Chapter 159: The Magician Has Returned
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 159: The Magician Has Returned
The magician made no effort to hide his tracks.
No, it was as if he wanted to announce his return to everyone.
With a stunning beauty on his arm, he strode through the back alleys of the Military State as if showing her off. He was far, far too conspicuous to go unnoticed.
News of his return eventually reached the ears of the one who welcomed it least. Gripped by terror and dread, he rushed to the observation post. There, he used the one-time-use ‘beacon’ to send a signal to his benefactor.
A hollow signal echoed through the dark, narrow back alleys of Amitengrad.
To the unknowing, it was a mere collection of meaningless noise. To those in the know, it was a sound that demanded constant, sharp-edged vigilance.
The beacon, prepared out of preemptive fear by those who had trapped him.
The beacon, which had awaited only one being, broke its long silence and blared furiously.
The magician has appeared.
The magician has appeared.
The magician has appeared.
And so, the signal announcing the magician’s return spread to every district of the Military State.
Their ultimate trump card.
With this, they had discovered the magician’s return before he could even sense that they were onto him…
Or so they would think.
“Hk… ugh.”
Anton, the man in the signal station, finished sending the signal, sobbing with trembling hands. Crack. The signal gem crumbled into worthless dust.
Ordinary people without signallers or communication devices had to use twin gems to send such signals. That is, if they weren't going to use a real beacon.
In any case, anyone who used twin gems was no ordinary person.
And in truth, it was hard to call this man ordinary.
Anton, my old friend. The spectator who sat in the front row.
“I-I did it. I did what you told me, so let me live!”
At Anton’s plea, I murmured leisurely.
“I don’t recall ever saying I’d let you live if you did as I said. You’re misinterpreting my actions and getting your hopes up again, Anton.”
I hadn’t said I would kill him, either, but Anton jumped to his own conclusions and trembled in fear.
Why was that? I had truly, simply come to ask him something.
“You know, I find such expectations a bit burdensome. You sound so desperate, it makes me feel like I have to grant your wish. That’s why I’ve put up with all your nonsense until now.”
“Grant it! I’m innocent!”
Anton pleaded, practically clinging to me.
“I-I didn’t do anything! I was keeping watch just like you ordered, but the Military Police moved too fast! I thought if I contacted you then, I’d be caught too!”
“Don’t lie, Anton.”
“It’s true!”
“If it’s true, then why are you in charge of this observation post? Why did its owner entrust you with such a grave responsibility?”
Anton fell silent. His eyes darted back and forth as he desperately tried to come up with an excuse. Then, as if a lightbulb went off, he found one.
“No. I was trying to find you, and they happened to be looking for you, too. Your patron, the ‘Lady.’ So we joined forces, and they gave me support… It’s definitely not because I was afraid you’d come back.”
But an excuse fabricated on the spot was bound to have holes. I wasn’t here to listen to nonsense he didn’t even believe himself, so I used a slightly more forceful method to shut him up.
Which is to say, I took out my skewer.
“Anton.”
Anton’s mouth snapped shut. I smiled brightly and twirled the skewer, and with every rotation, Anton’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Will he kill me, or won’t he? Those two thoughts circled endlessly in his mind. There was nothing else.
Ah, this is a problem. I wasn’t really planning on killing him.
But when I’m met with such high expectations, I start to feel swayed.
“Anton, my dear friend. There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“I-If I tell you, will you let me live?”
“That’s not for me to decide, Anton. But I would very much like for you to give me an answer. This is, you see, a sort of confession scene. I can roughly guess your motives from your actions and words, but for you to lay it all out with your own mouth… there’s a certain catharsis to it, you know.”
‘You sick bastard…!’
Anton was once my assistant, my student, and my colleague. At the same time, he was an excellent spectator.
He wanted to be those things, and I did not refuse him.
But at some point, Anton began to wish for my downfall, to become a usurper. And on that day, as the Military Police suddenly arrived, Anton’s wish came true.
A most convenient coincidence. Or perhaps, an opportunity granted to Anton.
But with my return, his short-lived dream was over.
‘Why… he’s going to ask why I betrayed him. I have to talk my way out of this. Not even a magician can read minds!’
Sorry, but you’re wrong. About everything, from start to finish.
I’m not curious about why you betrayed me.
Nor do I want an excuse.
And I can, in fact, read people’s minds.
“You were afraid of me, Anton.”
I took a deck of cards from my pocket and began to shuffle them slowly.
Thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap. Anton’s body flinched with every sound from the shuffling deck.
I shuffled with deliberate slowness, fanning the cards so he could see them all.
“You feared me, yet you revered and adored me. That’s why you followed me around like a puppy. You put me on a pedestal I had no intention of climbing, and the thought of betrayal never even crossed your mind. But then.”
He wanted to be my one and only limb. He wanted to feel the smug satisfaction of being under someone who seemed great.
It was a rather pathetic desire, but I couldn’t ignore it. Even if that desire came wafting with a foul stench, it wasn’t difficult to grant.
And only I could grant it.
Unfortunately, the price for that turned out to be a sentence of labor in Tantalus.
Thwap. The shuffle was complete. I placed the deck on the desk and said.
“How did my little coward Anton work up such resolve? I didn’t sense a thing, even on that morning. Thanks to your change of heart, which was practically a whim, you really got me good. I’m just so curious how a coward like you found the nerve to betray me in such a short time.”
Perhaps it was because I kept calling him a coward, kept reminding him of his fear.
A rebellious spirit stirred in Anton’s heart. With tears welling in his eyes, he confessed.
“…Fuck! I thought you wouldn’t be able to come back!”
It was a shout that was perhaps part regret, part self-reproach.
“You think I would’ve done this if I knew you’d be back?! They said they were sending you somewhere you could never return from…!”
‘I believed them completely…! How could I not believe someone powerful enough to move the Military Police?! I only agreed because they swore up and down that you could never come back!’
For someone who believed that, he was still afraid of me.
You were careless, Anton. You didn’t think about the consequences.
Should I call him a foolish gambler? He was so drunk on the sense of accomplishment he would gain if this succeeded that he forgot the fear of failure.
“You succeeded in getting rid of the person you feared so much, if only for a moment. Congratulations. How was it? Was your brief dream satisfying?”
They. The ones who approached Anton and urged him to betray me.
Since Anton doesn’t know their true identities, I don’t know them either. I can only read thoughts and memories, after all.
“But what were you planning to do if I came back? Ah, you didn’t think that far ahead, did you?”
But to put it another way, I can read all of Anton’s thoughts. From beginning to end.
Having read enough, I smiled brightly and spoke in a theatrical tone.
“You left it to luck. Well, you were always in awe watching me play cards. Your heart would pound every time I made a risky bet, but you’d cheer louder than anyone when I won. You were a truly fine spectator.”
My words hit their mark. Anton couldn’t even answer, simply lowering his head.
He couldn’t run from the shouts in his own mind. All Anton could do was ignore my words.
“Yes, you wanted to be me. You wanted to throw down risky bets to your heart’s content, succeed, and then, after driving me out, take my place…”
However, I am no gambler. I only appeared to be one on the surface.
Therefore, Anton doesn’t know the true mindset of a gambler.
Well then, let me give him a taste.
“Now, Anton. Let’s play a very simple game. Here, you see these cards?”
I showed him the cards in order.
Spade, Heart, Clover, and Diamond. They were playing cards, each with two of its respective suit. I gave them a rough shuffle, then placed them face down on the desk one by one.
Sensing what was about to happen, Anton shook his head frantically.
“Just pick one of the suits, Anton.”
‘Pick one, and if I get it right, he’ll let me live? One out of four?’
He really is an excellent spectator.
He anticipates my every move.
“N-no. Not that. Please.”
Oh, no you don’t.
If you’re a gambler, you should be able to put your own life on the table, shouldn’t you?
Me? Of course not. Since I can read minds, I only fight battles I know I’ll win. My life has never been on the table.
That’s why I have to teach Anton the true mindset.
“Are you lucky enough to save yourself?”
The cards were laid. All that remained was the choice.
Four cards lay before Anton. Unable to peek at their faces, he had no choice but to rely on luck…
‘This is insane. For a magician, switching the card I pick would be child’s play!’
Is that so?
Can he truly become a gambler?
‘Please… let the magician have a human heart…!’
“…H-Heart.”
I confirmed Anton’s decision.
“Heart? Are you sure?”
“Y-yes.”
“Good. That’s great. Now pick one from here. If that card is a Heart.”
All that was left for him was the choice that would decide his life.
Important choices tend to take time. I perched on the desk, shuffling my cards and calmly waiting for his decision.
A deck I made in the Abyss. I’ve grown fond of it, but perhaps it’s time to part ways.
Alright. I’ll keep this deck for disposable use and carry my original deck. The more magic tools, the better, right?
While I was lost in my idle thoughts.
Anton, sweating coldly, glanced at me, then lowered his head slightly to look at the cards. As if doing so would let him peek at the undersides.
‘I can’t see…’
But a face-down card reveals no secrets. Giving up on peeking, Anton squeezed his eyes shut and, with a trembling hand, pointed to the card farthest from his right.
As if that extra bit of effort to reach the farthest one would bring him luck.
I asked again.
“Is that your choice?”
“Y-yes. D-don’t you try any tricks. This is the one I chose. Don’t even dream of switching it…”
Anton nodded, his body tense as if to prevent me from tampering with the face-down card.
Ah, don’t think like that.
It makes me actually want to try some tricks.
“Alright.”
I spun the skewer and pierced the card Anton had pointed to. I paid little mind to the fact that his hand was covering it.
Thwack. The sharp skewer dug into the wooden desk.
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
A violent scream followed. I placed a hand on Anton’s shoulder and brought a finger to my lips.
“Shhh, Anton. Calm down.”
“Hk, sob. Hkk.”
Taking a step back from the sobbing Anton, I held up my empty hands and said.
“This is a courtesy from me. I’m a magician, you know. You were worried about what I might do, if I might tamper with the cards, weren’t you?”
“M-my hand…”
“To ease your worries, I’ve specially fixed this card in place so it can’t be tampered with. Now, all you have to do is confirm the fate that has been given to you.”
To ensure he could check the card properly, I urged him on while still keeping my distance.
Anton, his hand trembling and bleeding, slowly turned it over.
‘Fuck… I was wrong… How could a monster like that have a human heart…?’
The card was red. Was it the red of a Heart, or the red of Anton’s blood?
Unable to rejoice at the glimpse of red, Anton trembled as he flipped over his bleeding palm.
Right now, for him, flipping his palm over was a matter of life and death.
The cruel card, pierced through the center by a sharp skewer, oozing red blood, and bearing the weight of that blood, showed its suit.
The Two of Hearts.
Anton blinked. He stared at the card, his expression one of disbelief at first. He glanced back at me, then, forgetting the pain, clenched his other fist and shouted.
“Fuck, I’m alive! I’m alive!”
He was so ecstatic that he shot up from his seat. Filled with the euphoria of victory, he waved his arms.
“You lost, magician! You can’t kill me!”
He was right. Anton won the game, so I cannot kill him. I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
“My, my. You’re lucky. It seems Lady Luck is smiling upon you.”
No, in the first place.
He didn’t wish to die, so I couldn’t have killed him anyway.
“The loser of the bet must now take his leave. Ah, but before that. Give me back my things.”
“Hurry up and get the hell out!”
With his good hand, Anton swiftly collected the other cards that were spread on the desk. It seemed his practice from following me around had paid off; his movements were fluid as he gathered the cards.
“Huh?”
However.
As he went to collect the other face-down cards, Anton noticed their suits and muttered blankly.
“Hearts…?”
‘Spade, Diamond, Clover, Heart. There was definitely one of each…’
There was. At least, when I showed them to him.
But the cards in Anton’s hand were.
The Three of Hearts.
The Four of Hearts.
The Five of Hearts.
They were all Hearts. Without a single exception.
Anton was beyond surprise. He simply stared down at the cards before him with a vacant expression.
“Wow. All the cards I flipped over turned into Hearts! To have such luck on top of everything! You must be the luckiest person of the year!”
“H-how.”
“Lucky people can do anything!”
‘The magician didn’t touch them after they were flipped. Then, since when? I-I definitely said I’d pick Hearts after they were flipped.’
His thoughts halt. They tangle into an endless knot. The beginning and end become a jumbled mess, and after all the twisting and distortion, the names of his emotions are fear and awe.
‘From the very beginning, he knew I would pick Hearts? Th-that’s impossible.’
“Congratulations, Anton. You fought desperately to survive and saved your own life. Because Lady Luck smiled upon you.”
And the final expression on his face was regret. At the end of fear, his eyes craved the arcane that lay beyond it.
“How… did you do it…?”
“Anton, you want to know the trick? Do you really?”
At my words, Anton came to his senses and shook his head wildly. His teeth chattered.
‘No! The only people a magician tells his tricks to are the dead, or the soon-to-be-dead!’
He revered the arcane. But he never tried to uncover it. He simply adored and worshipped it.
I suppose I ruined him by keeping him around. For someone who worshipped the arcane itself, I should have remained a mystery.
I kept him too close. The closer we were, the more dissatisfaction grew in his heart.
I am no prophet. I don’t know how my actions will change things.
It’s not that I didn’t know his true desire… but I couldn’t let him take my place as he wished, so I offered to grant his other desires instead.
I see now that a small desire is always devoured by a larger one.
In any case.
“You need this too, Anton.”
“Huh?”
I casually gripped the skewer embedded in his hand. And before he could react, I pulled it out.
A scream, similar to or perhaps slightly louder than the one from when it went in, erupted.
“Gyaaaaaaaah! Khak, ghaak, ahhh!”
“Wrong. You should say, ‘thank you.’ When removing something embedded in the body, it’s best to do it when the person isn’t paying attention to lessen the pain. Like a baby tooth before a new one grows in.”
Anton clutched his bloody hand, writhing on the ground. He lost a little blood today, but he also shed one of his worries. Now, he wouldn’t have to fear me coming for revenge.
From now on, Anton’s life and Anton’s desires are all his own.
Leaving him behind, I stepped lightly out the door and said.
“Live well, Anton. May your life continue.”
“Kghh, kghh-hk!”
‘You crazy bastard…!’
At what was practically high praise, I tipped the hat I was wearing and bowed to my former spectator.
“Ahaha. Thank you. I’ll be sure to live a long and healthy life, too.”
Thud. The door closed. From the observation post, its role now finished, only blood-soaked sobs leaked out.
A dark night in the back alleys of the Military State, filled with people worn down by fatigue. The residential area of District 15, where most were merely level 1 or level 0 citizens.
Walking across a stage illuminated by the faint moonlight and the night lamps that rendered it pale, I let out a sigh.
I’ve sent my warning, so a reaction will come. All I have to do is read the thoughts of those who approach and steadily make my way up.
Of course, if the one at the end of that path is an overwhelmingly powerful being, I’ll have no choice but to run.
Ah, this is why.
A person should play within their means.
Life is a faint flame; though it may hold its breath, weary and exhausted, it is always, always watching for a chance to devour something else and burn brighter.
I don’t know what others seek to devour, but my sustenance is the wind. As long as there is a wind to catch, I can persist forever.
Suddenly, I thought of the Captain, likely asleep in my house.
The Captain, who has reclaimed her life—what kind of desires will she come to hold?