Chapter 159: Impersonation, Clink (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 159: Impersonation, Clink (2)
“What’s it to you?”
Jin’s deadpan response caused the tavern’s atmosphere to plummet, the air seemingly turning ice-cold.
The innkeeper, mid-order, blinked in confusion, while the cadets froze in place, staring at Jin in disbelief. In the few seconds of silence that followed, the innkeeper’s face became a mask of restless anxiety. With no other patrons in the shop besides Jin’s party and the cadets, he couldn't help but fret over the possibility of a brawl breaking out.
“‘What’s it to you’… I see. My, how rude of me. Fine, let me ask again, more politely this time: which group of dregs do you belong to?”
“We were just about to leave quietly. Why don't you stop acting so pathetic and just eat your meal? Besides, didn't you say you were going to ask politely?”
“You should be grateful I haven't slapped the taste out of your mouth yet. Answer me. You tried to run the moment we arrived—you must have something to hide. Are you with the Dark Magic Association?”
Watching the cadet persist in his petty provocation, Jin found the situation so absurd he couldn't even bring himself to laugh.
In truth, it wasn't surprising that they were being so rude. Even the local Lord fawned over these noble brats who were mere cadets; to them, a shabbily dressed magic student must have looked like a joke. They couldn't even fathom that their opponent might be a man of great skill or high standing.
“O-Oh, dear, young masters. Haha, these people said they were just travelers passing through. Please, don't be like this. I’ll bring out my delicious special dishes right away…”
Slap!
The cadet struck the innkeeper across the cheek. Enya flinched and instinctively tried to stand up, but Jin raised a hand to restrain her.
“Where do you think you’re going, you lowly commoner brat?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Hey, look at that. An innocent innkeeper got hit because of you. You seemed pretty confident earlier, so state your affiliation. I’ll need to crush your superior as well.”
How should he respond?
His deliberation didn't last long. An organization immediately came to mind—one he could use to knock these fools down and exploit for a while.
Thump, thump.
Jin walked past the table where the cadets sat and closed the tavern door. Clack, thud! After sliding the bolt into place, he spoke in a calm voice.
“Viment Empire, Imperial Special Task Force, Magic Division 1, Squad 3.”
“What?”
“What kind of bullshit is that? You’re part of the Special Task Force, Division 1, Squad 3? You crazy bastard…!”
Startled by Jin’s lie, Enya hastily pulled her hood down further.
‘M-Master Jin!? What are you saying all of a sudden!?’
Jin, however, remained composed. Lying and impersonation were among his specialties. Though, for some reason, it felt like he was always selling names that carried less weight than his actual identity.
“You expect me to believe that? I’m so dumbfounded I’m speechless! Special Task Force, Magic Division 1, Squad 3?”
“You’ll believe it soon enough.”
Whack!
Jin buried his fist into the solar plexus of the cadet who had approached him. He hadn't imbued the strike with any Aura, but there was no way the flabby body of an Academy cadet could withstand a fist tempered since his days at Storm Castle.
“Wh-Whoa!?”
The struck cadet began foaming at the mouth and collapsed to his knees. The other two cadets hurriedly began chanting spells, but Jin’s speed in grabbing his staff was overwhelmingly superior.
A small, brilliantly glowing dot sprouted at the tip of his staff.
‘I’d like to knock them out with a Backflow spell, but… it’s better to use a conventional method for now. Since I’m impersonating the Special Task Force.’
Thud, thud!
The staff poked the chests of the remaining cadets. As soon as the 7-star mana was injected into the bodies of the cadets—who hadn't even finished half their chants—Backflow began to spread. The cadets were only at the 3rd or 4th Star level.
“Gah! Cough, cough!”
“Ugh, urgh!”
Nosebleeds began to stream down as the cadets’ legs gave out. Jin looked down at them as they collapsed like mollusks, his gaze cold.
‘To think such pathetic losers have been bullying Enya.’
It had taken Jin a mere four seconds to subdue the three cadets. By then, the innkeeper was completely dazed, his mouth hanging open.
“Gasp, s-save me, ack.”
“It’s just the initial symptoms of Backflow, so don't make a fuss. To think you’d suffer Backflow from this meager amount of mana… Director Dolce’s words about the Academy’s future not being very bright were true after all.”
Jin knew the name of Dolce Lilista, the Director of the Special Task Force’s Magic Division 1, from information he had gathered before his regression. Even now, it was a name known to those in the loop. Unlike the rank-and-file members, the directors of each division in the Special Task Force had to appear at official functions occasionally.
Slump, slump.
While two of the cadets crawled on the floor, the one who had been punched in the solar plexus managed to push himself up. He looked up at Jin with eyes filled with terror.
“Are you… are you really from the Special Task Force…?”
“Do you want to hear my codename as well? If it comes to that, the three of you won't be able to avoid the interrogation room in the basement of the Special Task Force headquarters. It seems you still haven't grasped the situation.”
Excluding the Emperor’s direct Imperial Guard, the Special Task Force possessed the most powerful enforcement rights within Viment.
Among them, Magic Division 1, Squad 3 was known as the ‘Grim Reapers’ among Viment’s mages. Their primary duty was to act as overseers, rooting out corruption and malpractice among mages and punishing them immediately if necessary.
If Jin were truly a member of the Special Task Force, he could decide their life or death with a single word. He could even tear their entire families apart. After all, they didn't hail from Viment’s leading influential families like Hairan, Henserck, or Lilista.
“No, no! We made a mistake. W-We didn't know you were a member of the Special Task Force!”
“Does that mean it’s okay to treat someone poorly if they’re just an ordinary person?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“There’s a saying among Special Task Force members for people like you: Insects that undermine the peace and security of the motherland. Lumps of pus! To think that cadets, who are supposed to protect His Majesty and the people in the future, would put on such airs in a tavern.”
At Jin’s roar, the cadet squeezed his eyes shut. Jin checked the emblems embroidered on the robes of the fallen cadets once more. Beneath the golden eagle emblem representing the Academy, the crests of their respective families were small and subtle. The cadets hit by Backflow were from the Maura and Orel families, and the one punched in the gut was from the Chip family.
“The Maura, Orel, and Chip families. Their heads are Hwisseus Maura, Russo Orel, and Mata Chip, I believe? No, for Maura, is it Hwisseus’s eldest son, Galon Maura?”
Jin had memorized the heads of Viment’s magic families since his previous life. He had also checked the list of key figures from each country just before the banquet at the Garden of Swords.
“O-Officer. Please, just don't tell our families…”
“Stand up.”
“Stand up! Hey, y-you guys. Get up! Hurry!”
Chip shouted as he pulled Maura and Orel to their feet. Maura and Orel were still unable to speak due to the Backflow, but they instinctively sensed that they were facing the crisis of a lifetime.
They were also filled with regret. Why did they have to pick a fight with this man of all people? Why did they escalate things when he was trying to let it go quietly…?
Trembling, the three cadets stood with their arms around each other's shoulders, their legs shaking. They had no choice but to believe Jin was from the Special Task Force. Not only did he know the name of the Magic Division 1 Director, but he also knew their families inside out, and unlike typical mages, he was proficient in martial arts.
“First, you have violated the Empire’s solemn law of protecting the people. Second, you have violated the Magic Academy’s code of conduct. And third, you have interfered with a Special Task Force member’s mission by causing a public disturbance.”
Except for the third point, these were essentially hollow laws for noble mages. However, in this situation, the story was different. The cadets were repeatedly apologizing, their faces a mess of nosebleeds, tears, snot, and even urine.
“The principle is to drag you to the headquarters’ interrogation room to reform you into talents worthy of the Empire and to conduct an audit of your respective families, but…”
Jin paused and glared at them.
“It is lamentable that I cannot execute this immediately due to my mission. I have come here under the Director’s orders to conduct an unofficial inspection regarding the purge of the dark remnants among the Academy’s mages and cadets.”
“Ah…”
As the cadets let out sighs of despair, Enya covered her mouth. The innkeeper deliberately covered his ears so as not to hear what the Special Task Force’s mission was.
“Do you realize now what you’ve done?”
“P-Please give us a chance to atone. We will do anything.”
“Anything?”
Jin smiled. A good idea had occurred to him.
“Fine, I’ll give you one last chance.”
“Please, tell us!”
Chip, the most coherent among the cadets, nodded frantically.
“As of today, this friend and I will become the attendants for the three of you. We will participate in the purge as your attendants to carry out our Special Task Force duties. Do you understand what that means?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Are the faces of the attendants you originally brought known to the other cadets? If so, it seems you won't be able to seize this opportunity after all.”
“F-Fortunately, no. For starters, I didn't bring an attendant. Even if I say I hastily hired attendants to use as porters here, it won't arouse suspicion…”
Jin grabbed Chip’s chin roughly.
“Are you sure?”
“Of courthe.”
“If you disappoint me again, all three of you will face total ruin. However, if I judge that you have clearly contributed to my mission, I will forget the mistake you just made.”
“Th-Thank you…! Thank you!”
“Hey, innkeeper.”
The innkeeper rushed over and bowed his head to Jin.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“You suffered because of me.”
“I didn't hear or see a thing!”
“Excellent. Is the place where you were hit alright?”
“No such thing happened! I won't know anything until the day I die. I-I’m just…”
The Special Task Force wasn't just a source of fear for cadets. It was a well-known story among Viment’s commoners that if you got on the wrong side of the Special Task Force, you could disappear without a trace.
“You’re better than these cadets. Since I’ll consider everything forgotten, bring out the food I ordered earlier. Oh, and you lot, go to the kitchen and wash your robes and clothes. You can't go back wearing that.”
Jin clicked his tongue, pointing at the cadets’ soiled clothing.
As the innkeeper and the cadets rushed to the kitchen, Enya let out the breath she had been holding.
“M-Master Jin. No, Brother…”
Is this really okay? Impersonating the Special Task Force is a top-tier crime!
Jin expected her to say something like that, but…
“You really are the best, Brother! Wow, my goodness, I can't believe it! This is the first time in my life I’ve felt so refreshed! It was so satisfying and exciting! Whoo-hoo!”
Jin gently covered the excited Enya’s mouth. If her cheering reached the cadets’ ears, it might cause a misunderstanding.
“Was my acting okay?”
She nodded vigorously.
“And do you feel a bit better?”
“Of course! Those three were notorious as the worst in my year. Especially that one—he bullied me so much that I’d wake up in the middle of the night just thinking about him. How did we happen to run into them like this?”
“Should I beat them up some more? I can have Austin crush them personally.”
“Hmm, no. This is enough for now. It’ll only be a real revenge when I can trample them on my own, without borrowing your strength.”
“That’s a good attitude. You’re right, a real revenge is when you can handle it entirely on your own. Though, in my eyes, you already meet those conditions.”
“Hehe, right now, instead of those losers, it’s more important to have a toast and a beer with you, Brother.”
Clink.
Jin and Enya burst into soft laughter as they clinked their glasses. From the kitchen, the sound of meat sizzling and the sound of cadets scrubbing their robes could be heard.