-haired man step back.
Sherin's research wasn't the kind that could be understood with just one look anyway.
"My task is to research the blood of the demons."
"The blood of the demons?"
Sherin's lips curled up at the man's question.
That was the typical reaction when someone heard that she researched demons.
In the Empire, researching the demons was strictly forbidden.
Researching the demons was no different than an act of rebellion. Of course, she was bound to be nervous.
'Is he… laughing?'
Sherin's eyes widened at the slight upturn of the man's lips.
She looked closer and it was indeed the case.
She must have been mistaken.
"I suppose you receive supplies from the 5th Corps?"
"·······Ah, yes. They use the skin of the demons, but not their blood."
"How did you research it? You can't measure the blood of the demons with mana measuring tools."
"Yes, that's why I had to create a separate mana measuring tool for the demons."
The man knew that the blood of the demons contained mana, and that its concentration was high. He must have researched the demons.
"A mana measuring tool for demons? You must be using magic stones, but isn't it impossible because the concentration is too low? Ah, I see, you're checking the rate at which mana escapes. Is it a one-time use?"
Sherin nodded shakily at the man's question.
He had only said a few words, but the man was asking about the principles of the mana measuring tool for demons. It felt strange, as if she had revealed a secret.
"Wouldn't that use up too many magic stones?"
"Ha! What a simple observation. You're saying that it uses up a lot of magic stones. Then why don't you suggest another solution!"
Blue-hair spoke sharply. Since he was always criticized for using too many magic stones, it was a sensitive topic for him.
However, there was no other way besides using magic stones. The mana concentration of the demons was too high.
The man frowned at Blue-hair's question.
As if he didn't understand.
Just as Sherin was about to say something, the man asked a question.
"Can't you just drink it?"
His voice was calm, as if the content was nothing special.
Sherin, who had been thinking about what the man had said, was shocked.
"Drink the blood of the demons?!"
"Why are you so surprised? Isn't that efficient? It would reduce the consumption of magic stones and have a positive effect on your own mana."
Indeed, the man's words were terribly theoretical.
However-.
"Drinking the blood of the demons… how barbaric is that…"
Drinking the blood of the demons directly was a crude and barbaric method.
"Hmm, to research the blood of the demons, you'll need at least intermediate-grade magic stones, and those aren't cheap, are they? And wouldn't drinking it be more accurate and efficient?"
The man calmly explained why he should drink the blood of the demons.
"Ha! Drink the blood of the demons! You can only say that because you don't know how high the mana concentration of the demons is! How many wizards have died or gone mad from drinking the blood of the demons!"
Blue-hair retorted sharply. Sherin nodded in agreement.
How many people died after drinking the blood of the Dark Clan?
The man shook his head.
As if it were the wrong answer.
"They didn't die from drinking the blood of the Dark Clan.
The man said in his characteristically calm voice.
'They died after drinking the blood of the Dark Clan, but they didn't die from drinking the blood of the Dark Clan?'
Sheren's eyes widened.
What in the world did that mean?
"They died because they couldn't withstand the blood of the Dark Clan."
The man said resolutely.
A heavy silence fell for a moment.
Sheren earnestly considered whether what she had heard was correct.
'So, they died from drinking the blood of the Dark Clan because they couldn't stand it?'
It was like saying that someone who died after falling into water died because they couldn't get out of the water.
However, there was a firm conviction in the man's calm voice.
"The blood of the Demon Clan is less concentrated than the blood of the Dark Clan, so it's drinkable. Come on, try it. You just need to sober up. Ah, try it."
The man offered the cup containing the blood of the Demon Clan as if offering alcohol.
Sheren's eyes widened as if they were about to tear at the man's earnest voice.
He was saying that the blood of the Demon Clan was less concentrated than the blood of the Dark Clan and that it was drinkable.
'He's saying he drank both of them!!'
Sheren and Parantal's faces turned pale.
'Corton! This madman! Did he really bring a real warlock?!'
Sheren desperately suppressed the scream that was about to burst out.
Chapter 24

24. An Expensive Request
"Just try it once?"
The man held out the glass bottle. The dark red blood inside it rippled.
A warlock who drank the blood of the Dark Clan and the Demon Clan.
'Crazy···. This is real. That's real.'
Sheren got goosebumps from his calm voice.
The infamy of the blood of the Dark Clan was well-known in the Warlock's Guild.
It was said that out of ten warlocks who drank the blood of the Dark Clan, eight died, one went mad, and the remaining one went missing.
He was nonchalantly offering such blood of the Dark Clan.
"Why aren't you drinking it? Is there anything more efficient than experiencing it firsthand?"
The man was rather rebuking the two.
"I… If it's really not dangerous, please try it yourself!"
Parantal shouted in a trembling voice.
Amidst Parantal's face was filled with fear, there was a flicker of longing.
'Crazy Parantal!'
Sheren let out a small scream.
"There's not much of it, but can I have a drink?"
The man asked, shaking the glass bottle. He seemed to be asking if it was okay for him to drink this precious thing.
Sheren and Bluetail nodded without being able to answer, feeling a cool sense of alienation.
"Good. Oh, do you have anything like candy?"
"…Candy?"
"Something sweet."
Sheren, who loved sweet things, took out a few candies and tossed them to the man as if throwing them away.
"Thank you, this is tasteless."
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The man poured the demon's blood into the glass cup without hesitation.
"······You really drank it."
Sheren let out a groan of astonishment at the man who had really drunk it.
The man put the candy in his mouth as if nothing had happened.
He poured the demon's blood like alcohol and ate candy because it was bitter-.
Sheren felt like all of her common sense was being denied.
"This calculation is wrong. The mana concentration is a bit lower. To express it in a formula-. Hey, are you listening?"
"···Yes? Yes!"
"Lower the concentration a bit more. And the calculation itself is nonsense in the first place? There's no standard. No standard."
He even pointed out the calculation right away.
'Isn't the demon's blood over the limit?'
Perhaps thinking similarly, Bluetail picked up the glass bottle.
It was a glass bottle filled with the same demon's blood that the man had drunk.
"Excuse me…is it really okay?"
"It hurts a little, but it clears my mind."
After hesitating for a long time, Bluetail swallowed the demon's blood in one go.
"Hmm, it would be hard to drink it all at once, but you're young, so you're full of energy."
"You should've told me that in advance…"
Bluetail's mouth stopped.
Bluetail's eyes widened as if they were about to tear. Blood vessels filled her eyes. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn't breathe and made a choking sound.
"Oh, it's okay. It feels like every blood vessel is burning, but that's an illusion. It's just pain. Focus. You're suppressing your mana."
"Choke-."
Bluetail gasped for breath and shook her limbs. Blood vessels filled her face. She stood up on her toes.
It was a terrible sight, unimaginable how much pain she was in.
"It's okay. It's not the blood of a demon, it's the blood of a demon beast. It's been a while since then, so why is it so serious?"
'Ser···ious?'
She couldn't be serious, standing on her toes and trembling.
"Well, the method is simple. Think that your mana is in your heart. Imagine pressing it down. It's similar to the feeling when you inhale deeply. Follow me. Hoo- Ha- Hoo- Ha-. Do it properly. Do you want to die?"
At that moment, Bluetail's head suddenly lifted up. There was a strange sound of bones twisting. Her flesh rose as if her bones were being pulled out.
"Hmm, I guess it won't work. I'll help you just this once."
The man put his hand on Bluetail's heart. Blood vessels filled the man's hand. Bluetail's rapid breathing quickly stabilized.
Paranthal immediately collapsed. Sherin hurriedly supported Paranthal.
"Paranthal! Are you okay? Are you conscious?"
It took a while for Paranthal to regain consciousness.
The man was reading Paranthal's research report.
"······Right, the coefficients were high. It was the wrong selection of error range."
Paranthal, who had regained consciousness, immediately began talking about the research. At Paranthal's urging, Sherin checked the report.
'If I change the coefficients-. That's right.'
The problem that had been bothering her for so long was solved in an instant.
The man's words were true.
"This."
Just then, the man pointed to Paranthal's research report.
Paranthal desperately got up and approached the man.
"The human mana coefficient table is empty in the middle?"
"Ah, the research related to humans is still under preparation. It was part of the section that was lost when we were attacked by a certain group···."
"I see. Can I have a pen?"
"Yes!"
The man began to write something on the report with the pen he had received from Paranthal.
Paranthal, who absolutely hated others touching her research, watched quietly for now. Rather, her face was full of anticipation.
A moment later, the man handed Paranthal the research report.
"There is a slight margin of error, but it should be within the acceptable range."
The empty table was completely filled in.
That wasn't all. The man added additional data to the back page on the spot.
It was all data that had been lost when they were attacked by a certain group. It was necessary for research, but they had been struggling because there was no way to obtain it-.
There were only two possibilities for him to know about it.
A certain group, or the upper echelons of the Black Magic Society, the Council-.
It was unlikely that a certain group would be here correcting the report.
In that case-.
"Are you from the Council?"
The fact that the vice-captain disregarded procedure and let him in, his extensive knowledge of the blood of the mazoku and mazoku, his indifference to drinking the blood of the mazoku, his knowledge of the lost information-.
Everything pointed to the man being from the Council.
"It's a secret."
Sherin and Paranthal gulped at the answer that was no different from an affirmation.
The Council-.
Their lips went dry as they actually encountered a story that had only been passed down as a legend.
"Why has someone from the Council come all the way here···."
"Why do you think?"
The man asked back instead. His leisurely attitude was as if he were testing them.
"To clean up all the rotten bastards!"
Paranthal answered in a rough voice. Her voice was full of anger.
The man snapped his fingers as if to tell her to continue.
"The academy is currently submerged in magic stones! Research has taken a back seat, and it's filled with rotten people who are proud of their magic stone staffs! They even force a magic stone quota on us, who are in charge of research!"
Pantal spat out his words like he was coughing up blood. Since Pantal was usually full of complaints, his voice was filled with urgency.
The man nodded.
"I am preparing for a renewal."
Renewal-. Shern quietly muttered the sweet yet thrilling word.
"Magic stones are good. Aren't they just stones that cost a lot to summon? Even so, they're still just stones. Do you think a lump of rock will reveal the truth?"
The man's voice was powerful. Shern blankly nodded.
"You guys are the only ones who are useful. The others are all fake magicians who just lick magic tools."
Pantal's body trembled in response to the man's approval. Isn't his reaction a bit too extreme? Shern grimaced slightly.
"I will cut away the rotten flesh to make room for new life. Pantal, you have passed."
Pantal burst into cheers at the man's nomination. His eyes were even filled with tears.
"I thought this day would come!"
It was the Black Magic Society that he had entered to worship advancement. However, research had taken a back seat, and the days of digging in the magic stone quarry had gradually increased. It was a very sweet word for Pantal, who had been furious.
"Pantal, give me your hand."
"Thank you!"
The man grabbed Pantal's wrist. Rough sparks continuously flew from the man's hand. It was truly a splendid and elaborate magic.
To cast such elaborate magic without an incantation-.
'As expected of the main society!'
"Alright, this is your seal."
A splendid lightning-shaped scar appeared on the inside of Pantal's wrist. Pantal looked at him with hot tears in his eyes.
"What about…me?!"
Shern asked urgently.
"There is one condition."
The man pushed forward a glass bottle filled with the blood of a magical beast.
"Show me your sincerity."
Gulping-. Shern swallowed his saliva.
It was an ignorant test, but it was a test that could not be deceived because of its ignorance.
"Drink it! Shern!"
Pantal, who had always been kind to Shern, glared at him with his eyes turned upside down and shouted.
Under that pressure, Shern gulped down the blood of the magical beast.
It felt like he had swallowed fire. It wasn't just fire. It was a fire with thorns all over it.
He was overwhelmed by the pain as if his insides were being torn apart and burned by fire. Shern's mind became dizzy for a moment.
Then, the pain slowly subsided.
The moment he faced the man who was looking at him with a relaxed expression, he could understand Pantal's madness.
It was natural to feel awe for the man who controlled such pain so indifferently.
"You have also passed."
Shern and Pantal nodded at each other. The humiliation they had suffered melted away.
"Now, you are my direct subordinates. Congratulations."
The two nodded with faces that had become noticeably solemn.
"For now, stay here and act as usual, but organize the information about the branch. Especially Corthorn."
Sheren and Paltal nodded.
"Oh, could you give me some paper? Thank you."
"No!"
The man began to quickly write something on a blank piece of paper.
"The standard will be Mana Arrows. I'll use this to study the blood of the mazoku. Since we can utilize the blood of a monster, that should be enough."
"Of course!"
Sheren's eyes widened. It was detailed information about the blood of the mazoku. The man had just waved it around, but it was exactly the information they needed.
"Oh, human research is prohibited. There's talk that a certain group is approaching. If there's anyone doing that kind of research, be sure to write it down separately. Always remember to renew."
At the man's serious voice, the two nodded with solemn faces.
"I'll come again next time."
The man said softly and stood up.
At that moment, the door opened and Deputy Director Colton appeared.
The man smiled as if wondering what had just happened.
****
"How was the research?"
"Not bad."
It was easier to fool the magicians who were only doing research than it was for Agent Galahad to turn his hand over.
Needless to say, they even had the information they had.
Persuasion was Galahad's specialty.
'You've set up a research institute.'
Their research was poor right now. He had high expectations because they had a lot of magic stones and expensive magic tools, but it was nothing special.
Still, they were useful guys.
They had given him direction and information about the blood of the mazoku, so they would have results the next time he came.
He had even assigned them the role of monitoring Colton, so it couldn't have been better.
'I have to dig two holes.'
Now that he had gotten a hold of Colton, he could put his confidants on both sides and have them monitor each other.
At that moment, Colton, who had checked outside, locked the door.
"Let's get straight to the point."
Colton said with a serious face that didn't match the occasion.
"Kill Adrianna."
Galahad swallowed at the overly direct request.
To kill Adrianna right away-.
"Well······, very high-ranking people want Adrianna dead. If you take care of Adrianna, you'll be handsomely rewarded."
The dawn was clear.
"How high-ranking?"
Colton chuckled.
"Do you think we'd be researching mazoku for nothing?"
Galahad realized why Colton had shown him the research.
The Empire had strictly forbidden the study of mazoku. The Empire uprooted any research related to the mazoku.
The fact that they were researching such mazoku-.
'It seems that their power is not something the Empire can ignore.'
The dawn seemed bigger than he thought. While putting a cigarette in his mouth, Galahad organized his thoughts.
'The dawn has put a bounty on Adrianna. That reward must be quite large. Adrianna is their biggest obstacle after all.'
It seemed like our greedy Colton intended to proceed without telling the branch manager.
'He intends to eat it all by himself.'
In other words, it meant that secrecy was guaranteed.
'A request to kill Adrianna huh-'
The scent of lemon wafted deeply.
Considering the situation, a request to kill Adrianna-.
'It's not bad.'
It was quite a good offer.
Of course, he had no intention of actually killing Adrianna. It was questionable whether it was even possible in the first place.
However, it was an opportunity to approach the dawn.
It wasn't good to jump right in, so he asked a question.
"What do I get out of it?"
"······Out of it? Oh, yeah. Of course there is!"
Judging from his hesitation, it seemed that he hadn't considered the reward he would give Galahad. He really was an empty-headed guy.
"It's a request from a very high-ranking person. If you succeed, you will receive an unimaginable reward. You've seen the mana stones and expensive magic tools rolling around, right? There will be a reward greater than that!"
Vague rewards never ended well.
Of course, he wouldn't get to see that reward this time.
"A reward huh-. That's great. But you know, as you know, I'm just a shell of my former self right now. To find an opening, I need to get close to Adrianna, but for that···."
"Didn't you say that you were even holding hands?"
"I almost died when I held her hand. Don't you know the personalities of those northerners?"
Colton chuckled at Galahad's response.
"Don't worry about support. Just tell me what you need."
Galahad smiled coolly at Colton's confident face.
"You're really reliable!"
"Haha! I'm the acting branch manager. Since there's no branch manager, it's my world. Didn't you see the mana stones and magic tools when you came in?"
As Galahad mentioned the things he needed, Colton's laughter gradually stopped.
A moment later, Colton held out a gruesome, finger-shaped object that wasn't a silver coin.
"It's the Orb of Agony."
"Orb of Agony?"
"It's something I got from a high-ranking demon. If you eat this and break an oath, you will die with excruciating pain."
Colton said with a confident voice.
For some reason, he thought that Colton would believe it easily, but it seemed that he had prepared his own countermeasures.
If it was indeed an item from a high-ranking demon, it was something to be confident about.
However-.
"You will die with excruciating pain if you break an oath? Who determines that standard? Does this little thing perhaps have the brain to judge? Or does it perceive personal emotions? Or is it perhaps a type of magic?"
Colton sensed something wrong from the torrent of Galahad's questions.
Looking at this gruesome thing, far from being scared, Galahad's eyes instead lit up.
As if he had discovered something quite precious.
"Ah, sorry. Hmm, it belongs to a high-ranking demon."
The pain bead was soon in Galahad's hand.
Cortan's body trembled slightly as he watched Galahad carefully examining the terrible object as if it were a jewel.
"Yes, eat it and swear it."
Galahad swallowed it without hesitation.
Gulp.
Cortan swallowed dryly at the bold action.
Then, Galahad looked at Cortan with sunken eyes and swore.
"If you wish it, I will kill Adrianna."
It seemed like a strange condition, but Cortan nodded as the content was the same.
"O-oh my. High-ranking demon. It's such a great concentration of mana. This is really amazing."
Galahad was touching his neck.
"Can I have one more?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I think I'll know if I eat one more. Do you have another one?"
Cortan got up as if he was running away from Galahad, who was smacking his lips.
****
"Sir Gilbert, we have a problem."
Gilbert frowned at Tom's serious voice.
"Did the captain have an accident?"
"No, sir."
"Did Gwen burn down the barracks again?"
"Ah, they're doing it outside."
"Did Demian say he was hungry?"
"No, sir. Please look at this."
Tom held out something. It was a yellow parchment with lots of writing on it.
Gilbert slowly read what was written on the parchment.
"Special forces accounting book? Is there such a thing?"
"Ah, I organized it because I had some time. It seems that no one else is doing it… I apologize if it's presumptuous."
He couldn't understand the flow of writing an accounting book when he had time.
Gilbert slowly looked through the accounting book. He felt dizzy after reading two lines of numbers.
"What's the problem?"
Gilbert asked, handing the book back to Tom.
"We're running out of budget soon."
"Running out of budget? Didn't you say that when we received the carriage, we also received operating expenses for the unit?"
"Yes, but isn't the unit budget based on performance?"
"Hmm. Yes."
Gilbert nodded for the time being.
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"But when we received the budget, hadn't we achieved any results?"
"That was it."
"So the allocated budget itself was small."
"I see."
Only then did Gilbert understand. He nodded.
"Won't the reflection of the increased performance be reflected in the next quarter?
"That's right."
"Our unit costs too much. I understand that Sir Gilbert, who is from the 1st Battalion, is expensive, but Damien and Gwen's costs are unusually high."
Gilbert's head started to hurt from the continuous talk of money.
"On top of that, Damien's food expenses and the cost of repairing Sir Gilbert's armor this time – it's going to bankrupt us."
The two characters 'bankrupt' were heard clearly. Gilbert nodded and said,
"Bankrupt, huh."
"Yes? Ah, yes. That's right."
"Why are you talking in circles instead of getting to the point?"
"Ahahaha… Anyway, we need to find a way."
"A way?"
"Yes, for example, since repairing Sir Gilbert's armor was something that happened while helping with the 4th Battalion's mission, it would be right to send the cost processing to the 4th Battalion, and in the case of Damien's food expenses····· ·."
The strange story continued for a long time.
Gilbert nodded as if he had understood the gist of it.
"Sir Gilbert agrees too."
"What do you mean?"
"······Salary reduction."
"Cutting my salary? What are you talking about."
Tom's lips hardened slightly.
"That…no."
"Aren't you saying that you don't have enough money?"
"Yes, that's right."
Gilbert clicked his tongue at the useless worry that was being dragged out like this.
"The captain will figure it out."
"But even if it's the captain, this is the north. There's no way to get money······."
At that moment, the barracks door opened. Galahad entered.
"Ah. You're here."
Tom stood up and greeted him politely. Gilbert bowed his head.
"I'm a little late. Where are Damien and Gwen?"
Galahad asked, handing Tom a large leather bag.
"They're training."
"They're diligent. Why are they in such a shabby barracks?"
"They're from another unit, so this is good treatment for them."
"This damp, smelly barracks is good treatment? Where is that terrible smell coming from······. Sir Gilbert, did you wash your feet properly?"
"Why should I wash my feet?"
"Horrible. That's why you're not popular."
Just then, Tom let out a scream.
The bundle that had fallen from Tom's hands spread open roughly.
Glittering things poured out from within.
Gold coins, silver coins, and even stones that emitted a soft glow.
Gilbert's eyes grew wide enough to split at the sight of the money he had never seen before in his life.