All the potions needed for business were prepared a month in advance, and the groundwork for time-consuming research was completed. There was enough ammunition equipped, and the tobacco made was more than enough to last for fifteen days. Although there were quite a few tasks that needed to be taken care of in advance for this mission, once he actually dedicated time to it, the workload wasn’t as overwhelming as expected. Probably because all of Lennok’s attention was focused on the place he was about to visit.
After checking the functionality of the artifacts and relics he always carried, and calling Davi, who was curled up in a toad’s house, his preparations were complete.
[Are we going to a place without electricity again?]
“…I can’t guarantee that we’re not.”
[Hmph.]
It was understandable, given the recent uproar in Rabatenon. Listening to the grumblings of the lightning spirit, he left the house and blended in with the crowd.
As he moved between the bustling crowd and the quiet streets, Lennok’s face and magic pattern changed abruptly, as if frames were skipping. It wasn’t just a simple switch between Lennok and Van’s faces. Unlike the times when he was short on mana and leisure, he was now fully prepared.
As Van’s reputation and attention grew, Lennok also continued to work hard to maintain three identities. He prepared over twenty different faces and magic patterns, randomly selecting and changing their order to disguise and transform. If Van’s face always appeared where Lennok’s face disappeared, it could raise suspicions to someone observant. Of course, all of this was made possible thanks to the manipulation of magic patterns so refined that even an 8th-level archmage wouldn’t notice.
Changing Lennok’s face as soon as he left the house and carefully altering the order and faces used every two weeks were crucial precautions. Without such carefulness, Lennok couldn’t have deceived everyone about his identity so perfectly.
After cycling through approximately 18 disguises and magic patterns, Lennok finally stepped onto the street as Van and headed straight to the meeting place.
“…….”
There was a time when just being exposed to the bright lights of the downtown area made him anxious, but a lot of time has passed since then. It’s been over two years since he flowed into this city. It was enough time to become familiar within the endless flow of time.
Despite all the ups and downs during his time in the giant city, most of them were victories that Lennok had chosen and grasped himself. He survived all the conflicts and violence to get here. He hoped this mission would turn out the same way and was doing his best.
Lost in thought, he aimlessly walked the streets when a refreshingly familiar scent began to waft around him. Lennok wasn’t particularly good at remembering or noticing smells, but the moment he puzzled over the recently familiar scent, someone grabbed his sleeve.
“Aren’t you going to notice after waiting this long?”
“…Sorry.”
With neat black hair down to the shoulders and deep green eyes, the person was charming, even with a slightly furrowed brow. Evelyn glanced around quickly before pulling Lennok along the street. As Lennok naturally spread an invisible barrier to block out eavesdroppers, Evelyn opened her mouth.
“It’s the first time since then.”
“Isn’t it?”
“After saying that to me and then shamelessly contacting me first, do you have a conscience?”
Evelyn grumbled with a sullen expression.
“Shouldn’t you give me some time to think? Huh?”
“Did you tell Lapis?”
The fierce battle with the White Lion Turan at Blaiver Magic Tower. When the situation was resolved and they were parting ways, Lennok confessed that Evan, who had cooperated with the Blue Eyes, and he were the same person.
As the activities of the Pandemonium intensify, the counteraction by the Blue Eyes will also start to move. In such a situation, it was a decision made understanding that hiding the overlapping activities of Van and Evan from Evelyn would not be easy.
Evelyn Marcia was an acquaintance Lennok had known since the beginning of this venture, a responsible person who would extend a helping hand even to strangers. It would be more efficient to share some truth with her and ask for cooperation rather than to keep stressing over hiding Van and Evan’s dual identity from her. The important thing was to ensure that Lennok’s three identities were never fully exposed. As long as it wasn’t discovered that Lennok, Van, and Evan were the same person, identities could always be changed and hidden.
“…No, I won’t do it.”
Evelyn responded with a slightly darkened complexion.
“It seems the Blue Eyes are getting busy with the central front starting to act. There’s no need to add to their worries.”
“I see.”
“Ha… I thought it was strange when I heard the news. If there was a wizard capable of taking down the drug lord, I thought I would know. I never imagined things would turn out this way.”
Lennok averted his gaze as Evelyn sighed deeply.
“I’m sorry. But maybe it’s better to be careful with your words?”
“Even working as an assistant professor for Aris Richellen, was all the work I’ve done so far just a deviation of a prestigious graduate student?”
Evelyn shook her head, continuing her speech.
“I’ve seen many sorcerers, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a wizard as strange as you.”
“……”
Lennok had anticipated hearing such complaints, which is why he had avoided contacting her for a while, but it was unavoidable. Because of the information on the Gido sect member obtained in Rabatenon, he eventually had to seek Evelyn’s help.
After walking the streets and pouring out everything she wanted to say, Evelyn sighed and finally broached the main topic.
“You want to enter Eightfold Fortress?”
“…Yes.”
Lennok had tried not to worry too much about it since returning to Vulcan, but after encountering several clues about the Gido sect, he had no choice but to change his attitude. The head of Pandemonium mentioned clues about space-time magic held by the Gido sect. Then, the Order’s sudden missionary activities in Vulcan and the fact that the bishop who overturned the Necromancy Department was hiding in Eightfold Fortress. If there was a way to approach Eightfold Fortress, there was no need to hesitate.
Among the items received as a reward for helping Evelyn with the tasks at Blaiver Magic Tower, wasn’t there a ticket to participate in the auction at Eightfold Fortress? It was only natural to hear the explanation directly from Evelyn to use that item properly.
“What did that broker say?”
“She didn’t recommend it.”
Of course, Lennok had already informed Jenny of his destination. It was impossible to hide the visit to one of the most secretive organizations among the three powers that rule Vulcan’s underworld, the Trident faction, and leave.
Hearing Lennok’s words, Evelyn immediately nodded.
“I feel the same. The timing certainly isn’t great.”
Eightfold Fortress, while ostensibly ruling over Vulcan’s underworld as a single organization, is very different from other groups when its inner workings are examined.
Even the organizations of the underworld that behave like outlaws essentially maintain a system to function as organizations and establish order around a leader. However, Eightfold Fortress is as closed off externally as it is known for its endless internal strife and turmoil. This is likely because, rather than functioning as an organization, it maintains its identity as another city built within the city.
“Since the fortress’s representative died two years ago, there has been unending internal strife within the fortress,” explained Evelyn. The deceased representative was one of the more moderate among his predecessors, known for actively communicating with the outside while also suppressing internal dissent. After his sudden death, the fight to inherit his position has continued to this day. The conflict that started among the upper echelons has spread to the residents inside the fortress, significantly souring the atmosphere of the fortress over time.
“The problem is, as the power struggle among the high ranks intensifies, there has been an increase in those bringing mercenaries from outside recently.”
“It’s the perfect time to be mistaken for a mercenary, then…” Lennok pondered, stroking his chin. Disguising his identity wasn’t difficult, but ultimately, any outsider entering the fortress at this time could be perceived as a mercenary, regardless of their actual identity.
“If you enter the fortress now and catch someone’s eye, you’re likely to get entangled in some troublesome matters. That’s not what you want, right?”
“……”
“…Right?”
“Well…”
At that moment, Lennok remembered glimpsing Walter’s true form and the location where it was. The traditional high-rise building with a tiled roof, and particularly, the spacious balcony it boasted. It wasn’t difficult to guess what it meant for an outsider like Walter to occupy such a place, combining what Jenny and Evelyn had explained. There might be a possibility that the Gido sect was involved in the internal disputes of Eightfold Fortress.
‘I can’t make a judgment without seeing it for myself.’
However, instead of sharing these speculations with Evelyn, Lennok held back. Not only could he not clearly explain to her why he was suddenly tracking the Sect’s trail, but he also did not wish for the agents to get involved upon realizing the Sect’s presence.
“I’ve come prepared for that today.”
The place where Lennok and Evelyn’s steps halted was a secluded alley in Vulcan. At first glance, it looked like a messy construction site, but one distinctly different scene set it apart from the common streets. A giant concrete wall soaring high into the sky, stretching wide to the left and right, endless like the walls of a massive castle, under which hundreds of people were lined up, waiting their turn. The enormous height of the wall, easily surpassing ten meters, was covered with various trees and bushes, making it impossible to glimpse the scenery beyond.
Another city built within the city. One of the two passages that connect Eightfold Fortress with the giant city.
“Ha…”
Evelyn sighed softly, but she didn’t say anything more to Lennok. She knew well that once Lennok made a decision, he wouldn’t easily change it. Instead, Evelyn brought up a completely different topic.
“Did you know that Blue Eyes have been recruiting talent on a large scale recently?”
“Roughly.”
“With Pandemonium starting activities here and there, the number of people burning with vengeance against them has significantly increased. Among them, those with capabilities are trying to seek refuge with Lapis, standing in direct opposition to the Pandemonium.”
“……”
“Even though Lapis is too busy to pay attention right now, considering the increased number of watchers, a summons will likely be issued at some point.” It seems to be a different movement than what Grisha had mentioned.
“Think carefully about which identity you’ll use to respond to the summons. Especially since there seems to be a significant increase in watchers curious about the identity of the wizard who single-handedly defeated the drug lord.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Lennok chuckled and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, dangling it.
“So, are you going to explain how to use this now?”
The ticket Evelyn had given him as part of the payment for the last job at the Magic Tower. It was an admission ticket to the top auction house within Eightfold Fortress.
Lennok had precisely three objectives for heading to Eightfold Fortress: to pursue the bishop of the Gido sect, to search for traces of time magic within the fortress, and to participate in the top-grade auction held under the direction of the fortress’s master. Especially since he had demanded this ticket upon hearing that time flows slowly at certain sites within the fortress when he first received it from Evelyn as a reward.
“Here.”
“…”
“Why aren’t you taking it? I bought it nearby while waiting.”
A transparent glass cup filled with vegetable sticks. Hard vegetables cut into long strips for easy snacking.
As Lennok took the cup with a grimace, Evelyn happily began picking and eating the sticks.
“I didn’t expect to find such quality snacks around here. I should visit often.”
“…I might not know much, but don’t these usually come with a dipping sauce?”
When Lennok lifted the cup and mentioned, Evelyn naturally replied.
“Ah, I specifically asked to leave it out. It’s meant to be healthy, and adding some strange sauce would defeat the purpose.”
“…”
Cucumber, carrot, tomato, celery, bell pepper. There were plenty of vegetables that could easily divide preferences, but Lennok didn’t show any particular displeasure and took a bite.
In the early days after arriving in the city, there had been times when he had gone to great lengths to ensure nutritional value in his diet. Healthy food prepared in this way was familiar to Lennok.
Evelyn, knowing what Van had eaten during those times, must have felt comfortable offering such items. The fact that they had quickly built a rapport in the process was undeniable.
Evelyn, looking up at Lennok chewing the vegetables with a pleased expression, leaned against a nearby wall and said,
“Eightfold Fortress was established through negotiations among eight families gathering to form the organization. It’s complex, but it can be seen as a kind of federation.”
Observing the crowd squeezing into the fortress, Evelyn commented,
“The eight families that contributed to the creation of the fortress are granted privileges and benefits. Naturally, the selection of the master also occurs within these eight families.”
“I see.”
Lennok had nothing to say to such an obvious backdrop. It was common for founding contributors of an organization to divide up various positions and privileges.
Occasionally, a leader with power exceeding the organization might appear, cutting down the founding contributors and establishing a new order, but it seemed no such person existed within the fortress.
“The problem is that only members of the eight families can participate in the top auction held within the fortress.”
Lennok frowned upon immediately understanding the implication of her words.
“Wait, that means…”
“To enter the top auction of the fortress, one must basically participate as a representative of one of the eight families.”
“…”
Evelyn tilted her head slightly as she explained,
“The ticket you hold, Van, is a kind of invitation issued directly by the Oryun family, one of the eight. To be precise, it was created to find a representative for themselves.”
(To be Continued)
