The Rat Hole of the Black Round Table
Werner Alton, the greatest genius mage in history and one of the honorable heroes, was currently kneeling in punishment. Even high-ranking nobles wouldn't dare treat him lightly, yet here he was. Werner scratched the back of his head and spoke in an awkward voice.
"Come on, I'm busy..."
But he quickly shut his mouth when he felt the killing intent and the furious glare directed at him. Though he maintained the posture of someone reflecting on their actions, Werner felt not an ounce of actual remorse. Charging into the research lab wall while riding a boulder might have been a mistake. However, he genuinely believed it wasn't his fault that his friend happened to be changing clothes at that exact moment. If anything, he seriously thought his friend should be the one reflecting on their own foolishness for changing clothes without knowing when he might show up.
"Straighten your posture."
But what could he do? He was the one in need, and his friend held the information he required. In the human world, it was an unspoken rule that the needy had to bow their heads. Werner stood up, convinced he was following that rule properly.
The girl standing before him had sky-blue hair and emerald eyes. She shot Werner a sharp, uncomfortable look before letting out a sigh.
"So why exactly did you crash into someone else's research lab while riding a boulder?"
"Going through the main gate of your Magic Tower means dealing with entry procedures, visitor logs, and waiting times... Anyway, it's ridiculously complicated."
The girl ruffled her own hair in frustration at Werner's answer, which carried a hint of madness—claiming he'd rammed into the wall on a boulder just because the procedures were annoying.
"No! That's why I gave you a pass that lets you skip all that! I told you to always carry it with you!"
"But it was too cumbersome to carry around, so I left it at home."
"Then strap it to your waist, you idiot! Why do you keep destroying my research lab wall?! This is the 48th time! Because of you, my lab is under repair 365 days a year!!!"
"That might be my fault..."
"It is your fault!!! Just carry the damn pass!!!"
"But..."
Werner covered his mouth with the long sleeve of his robe, slightly turned his head, and spoke as if embarrassed.
"It's a gift from you. It'd be a big deal if I lost it, Lorsch."
"Wh-what?"
The girl called Lorsch turned bright red. She thought it was cheating for a friend with such a handsome face to say something like that in that kind of posture. In the end, she couldn't stay angry. Werner, completely unaware of how his words might sound—that he didn't want to lose the gift she'd given him—brushed the dust off his clothes.
"So what was that clue you said you found?"
"Ah... th-that clue? Right."
Lorsch pulled a key from her pocket and began rummaging through a safe. Soon, she took out a piece of gray cloth and placed it on the table. On the cloth were twelve small black circles connected to form a large circle. Werner's expression turned grim in an instant—he knew that symbol better than anyone. Lorsch flinched at the sight.
It wasn't the usual annoyed look or the silly grin he wore when in a good mood.
"Werner..."
"...Ah, sorry. I startled you."
"Are you going alone? Just in case, I could come with you..."
"No, I'll go alone. These bastards aren't your average scum. It could be dangerous."
"Then at least ask for help from Lord Zeek or the others?"
Werner's heart sank. If he explained the symbol, they'd ask how he knew about it... and then he'd have to explain the reason. Explain his own upbringing? He didn't want to talk about those memories from a time he'd rather forget, not even to his brothers and sisters. The only person he'd ever told was this one trustworthy friend.
"Lorsch... my only friend among mages."
"Why are you being so sappy all of a sudden?"
"I really like you."
"What...?"
Lorsch's face turned red again. She'd blushed from anger earlier, then from seeing Werner's embarrassed expression, and now from hearing such embarrassing words. Werner spoke to her thoroughly overworked face.
"You're the only one who understands me. The only one who wouldn't hate me even after hearing that story... But not everyone is like you."
"But Lord Zeek and the other heroes would understand too..."
"I don't want understanding or pity. I just... want to stay together with them."
"Haah... Fine. Well, it's you, so you'll probably handle whoever it is in no time."
"I'm glad you understand."
Werner walked toward the wall that the boulder had destroyed. With a wave of his hand, the boulder he'd ridden in on floated back into the air. Lorsch chuckled.
"Don't get hurt. Be careful."
"Yeah, thanks for the clue. You must've spent quite a bit of money looking into this, yet you're just giving it to me like this."
"What are you talking about? I'm planning to charge you properly for it."
"...It wasn't free?"
"Free? Where in the world do you find anything free, friend?"
Werner sighed at the thought of having to pay. He had money, but the mere idea of calculations and all the procedures already made him tired. As he wondered if there was a better way, he recalled what Squar the Phantom Thief had demanded in return when she'd stolen a national treasure robe from another kingdom and gifted it to him. Since it was compensation equivalent to a national treasure robe, he figured it would more than cover the bill. Werner approached Lorsch.
"What? Why? You still have business here?"
Werner suddenly kissed Lorsch on the cheek. Her face flushed red, and her legs gave out—she nearly collapsed but managed to steady herself against the table.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Payment."
"You crazy bas—"
=======================================================
In the end, I rubbed my sore back, feeling wronged inside. All I'd done was offer proper compensation, yet she'd hit me like that.
"When Squar noona got me that national treasure robe, she said 'If you're grateful, just give noona one kiss on the cheek,' so I did exactly that..."
I'd given compensation worthy of a national treasure robe—enough to pay the bill and still have change left over. Yet it seemed she wasn't satisfied with settling the remainder by smacking my back.
"Anyway, what a violent girl. I wonder if she'll ever get married at this rate..."
Werner, completely unaware that the person in question was currently stomping her feet in her research lab, declaring she'd never marry, was instead worrying about his friend's marriage prospects. He had no idea what he'd done. This was probably because the heroes had been reluctant to teach their youngest the embarrassing topic of sex education.
"Anyway, it should be coming into view soon..."
Werner eventually stood up and focused his vision, peering into the distance. Soon, he spotted his target, small but clear. He had only been wandering because he didn't know who the culprit was. Now that he knew, tracking their traces to find the location was as easy as pie.
The entrance, resembling a massive cave, was blocked by an iron door reinforced with various magics. Werner placed his hand on the cold iron. He evaluated the situation with a laugh—sealing the door with such a cute trick was something even a passing dog would mock. Then he began chanting.
"O bitter cold, freeze all things in this world."
After freezing the iron door along with all its barrier magic, Werner removed his hand and started another incantation.
"O steel, shatter everything blocking my path."
His fist, transformed into steel, struck the frozen iron door. Weakened by the cold, the door shattered like a cookie hit by a fist. Werner stepped over the remains and entered. Several people, alerted by the noise, came to greet him.
As Werner had expected, the people inside were wearing cloth marked with that wretched symbol. That same wretched symbol he'd seen several times in his childhood and remembered all too clearly.
One of them, wearing a hood with the symbol, spoke.
"Who the hell are you?! Do you even know where you are, breaking in like this?!"
Werner, who thought even their lines were third-rate, began gathering bitter cold around him. Still, he kindly decided to answer their questions before killing them.
"Oh, of course I know. This is one of the rat holes where those Black Round Table bastards are hiding, isn't it?"
Shocked that their secret organization's identity had been accurately identified, one of them spoke in a trembling voice.
"Just who are you to know even that..."
Remembering he'd also been asked about his own identity, Werner kindly answered.
"Me? I'm the family of that kid you kidnapped... and the one who's going to teach her magic... It's complicated, but..."
When Werner swung his hand, the bitter cold froze the legs of the small fries who had come to greet him.
"Anyway, I'm an incredibly powerful mage."