------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
------------------
Chapter 187: Eat It First
I quickly finished my conversation with Black and left the White Magic Tower.
Accelerating to my maximum speed, I arrived at the city center, where the transport carriages were gathered.
If Karios contacted me through the crystal ball, it was likely urgent. Maybe he found evidence about them.
As soon as I got into the magic carriage, the driver asked,
"Where to, sir?"
"Blue Magic Tower. As fast as possible, please."
"Certainly."
As I sat down, the carriage sliced through the wind with the feeling of my body floating up into the air.
Facing the cold wind blowing through the window, I briefly reflected on my meeting with Black.
They say he's called a once-in-a-millennium genius even within the Baltahars.
The more I see him, the more he reminds me of the Sword Saint of the past.
The distinct aura unique to Baltahar swordsmen felt natural.
I don't like his face, but he's a strong guy nonetheless.
Even aside from his age, he's already a superhuman.
'If I remember correctly, he called him Asura?'
I recalled the conversation I had with Black right before we parted.
Black said it was difficult even for him to grasp, so it seems like all those guys with half-masks are quite skilled.
What's certain is that they are strongly wary of Black.
They were already fully prepared to lure Black in the special-grade Demon Realm.
I heard that Black's physical condition wasn't perfect when he was in the Demon Realm.
There were similarities to the symptoms Fichte suffered. He had met with a direct descendant of Bellusia right before entering the Demon Realm.
"We're almost there."
For now, I asked Black to keep an eye on the situation at the main family and promised to meet again.
It was quite a meaningful encounter.
"We've arrived."
Suddenly, the magic carriage landed with a jolt, sending my body lurching forward.
Thud
As soon as I opened the door, a cold chill swept in.
A desolate wasteland.
I handed the driver a gold coin and started running towards the Blue Magic Tower in front of me.
There was no time to hesitate.
* * *
"I apologize."
As soon as I arrived at the Blue Magic Tower, I couldn't hide my bewildered feelings.
Someone had come to greet me.
"You're saying Karios is away?"
"He asked me to tell you that he'll contact you again."
This man bowed his head to me at the main gate.
I had seen him in Karios' office before. The aide to the Blue Magic Tower Head.
"I came in a hurry, and now I've been stood up."
"...I apologize."
"How long has he been gone?"
"About three hours."
It was roughly three hours ago that the color of the crystal ball changed.
That meant something so urgent had happened that he had to leave immediately after contacting me.
"And he didn't say where he was going?"
"He didn't say anything in particular. Judging by the fact that he left on foot, he probably didn't go far."
"Hmm."
Karios was definitely a man of few words.
Did he think there might be a traitor within the Blue Magic Tower?
"This is troublesome. I can't just wait indefinitely."
After some thought, I said to the aide,
"For now, please tell the Tower Head to contact me when he returns. I'll be back within an hour."
"Certainly."
Black had returned to his main family, and it was a bit awkward timing to go back to the White Magic Tower.
I couldn't be too far away if I wanted to get there quickly when Karios contacted me.
While loitering nearby, I suddenly remembered the orders I had given to Arin and Phalge, and started wandering around as if patrolling the wasteland in the southern part of the city.
"...Where did these guys find a house?"
I specifically told them to find a place in the deserted southern part of the city, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn't see anything that resembled a dwelling.
I deliberately used movement techniques to climb to higher ground and looked out over the desolate south, but all I could see was the Blue Magic Tower.
'Maybe they haven't found a house yet.'
Lost in thought, I turned back towards the city center of Keplan.
Even if I received an urgent message, I could quickly get here from the city center.
* * *
Perhaps I might even run into Karios in the city center.
As soon as I reached the central area where the clock tower was visible, I deliberately walked through the crowded streets, but unfortunately, there was no sign of him.
"..."
As expected, it was just wishful thinking on my part.
The chances of running into him were too low.
I wandered along the main streets, then turned left and right into alleys, and even stopped by Hote's shop to say hello.
"Ruin!"
"Full house again, I see. Keep selling lots."
I came out to the main street again and this time headed out of the central area towards the temporary residence in the northeast.
"Who is it?"
"I've come to the right place."
"We just moved in recently. But who are you?"
"Let me tell you about myself... No, that's not right. Is there by any chance a dimwit—no, they won't understand if I say it like that. Does a very fat guy and a tall guy, along with some other dimwitted-looking fellows, live here by any chance?"
"What's with this crazy person? We don't have any money, so go beg somewhere else."
Slam!
The door slammed shut, and I was turned away from the place that used to be my temporary residence.
"..."
Act natural.
I deliberately walked through alleys with few people, then turned into crowded alleys three times, and by then I was certain.
Someone has been tailing me for a while now.
I had felt something strange ever since I arrived in the central area of Keplan.
They were moving so elusively that I was confused at first, sensing them on one side and then suddenly on the other, but now I was sure.
'It's not just one.'
There are two.
Exactly two guys were tailing me.
One of them was particularly skilled at tailing.
I could definitely feel their gaze, but the moment I tried to pinpoint their location, it would disappear.
'Hmm.'
It was unsettling that someone started tailing me as soon as I received Karios's message.
Like a dog told to "wait" with its food right in front of it, I continued walking.
But there was a limit.
If I lured them a little further, I could perfectly corner the master of tailing, but I couldn't bear it any longer.
The more I tried to compose myself, the more I heard a woof woof sound in my ears.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
A mad dog doesn't hold back.
Whoosh!
My body moved first.
I immediately ran towards the spot where I felt the gaze.
In the meantime, the gaze that was watching me disappeared, but it didn't matter.
As soon as I turned into the alley where I last felt the gaze, I was suddenly met with a crowd of pedestrians.
My temper flared, and with flames in my right hand and frost in my left, I unleashed my Transcendental Movement.
"Wh-what?"
"He's crazy!"
"Get the patrol!"
I went even further, enhancing my Transcendental Movement with my footwork technique Grass Serpent that allowed me to glide across the ground, and the surrounding commotion grew louder.
"Get out of the way!"
"Move!"
"He's a crazy ghost!"
Like an unbridled black steed, I ran madly through the streets, and then suddenly turned my gaze to the left.
I made eye contact with someone.
While everyone else was looking at me like I was crazy, this guy's gaze was different.
That's him.
The master of tailing, who met my eyes, turned with a whoosh and ran into a back alley.
But I had already pinpointed his location. I wasn't going to lose him this time.
As he ran, moving elusively, I chased after him like a ghost, silently and swiftly.
Every time he looked back, he saw me getting closer, and suddenly let out a terrified sound.
"Eek!"
"You're getting a forehead flick if I catch you."
As the distance between us closed to less than a breath, I opened my circle.
I was going to hit him on the back of the head with a stone.
Just as I hardened my right hand like solid rock and was about to grab his head...
From the window of a house to the left, someone's hand reached out faster than I could react. I dodged with a jerk of my head.
'There was another one?'
As soon as I looked to the left, an ordinary-looking man I had never seen before emerged from the window, met my eyes, and whispered,
"We are allies, Ruin."
"What?"
In the meantime, the master of tailing had disappeared.
Suddenly annoyed, I flicked my finger at the window.
"You take the hit instead."
My flick shattered the window and continued on the same trajectory, striking the man's forehead.
The man, with glass shards embedded in his forehead, collapsed with a thud, then got back up and suddenly held out his palm to me.
"We are allies, Crazy Mage."
"Take another one."
Just as I was about to flick him again, the man hurriedly brought his palm up to my face.
I looked at it, wondering what it was, and saw small writing on his palm.
[Confirmed Parine's secret organization. Confirmed Bellusia's involvement, suspicion on Blue Magic Tower Head. Presumed all vassal clans are involved. Movement detected within us as well.]
I stared directly at the man.
"The Faker sent you. It would have been better if he came himself."
"Please understand that he cannot leave his position."
"...He suspects Karios?"
"He had no other message."
"Why were you tailing me?"
The man whispered in a low voice,
"There were eyes watching."
"Eyes watching?"
Suddenly, I felt strange and asked,
"How many of you came?"
"Two, including myself."
"Oh no."
There were originally two guys tailing me.
That is, including this guy, there should be three.
This meant that one of the guys originally tailing me was from the other side.
"May I go now? If you have anything to say, please tell me."
"Tell him to come in person next time."
"Understood."
I left the alley and slowly walked down the street.
Everyone was avoiding me as if I were a madman.
Ah, how lonely.
Meanwhile, someone shouted in surprise,
"Wait a minute. Is that... the Dark Light?"
"Nah, no way. That crazy guy?"
"No, I think it's the Crazy Mage. His face is similar."
"That's right. That's him. I'm sure of it. I saw him at the Pablo Auction House a while ago."
Hmm.
I was wondering how to pretend it wasn't me when...
Suddenly, people surrounded me and started shouting.
"Dark Light! Dark Light! Dark Light!"
"Oh my god... I heard he was half-crazy, but to actually see it in person..."
"Wooaah!"
My mouth reacted on its own to this completely unexpected response.
"Shut up!"
"Just like I thought! Wooaah!"
"I said shut up!"
"Do more!"
"No, Crazy Mage, where are you going? Where are you going!"
* * *
When I came to my senses, I had arrived at a street I had never seen before.
They were quite scary, chasing after me like crazy even though I was running hard.
I barely managed to shake off the crowd and looked around, only to see drunkards wandering about and hear the noisy sounds of laughter and chatter.
Did Keplan have a place like this?
Taverns lined both sides of the street, and I suddenly turned my gaze towards the corner of an alley.
He's still tailing me? Seriously?
I immediately ran towards the guy with the audacity to still be following me. He was an amateur at tailing, so there was no way I'd lose him.
'Hmm.'
He didn't even seem to realize he had been discovered.
As I slowly approached him, he naturally walked on, pretending to be a passerby.
His act was so ridiculous that I slowly followed him.
After walking along the tavern-lined street for a few minutes, a familiar sight suddenly appeared.
'Was this it?'
The moment the thought crossed my mind, the guy entered a tavern at the end of the alley.
I immediately followed him into the tavern.
It probably wasn't more than 5 seconds behind him.
But in that 5-second difference, he had completely disappeared.
No, more than disappeared, there wasn't a single customer in the tavern.
The empty tavern had only tables scattered around.
At that moment, the man who was cooking in the kitchen greeted me.
"You're here again?"
"No customers today either, huh?"
I glanced around and casually took a seat.
As if it were natural, the man from the kitchen brought out fried chicken and moonshine.
"I heard you were looking for a chef."
"As you can see, there are no customers."
"Did you make this yourself, then?"
"Of course."
"Your clothes are pretty clean for that."
The man looked down at his clean white clothes and then back at me.
"Do you mind if I sit with you?"
"Go ahead."
The man sat down and, with a smile, offered me a glass of moonshine.
"Please accept this, Crazy Mage."
I poured a glass of moonshine and offered it to the man.
"You drink it first. Keplan branch manager."
"..."
The man stopped smiling.
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
