Report
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
------------------
Chapter 166: Parin's Backer
Red.
The world is red.
A maddening phenomenon where everything reflected in my eyes appears crimson, as if drenched in red paint.
It's also the second harbinger of madness.
The world before my eyes was just like that.
I clapped my hands.
Clap—
Since I can hear the sound, it's not happening right now.
"My eyes feel like they're going to pop out, seriously."
It was just bloodshot eyes.
After spending hours rummaging through the books in the closet and on the desk, my eyes felt like they were going to burst.
As Karios said, there was nothing particularly noteworthy. Most of them were just magic-related books. Seeing all sorts of academic books, including those on incantation magic, it seems Parin really had quite an interest in magic.
Just in case, I flipped through each and every book, but there was nothing strange.
Well, if there was something strange, Ardehain would have already found it.
But the important thing is the mindset.
Who am I?
I'm the man who remembers Parin's end.
Possessed by the spirit of a mournful hound, determined to uncover Parin's legacy, I scurried around and finally caught a glimpse of something suspicious.
This is it.
"Strange."
Leaning back in the armchair, I picked up a few blank sheets of paper. Clean sheets found throughout Parin's office, with nothing written on them.
Actually, it's not that strange to find a few sheets of paper in an office, but at times like this, I need to pull myself together and remind myself.
"It's strange."
As I kept repeating that it was strange, I really did spot something odd.
There are many pens in the office, but no handwritten text.
All the paper is new.
'Hmm.'
If Parin had a secret organization, how did he contact them?
He must have exchanged secret correspondence.
There are many ways to leave no trace, but the most commonly used method is a specially treated solution.
Sometimes, magical methods or special solutions are used to prevent writing from appearing on the surface.
But if that were the case, Ardehain would have already discovered it. The Bongshin clan is not that careless.
A new method.
A safe way to freely exchange correspondence without getting caught.
Lost in my imagination, I suddenly took out Parin's keepsake, which I had cherished in my bosom.
The Fang of the Demon Tribe.
I infused it with mana and started to bring it close to each of the blank pieces of paper.
Amidst the pile of paper that showed no change, a faint noise could be heard.
Saaaaa—
I took out the detected sheet of paper and brought the fang close to it again.
Like a drop of black ink falling onto white paper, the color subtly changes.
When I removed the fang, the color returned to its original state.
As I repeatedly brought the fang close to and away from the paper dozens of times, letters began to appear one by one, forming a sentence.
[No. 7, meet with the Clown at the Tower.]
"He did have a backer."
I immediately focused on the meaning of the unknown words.
No. 7, Tower, Clown.
Judging from the circumstances, Parin is either 'No. 7' or the 'Clown.'
It's highly likely that 'Clown' is a higher rank than 'No. 7.'
What I can immediately guess is that these guys are pathologically cautious.
'No. 7' is also a code name, and so is 'Clown.'
Moreover, seeing how the code names include numbers, they might not even know each other's true identities.
'Where is the Tower?'
One of the Magic Towers?
It's highly probable, but I can't be sure. This could also be a figurative expression.
Anyway, now that Parin is dead, this meeting is void. The organization would naturally know that Parin is dead.
I need to find these guys.
They are the key to what's happening now.
As I subtly withdrew the mana, the letters disappeared as if nothing had happened.
After tidying up the room, I stepped out the door.
When I went up to the upper floor with the adjutant who was waiting, Karios just glanced back.
"Did you check everything properly?"
I sat down on a chair placed to one side and replied.
"More or less. You seem busy."
"Indeed. I've been swamped with Alliance matters recently."
"The Blue Magic Tower Head takes care of Alliance matters too? You seemed like you didn't care about anything other than magic."
Karios clicked his tongue and nodded.
"It's because of Elder Parin. He was originally in charge of a high-ranking position in the Alliance. There's no one else to handle the work, so I'm temporarily taking over."
"What position was Parin in charge of?"
"Nothing directly related to practical work. Each Magic Tower has an elder-level mage appointed to an honorary position in the Alliance for the sake of harmony. Well, that doesn't mean there's no work at all."
Karios got up from his seat, made a cup of tea, and sat down opposite me.
"So, did you find anything strange?"
"...."
I stared intently at Karios.
As long as the evidence remains, the possibility of Karios being connected to Parin significantly decreases.
If they were in cahoots, Karios would have likely gotten rid of the correspondence long ago.
No, in the first place, there's no way such a secret correspondence would have been delivered to Parin.
Considering all possibilities, including any potential double deception, I shook my head. It's not that there's no possibility, but none of them are without leaps in logic.
I came to a conclusion. It's not Karios.
"I see you haven't found anything strange. That's what I don't understand. It's clear that Elder Parin wasn't alone in this, but there's no evidence."
I said to Karios,
"Have you ever heard of someone called Clown?"
"Clown?"
"Or guys with numbers as their names, similar to No. 7?"
"What are you talking about..."
"I guess not."
Karios, who had coldly assessed the situation in a split second, immediately asked in return.
"Are you talking about Parin's backer?"
"Probably."
"Do you have any evidence?"
I shook my head.
"I'll tell you later."
Karios pondered in silence for a moment, then nodded.
"You're saying you can't tell me everything. I understand. Since it's the Crazy Mage Squad Commander speaking, I'll believe you."
"You can trust me."
Karios looked at me.
"I feel a heavy sense of moral responsibility. I was too focused on my own cultivation. I'll thoroughly investigate the matter you mentioned. I'll share my findings with you as soon as I can."
"It's best not to openly dig into it. They're more cautious than anyone. It's best not to trust anyone until their tail is revealed."
"I'll make sure nothing leaks out."
For a while, Karios and I were lost in thought, each of us silent.
Then, out of the blue, Karios asked, as if something had just occurred to him, "By any chance, what is your relationship with Crimson Flame (赤炎)?"
"Crimson Flame?"
"The Vice Tower Head of the Red Magic Tower."
As soon as I heard that title after a long time, I couldn't help but frown.
"Hector Kart? Why are you suddenly asking about him? I have no relationship with that unpleasant fellow."
"Unpleasant fellow?"
For the first time, a change came over Karios's face, which had maintained a cold expression until now.
His facial muscles twitched, and then he suddenly formed an awkward smile, like a man laughing for the first time in his life.
"An unpleasant fellow, you say. I wonder who would say such a thing. I'd love to see Crimson Flame's expression if I told him that."
While I was getting annoyed, I suddenly felt suspicious because Karios's tone seemed too excited.
Karios, who was making eye contact with me, continued,
"Crimson Flame is someone I admire as well. Although the Blue Magic Tower and the Red Magic Tower have had a bad relationship since the time of the first Tower Head, there's no need to maintain that bad blood forever."
Just then, I noticed lights flickering in the night sky. The Blue Magic Tower Head got up from his seat and headed towards the window.
After looking out the window, Karios turned to me.
"It seems people have come to escort the Crazy Mage Squad Commander. Let's meet again next time."
***
As soon as I came down to the first floor, I sensed something strange.
The main gate of the Magic Tower was open, and beyond it, I could see the backs of the Blue Magic Squad lined up in a row.
Even from just looking at the backs of their heads, I could sense their bewilderment.
"Bring the Commander immediately!"
"I'll count down the last 10 seconds. If you don't get out of the way in 10 seconds, we'll attack. Do you understand? 10, 9, 8..."
"What are you doing, Makan? Why are you counting? I'm the acting commander, so I should be the one counting. I'll give you 5 seconds. 5, 4, 3..."
As soon as I heard their loud shouts, I felt my blood pressure rising and pressed my hand to my forehead.
'Oh dear, these fools.'
As soon as I pushed my way through the Blue Magic Squad and stepped forward, I heard Zion's incantation.
"3, 2, 1, End. Wind that pierces a single point, Piercing Wind."
I made eye contact with Zion, who had just unleashed his incantation from the front.
Zion's eyes widened...
I dispelled the approaching wind blade and walked forward.
"What are you doing, you fool?"
"You're alright, Commander?"
"How did you even know I was here?"
"We heard the Commander was captured? We came to rescue you."
Haengsu, appearing from out of nowhere, scanned me from head to toe.
"I thought you'd be severely tortured, but you look fine."
Bang— I heard a sound and turned around.
The Blue Magic Squad Commander, along with the rest of the squad, had entered the Magic Tower and closed the main gate behind them.
Zion glared.
"Oh man. Those rude bastards. They didn't answer when we asked earlier, and now they're completely ignoring us. This won't do, Commander. Let's go in and teach them a lesson."
"You fools."
I looked at my subordinates, about to flick each of them on the forehead, when I suddenly noticed the hem of Makan's clothes.
"Did you run here?"
"We were going to take a carriage, but we didn't have enough money. But we ran as fast as we could. I'm glad we weren't late."
As if they had fallen into muddy water somewhere along the way, the hems of everyone's pants were covered in mud and ripped.
I couldn't help but sigh.
"Let's go back. I have something to tell you."
***
Late at night, bathed in moonlight.
Aguro Mahonguro, the official of the Administrative Office, who had finally finished writing the flood of reports for the day, was taking a short nap in his office.
[TL/N: Aguro’s Rank isn't clear enough so I’ll use Official until I get more context]
He was already exhausted.
Recently, the higher-ups' interest in the demon realm had been steadily increasing. Because of this, Aguro, who was in charge, was constantly being overworked.
However, Aguro also felt that something was strange.
Recently, the frequency of variant appearances had increased exponentially. Moreover, even the appearance frequency of the red variants, which rarely appeared, had increased.
Something was definitely happening.
Aguro got up from his seat and headed towards the bathroom on one side of the room, when he suddenly looked at the window on the left and widened his eyes.
"What's this?"
As soon as he opened the window, a red letter fluttered down.
Aguro's eyes calmly narrowed.
The fact that it was delivered by carrier pigeon meant that the matter was urgent and required secrecy.
Moreover, if it's red, it's top priority.
Aguro carefully unfolded the letter, his brow furrowing slightly.
It was a letter from the regular branch office.
[Eastern Section 1, Level 3 Demon Realm Report]
"It's a low-level Demon Realm? Why is this..."
The Demon Realms directly managed by the Administrative Office start from at least level 1, which are high-level Demon Realms.
However, Aguro's pupils dilated as he continued reading.
[Heaven rank monster (Fear Succubus) confirmed, Demon Realm closed. Post-investigation by the investigation team completed.]
"...Heaven rank monster?"
Aguro let out an involuntary sigh.
A Heaven rank monster, which only appears in Level 1 Demon Realms, appeared in a low-level Demon Realm?
However, the statement that the investigation team's confirmation was complete meant that all evidence had been secured.
"It hasn't been long since a disaster-class variant appeared in a Level 1 Demon Realm... And now a Heaven rank monster in a Level 3, not even a Level 2?"
At this rate, the classification of Demon Realms needs to be revised.
The news would have already spread widely around the regular branch office.
Aside from the issue of the Alliance's prestige, if this is left unattended, it could cause great confusion among the mages and knights from all over the continent who enter the Demon Realms.
Suddenly, Aguro's eyebrows furrowed deeply again as he looked at the letter.
"Wait a minute. It says the Demon Realm is closed."
The Demon Realm is closed despite the appearance of a Heaven rank monster?
"Was there someone capable enough to do that?"
The skills of those who enter low-level Demon Realms are all quite average.
Of course, there were cases where superhumans from prestigious families entered low-level Demon Realms for the purpose of training their juniors, but such cases were rare.
Aguro's expression changed rapidly as he began to operate the Demon Realm record device placed on one side.
"This is strange."
Even after looking through the list of those who entered the low-level Demon Realm in Section 1, there were no notable names.
The only thing that stood out was the Level 1 Demon Realm experience of someone named Urek Parisik, but even he barely made it out alive.
A short sigh escaped Aguro's lips as he carefully examined each name on the list and compared it with the device.
[Samael Clan's Crazy Mage Squad, Contribution Points: Undetermined]
"It's them. They're the ones who caught the Heaven rank monster."
The fact that the contribution points had not yet been calculated was clear in its meaning.
Aguro immediately rummaged through the list of high-level entry permits issued, muttering in disbelief.
"...They're not high-level?"
None of the Samael clan members were listed on the high-level entry permit list.
Just in case, he also checked the list of special-grade entry permits issued, but they weren't there either.
Then, as Aguro looked through the list of intermediate-level entry permits, he checked the list several times and frowned deeply.
"They're not intermediate-level either? What the... Are they all low-level entry permits? What's going on?"
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
