2
Chapter 2
I headed straight to the building next door without stopping by home after work.
Passing through the quiet entrance, an Information Desk came into view.
Knock knock—
I tapped on the glass, waking up the man who was dozing off.
"Who... Huh? Instructor Bio? Where are you headed?"
"Sorry to wake you, Jerry. I need to go to the Capital for a bit."
"If you're heading to the Capital, Kashant, you can't go directly from here. You'll have to go to Marriott first."
"I know. Can I use the Gate right now?"
"Yes. Just a moment."
After waiting briefly, Jerry came out holding a large staff.
"Right this way."
Following Jerry as he led the way, we walked for about five minutes before a massive circular structure with a hollow center appeared.
The Gate.
An artifact of the Ancient Magical Civilization found all over the world. By infusing it with magic power to activate it, one can travel to another connected Gate.
Jerry placed his free hand, the one not holding the staff, on the Gate. After waiting another five minutes or so, a blue aura appeared in the empty air.
Taking out three silver coins from my inner pocket for the Gate toll, I dropped them into the basket next to the Gate and stepped inside.
Accompanied by the unique nausea of Gate travel, my vision shifted, and I arrived at Marriott.
I was told the Gate from Marriott to the Capital would activate in 30 minutes, so I waited for half an hour, went through the same process once more, and finally reached my destination.
"Identification Card."
I showed my identification card to the wizard in a red robe who held out his hand with a bored expression, then exited the building.
As I walked, I noticed the atmosphere was somewhat festive.
The shops and taverns I passed by were bustling, and there were street stalls and drunks everywhere.
The Capital, Kashant, prided itself on being a city that never sleeps, but it was never usually to this extent. Was there a festival going on?
Well, it had nothing to do with me, so I hurried my steps and arrived at my destination.
[Leon's Bellast]
Despite the festival, it was a shabby pub decorated quite plainly, with only an extra lantern hanging compared to the surrounding shops.
It's been a really long time since I visited this place too.
I lightly pushed the wooden door and stepped inside.
Glancing around the interior, there were quite a lot of people, probably because of the festival.
It had been 2 years—no, exactly 3 years by the calendar.
As I sat down at an empty seat at the bar, a blue-haired bartender approached me.
"Would you like to order?"
It was a face I'd never seen before. Was he a newcomer?
Then again, a lot of time had passed.
"A Bellast. Just one piece of ice, oh, and add a slice of lime too."
"One Bellast with a piece of ice and a slice of lime, understood. How would you like to pay..."
"Pay in advance, obviously."
As I spoke, I tried to take a silver coin out of my robe pocket, but I paused for a moment at a sudden pain in my right shoulder.
That hadn't happened recently. Was it because I came here?
I hadn't even worn my prosthetic arm today, yet I instinctively tried to use my right hand, which I had lost in the past.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing. Here."
I took out a silver coin again and placed it on the bar table.
The bartender, who had pocketed the silver coin, set down a metal cup sloshing with transparent liquid in front of me not long after.
This guy has some pretty good acting skills.
I was slightly worried it might have changed in the meantime, but underneath the glass, a small slip of paper was stuck just like before.
[182484/20]
It was the coordinates and time for the rendezvous point.
The coordinates weren't too far from here, and with 20 minutes to spare, it seemed I wouldn't have to wait long.
Usually, I had to wait for over 30 minutes, so it looked like the timing was just right.
I crumpled the paper, shoved it into my pocket, squeezed the lime wedged in the glass, and downed the drink in one gulp.
An intense burning sensation rushed in, making it feel like my esophagus was on fire.
I'd always thought it was bitter since the old days, but maybe because it had been a while, it felt even more potent.
I left the shop, hurried my steps, and quickly arrived at my destination.
[Remy's All Blue]
A fish market that was closed but reeked of a pungent fishy smell.
My clothes would probably soak up the fishy stench, but that didn't matter right now.
I took out my pocket watch, confirmed it was time for the appointment, easily picked the lock, and went inside.
Following the presence I felt through the fishy smell, I went down to the basement and found a white-haired old man sitting at a desk piled high with documents.
He seemed a little surprised to see me.
"I heard an Agent approached using the old method and wondered who it was, but I never thought it would be you."
"Long time no see, Old Man."
"Has it been 2 years?"
"By the calendar, it's been 3 years."
I reached out to shake his hand, but perhaps because it had been so long, I felt a little tense.
It couldn't be helped; he looked like a friendly grandfather you could find in any neighborhood, but the reality was completely different.
The Imperial Intelligence Agency, which supported the Beluga Empire from the shadows. The Transparent Fangs.
The head of that organization was this very old man.
"Was it? Anyway, what's the matter? For a guy who retired a long time ago to come all the way to see me."
Judging by his expression, he genuinely seemed to have no idea. Did I make a wrong assumption?
"I came because of the personnel order. Did you really not know?"
"Personnel order? Ah! I heard you were teaching kids in Seinti."
"That's right. But a problem came up."
"A problem?"
"I started it as a way to pass the time, but things got a bit tangled."
I explained the personnel order to the Old Man.
"I have an idea, but wait here. I'll go check for a moment."
The Old Man left, and after waiting for about 10 minutes, the door opened again.
"Did you find out?"
"It turns out one of the Trainees you taught played a big role in obtaining the Sap of the World Tree."
"If it's the Sap of the World Tree, isn't that a treasure to the Elves?"
"It was an item needed to treat the Fifth Prince's chronic illness. We acquired it through negotiations with the Elves of the East Great Forest this time, and the Trainee you taught played a major role in persuading them."
"Who was it?"
"Olivia, the Ranger Team 2 Leader on the Eastern Front? She was originally a regular Agent, but I heard she was promoted to Team Leader because of this."
Hearing the name jogged my memory.
She was seriously obsessed with handsome faces. She said she wanted to get close to handsome Elves and kept pestering me with questions, so I gave her a few tips.
Phew, I never expected it to come back to bite me like this.
"That Ranger said she learned everything about getting close to the Elves from you and praised you a lot, so your name caught the Imperial Family's ear."
...I wondered if the Old Man had pulled some strings to use me again, but it was my own fault.
"Even in retirement, the Blue Mist truly is amazing."
"Stop teasing me. I'm being serious here."
"What's there to be so serious about? It's not like you're being demoted. Belliard Academy is one of the top three academies in the empire. It's a promotion, so shouldn't you be happy?"
The Old Man said with a cheeky smile. I really hate that he acts like this when he knows full well about my situation.
"I hate the Capital. I like where I live now."
I was a lone orphan.
At the age of 12, I followed the Old Man out of the Orphanage, endured hellish training, passed the test, and became the youngest official Black Agent in just 4 years.
People often call us Spies, but the official title is Black Agent.
Aside from counterintelligence missions like a spy would handle, we also took care of everything that didn't see the light of day, such as covertly guarding the Imperial Family or assassinating key figures.
For 10 years, I carried out all sorts of missions as a Black Agent for the Beluga Empire.
In just 3 years, I earned the moniker Blue Mist and reached the pinnacle of the Intelligence Agency's Black Agents.
Since I was a Black Agent, not many people inside the organization even knew my true identity, but there was a consensus that if it was Blue Mist, any mission could be accomplished.
My salary was also the second highest after the Old Man's.
But, to be honest, I don't miss those days.
I was on the luckier side, but the average survival period for a Black Agent is extremely short at 3 years.
Because of this, the Intelligence Agency always suffered from a severe manpower shortage, and as an elite Agent, whenever I returned from completing a mission, I was frequently thrown right into another one.
Of course, considering the grace of taking me from the Orphanage, feeding me, and giving me a place to sleep, I carried out my missions silently without complaining, but my dream was to retire someday and live a quiet, relaxed life in a city with clean water and good air.
That was because Black Agents could legally retire after completing 100 missions.
Unfortunately, I lost my right arm on my 100th and final mission, but I retired as planned and settled in the Port city of Seinti in the South where I live now.
It's a small city located near Marriott, the largest city in the southern part of the Empire. It has the sea and mountains, and the weather is really nice.
It's a small city with a population of less than 20,000, but it has everything you could possibly need, including a Gate, making it a truly great place to live without any major inconveniences for travel.
"As long as the Old Man wasn't involved, it's fine. Then I'll just quit."
"Do you think you can just quit of your own accord right now?"
"Why can't I? I can just make an excuse about my health being poor and quit. I'm officially disabled, you know."
As I shook my empty right sleeve, the Old Man frowned.
"It's an order handed down directly from the Imperial Family, so that kind of excuse won't work. They'll launch a covert investigation, and if they find out it's a fake illness..."
"Is that also punishable by death for deceiving the Imperial Family?"
"A recommendation from the Imperial Family is a tremendous honor, so just..."
"I couldn't care less about honors; money would be a different story."
I only started working as an Instructor in Seinti to kill time, not because I wanted honor or anything like that.
Actually, I'm not really hurting for money either.
I received a hefty salary during my days as a Black Agent, and since I had no time to spend it, I saved it all up. Plus, I had quite a lot of side income from my missions, and I'm currently receiving a pension.
"Stop whining. How about I tell you an easier way?"
"That's rich. What is it?"
"First, go to Belliard as ordered. And then, just do your classes half-heartedly."
"Half-heartedly?"
"If the Imperial Family highly valued your abilities and selected you as an Instructor at Belliard Academy, then if you teach poorly and show a lack of competence, you'll be fired in no time."
It felt like I'd just been hit on the head with a hammer.
So there was a way like this.
As expected of our Old Man, the head of the Intelligence Agency, his brain really works well.
"Because it's hard to refuse a recommendation from the Imperial Family, but it's easy to get fired?"
"Exactly. If you get fired rather than quitting on your own, they won't be able to make an issue out of it, right?"
Alright. From now on, my goal is to get fired.
I will become the absolute worst Instructor so they have no choice but to fire me.
****
Ugh, my head.
I drank a bit too much at the farewell party yesterday, so my hangover is pretty brutal.
If it were a normal holiday, I would have comfortably gone back to sleep, but I couldn't do that today.
It was the day to leave my beloved home and head to Belliard Academy.
The new semester starts next week, but an official notice came telling me to report a week early.
I washed up briefly, boiled some Soup with the ingredients I bought yesterday, and had breakfast with the bread I brought.
I packed my belongings into Subspace and left the house.
Maybe it's because I thought I wouldn't be able to come back for a while, but I felt a little sentimental.
Even though I planned to teach half-heartedly to get fired quickly, I'd probably have to stay in the Capital for at least a semester.
A semester at Belliard Academy is four months, so it will probably be snowing heavily by the time I return.
I walked a short distance and arrived right next door at the Village Chief's house.
I knocked, but there was no answer, so I hid the house key and a pouch of money I had prepared in the corner behind a flower pot.
It was a bit disappointing not to be able to say goodbye in person, but I had already asked him to look after the house a few days ago.
As I turned around and was about to leave, I saw the Village Chief walking towards me carrying a plow on his back.
Even though it was early, it seemed he had already been to the fields.
"Oh, was today the day you were leaving, Bio?"
"Yes. I left the key behind the flower pot by the door. I also put in a little something for your trouble."
"I told you last time that wasn't necessary. You're really something."
"I'll feel bad if you don't take it."
"Alright. Don't worry about the house. But why are you leaving so early? If you haven't had breakfast, come eat at our place."
"I've eaten. I'm planning to stop by the top of the mountain before I go."
"The mountain at this hour? You really do love hiking."
I brushed it off with a laugh and hurried my steps.
Like hell I like hiking.
Hiking is the thing I hate the most.
I lived in the mountains throughout my entire training period, and a lot of my missions were carried out in mountainous terrain too.
Thanks to that, I'm absolutely sick and tired of mountains, but there was another reason.
After climbing for about 30 minutes, I deviated from the trail and walked for another 30 minutes before I saw a large tree.
When I pulled out the small Dagger stuck in the base of the tree, a pit appeared next to it.
It looked like an ordinary Dagger, but it was actually an Artifact with the effect of distorting the surrounding environment to hide its appearance.
In fact, this place was one of the reasons I didn't want to leave Seinti.
About two months ago, I came here for a field trip, and one of the students got lost, and while I was searching for them, I stumbled upon this place by chance.
Since the sun hadn't fully risen yet, it was a bit dark, so I used Light Magic.
Various characters were engraved into the rock on the ground.
A language used neither in the Western Continent nor the Eastern Continent.
That meant there was a high possibility that there were ruins of an ancient civilization beneath this rock.
Even though I couldn't come every day, I came here more than five times a week—almost every day since the personnel order came out—and smashed the rock with a chisel and hammer, but I still hadn't found the entrance.
It would have been much faster if I had used tools like a pickaxe instead of a chisel or hammer, or better yet, utilized Magic, but I couldn't do that.
If something went wrong and it collapsed, the artifacts inside could be damaged.
I opened Subspace and took out two red spheres.
They were leftover Magic Bombs from my time as a Black Agent.
I didn't want to use them for fear of damaging the artifacts, but since I hadn't found the entrance yesterday, I had no choice.
I cast a Magic to reduce the noise, set a timer, placed both of them on the rock, quickly retreated, and lay face down.
Three, two, one!
There was no sound, but I felt the air suddenly heat up, and after the heat dissipated, I stood up from my spot.
It looked like the bombs were the right answer after all.
The rock that had been blocking the entrance for two whole months was shattered to pieces, and as I cleared away the debris, I found a black gap.