Chapter 83
The office after the association president had left.
Max finished the remaining coffee and looked over the materials Meredith had given him again.
These were reports periodically transmitted to the association by the tier-three mercenaries who had lost contact.
Most of them consisted of eyewitness accounts and testimony.
As a result, the periods during which the people teaching magic had been active were listed loosely as estimates. Only the locations were precise.
‘They aren’t staying in one district but wandering through the lower districts. There doesn’t seem to be any particular pattern.’
The most recent sighting had been two days ago.
Two children had shown an aptitude for magic and received canned food as a congratulatory gift. After a brief conversation, they followed the people who had given it to them.
“Hmm.”
Max kept his eyes fixed on the monitor as he rummaged through the container for candy. It was empty.
Using telekinesis, he opened a new can, took out a lollipop, and put it in his mouth.
The grape-flavored candy gave his brain its sugar fix.
‘Suppose this really was the handiwork of one of the countless subcontractors of Tianming Pharmaceuticals. Even if I stopped it, it wouldn’t deal a serious blow to their research.’
If someone had really acted on Tianming Pharmaceuticals’ orders, this would merely be one of the countless traps they had set up in Haze.
There was no way a single group would be responsible for securing the entire supply. Tianming Pharmaceuticals would never operate that way.
“Oppa. Would you like some more coffee?”
“Please.”
He handed the cup to Flora. Ellen sat beside him, quietly looking at her phone.
Max scrolled rapidly through the materials with his mouse.
A statement from someone who had received instruction but was judged to lack magical aptitude, and thus wasn’t invited along, appeared.
─ They were obviously suspicious people, so I don’t understand why I followed them.
─ The possibility of mind-control magic is being considered.
‘Mind-control magic···.’
Of course, that was a possibility.
But Max did not think the people who had gone with them had been bewitched.
‘They would have followed of their own accord, with their minds perfectly intact.’
He understood the feelings that had driven them to follow.
‘Because reality is such a cesspit that they don’t even want to wake up to it.’
Anyone who showed an aptitude for magic would be easily swayed by a little praise. In Haze, the image of a mage was something special.
Living in such unfortunate circumstances, the faint hope that they might be chosen people blinded them and made them dream.
Of course, hope itself wasn’t a bad thing. People needed hope.
The danger was that so many people wanted to exploit it, so one had to be careful.
─ Additionally, sporadic massacres have been occurring in the lower districts. Even the criminal organizations that managed those alleys were reportedly wiped out without resistance.
─ It appears to be the work of a fourth-tier-or-higher swordfighter. Whether the group teaching magic is connected remains unknown.
The materials came to an end.
As Max sighed and scratched his head, Ellen, who had been quiet, asked,
“Oppa. What do you think of this job?”
“It’s a mystery. We won’t know until we go there and investigate.”
“Hmm···.”
“Still, if we can find this group, maybe it’ll end quickly. I have a feeling it won’t take long.”
Flora took the vacant seat and joined the conversation.
“The person accompanying us will be important, too. They said it would be one person, right?”
“That’s right. I wonder who the association will assign to us.”
Max rose from his seat and began preparing for the assignment.
Flora and Ellen quietly watched his back.
··
··
On the day of the assignment, once Max had finished preparing, Flora and Ellen accompanied him to the elevator.
“I’ll be back soon, so watch the office. Call me immediately if anything happens.”
“Oppa. Good luck···!”
“Oppa, don’t get hurt, and finish the job. Got it?”
Max left the office dressed lightly.
All he had in his pockets was a lollipop, his smartphone, and a small amount of cash.
After he waited briefly in front of the building, a sedan rolled up.
“Mr. Max. I’m from the Bohemian Association.”
“Thank you for coming.”
The driver who had come to the office for him was someone Max had never seen before.
After that brief greeting, the car set off down the road.
The association’s vehicle stopped in a shadowy alley in District 50.
He was supposed to meet the mercenary who would accompany him here, prepare, and then set out.
“Mr. Max. We’ve arrived.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
As Max opened the rear door to get out, the driver added one last detail.
“There is a house in District 50 available through the association. Contact us if you need it.”
“Understood.”
Max saw the association’s vehicle off, and about five minutes passed.
Another vehicle pulled up, and a familiar figure got out.
Black hair with rabbit ears sticking up, violet eyes, a mask covering the nose and mouth, and a distinctive outfit hidden beneath the outerwear.
A wave of delight swept over Max.
“Hoshi··· no, Usagi?”
Since this was an assignment, Max decided Usagi was the appropriate name to use.
Max immediately corrected himself and approached.
“Hmph, why are you so surprised? Didn’t I say we’d see each other soon?”
The corners of Usagi’s mouth twitched beneath the mask.
Facing Max, Usagi could hardly contain the joy.
At that point, Max was able to piece together what was going on.
The mercenary the association president had mentioned—the one who had reached the fifth tier—was Usagi. Max could vaguely sense that Usagi was definitely different from before.
“You’ve advanced a tier.”
“Mm. I won’t be a hindrance anymore.”
“When were you ever a hindrance? Anyway, congratulations.”
Usagi accepted Max’s congratulations with a composed expression, but inside, Usagi was so happy they could set off fireworks and dance.
Usagi had no idea how long they had waited for this day.
‘It felt like an eternity.’
Usagi had never neglected training, even before. The only thing that had changed was their mindset.
In the past, once the grand goal of treating Usagi’s younger sibling had been fulfilled, Usagi had not even dreamed of another purpose or wish.
A change came to Usagi’s listless life.
The desire to stand on equal footing with Max took root in Usagi’s heart and became their driving force.
Usagi began carefully sketching a future they had never even dared to imagine.
That powerful motivation, added to Usagi’s efforts, bore fruit. After taking on one assignment after another, Usagi had reached the same fifth tier as Max.
Usagi believed this growth was entirely thanks to Max and considered telling him so and expressing their gratitude.
But merely imagining saying it was mortifying enough to kill them, so they were pondering whether there was some quiet way to repay him.
“You changed your prosthetic, too. Is it to celebrate reaching a higher tier?”
“···The prosthetic I used before couldn’t withstand fifth-tier output, so I replaced it with something sturdier for now.”
The prosthetic Usagi wore was not high-end.
It might withstand fifth-tier output, but it was far from an ideal product for a fifth-tier user.
Still, it wasn’t Max’s place to comment.
‘There must be a reason.’
Usagi knew far more than Max did about the difference a high-quality product made.
He didn’t want to poke at a sensitive subject out of needless curiosity before the assignment had even begun.
He smoothly changed the subject.
“When you said we’d see each other soon, I thought you meant we’d eat together and hang out. So this was the surprise.”
“I-I didn’t mean anything that bold···!”
Heat rose beneath Usagi’s mask, and the rabbit ears sprang straight up and began to tremble.
Max chuckled at the amusing reaction and started walking.
“Let’s get moving for now. We have a long way to go.”
“···.”
Usagi shook their head to collect themselves, then followed behind Max with silent steps.
The two moved to an even more secluded place and continued their discussion. They would head to their destination only after coordinating their plans.
“Max. How should we proceed?”
“It might be a problem if one of them has eyes sharp enough to discern our tiers, so I’m considering staying completely hidden··· but blending into the crowd doesn’t seem like a bad idea either.”
Usagi answered while rubbing their chin, which was covered by the mask.
“I think we should start with the latter.”
“Blend in with the crowd?”
“I think it offers many advantages. If that doesn’t get us anywhere, we can switch to the former.”
Usagi nodded in agreement. When Usagi agreed with Max like this, he could move things along more quickly.
“I dressed lightly from the start, so I don’t mind going as I am.”
“Then I’m the problem. I’ll have to buy some clothes nearby.”
“Let’s hide the prosthetic under something loose, like a hoodie. It’s for combat, so showing it could give us away.”
“You’re right. I’ll carry as few weapons as possible, too.”
“You said there was a house in District 50 that the association could provide. Let’s leave our luggage there.”
“Let’s do that.”
They had decided what to do first: change Usagi’s clothes.
Max and Usagi headed toward a street lined with shops.
Just before they left the alley.
Max stopped as if he had remembered something important and spoke with a serious expression.
“Oh, and keep your face covered with something like a mask. If you’re too pretty, you’ll draw unwanted attention, which could be troublesome.”
“Huh? W-what did you say···?”
“You stand out too much, so you need to cover up. You know what the slums in the lower districts are like, right?”
Max calmly offered the advice and quickened his pace, but···
Usagi’s steps began to tangle, as if proving the turmoil in their heart.