Even Lennok wasn’t entirely detached from the situation at hand.
Upon hearing Evelyn’s words, Lennok calmly weighed the potential outcomes, realizing that her proposition didn’t necessarily put him at a disadvantage.
‘There’s no real reason to decline. If I can absolve the debt I owe Evelyn here, it’s actually a victory.’
Naturally, there was no need to elucidate this fact to her, so Lennok feigned indifference.
Jenny, after assessing Lennok’s expression, let out a sigh, realizing that they shared similar thoughts.
“Van… you’ve already aligned yourself with this side.”
Jenny, seeming resigned, took a step back and picked up a shaker.
A faint smile appeared on Evelyn’s lips as she observed Jenny’s gesture.
“Then, I will formally request the assistance of Wizard Van and Dylan O’Casey here.”
“I decline,” Dylan raised his hand and stated.
As Evelyn turned to him with a displeased expression, he shrugged and said,
“You’re familiar with our office, right? We can’t venture out for a while.”
Upon hearing that, she seemed to have just realized something and let out a small gasp.
“Oh, right. Okay. I’ll have to talk to Antares separately.”
Observing Dylan smoothly extricate himself from the situation, Lennok looked at him with an unhappy gaze, but Dylan simply shrugged, wearing an expression of helplessness.
It appeared there was something he couldn’t discuss in this setting.
While the goal was to settle the debt with Evelyn and Dylan’s presence was not of paramount importance… Lennok let out a small sigh and said,
“Tell me the specific objective and compensation.”
“We don’t expect a freelancer to fully resolve this case. Rumor has it that you possess the ability to handle it… but we can’t report to the higher-ups in that manner.”
Evelyn’s glass of alcohol spun slowly in her hand.
She gazed down at it for a moment, downed the remainder of the drink in one gulp, and rose to her feet.
“The details will be conveyed through Princess Kaiser over there.”
“……”
“Then, until later.”
Just as when she first appeared, she leisurely walked out of the bar.
Lennok pursued her with his mana detection until the end, but the moment she left the bar, he realized he had lost track of her and let out a hollow laugh.
Despite his significantly improved mana sensing ability, he still couldn’t track her movements.
He thought he had made considerable progress, but there was still a long way to go.
“Jenny.”
“Sigh… I’ll gather the relevant information.”
She had unintentionally accepted the request, and as a broker, her role was clear.
She would contact the agency to gather information, inform them of their duties and rewards, and then they would initiate the operation.
It began with Lennok’s personal goal, but ironically, after a series of movements, they ended up here.
“I’d appreciate it if you could also gather some information about her.”
“Are you referring to Missile?”
“Yes. Her career thus far, combat style, background, personality… anything would be useful.”
Any information that could potentially assist him in dealing with her.
He swallowed the remainder of his sentence and turned his head.
Lennok had no intention of being careless while working with such a formidable adversary.
He needed to be well-prepared to handle any conceivable situation, considering that he had no idea what kind of person Evelyn Marcia was as an agent.
As soon as he finished his thoughts, he promptly stood up from his seat.
“Are you leaving?”
“They won’t allow much time for preparation.” Lennok responded, retrieving his coat from the bar. “It’s better to hurry from this point onwards.”
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
“Well?”
A gruff voice reverberated through the cramped attic.
“So, you want me to modify this revolver?”
An unpleasant sensation manifested in furrowed eyebrows and a twitching beard.
A bulbous nose, flushed as if from intoxication.
Facing a man whose countenance resembled that of a drunkard, Lennok responded calmly.
“There are more specific requirements, but for now, that’s correct.”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
In response to Lennok’s question, the man flung the revolver he held onto the table.
“I’m not laying a finger on this puny piece of metal. What part of this toy do you think is worthy of my touch?”
“What about this, then?”
The man blustered defiantly, but his mouth snapped shut when he saw the cutter that Lennok extracted from his coat pocket.
“To my knowledge, this cutter is something you modified and sold… quite peculiar.”
“I had no other choice. I needed the money.”
“Let’s skip the excuses.”
A brand-new revolver purchased from Gun & Barrel.
Unlike the cheap product he had previously bought at a bargain, this time it was a flagship offering from a renowned firearms company, costing him over 400,000 cells.
It boasted a shiny silver gleam, with a handle encased in pristine black leather.
A meticulously crafted cylinder and a sturdy frame.
A sleek barrel.
All of these features were more satisfying than the one he had used before, but if it couldn’t withstand Lennok’s shooting-assist magic, it was useless.
Hence, Lennok sought out a professional weapon modifier to enhance this aspect.
The man he had encountered on the street before.
Finding the man’s workshop without knowing his name took some time, but it wasn’t overly difficult.
His skills were infamous enough to be spread by word of mouth, even among anonymous thugs. As he inquired around workshops with a certain reputation, he quickly discovered it.
Of course, if he had merely been searching for a workshop specializing in gun modification, he wouldn’t have needed to go out of his way to find this particular man… but Lennok had another reason for seeking him out.
BAM!
“Then you can modify this item too.”
Lennok spoke, setting down the burden he had been carrying on his back, his expression visibly lighter.
The boss, realizing it was a double-barreled shotgun made of heavy metal, grimaced and looked up at Lennok.
“You’ve been eyeing me as if you left something valuable in my possession. What’s the reason?”
“I suppose it’s because you literally owe me, boss.”
“This is the second time I’m seeing you today?”
Instead of responding, Lennok tapped the cutter in his hand with his long index finger.
“Dyke.”
Jolt!
“I don’t think you’ll fail to recognize this name.”
The day Killian first visited Jenny’s bar.
He did mention something about the company searching for this old man.
Considering that this man, upon seeing Lennok’s cutter, claimed it as his own, it was evident whom Killian was referring to.
Lennok hadn’t paid much attention to this coincidental encounter, but he hadn’t forgotten either.
Shouldn’t he make the most of what he could leverage?
“Panua, Killian, Manya, Dustin…?”
As he continued mentioning names he knew, the man’s shoulders twitched repeatedly.
Now, a faint fear had settled upon the man’s face.
“Did the company send you? To find me?”
“Do you think I would be engaged in this casual conversation with you if that were the case? I simply wanted to inform you.”
Lennok stated with a grin.
“I’ve become acquainted with your friends while working alongside them for a while.”
“……”
“I think by now you should realize how trustworthy of a customer I am, knowing of your existence and yet deliberately not disclosing it.”
“Damn, really!”
The man exclaimed, wearing a face that had abandoned all hope.
“I’ve been defeated. You bastard. Will it be enough if I modify these two according to your preferences?”
“Obviously, but I don’t just talk.”
Saying this, Lennok retrieved a stack of bills from his pocket and casually placed it on the workbench.
Lennok grinned as he noticed the man’s eyes widen slightly.
“No matter the cost, I want you to make them the highest quality possible.”
After leaving his belongings with the man and exiting the workshop, he glanced at the signboard once again.
Palmer Workshop… That must be the name of the man who had yet to properly introduce himself.
He possessed skills that were valuable enough to have been part of the Dyke development team.
Considering Dyke Corporation’s expansion into industrial tools, Palmer’s expertise might surpass Lennok’s expectations.
“First, the firearms are taken care of… next are the magic items.”
While Lennok’s magical abilities had been steadily improving through countless battles, he had no intention of neglecting his auxiliary equipment.
No matter how potent and versatile Lennok’s magic was, the cost-effectiveness of a firearm that could unleash a dense barrage of firepower wasn’t an advantage he easily relinquished.
It was not without reason that freelancers like Dylan or Mila, despite their physical prowess, always carried guns as supplementary tools.
Furthermore, considering the utility of shooting-assist magic, the loss Lennok would incur by abandoning the gun was far outweighed by the advantage of increased mobility.
“If the work to enhance shooting-assist magic goes well… it won’t be difficult to conserve a significant amount of mana.”
There were various application methods that had remained unexplored due to a lack of expertise or insufficient mana.
Having acquired enhancement magic, Lennok could now actively employ various types of support magic, not just limited to shooting.
As he climbed higher, the view changed rapidly.
Compared to when he escaped the factory armed with a single old pistol, the possibilities available to him now were countless.
Lennok briskly departed from the bustling street, his mind busy with contemplation.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
“This is Evan Vylun, and he will be joining my lab starting today.”
The late afternoon sun poured into the classroom, casting an intense light through the windows.
Amidst the crowded classroom, a melodious female voice resonated.
Under the scrutiny of countless gazes, Lennok quietly scratched his face.
To be honest, the stares of the students seated in the classroom didn’t feel welcoming.
Unperturbed by the classroom atmosphere, Aris continued speaking with a composed demeanor.
“Evan has made remarkable contributions in the field of magical theory and possesses exceptional theoretical qualifications. He will primarily assist me in my lab, but there may be instances where he is called upon to deliver lectures. Therefore, I wanted to introduce him to all of you beforehand.”
“Nice to meet you all.”
As he greeted with a faint smile, a few people in the front row responded with brief greetings.
Most of the other students either openly frowned or displayed no interest in him whatsoever.
Having anticipated such a reception ever since he made the decision to join Aris’s lab, Lennok maintained a calm expression.
When Aris winked at him, he nodded slightly and promptly exited the classroom.
“Now, let’s commence today’s class. As I explained in the previous lecture, the core of the magic linkage that forms hydro magic is…”
With Aris’s voice faintly audible from beyond the door, Lennok covered his face with his hand.
The disguise magic was still working flawlessly.
Unintentionally revealing his true face to Aris was one thing, but there was no need to do the same with the other students at the university.
The thought of a student recognizing Lennok’s real appearance if they happened to encounter him on the street was nothing short of terrifying.
Thankfully, Lennok possessed a reliable disguise artifact. He apologized to Aris and transformed his face into that of Evan Vylun.
He didn’t expect much. It would suffice to separate his identity here from his persona as Lennok.
Lifting his head slowly, he took in the expanse of the corridor.
Rabatenon University.
It was his first day setting foot in an educational institution dedicated to nurturing wizards, an establishment he had only heard about.
Directly funded and meticulously managed by the city government, the university boasted impeccable facilities.
The surroundings boasted clean marble and exquisite chandeliers.
Thick carpets provided a cushioning effect underfoot, and despite the impending winter, the hallways exuded a cozy warmth.
Even the invigorating scent that tantalized the senses was flawlessly curated within this upscale facility.
At this level, it rivaled the opulence of Panua’s office, the planning team leader at Dyke, and was unparalleled in comparison.
“For now, I should return to the lab.”
Aris’s lab was housed in a separate building from the lecture hall, occupying an entire two-story structure exclusively for her use.
When Lennok first arrived, he briefly explored the surroundings. It appeared to be an ideal place to spend time alone, surrounded by equipment and books he had never encountered before.
Or rather, he had hoped that Aris’s lecture would run late, giving him more time to himself. Just as he was about to make his move, a sudden disturbance unfolded.
Bam!
An individual emerged from the end of the hallway, swiftly launching a sharp surge of mana directly at Lennok’s back.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
