Chapter 75
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Thread (2)
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A deeply buried memory suddenly resurfaced.
I had definitely wondered about the identity of the person who put that item up for auction at the auction house.
Back then, I wasn't a Transcendent yet, and I'd judged the risk too high to approach rashly, so I'd planned to hand it off to Joart—but I never got the chance to bring it up with him.
Then the connection with Lina was cut, and I'd completely forgotten about it.
Lina had dug into every trace of Partan's movements up to now. That alone was reckless enough to risk her life. Maybe she hadn't been discovered purely by luck, or perhaps they'd already caught on and were watching her—or they were weighing their options because of whatever force was backing her up.
But the one thread she'd found hadn't come from digging deeper. It was an unexpectedly simple clue.
"Frock Trading Company. That's the source that supplied the item to the auction house."
Frock Trading Company. I'd heard the name before.
Around the time I was intensely interested in the hero's item at the auction house, I'd casually asked Zenzen about it.
And the same name had come up from Zenzen's mouth. Frock Trading Company was the origin of the rumors that such an item would appear at the auction.
That company had been razed to the ground once before. And the reason was tied to the source that had sold fake artifacts to Lina.
"Naturally, Frock Trading Company got those items from somewhere else too."
The trading company, thoroughly dismantled by Lina.
And among those who broke away from it, one with information had handed it over.
"How does that connect to Partan?"
"Because the two met out of the blue."
If both had traces leading to them, figuring out they'd met was straightforward.
Lina finding that thread was pretty lucky, all things considered.
"It wasn't just the two of them either. That's how I realized they belonged to some group."
It was a faint clue.
Even if they really had an organization, it probably wasn't a tightly knit one.
No matter how obsessed Partan was with the Arcana Bloom, if he'd been under the shadow of a solid group, he wouldn't have been pushed all the way down to Baratrein like a fugitive. And the lack of any real movement after his death made it even clearer.
If they'd been that sensitive, they'd have come after me already, or grabbed Lina's tail the moment she started tracking.
'Then why did they gather?'
I set that question aside for now and asked,
"So who handed the item to Frock Trading Company?"
"I looked into it... but no info. According to Frock's informant, he told them to call him John."
"An alias, obviously."
"Yeah. Of course, he left traces around here, but after that... nothing."
It meant he'd deliberately erased his tracks and acted with caution.
"So I tried to follow traces similar to his..."
"Drop it."
I cut her off firmly.
"What?"
Surprise and suppressed defiance mixed in her voice.
But pushing further from here was just recklessness. She'd been lucky to survive this long.
"And then what? You find those traces?"
"..."
"Can you handle it alone?"
Fundamentally, her end would be ruin.
Maybe she still harbored regrets about not getting true revenge with her own hands. But stepping any further meant death was waiting.
She said finding the clue made it meaningful, but that made it even more pointless. She could never finish it herself anyway.
Sure, what she needed right now might be emotional empathy—but Cedric wasn't that type, and their relationship wasn't deep enough for it.
So the words out of my mouth were decided from the start.
"Hand it over to me."
"...Why?"
Lina's eyes wavered.
"Why go that far stepping in for me?"
Come to think of it, I hadn't explained why I was getting involved here.
Her investigation into Partan had felt so natural that the conversation flowed without barriers.
Normally, there'd have been a check like, "Why dig that deep?"
The reason I wanted this was Roselin. They might be a force that knew she was the hero.
Not something I could voice aloud.
And knowing it was connected to the auction house had piqued my interest in itself.
The opponent holding the hero's item. And even the Essence of Evil.
Now I had a lead on them.
...It was a stretch, but I'd brazen it out.
"Don't you need someone to be your sword anyway? What, should I drag all the related bastards in front of you this time too?"
"..."
She seemed to mull it over.
No words. Just her face deep in thought.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"...I'll pass it through Zenzen."
With that, she just stared at my face. A face hidden by a mask anyway.
Business done, I dusted off and stood.
Even as I turned to leave, her gaze followed.
...What was she thinking?
The silent staring felt unsettling.
I hurried out, careful not to look like I was fleeing.
I booked the inn right after.
I had no intention of chasing Partan's connections immediately. First, I needed to check someone else again.
The buyer of the Dark Devouring Spirit.
The plan was to gather broad info and narrow it down gradually.
Above all, those tangled with Partan were likely Transcendents.
I had more leeway now than when chasing Partan with a 5th-circle attack spell, but it was still dangerous, so prep was essential.
For starters, more trap orbs.
Spells I couldn't contain before due to hierarchy limits could now be made into artifact form.
I could even float the orbs around me, blend them with the surroundings, and make them invisible to others.
Since devising a way to transplant Philip Deran's traps into artifacts, nothing had been as efficient for offense and defense.
It was one of my sturdiest weapons.
Considering Philip Deran was a Dragon Rank Transcendent, with prep, I could at least buy time against one of that level.
Dragon Rank weren't fully magically integrated like me, so it wasn't an unattainable realm.
I made over a dozen trap orbs.
Five deployed around me. Six including the calculation orb.
The calculation orb's effect wasn't as overwhelming post-Transcendence, but it still swiftly manifested up to 6th-circle spells, providing meaningful support even with chantless casting.
By the time I finished the trap orbs, word came from Zenzen.
Along with the info from Lina, Zenzen passed on details about the Chongyuksa.
Zenzen looked pretty anxious.
From his perspective, since they'd traded with him, he was probably worried I'd cause trouble.
I'd said I'd make a mess, but I had no real intent to kill. Cedric's identity wasn't suited for that anyway.
If problems hit the Chongyuksa right after Cedric took the info, they'd suspect a link even if I wore another face...
Zenzen would be fine. He lacked the leisure to dig into my real identity, and after recently getting burned big, he wouldn't rashly confront me.
Based on Zenzen's info, I decided to cross the city. Plan to switch identities midway.
This new identity was for one-time use, so I'd skip detailed backstory and improvise.
And as I entered a deserted forest for the prep,
"Why bother with pointless crap?"
A chilling voice came from ahead.
No presence at all, making it creepier.
Tension shot through my body.
Pointless crap?
Pondering his intent, I whipped my head toward the voice.
There, a hulking man in a deep gray robe hood emerged slowly from the tree shadows.
I scanned him quickly.
The face under the hood was unfamiliar.
Sudden appearance. Checking ambient mana, I saw it affected by him.
'Transcendent...'
At least the affected range wasn't huge. Good.
'Probe Rank Transcendent.'
And definitely not a mage. A mage without full integration wouldn't slip past my senses. I'd detect mana flow.
Physical type, then.
"Flustered? Serves you right for pulling that crap."
The thick voice flowed again.
"That crap?"
"Turns out you're the one who killed Partan."
Now it clicked.
Lina hadn't just been lucky.
She really had been tailed.
From his tone, they'd pieced together I killed Partan relatively late.
Started tracking me after I met Lina?
"Be satisfied with Partan. No more fooling around. This is your warning."
From that, I read one more thing.
Partan meant nothing to them.
They weren't chasing me for killing Partan. Their main interest was something deeper tied to him.
...So they did have a real organization?
"Why should I?"
"Don't get cocky."
"Cocky?"
"Newly minted Transcendent, huh... Still clueless? I'm ending this with a warning because I don't want needless commotion here."
Unlike Partan, caution laced his demeanor.
Gauging the Pact, was he?
"And that guy's forming a faction?"
"...You know the Pact? Then you get your actions aren't helping any of us?"
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Yeah, direct clash would draw Transcendent eyes.
Especially human ones.
True. That was a situation I didn't want either. I could move freely as Cedric because my existence hadn't reached their ears yet.
Originally, the goal was tracking without detection, but with my tail stepped on, alternatives were needed.
'Gotta switch to my real identity or something.'
No need to clash as Cedric.
I shrugged.
"If you really have a faction, I got no need to chase further."
I conceded, and he nodded like it was obvious.
"Right. Don't stir shit up. Get lost."
"You get lost. I didn't have business with you lot anyway."
I was heading to meet the Chongyuksa after switching identities. Chasing Partan's group was secondary for me.
"..."
But maybe that rubbed him wrong.
The man clamped his mouth shut.
Didn't you say no commotion?
That instant, his form vanished like evaporating before my eyes.
And as ambient mana screamed territorial breach,
Boom!
A horrific explosion erupted.
My hidden trap orb had detonated.
"Cough!"
The man who'd appeared around me took a direct hit and staggered back several steps.
As smoke cleared, his state was wretched. One arm gone in the blast, blood streaming from his mouth.
This bastard an idiot...?
What the hell.