The Scent of a Trap
Aiden hadn't given him any specific warnings—nothing like "don't make it obvious" or "don't look around." He wanted to observe how Muzark would react.
First, there was a shred of suspicion.
Could he be a pawn of the mastermind? It's not entirely impossible.
He had killed the perpetrators of the terror attack with his own hands. If one assumed he had wiped them out to silence them after they outlived their usefulness, it made sense.
It was a classic case of discarding a pawn once its purpose was served.
Though that's a bit of a stretch.
Statistically speaking, the probability of that being true was less than one percent. Even though Aiden had arrived in Eastred less than twelve hours ago, he had already gathered a vast amount of information.
It was the fruit of his tireless investigation, roaming the city throughout the night.
This rookie mage named Muzark Bespard, who had appeared out of nowhere like a comet, was certainly suspicious. However, Aiden had concluded that the youth was almost certainly innocent when it came to the terror attack.
Therefore, the current proceeding was less of an interrogation and more of a test.
Muzark might have earned some goodwill by confessing to the "punishment" he had meted out to the terrorists, but trust and utility were two entirely different matters. To make good use of him, Aiden needed to gauge the young man's capabilities from various angles.
“……You can leave my name out of the report.”
“Hmm?”
“How would the higher-ups know who dealt with the criminals? I doubt the heads of two bottom-tier mages are worth much, but surely they're worth enough to save a bit of face.”
He's quick on the uptake.
Aiden secretly gave him a passing grade. Despite the sudden telepathic message, Muzark hadn't shown a hint of panic, naturally playing along with the conversation.
A quick grasp of the situation was a vital virtue.
That's not a trait you can teach overnight.
The mere fact that his head wasn't empty was highly commendable. He also possessed a calm composure—something entirely absent in the twins Aiden had brought along as his assistants.
“I like you.”
It was a reply loaded with double meaning.
The two continued their superficial banter. Although no magical reactions had been detected other than the watching "eyes," they couldn't afford to let their guard down. There was no telling who might be eavesdropping, or from where.
After about ten minutes had passed.
Aiden pulled a receiver from his pocket as it vibrated. A green light, signaling the completion of their objective, was blinking. Grinning, he sent a telepathic message.
―We've caught the eyes. Follow me.
Abandoned buildings were a dime a dozen in Redline.
They were the relics of a once-prosperous era. There was a time when the city expanded day by day. While it couldn't compare to the upper regions, it had once been a perfectly livable place.
Not anymore.
For a long time now, the habitable environment for humans had been shrinking by the day. It was a decline brought about by air pollution, a surging demon population, and the government's neglect.
The two stepped into an apartment complex that looked like a leftover scrap of the past. While the area near the Security Bureau—once the safest place in the city—was still bustling, the streets became deserted just a few blocks away.
“They ran quite far.”
“Is it even possible to monitor the Security Bureau from this distance?”
“Of course not. Not unless they were born with clairvoyance. By the same token, I can't detect things from this far away either. My range is fifty meters at best, and even that comes with plenty of restrictions.”
Aiden clicked his tongue as he climbed the stairs.
“No doubt those damn brats were slacking off, lost track of it, and had to chase it all the way here.”
“Brats?”
“You'll understand within thirty seconds of seeing them. I guarantee it.”
Sure enough, voices drifted down from the upper floor.
―That makes it 552 wins to 550 losses. Are you finally beginning to respect the authority of your older brother?
―Bullshit! I had it cornered, but you tripped me! I almost broke my nose!
―Not my problem. Welcome to the real world.
―You piece of trash...! Is that how your mother raised you?!
―My mother is your mother, Luca.
Muzark paused.
I don't even need to see them to know.
He could easily picture them just from their bickering.
Perhaps feeling a sudden craving, Aiden put a cigarette between his lips.
When they reached the rooftop, they found a boy and a girl who looked strikingly alike. A boy and a girl with dark blue hair and striking crimson eyes. No matter how one looked at them, they were clearly siblings.
“Oh, you're here.”
The boy grinned when he spotted Aiden.
“Instructor! I caught it!”
In his flailing hand, he held a demon with its hind legs folded like a frog. Every time it thrashed in his grip, black slime splattered in all directions.
“Luca messed up and almost let it slip away, but who do you think I am? I have all of stupid Luca's stupid mistakes read like a book. Like a lone wolf, I chased it down and—bam, bam, bam!—snatched it right up.”
“Stop talking out of your ass. It wouldn't have even tried to run if you hadn't jumped in without a plan.”
“Uh-uh. You should call me 'brother.' How can you be stupid and rude?”
“Ugly guys don't get to be called brother.”
“What?”
Aiden struggled with whether or not to light his cigarette. He craved the nicotine fiercely, but in the end, he shoved it back into the pack.
He couldn't smoke in front of kids.
“The smaller idiot is Luca, and the larger idiot is Rio.”
“……Are those two investigators as well?”
“What a horrifying thought. If they were, I would have seriously quit my job by now,” Aiden said dryly. “Investigators are quite scarce. Since we're short-handed, we often recruit external collaborators to form teams for trivial tasks. You could call them my assistants.”
“Assistants.”
“Despite how they look, they definitely have talent. If they grow well, they're talented enough to easily reach Yellowline. Though right now, they're just half-wits who can't even separate work from play.”
Hearing such high praise, Muzark reevaluated them.
So they're prospects.
And that was by Orangeline standards. They looked to be high schoolers at best, but even now, they could probably beat a Redline-level mage to a bloody pulp.
Only then did the siblings notice Muzark and stop bickering.
“Instructor, who's this guy?”
“Muzark. A mage from Eastred. He'll be cooperating with our investigation.”
“Really? Is it okay if I call you brother?”
“Sure. Feel free.”
At Muzark's polite tone, Rio shuddered.
“Ugh, goosebumps. Just speak casually.”
“Alright, then.”
“Much better. I don't know how many days we'll be seeing each other, but I look forward to working with you.”
Rio scanned Muzark from head to toe.
Having finished his mental evaluation, a subtle sense of superiority flickered in his eyes.
Then, he turned to look at his sister.
“……What's wrong with you?”
He looked at her as if she were a madwoman. Luca had clung to Rio's back and was peeking out, staring intently at Muzark.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“H-Hello, brother.”
“Gag! Holy shit! Are you crazy?”
“Shut up, or I'll smear toothpaste on your butt while you're sleeping.”
Her rapid whisper was meant for Rio's ears alone.
“No, seriously, what's your deal?”
“He's handsome! His face is literally glowing...!”
“It's probably just the sunlight reflecting off his white hair.”
“You're blind. I pity your aesthetic sense.”
Rio scanned the blankly standing Muzark once more. Ignoring the faint mana radiating from him and focusing solely on his appearance, he had to admit the guy was indeed good-looking.
Yet, the words that came out of his mouth were the exact opposite.
“Hmm. I don't see it...”
The bitter taste of a defeat he was loath to admit lingered in his mouth.
“That was a long introduction.”
Once the introductions were over, Aiden gestured to Rio.
Rio realized his mistake and handed the demon over to Aiden. He had been so distracted that he had forgotten what he was holding.
“Now, turn around.”
“Aw, come on. We don't even care.”
“You always treat us like kids.”
The twins grumbled but followed the instruction. Even though he made them do all sorts of chores, they knew how much Aiden actually cared for them.
Soon, materialized mana coated Aiden's index finger.
Squelch. Squelch.
Screeech!
The blade of mana sliced open and rummaged through the demon's belly. After a brief spill of contents resembling a cracked egg, an object clearly distinct from blood and organs rolled out.
“Just as I thought. I knew there'd be one.”
“What is that?”
“It's a magical medium. Want to take a look?”
Muzark peered at the medium Aiden handed him. It was a bead about the size of a thumb. Once the blood was wiped away, geometric patterns could be seen engraved on its surface.
“Do you know what kind of magic it is?”
“Well, I don't have the ability to decipher a magic formula in an instant. I can only make a guess based on the visible information.”
Aiden tossed the lifeless demon aside like trash.
“A demon emitting a mana reaction was positioned perfectly to watch the Security Bureau. It fled upon discovery, and a medium engraved with a magic circle was pulled from its body...”
He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his blood-stained index finger.
“Coincidentally, demons played a major role in the terror attack on the Security Bureau.”
“The Demon Bomb.”
“Exactly. The mastermind seems to enjoy tampering with demons.”
“I heard that magic cast on demons is difficult to detect...”
“It depends on the method. If you prepare it carefully so it doesn't get damaged and stuff the medium inside, the magic remains stable. It's a common technique up there. Demons are quite popular as familiars.”
Shadia had mentioned this as well. In regions higher than Redline, demons weren't blindly labeled as evil. Mana-based lifeforms could be utilized in various ways.
“In exchange, they can be detected normally. I'm on the sensitive side, but the Director of the Security Bureau would have noticed it without much trouble. In a city with almost no mana reactions, there's nothing to throw off one's senses.”
Yet, Yen and Shadia had failed to notice the Demon Bomb until the very end.
“The Demon Bomb might use a different kind of magic altogether. Perhaps they cast magic without a medium, intentionally causing the formula to collapse inside the demon's body... and the resulting instability from mixing with the demon's innate mana triggered the explosion...?”
“That's impossible.”
Luca interrupted his self-muttering deduction.
“That kind of magic doesn't even exist in Orangeline.”
“Is it even right to call it magic? It's just an accident.”
“If you can cause an accident intentionally, it's magic,” Aiden countered, shaking his head.
“Leaving aside any leaps in logic, two things are certain. The mastermind is using demons as familiars. And judging by their ingenuity and skill, they are definitely not a Redline native.”
“Does that mean the culprit is a mage demoted from the upper regions?”
“For now, I think that's highly likely, but...”
He narrowed his eyes, looking somewhat unsettled.
“Either way, we've got a real headache on our hands.”
This was a level of deduction currently impossible for Muzark. It required the knowledge and experience of an investigator—insights Muzark had yet to learn and master, separate from his magical training.
However, while he lacked information, his mind was far from slow.
They sent a familiar to watch the Security Bureau. Why?
What value could possibly remain in a ruined Security Bureau?
As the realization struck him, Muzark's heart began to pound fiercely.
Is it you again, you filthy demon bastard?
Deep beneath the Security Bureau.
The place where Harmensales's husk was buried.
Harmensales had not perished in the explosion that leveled the Security Bureau. The lingering ache in Muzark's magic circuit was proof enough, allowing him to summon the entity earlier without hesitation.
If the mastermind's goal was Harmensales...
Then the way to catch their tail was already clear.
“Aiden. I have an idea. Would you like to hear it?”
“I'm all ears. Let's hear it.”
Muzark laid out his plan.
By the time he finished, a deep interest flickered in Aiden's eyes. It was less about the plan itself and more about his fascination with this fledgling mage named Muzark.
“Good. Let's do it.”
Aiden wore a refreshed smile, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest.
“Working with someone who actually thinks makes things so much easier.”
“I wonder who that was directed at.”
“Shut it, you little monkey.”
“I actually like monkeys. Aren't they cute?”
“I'm sure they like you too. Your brain structures are probably identical.”
It was time to drag the mad bomber out into the light.