Trudge, trudge.
Footsteps echoed through the deep darkness, heavy and rhythmic, exuding strength and power. Craig was the sole bearer of this momentum.
“Elder Hector.”
“The testing of the improved formula is completed. Once we inject the suggestion into the test subject and complete the necromantic ritual, we can verify the results.”
Under the scorching desert sun, their faces were pale and dry, yet they still held an unwavering trust.
The sight tugged at Craig’s heart, witnessing their unyielding faith.
“Yes… Let’s discuss the progress of the experiment once the preparations are done. I will personally oversee it.”
“Understood. Ah, and…”
As Hector turned away, he seemed to remember something.
“Supplies have arrived from Falcon again. It feels like they keep sending us items we don’t really need…”
“I know,” Craig nodded.
“The first phase of the experiment is nearly complete, and they probably want to make it as interesting as possible before we confirm the results.”
Ever since cooperating with Falcon, they never lacked anything due to the supplies they provided. Abundant resources and diligent progress in the experiment. However, amidst all this, Craig couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Perhaps the first button, the starting point of all these events, was wrongly fastened. While he thought he was prepared for anything when he resisted the council’s persuasion, he found his determination wavering at times.
Shaking his head, he tried to push away these wavering emotions.
He had chosen the path they were already on, and he couldn’t afford to have any regrets. Even if that path led to the spilling of innocent blood. He had vowed to give everything for this cause, and he could only hope it would lead to a better future.
“The preparation for the deployment of the ‘area’ you mentioned is complete. Let’s move to the labor site.”
“Okay.”
Craig left the spot, and at the bottom of the empty cavity, the thick roots of an ancient tree twisted emptily.
***
In a dark basement, water dripped from rusty ceilings, and the wind caused hinges to creak in the dimness. Lennok and Hina looked grimly at a man writhing with his body bound.
“Evelyn?”
“…Do you address the team leader as if you’re friends? You’ve got guts,” Hina responded, finding the familiarity absurd.
“She’s probably busy arguing with the council now. Reducing our authority is one thing, but cutting the budget is unacceptable.”
“Are you saying that they didn’t agree on these matters beforehand? I can’t understand that.”
“Just like a frightened puppy, he realized his position was in danger and rebelled.”
In other words, Reisen tried to reduce the budget for the agents unilaterally after suspecting movement from the agent side.
Lennok shifted his focus to the man before them. The wizard he had captured during an operation at the trade center. He had handed him over to the agents, but surprisingly, he was still alive.
“All preparations for the operation are complete. All that’s left is to gather our hired team members at the site,” Hina said calmly. “But I want to get one last validation from that wizard.”
“So, you need cross-validation.”
“Yes. We’ve subjected him to various interrogations, but his mental barrier, as a skilled wizard, is remarkably strong. Killing him right away wouldn’t be a problem, but… I think it’s best to alleviate as much unease as possible.”
“Hmm…”
Lennok understood her reasoning. He was familiar with her approach to dealing with matters of life and death, not wanting to leave any room for doubt.
With a faint smile, Lennok stood up and replied, “Alright. But this is the only time you’ll get a pass.”
“…What?”
It was preposterous that the city government’s hounds, armed with at least ten torturers, couldn’t extract a word from the Level 4 wizard.
Hina is now suspicious of whether Lennok was in cahoots with the terrorist organization, given that he had kept the wizard alive.
She brought him here to verify whether he could personally interrogate the wizard.
Lennok looked down at her and slowly infused mana, casting a bluish gaze that illuminated the dark room.
“If Evelyn, who hired me personally, didn’t authorize this, then it must be your unilateral decision. I get that.”
“What do you mean? I don’t understand…”
“But if you doubt me once more, this deal is over.”
Lennok had accepted collaboration with the agents to leverage their power in finding Craig. However, on the surface, he cooperated with Evelyn because of a life debt, not for the sake of the monstrous organization known as the agency. Had Hina properly understood Lennok’s outward reasons, this situation might have been avoided. He decided to play along with her ignorance.
Seeing Hina shying away, visibly shrunk, Lennok turned away and pulled out a cigarette. He kicked open the door to the small room and entered.
Bang!
Though the wizard’s eyes were covered and his limbs bound to the chair, he could still hear the noise. Annoyed, the wizard moved restlessly but offered no resistance.
Lennok approached the wizard, removed the blindfold, and locked eyes with him. The wizard blinked a few times and looked around before finally recognizing Lennok, scrunching up his face slightly.
“Damn it, it’s you again.”
“Long time no see.”
“Shit, I thought you were going to kill me quickly. Why are you dragging me around like this? Do your job properly.”
Lennok chuckled at the wizard’s attitude, which hadn’t changed a bit.
The indifference that made it seem like it wasn’t his problem.
But the heart beating and breathing in that room undeniably belonged to him.
His composure even in this dead-end situation was undoubtedly an innate trait.
Lennok smiled and said to him, “Listen, I don’t know how this will sound… but I don’t hate an indifferent guy like you.”
“…What the hell are you talking about?”
“So, let’s make this easy. When I can easily kill you.”
No matter how the situation shifted, Lennok never lost sight of the essence of the problem.
The wizard before him was just a member of the terrorist organization, Falcon. He had likely killed innocent people, stolen, and caused destruction without remorse.
Lennok’s conscience was not so thick as to feel guilt or responsibility for such an individual.
“What have you been… Ahh, Ugh!!!”
Bang!
Lennok didn’t need any more answers. He shot an electric spell, bashing the wizard.
The wizard’s body was thrown like a rag doll, hitting the wall, blood splattering.
“Cough, Cough!!”
Looking down at the gasping wizard, Lennok leisurely lit his cigarette.
“Tell me where your boss is hiding. Where is Jaun Odys?”
“Ch, Chukhukhukh……”
The wizard let out a grim laugh and spat saliva.
“Damn, you bastard.”
Bang!
With that, as if all the non-resistance until now was a lie, the wizard exploded with mana, charging at Lennok.
Up until now, he had been conserving his mana, just in case, but the moment he saw Lennok’s attitude, he gave up on the possibility of surviving.
It was a highly inefficient decision for a wizard to hold back until the very end and fail to seize opportunities. However, Lennok seemed to appreciate that audacity.
[Helix Wind]
Whizz!
An intangible whirlwind, forming out of thin air, pierced the wizard’s abdomen in the blink of an eye.
Even while screaming inaudible cries of pain, the wizard did not give up, desperately reaching out for Lennok.
But a shadow emerged from the darkness, quicker, grabbing his thin arm.
Bang!
“Arrgh…!!”
The wizard hung in the air, his arm raised in an odd posture, covered in blood in the blink of an eye.
“I ask you one last time,” Lennok demanded, “Where is Jaun Odys?”
“He, hehe… Kill me!”
But it wasn’t the wizard’s cynical response that mattered; it was his desperate eyes, accepting his imminent death.
Lennok carefully observed the strong resolution reflected in the wizard’s eyes and finally nodded.
That’s enough.
This wizard didn’t even consider the possibility that the key they took might be a fake.
The operation was safe.
Lennok exchanged glances with Hina and let out a sigh.
“Phew… okay.”
The stubborn inefficiency of the wizard’s decision was understandable to Lennok.
He didn’t know what kind of life the wizard had lived.
The mental strength, cheerfulness, and deep seriousness the wizard possessed, even in the face of death, might be the result of being part of a terrorist organization.
Lennok could accept that such a life and values existed, but he had no intention of respecting them.
Whoooom!!
Lennok unleashed all his mana, thrusting it into the mouth of the sagging wizard.
The strong mana infiltrated deeply into the wizard’s body, causing his bloodied face to tremble violently.
Lennok identified the source of mana flowing within the wizard and twisted it.
It had been a while since he used mana interference, and this time, it was more complex as it involved simultaneous manipulation of two flows.
The powerful mana manipulation ability he had developed through consistent research, along with his high mana reaction ability, both came into play. All the mana possessed by the wizard was delivered into Lennok’s hands.
In theory, it was almost as if he had complete control over the person’s existence.
Regardless of the growth of Lennok’s mana, his manipulation ability continued to evolve beyond his own comprehension.
He had a vague confidence in distinguishing what he could and couldn’t do, and a faint belief in the increasing scope of his abilities.
Now, this domination, stemming from his supreme talent, even ensnared a wizard of comparable level.
“Ugh, ugh…….?”
The mana essential for the wizard’s existence had been completely twisted.
The wizard felt as if his entire being was in someone else’s hands.
His eyes bulged with disbelief at what was happening to him.
Lennok looked down at the expression, wandering to find his face even as the wizard lost focus, and spoke softly.
“If you’ve lied since I entered this room, tell me.”
“……”
“Now.”
A moment of silence.
And then, the flame of life burned brightly in the face of imminent death.
The wizard looked up at Lennok with a clearer gaze than ever before and slowly nodded.
“So… this was magic.”
“……”
“Oh, master…….?
Lennok closed his eyes.
Crack!!
The echoing shadow bore witness to another life falling into Lennok’s hands.
Straightening his coat, Lennok immediately left the room and told Hina, “The next time you contact me it should be after the rendezvous point is decided.”
“…..Of course.”
***
“It’s more than rumors.”
With Lennok gone, Hina watched as the clean-up crew removed the body.
A gloomy-looking young man appeared behind her and muttered.
He was quite tall, with his head almost touching the ceiling—a rather striking figure.
“I knew he was bold and clever, but I didn’t realize he had such a firm grip.”
“……”
“I guess that last bit was probably a warning to you, Hina.”
(To be Continued)
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