Chapter 43: Trivial Suspicions

Chapter 43: Trivial Suspicions

Trivial Suspicions

Blood relations were like a stain, leaving its traces behind no matter the circumstance.

From the blood that coursed through my veins with every heartbeat, from every cell of my body, the notion of kinship clung like a brand. In other words, we also called this resemblance.

The man picking up stones from the potato field resembled me.

Initially, I found similarities in our facial features. The shape of the nose, the curve of the eyebrows, a jawline more delicate than rugged. The orderly alignment of teeth revealed when he sighed.

Next, the brittle black hair. The prominent veins when he sighed, the somewhat pale skin, and fingers with particularly pronounced second joints.

Then what was different?

The yellow eyes with blotchy stains that seemed like it would exude an odor of fat. The gaze that was not filled with hope for the future, but was stuck in the past. Occasional glimpses of annoyance and pain. Wrinkles that marked the passage of time, and

Ill ask you something.

Oh my, is it you, Wizard. Oh, it is someone different this time. Are you here to take them away again? Im not ready yet, though.

There was a gritty texture in his deliberately dragged-out speech, reminiscent of chewing sand. I had felt something similar before; when a senior in school asked me to be a guarantor.

In essence, it meant it was disturbing and unsettling.

I squinted at the back of my fathers head as he bowed low, trying to curry favor. This person did not recognize me.

A baseless urge pricked my mind. This impulse to resent and be angry at this man was an unfamiliar and fresh sensation. It seemed emotions lingered even if memories faded.

I felt my blood run cold for the first time in a long while. A sensation akin to becoming a cold-blooded animal. My chest turned chilly, my head hot.

Lets summarize.

1) I resented my father.

2) He did not recognize me.

3) He has been regularly handing over something to a wizard.

I carefully chose my words. I couldnt afford to be swayed by these unknown emotions, thus becoming angry. I wanted to know everything. My goal was to extract information from my father. It was time to start a RP.

It was part of the basics to adopt the persona others expected of me.

A bowing gesture <= My father was clearly of a lower status than his client.

That meant it was better to talk down to him.

Im not ready yet, though. <= Thats an excuse. He wants to deflect blame away from himself.

If that was the case, I would let him deflect.

I am not here to tell you to take responsibility. I have just come to check on how things are going.

Ah, is that so.. Uh, um. Is that working out well? I heard it was quite tough last time.

It is someone different this time. <= My father realizes Im different from the person who came before. His awkward inquiry about Is that working out well was a clumsy attempt at suspicion.

Physical signs were evident too; his pupils shifted slightly. Apparently, he was wary of my leniency. His client is usually not so kind-hearted or has a good personality, it seems.

Then, I should be a bit harsher.

Whatever you heard from my predecessor, that is none of your business. Am I in a position where I must report everything to you?

Oh no, no Of course not.

This was the countryside. One that barely managed to farm potatoes. What could be the goods that could be taken away from here? It was unlikely to be potatoes. After all, it doesnt seem like he was that attached to farming, to the point that he would be so cheeky when inquiring about whether I was going to take something away.

What group was universally considered to have a bad personality in all their members? That was a crucial hint.

Why did he mistake me for his client in the first place? There must be a clear indicator that allowed him to be so confident in addressing me first. It must be on me.

I squared up, putting a bit of strength in my shoulders and straightening my neck.

Let me ask again. How are things going on these days?

The new goblin tribe nearby was a pain, of course. When those damned midgets acted As you already know, it would obviously decrease the production rate, wouldnt it?

My father seemed to be testing the waters, feeling me out, but I had roughly gathered enough clues. Now, it was time to present the answer.

It might be a bit of a leap in logic.

But it was fine if my guess was wrong.

Someone from the Purple Magic Tower / Someone impersonating them has been consistently receiving people. Yuna doesnt know about the evil culprit hidden in the Purple Magic Tower yet. I knew absolutely nothing about the Purple Magic Tower.

Will you cry profusely if I choose Number 2?

I guess Ill have to laugh.

Then there is no need for lies. I think it is Number 1.

Why.

Unless youre a completely idiotic blockhead, you cant miss that look in her eyes. The Purple Magic Tower Masters eyes were practically dripping with honey whenever she looked at you.

?

Fucking idiotic blockhead.

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A butterfly landed in a certain secluded forest.

A group of bad mercenaries had a plan to attack the arrogant wizard, have some fun with her, and then escape the village.

They were checking their equipment and preparing to ambush her in a suitable thicket when they encountered the butterfly.

Looking closely, it was actually a person.

The expression wasnt visible because of the large conical hat pressed down on her head. The golden twintails tied to the side fluttered gently. She was holding a staff that was twisted into a spiral tightly in her arms.

Brother, that thing

The youngest mercenary pointed towards the edge of the forest. The mercenaries turned their heads one by one, looking at the small and fragile-looking wizard.

It seems like a lady who got lost, but since were leaving this area anyway, it wouldnt hurt to catch one more, right?

Youre right. We tried to swallow the whole village but our plan failed. Honestly, just two isnt enough. Right? And she looks like she has a big chest.

Are you blind? She doesnt even look like she has anything to feast upon But still, her face looks decent, so thats nice.

No, wait. Everyone, what are you talking about? N-No matter how you look at it t-that thing over there doesnt look like a hum.?!

The staff was quietly aimed. All the mercenaries except one could not feel the impending danger. The Purple Magic Tower Master murmured softly, like a sigh.

I, I didnt want h-his hands to be stained with blood. E-Eunggg. It would get worse, after all.

What is she muttering about?

So, lets just pretend these peoplew-were n-never here.

B-Brothers, dodg!

Metamorphosis () -Subtraction.

Light flashed from the tip of the staff. The youngest mercenary, who ducked and covered his head in fright, was spared from being directly hit by the beam. As such, the beam only grazed his two hands.

A moment of silence.

When he looked up again, his fellow mercenaries were stiff and motionless, not even blinking. They werent breathing either. Their expressions remained unchanged. There was no focus in their gazes as well. On closer inspection, they appeared to already be dead.

In a panic, the surviving mercenary tried to at least struggle for his life, thus reaching for his sword. But he couldnt because did not exist for him. It was because he could only draw a sword if he moved his arm, grasped the grip with his , and drew it.

.Uh?

It felt like something that should be there was missing.

At the end of a persons arm, there should be a . But it seemed like it was never there to begin with. Then how was he supposed to draw the sword? After much consideration and straining all his wisdom, the mercenary managed to fit the grip of the sword onto his elbow. He trembled with an incomprehensible fear. Something was terribly wrong.

The wizard spoke softly.

Y-You..have some tolerance, albeit small, huh. If you had come to the Purple Magic Tower and d-done v-very wellyou might have reached Metamorphosis. But right now, youre nothing more than a Fourth-Class mercenary

Euh, oooogh.EUAHH!!

His scream was cut short; it was because the wizards beam had grazed his lower jaw. He couldnt scream because he didnt have a and he also couldnt breathe because he didnt have a either. He writhed in agony, his body twisting as he choked on the lack of oxygen.

Shhh.

With another beam of light sweeping by, he became nothing.

Bury.

Mother Earth swallowed five hunks of unrecognizable organic matter. After existing without any meaning, on the day their life ended, they would finally decompose and return to nature.

This was an incident that happened in a certain /genesisforsaken