Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Tracking Request (6)
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The thought that I needed to be careful had been with me ever since I first asked the commander about the Followers of Evil.
Because there was no way I could easily reveal the source of the information I'd gotten from the anonymous chat room.
I hadn't realized that the conversation they had was information even a 7th Circle mage would find suspicious, so I'd been too hasty.
But when I confirmed that Vinsen's mana had fully recovered, I felt a certainty that others hadn't noticed, so I had no choice but to use the info from the chat room.
'But... who the hell is Anonymous (2)?'
A spell even a 7th Circle mage didn't know? No, it was understandable not to know it, but no Magic Tower had manifested it?
It was outside my expected range.
But I quickly pushed the question from my mind. I'd already anticipated that I wouldn't be able to properly explain the origin of this simplified spell anyway.
Wasn't I planning to brazen it out?
I might not have heard that I was good at acting, but I often heard I had thick skin.
"I was simply taught it."
"Taught?"
"Yes."
"Where did you learn such magic?"
"I think the commander's reaction right now shows that I can't just casually mention it here."
Parovian paused for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Right. If I seem like a shameless thief trying to steal your master's unique spell, then I apologize."
"Yes, I ask for your understanding."
"Ivan..."
Raistel called my name with a small sigh. It was in a tone that said, with everyone watching, did I really have to go that far?
I fully understood the meaning in his eyes.
I didn't want to do this either, but lies are like that by nature.
Once you start, you have to push through to the end. Momentum was key. Especially for me, since lies showed on my face so easily.
Besides, if word spread in front of everyone that it was a spell even the Magic Towers couldn't manifest, it was only natural that I couldn't openly reveal it.
Raistel knew that too, which was why he couldn't push back harder.
Otherwise, he might have called me out on my attitude.
No matter how much help I'd given so far, Parovian's position transcended that.
After holding back his words for a moment, Parovian spoke again, as if he'd reached a conclusion after long deliberation.
"Are you perhaps a hidden disciple of a Transcendent?"
"...No."
"Hard to believe."
"If I were a disciple of some great Transcendent, there'd be no reason to hide it."
"Hm... Transcendents rarely meddle. They're said to dwell in the shadow world. They avoid interference, so you have plenty of reason to hide. But that very statement of yours gives me the answer. You're not a disciple, then."
They don't meddle?
Didn't they say a Dragon Rank Transcendent was interested in this matter?
...Does that level not count as meddling?
Do they have to cause some apocalypse or something before it's considered involvement?
That was the moment the thought crossed my mind.
Parovian's face suddenly hardened. The blood drained from his expression in an instant, startling me.
...Did I say something wrong? But right then, I felt it too.
An overwhelming mana surging from behind me.
The air grew heavy, laced with murderous heat.
My body stiffened involuntarily.
...A trap?
Explosive mana tore through the space.
A scorching heat that seared the skin enveloped us, and my vision flashed white.
It was a split second, but the thought flashed that at my current level, I couldn't possibly block this trap spell.
In that instant, Parovian stepped in front of me.
"Commander?"
Mana whipped around his body like a storm, shaking the space like a massive torrent.
The heat's explosion clashed with the torrent.
Kaboom!
In the collision of mana bursting all at once, he was blocking that spell with his entire body.
Not just for me. For the entire site, every single soldier.
Mana raged like fire directly on the skin. Overwhelming pressure that choked the breath spread out.
Parovian's black cloak shredded to pieces, the mana-warped fabric floating in the air before vanishing like sparks.
But he gritted his teeth, not retreating a single step.
And finally, as the shockwave subsided, Parovian's body collapsed backward.
"Commander!"
I rushed to him in alarm.
He'd suddenly blocked the exploding trap. Saving me and all the knights here.
My heart sank, but fortunately, his chest rose and fell normally.
I hurriedly draped my outer jacket over his exposed, torn body.
Charred and melted patches everywhere. But the external injuries weren't as bad as I'd feared.
He seemed to have collapsed from rapid mana depletion.
Another knight rushed over, supporting Parovian like a lifeline and hurrying away from the site.
Watching them, I quickly turned my mind.
'I didn't notice at all...'
I'd been so focused on the unique mana pattern that I'd completely let my guard down to other dangers.
...No, it wasn't about letting my guard down.
At my current skill level, no matter how careful, detecting that mana beforehand would have been impossible from the start.
It was a trap spell that even a 7th Circle mage detected late and collapsed blocking.
'Vinsen knows we're tracking him...'
The more I chewed on it, the more pieces fell into place.
His mana was almost fully recovered already. He even noticed we were pursuing.
Yet he left this trace?
I should have realized something was off from that.
If he wasn't a complete idiot, he would have erased even the faintest remnant.
He's a mage who'd fallen from 7th Circle. Hiding mana traces should be child's play.
Was it really just a smokescreen, as Raistel said, to make us believe we'd head to the ruins?
No, I had to consider he might have double-bluffed.
Overthinking leads nowhere.
So at this point, I needed to act on info Vinsen hadn't realized we knew.
He might suspect pursuit. But he wouldn't know I'd analyzed the info this deeply. Or that we'd uncovered he was a Follower of Evil.
That was our only remaining edge.
The one thing I'd stopped short of telling Parovian earlier.
The hallmark trait of Followers of Evil.
'The instinct to head toward their master.'
If Vinsen truly fell via something from the ruins, and his master was there... that was a problem.
Continuing the pursuit without stopping would mean walking straight into the Transcendent's lair.
Even if the ruins were a feint, the issue remained.
...Had it already slipped from our hands?
Moving rashly once a Transcendent was involved could invite bigger trouble.
Of course, catching Vinsen before he met his master would be ideal.
But if he had the leisure to notice our tracking and set a trap before leaving, it was already too late.
The Barma Mountains Raistel mentioned weren't far from here.
Having sorted my thoughts, I walked straight to Raistel, who was issuing pursuit orders.
"We need to call in the Transcendent."
He turned to look at me.
"You said last time, a Dragon Rank Transcendent was interested in this case."
Raistel hesitated briefly.
"Didn't the commander tell you? Transcendents don't meddle easily."
"What if another Transcendent is already involved?"
"...Got proof?"
Raistel, who'd followed my words without question until now, asked for reason.
It must be that sensitive a topic regarding Transcendents.
"We've already established Vinsen is a Follower of Evil. Their defining trait is seeking out their master."
"...First time hearing that."
"... ."
Wasn't it common knowledge among those who knew about Followers of Evil?
Just what the hell was Anonymous (2)'s deal?
I suppressed my momentary confusion and continued.
"......A Dragon Rank Transcendent would understand the implications."
"...So you're saying Vinsen isn't just a fallen mage fleeing—he's heading to meet his master, a Transcendent?"
"Exactly."
Raistel furrowed his brow. He seemed conflicted.
But before his deliberation ended, I pushed down my guilt and spoke.
"And we should stop the hasty pursuit for now."
I hadn't wanted to butt in like this originally. I wasn't the type to meddle outside my duties. Too much hassle.
But this was an exception.
I bore responsibility too.
I'd practically led the operation but hadn't delved deeper into the trace Vinsen left.
Maybe I'd gotten cocky that my artifact worked.
Of course, no need to blame it all on myself.
"Same reason? If a Transcendent's behind him, our pursuit's... pointless."
Fortunately, Raistel caught on quick.
He soon nodded.
"Got it. We'll do as you say."
"...Thank you."
As he turned to leave, he paused and looked back at me.
"It's not your fault... no need for self-recrimination. The commander's safe, after all."
"I know."
"Your face doesn't match those words."
Raistel shook his head lightly, patted my shoulder a few times, and turned away.
After he left, I lingered at the trap spell site for a while.
I fed all the lingering mana remnants into my artifact, then slowly headed to the nearby inn.
As time passed, my troubled mind settled a bit.
But the frustration lingered.
With everything now hinging on the Transcendent issue, there wasn't much I could do.
Still, I decided to focus fully on what little I could. Far better than wallowing in pointless self-pity.
While analyzing the trap spell remnants, word came that Parovian had awakened.
I immediately headed to the clinic where he was staying.
Upon arrival, voices came from inside.
Probably talking with military personnel.
I waited outside the door. Soon, knights filed out, passing down the hall.
Once they were gone, I cautiously opened the door and entered.
He lay in bed with eyes closed.
'Asleep?'
He'd only just recovered, so he must be tired.
I'd come to properly thank him, but maybe next time.
As I turned to leave, the door I'd entered burst open roughly, and someone came in.
A woman with deep navy-blue hair tied in twin tails.
Her refined attire of high-grade fabric couldn't hide her natural feminine allure.
Her sharp eyes were familiar. Just far more mature than I remembered.
Oz Eldis. My Academy classmate.