Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Oz left as soon as he finished speaking. Ulla stared at his retreating back with a stiff expression, then muttered timidly,
"We're not an errand service, honestly..."
They were an intelligence agency, not all-purpose businesspeople who brokered deals with magic tool creators, but Oz seemed to think otherwise. Ulla frowned at Alexios, who had just dumbly nodded along to Oz's nagging.
"Why did you just stand there? You should've grabbed him by the collar and started a fight, like you usually do!"
"Are you picking a fight with me?"
"N-no, of course not~ I was just wondering why you were so passive with him, that's all."
Ulla was a Tenebris agent specializing in surveillance. She had approached key figures in Scientia before, and they had all seen through her. It was a blow to her pride, but considering who they were, she accepted it.
"...I've thought this for a while now, but you're incredibly bold."
"Well, I wouldn't look out for you otherwise, would I? You're the most normal person I've met."
Having experienced all of them, Ulla concluded that Alexios was the easiest to deal with and became his handler.
Arietta had offered her tea with a gentle smile. Ulla returned from her mission after a pleasant afternoon tea time with Arietta. She honestly wanted to be Arietta's handler, but her superiors decided to end her surveillance shortly after.
Marie, on the other hand, sent undead to track Ulla. She later said she thought they were playing hide-and-seek.
And Oz...
'Ugh, even thinking about it now is terrifying.'
He had played them all like puppets. Ulla recalled Oz's gaze from that night, through her scope. She still regretted pulling the trigger, startled by his all-knowing eyes. It was her biggest mistake as a sniper. She only realized much later that she had been led into it.
Alexios, on the other hand? He threatened to destroy everything if she didn't come out, but at least he was willing to talk.
'Compared to those two, he's the most normal one.'
At least he wasn't completely out of touch with reality or scheming like he had a nest of snakes in his stomach. Alexios was straightforward. That's why Ulla could act casually around him.
Ulla shook her head, recalling those events, then put on her usual easy going demeanor and spoke to Alexios.
"So? Why?"
"...I know I'm socially inept."
"What?"
He knew that, and yet he acted like that? Ulla tilted her head, wondering if she had misheard.
"I know I need money. But I also know that I only know how to use my fists..."
"Ahahahaha!"
"..."
"No, haha, that's... you see... Why did you do that to someone you know? Ahaha!"
Alexios glared at Ulla, who was laughing boisterously in an irritating manner. He had let his guard down, and she was taking advantage of it.
"You really want to get your neck broken, don't you?"
"...I was joking."
"Tch... Forget it, I don't have a habit of bullying the weak."
"Ooh? Calling me weak..."
Ulla stopped mid-sentence as she saw Alexios's arm flash past her cheek.
"...I am weak. Yes, I'm incredibly weak."
"Enough, tell me. What's this magic tool Oz was talking about?"
"Hmm? Oh, right, you wouldn't understand even if you saw it."
Ulla smiled playfully, looking at the materials piled in Alexios's arms.
"Have you ever ridden a magic levitation train?"
The magic levitation train. Simply put, it was a means of transportation that crossed the continent using magic-powered levitation.
"No."
"As expected of a country bumpkin..."
"Running is faster and more fuel-efficient."
"Hmm, hmm..."
Ulla's smile froze. She knew Alexios was strong, but his stamina was absurd.
"Well, anyway, these are the core materials. I can't believe where he got these."
Ulla exclaimed, looking at the materials Oz had collected from the daily dungeon. They varied in size, but they were all of high purity.
"If it's metal, couldn't it be used for other things?"
"Right. But what do you think you need the most?"
"Strength."
"...You seem to have enough of that. Well, we thought you might need the ability to fly."
Alexios frowned at Ulla's words, then said in a gruff voice,
"Is there a need for that?"
"You can't move your body in the sky, can you?"
"I can just kick off the air."
"...I thought you were the most normal one, but you're a monster too?"
"Do you want to die?"
"No, that's not what I meant..."
Ulla had to explain everything in detail to Alexios, who was on the verge of exploding.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As Scientia's final exams approached, Lustitia Heros, the [Golden Hero], arrived in front of the Demon King's castle.
"Hmm, there it is. It really looks like a castle where a Demon King would live!"
"Then, Hero, please be careful."
Lustitia thanked the demon who had guided her.
"Yes! Thank you for guiding me. Oh, by the way,"
"Yes?"
"You're not a demon, are you? The reports are appreciated, but could you delay them next time?"
"You knew who I was and let me lead you here?"
"Not exactly who, but I knew you were reporting my every move."
"What if I were the Demon King's spy?"
The [Hero], Lustitia, replied with a playful smile,
"I'd deal with it."
"..."
"I'm not certain what I'm doing is right. It depends on one's perspective. Even if I sided with the Demon King, wouldn't it just mean he has his own sense of justice?"
"Then... What if a demon claims the Demon King is right? Would you back down?"
"No," Lustitia said firmly.
"I sided with those who believe the Demon King is wrong."
Lustitia saw herself on the side of the weak, but not as absolute good or justice. Everything had a reason. Thus, she knew:
"Wars aren't fought solely on right and wrong."
What she was about to do, though a personal act, was a declaration of war.
"I understand, Hero Lustitia."
The man disguised as a demon nodded slightly, showing his understanding.
"Now that I've been exposed, I should introduce myself properly. I'm an informant from Tenebris, the Helios Empire's intelligence agency. My name is Carmela."
"That's a feminine name!"
"I hear that often. Hero Iustitia, I have a proposition..."
"Come to the Empire when this is over?"
"Yes, you're quick. Our Empire offers you many..."
"No."
Lustitia refused more firmly than before. Carmela blinked, surprised she'd refused without hearing the offer.
"I love freedom."
Faced with her resolve, Carmela nodded.
"I see... Then I wish you success in defeating the Demon King."
"Leave it to me!"
The [Golden Hero] Iustitia stepped towards the Demon King's castle.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A week had passed since I gave Alexios the materials. I didn't know if the magic tool was finished. I'd done my part. He was experienced; even if he couldn't defeat the Parade with the magic tool, he could at least protect himself.
More importantly, it had been a week. Today was the day [Mana Dominator] leveled up. Finals next week? I could slack off on those.
"Sigh..."
People held onto hope, even when they knew it was futile. It was unavoidable, as long as hope existed. I was no different. As a fan of gacha games, I was even more prone to clinging to such hopes.
"Would it actually happen?"
But I couldn't get my hopes up. It was practically impossible. I tried to convince myself, but there was one thing I couldn't ignore:
[Mana Dominator Lv. 2]Exp: 495/500
What would happen at level 3? Considering what happened at level 2, it was best not to expect anything.
But...
[Spatial Barrier] had been great. I could create it anywhere. So, maybe I could hope for something good with [Mana Dominator]?
"No, no. There's no way. Honestly, I'm not expecting anything."
A stack reduction would be nice. Our mana-less developers were reasonable. Their lack of explanations showed that. They were more likely to improve existing features than add new ones at level 3.
[Fragment of Prana x5]
So, could I get my hopes up a little? No, thinking like that made me worry about the developers' mana again. I didn't want to worry needlessly.
"Right, clear your mind."
I suppressed my expectations and absorbed the last Prana Fragment.
[Mana Dominator Lv. 2 → Lv. 3]
"Hmm, hmm..."
No expectations. None at all.
[Skill has been partially altered.]
Like last time, I covered my eyes and peeked to check the updated [Mana Dominator].
[Mana Dominator Lv. 3]Exp: 0/1500
Seriously? The EXP? No conscience? Three times the amount? This was a "don't level this up" sign. But they were mistaken if they thought that would stop me. I was a veteran of grindy games; this was nothing.
Whatever. The change was what mattered. No expectations.
[Mana capacity increased.]
Same as Lv. 2. My mana increased with my growth.
Now for the main event.
[Mana control strengthened.]
"...?"
That's it? A half-assed explanation? Laid-back to a fault!
[Congratulations!]
The explanation continued. They wouldn't make a notification just for that.
[Restriction on Advanced Magic lifted!]
"..."
What?
Had I misread? Was [Contemplation] broken? I massaged my eyes and checked again.
[Restriction on Advanced Magic lifted!]
Same.
"Huh..."
This was great, the best effect. But...
"There was a restriction on Advanced Magic...?"
Why now? What about all those sleepless nights studying, practicing, drawing circles until my fingers bled?
"Huh. Huh huh."
I'd been combining low and intermediate magic to force [Mage’s Gearwheel] and [Pinaka], thinking I lacked Oz's effort. I thought I just needed to work harder!
But what? A restriction? And they hadn't told me? Were they human? I was a walking joke. I'd been losing my mind over Advanced Magic!
"Huh huh huh."
Calm down. I knew the developers were mana-less. I'd lowered my expectations. But this wasn't about expectations; this was a betrayal!
"So, the developers, after their mother, also abandoned their father... No, let's not be vulgar."
Cultivate understanding. I'd been doing well. There had to be a reason. A reason for the unfinished game. If the unfinished skill was from lack of mana, what was this? Probably lack of support from higher-ups, like the director. Lack of budget.
"Right, they lacked the available budget."
Available Budget. AB. I wasn't sure if that was the right term, but whatever. The developers wanted a good game but lacked AB. What could they do? No M, no AB?
I understood. I really did.
But I had to say this:
"You sons of bitches..."
They truly were.