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“I’ll ask one by one. Time is short, so answer quickly. Tell me who you are.”

“……”

Without hesitation, I applied pressure to the fingers gripping his head.

Crack—

“Kugh.”

I smiled, meeting the writhing Alvin’s eyes.

“Answer my questions immediately. If you don’t, I’ll blow your head off. I’m a man of my word.”

Feeling the sincerity in my smile, Alvin shuddered. He had never encountered a man like me before, so he was completely flustered. Moreover, he hadn’t expected his identity to be exposed, leaving him no time to compose himself.

“Your identity.”

“Kugh… I’m… the vice-leader of the Valpong Merchant Group… and Urgon’s eunuch.”

So, he wasn’t just a member of the Valpong Merchant Group, but Urgon’s personal eunuch.

I had many questions, but I kept it brief and to the point.

“What is the External Affairs Manager doing right now? What’s his scheme?”

As I released my grip, Alvin let out a sigh and replied,

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I really don’t… Gah!”

I slammed my fist into Alvin’s mouth with my other hand. With my mana open to the Yin dimension, I channeled dark lightning into my right hand and gently touched his head.

Bzzzzt—

“Ugggghhh!”

Alvin foamed at the mouth and his eyes rolled back as he felt the agonizing pain of his brain being wrung like a wet rag.

Just before he passed out, I withdrew the dark lightning and met his eyes again.

“You don’t know?”

Alvin stared blankly at my mud-colored pupils and started to whimper. A few more seconds, and his head would have been nothing but an empty shell, so it was understandable. He was out of his mind, his eyes filled with utter terror.

Seeing him like that reminded me of a troll-like demon from my past life who died before me.

“Kugh… I really don’t know.”

His eyes told me he was sincere.

“What were you doing last night?”

“I was just… following orders… in Tyil’s… room… Kugh.”

“I can’t understand what you’re saying. So, you were doing something.”

Suddenly, I rummaged through my inner pocket and pulled out a damp pill. I didn’t have time to wait for this incoherent fool.

“Open your mouth.”

I held Alvin upright, struck his chin to open his mouth, and shoved the pill in.

“Here comes the medicine, you bastard.”

I pretended to slap his mouth shut, and Alvin instinctively swallowed—gulp. I pointed at Alvin’s face and said,

“If you don’t get the antidote within a day, you’ll die. It’s a poison that makes your face explode. I can already see the bubbles starting to form.”

Alvin’s face turned purple.

He was already out of his mind, unable to discern the truth of my words.

Moreover, it was difficult to easily grasp the side effects of the pill Layla had given me.

“Kugh…”

“Find out what the External Affairs Manager is plotting. Feel free to betray me. It’s a poison made by a cunning woman, so even if you beg Urgon, you won’t be able to get the antidote in a day. You’ll regret it when your face explodes.”

“……”

“Answer me. Val. Pong. Mer. chant. Group’s Alvin?”

As if possessed, Alvin replied,

“Y-yes, sir.”

When I gazed intently into Alvin’s eyes, he flinched and looked away.

It seemed this guy didn’t hold a crucial position in Urgon.

He was a coward, so it didn’t seem like he would immediately blab to Urgon.

I briefly opened my mana circle and checked if there was anyone around. Seizing the opportunity while no one was around, I quietly opened the door and slipped out.

***

It was a shame that Alvin didn’t know much, but it couldn’t be helped.

It wasn’t a crucial matter anyway. The important thing was confirming that he was a spy.

Now that Urgon had made their move, I had to act as well if I didn’t want to be a fool.

As I opened the door to my room and stepped inside, the three people who had been engaged in a serious conversation stopped and looked at me. Blair spoke with a sense of urgency,

“Where have you been? The atmosphere isn’t looking good.”

I nodded and went straight to the point.

“Alvin is indeed a spy.”

“As expected.”

“I just met him. He confessed to being a spy himself.”

“Did you kill him?”

“What do you take me for? What’s with those looks?”

Blair was about to say, “You’re definitely capable of that,” but shook his head.

“Never mind. So?”

“Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to know much. For now, I told him to find out what the External Affairs Manager is up to. Of course, it’s best not to get our hopes up.”

“What?”

Taylor frowned and said,

“That’s foolish. If he tells Urgon about this, we’ll be in danger.”

Before I could reply, Blair interjected.

“…It probably won’t be a big problem, Senior Brother.”

“Why is that?”

“Alvin publicly represents the Valpong Merchant Group. If Ruin retaliates, it will be against Valpong, not Urgon, so there won’t be any immediate problems. In fact, it’s more likely that he’ll be reprimanded by his superiors for being caught.”

I nodded.

“The spy knows that too. Besides, whether he actually snitches or not isn’t important. Urgon has already made their move. Even if they find out we suspect them, it won’t change anything. The important thing is that we’ve confirmed Alvin is a spy.”

“……”

“In the end, it’s become clear that Urgon is targeting Samael. What the External Affairs Manager is doing right now is because of us.”

I looked at each of their faces in turn and murmured,

“Relax your faces. When you have a lot on your mind…”

The three stopped thinking and looked at me.

“…find peace of mind. Only with a calm mind can you avoid getting caught up in mind games with your opponent. If you’re really curious about their moves, you can ask later.”

These words were also for myself.

After saying whatever came to mind, I immediately sat down in a meditative posture.

Like a man who meditates anytime, anywhere, I immediately began to find inner peace.

I had reached the point where simply meditating automatically calmed my mind and body.

Suddenly, I noticed the silence around me and opened my eyes to find, surprisingly, all three of them sitting in a row, meditating.

‘Funny guys.’

I chuckled to myself and closed my eyes again.

‘Peace of mind…’

Actually, the current situation wasn’t that uncomfortable. In fact, I was rather pleased that the enemies were showing their teeth.

I was a man who, if the enemy bared their teeth, would gladly pull out their gums as well. With peace of mind, I forgot about distracting thoughts, about anger, and gradually, I even began to forget about myself…

Flash—

I opened my eyes first, followed by Arin, Taylor, and Blair, who all opened their eyes wide almost simultaneously.

The four of us exchanged glances and nodded.

“They’re here.”

With a crash—, the main door downstairs burst open, and an overbearing voice filled with mana boomed throughout the building.

“Everyone come down!”

I smiled at the three of them and said,

“Time to satisfy our curiosity.”

When we went down to the first floor, the Red Phoenix Division had surrounded the annex.

They were dressed in martial attire and deliberately radiating a murderous aura. Amidst them, Layla stood out, sending a subtle smile our way.

The External Affairs Manager and the Red Phoenix Division Grandmaster were at the front, accompanied by an elder-looking man.

‘Quite a crowd they’ve brought.’

We pushed our way through the monkeys gathered in the center. The surrounding men stiffened, unsure of what to do. No one dared to speak carelessly under the pressure exerted by the Red Phoenix Division.

The External Affairs Manager raised his hand and said in a low voice,

“This is a serious matter, so we ask for your cooperation.”

Once everyone had gathered, the elder-looking man nodded once.

The Red Phoenix Division Grandmaster, along with a few of his ferocious-looking subordinates, approached us. The monkeys parted like the tide to the left and right. Step by step, the Urgon men closed in, stopping right in front of me.

Thud—!

The Red Phoenix Division Grandmaster glared at Taylor and me with a mixture of anger and contempt.

“Ruin Samael, Taylor Samael.”

As I met the Grandmaster’s gaze, I knew the moment I had been anticipating had finally arrived.

“Why are you looking at us so menacingly?”

“Come with us.”

“Where to?”

The Grandmaster looked at his subordinates and shouted with murderous intent,

“Bind them!”

Before the Red Phoenix Division could rush us, I quickly raised my hand.

“Hold on!”

With my mind already at ease, the Grandmaster looked like a harmless rabbit.

I deliberately looked towards the External Affairs Manager and asked sincerely, for I was truly curious.

“I’ll follow you like a good little rabbit, but first, tell me why you’re doing this. Do you have a justification? What’s going on all of a sudden? I can’t bear the curiosity any longer.”

As expected, the External Affairs Manager stepped forward.

It seemed he had planned to reveal the reason publicly once he had gathered all the monkeys.

I wondered what words would come out of his mouth.

What had he prepared? My response would depend on what he said.

The External Affairs Manager looked around and then spoke in a low voice.

“The Lord was nearly assassinated.”

“As expected.”

I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of admiration.

I knew it.

The “assassination attempt on Lord Balkan” was one of the roughly one hundred and ninety-one scenarios I had anticipated.

Gasps of “Huh?!” erupted from the monkeys around us. After a brief pause, the External Affairs Manager looked at Taylor and me with an expression as grave as if he were delivering a death sentence.

“Evidence has surfaced suggesting that you two dared to attempt to assassinate the Lord of Urgon.”

The monkeys, who had initially exchanged disbelieving glances, quickly covered their mouths as they realized the gravity of the situation.

Taylor glared at the External Affairs Manager and retorted,

“That’s absurd.”

A flicker of disdain crossed the External Affairs Manager’s eyes.

“Are you denying it?”

“This is preposterous.”

“Then come with us. If you’re innocent, it will be revealed.”

I exchanged glances with Taylor and nodded.

There was no point in arguing here; they surely had prepared their excuses.

The Red Phoenix Division Grandmaster let out a strange, excited cry, and his subordinates grabbed Taylor and me by the arms.

Taylor was taken first…

I pretended to be dragged along, then turned my head and asked,

“But why are only Taylor and I going? What about Blair and Arin? Samael is one body.”

I felt betrayed as I looked at Blair and Arin, who were staring at me in disbelief.

As Taylor and I exited the annex, the External Affairs Manager looked around and said,

“Apologies, everyone. Due to the nature of this matter, we had to be forceful.”

“I don’t understand what’s going on. An assassination threat? Is Lord Balkan alright?”

“Fortunately, he is safe. We will inform you of the details as soon as they are organized, but until then…”

I chuckled softly as the External Affairs Manager’s voice faded away.

Accused of attempting to assassinate Lord Balkan…

It was surprising. This meant Urgon was truly determined.

Since they revealed the reason in front of everyone, they must be confident.

But there was one thing they didn’t know.

That I was the Crazy Mage.

What an exciting, heart-pounding situation this was!

I was quite fond of seeing things through to the end.

“Are you laughing?”

“…Ah, my apologies.”

I must have let out a laugh unconsciously.

The Red Phoenix Division member holding my arm glared at me with fury.

“Walk properly.”

“Don’t be so uptight. Give me a break with the walking lessons.”

Here I was, being dragged away under false accusations, yet I couldn’t help but smile and skip along. That’s just how I am.

———-