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Given that another wizard from the Tower promptly arrived to locate him after Byzen’s disappearance, it seemed likely that they were hunting for Flame Grass within the Blaiver Tower.

“Byzen, a name I remember.”

With swift precision in his calculations, Lennok responded calmly, maintaining an unaltered countenance.

“We once picked Night Moon flowers together. He even taught me the skill of picking flowers, so I remember him clearly.”

“Hmm…”

For the first time, a perplexed expression crossed the young man’s face as Lennok’s words deviated from his expectations.

It appeared to be an answer far removed from what he had anticipated.

“That doesn’t sound like him…”

The young man wore an expression of mild confusion. Given Byzen’s identity, such a response was not entirely unexpected.

Deliberately disclosing a partial truth, Lennok aimed to elicit this ambiguous response. If the young man were to investigate his movements in the autonomous region, he might eventually discover Lennok’s visit to the botanical garden. Mentioning it beforehand could nudge the young man’s actions in that direction.

Indeed, the young man courteously lowered his head and discreetly withdrew.

“If a skilled wizard like you says so, it must not be a lie. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“If I find him, I will definitely reward you later.”

“A reward? That’s unnecessary.”

“No, it’s not. It seems my apprentice is once again being deceived by inferior commoners and wandering around… I need to set him straight this time.”

“……”

The fleeting glint of something eerie that briefly surfaced behind his polite demeanor served as evidence that he, too, shared the Tower’s sense of superiority.

With these words, the young man exited the courthouse, moving like a phantom.

Grisha, who had been observing, muttered under her breath.

“Damn it. Wasted time on something useless.”

“Knowing he’s not alone is a sufficient harvest.”

“It’s just one more annoying hindrance. What are you talking about?”

“If we use the fact that the Tower has infiltrated the autonomous region organizationally, we could even frame them.”

Finally grasping Lennok’s intent, Grisha inquired with a puzzled expression.

“You’re going to rob the Juice Master’s vault and pin it on them? Is that even possible?”

“It’s more possible now than ever.”

With Byzen’s new recruit at their disposal, there is almost nothing that cannot be achieved, even though common magic may be less potent than unique magic. Lennok had already outlined a rough plan for framing Byzen.

“That’s not an immediate concern. Let’s go inside first.”

The conversation with the Tower-affiliated wizard had caused a slight delay in their schedule. If the other party failed to arrive punctually, it could give them ample time to grow anxious and flee.

The two of them swiftly made their way to the predetermined rendezvous point.

The rear entrance of the courthouse.

As they approached the darkened area behind the warehouse, an anxious middle-aged man awaited them.

“Yo-you’re late. I thought my heart was going to explode from waiting. Phew……”

“Have you verified the location of the item?”

In response to Lennok’s inquiry, the man wiped the perspiration from his brow and nodded.

“Of course. No one is coveting that item now, it’s forgotten, covered in dust. Nobody will notice if we take it from the warehouse.”

“Then let’s go.”

Guided by the man, the two individuals proceeded directly to the rear entrance of the government building.

“Thanks to my prior arrangements in the patrol area, there won’t be any guards around here for the next 30 minutes. If we finish up quickly and leave, we won’t get caught by anyone.”

The man conveyed this assurance while producing a small name badge hanging around his neck and swiping it across various security devices within the building.

A green light illuminated, disarming the building’s security systems and promptly unlocking the doors.

‘So this is why Lapis spoke so confidently.’

For an employee within a government building, particularly someone overseeing a department, internal security was virtually nonexistent. Even accessing the basement vault, which was part of the relic department, posed little challenge.

Since entering the building, Grisha hadn’t uttered a single word. Instead, she observed the man leading the way with a complex expression.

Standing before the wide staircase descending into darkness, the man retrieved a flashlight from his pocket.

“From here on, you can’t just turn on lights willy-nilly… Please follow carefully.”

“Don’t worry.”

Lennok has already maximized his magic detection.

He can assess the remaining number of people in the government building and identify who among them possesses magical abilities.

So, I have a rough idea of why he’s issuing such warnings.

“…”

Lennok glanced back at Grisha, who nodded with a troubled countenance.

She likely had some inkling of what was transpiring and was silently conveying her understanding.

As they descended the long, spiraling staircase, a dimly lit corridor unfolded before them.

On either side of the corridor, numerous doors with small glass windows were scattered.

When the man opened a particularly massive, thick metal door, a cloud of dust billowed out.

“Cough, cough! I apologize. This storage is rarely used, so it’s not well maintained. The items here are more like souvenirs than special treasures.”

“Souvenirs, you say?”

“Yes. The item you’re looking for is of a similar nature. Ah, here it is. This must be it.”

Inside the storage room, dust-covered shelves were densely packed.

The man rummaged through a box and handed something to Lennok.

It was an old, weathered statue depicting a landscape with a floating island between its three eyes.

“Quite a unique shape. Does it have a special meaning?”

While shining his flashlight across various shelves, the man provided an answer.

“Well, it symbolizes ancient history.”

Even after locating the item, he continued to fiddle around, or at least pretended to do so. He naturally distanced himself from the two individuals.

“Originally, it commemorated an agreement to prevent interference and harm between autonomous regions and lighthouse… but now it means nothing.”

“…”

Suddenly, the man, who had halted at the farthest shelf, spoke as he turned his back.

“Now that no one remembers that promise anymore.”

In that instant, he abruptly switched off his flashlight.

The storage room plunged into darkness, shrouding everything in an impenetrable black.

Lennok broke the silence as he retrieved a lighter.

“Enough with the theatrics. Just answer one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Were you already disguised when we first contacted you?”

There was no response until the moment he ignited the lighter.

“It doesn’t make sense that Lapis, who has the ability to foresee, didn’t notice the betrayal of someone so important in her department, even if she had been away from the autonomous region for a long time.”

“…”

“Probably, you spared him until the moment Lapis confirmed that he was from the lighthouse side, then killed him and took his face… It’s a good plan to make it look like betrayal, isn’t it?”

Following a prolonged silence, the man slowly raised a hand to his face.

Sizzle…!

The skin on the man’s face peeled away, unveiling an entirely different visage beneath.

“If you’ve guessed this much, I can’t afford to keep you alive any longer.”

Flash!!

Simultaneously, all the ceiling light bulbs flickered to life, revealing the contents of the storage room.

At the same time, numerous shelves that had filled the warehouse toppled in all directions, unveiling a concealed space.

A vast underground area emerged, much larger than what could be discerned in the darkness.

From behind the fallen shelves, at least a dozen individuals aimed their firearms at the two of them.

In that moment, the hidden killing intent that had been veiled thus far surged explosively.

Actions that would have remained unseen if these events hadn’t been meticulously orchestrated from the start.

“It’s unfortunate. I thought I would hear a deeper story by disguising as a betrayal by this man Enrico, but your organization’s loyalty was stronger than I thought, so I couldn’t stop. It seems the eyes of the agency were better than I expected.”

The man, who had turned his head, no longer bore a fearful expression. Instead, it was chillingly serene.

“Well, it’s no longer necessary. All the tasks through the artifact department are complete. Now I’ll fully enjoy this fortuitous encounter.”

Lennok, who sensed an unsettling, faint heat in those eyes, turned toward Grisha, who stood beside him.

“Given the signal, you knew all along, didn’t you?”

“The moment I saw his face, I knew.”

She replied with an unnaturally impassive countenance.

“I have known Enrico since he was a kid. There’s no way he wouldn’t recognize my face just because I used a perception-distorting spell. I didn’t want to believe it, but…”

With one hand, she wiped her face and crushed the pipe in her mouth beneath her foot, summoning her power.

It was the same action she had taken when testing Lennok’s abilities. Perhaps that act itself triggered the release of her powers.

A menacing aura radiated from her shadowed face.

“I’ll satiate the spirit of the youngster with these scoundrels’ blood.”

“What are you doing!! Kill them quickly!”

At the man’s command, the people surrounding them simultaneously pulled their triggers.

The bullets that discharged from the magazines came to a halt right in front of the gun barrels.

[Magnetic Control]

Lennok’s magnetic magic effortlessly halted the dozens of fired bullets in mid-air. This task posed no difficulty for him, given his recently enhanced mastery over magnetic forces.

Onlookers were momentarily stunned as they beheld the suspended bullets in front of the gun barrels.

Without delay, Grisha clenched her fist and unleashed her power.

[Breaking Growth]

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With a single sweep of Grisha’s hand, heads exploded like watermelons, transforming the warehouse into a gruesome sea of blood.

“Ah, ahhh!”

The man, who had witnessed this unimaginable massacre, shivered and emitted a strange, quivering moan.

Lennok furrowed his brow.

“It’s excessive… isn’t this crueler than necessary?”

“What? I never thought I’d hear that from you.”

Grisha grinned with malevolent satisfaction.

“People who have killed before know this. Brutality is a weapon. It’s very useful in war to terrify your opponents. Just like now.”

She remarked while lifting the man’s collar with one hand and releasing her energy.

Only then did his eyes widen, as if a perception-distorting spell had been lifted.

“Eek! Gr, Grisha…!”

“Hmm.”

Grisha chuckled.

“Judging by the fact you know me, you must be one of those who infiltrated the Western Resistance Front. I thought we had eradicated you all… Did we miss pulling out even the root of the Drug Lord?”

“Ugh… How are you in the autonomous region… Did you, by any chance, return to the lighthouse?!”

“Enrico was a coward since childhood. When he said he’d infiltrate the government building, I thought it was admirable, but… why did he have to die like this?”

As she spoke, she pressed her finger against his temple, and he slumped.

“Damn it, Grandma…”

“Did you kill him?”

“Not yet. There’s still a lot to ask him. We should interrogate him through Amon to find out how much he has infiltrated the autonomous region.”

Grisha regarded the fallen man with a complex gaze.

“Let’s take him for now. He’s more than enough.”

“What about the items?”

“He probably didn’t touch them. They are actually worthless, he must have thought they were just an excuse for contact.”

“An excuse, huh…”

From the moment they followed the man’s guidance into the building, they had sensed the presence of numerous life signs underground.

Ironically, when considering who might be behind this attack, there was one individual who fit the current circumstances perfectly.

A member of the Pandemonium, in opposition to the Light House and the government, had concealed his vault within the autonomous territory, and he had compelling motives for seizing control of the island community.

The autonomous territory was already teetering on the brink of falling under the sway of the drug lord.

The revelation that the drug lord was the mastermind behind these events, while also exposing their presence to the government, was entirely unexpected. Should they view this discovery as a stroke of luck, given the circumstances?

“Let’s decide later. Move now.”

“Alright.”

Considering the murmured words of the man just before he lost consciousness, it seemed that Enrico had acted without awareness of the Light House’s involvement, but it was still too early to be certain.

Currently, the priority was to return to the Light House and gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation.

As Grisha naturally hoisted the man and Lennok stepped forward, an eerie development occurred.

Thud, thud, thud!

A sudden ominous light erupted from the corpses with exploded heads, and they began to writhe.

Their slow ascent, with a red glow emanating from their left abdomens, prompted a slight furrow in Lennok’s brow, while Grisha regarded the spectacle with an intrigued expression.

“Well, this helps. I’ve been feeling uneasy; it’s nice to be sure… Haven’t seen something like this in a while. Is it through the power of necromancy?”

“I don’t think so.”

Grisha’s words were cut short as Lennok pointed at the corpses.

“The light is consistently coming from the left abdomen. Probably a delayed effect after death. And given what’s left in their stomachs, they must have ingested something not long ago.”

Grisha tilted her head in curiosity.

“So you’re saying these guys are moving like zombies due to the drug’s effects? A drug that moves headless corpses feels a lot like necromancy.”

“It’s not an ordinary drug. And it’s probably not simply a zombie-making drug either. Looking at those movements, probably…”

As they discussed this, the headless corpses began to converge in one direction within the spacious underground chamber.

Squish, squish.

They blindly collided, bones shattered, and flesh piled up. Blood served as little more than a lubricant for this grotesque fusion.

It was only then that Grisha, finally comprehending what Lennok was alluding to, grimaced.

“Ugh… Disgusting.”

“Didn’t you say brutality was your weapon earlier?”

“Actually, that was a lie. I have a weak stomach.”

Not the words one might expect from someone who had just blown off over a hundred human heads…

Lennok thought to himself as he observed the gruesome spectacle.

Although this horror was a first-time experience for him, it strangely felt oddly familiar.

It was then that the mass of flesh began to speak.

[You are accurate, Wizard. A most excellent intuition.]

The voice emanating from the fleshy amalgamation seemed oddly calm in contrast to its grotesque appearance.

[Most people are trapped in their petty prejudices and fail to realize what they’re witnessing. But you’ve brilliantly deduced the identity of my creation.]

“…”

[This is my preferred method. It allows me to project my will cleanly even thousands of kilometers away. The ugliness and complexity of the process are always secondary concerns.]

Lennok instinctively recognized the voice, despite its unfamiliarity.

The Drug Lord. Juice Master. One of the continent’s magnates, the shadow of the republic.

The man who had accrued numerous epithets and scorn, and had firmly gripped the drug market of this vast world.

Dominic Cabaro had revealed his presence here.