Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Hero Candidate
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That light was very small. Perhaps even smaller than a fingernail.
But it shone so brilliantly that it was more than enough to catch the eye.
I wondered if it might be a Primal Mana user, but I quickly shook my head.
Not only was it tiny, but the fact that Primal Mana was visible like that at all was strange.
'What the hell does that mean?'
The first thing that came to mind was the Hero.
In truth, I'd been guessing as much up until now.
Maybe the moment I personally forged the Hero's sword and handed it over, the one who gripped it would become the Hero?
I hadn't been sure because that method seemed far too underwhelming for such a grand title.
In a typical epic tale, it should be a hymn to humanity—someone overcoming trials on their own, drawn by mystical power to pull the sword free.
Just handing over a single blade and suddenly having a Hero pop out? That felt off.
But now, seeing this woman walking around with Primal Mana nestled near her heart, I changed my mind.
Should I call it the seed of the Hero?
Maybe that's why I could see that light—because she had the potential.
The moment that thought hit me, I hurriedly averted my gaze from her. Pretending to be uninterested, I turned and slipped into the alley beside us.
I had no intention of just letting her pass by. Quite the opposite—I planned to follow her.
I gathered mana in my palm.
Forged to match Cedric's identity with wind attribute and sharpness traits, but things were urgent now, so it needed a tweak.
Instead of sharpness, I forged the intangible trait that Oz possessed.
Thanks to my deepened understanding of elemental magic and principles, I could now handle even forged traits convincingly.
And the idea I'd told Oz about recently.
Blurring the boundary between substance and non-substance.
I wrapped mana around my entire body and finely tuned the flow.
The intangible trait manifested even more vividly than Oz's. After all, my mastery of handling traits far surpassed hers.
It wasn't complete invisibility, but it wasn't something you'd easily notice either.
Unless someone was scrutinizing me right in front of their face, it'd be hard to detect.
Slipping back out of the alley like that, the golden-haired woman (let's call her the Hero candidate for now) was already well ahead.
I carefully trailed behind her.
She wandered through alley after alley for quite a while before finally stopping in front of some ruined building.
The odd thing was that someone was guarding the front of those ruins.
Their outfits were unmistakable— the same as the attendants who'd served Lina.
'...Lina?'
Or maybe since the capital was her father's territory, she was plotting something?
No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for an Academy student to set foot in a place like this.
I was too far away to hear voices clearly, but the attendants guarding the door weren't welcoming her. They were openly shoving her back, trying to chase her off.
Had she just barged in blindly?
Then.
The Hero candidate suddenly drew the sword from her waist.
A training sword without a sharpened edge.
The attendants instantly backed away, dropping into combat stances.
But she ignored them. Mana slowly rose along the blade.
As the attendants exchanged uncertain glances, the mana gathering on the sword grew denser and began compressing solidly.
Aura Blade.
The attendants' faces twisted in shock at the clearly formed Aura Blade.
I was just as surprised.
An Aura Blade corresponded to the 7th circle for a mage.
Precisely, Sword Master level.
An Academy student—a Sword Master?
And her Aura Blade was remarkably clear.
She handled it with skill.
The movements of the attendants guarding the front shifted.
They straightened into formation, and one hurriedly ducked inside the building. Soon, he emerged with someone else.
It was Lina.
She greeted the Hero candidate warmly and led her inside.
I couldn't follow any further. My stealth wasn't reliable enough to hide right under their noses.
'Lucky I kept my distance.'
Any closer, and even with my blurred presence, a Sword Master might have noticed.
'Let's wait for now.'
What was going on inside?
Their attitude flipped the instant she revealed her Aura Blade, so she was clearly seeking out skilled fighters.
Was it related to the task Lina had wanted to entrust to me?
After a long while, people started filing out one by one.
Easily over ten in the group.
Most wore robes hiding their faces, so identities unknown, but the numbers were impressive.
I thought that was it, but another dozen or so followed in a line.
'What the hell are they doing to gather so many people?'
The last to appear was the Hero candidate. Unlike when she'd entered, she now wore a robe over her head, with Lina standing right beside her.
'Should I intervene...?'
The thought crossed my mind briefly.
I knew getting tangled up would lead to headaches.
But if I did step in, they wouldn't brush me off.
I'd suspected as much since Lina tried giving me the "Hero's item" as a gift.
No deep thought needed—it was obvious she was scheming to offload a request onto me after her initial plan failed.
And I'd accepted anyway. Because it really was the Hero's item.
Now the Hero candidate was tangled up in it too.
Did Lina know something?
...No way.
If she did, she wouldn't have handed over the Hero's item to me.
Just coincidence.
'For now... hold off.'
I would get involved in her business.
I needed to confirm if she really was the Hero candidate.
Who knew when another chance like this would come.
But not right now.
Running into each other by "chance" in the heart of these deep ruins would seem suspicious.
It could raise unnecessary alarms.
Lina was fine, but the Hero candidate needed caution.
I still hadn't figured out how to approach her.
'Lina will come looking for me anyway.'
I'll wait for that.
Thankfully, the Hero candidate soon parted ways with Lina.
I watched until then, then turned away without pursuing her further.
I went to find Jenjen and asked about sourcing the magic tome.
Anything traded here was likely just copied manuscripts smuggled from elsewhere.
High chance it moved through illegal channels.
"Unless it's up for auction... you'd need to track down a specialist."
"No one you know?"
"There aren't many, so... I could find one, but it'd take time."
As I moved to hand off the task, Jenjen's gaze felt oddly nagging.
Jenjen was still hunched over, his face full of wrinkles.
But his eyes kept flicking toward my masked face.
Anyone could see he was acting guilty.
Was he scared I'd find out he leaked my info?
Even if so, being this blatant in the underworld was weird.
I'd anticipated that much before—it happened all the time without raising eyebrows.
I didn't know the details, but I opened my mouth anyway.
"I clearly warned you it'd be your throat next time."
"...Guh."
Jenjen rushed forward, fidgeting and stamping his feet in panic.
Something was definitely up.
I stared silently, and when he didn't speak, I casually raised my hand.
"S-So-Sorry!"
"... ."
"The Bakerta side kept pressuring me, so I couldn't help it..."
Bakerta? What was that?
"That lady kept hounding me relentlessly... To survive stretched out here, I had no choice. Either way, I was as good as dead... Really, truly sorry."
A bit scattered, but piecing it together, it sounded like Lina.
The "lady" reference and surviving by lying low.
I'd heard her side had serious pull in the underworld.
"She said she'd come here right now and told me to stall for time as much as possible..."
Already sold me out?
Hands quicker than the eyes, huh.
'What to do.'
Actually, it worked out fine. I needed to meet Lina anyway.
...Jenjen must've had a hell of a time stuck in the middle.
But wasn't that the broker's fate?
Shouldn't have gotten caught.
Letting it slide didn't fit Cedric's persona.
Of course, I had no real plan to embed magic in his throat.
Jenjen was still useful, and I'd need him for annoying tasks ahead.
His wide network as a broker meant trouble would follow.
'What's a good middle ground?'
Hesitating to actually harm someone was true, but...
Since I'd decided to keep up the Cedric mask, I knew moments like this would come.
And I'd vowed.
That before anyone who sinned against me first, I'd never hesitate.
As my hand twitched subtly, Jenjen caught the vibe and flattened himself at my feet.
"The magic tome! I'll definitely find it for you. I take full responsibility for this, cover all costs myself, and deliver it somehow. Spare me just once!"
He looked up pitifully.
Tears and snot smeared his face into a mess.
...Acting?
But his fear of the threat was real.
I'd genuinely meant it.
"I'll prioritize all your tasks from now on. Use me... like a slave!"
"Treat you like a slave, and word'll spread that I did."
"...I-I swear, never again... Even if a knife's at my throat, I won't breathe a word!"
No one would buy that—not me, Jenjen himself, or the worms crawling this place.
Then.
F footsteps rushed from behind the tavern.
'Bodyguard?'
Maybe escorts to protect the broker.
I tensed, hand on my brooch.
The door burst open.
The face that appeared was Lina's.
She scanned the scene: my hand slightly raised, Jenjen groveling below with tears and snot streaming.
"Uh... Did I cause this?"
Jenjen nodded frantically from under me.
Then he locked eyes with me and froze.
"Th-This still needs the facts straightened out, but..."
"I did pressure Jenjen to spill info, yeah."
Even saying that, Lina showed no sign of shielding him.
"Truth is... I had a favor to ask you. Something super urgent."
"Not urgent anymore, I guess."
"Not as urgent as when you were threatening Jenjen."
"Gathered a decent crowd?"
"...!"
Lina's eyes went wide.
"How'd you know I was gathering people?"
"You said you had a task for me when we first met. Then suddenly you're hunting me down urgently, attitude all changed. Only makes sense you'd rallied others."
"......I don't get it. What're you talking about?"
...Did I explain it poorly?
"Anyway, that just blew my mind. Deduction skills? Insight? Something like that?"
"You didn't understand, so why's it blow your mind?"
"Just seemed cool."
"... ."
What was this?
...No good.
This felt like it'd derail weirdly.
I'd planned to rattle her with what I'd seen earlier, seize control, and pry info first—a psychological play.
But her admitting she had zero clue checkmated me instead.
Was it on purpose?
"Even if it's not urgent now, I still need you. Numbers alone won't cut it. I need real power."
Lina kept talking, then shrugged suddenly.
"Guessing from how wordy this is getting, it's not simple. Hate to discuss it here—wanna step out?"
"Hold on."
"Oh, right, business with Jenjen. I'll wait out front."
"W-Wait..."
Jenjen called desperately, but Lina ignored him and left.
All that remained was Jenjen's ashen face.