Chapter 3
The cloudy weather finally released its rain. Dark clouds blocked the sunlight, and blue lightning flashed between them.
The heavy raindrops purified the blood flowing through the slums but simultaneously accelerated decay. Acel tried to ignore the stench of corpses wafting from the alleyways as he pushed his rain-soaked hair back and continued walking.
"...Haa."
He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. The handwriting was hard to decipher, but Acel knew it represented an address.
It was a rare skill in the slums. In a place overflowing with illiteracy, the value of someone who could read was exceptionally high. While there were plenty of people in the slums who were good with their bodies, those with sharp minds were uncommon. That was why Acel received more money and more requests than others.
"..."
Acel ducked under a suitable awning and examined the address written on the paper closely.
First drainage canal, fifth shack.
It was a somewhat cryptic address, but it wasn't a problem for someone who had memorized the entire map of the slums.
Acel quickly tucked the paper away and moved carefully to keep the drugs from getting wet. Fortunately, the backpack given by the factory owner was coated with waterproof material, so he didn't have to worry about rainwater seeping in.
– Rumble!
Just as he was about to leave the awning, the sky roared fiercely with thunder. Acel's eyes sparkled as he watched the blue lightning strike somewhere.
Ever since childhood, when he saw lightning strike that burned trees right in front of him, Acel had been fascinated by the power and mystery of lightning. He deeply understood why the ancients called lightning divine punishment.
If given the chance, he'd like to see lightning falling again. But just because he wanted to see it didn't mean he could, and lightning wasn't the important thing right now.
I need to complete the request as quickly as possible, buy medicine, and return home. That's how I can save sis.
Thinking this, Acel adjusted his backpack. Though the backpack filled with five packages of drugs weighed heavily on his shoulders, he paid it no mind and slipped into a deserted alleyway.
It was the shortest route to the first drainage canal. Though it was a path no one took, full of decaying corpses and putrid puddles, that made it the optimal route for Acel. He wiped the rain from his face and continued on.
Today, particularly strong thunder followed behind him.
It was about three hours after leaving the factory when he arrived at the corpse mage's residence. It had taken that long just walking without any interruptions.
This was due to the drug factory being located far from the first canal and the corpse mage's residence being hidden in a particularly hard-to-find place.
Is this how all mages are?
He couldn't tell. It was Acel's first time delivering drugs to a mage.
There was a saying that all mages living in the slums were crazy. While slum rumors tended to be exaggerated and should be taken with a grain of salt, this wasn't the case for rumors about mages.
Their bizarre behaviors were all based on actual events in the slums. In the slum where Acel lived, there was even a time when a crazy mage kidnapped and killed a large number of homeless people, creating a blood mist that didn't dissipate for a while.
If even regular mages could do such things, how insane must a corpse mage be?
"...Phew."
Acel exhaled deeply, feeling anxious and tense. He swallowed hard and knocked on the door of the corpse mage's house.
Like other dilapidated houses in the area, the corpse mage's door shook with the peculiar sound of rotting wood.
"Delivery."
Acel called out as he knocked on the door. But there was no response. All he could hear was the sound of rain hitting the ground and rough thunder. Thinking his voice might not have been heard, Acel knocked again.
"Delivery."
"Shut up!"
The answer came from behind. Acel was startled by the man's harsh shout and quickly turned his head. He saw a pale-faced man wrapped in a black robe.
The man was looking down at Acel with bloodshot eyes, breathing heavily.
"I, I answered! Why did you call twice!? Why, why, why, why!?"
You didn't answer, you bastard.
Acel swallowed these words and managed a strained smile. He slowly moved his backpack from his back to his front. It was an action meant to avoid provoking the person in front of him. Fortunately, it seemed to work, as the man just continued breathing heavily without lunging at Acel to kill him.
"I'm sorry. I acted rashly. Would you please forgive me just this once?"
A humility that didn't match his age came naturally to Acel. It was partly due to the social skills he had learned while delivering drugs, and partly due to his mental age growing as he recalled memories from his past life.
Acel inwardly marveled at his own handling of the situation as he bowed his head even lower.
"I'm the courier who came to deliver drugs on Bruger's orders. Are you Mr. Gerbil?"
"Y-yes. That's right. Drugs, drugs, drugs! Give me the drugs quickly. Hurry!"
Gerbil rolled his eyes and jumped up and down on the spot as if having a seizure. His mental state was extremely unstable. It was withdrawal symptoms from not consuming drugs for a while.
Demanding money first from someone in such a state would be suicidal.
Moreover, the other party was a mage. Although he hadn't seen him use magic yet, Acel sensed something different about Gerbil. He didn't know what it was, but instead of satisfying his curiosity, Acel quickly took out a package of drugs from his backpack and handed it to Gerbil.
"Drugs, it's drugs! Give them to me, you bastard! They're all mine!!!"
"Here you are."
As if not hearing Acel's words, Gerbil immediately snatched the drug package from his hand, tore it open, and buried his face in it.
The white powder instantly covered his face. It was an absurd way of consumption considering the value of the drugs, but Acel quietly waited for him to calm down.
"...Hmm."
After a few minutes of licking his lips in place, Gerbil's movements suddenly stopped. He neatly gathered his arms and legs, which had been shaking erratically, like a normal person, and brushed off the drugs on his robe. Then, clicking his tongue, he wiped the drugs off his face.
"It seems I spilled more than I consumed. Perhaps because it's been too long since I’ve last had some."
Unlike before, his voice now carried a deep wisdom. His actions exuded an inexplicable old-fashioned elegance, and his slightly distorted face from dissatisfaction showed a noble-like refinement.
An attitude that seemed to have changed completely in an instant. Acel unconsciously swallowed and took a step back, feeling the dissonance. Only then did Gerbil notice Acel's presence, rolling his black eyes to look at him.
He looked down indifferently at the tense Acel, then approached him with a slight smile.
"I apologize for that. You see, I can't maintain my sanity unless I'm intoxicated with drugs. I hope you'll forget the unseemly behavior you just witnessed."
"...What happened? This is my first time meeting you, Mr. Gerbil."
"Oh? Haha! What an interesting fellow. I didn't expect such a response. Are you older than you look?"
Gerbil looked at Acel with interest, then bent his knees to meet his eye level. He then took out six gold coins from his pocket and handed them to Acel.
It was one coin more than the original price. As Acel opened his mouth, Gerbil was quicker, "Keep one for yourself. It's a reward for entertaining me."
"...Thank you!"
Acel immediately bowed his head and shouted. He had no intention of refusing.
A whole gold coin. This alone was equivalent to ten silver coins, a considerable sum. With this, he could buy medicine for Evelyn and even purchase additional supplies with some left over.
Acel clutched the gold coin Gerbil had given him tightly in both hands and raised his head with a bright expression.
—And then his breath suddenly caught.
"...Hmm?"
Gerbil's expression hadn't changed. He still had a relaxed smile on his face and was looking at Acel with gentle eyes. But those eyes were different from before.
"Friend. You have an interesting ability, don't you?"
There was no sign of life in the brown eyes that had regained vitality after taking the drugs. It felt like facing a dead corpse.
An indescribable stench wafted from his nose. At the same time, as soon as Acel met Gerbil's eyes, he heard someone's whispers.
[Save me save me save me save me.]
[Death wasn't an escape after all? Then why did I have to do that!? Why, why!?]
[I want to die. I want to be free, please let me out of here.]
[I'll kill you! I'll tear you apart and kill you for sure!]
Explicit pleas, curses, and lamentations of unfathomable depth shook Acel's head. Unable to suppress the sudden urge to vomit, Acel spewed water and gastric juices onto the ground.
"Urgh!"
"Friend. Are you alright?"
Gerbil chuckled and stroked Acel's back as he collapsed. Acel jumped up in fright at the touch, which was as cold as a corpse. Gerbil continued to look up at him with a smiling face.
Acel tried to ignore Gerbil's gaze and bowed his head in greeting.
"I-I'm fine. More importantly, I should be going now. I'll leave the drugs here," Acel said this and hurriedly turned around.
"Wait a moment, friend," at that moment, Gerbil stood up and spoke in a low voice.
Simultaneously, Acel's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. Acel instinctively sensed that some power was imbued in that voice. And he realized.
The essence that forms the world. The miraculous power that was the beginning of everything and caused the advancement of civilization.
Mana was flowing through Gerbil's voice, weighing down on Acel's shoulders.
Thump, thump.
Gerbil's footsteps drew closer. Acel gritted his teeth and tried to move his body, but it wouldn't budge. Rather, the more he tried to move forcefully, the more he felt a burning sensation in his muscles. His brain also felt like it was being heated to the point of cooking.
"Shit!"
Due to the pain felt throughout his body, the sensation of his head cooking, and the anxiety and inexplicable fear, Acel unconsciously cursed and rolled his eyes around.
It was to see if there was any way to escape. But there was nothing to be seen. Only the scattered garbage pitifully guarded its place.
"Oh my, you shouldn't curse," Gerbil said in a voice tinged with laughter.
He had already reached Acel and tapped Acel's stiffened head with his hand.
"Alright. Stay still, friend. I have something to ask you."
"..."
"You, when you made eye contact with me, you heard something strange, didn't you?"
"...I didn't hear anything."
It was a lie.
Gerbil chuckled and added more force to the hand tapping Acel's head.
With each swing of Gerbil's hand, accompanied by a sharp sound, Acel's head shook violently.
"I prefer honest friends," Gerbil said as he stroked Acel's cheek with his other hand.
Each time he moved his hand, an eerie energy flowed out.
It was death energy. The power used to handle corpses by refining mana. This terrible energy was slowly rotting and crumbling Acel's cheek. Acel clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at the pain that felt like his flesh was burning away.
Regardless, Gerbil maintained a slight smile, not even paying attention to what Acel was doing.
"I'll ask once more. What did you hear?"
"...Nngh, y-yes. I heard something."
"Hmm... How curious. It shouldn't be easy to read the memories of the corpses contained in this body," Gerbil muttered to himself as he tapped Acel's cheek.
The rotting flesh was smashed with each tap. Acel's cheek was instantly covered in blood.
"Are you perhaps a mage? No, you don't seem to be. I can't sense any mana from you."
"..."
"Hmm... But there's a lot of mana floating around you. Are you naturally loved by mana? How good must your affinity be for such a phenomenon to occur? Judging by how you forcibly heard the voices of the corpses that make up this body, your sensitivity seems good too..."
Gerbil tilted his head and muttered. Then, with a grin, he looked at Acel with interested eyes.
"Just how exceptional is your talent?"
"...This is the first time I've heard of this."
"Of course it would be. How many people in this dump could recognize your talent? Nobody except someone like me would know," Gerbil said, shrugging his shoulders.
Acel tried his best to avoid Gerbil's gaze and started racking his brain for a way to survive.
"It would be a waste to let such talent rot away. But I'm not really in a position to take on a disciple. Hmm... Alright, I've decided. I'll just carve out your heart and brain separately, and investigate your mana sensitivity and affinity a bit. I can see it, you know. The mana that's going crazy wanting to enter your body. I've never seen mana act this wildly before."
Gerbil gently stroked Acel's head.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you right away. I'm also curious about how mana reacts when I torture you, and when your emotions fluctuate. Or I could forcibly implant a magic core into your body. It's not in great condition since I forcibly extracted it from a 5th-rank mage, but that should be enough, right?"
He casually uttered chilling words with a voice tinged with laughter. Acel, forgetting about talent or whatever, struggled with all his might to break free from this restraint and escape somehow.
There was no one in sight to call for help. Even if there were, the chances of getting help were slim.
Saving someone in the slums without any compensation? That was the kind of story one would only find in novels. In reality, people were far more concerned with running away than helping. They avoided the scene to prevent any trouble from falling on them.
"...Ugh."
There were no useful objects around either. Even a rusty blade, which was usually common, couldn't be found when needed. No, to begin with, his body couldn't move at all. Whether Gerbil intended it or not, the only part he could move was his mouth.
The talent Gerbil praised was of no help either. Telling someone who has never held a pen that they were good at drawing was pointless—that person didn't know how to draw in the first place. They might be able to scribble some lines on paper, but they couldn't create anything that could be called a “drawing”.
The same went for Acel. Mana sensitivity? Affinity? No matter how much he was told these were excellent, Acel didn't understand the concept of mana itself. He only vaguely knew that it was the fundamental force of the world. He had no idea how to utilize or handle it.
Helplessness and fear began to consume his thoughts.
What should I do? Am I just going to die here?
Then what about Evelyn? Acel glared at Gerbil, who was stroking his chin in thought, and gritted his teeth. But there was nothing he could do. No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't see a way to survive.
"...Damn it."
Rumble.
Just as Acel cursed, a white lightning flashed through the falling rain. As Acel narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar color of the lightning, he vaguely saw someone's silhouette beneath where the lightning was flashing.
"..."
It was a woman with snow-white hair reaching her waist, wearing an enormous hat. She was standing in the middle of the alley, staring intently in their direction.
Her vivid blue eyes sparkled in the light. Her unique attire blended seamlessly with the mysterious atmosphere, and white lightning jumping around her was evaporating the falling rain.
It was a scene that felt unreal. Acel found himself staring at her without realizing it. At the same time, she was also gazing at Acel.
Their eyes met in mid-air, and the woman's lips moved first. Though no sound was heard, Acel could understand what she was saying. Or more precisely, her words echoed in his mind.
Duck.
The moment he registered this, Acel's body was forcibly thrown to the ground.
Word magic that compelled actions through speech. As Gerbil sensed the lingering effects of this unique magic and came to his senses—
[Lightning Release]
A pure white lightning bolt shot towards Gerbil.