Report
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
Chapter 44: Deciphering the Code (1)
In Baran City, there is a luxurious mansion often described as the largest and most extravagant.
The owner of the mansion, Mark Sweet, was cutting his steak when he asked:
"Who are they again?"
"Kilian Lockwood of the White Tower and Oscar Crucian."
These were the very individuals who had caused his beloved only daughter to fall ill.
Having gathered their information, Mark waved the knife in his hand irritably.
"Track what those guys are up to and report back."
"Understood."
Marin Maria had already left the city, making it too late to intervene.
Assassinating a singer who was scheduled to perform before His Majesty the Emperor at the New Year's event would have crossed a line.
However, Mark wasn't too concerned.
‘But then again, mere third or fourth-level mages from the weakest of the four great towers, the White Tower... Here in this city, where I am practically the king, there would be no issue killing such lowly mages.’
"What about the Hoover family?"
Mark asked.
"They're busy gathering mercenaries, but none of them are skilled enough to warrant concern."
"Hmph, if they lost, they should know when to retreat. Persistent family, aren’t they?"
"Indeed, you’re absolutely right."
The Hoover family belonged to Mayor Buzz, who had led Baran City for the past two years.
Until a few months ago, they were the most prominent family in the city.
But now, that was no longer the case.
After Mayor Buzz was assassinated, the Sweet family swiftly took his place as if they had been preparing for it.
Mark took a sip of wine and said,
"No matter what, we must obtain the confidential documents he left behind."
"I understand."
"Tsk, when did he even manage to create such a thing?"
If those documents were ever leaked, his bid for the next mayoral seat would be a significant obstacle.
Fortunately, the documents were heavily encrypted with powerful magical spells, so the Hoover family hadn’t been able to unlock them for months.
Thanks to this, Mark had become aware of the existence of these incriminating documents.
"Are the preparations for two days from now complete?"
"Of course," the attendant confirmed.
In two days, Baran's night would be exceptionally noisy.
Numerous fireworks were planned to light up the night sky.
"No one will hear gunshots or the sound of swords clashing,"
Mark murmured, slicing his steak with more force.
* * *
After going through a lot of trouble to return the "gifts," it was already late at night.
"…I don't understand what went wrong,"
Kilian muttered, looking particularly downcast.
It wasn’t because he had to return the expensive gifts.
It was more likely due to the disappointment of failing to make a new friend.
Perhaps it was also a moment of self-doubt about his own lack of social skills.
Patting Kilian on the shoulder a few times in consolation, Oscar said,
"It's alright. Why would a brave warrior of the forest get so down over something like this? This sort of thing happens often in the city."
With time, everyone finds their own way to deal with such situations.
Kilian's father was the same.
When he first started asking questions, it was truly bothersome, but now, those moments were fond memories.
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, that's how it is."
Kilian’s expression brightened a bit.
"Next time, when you give a compliment, try smiling a bit more.”
"Smile? Like this?"
"Yeah. The person listening should clearly feel, 'Oh, this person is praising me.'"
"I see... I'll remember that,"
Kilian nodded earnestly.
"So, are we heading back to the White Tower now?"
"What, if I say no, will you force me to come along?"
"No, I've already reported it. Given your skill, I’m not worried."
Thank goodness.
In reality, the original objective of finding Edna hadn’t even started yet.
"I need to visit the Blood Tower’s branch in Baran."
"Is there someone you’re looking for?"
"Yes, and while waiting for the results, I plan to do some shopping."
"Looking to buy equipment or elixirs?"
"Yeah, something like that."
The image of Trinity, which melted away in the last battle, flashed through his mind.
It had been a reliable weapon that compensated for the shortcomings of a novice mage's lack of firepower.
‘With it gone, my current combat power is definitely diminished.’
Given this, he had two immediate options.
Either buy a new weapon to make up for the lost attack power or purchase elixirs for stable growth.
‘In terms of mana, I have plenty for now.’
Having consumed the elixir that little Oscar had taken and the inner core of the Celestial Silkworm, his mana was already greater than that of most fourth-level mages.
If he could consume one more proper elixir, he could potentially surpass the mana of even fifth-level mages.
‘And once I reach the fourth level myself…’
He could cast spells with power on par with the Trinity weapon.
In the long run, choosing elixirs would definitely be the right call.
However, with enemies targeting him, he had to be cautious of any unexpected situations.
‘The Blue Tower and Ara Sweet…’
Currently, likely two groups were aiming for him.
And both were formidable.
‘In terms of immediate danger, since I’m currently in Baran, Ara Sweet is the greater threat.’
Given Marin’s words, predicting what they might try was hard.
Although he was operating under Kilian’s name, a detailed investigation would quickly reveal the deception.
Having thought this far, he warned,
"You should be careful for a while too."
"Why?"
"Because I caused a ruckus under your name. There might be a crazy woman targeting you."
With a tattoo piercing through her left eye and red eyes, she was not someone easy to forget.
"Hmm, I actually had another request I was interested in, but I guess I should let it go."
"What kind of request?"
"They were looking for a mage to decrypt some encrypted documents. The reward was a whopping 500,000 bels."
"That's quite a generous amount."
Maybe the clients in this big city are willing to pay big sums.
"Forget about it. You don’t want to lose your life over 500,000 bels."
"You're right."
"So, are we heading straight back to the White Tower?"
"...Unfortunately, we can't."
Killian shook his head with a serious expression.
"The commission was just secondary. I have a different purpose for coming to this city."
"What is it?"
"I'm here to catch the worst traitor in the history of the Forest Clan. There are rumors they've been active in this city recently."
That was a much heavier topic than he expected.
"If they're the worst traitor in history, they must have done something really serious."
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
"...I can't share the details with an outsider, but yes."
For a warrior of the Forest Clan, who usually forgives most transgressions, to show such intense hostility was remarkable.
Oscar thumped his chest with his fist and then extended it out, baring his teeth in a grin.
"I hope you catch that traitor. See you at the White Tower later."
This was a traditional greeting of the Forest Clan.
Killian gave a faint smile and mirrored the gesture, thumping his own chest with his gloved hand before meeting Oscar's fist.
"Yeah, see you at the White Tower."
* * *
When Oscar entered the Blood Tower's Baran branch, the woman at the counter glanced at the clock on the wall.
Seeing the hour hand pointing at 9 and the minute hand at 45, she let out a small sigh.
She looked like she didn't want to work anymore, clearly anticipating her imminent shift's end.
"What brings you here?"
"I'm looking for someone."
"Did you bring the person's blood sample?"
Her tone was minimally polite, draining as if she was simply going through the motions, akin to a bored imperial bureaucrat.
"Yes."
"Please go into the room and fill one of the prepared glass vials with the blood sample."
Oscar walked into the room she pointed out and chose one of the many empty glass vials lined up.
'Blood, huh.'
He pricked his fingertip with a magic-imbued needle, letting a few droplets of blood bead up.
Oscar used his magic to alter the blood's composition and structure by putting the blood into the vial.
He already knew the blood information of Edna.
'Although this artificially created dragon's blood won't have its special effects, it should be enough to locate the person.'
Oscar filled half the small vial with blood and exited the room.
"I've placed the vial on the display shelf. Please take care of it."
"Wait, sir! Excuse me, sir! One moment, please!"
As he was about to leave the building, the employee hurriedly called out to him, sighing as she opened a pamphlet on the counter.
"Please choose the plan you want from here and make the payment first."
"What?"
Oscar asked, surprised at this unexpected situation.
"This service isn't free?"
"...Of course, it's a paid service."
He genuinely didn't know.
It used to be free up until 26 years ago, but it seems they now charge a fee.
Looking a bit embarrassed, Oscar approached and scanned the pamphlet she opened.
[5th Grade Tracking - Limited to this city, slow speed.]
[4th Grade Tracking - Limited to this city, fast speed.]
[3rd Grade Tracking - Includes nearby regions, medium speed.]
[2nd Grade Tracking - Includes nearby regions, fast speed.]
[1st Grade Tracking - Covers the entire continent, very slow speed.]
[Special Grade Tracking - Covers the entire continent, very fast speed.]
"Ah, please go with the Special Grade Tracking.”
It's the one he used over a hundred times in his previous life.
"It used to be free, but I guess that changed at some point?"
"Sir, you must be mistaken. The Blood Tower's tracking service has never been free."
"...But I heard it was offered for free even for the Special Grade plan?"
"There were times decades ago when it was free for the Tower Master or the imperial family members, but that benefit is no longer available."
"......"
So it was free because he was the Tower Master in his previous life?
That's something he never knew.
Oscar's ears turned a bit red upon realizing this.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I heard that the former White Tower Master used this service for free quite often."
"...Hold on, are you from the White Tower?"
Suddenly, the employee's eyes sharpened, and her tone became more precise.
Instinctively, Oscar shook his head.
"No, I have no affiliation with them."
I'm sorry, Master.
Sorry, everyone.
"Phew, that's a relief. There's a directive to charge White Tower wizards an additional 30% fee."
"...Why just the White Tower?"
"The previous White Tower Master, Oscar Sage, used the Special Grade plan 108 times for free, nearly bankrupting the Blood Tower. The elders still shudder when his name is mentioned. Contrary to his reputation, he was a very frugal person. If the imperial family hadn't settled the debts after the war, the Blood Tower would have ceased to exist. The benefits I mentioned earlier were also abolished because of him."
"......"
So it was actually incredibly expensive.
No wonder it felt too convenient.
Just bringing in the blood of demons would immediately reveal their location.
"Ahem. So how much is the Special Grade plan?"
"1.5 million Bel."
"...Excuse me?"
It was far more expensive than he expected.
Swallowing hard, Oscar pulled out a money pouch and asked.
"Is it possible to pay in installments?"
"Sorry, we don't offer installment plans."
"I can pay 1.1 million Bel now. Can I come back in a few days with the remaining 400,000 Bel? Is that okay?"
"...Sigh."
The employee sighed deeply, accepting the pouch and checking the amount inside before speaking.
"If you don't pay the remaining 400,000 Bel, you won't receive the tracking results. There are no refunds either."
"Yes, that's fine."
"If you agree, please sign the contract. The results will be ready in as soon as one day or as long as three days."
After hastily signing, Oscar sprinted out of the building and headed to the inn where Killian was staying.
As he opened the door, Killian looked up in surprise, eyes wide.
"Oscar? What brings you here so suddenly?"
Panting heavily, Oscar caught his breath before speaking.
"Killian, about that request you mentioned earlier, could you tell me more about it in detail?"
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
