Chapter 52

“It must have been around here.”

Indeed, Lennok, who had been looking for a place other than the library for the first time in a while, looked around.

The weather is getting colder day by day.

The air that had been sharply brushing my skin had become a chilly chill that was piercing the inside of my collar.

An empty shopping mall. Seeing his reflection through the opaque glass, Lenok suddenly stopped his steps.

“........”

The image of the young man with unkempt hair wearing a rag and staring at the mirror with bloodshot eyes is now fading little by little.

Lennok, who had been wearing a blazer at most, had a thick trench coat hanging over his shoulder before he knew it, and his worn-out sneakers had been replaced with thin shoes.

Even the gloves from the Black Palace workshop that Panoa had gifted her were worn on both hands, and no flesh was visible except for the face.

When he wears a mask on his face, he becomes no different from Dylan.

‘The surroundings are quite empty. It’s different from what I’ve heard.’

The information of the black magicians handed over from Jordan.

Among them, I found a street where the most moderate faction sells, but it is difficult to find even people passing by the street.

I thought that a full month had passed since the inspection started, so I thought it would gradually regain its original mood, but I was mistaken.

There is not a single building with an open door, and even the windows are tightly closed with unknown stoppers, denying access to the outside.

Shops with shutters and unknown exhibition halls. Only a clothing store lined with shabby mannequins welcomes Lennok’s gaze.

It seemed that the city government was tightening the breath of the back world more strongly than I thought.

I had no choice but to raise my magic power and scan all directions.

It reads the visual information of the entire city at once and quickly examines life reactions.

The sound of squeaking shoes. soft breath. And a series of fast-approaching people from afar.

Apparently, those people could answer Lennok’s questions.

As I waited with my arms folded, a group of people appeared through the dark alley.

People wearing suits and badges shining silver around their collarbones.

Officials of the Balkan City Government.

And Lennok’s brow twitched slightly when he noticed a short, stooped old man standing in the center.

Because he was a familiar face and a person I never thought I’d run into even in a place like this.

The opponent opened their eyes wide, as if recognizing Lennok’s face.

The old man, who came to a distance where they could hear each other and stopped, opened his mouth with difficulty.

“I never thought I would see you here again.”

“Me too, Senator. Have you been well?”

Hearing Lennox’s calm reply, councilor Mayer twitched his lips.

“...Uselessly good speech is still the same. I have been hearing about you all along.”

“.........”

“The divinity that burns the hottest in this city these days? He said he destroyed an entire gang. Even my friends who work under me tell me to beware of wizards.”

“The rumors seem exaggerated.”

Although he trembled with inappropriate modesty, Mayer did not pretend to listen.

“As expected, my eyes were not wrong. I should have held on tight then.”

Those eyes overflowing with greed seem to have not changed at all from then.

Reluctantly, Lennok turned his tail first.

“So what are you doing here?”

“I still remember what you said then. It was the most impressive piece of advice I’ve ever heard from a friend younger than my son.”

“......”

Are you not going to listen at all?

Seeing Lennok’s troubled face, Mayer began to sneak into the conversation only then.

“It’s too late to explain. I’m taking a seat on the committee overseeing this inspection. The reason I came here now is because of the follow-up after the inspection.”

“...You mean the committee?”

that is quite surprising

This greedy old man has reached the point where he has a place in the schedule organized by the city government.

People say that they were lucky, but in the political arena, even such luck does not roll in carelessly.

I don’t know what method he used, but it seemed that he had begun to solidify a fairly solid political position in that short period of time.

“okay. I don’t think I need a more plausible nameplate to keep talented young people like you under me. However, it seems that you and Van raised the ransom price significantly in the meantime.”

“You need to push yourself a little harder.”

Mayer chuckled as Lennok shuddered.

Since he has a good view of him from the beginning, he thinks even this kind of joke is nothing.

Calming the distance in his mind, Lennok narrowed his eyes.

‘Maybe we can really work together.’

It is impossible for Lennok to connect with key figures in the city government right now, but at least it is possible to prepare for the future.

Mayer isn’t young, but she’s proven that she can eat a piece of that cramped pie of power.

I don’t know what kind of ambition he had and how he challenged the power, but there is no reason to let him be an enemy.

That’s why Lennok honestly told me the purpose of his coming here.

“I came here because I have business with the warlocks. I knew that there were people who gathered here to do business, but it seems that they did not escape the inspection.”

“It will probably be difficult to find other sorcerers here for a while.”

Are you saying that even though you participated in the inspection yourself?

Mayer didn’t pay attention to Lennok’s gaze and muttered as if he were talking about Namil.

“The will of the superior is stronger than I thought. There must be a reason more important than appearances.”

“Is the purpose to prevent sorcerers from making a profit?”

“well. There could be several reasons. Either they don’t pay taxes on the money they earn, or they try to lure magicians buried in the night into the bosom of the city government.”

“......”

“It’s not at all something I know.”

Mayer laughed in a low voice.

Greed glistened in his eyes again. Seeing that naked emotion, Lennok let out a light sigh.

He acts like an idiot who is only interested in his immediate success, but he knows that is rather a wise attitude in the current situation.

Do not covet information and knowledge beyond authority.

Even if you’re interested, don’t show it.

Perhaps even if he bites off all the other officials waiting behind him, it will be difficult to get a good answer.

Lennok nodded, clearing his mind.

“Then I’ll be leaving.”

“Are you going to visit them?”

“Even if I had left to avoid inspection, I wouldn’t have left the city.”

I don’t intend to give up easily just because of this.

closed world.

Lennok was prepared to do anything to hear about the theory that Aris said was useless.

“Whoa...”

Mayer sighed helplessly and whispered in a low voice.

“Looking for it in the 40th District would be futile. Let’s go outside more.”

“.....thank you.”

“Do you know why I am telling you this?”

He pulls out his yellow teeth and grins.

“Let’s have a drink together soon.”

“.........”

Lennok shrugged lightly as he looked at Mayer’s back as he walked out of the street with the officials he had brought.

Unlike the time we met in front of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, he looked much more lively as he moved with dozens of assistants.

I don’t know why he thought of taking power at such a late age, but the important thing is that he’s getting results anyway.

Even because of that, Lennok did not ignore the person named Mayer.

Right now, he is unilaterally courting Lennok, but no one knows what will happen next.

Thinking so, Lennok adjusted the collar of his coat and turned his back.

‘It’s an outside area...’

There was a story about the warlocks living in the extra area in the material Jordan gave.

Before going, it seemed like it would be a good idea to stop by Jenny’s bar and let her know where she was going.

Fog area

“Oh.....”

“Wow.....”

“.....What are you two doing?”

It’s been almost a month since I visited Jenny’s bar.

As soon as I entered the bar feeling a strange nostalgia, my eyes met Sebastian, who was sitting at the bar and talking.

At about the same time, Jenny turned her gaze to Lennok.

As if they had promised, the two burst into strange exclamations.

Lennok asked with a frown on his face, and Jenny answered with a slightly awkward expression.

“Ban you... what the hell have you been doing all this time?”

“what?”

“Something about magical power... It’s a bit different.”

“.........”

I glanced back at Sebastian’s face, and his expression was slightly hardened.

Both of them knew how to handle magical powers to some extent, so they felt Lennok’s growth just a little bit.

Lennok, who had nothing to say, writhed and sat down right next to Sebastian.

I’m about to take the glass I’m handing over and have a drink, but Sebastian sneaks up on me with a business card.

I held out my hand, wondering if I was selling a new business card, but when I realized that there was a piece of paper hidden behind the business card, I laughed.

“Hey uncle.”

Sensing Sebastian’s trick like a ghost, Jenny looked down at him with cold eyes.

“Are you insane?”

“Hmmmm, I’m a human too, so greed is not the subject.”

“I can watch you play tricks on other people’s customers, but doing it in front of me is crossing the line.”

“It looks like the peninsula is ready to go up to a higher place. Wouldn’t you need a partner that suits you?”

“You’re not saying that my abilities are lacking, are you?”

In an instant, the two people’s gaze changed sharply, but soon, casually, they exchanged drinks and started talking again.

The subject was again the story of the movement of the city government.

“The inspection is going on longer than expected. It’s getting harder and harder to read the mind of the city council.”

“After the agreement, the external stance and internal policy have completely changed. We may need to involve more insiders.”

“How much money have you fed so far? If this doesn’t work, it won’t end. Aren’t their lives the most precious?”

“Suddenly, what?”

“The sorcerers connected to my line are all in a frenzy right now. At least, magicians who didn’t belong to an organization and moved alone had a hard time finding equipment or consumables...”

“What about this...”

Jenny glanced at Lennok with a sullen expression as she said that.

What do I need to say when there is a monster who started out with equipment and naked body and succeeded in all sorts of requests and even destroyed a gang.

Rather, it is surprising that Lennok’s appearance has changed little by little since he came this far.

“...Excluding one person, the situation is generally difficult.”

“I think you know it even if you don’t tell me who it is.”

“You keep joking around...”

Then I heard the sound of someone coming down from the back of the bar.

A somewhat short, clunky gait. A short shadow compared to the adult average.

A boy with a sullen expression and black hair poked his face into the smoking bar.

“The bounty that Jenny talked about...”

The boy, who opened his mouth in a youthful voice, meets Lennok’s eyes and subtly frowns.

Lennok also checked the boy’s face and grinned.

“It’s been almost a month. How are you?”

“......Thanks to.”

The blood mage boy, Rayan Aiter, replied firmly and put down the thick file he was holding on the bar.

Took!

“I traced the bloodstains in the order of the names in the directory and organized the whereabouts. Of the 48, 24 died. Unconscious three. Eight survivors.”

“It’s empty for 3 people?”

“It’s hard to track because he’s not human. I wrote roughly what kind of child it is, so check it out.”

Saying that, Rayan’s face looked very tired, but Jenny relentlessly began to evaluate what he had done on the spot.

After going through the files all the way, she stopped at one place and opened her mouth.

“Hey Kid.”

“...Why again? what. I did my best.”

“The whereabouts of the dead are not properly organized. Are you kidding me now?”

“You just need to find the body. Why does it matter where you died?”

“Are you saying that? Obviously, I would have talked about it separately when I entrusted this to you.”

“........”

Is it wrong?

“Besides, I warned you several times, but you’re already overdue by two days, right? Of the promised pay, I know that not much will go into your hands.”

Lennok, who had been staring at the faltering gait, spat out the words.

“There is something I want to ask you.”

“what?”

“Why did you kill the same warlock?”

Even if you check the mana flowing from the man’s body again, it’s clear.

The man standing in front of him was unmistakably a black magician.

Considering that this man was the culprit who killed the people who were working in this laboratory, it was like a fratricidal battle between wizards of the same family.

The man smiled incredulously at Lennok’s words.

“friend. Not all warlocks are the same. Or are you so stupid that you don’t even know that?”

“........”

“Well, I’m in a position where I have to be careful with my tongue, so it’s hard to tell you the details. If you want to be kind to someone who is about to die...”

“It must be because of the city government check.”

The man quietly blinked his eyes at Lennok’s nonchalantly muttering words.

“.....You’re right. How can you not?”

“Has there been any other changes that have happened to warlocks lately?”

Lennok responded in a nonchalant way and took a step forward.

“What happened?”

I murmured as I let the smoke flow.

“It won’t be too late to cut off all limbs and ask questions.”

“hey.”

The man let out a wry smile at Lennok’s plaintive words.

“I don’t know where on earth that confidence comes from...”

Gluck...!! Gulluck...!!

With those words, a black liquid dripped from the bottom of the man’s cloak and soaked the floor.

As if the swaying liquid was attracted by an invisible force, it gathered in the air and transformed into a huge mouth.

“I don’t know if I came here to see those people downstairs.”

The man grinned.

“I did all of that. There is no one here to help you.”

Kaaaaaa!!!

At the same time as he said that, the mouth of the liquid that was swept away as if it were floating in an instant sliding across the floor opened its mouth wide and swallowed Lennok.

Lennok replied.

“know.”

Kwaaaaang!!

The blue light of lightning flashed, and the mouth of the liquid shattered like a balloon bursting as a raging hot wind raged.

The man’s face is clearly visible through the splattered remains of the liquid.

[Electric Field]

Pajijijik!!!

A huge wave of lightning that spread around Lenok’s body swept all over the place, evaporating even the black liquid that remained and flowed in one shot.

Only then did the man, whose complexion changed completely, hurriedly move his hands to make hand signs, and a black magic circle emerged from behind his back.

Kaga Gak!!

Three pupils appeared from an empty gap in the darkness tearing through the air.

It flowed out of space and constantly changed its shape, but kept its gaze on Lennok with only three pairs of pupils.

Lennok, who knew that there was a lot of meaning in ‘seeing’ in the magic of this world, moved slowly aside, wary of any special magic or spells.

Seeing this, the man who regained his composure smirked.

“There is nowhere to run.”

“.........”

“The barrier you spread. I’ll squeeze some of your blood and apply it to the wall there. I’m done with what I have to do anyway, so can’t I just enjoy it?”

“It’s because I don’t know warlocks well.”

said Lennok as he brushed off his coat.

“Is your faction full of people like you?”

“what? Uh... I’m not sure. Maybe?”

“That answer isn’t very helpful.”

Pajijijijik!!!

Lennok took a step forward, emitting a bright blue light from his drooping left hand.

He said in the midst of a hot wind pushing through the fog.

“It would be quicker to beat them up and ask them.”

“If you can, do it.”

With those words, a three-eyed monster springs out from under the man’s feet.

Wedge love!!

The body made of black liquid splits into three parts, each with one eye and changing direction.

All at once rushing in from above and from the left and right, once again opening their huge mouths in the liquid.

At the same time, the man put his hands together and thrust his mana into the bottom of the roof.

Faaaaang!!

The flow of all that magical power that was captured in Lennok’s gaze.

You set your priorities in an instant, as your senses allow.

Quaang!!

The attack of the black liquid that came in first. Skip it with a shield.

The movement of opening its sharp teeth in three directions and gnawing away at the force field of magical power was threatening enough, but Lennok’s shield was also tightly woven incomparably to the previous one, absorbing the impact.

Rather, the thing to watch out for was the flow of mana that the man had just shot out from under his feet.

It is a sharp blade that hides like a shadow in a large river.

A wave of lightning that was so intense that it was impossible to see right in front of my eyes rotated and split into four parts, and at the same time as Lennok stamped his foot, it dug into the ground.

[Daproe (踏雷)]

Pajijijijik!!

At the same time, the new monster that broke through Lennok’s feet collapsed and attacked, screaming in agony as it was struck by lightning.

[

Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeic

Trample the jaws of the monster that appeared from below and jump up. I found a floor that hadn’t collapsed and stepped down.

Lennok, who had undone all the men’s attacks with a single spell, nodded.

“I get it roughly.”

After trying it two or three times, I can guess.

Although it is destroyed by physical force, it is difficult to inflict a major blow to the composition that makes up the magic.

Even so, it operates independently of the magician’s will, and one or more monsters can coexist.

It’s rather low-key to be a summoned beast, but too efficient to be a product of pure black magic.

Crucially, a foreign aura that is sucked in from the outside whenever a man spits out black liquid.

Considering that it was at that point that self-will dwells in the liquid and eyes and mouths are formed, the conclusion was drawn.

‘You’ve mixed black magic with necromancy. It’s probably because of that reason that it’s possible to fight while moving independently.’

A black liquid created using magical power possesses a consciousness of something and uses it in battle.

Considering that the necromancy technique is an extremely difficult technique that obscures the user, it is highly likely that the black liquid itself wielded by the man is a catalyst specialized for this type of necromancy. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to

wait

until all the liquid he had was gone in order to scrape the bottom of the man’s bottom...

Now that you’ve figured out the secret of the formula, it’s better to collect the proper amount before the catalyst runs out.

There is no need to continue the battle any longer.

Woooooo!!

The moment I made up my mind like that, it vibrated and released mana from the depths of my body.

The wish is for a moment. However, the transfer was from now on.

Interrogation

cheapaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

At the same time as moving the mana.

The fog that filled the area around the research tower is slowly disappearing.

A huge amount of fog rotated around the giant hand-shaped tower, converging to a single point where Lennok wielded magic power.

It goes beyond simply freezing moisture with cold air, and gathers all the moisture around it to drive magic.

“Fuck Mr....!!”

Sensing that it was unusual with just that momentum, the man changed his expression completely and hurriedly poured out a huge amount of black liquid from his body.

Aaaaaaa!!

Something dwells in the overflowing black liquid like sludge from a sewer, and I open my eyes.

This time, the man seemed to have made up his mind, and the black liquid started to boil and change into a completely different form.

[Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa))

groans came from inside the liquid,

four pupils. The giant’s upper body, complete with two horns and huge arms, slowly stood up on top of the giant palm.

Even considering the size of the upper body, the skeleton is twice as large as that of an ordinary human.

“Kill!! Kill that bastard right now!”

The man, who had the giant’s massive appearance in his eyes, finally screamed as if in a fit of fuss.

The four-pronged eyes, shining red, glanced down at the owner disrespectfully, then slowly raised both arms reluctantly.

It is a body that has not yet been properly composed, with black liquid dripping down, but it is clear what will happen if such a mass falls.

The small tower of this research center will surely collapse without a trace.

After seeing the vast amount of black liquid, Lennok realized that the man did not have a separate storage of black liquid inside his body, but it didn’t mean much now.

Woooooooooo!!

As if he had waited for this very moment, the mana he had raised to the limit turned into freezing cold.

It turned into a pure white circular ring and pulled Lennok’s wrist.

“If it is flowing, it will freeze the same.”

The magic is complete.

The imagery of Lenok’s landscape once again settles down here.

took it down

[Bingryun]

Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

The rings of frost that appeared around both wrists exploded and a white storm raged.

An unreal chill grabbed the temperature everywhere and threw it down.

inhibition of movement. A single shot beyond the limits of the laws of physics.

It’s a common magic, but it’s also Lennok’s new move that’s close to his own magic.

Creation was possible because it was the ice type magic that was used next to the lightning type and was familiar with it.

A new magic that represents some of the growth so far has appeared at this spot.

Kwaaaaaaaa!!!

A tower in the shape of a forearm facing the sky. A white orb landed on the palm of his hand.

In the frosty space, the giant raises both arms and does not even think to move, and slowly paints over its black body with pure white paint.

When Lennok’s magic is over and the fog disappears and the clear sky is visible, all that remains is the frozen giant’s upper body as if time has stopped.

There was no radiance left in the giant’s four eyes.

Blah blah blah blah.....!!!

If it can’t keep its shape, it just collapses.

The black liquids, which had been moving freely with the full amount of negative magic power, disappeared as powder with their composition already destroyed.

The giant’s body turned into pure white powder and flew away.

It becomes snow suitable for the cold winter weather and illuminates the whole sky.

“Ah ah ah ....”

In the heterogeneous and beautiful landscape, the frozen man spit out an unknown moan.

Even in the midst of this, as if they were trying to protect themselves by extracting black liquid, there are hard, broken debris scattered all around them.

His eyes have lost focus, and he must be in a state where he cannot even feel the sensation of his limbs.

won’t last long

Lennok squatted down and took out the tobacco in his mouth.

“Can I ask you some questions now?”

“Save me. Help me. Please help me...”

Lennok, ignoring the man’s plaintive pleas and taking out the file folder Jordan had handed him to him from his bag, flipped through the papers one by one.

“I knew that there was a faction between warlocks, but I hadn’t heard of them being bad enough to kill each other like this.”

As Lennok said that, he immediately pressed the tip of the tobacco, still burning, between the man’s forehead.

Towards the only place where the senses could remain properly.

The response came right away.

Chijik...!!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! hot hot!! It’s hot!!”

“It would be nice if you could also tell me the circumstances surrounding the city government checks.”

The irony of screaming at the heat of the flames even as your limbs freeze and crumble.

Indeed, it is a fitting end for a wizard.

Looking at the man’s face twisted in pain, Lennok smiled faintly.

“There is one piece of information I really want to know.”