Chapter 120
The only slightly regrettable thing was that by analyzing the Mana Waves, Shiren could only tell that Dark Mages were present here. She said she couldn't pinpoint exactly who was there, so I'd have to go find them myself.
"Of course, if someone's power is exceptionally strong, their Mana Wave tends to spread wider and further. So, a rough inference is possible." "Does that mean we can infer the presence of someone like High-ranking Executive Illeon?" "Yes, if Illeon is the only one with that much power."
Although the accuracy seemed quite low, considering how secretly Dark Mages hide, like cockroaches, even this much was a blessing. I stroked Shiren's head again, telling her she'd done a truly excellent job, and Shiren, beaming with pride, told me,
"Yes, you're right. Even I think it's amazing."
Shiren, who normally didn't praise herself, was praising herself to this extent, which meant the skill was likely on an absurd level. Just as I was marveling at this, Liana, who was standing nearby, gasped and spoke to Shiren.
"You succeeded in analyzing Mana Waves? Is that even possible? No, it doesn't seem possible... If Lady Shiren's words are true, you could immediately win the Eclipse Award, the most prestigious prize in Magic Academia." "I don't need it." "It's not about needing it or not... Ah, no, anyway, it's incredibly surprising."
Liana, seemingly unable to believe that Shiren had discovered such a technique, kept exclaiming in admiration before finally speaking to Shiren.
"Speaking of which, would it be possible to analyze other people too?" "I'd have to see. Since the technique is still in its early stages, it's only easy to distinguish if they have a unique Mana Wave, like Dark Mages." "Ah, I see. Still, just one check..."
Liana, repeating how unbelievable it was, clung to Shiren and showed her the documents. Shiren scanned them, beginning her magical analysis.
*Even if I died and came back to life, I wouldn't understand what that is or what she's doing.*
For now, I decided to leave them to it and take some time to consolidate my own strength.
About two days later, Liana informed me that Illeon had begun to move.
"His reaction is slower than I expected?" "Even kidnapping one or two people usually has significant repercussions, but we kidnapped dozens simultaneously and even carried out terror attacks. It seems he must have taken some time to clean up the mess."
Indeed, if you think about it simply, their supply lines were shattered, their manpower decimated, and most of their core projects would have ground to a halt, tangling everything up. So, it was bound to take a considerable amount of time.
"On top of that, they'd have to investigate the truth of the incident, devise countermeasures, and hold meetings to resolve it. When you consider all that, two days isn't actually that long." "Really?" "Furthermore, considering that our opponents are Dark Mages... it's likely they've mobilized all their forces to respond to this."
In short, it seems the Dark Mage Faction has declared this situation an emergency that must be resolved with top priority. Realizing that the plan had worked out even better than expected, I spoke to Liana.
"So, what's Illeon doing?" "I heard he's personally stepped forward to track down the culprit."
For a Dark Mage of his rank, a High-ranking Executive, to personally go out to find the culprit, he must be furious beyond reason. Unable to suppress a smile, I decided it was time to put the plan into action.
"In that case, it's about time we went to catch him."
At my words, Liana pondered for a moment, then spoke to me with a voice full of concern.
"However... there are two things that worry me." "What are they?" "First, immediately after such an incident, the Guard Forces are extremely numerous. And second... considering the characteristics of Dark Mages, there's a high probability they've set a trap and are waiting."
A trap, huh... Well, it wouldn't be like them not to set one. As I nodded in affirmation, Liana sighed and added to her explanation.
"Putting everything else aside, thanks to Lord Damian moving while carefully concealing his identity, they suspect it's us, but they can't be sure. So, it's highly likely they've set a trap to confirm it."
As I nodded, a playful impulse suddenly struck me, and I suppressed the corners of my mouth from turning up as I spoke.
"Lord Damian? You should call me *Brother Damian*."
At my teasing, Liana flared up and shouted at me.
"*Oh, come on!*"
At her reaction, I began to tease Liana with a voice full of mischief.
"Come on, now. You promised to call me that first." "...That was!"
Liana, seemingly at a loss for words, messily ruffled her long hair that hung down her back and said,
"That was just a joke..." "I don't know about that. Just use the proper title." "*Ugh!*"
It was the first time I'd seen Liana so embarrassed and distressed, so I couldn't help but let out a laugh.
*Teasing Liana is surprisingly fun.*
Thinking that teasing her occasionally wouldn't be bad, I subtly glanced around. Just as I was thinking it was fortunate Ruen wasn't here, Liana, her face flushed crimson, whined and spoke to me.
"I worked hard... Stop teasing me." "Alright. I'll stop teasing you today." "Today...?"
Ignoring Liana's questioning, I told her,
"Then, I'm about to go catch Illeon, so please prepare." "Haa, really... Alright. First, the precautions... there are several, but just don't get caught. If you think you're about to be discovered, it might be better to just kill everyone and come back." "That's quite extreme." "I meant that such a thing shouldn't happen if possible."
I felt bad for Liana, but no matter how I thought about it, it didn't seem likely I'd just catch Illeon and leave. I gave a rough nod and decided to depart for now.
---
Guided by Liana's information and Shiren's Wave Detection Magic, we arrived at the designated location to find a city covered in thick fog.
*Fog? No, this isn't fog; it feels like Dark Mana.*
Mana with a sticky, clinging quality. Knowing that only Dark Mana or demonic energy possessed such power, I frowned and looked ahead.
*For this much Dark Mana to be spread throughout the entire city, it's highly probable that everyone inside is a Dark Mage.*
It was similar to the Shadow City, but in the Shadow City, there was still a sense of discretion. Here, they were openly operating in the light, brazenly causing trouble, so a mix of bewilderment and displeasure swirled in my mind.
*I don't know how they managed to come out into the open...*
But it was clear they had crawled out using rather unpleasant methods. Feeling a great sense of unease, I slowly advanced.
"Mnyaak..."
As I tried to get closer to the fog, Daisy reacted with extreme distaste, waving her paws frantically. It seemed she meant for me not to go near, so I took a step back and asked Daisy.
"Can't we go in here?" "Maja." "Why?" "Apya!"
I didn't quite understand, but it seemed I shouldn't touch that fog-like substance. If so, I'd have to avoid it to enter... The problem was that the fog covered the entire city.
*A way to get inside without touching it...*
As I pondered if such a thing even existed, a very simple and intuitive method popped into my head.
*Can't I just burn it all down?*
Thinking about it, it was an obvious conclusion. Whether I infiltrated or did anything else, I'd eventually be discovered and have to kill them all anyway. A thought flashed through my mind: wouldn't it be better to just kill everyone from the start?
*Besides, to catch Illeon, I'd have to use Daisy's power.*
Since I'm the only one who uses Sun's Fire, if even one witness remained, my identity would inevitably be exposed. To avoid revealing my identity, there was no choice but to wipe out all the Dark Mages in this city.
*I have to destroy the entire city.*
I gazed at the massive city, falling into thought for a moment. A city that size seemed impossible to completely burn or destroy with just one Origin Explosion.
Just as I was wondering what to do, Daisy lifted her body, grinning triumphantly, and spoke to me.
"Myang!"
It seemed she had something she could do. Seeing Daisy's actions, I lifted her up, just in case, and asked her what it was. Daisy spread her paws wide, bounced up and down, and told me.
"Puyayang."
What's 'Puyayang'? Ah, could she mean 'Pwooong'? I couldn't be sure, but it seemed she could use a very powerful technique, so I decided to trust her and said,
"Then, do you want to try using it on that city?"
Daisy nodded triumphantly, looked ahead, and then created a White Orb about the size of a candy and lifted it upwards.
"Myang!"
As Daisy had indicated, immense power was indeed contained within it... Unfortunately, this single orb was only slightly weaker than an Origin Explosion, so just as I was about to say it wasn't enough, countless White Orbs spread out from Daisy, beginning to envelop the entire surroundings.
Thousands, no, an overwhelming number that easily surpassed tens of thousands. Just as I thought the entire surroundings had turned white and nothing else was visible, Daisy extended her paw and launched those orbs towards the fog-shrouded city.