Chapter 76

Carrying a large bag and heading somewhere in the dead of night when everyone else is asleep.

Constantly looking around to make sure no one else sees him, nervously checking his surroundings—anyone would find such behavior highly suspicious.

Escape under the cover of night.

That was the phrase that came to the magician’s mind.

“…You’re asking if anyone is close to Max? Probably not. He often said that this place isn’t where he’s supposed to be and that one day he would leave to become a royal magician.”

The magician’s demeanor completely changed after receiving the gold coins. The previously slouched and indifferent attitude was gone, replaced by the utmost courtesy, as if he was serving a VVIP.

Although his eyes occasionally drifted to Ashié’s pockets, that was understandable.

“There are ways to make them courteous without spending money. Want me to show you?”

Especially effective for magicians.

Though I offered out of kindness, Ashié turned me down with a tone that suggested he found my suggestion absurd.

“No need for that. Keep your hand off your sword.”

Ashié murmured something like “Why is this kid getting so aggressive?” as the magician hesitantly asked a question.

“Um, excuse me, are the three of you from the Grasis Kingdom?”

“Huh? Why do you think that?”

“Your accent is familiar. I lived in Grasis for a short while, so it’s a bit nostalgic…”

“Where we’re from doesn’t matter.”

Ashié abruptly cut off the conversation between Da-eun and the magician, then turned to the magician, who scratched his head awkwardly.

“So, you’re saying no one knows where Max went?”

“Well, yeah… Who would want to get close to someone who always talks like that? At least, among the people I know, no one’s close to him.”

“This is really…”

“…What did he say?”

“He asked if there’s anyone close to Max, and the answer was no one.”

“I see.”

Hearing this, Ashié’s credibility rose even higher in my eyes.

What did Brondin see in Max to trust him with the workshop key?

From what I’ve heard, Max doesn’t seem to have a good reputation around here.

If it’s that bad, people probably would have warned Brondin about befriending Max.

‘Maybe… Brondin doesn’t have any friends either?’

Hmm, if that’s the case, I can understand it.

It’s not a crime to have no friends.

“It seems like we have no choice but to enter the workshop.”

While I was lost in thought, Ashié seemed to have come to a conclusion and reached for the door handle.

Of course, it didn’t open.

With a shrug, he turned to look at me.

“Kana. Could you?”

“Sure.”

Although I had jokingly placed my hand on my sword earlier, I wasn’t actually planning to draw it here on the street.

If I pulled out a gleaming sword in broad daylight, while people were walking around, it would definitely attract attention. I wouldn’t do something like that.

Besides, if I pulled out my sword just to break into someone’s workshop, that would make it even worse.

At least not in Baltora, the city of Dwarves… the city of craftsmen.

So, I walked up to the door empty-handed.

Then, I raised my hand, lowered it again, and turned back to rejoin the group.

“….”

“….”

“Um, Kana?”

“Yeah?”

“Weren’t you going to open the door? Why did you come back?”

“?”

Da-eun, who had been watching me blankly, asked in a dazed voice.

Ashié didn’t show it much, but he seemed to be silently agreeing with her.

Looking at the puzzled faces of my companions, I let out a small “Ah,” nodding as I realized what they were confused about.

Was that what they were puzzled about?

“I already opened it.”

“…What?”

“Here.”

When I pushed the door, it swung open without any resistance, as if it had never been locked in the first place.

Da-eun let out a dumbfounded sound at the sight of the workshop’s interior beyond the door.

There was also someone else who seemed dumbfounded for a completely different reason.

“H-How… how did you…?!”

The magician’s jaw dropped in shock.

“It’s big enough for a fist to fit in, huh?”

Looking back and forth between my small hand and his mouth, I barely managed to suppress the urge to test it out.

But still, even for a magician sensitive to mana, to notice this…

I had underestimated him a little because he looked scared of Ashié, but he might actually be more skilled than I thought.

When Da-eun asked what I did, I kindly answered.

“I cut the lock with a sword beam.”

“…You used a sword beam without a sword?”

“Yeah.”

I can slice through a rock with a branch, so that’s nothing.

I just don’t use it much because making a sword out of mana is inefficient, but it’s not that difficult.

“If you practice, Joanie, you can do it too.”

“I appreciate the encouragement, but… that seems a bit out of reach, don’t you think?”

There’s an old saying to dream big, but it seems like Da-eun, already worn out by reality, has forgotten how to dream.

That’s unfortunate.

But—

“Putting Joanie aside… Ashié, why were you surprised?”

“I wasn’t surprised.”

“You were standing there stupidly, not even realizing the door was open.”

“That’s just because I didn’t know. How could I know it was open when I couldn’t see anything?”

“Why couldn’t you see?”

“…Not everyone in this world is a genius like you.”

“Hmm.”

I remember him practicing the sword quite diligently, though not as much as a knight.

Maybe it’s because he picked up a hammer instead of a sword—his skills don’t seem to have improved much from a few years ago.

“What about an alarm spell…? Or an anti-theft spell…?”

Leaving the magician, who was still muttering in disbelief, behind us, we entered the workshop.

Open drawers, scattered papers, and an overturned trash bin spilling its contents onto the floor…

Even with the best of words, there was no way to describe the scene other than a complete mess.

“…Is this what magicians’ workshops usually look like?”

Da-eun frowned as she took in the scene.

“Of course not.”

Denying her words, Ashié scanned the workshop.

I also followed him around, checking every corner of the workshop for any clues.

“Hmm…”

Picking up a piece of paper from the floor, I sighed quietly.

…As expected, I can’t understand it.

Defeated by the combined onslaught of magic and Arkish, I obediently put the paper back down.

The workshop was filled with traces left behind by the magician named Max.

It was his workshop, after all, so it was only natural.

“This is…”

Ashié, who had found something, picked it up.

Da-eun, who had been wandering nearby, quickly ran over.

“Did you find something?”

“It’s something Master made a long time ago. I remember him making it as a custom order, but then he had to make another one because the magic circle got damaged. But if that’s here, then…”

“It doesn’t look like a good sign, no matter how you interpret it.”

If he didn’t deliver the completed item, Brondin would have been notified. Since there hasn’t been any word from him, that’s probably not the case. Sёarch* The Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

It’s more likely he lied about it being damaged and got another one made.

Naturally, what he’d gain from that is money.

Besides that, we found some incomplete magic tools and broken remnants of magic circles, but nothing that could help us track his whereabouts.

The only thing we gained was a higher likelihood that Max is the culprit.

“There’s nothing valuable left.”

Judging by the state of the room, he must’ve swept up everything that could be worth money, even in his rush.

Should I call that being thorough?

The three of us gathered with empty hands and put our heads together.

“What do we do now?”

“Should we go after him now? But if he left last night, it might already be too late…”

“The mountains are dangerous at night, so he probably didn’t leave yesterday. Even if he left the city, it would’ve been after dawn.”

“…The mountains are dangerous at night? Why?”

“You stay out of this.”

As we were racking our brains, we heard a voice calling us.

“Um…”

At some point, the magician who had followed us in and was looking around the workshop called out to us quietly.

“You’re looking for Max, right? If so, there’s one way…”

“What?”

Ashié’s head turned so quickly it looked like it might break.

Startled by his intensity, the magician continued speaking under the pressure.

“There are people who will do anything if you pay them. They aren’t exactly the most trustworthy bunch, though.”

“…Could it be?”

“Ah, do you already know? If you do, that makes things easier.”

Hearing the magician’s words, Ashié made a reluctant expression.

Naturally, I had no idea what they were talking about, so I couldn’t understand why he looked like that.

***

* * *

There is a teleport gate in Baltora as well.

However, using the teleport gate from Baltora costs more than using it from other cities.

This is because Baltora is quite far from any city with a teleport gate.

Would a person, who devised a plan to steal the Dragon Orb out of greed and, even in haste, swept up anything that could be worth money, be willing to pay that hefty teleport fee?

The answer was, of course, ‘No.’

No matter how expensive the teleport gate fee might be, it’s nothing compared to the Dragon Orb’s value.

With a small cost, he could’ve ensured both safety and stability, but Max, blinded by money, chose a different option.

Thunk.

“…Gasp!”

Max jumped, startled by the hand placed on his shoulder.

“Why are you so jumpy?”

“N-no. …It’s nothing.”

“Geez.”

The mercenary, who had placed a hand on Max’s shoulder, scratched his filthy hair.

Watching dandruff shower down, Max frowned but quickly adjusted his expression.

No matter how dirty and lowly these people were, he was the one in a tight spot.

If he irritated them unnecessarily and caused any friction, it wouldn’t end well for him.

To escape the city, Max had chosen to rely on a mercenary group operating out of Baltora.

They’ll do anything as long as they’re paid.

The fact that such words were openly circulating and even boasted by the group themselves spoke volumes about their lack of integrity, but their skills were undeniably solid.

If Brondin caught wind of his actions and came after him, they’d get rid of him without asking questions.

‘Though that’s unlikely.’

Feeling the leather pouch inside his pocket, Max smiled faintly.

That fool Brondin would never even suspect that he was the culprit.

‘But that guy… Ashié… he’s different.’

He’s someone who’d never liked him from the beginning, so he might notice something and gather people to chase after him.

The mercenary group was insurance for such an occasion.

He wasn’t entirely free from concerns about betrayal, but since he had proven his status as a noble from the Empire, it should be fine.

They wouldn’t want to make an enemy of the Empire, after all.

“By the way, you really just want us to take you to another city?”

“Yes. Just get me there safely, and I’ll pay you handsomely.”

“Well, if we can earn money for such an easy job, that’s good for us.”

The man with the dirty hair said that as he draped his arm over Max’s shoulder.

Like one would with a close friend, the man slung his arm around Max’s shoulder and spoke in a quiet voice.

“You must have done something pretty shady, huh? What, did you kill someone or something?”

“…Something like that.”

“Whoa! You’re quite a scary guy! We’d better be careful around you.”

Max wanted to immediately shrug off the man who was acting so familiar with him, but he held back.

Murder, my ass.

There’s no way he would personally do something so filthy.

But if he admitted he was on the run after stealing something, there’s no telling what these money-grubbing bastards might do.

It was better to be treated like one of them than to reveal the truth.

The man laughed loudly, but his eyes, tinged with a faint red bloodthirst, glinted as he looked at Max.

“Anyway, just trust us. No matter what happens, we’ll protect you.”

The man’s arm slid off gently.

Confirming that the man was no longer watching him, Max finally let out a sigh and brushed off the stench that lingered on his shoulder.