The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 134: Chapter 84: 12,000,000

"You should be able to tell that I didn’t hold back. I truly had no idea he was a Puppet."

A High-tier Wizard who practices the Puppetry Art failing to see through a Low-tier Wizard’s Puppet... It was a complete joke. To be deceived by a lower-Tier practitioner in one’s own area of expertise was, regardless of the reason, a sign of incompetence.

But Zajik couldn’t worry about that right now.

’Incompetence is better than treason.’

He was also telling the truth.

He really hadn’t seen that Sean was a Puppet. As a result, his all-out attack—an act that should have been praised as cautious even against a Low-tier Wizard—now made him look like a clown. And he had to be the one to admit it.

That’s what infuriated Zajik the most.

Especially since his explanation wasn’t having much of an effect.

"How do I know you’re not just putting on a show for me?" Higgins stared at him coldly, clearly unconvinced. "Are you trying to tell me that Sean, a Tier One or Tier Two Wizard, single-handedly created a new Puppet Path comparable to the Twelve Paths from the Era of Polymath?"

And then came the part that made Zajik even more miserable.

"Yes." He nodded earnestly. "According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, Sean is a true genius."

Even though he’d been thoroughly played by Sean, not only could he not curse him out, but he had to praise him to the high heavens.

The more formidable Sean was, the more justifiable his own failure became.

Other than the claim that Sean created his own Path, there was no other excuse that could completely clear his and the Florist Family’s names.

Zajik swore he’d never been so humiliated in his entire life. To be tricked and framed with no outlet for his anger, and on top of that, having to praise his tormentor... ’Son of a beach, Sean, you really are a bastard!’

He cursed Sean wildly in his mind.

Outwardly, however, his expression was solemn as he said to Higgins, "I’ve felt for a while that there was something special about this Sean fellow. Now I’m almost certain he’s no ordinary Wizard. Like Flame Crow and the others, he’s a Reshaper from the Era of Polymath. And his identity in his past life was likely quite high—a Grand Mage, at the very least."

This was the only way to add credibility to the idea of Sean creating his own Path.

"You’d better not be lying to me," Higgins said, looking at him. "You know the methods our police department uses."

Zajik quickly replied, "I wouldn’t dare. Mr. Chief, please give me some time. Let me capture Sean and bring him back for you to interrogate personally."

’As long as I’m not the one being interrogated, anything is fine.’

"So, you know where he is?" Higgins asked.

Zajik said, "A Low-tier Wizard’s Magic Power is limited. No matter what kind of Puppetry Art it is, as long as he hasn’t reached Tier Five, the Puppet can’t be too far from its master. He must be somewhere in the urban area of New Eldo."

He was very confident about this point.

"Fine." Higgins nodded slightly. "I’ll give you three days. I want him alive."

"Also, don’t make a move in the city."

He didn’t care that Sean was in the city and couldn’t be captured without a fight there. That was Zajik’s problem to solve.

You have to take responsibility for the problems you create.

His only concern was maintaining public order.

No one but the police was allowed to use violence in the city.

"Rest assured, Mr. Chief, I know the rules," Zajik promised. "I will bring Sean before you within three days."

He and Sean were already in a fight to the death, so this didn’t conflict with his plans. At worst, after capturing Sean, he’d let the police interrogate him first, then he’d twist Sean’s head off and report back to the Clan Leader.

"I hope you’re a man of your word."

Leaving those words behind, Higgins waited for his subordinates to handle the scene before leading his team back to the police station.

Zajik watched him leave, wiped the sweat from his brow, and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Being with the police chief was even more stressful than being held accountable by the Clan Leader last time.

And the only thing that could pressure a Tier Five Wizard was someone who was Tier Six or higher.

After this incident, the bank wouldn’t be able to resume operations for a while. Fortunately, West Continent Bank had other branches in New Eldo, so customers wouldn’t be unable to withdraw their money. In the banking industry, reputation and efficiency are paramount. Customers must feel a sense of convenience and security; otherwise, if their affairs were delayed, the bank could forget about making money in the future.

When it came to business, Zajik was also very serious.

He took a short break, and once he had caught his breath, he immediately called the manager over to arrange for the work of reopening.

He also had them tally the losses from the robbery.

This mainly included damaged facilities, like the light panels on the ceiling.

The cash losses should have been minimal.

After all, the bank robbers were Puppets and had been "killed" on the spot.

Since the real Sean never showed up, he naturally couldn’t have taken the money.

This was probably the only piece of good news in this whole affair so far.

However.

When Zajik asked how much money was left, he discovered that the case used to hold the banknotes was missing.

No matter how hard he, the manager, and dozens of staff members searched, turning the bank upside down, they couldn’t find the case.

Zajik: "???"

’Wait, where’s his money?’

He had personally beaten the two Puppets back into their original forms; they were still lying on the floor, having gone nowhere. And with the police present, no other customer would have had the chance—or the guts—to take the case.

’But where was the money?’

’Where did the case go?’

"Go, pull up the surveillance footage for me!" Zajik ordered.

The bank lobby’s surveillance system had no blind spots. Playing the footage back in slow motion, Zajik soon discovered that as he was attacking Sean’s and Elvire’s Puppets, the cash box behind Sean had actually "flown" up amidst the chaos.

It had literally flown away without wings.

Not only did it fly off, but as it flew, it turned invisible, leaving behind only a very faint, blurry outline.

This outline moved, Silent, "flying" all the way to the bank’s side door before its true form was finally revealed.

A young, doll-like girl flipped back her cloak, a sweet and adorable smile on her face. She flashed a V-sign at the camera, gave a little wave, then pulled her cloak back on, turned invisible again, and left the bank.

"Fuck!"

Zajik cursed loudly.

’Dammit, there was another accomplice!’

’More importantly, neither he nor Higgins had noticed this girl.’

’This was definitely a High-tier Wizard proficient in Stealth Techniques!’

Well, great. The losses would have to be recalculated.

The cash delivery from that afternoon’s armored truck—specifically the highest denomination bills of one thousand, five hundred, and one hundred—had almost all been packed into that case.

That suitcase was really big.

By a rough estimate, the bank had lost at least twelve million this time!

Zajik was so angry he could have coughed up blood.

Because he was in New Eldo, he had been put in charge of the family’s businesses in the city. This meant that the money stolen by Sean would be entirely his personal responsibility to repay!

Originally, Zajik had thought that as long as he could catch Sean, he could at least save his own life, even if he couldn’t keep his current position. He had earned a lot of money over the decades, and he could just wash his hands of everything and live out his golden years in peace, enjoying a life of luxury. That would have been fine.

But now, Sean had stolen his retirement fund!

If he really did the math, the savings from the better part of his life weren’t even enough to cover the loss.

He would either have to sell off his personal assets or become an old wage slave to pay off the debt.

"AHHHH!"

"SEAN!"

"You’ve gone too far!"

All he did was freeze Sean’s account and swallow his publishing royalties. How much money was that, really?

But Sean had robbed him of twelve million!

Zajik ground his teeth so hard they nearly shattered, his old eyes blazing with an uncontainable fury.

He had originally planned to follow the rules, intending to find a way to lure Sean outside the city before making a move.

Now, he didn’t want to wait any longer.

Even if it meant facing severe punishment later, he had to teach Sean a lesson first!

People who are extremely angry tend to be very angry.

On the spot, Zajik pulled out his phone and called his subordinate.

"Find him!"

"I don’t care what methods you use, find that bastard Sean for me!"

"The moment you have a trace of him, you don’t need to ask for permission! Act immediately and restrain him no matter what! I will bear all the consequences!"

"Also, bring the question booklets! Review them on the way!"

...