After resolving one incident, Ludger and Casey returned to the Selmore mansion.
Though they had failed to capture the black mages who had directly ordered the attack, it wasn’t as if they had gained nothing—they had at least apprehended ex-military criminals with ties to them.
“What the. If there were rooms, you should’ve given us one sooner.”
Hearing from Frederick that a new room had been assigned, Casey, who had been waiting together with Ludger, clicked her tongue.
“I knew it. I told you it was on purpose.”
“Still, now that we’ve each been ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ given separate rooms, isn’t that a relief?”
“You’re right. It really is a relief. I almost ended up completely helpless in the hands of a wolf-like man.”
“That’s rich, coming from someone who’s more fox-like than anyone in the world. And one thing—I should remind you that you owe me twice now.”
“Oh, really? I would’ve reacted even if it wasn’t for you, you know?”
It wasn’t bluff.
Despite appearances, Casey always dispersed tiny water particles around her surroundings.
That itself was her domain, and whenever something entered that space, Casey would instantly notice.
“I owe you once.”
“Yet I saved you. Surely you wouldn’t undervalue yourself like that? Twice.”
“I’m practically the black sheep of my family anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Once.”
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten a new room assigned after this incident. Twice.”
Their tug-of-war went on, neither backing down an inch.
Seeing that it would never end this way, the two finally decided to compromise.
“Fine. I’ll be generous—let’s call it one and a half.”
“Wait. What kind of debt is one and a half? It has to be cleanly settled.”
“Then round it up to two.”
“I said I’d compromise at one and a half.”
Of course, Casey wanted to stand her ground even on the question of who was compromising.
Ludger lightly shrugged his shoulders.
“Sure, why not. Since I’m the one keeping track, I can overlook it with generous magnanimity.”
“You’re so annoying.”
“You’d better clear that debt quickly. Otherwise, who knows what I might demand.”
“Ha! Bluffing again. You think that’s going to scare me?”
“......”
“......That was bluffing, right?”
Meeting Ludger’s gaze, Casey swallowed hard.
Just for a moment, she wished someone would take a shot at Ludger right then.
Then she could save him heroically and say, “Now we’re even, debt cleared.”
But reality was harsh.
The bullet that had once flown would not be flying again.
And the place where the two were staying now was not one of danger anyway.
Just as Casey began to feel uneasy, the door opened and Marias entered.
“Are both of you alright?”
Knowing well what that question meant, Ludger and Casey nodded.
“Good. Where should I begin? To get to the point, I need your help.”
“So suddenly?”
“You’re saying if you’re asking for help, then this is something hard to handle on your own.”
Marias didn’t bother denying it.
Casey asked, puzzled.
“Even with you and your subordinates, it’s that difficult?”
“My position keeps me from acting directly. And our people are specialized in gathering information, not in cleaning up criminals.”
“Still, it’s not like they can’t do it. Agents of the Magical Intelligence Bureau aren’t the type to be dismissed anywhere.”
“If we wanted, it’s not impossible. But you know as well as I do—to launch such an operation requires time, manpower, and authorization from above.”
Casey snorted.
“Authorization, huh. You’re the one who stamps the papers. You can even draft the documents yourself.”
“If I were to abuse that just because I could, I wouldn’t be fit for my position. A post carries responsibility.”
“So you’re asking us because it’s hard to move immediately?”
“That’s true. But I also acquired some interesting news.”
It was impressive, considering the source of that information.
To extract what was needed from a hardened criminal of the underworld in less than thirty minutes.
A short time like that meant the subject had been subjected to pain beyond endurance.
“Big sis, what if it’s a lie?”
“Mmm. Do you really think it is?”
Marias asked with a smile, and Casey closed her mouth.
That reaction meant she was certain her captive wouldn’t have dared lie in that situation.
Just what had she done?
Casey sighed, exasperated.
“Haa. So what’s this interesting news?”
“That black mages are behind it.”
“Already heard that much.”
“That they’ve been driven out in a power struggle, and now they’ve drifted here—trying to take root in our kingdom, brazenly.”
“Driven out in a power struggle?”
Casey clicked her tongue.
“So they went after you because you were in their way.”
“To be precise, they targeted you.”
“They couldn’t strike at you directly, so they went after family to drag you in. Which means they have a way to face you. In other words...”
“There’s a very powerful black mage behind it.”
At Marias’s confirmation, Casey nodded.
“To go against you, it would take at least a 6th-circle black mage.”
“My, do you rate me that highly? Thank you.”
“Don’t twist it. You have a Color Title, that’s why I said it. They know it too, yet they went after you anyway. Which means they see you as both an obstacle to their growth and still someone they can take on.”
But Casey couldn’t understand one thing.
“Isn’t it strange they’d even think of fighting a Color Mage? You said they were driven out. That means they were demoted and expelled from their old base. And yet they still have that kind of power?”
“If you knew where they were expelled from, you’d see it differently.”
“Where?”
“A place you’ve heard of.”
Casey’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit.
“Don’t tell me... Isla Machia?”
Marias nodded.
Isla Machia.
The name of an island—and at the same time, the location of the New Mage Tower.
An island where white steam never ceased to rise thanks to advanced magitech.
One might ask, what black mages in the very stronghold of the New Mage Tower?
But the reality was different.
Though the New Mage Tower’s headquarters were there, it was also a place where all manner of mages gathered.
If Mystic Night was a traditional marketplace where mages gathered periodically, Isla Machia was the new city of modern magicians.
Naturally, every kind of mage flocked there—and black mages were no exception.
Worldwide, when wanted black mages disappeared from notice, they usually ended up in one of two situations.
They died unknown somewhere.
Or they hid within Isla Machia.
“For a 6th-circle black mage to be expelled from there... just what is happening inside that island? What is the New Mage Tower doing?”
“The New Mage Tower doesn’t touch that. Just because the police exist doesn’t mean gangs and back-alley vagrants disappear.”
In fact, on Isla Machia there was even a kind of mutual benefit.
The businesses that only black mages could run brought in enormous money for the island.
And magic research required enormous funding.
So long as there were mages who would use those dirty funds, black mages wouldn’t disappear.
Only now did Ludger understand the reason behind the violent methods.
“So those who were active there washed up here. They must be brimming with poison.”
Not just a crime group—black mages.
If an entire faction had moved here intact, it was more than enough to cause upheaval in the Kingdom of Sevilla.
They must have thought this mid-sized kingdom was ripe for the taking.
The only troubling point was that the Kingdom of Sevilla had the Magical Intelligence Section 6, better known as MI-6.
And not just anyone—but in fact, the unprecedented head of that unit was none other than Marias Selmore, Casey’s sister.
‘Even so, if a black mage group of that scale was expelled, that means something happened inside Isla Machia.’
As someone with ties to Isla Machia, Ludger felt uneasy at the thought.
Perhaps he should visit.
While Ludger was thinking this, Marias spoke her true request.
“I’d like the two of you to help suppress those black mages.”
So this was the purpose behind all the talk.
“Wait. I get why you’d ask me—but why him?”
“Because he’s an exceptionally skilled mage.”
“Skilled or not, the enemy is vicious black mages plotting against you. What if he gets hurt?”
“Then you’ll protect him, won’t you?”
“What are you—”
Casey rolled her eyes, looking for a retort.
But it was Ludger who stopped her.
‘Why?’
Casey glanced at him, baffled why he would cut her off.
Ludger simply shook his head slightly at her, then looked straight at Marias.
“In that case, what compensation will you offer?”
“Compensation, is it? I like that—clear and to the point. Of course I wouldn’t ask for help for free. Preventing something that could grow into a national crisis is no small matter. Without proper compensation, it wouldn’t be right.”
She added,
“I’m not asking you to completely uproot them. The main work is mine. I only need you to trim the branches so things don’t spread elsewhere.”
“In that case, I accept.”
“Are you sure?”
“Even if I refuse, Casey will do it.”
Given Casey’s nature, she would certainly act to help her sister.
Not because she doted on her sister.
But because she could never stand by and let dangerous criminals run rampant in her homeland and kingdom.
What ultimately moved Casey was her inborn sense of justice.
The desire to make the world a better place.
That was Casey’s strength, but also her shackle.
At least in times like this.
“Sending my fiancé alone wouldn’t do. I’ll help as well.”
Marias had already noticed that Ludger was no ordinary mage.
If he backed off here and left the work to Casey, it would tarnish his reputation.
Far better to step forward boldly.
And knowing Marias’s nature, Ludger was certain she had expected this answer all along.
So he intended to play along.
‘It’s not as though I don’t have my own reasons. No blame in stepping up.’
He was curious about the black mages anyway.
And now that Marias had promised compensation, the deal was only to his advantage.
The only uncertain part was whether Marias Selmore held a clue about the scenery he had seen.
He agreed partly to probe that. But there was no guarantee she knew.
So he had to confirm it here.
“There’s something I want to ask.”
“Oh? You suddenly have a question at this timing?”
Marias’s narrowed eyes curved.
She realized what Ludger was about to ask was significant.
With a snap of her fingers, a white frost barrier rose around Ludger and herself.
A thin, translucent wall of ice, but enough that Casey’s shouts from outside couldn’t be heard inside.
“Alright. What do you want to know?”
“There is a place I’m searching for.”
Ludger described the scene he had seen through the Relic fragment.
A strange forest unlike any other.
It looked like a forest, but with ruins scattered within. The sky above swirled with strangely mixed, dazzling colors.
“Do you by any chance know where this is?”
Marias fell into thought.
Only someone with her knowledge of magic could possibly have an answer.
“May I at least ask why you seek it?”
“It’s related to magical research.”
Naturally, Ludger had prepared such an answer.
And since he truly was writing theses and conducting magical research, Marias found no reason to doubt.
“That’s difficult. The scenery you describe hardly seems real...”
Marias muttered, then seemed to recall something.
“There is one place similar.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. But are you sure you saw it right? You didn’t mistake it?”
Her half-lidded eyes gleamed with seriousness.
“Because that place is one an ordinary person can never reach.”
