54
Chapter 54
"The Intelligence Agency, huh..."
"How are we supposed to believe that?"
The atmosphere had softened slightly, but the perimeter remained tight.
They weren't about to welcome me with open arms just because I claimed to be from the Intelligence Agency.
I had expected this, but it didn't mean I had a solution.
Since Black Agents don't carry identification tags, there was no way to prove my identity even if I were an active agent.
The best I could do was tell them to verify it with the agency later.
In times like these, I had to be assertive.
"Believe me or not, but shouldn't putting out the fire be the priority? If you don't extinguish it soon, the whole thing might collapse."
They all seemed to be hesitating.
"How frustrating. If I had started the fire, would I be standing here openly trying to help?"
"Can you really put out the..."
"I can."
A knight in silver armor, who appeared to be the person in charge, stepped aside to let me through.
"Get the wizards back. Everyone else, move away and keep your distance!"
As soon as the order was given, I leaped toward the burning building.
By leaping along the outer walls where the White Flame hadn't yet reached, I quickly made it to the top.
The White Flame raged everywhere, and amidst the acrid smoke, I saw charred, blackened bones.
They must have been the people who fled to the rooftop.
Feeling a pang of pity, I activated the magic power of my Circle.
Seeing the scale of the White Flame, I realized the Circle's magic power wouldn't be enough, so I channeled mana from my Mana Core into the Circle.
Normally, Circle magic power is used only for spells, while Mana Core power is reserved for Aura and physical enhancement.
However, after learning the Mental Cultivation Method from Ark, those rules no longer applied to me.
* * *
"Zero, you look so wonderful."
"It's amazing. The wizards poured so much water on it, yet it didn't go out at all."
"Water can't extinguish a White Phosphorus Flame Bomb."
Both Eagle and Wolf looked pleased.
And for good reason—one building was already completely incinerated, and the others were burning just as well.
Three of the five buildings belonged to Viscount Lapierre.
Attacking only the Viscount's properties would have made Wolf too suspicious.
Between the reconstruction costs and the compensation for the dead, the plan was a resounding success.
However, I still felt uneasy.
One building was gone and the rest would follow, but the Intelligence Agency agent who had attacked Eagle still hadn't shown up.
The agency wouldn't just stand by and watch. Had he left the island to report back?
Not that he would need to, since he could just use a crystal ball...
"Zero, something's wrong over by Light Valley."
Thinking that the inevitable had finally happened, I looked toward Light Valley and saw a black hole in the sky.
"Isn't that Weather Control?"
It looked similar to Weather Control magic, just as Wolf had said, but what was it?
Eagle said the agent she met was a Sword Master, but Weather Control—the magic that manipulates the environment—is a 7th Class spell.
"Eagle, was there anyone else with the Black Agent you encountered?"
"No, I only saw one man."
It seems a 7th Class Wizard was on Creta Island, rather than the Intelligence Agency stepping in directly.
If it were an agency agent, they wouldn't use Weather Control to bring rain, which is useless against White Flame... wait?
"The rain looks strange."
"That's not rain."
I had assumed it was rain, but what fell from the hole was yellowish-brown sand.
"Zero, the flames are weakening."
Sand is the weakness of the White Phosphorus Flame Bomb.
This meant it wasn't just any wizard, but the agency itself.
I must have underestimated the Imperial Intelligence Agency of the Beluga Empire.
Then again, it's been over fifteen years since I left the agency.
I knew they would have progressed, but I never dreamed they'd possess both a Sword Master and a 7th Circle Wizard.
"Zero?"
"We're scaling back our activities on Creta Island for the time being."
"You want to give up the plan now?"
I specifically said 'scaling back,' not 'giving up,' but Wolf was just as dense as Eagle.
"Even if they put out the fires now, the damage is already severe. Won't the operation still proceed as planned?"
Is Eagle on Wolf's side now?
I like her innocence, but she can be frustrating at times like this.
"I'm not giving up entirely. We just need to be more careful with our cover. Until I say it's okay, do not approach the Lord first."
"Why? Shouldn't we handle this quickly..."
"...Because the agency will try to uncover the true purpose of these fires."
"We already expected that. That's why we burned other buildings besides the Lord's."
"I thought that would be enough, but the agency has evolved more than I realized. We've already expressed our interest in the mine's development, so keep a low profile until the Lord reaches out."
"O... Okay."
"Zero, then what do we do? Go sightseeing together?"
"No. Eagle, you should head back now."
"Go... back? Why just me...?"
It was obvious she didn't want to go.
"Your identity has been exposed. If you stay, it'll only make things harder for everyone."
"But..."
"Didn't you show the agent your face? You're excluded from all future Beluga operations. Leave Creta Island by tonight."
Eagle answered weakly and headed down.
"Aren't you being too cold? You were practically inseparable a moment ago. That was ruthless."
"Given the situation, I have to be."
"Once the mining contract is signed, we'll need someone for transport. Who should I call?"
"I'll discuss that at the next meeting. Once mining begins, have your subordinates carry the ore in their subspace."
"That'll take too long and we won't be able to move much."
"It's not urgent right now. There's no need to rush."
"Then are you leaving for somewhere else too?"
"I have nothing left to do here, so yes. Contact me once the contract is signed."
I sent Wolf away, adding that he should focus on managing his subordinates first.
Now, shall we begin?
I wasn't lying to Wolf about leaving, but I couldn't leave without gaining anything.
If the agency knows Eagle's face, then I should at least see that wizard's face before I go.
It would be even better if I could take care of him.
I pulled a red stone from my pocket and crushed it in my hand.
As I opened my palm, the red powder glowed and enveloped my body.
* * *
The magic I used to suppress the White Flame was an ancient spell taught to me by Ark.
It wasn't exactly beyond my reach, but Weathering—a spell very similar to the 7th Class Weather Control—required channeling magic from my Mana Core just to mimic its effects.
As they say that the level of magic declined along with civilization, this spell allowed for far more precise control with significantly less magic power.
The range was much smaller, but since I needed to rain sand instead of water, it wasn't a major drawback.
I extinguished the White Flame on the building's exterior with the sand-rain and handled the interior by extracting sand from the falling torrent.
While dealing with the inner flames, I searched for survivors, but there was no one left—only charred, blackened bones.
When I saw the blackened remains of a parent embracing their child, I truly...
What on earth are those Exile bastards thinking?
Do they want to start a war with the Beluga Empire? Regardless of their intent, I can never forgive this.
'Bio, there's one more left.'
'I know.'
I stepped outside to move to another building.
It was the building directly across from the first one, and as I climbed to the top again, I found that the White Flame wasn't the only thing waiting for me.
The moment I reached the rooftop, a sphere of brilliant red flame—different from the surrounding White Flame—shot toward me.
Boom— Boom— Boom—
I sensed the flow of magic and dodged easily, but it still took me by surprise.
He wore a black uniform similar to mine and a white lion mask.
His build and height matched my memories perfectly.
"You look exactly like a Black Agent from the agency. Did you train with the sword as well? I thought you were a wizard, but a magic swordsman... impressive."
"Zero!"
"Ho, I heard about it from Eagle, but it's surprising. You know exactly who I am. Did Blue Mist tell you before he died?"
I was momentarily taken aback.
I had faked my death when I retired from the agency, but given their intelligence capabilities, I assumed they knew I was still alive.
"First, I'd like you to take off that hideous mask."
"Why don't you take off your own filthy mask, Latius?"
At the mention of his real name, he froze for a brief moment.
He seemed quite shaken.
"What's with the shock? Did you think we didn't know your identity just because we kept calling you Zero?"
"...Haha, I thought I had cleaned up my tracks quite well. I suppose I underestimated the agency."
While he still seemed shaken, there was a hint of composure in his voice.
I spread my magic power to check for other comrades nearby, but it was just the two of us on the rooftop.
"However, it seems you're underestimating your junior as well."
As he spoke, he lunged at me with incredible speed and thrust his sword.
Clang—
A blue aura had manifested on his blade, but I responded by channeling magic into the dagger at my waist.
I prepared for a follow-up attack, but he leaped back to create distance.
"I see why you wanted to talk from this distance. I didn't know you could use Aura; the agency has truly evolved."
He clearly looked down on me, so this time, I was the one to charge.
He tried to block with his aura-clad blade, which was exactly what I wanted.
He likely mistook the Weathering I used to suppress the flames for Weather Control and assumed my main strength was magic, but I am a Sword Master.
My main strength is the sword.
Swoosh—
In an instant, I infused more magic to create an Aura Blade and split his sword in half.
I didn't stop my blade, intending to settle a debt from four years ago.
Thud—
His arm fell to the ground, spilling red blood.
I couldn't cut it from the shoulder like I had been, but I blew away everything below the elbow.
I tried to attack further while he stumbled and bled, but he vanished in a sudden burst of red light.
Was it an Emergency Escape Stone like the silver-haired woman used?
But that one had been blue....
"I certainly thought it was someone else, but the Sword Master Eagle mentioned was my dear junior."
Looking back toward the voice, I saw him standing on the building's outer wall.
There was no sense of magic movement for it to have been a Blink.
Even the arm I had just severed was perfectly fine.
I looked down to see if he had reattached it; the arm was gone, and not a single bloodstain remained.
When did he recover and reattach it?
I had heard that even with magic, it's nearly impossible to restore a severed limb so perfectly; what was this?
'Bio, be careful! I think that guy, Zero, has a Philosopher's Stone.'
I acknowledged the warning.
'It's made from thirteen rare metals using a special secret... no, explaining it like that is useless. Just think of it as an artifact that allows the user to ignore the laws of the world according to their will.'
'The laws of the world?'
'With a Philosopher's Stone, you can turn a lump of iron or wood into gold, or create a pit of fire in the middle of the ocean. He probably reconstructed his body to the state it was in before the arm was severed.'
I knew the Seven Stars were incredible, given the information from Ark and how Evankel had fixed my arm.
But this was on a completely absurd level.
'Then how am I supposed to deal with him?'
I had heard that the Sword King or the Magic Emperor were the strongest in combat, but according to Ark, the Alchemist was the strongest of the Seven Stars.
'I don't know the size of the stone he used, but since he reversed the time of his own body, he won't last long.'
'I thought you said it was an artifact?'
'It's single-use. The duration varies depending on the size.'
"You got one in. Judging by how you aimed for the arm, were you quite close with Blue Mist?"
Ignoring him, I charged and swung my sword, but he vanished again in a burst of red light.
He reappeared in mid-air a short distance away and threw two flying daggers, but they bounced off a translucent wall that materialized before him.
"I'd like to play along a bit more, but let's call it a day for now."
'The effect of the Philosopher's Stone must have worn off. Now's my chance.'
"Like hell you do!"
If I was facing an artifact created by the Seven Stars, I would fight back with their own techniques.
I had never succeeded during practice, and my condition was poor from using so much magic, but I felt I could do it now.
I infused magic into the dagger until my core tingled; the Aura Blade's color deepened and its length increased.
Adding the intent to launch it, I slashed the dagger horizontally.
The Aura Blade separated from the dagger and flew in a semi-circular arc.
Sword King's Secret Swordsmanship
Half-Moon Explosive Slash
'He's already mastered this?'
Before Ark's exclamation ended, my slash tore through the wall Latius had created like paper and exploded.