14 – Haeju is a Crime (2)
You can’t get out of the endless alleyways by running in one direction.
Whether it’s up or down, you have to find the stairs that lead to another floor.
At first, Sien, who was initially dragged along without knowing English, eventually took the lead and started finding the way.
As someone who was familiar with the structure of the magic tower, her steps were without hesitation, but soon there were obstacles.
“Over there!”
“Capture the curse sorceress!!”
The magical police officers who received the report surrounded us and rushed towards us.
The moment their presence got closer, I extinguished all the gas lamps in the surroundings with “invisible light”.
Thanks to Vina’s lessons, I had become quite familiar with advanced magic, and in an instant, the alley was covered in darkness.
The advantage of fixing contradictory phenomena in the perception of a sorcerer caused confusion even for an experienced magician.
“Quickly light the fire again!”
“What’s wrong? The gas lamps are still functioning.”
“Then use any light magic! What if Lusria can’t even do this?”
“I’m already using it! But it’s still not visible!”
Taking advantage of the chaos, we managed to escape the encirclement, but we were soon pursued.
Experienced magicians closed the distance quickly even in the darkness.
I narrowed my eyes and grabbed Sien, who was struggling to identify the exit sign, and said:
“I’ll find the way, so you deal with them first.”
“Me? Can I do it?”
“You, of all people, can use magic against the police officers? If you can’t, then I’ll do it.”
“If, if we get caught, we won’t end up with just a disciplinary action.”
I have no experience with offensive magic.
However, there was no way Si-en could chase after them without counterattacking.
In the moment when she was contemplating whether she should pull out a gas lamp from the surroundings instead of a spear, Si-en hesitated and drew her sword.
“Ahem, remember when those guys at the round table tried to pass the blame onto us? So….”
“….”
She must be talking about the Dark Forest incident.
As Si-en prepared her magic towards the pursuit unit of the security department, her lips moved silently without making any sound.
It was the Information Bureau’s characteristic ‘concealing resonance’.
In the narrow alleyway entwined with darkness and silence, as soon as they turned their bodies, her magic unfolded.
The leading magicians tried to hastily retreat, but it was already too late.
“….From the ground to the sky, and the reverse, I receive the power that exists below and above everything.”
“Wait, that’s…! It’s not a curse! It’s alchemy!”
“What!? Damn it, brace yourselves!!”
“Where… Ahh!”
The Code of the Sage.
The verse consisting of 14 clauses was a mystery that only the alchemy faction could handle.
As the thin swords danced in the air, the walls and floor around them were completely reversed.
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, the pursuit unit found themselves trapped while I, too, began to search for an exit using the location notes.
The parts where the IPs marked on the map were not arranged in order were hidden rifts in dimensions created by magic.
Among them, there was a place where the coordinates remained the same, unlike the neighboring sections where the IPs kept changing.
“I found it, it’s this way.”
This place, connected to the pillar of the tower and serving as the central axis, is undoubtedly the exit. With conviction, I leapt straight under the wooden plank barricade.
Surely, she, with her keen eyesight, would follow right behind.
However, as the darkness cleared, I realized that where I stood was not a staircase, but a small hiding place.
Confirming with the location note, I could tell that Sien had gone down the correct path, while I had moved in a different direction.
“What should I do if the Information Department’s dog is brought here?”
The person who spoke behind me instead of Sien was a magician wearing a robe with a deep-set hat.
“The Haeju School isn’t a dating course for you, you insufferable bunch…!”
Judging from their physique, it was clear they were a woman, but their voice trembled as if it was difficult for them to speak to others.
*
I don’t judge people based on appearances alone.
There are strange individuals who may seem fine on the outside, like Sien, but feel inferiority complex deep inside, like an ice dispenser.
I can’t know everyone’s true intentions, but if the magician in front of me has a location note, I can make some educated guesses.
I was able to quickly see what kind of posts the person usually writes by checking the account they accessed from their current IP.
—–
ID: Prinana
Posts: 27,473
Comments: 143,485
List of Written Posts:
[List of inactive Gonics from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. during the last festival]
[I failed again, didn’t get picked this time either. What’s up with that Gonic? I want to kill them]
[Girls like Jutta are just brainless]
[I want to be devoured by Jutta, no, I want to devour her]
.
.
.
From Noble mtl dot com
—–
—–
Prinana
[There are still idiots who underestimate the Jujahak faction]
Even the name contains the word ‘curse’
In a magic world with rules and judges, how long do you think you guys can hold on?
The moment the opponent, who you thought was fighting fairly, pulls out a voodoo doll from their bosom,
That’s when the fear of the Jujahak faction begins.
– Jujahak faction, wow
– We can’t win against this
– Ah, they only use curses when they’re at a disadvantage, lolololol
– That’s why the police are after them, for real, lololol
– They’re going crazy, seriously, lolol
—–
“Ahem.”
“Why?”
“It’s nothing.”
Contrary to appearances, the user had an enormous amount of activity.
It was a bit ambiguous to determine whether they were malicious or not, but they definitely seemed to belong to the Haeju School.
As I hesitated about whether to approach because it seemed burdensome for them to start the conversation, I heard a small voice.
It came from the woman who had fixed her gaze on the location note and was walking ahead.
“…Prina.”
“It’s Clark.”
“S-She’s a newcomer? Why?”
“Why did you choose the Haeju School?”
In society, the perception of the Haeju School was so negative that it was almost on the level of a criminal organization, but my thoughts were a bit different.
Rather, the remaining magicians were the ones who were far removed from curses.
Even Prina, who clearly seemed to have social maladjustment and communication disabilities, seemed to welcome me, at least.
Let’s just consider the writing I saw in the gallery as a joke.
“Because it’s the fastest way to climb the tower. At least for me.”
“….”
Upon my straightforward answer, the reddish eyes hidden under the hat quickly turned away.
Although our eyes met briefly.
“Wait here.”
Prina, who reached the end of the passage and closed the door, opened it again after a moment and told me to come inside.
Once again, I confirmed the change in coordinates and looked up to see a handsome man with a proud stature smiling at me.
“Please sit here. I’m Rupert. I’m currently in charge of the position of the leader of the Haeju faction in the absence of Lady Anes.”
“I’m Clark. And you are?”
I trailed off because of the brooch hanging on his chest.
The emblem of the fallen kingdom, now known to be destroyed.
It was astonishing to think that a high-ranking noble from the Duke’s family was in the Haeju faction.
He noticed my gaze and smiled charmingly.
“You’re a noble? And a chessword at that.”
“Heh, a country that was almost on the other side of the continent, yet you recognize it. You’re quite impressive. Feel free to address me casually; after all, in Matap, the bloodline of wizards is more respected.”
“Then I will stick to using titles.”
“That’s refreshing. Well, I guess I should get straight to the point. Do you really want to join the Haeju faction?”
“Yes, the mysteries of the Haeju faction suit me the best.”
“Guided by someone at the reception desk?”
“Someone I know.”
It was a part that Anes had repeated to me when she visited the office for five years, and it was a part that I myself had somewhat anticipated.
With no talent and entering Matap late, the general mysteries of the faction wouldn’t suit me.
“Hmm… The curse name amplifies the magical power depending on the achievements and notoriety of the caster.”
The curse name. It was a unique mystery of the Aether faction, founded by Anes herself.
According to her explanation, there was a separate official name, but it had completely settled as the curse name that everyone, even the high-ranking wizard Rupert, called it.
“But it’s barely at a decent level, and more importantly, it depends a lot on relativity. Did the name become quite well-known outside?”
“It had a reputation as short as a rat’s tail.”
“If you lack confidence, it’s a good idea to start from scratch. You know, magicians aren’t interested in anything outside the Magic Tower.”
The curse name was famous for being extremely difficult to use even among mysteries.
For example, if I were to use ‘Mountain Collapse’, when the little one in front of me doesn’t know about my existence, no matter how hard I try, I can’t use magic.
The effect varies greatly depending on the other person’s perception.
It was one of the reasons why the Sea of Curses was unpopular in the Magic Tower and why curse magicians wore disguises and spread their names.
“Am I lacking something?”
Rupert’s advice was quite direct for me, who originally planned to use the nickname that others called me during my adventures.
Don’t the magicians of the Magic Tower know much about the retired adventurer?
‘Memory’ is separate from ‘awareness’, so it wasn’t important for me to explain who I am to others.
All that mattered was how deeply my existence was etched in their minds.
Rather, the moment it was spoken aloud, the awe or fear of the unknown diminished, and its power was diminished.
So curse magicians often hid their curse names or subtly revealed them.
“Well, if you have nothing to do, use your gallery nickname.”
Freyna, who was sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of the room, throwing the location note, said to me, who was contemplating.
Rupert explained with a bitter tone after hearing that.
“Oh, it’s a recent trend among young curse magicians.”
“Gallery?”
“Don’t location notes have our names on them? If you gain fame through that, it’s beneficial at least within the Magic Tower. There are almost no magicians who don’t have a gallery.”
“….”
Somehow, as the days went by, the number of wicked people seemed to increase. This was the reality here.
I decided to permanently ban this IP later, and I looked at the paper and pen on the table.
“If you’ve made up your mind, write it down and throw it into that fireplace.”
“Is that all?”
“The size of the flames represents the power. The curse is originally meant to grow from a spark, so even if it’s small, don’t worry about it.”
What should I use?
After a long contemplation, I picked up the pen and wrote two letters.
I folded it twice and put it into the flames, feeling relieved as if I had finally completed something I had postponed for a long time.
“Congratulations. Now you can officially…”
Boom!!!!
Before Rupert could finish his sentence, the fireplace exploded.
The flames engulfed the wall and started to boil uncontrollably, as if it wasn’t over yet.
“What, what the…!?”
This time, I avoided Prina’s gaze as she fell off the rocking chair.
The curse I chose was ‘Judak’.