Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Closer Than an Enemy
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When the Grey Fox asked Lee Si-woo his business, Jin stepped forward to answer instead.
“The name’s Alma. Not sure if you remember me.”
“Lord Alma… Ah, I remember. You’re the client who entrusted me with a map file quite a long time ago.”
“Yeah, I’m here to get that back.”
“Please scan your fingerprint here for a moment.”
The Grey Fox held out his smartphone, and Jin pressed his thumb against the screen.
A moment later, after confirming his identity, the Grey Fox spoke.
“Verification complete. If you give me your contact number, I’ll send the file right over.”
Jin provided the contact number he had received from the Wasp Team Leader, and the Grey Fox transferred the file.
After handing over the map file, the Grey Fox asked.
“Is there anything else you need?”
Jin opened the map application on his smartphone to view the file, a grin spreading across his lips.
Without answering the Grey Fox’s question, Jin studied the map for a good ten minutes before finally speaking.
“Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought and completely blanked. Well… there’s nothing else I need. But I have a proposal for you. How about it? Care to listen?”
The Grey Fox tilted his head and asked back.
“A proposal?”
“This map records the location of a lair belonging to a mage known as Omaji. Ever heard of him?”
Mages, who often had many possessions and just as many enemies, had a habit of conducting their training or magical research in secluded places. These hideouts were commonly called lairs.
And since mages could travel to distant places with ease using spatial teleportation artifacts, they often built these lairs in treacherous locations. Thanks to this, if a mage happened to die by accident, their lair, filled with all sorts of valuables and secret arts, would become an ownerless treasure trove overnight.
Perhaps that was why.
The Grey Fox replied with a confused expression, as if thinking, ‘Why is he revealing such valuable information to me?’
“…I’ve heard of him. Although he was only a 2nd Circle Master and not particularly high-level, he was a man who gained considerable fame after creating Omaji, an improved version of Magic Arrow.”
“That’s right. But one day, he just vanished. And in this line of work, most disappearances mean death. You know what I’m getting at, right?”
Jin pressed the Grey Fox with a peculiar gaze and a sly smile.
“Besides… there’s a rumor that he left the spellbook for the lost art of Omaji somewhere in his lair. I mean, it could be a baseless rumor, but what have we got to lose?”
“…May I ask why you’re telling me this?”
“It may be the lair of a mere 2nd Circle Master, but a lair is still a lair, so breaching its security will be quite dangerous. That’s why… I’d like you to gather some capable people.”
“So you’re looking for mercenaries.”
“Yep. And since you’re my brother’s agent now, I figured it would be best to go through you.”
“As for the payment…”
“Well, no need to overcomplicate things, right? To put it simply, we take the Omaji spellbook, and you guys can have the rest. It’s not like Omaji is the only thing in that lair. How about it? Not a bad deal, is it? You in?”
“I have no reason to refuse.”
“But there’s a condition. You have to come with us.”
It was extremely rare for an agent to accompany mercenaries on a job, so the Grey Fox replied in a troubled tone.
“Me… you mean?”
“Yeah. I heard you’re quite skilled yourself. Better to be safe than sorry, right? I’ll hire you, too.”
“I’d appreciate some time to think.”
“Alright. Then contact me at the number I just gave you by the end of today. You’re not going to drag this out until tomorrow, are you?”
“No. I will contact you within the day.”
“Good. You can go now.”
The Grey Fox, completely ignoring Lee Si-woo, gave a polite bow only to Jin and then departed.
Jin spoke to Lee Si-woo.
“Hyung, I’m sorry for moving forward with this on my own.”
Lee Si-woo, who had been listening silently with his arms crossed, finally spoke.
“Was there a problem with the map’s security?”
At Si-woo’s words, Jin’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Huh? How did you know?”
“Because there would be no other reason to drag that man into this.”
Unable to hide his admiration for Si-woo’s sharp intuition, Jin clicked his tongue.
“You’re a ghost, I swear. You’re right. There was a problem with the lock I put on the map. He probably thought there’d be no issue if he just took a quick peek and locked it again… but I’m not that sloppy. He got caught right away.”
“Do you think the Grey Fox tampered with the map?”
“Probably?”
“Can you tell when the breach occurred?”
“Yeah, it was a few months ago.”
“A few months? Hah, isn’t that more than enough time to have found the lair already?”
“Hehe, it’s not that easy. I figured something like this might happen, so I set up a few little tricks around the lair. He’s probably been struggling like hell all this time, searching for the lair but unable to find the entrance. I hid it really, really well.”
“Tsk, so that’s why you roped him in. If we went on our own, there’s a high chance he’d stab us in the back, so you made him part of our group instead.”
“Exactly. They might not have found the entrance, but they know the lair's location, right? That’s why I brought him in. After all, it’s always best to keep your enemies closer than your friends.”
As they bantered back and forth with perfect timing, Lee Si-woo’s voice turned chilly.
“I understand your intention. I’ll even admit it’s a good idea. But… from now on, I want to be the one making the decisions. Not you. Do you understand what I mean?”
“…I’m sorry. I was trying not to arouse suspicion, and things just ended up this way.”
“Jin, I owe you a great debt. That’s why I’m trying to be friendly, playing the part of an older brother you never had as you wished, and even traveling with you. But… if you’re going to call yourself my younger brother, then hand over the decision-making authority to me. Got it? Show some respect.”
Si-woo continued in a tone so firm a needle couldn’t pass through it.
“Don’t like it? Then we can drop this whole act, and you can do whatever you want. Like I said, I owe you a huge debt, and until I’ve paid it all back, I’m willing to be your lackey, as long as you don’t cross the line.”
Jin looked down with a sullen face, like a puppy that had just knocked over the trash can.
“I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”
Absurdly, the flicker of negative emotion that had risen within Si-woo vanished as if washed away the moment he saw Jin’s dejected face.
The bizarre feeling, like looking at a much younger brother, was unfamiliar to Si-woo, who struggled to maintain his composure as he spoke.
“I… I don’t get it. I have no idea what you want from me, or why you’re going to such lengths. But… tsk, that’s enough. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Hyung, I won’t do it again. I just wanted to be helpful to you.”
“I get it, so can you stop with the pitiful expression? It’s unsettling. And from now on, you wait nearby. I’ll handle the lair situation myself.”
“That’s a good idea. Since I’m poisoned, I’d only be a burden if I went with you anyway. But still… be careful, hyung. The Grey Fox is not someone to be taken lightly.”
Lee Si-woo let out a faint smile.
“I told you, if you’re going to play the part of my little brother, do it right. Trust me. I’m not such an easy pushover.”
Jin grinned widely and said.
“Trust you? Hmm, I wonder. You can’t even begin to imagine, hyung, how much I trust you.”
Hearing the strangely resonant quality in Jin’s voice, Si-woo let out a soft sigh.
He was suddenly irritated.
It felt like the more time he spent with this guy, the more his own pace was thrown off.
But the strange thing was, despite that, he didn’t feel like pushing him away.
It was strange.
Yes, very.
* * *
After parting with Si-woo, Jin sat down at a table in a nearby cafe and ordered a coffee.
Savoring the aroma of the coffee that arrived promptly, Jin furrowed his brow as if it wasn’t to his liking.
Clicking his tongue once, he slammed the coffee cup down and muttered under his breath.
“Come out.”
A whitish mist billowed up directly in front of Jin, then took on a human form.
A man with sharp features, distinguished by a scar on the bridge of his nose, gave a slight bow and spoke.
“You called, Young Master.”
Jin asked.
“The task I assigned?”
The man replied in a low, resonant voice.
“As you commanded, I have planted auditory spirits in the shadows of all the survivors from the pit.”
“Watch them. If you see any sign that they’re about to speak about hyung in the slightest, take care of all of them.”
“…It’s cumbersome. Wouldn’t it be simpler to just deal with them all now? That would make things easier.”
Jin grabbed the man by his hair. White sclera and white pupils.
As the chillingly pure white eyes drew closer, the man’s body trembled.
Seemingly satisfied by the thick scent of fear emanating from the man, Jin whispered with a cold smile on his lips.
“Hyung wanted them to live. For me to interfere recklessly would be presumptuous, and a discourtesy to him. You understand what I mean, right?”
“…I understand. I will not touch them unless they cross the line.”
“Good. If you’re a dog, act like one and just do as you’re told. Don’t do anything presumptuous.”
“I under… stand. However, Young Master, there is one thing I would like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“This task. It is too dangerous for Sir Si-woo to handle alone. The mage named Harman who is pursuing him is also quite a threat. So, wouldn’t it be better for me to step in?”
Jin suddenly burst into clear, melodious laughter.
“Help hyung? Who? Me? Or the likes of you? Ah… Umbra, you foolish creature. You know nothing. Yes, you know nothing at all…”
After chuckling for a good while, all expression suddenly vanished from Jin’s face.
As if his emotions had been wiped clean by an eraser, Jin continued with a blank expression.
“Umbra, no matter how dangerous it gets, even if hyung is on the verge of death, you are never to interfere.”
“…Are you sure about that? Is he not the one you have waited for all this time?”
Jin murmured in a bitter tone.
“What meaning is there in a flower in a greenhouse without its gardener? Umbra, for me, who will die soon enough, to intervene indiscriminately in hyung’s life is not good for him, nor for me. So believe. Hyung will overcome such a trivial threat as if to prove a point.”
Was it because Jin’s endless faith repeatedly piqued his curiosity? Umbra asked in an extremely cautious manner.
“Young Master, I am a being whose very soul is bound to you, one who cannot even dream of betrayal. Therefore… may I dare to ask? What is it… that Sir Si-woo possesses?”
Jin brought a finger to his lips and exhaled.
“Do not even think of hearing it, no, do not even imagine it. Their eyes and ears are everywhere…. But, Umbra. For all your age, you still fail to grasp the essential point. What’s important isn’t what hyung possesses, but… tsk, never mind. What good would telling you do?”
Jin took a sip of his coffee, then spat it onto the floor with a ‘Ptooey,’ as if he had tasted something inedible.
As Jin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood up, an elven waitress who had been working nearby pointed a finger at him.
“Hey, what kind of rude behavior is this?! Even if you don’t like the taste! How could you spit coffee on the floor…!”
Jin stared intently at the elven waitress.
Suddenly, he was disgusted.
The reality that such creatures dared to breathe the same air in the same space as him.
Just the thought of his breath mixing with theirs felt like his soul was being violated, to the point where he wanted to carve out his own contaminated lungs.
Perhaps that was why.
At some point, he had started to have this thought.
If he were to kill everything on this earth, and remain in this world with only hyung.
Wouldn’t that world be the most beautiful of all?
Jin smiled.
As the red lips on his pale white skin formed an arc, it was like a red moon hanging in a white night.
*Shhhk.*
Umbra, who was behind Jin, transformed into a white mist that filled the entire cafe.
Within the hazy mist, transparent blades danced.
Silent screams echoed, and the elven waitress’s severed head rolled to Jin’s feet.
Playfully smearing the blood gushing from the neck with his foot, Jin muttered with a bright smile.
“Leave the humans.”
As Jin walked out of the cafe, a long trail of red footprints stretched out behind him.
“It feels wrong to kill things that resemble hyung.”
A clear sky greeted Jin as he left the cafe.
It was the kind of weather that lifted one’s spirits.
* * *
After parting with Jin, Lee Si-woo headed to a nearby unmanned motel.
He needed a safe place.
*Beep.*
Si-woo stared blankly at the black card that emerged from the card machine.
Lost in a sense of déjà vu that reminded him of his days on Earth, Si-woo shook his head and grabbed the card.
A moment later, Si-woo entered his assigned room and took out the Barathrum.
A single message floating on the translucent smartphone screen caught his eye.
[Butler: I would like you to pay a visit.]
Confirming that communication was possible this way, Si-woo gripped the Barathrum.
A malicious agent, the Grey Fox.
An old mage pursuing him, Harman.
A younger brother whose intentions and identity were unknown, Jin.
‘The situation has improved slightly, but the outlook isn’t good either.’
In a crisis, the only thing he could ultimately rely on was his own abilities.
Therefore, he had to become even stronger.
He had to.
“Hoo…”
With a deep breath, Si-woo touched the screen of the Barathrum, and with a brilliant flash of light, he vanished from the spot.