28 – There Are Three Ducks (2)
The secret that I had casually exposed was actually as significant an issue as the opening of the Gate of the Abyss in the Grand Labyrinth.
A name on the second-class wanted list that the Gallery’s information department was trying to find and investigate.
Not only a neural pathway to reach the top administrator, Judeok, but also a presence that was practically an accomplice in running the gallery.
Therefore, from Marie’s perspective, she had to do whatever it took to silence me.
“Ah! Forget it! Forget it! Hit my head, hit it here!”
The first step is physical violence.
Like diving, I throw my body and hit my head with fern-like hands.
My vision shakes and my head spins, but the flesh where the fragments of mystery are engraved trembles in front of me, and my memories become even clearer.
Realizing that she can’t push me away with her feeble strength, Mariel surprisingly started to use her brain.
“Oh, no…! Caretaker!”
“Yes.”
“The caretaker should hit me with this! Quickly!”
Is she planning to use the Principle’s Clock Tower to go back to the past before I see the location note?
But I am not someone who can be fooled by such cheap tricks.
When I turn my hand behind my back, Mariel rolls her foot and desperately tries to activate the mystery somehow.
She forced herself to hit the corner of the location note by hitting her chest or biting my chin or pushing her whole body against it.
In the process, our lips almost touched several times, but every time our eyes met, we tacitly stopped moving, so it didn’t lead to an accident.
“Now is the chance to become a scum who hits a woman!”
“I don’t want to be that kind of person.”
“If you just hit me once, I’ll give you the Valley of Death that Holcroft owns!”
“I don’t need it. It’s a wasteland there.”
“Then, marriage…! Yes, marriage! Holcroft’s women have been well-regarded in society for generations, raising children well and being excellent partners!”
“….”
“What do you think!? It’s a chance for the caretaker to welcome such a beautiful bride in their life! So, right away…!”
Oh, I almost clenched my fist for real.
Since no matter what promise we had, it would all be meaningless if I were to attack her, I could just ignore it all.
In the end, after a fierce struggle that left moisture on the window, even the time to cover up the past with mystery had passed.
Marie, who was caught without any room to move, sat on the floor and squeezed out tears.
“Let’s see, the closest police office here…”
“Oh no! Please save me! I’ll do anything, so please…”
“Really?”
“Yes?”
Shimmering hair that seemed like it was gilded, and a delicate texture that looked like it would leave permanent marks if bitten once.
I grabbed her hand, which was trying to hide those two things, and brought the blanket over them.
“It’s only now that we can have a conversation since you’re willing to listen to anything. It would be inconvenient if your identity as the gallery manager were to be revealed, wouldn’t it?”
“Manager?”
“As a price for keeping the secret, I have one request. No, it’s not a request.”
“W-What…!”
As I raised my arm, the hand that was holding the blanket lost its strength.
I took advantage of that moment and got even closer.
With my knees between her legs, I pressed my body against hers as if embracing her tightly.
The hand that couldn’t push me away kept reaching towards my chest.
But I wouldn’t allow even that, so I glared at her with a reddened face and finally opened my mouth.
“M-Mr. Manager, you’re too close. Since our breaths are touching, stop it…”
“Mariel.”
“Eek! Y-Yes…!”
I raised my hand towards Mariel’s upper body, which emitted the scent of sugar and milk.
And then, her gaze, which had been shaking back and forth, finally couldn’t endure it and fell down.
After a moment, her eyes, filled with resignation but with a hint of anticipation for what was to come, looked back at me.
As our breaths gradually became rougher, to the point where they tickled the inside of our throats, our distance narrowed.
“Bring me three magic spells within the next two weeks.”
“Huh?”
I pointed to the mysterious fragment engraved on her left chest.
*
Mariel was the type who could squeeze out results the more she squeezed, like wringing out a dry towel.
Even though I had taken care of all the trivial tasks, she had entered the final dungeon just like me, skipping the starting floor.
After firmly instructing her to bring me the magic spells to dedicate to me while she stayed on the training floor, she left the dormitory with a light heart.
Now it was time to save the remaining two.
“What is Cien up to these days?”
In the past, I used to send her annoying questions or embarrassing photos from the outside, but since the magic exam, there had been no special news.
—–
Superconductor Smiling Girl: I have a favor to ask.
Superconductor Smiling Girl: What are you doing right now?
Training is the Best: Zig, maba.
It had been a long time since I sent a message using the location note, and it seemed that I couldn’t immediately respond to whatever was happening.
Chojundochae Eumbalmi Girl: Why? Did you get kicked out of the Magic Department and sent to the Remedial Training Department?
Chojundochae Eumbalmi Girl: But it’s not because you’re incapable, right?
Chojundochae Eumbalmi Girl: The Haeju School is a bit sketchy.
Chojundochae Eumbalmi Girl: Can an apprentice who chose the Alchemy School grow into a proper magician? I still don’t know.
Chojundochae Eumbalmi Girl: (A pathetic picture taken after a disappointing match)
Training is the best: I’ll kill you guys.
Sien was on at least the 39th floor, so I had to go down myself to see her face.
I decided to leave one person as a candidate and go find the one I had marked.
Mariel could confront with threats and Sien could with friendship, but they both couldn’t reach the last person.
“Miss Bina, are you okay for a moment?”
“What’s the matter, teacher?”
“I went up to the training floor this time, and there’s something very important I need to ask you… What are you doing right now?”
Bina, whom I ran into in the hallway of the Epsilon section, was standing in front of a vending machine, constantly pressing the buttons.
At first, I thought the vending machine was broken, but upon closer inspection, I realized that she was selecting and depleting all the drinks except for “iced water”.
Trying not to delve too deeply into the act that reached the end of some accident, Bina handed me something.
It was a large travel bag finished with luxurious leather.
“Here you go. I heard you were looking for the supervisor.”
“Where are you going?”
“A committee was formed recently due to an unfortunate incident in the labyrinth. The location is on the 44th floor, ‘공역 (空域)’. I, as a member of Niflheim, have to participate in the committee.”
Upon the fact that demons invaded the Great Labyrinth, the top-line magic families of Mado gathered in one place.
It was rare for even the direct descendants of the Seven Sages to attend, but this time, she said she had to go as well.
“Milone-nim, one of the Seven Sages, has personally summoned us. As her direct descendant, I will represent the Glaesia School and enter 공역.”
“Well, then lectures will have to be suspended for a while. Should I carry your luggage to the elevator?”
“No, just follow the supervisor. Don’t open it without permission.”
“Follow the supervisor?”
I glanced down at the stacks of beverage bottles on the floor for a moment.
I wondered if excessive teasing had damaged the head of the genius pureblood magician.
“Excuse me, but I can only go up to the 11th floor.”
“I know that much too. Do you think I’m a fool?”
Vina turned her head quickly and passed me by.
As I followed her with quick steps, a gloved hand handed me two unfamiliar pieces of paper.
“It’s very unusual for airspace to be opened at this time. Most families are not prepared to go up to the middle floors because they are focusing their resources on lower floors during the recruitment period.”
“I see.”
“Nevertheless, in order to determine the future actions of Mado, as many families as possible need to attend the committee. This is a ‘fast pass’ ticket for that purpose.”
‘Fast pass’ was a device that allowed temporary movement to another area of Mado that could only be accessed by those who climbed normally.
Of course, once you went up, you had to take the train back down.
If you make a mistake, there is a chance you’ll be trapped in a higher level than your own abilities.
But for someone like her, who is free in climbing, she wouldn’t really need a ticket like this…
“Did you prepare this for me, by any chance?”
“…I need someone to carry the luggage.”
Vina increased her walking speed without turning her head.
“And it’s not a bad opportunity for the supervisors to visually confirm the abilities of high-level wizards.”
On the platform where she arrived, there were numerous wizards waiting for the train.
*
When it comes to the Magic Tower, it mainly refers to the Ma Family and the Baek Family.
If you ask which side has more, it’s obviously the Baek Family, an alliance of over a hundred families.
There were hardly any pure-bloods on the platform waiting for the express train.
In terms of appearance, the only ones who had a shining appearance were Vina and her friend, Christina.
“Ah! Why are you so late, Vina! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the supervisor!”
“It’s been a while. Did you use the location note properly?”
“Well~ I lent it to Vina for a moment, but it got permanently disabled! Something about ‘a bad review’ was written on it?”
“….”
“Oh well, here’s another one for you. Try not to lend it to anyone else if possible.”
After a light greeting, the bell rang and boarding began.
As they were chatting, the two pure-blooded wizards and Vina took their seats in first class.
I entrusted my personal belongings to the flight attendant and returned to where the two people were, carrying only Vina’s bag.
But there was a new face I hadn’t seen before.
“It is an honor to meet the shining duo of Glaecia. If you don’t mind, would it be okay for us, the Cellusia family, to assist you until the performance?”
“Thank you, but we already have companions~ Oh, there they are!”
From Noble mtl dot com
Under the sentence of the robe indicating membership in the Baekga, the number 13 was written.
The man quickly scanned me from head to toe and spoke with an incredulous tone.
“What? You’re going to the performance with just one servant!? And on top of that, the mana energy is dirty and vulgar, hmm…!”
Under the robe, something shimmered with a bluish light—it was a Spirit Seal.
Indeed, it seemed that the Spiritists were naturally drawn to pure-blooded magicians, while adventurers like me, who had been involved in many adventures, seemed to have an instinctive aversion.
I could briefly explain to him elsewhere how I came to possess this blood, but if I did, the train might just leave.
I took out a location note and sent him a message through his account.
“Hey, you there! It seems like you’re not even a noble, but rather a rookie adventurer. So how about putting aside your greed and stopping here…?”
“Do you mind if I don’t answer? It seems like an urgent message.”
“What? Where… aaahhh!!!”
The Baekga man covered his eyes and fell to the ground, groaning. The power of the modified tactical nuclear weapon, which would stick to the optic nerve the moment you saw it and wouldn’t be erased for at least a month, was enough to make the platform floor wet with the tears of the Spiritist.
“We should get on. We’ll be leaving soon.”
“R-really?”
“Should I take care of that for you too?”
“Oh, thank you!”
I grabbed Christina’s bag and got on the train.
As a posthumous measure, I didn’t forget to invite him to the ‘Nuclear Fusion Forum,’ where scoundrels were lurking.