5. Bread and dagger (9)
The academy was a densely populated area with tens of thousands of permanent residents.
Of course, the demand and profit generated from it were also terrifying. At least, it was not at a level that could be supported only by the small market economy within the academy.
As a result, there was no choice but to create a downtown area around the academy.
Population calls capital, and capital calls the market.
And again, the mayor calls the population and the city is formed. The same was true of the space commonly referred to as ‘downtown’ in the academy.
Originally, the academy was said to be located in a remote remote area.
A long time ago, a great wizard gathered famous people to share their wisdom, and the beginning was that young people with wills gathered to learn from them.
Since then, excellent talents have been produced, and the academy’s reputation has grown day by day.
And the more the rumor spreads, the more people come.
Even wealthy people such as royalty and nobility came to the academy, and shops suitable for their standard of living began to set up around them.
The result of such a long time was now in front of me.
The streets of the city were forming a sea of phosphates. The crowds filled in every alley created the unique vitality of the center.
Nowadays, it is difficult to find even traces of the past that it was a remote countryside.
There was only one remnant of that era, the fierce competitive culture that remained in the academy.
It has become a tradition for celebrities to compete to see whose pupil is the better.
In the past and now, it seemed that the master was a kind of people who couldn’t get rid of it without having to somehow train the disciples.
I suddenly thought of Professor Derek. When I visited him not long ago, he told me to prepare for hell training, but I thought I should put it off for the next opportunity.
Because there are so many things to do right now.
I was in town to deal with one of them.
I took out a note from my pocket. There was a short address written in round handwriting. These were words written by Emma.
He told her that it was the place where the peddler who sold ‘Snow Frost’ was staying.
Even though Emma wrote down the address to my persistent request, she couldn’t shake off the uneasiness. She glanced at me until the end, then cautiously asked me.
“… … Aren’t you going to do anything?”
No way.
If you weren’t going to do anything, there was no reason to look for it in the first place.
But I had to force myself to swallow those words that reached my throat.
There was no need to frighten Emma.
She was kind and kind-hearted. No matter how much he was scammed, he couldn’t help but worry about his old acquaintance.
So I just comforted Emma with a faint smile.
“Then what am I going to do?”
“Severing limbs… … ?”
Having said that, I had nothing else to say.
Eventually I had to reassure Emma until her trembling eyes calmed down. Then, heading straight to the city, I finally arrived at the place Emma had written about.
From the outside, it looked like a shabby store.
Perhaps the guy who betrayed Emma is staying here.
First of all, I groaned and deliberately cleared my throat to pretend to be there. It was next that my hand knocked on the door of the store.
Soon, a polite tone came out of my mouth.
“… … Are you there?”
It was a response based on courtesy and common sense, as he had promised with Emma.
At this rate, even Emma could not blame me.
But no matter how long I waited, there was no response from beyond the door. Even after knocking on the door a few more times.
I hmmm, swallowed my saliva and touched my chin.
The blood fight with the corpse giant cost me a lot, but it also taught me a lot.
One of them was how to deal with Aurors.
Until recently, I was just an expert beginner.
At the time, I couldn’t properly draw out the power of my aura or use it beyond putting it on my sword. It was a time when the expression ‘a new chick drunk on power’ was appropriate.
But now I was different.
Gradually, even the characteristics of the Aura were beginning to bloom. By applying this, more advanced sensing technologies could also be used.
I hold my breath and spread my aura.
It was the manifestation of an aura. As the refined mana spread, the surrounding structure became more clearly lodged in the chest.
Beyond the five senses, it feels like a new sense has been created.
It didn’t take long to discover the singularity inside the store.
I feel faint breath and warmth.
It meant that a living being was staying inside.
Realizing this, I didn’t hesitate any longer.
A bang, a resounding explosion.
It was the result of kicking with magic power hitting the front door of the store.
The air was torn apart and a blizzard raged. The fragments of wood scattered in all directions gave an idea of the impact.
At first glance, it seemed like a small scream could be heard from inside.
Stepping on the wooden fragments that were once a door, I asked the question again.
“Are you there?”
It was still a polite greeting.
Yes, he hadn’t broken his promise to Emma yet.
However, even after breaking the door, I did not achieve the goal I had hoped for.
It was because I couldn’t find a shadow of a person inside the store.
I can feel it, but I can’t see it.
At most, one cat was staring at me with startled eyes.
Then it was obvious where to be suspicious.
Tilting my head as if it were strange, I muttered to myself.
“Hey, is anyone there?”
Then I sneakily looked around the store. Every time I did that, I could feel the tense gaze directed at me.
If they were clumsy, they might have been tricked.
Vision occupies a particularly large proportion among the five senses. If I could confuse it, it was simple to confuse the rest of my senses.
It was just that I had another sense.
My hand shot somewhere like a thunderbolt.
Nyaaaong-!
The gray-haired cat struggled and screamed. I raised my fingernails and scratched my hand, but the magically strengthened skin did not budge.
My hand was gripping the cat’s scruff.
The cat’s blue eyes looked up at me with fear.
My eyes had long since sunk coldly.
“… … You ask if you are there.”
At that one word, the cat’s seizures stopped.
Instead, the cat shuddered and began to look at me. Even though it was obvious that his cover was exposed, he still seemed to be holding on.
In this case, there was only one effective means of communication.
I sighed and took out the hatchet. Only then did the cat scream and admit its mistake.
“There is! I’m here, please… … !”
It is a human language heard through the mouth of a cat.
I laughed out loud at that rare sight.
I’ve heard that some mages can do this trick. Since it was a magic close to miscellaneous magic, there were not many orthodox wizards who could handle it.
The minimum conditions for a conversation were finally met.
Without hesitation, I threw the cat to the floor. Then, as if the cat had waited, it somersaulted around and changed its appearance.
It was a man with gray hair and a weak impression.
He was wearing cloth clothes, a common feature of those in the magical profession. It seemed that the man was no exception to the fact that he was dealing with rare alchemy ingredients.
Emma called him ‘Avian’.
I left him trembling and looking at him, and bluffed me with my arms crossed.
“Avian… Why were you hiding?”
Avian hesitated for a while, unable to answer.
He managed to come up with an excuse after a while.
“Well, that’s because today is a holiday… … .”
“Stop the bullshit… I’m busy.”
At the same time, the hatchet slammed into the desk.
Seeing this, Avian’s face grew even paler.
It was an outright threat.
If Avian wasn’t guilty, he was in a position to cheat Emma. In addition, he tried to hide his body, so the suspicion was inevitably doubled.
Above all, there was another reason why I was sensitive.
My eyes were still closely watching Avian’s whereabouts.
Regardless, Avian just closed his eyes with an expression that said it was over.
“All right… Eventually, this day must come. I have never been like this in over 10 years of business, and I will tell you openly.”
He drooped his shoulders and raised his hands in surrender.
“It is true that you cheated. However, this is all due to circumstances, and we will refund you as soon as the funds are ready… … !”
“You say it openly.”
However, Avian’s excuses could not continue.
At my cold words, Avian looked at me with puzzled eyes.
The acting skills were very good.
I told him why I was still wary of him, in order to crack his shameless face.
“But why do I still feel a sense of incongruity in your appearance? That doesn’t seem like you really are.”
That was the signal flare.
Avian’s expression, which seemed insincere, changed completely.
A chilly stillness descended like dry frozen soil. Avian’s blue eyes stared at me like ice picks.
yes, it should have been like this
A sense of tension that seemed to cause a rupture at any moment.
The end was clear.
tak, and
Two lines of flash intersect.
In Avian’s hand, there was a dagger made of ice. I blocked it by arm in arm.
Of course, that wasn’t the end.
Pak, and my foot hit Avian’s stomach. Avian flew away without even groaning and landed in the corner of the store.
A gurgling cough flowed from among the piles of luggage there.
I shook my hands and smiled softly.
“Why is the wizard engaging in close combat with the swordsman?”
However, Avian was surprisingly a man with grit.
He said he had adjusted his strength, but even after allowing a blow to a vital point, he rose straight up. It didn’t look like there was any damage from the way it staggered, though.
Anyway, the inside of the store was cramped.
It was safe to say that he had no means of escape from me.
So confident of victory, the moment I was about to take a step.
I had no choice but to stop at the sight that suddenly caught my eye.
“Hey, you, those ears…”
At my remark, Avian was startled and covered his ears.
But it was already too late.
Perhaps the magic had been broken due to his disturbed breathing, and his ears were revealing their true form.
An elongated, pointed auricle.
It was no different from the symbol of a certain race.
That fact was so surprising that I had no choice but to blurt out his true identity.
“……was it an elf?”
Avian chewed his lips even more at my bewildered voice.
Then he glared at me with sharp eyes, and immediately kicked off the ground and fired at me.
“die!”
Filled with life, as if wishing it would be so.
It was an unexpected encounter.