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Even as I argued with the insincere guy, there was a question that wouldn’t leave my mind.

‘How did they know I was disguised as an old man from Dark Soul?’

『Magnus’s Illusion』isn’t an artifact you can easily identify just by looking at it. Of course, mages or knights of a certain level might sense something amiss, but these guys weren’t at that level.

The black mask wasn’t skilled enough, and the insincere guy didn’t show any signs of having practiced mana manipulation.

‘…’

But there was no room for frustration. I wasn’t the kind of crazy mage to rely on superstitions, so I focused more intently and scanned my surroundings.

Then, at one moment…

The side of my head tingled, and when I looked to the left, I felt a sense of unease. It wasn’t a mana fluctuation, so it was hard to notice, but it felt like a ‘gaze,’ as if someone was watching me.

The closer I got to the mirror, the stronger my suspicion grew.

It was creepy. I hate being deceived. But I hate being secretly watched even more. If some bastard was hiding and watching me, I was going to rip their head off.

I looked at the insincere guy’s face, and it was stiff.

Fwoosh—

As I reached into the mirror, anticipating what kind of bastard’s face would appear, I encountered an unexpected situation.

‘Huh?’

The energy emanating from the other side of the mirror was reacting with the mana of the Yin dimension.

And I knew the identity of this energy.

‘There was still one left?’

It wasn’t human.

The Shadow Clan.

It was definitely the energy of the Shadow Clan, whom I thought had been wiped out by the demons during the expedition.

‘… There must have been one who didn’t participate in the expedition.’

Surprise is fleeting.

The source of the Shadow Clan’s power is difficult for ordinary knights or mages to deal with. This is because they take the form of intangible shadows.

They can’t be caught, they can’t be touched.

But they chose the wrong opponent. If this guy had participated in the expedition, they wouldn’t be pulling this kind of idiotic stunt in front of me.

“Impressive.”

I admired the shadow creeping up my arm, consuming my wrist. Then, I immediately reversed the rotation of the circle, drawing in the mana of the Yin dimension.

Dark Lightning.

As I detonated the Dark Lightning with the hand I had inserted into the mirror, the space beyond it began to crumple with intense pressure.

Faaaaaaaaaaaang—!

“What are you doing!”

The insincere guy’s composure was completely shattered. They expected me to die, but when they saw this unprecedented phenomenon, they started trembling.

I glared at the insincere guy and said,

“I told you, you insincere guy bastard. There’s no second chance. If you were going to deceive me, you should have done it properly. To think you were sneakily targeting me like this… Let’s finish this today.”

The mirror gradually turned black, and a sound as if it were about to tear filled the air. The insincere guy said urgently,

“Please stop, Ruin. I had no intention of killing you. Let’s end it here.”

At that moment, the black mask, who had been watching, drew their black sword and charged. I kept my hand in the mirror and twisted my waist to dodge.

Then, with my other hand, I picked up a nearby stone and faced the black mask.

“Stop, Marco!”

The insincere guy intervened to stop the black mask and declared surrender.

“Ruin, I admit we deceived you. Please, if you continue, the Young Master will be in danger too. I’m not bluffing. Just listen to me first and then decide.”

I briefly checked my own condition. The Dark Lightning was still shrinking the subspace beyond the mirror, but the space was too vast. It was difficult to maintain the Dark Lightning until I dragged out the Shadow Clan member.

However, I was irritated with the insincere guy, so I pushed in more mana, determined to see this through to the end.

“Shut up!”

“Young Master!”

The insincere guy made eye contact with me and waved their hands frantically.

Pretending to be generous, I withdrew my hand…

Only then did they rush over and examine the mirror on the wall for a while before sighing.

“… Thank you.”

I glared at the insincere guy and said,

“What’s your identity?”

“…”

After a long silence, staring at the mirror, the insincere guy gestured for the black mask to leave before speaking.

“Ruin, are you perhaps a superhuman?”

I looked at the insincere guy with an expression that said, “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?” They sighed again.

* * *

The last descendant of the Shadow Clan.

Yeong Xiao was watching the unfamiliar intruder through 『Luminous』.

After a long period of boredom, something interesting was finally happening.

It was the first time Yeong Xiao had seen the contractor display such a flustered emotion.

‘Hmm.’

This human was quite deep.

Wasn’t the contractor gradually getting caught up with the intruder?

In the end, Yeong Xiao decided to observe the intruder directly with 『Luminous』, which could see through the truth of the opponent.

However.

As time passed, Yeong Xiao also grew curious about the intruder.

‘… Strange.’

Even with 『Luminous』, they couldn’t grasp the intruder’s intentions.

‘Could their mental barrier be that strong?’

It was incomprehensible.

The truth revealed by the Divine Relic was something even their fellow clan members, who had cultivated their skills for a long time, couldn’t withstand.

How could a human, whose lifespan doesn’t even reach 100 years, do it?

‘… I need to observe a little longer.’

Yeong Xiao focused their gaze on the intruder a little closer through 『Luminous』. They felt the need to observe them in more detail.

The intruder gradually approached the Divine Relic…

‘What a peculiar-looking human.’

As they looked closely at the intruder’s face…

‘… What?’

Yeong Xiao felt an illusion as if they had made eye contact with the intruder. The intruder’s expression subtly distorted.

It was as if the intruder was looking at them through 『Luminous』, just as they were looking at the intruder.

‘That can’t be. I must be imagining things.’

Yeong Xiao immediately shook off the strange sense of unease.

The clan’s Divine Relic, 『Luminous』.

Humans existing in the outside world couldn’t perceive the Shadow Clan sealed within 『Luminous』.

That was a truth that had remained unchanged for ages. Unless Yeong Xiao willed it, no being could sense their presence.

However.

As they watched the intruder slowly bring their face closer to the mirror, Yeong Xiao’s anxiety gradually grew.

The intruder’s eyes were fixed directly on them.

‘… Can they see me?’

At that moment.

Flash—

The intruder thrust their arm into the mirror. Surprisingly, the intruder’s arm appeared in the subspace where Yeong Xiao resided and began to flail around wildly.

‘H-how?’

The surprise was momentary.

They didn’t know how it was possible, but…

This was their domain.

‘You have no chance, human.’

Once inside 『Luminous』, no one could escape without their permission. Yeong Xiao immediately tried to use the clan’s secret technique to restrain the intruder.

‘…?’

However, the following phenomenon shocked Yeong Xiao.

The entire space was warping. The terrifying energy emanating from the intruder’s fingertips was destroying and constricting the entire space where they existed.

‘Could this be…?’

Mana that could exert physical force in a space where the laws of physics didn’t apply.

‘… Unbelievable. Is this a human who has reached the level of a superhuman?’

As the entire space contracted, Yeong Xiao felt an unspeakable fear. If this continued, they might even be annihilated.

Even if they used their last remaining secret technique, they weren’t confident they could handle the intruder.

At this moment.

Yeong Xiao’s pride as the last descendant of the Shadow Clan.

The goal of fulfilling the Shadow Clan’s wishes.

None of it mattered.

[Contractor, this person is not someone you can handle.]

They could only hope that the contractor would make the best decision before it was too late.

* * *

“Superhuman… That’s an interesting thing to say.”

The insincere guy responded with a bitter laugh.

“Of course. That wouldn’t be the case. I’m Kant, in charge of the Leon branch of the Calpheon Information Guild.”

“Calpheon Information Guild?”

The insincere guy, who introduced himself as Kant, laughed bitterly.

“You really don’t know, do you?”

“…”

“It’s not a secret organization. Any mercenary with a decent reputation knows about us. They just don’t know where we are. If you knew about us, Ruin, you wouldn’t have approached us like this. That’s why we were wary.”

I asked the insincere guy,

“You said you’re in charge of the Leon branch, so why are you stuck in Khaoto?”

“It’s a diversion. I have my contacts in Leon.”

This means they made it hard to find them.

The structure is that someone contacts them through a liaison, and then they verify the identity before meeting.

“I see. So you’re not particularly interested in Khaoto.”

“I’ve become interested in you, Ruin. Just how long have you been hiding…?”

I looked at Kant and got to the point.

“Explain first. You weren’t trying to backstab me?”

Kant nodded and replied,

“You misunderstand. Even if you were an apprentice mage, Ruin, I had no intention of backstabbing you. I was purely curious about the artifact you possess. I already knew it wasn’t an illusion magic.”

Kant said, touching the mirror.

If there had been a mana fluctuation, the Shadow Clan would have noticed, so it wasn’t a lie.

I pointed to the mirror and said,

“What’s that?”

Kant shook his head resolutely.

“I can’t tell you.”

“That’s a problem. I don’t trust you. How do I know if what you’re saying is true or not? I need to know.”

I stood up and glared at Kant again. I took a stance as if I would attack with mana at any moment, but Kant remained firm.

“I’m sorry.”

He was a gutsy one.

Since he looked like he wouldn’t open his mouth even if I beat him to death, I spoke first.

“Is it a Divine Relic of a heteromorphic race?”

“… Huh.”

Kant’s jaw dropped involuntarily. He had never experienced such emotional fluctuations in his entire life. He just stood there with his jaw hanging open like a nutcracker doll that wouldn’t close.

“…”

It was only after a long time that he spoke again.

“Ruin.”

“What?”

“… I want to make a deal.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to invest in you, Ruin, not as the Information Guild, but personally.”

I pondered the meaning of Kant’s words.

“Explain it so I can understand.”

“Calpheon is a cell organization. They wouldn’t bat an eye even if a branch manager like me died.”

“…”

“I’ll provide you with any information you want, Ruin. In return, please help me.”

I paused for a moment and then said,

“You want a mutually beneficial relationship. But wouldn’t it be better to hire mercenaries for that?”

“It’s risky. The moment I reveal my affiliation to them, I don’t know when they might betray me.”

“You seem to be overestimating my abilities.”

Kant shook his head and pointed at himself.

“I’m not trusting you, Ruin. I’m trusting my instincts. Of course, I’m not asking for anything grand. Just a mutually beneficial relationship. That’s enough. Of course, you can always refuse if you’re not interested.”

“How can I trust your words?”

Kant pushed the mirror forward.

“Among the elves, there are Gray Elves called the Shadow Clan. They’re believed to be extinct now, so you probably haven’t heard of them. This mirror is the Gray Elves’ Divine Relic, Luminous. It has the ability to discern truth and create illusionary realms.”

I stared at Kant for a moment.

I didn’t expect him to tell the truth. He had a backbone that was too good for a mere underling of an organization. There were still many unclear points, but this was enough for now.

“Let’s do it. Fine. I won’t ask how you got it.”

Kant met my eyes.

“Tell me what you want, Ruin. Of course, you don’t have to tell me now, you can come back later and…”

I cut Kant off and said,

“I’ll tell you now. I want to know about Urgon.”

“… I need some time.”

I stood up and said,

“I’ll be expecting it. Let’s see how capable you are.”

Kant grinned from his seated position.

“Understood.”

* * *

The dawn wind blew chilly.

After leaving [Vanilla Sky], I walked west again.

There were some things that didn’t sit right with me, but I decided to keep an eye on Kant for the time being. He wasn’t interested in Khaoto and didn’t seem like he would be an obstacle to Samael.

Kant probably intended to use me, but there was no harm in me using him as well.

In a way, we were both dreaming different dreams in the same place. Since we were in the same place, I could always take him down if he did anything strange.

As I walked in the wind, I saw a sign in the distance.

[Red Sunset Tavern]

According to the documents Kant gave me, there was a reason why an all-out war hadn’t broken out.

Bayern had stabbed Dark Soul several times, but Dark Soul hadn’t responded.

It seemed they had held back due to lack of power. They were spineless rats without any pride.

However, Bayern couldn’t just recklessly attack Dark Soul either.

Bayern didn’t have many members from their main family and relied on hired mercenaries to run their business. The monthly cost of paying them was considerable. If a full-scale war broke out, they would surely face financial difficulties, so it seemed they had settled for a temporary truce.

Then the answer was clear.

Which one should I poke to reignite the flames?

If my prediction was correct, the rats of Dark Soul would be filled with resentment.

That’s how third-rate gangsters are. If someone keeps provoking them and their superiors tell them not to respond, wouldn’t resentment build up?

If I provoke them further, they’ll bite Bayern, right?

I had no other choice.

Because today, I was going to beat up some rats.

———-