Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Why Did You Do That? (3)
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“Young Master?”
Siegfried frowned as he looked at Jamie, who had suddenly appeared.
“You’ve been fighting.”
Siegfried rose from his seat at the traces of intense mana emanating from Jamie’s body.
“What happened?”
“Things have gotten a bit big.”
As Jamie sat on the sofa with a slightly weary look, Siegfried took the seat opposite him.
“What is it?”
“Demons are involved.”
“……Demons?”
Siegfried stared at him with a face that said why he had come suddenly spouting nonsense.
“Is eight years old the age to make jokes like that?”
“I’m not joking.”
“Demons out of nowhere sounds too much like a joke.”
Jamie was about to snap back but let out a sigh instead.
Right. This is the kind of guy he is.
That’s why he wasn’t unpleasant, and why he could be trusted.
“Listen carefully.”
Jamie detailed everything that had happened earlier.
Siegfried’s expression changed by the moment.
At first, it was the expected disbelief, but as the story went on, his face grew darker and darker.
It was that serious a matter, and if mishandled, it could cause massive damage not just to the magic world but to the entire kingdom.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Siegfried let out a low sigh.
“……It’s all true, right?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Haa.”
Siegfried let out a heavy sigh and glanced at Jamie’s face.
He was looking at him with a serious expression, without the slightest waver.
It seemed genuine.
Scratching his bushy hair, he said,
“Coming to me first was a very good decision.”
“I almost regretted it earlier.”
“I almost kicked you out, so I would have regretted it too.”
“Anyway, you’re the most trustworthy elder here, so I came to you.”
“That’s an honor.”
Siegfried was currently part of the magic world’s leadership but the man most distant from it.
Especially since he spent an overwhelming amount of time outside, it was hard for him to even contact those spreading Apophis.
He had spent the last two months glued to Jamie, making him more trustworthy than anyone else.
Siegfried said,
“The 3rd Elder…… I thought he was a shady guy, but I didn’t expect him to be this insane, crossing the line like that.”
Siegfried looked extremely disappointed.
His relationship with the 3rd Elder wasn’t good, but they had respected each other as mages.
He knew well how hard it was to rise to the position of elder in the magic world.
But if that power was borrowed from demons?
It was truly horrifying.
He had no sense of belonging to the magic world, but this was one of the places he stayed.
Defiling it was an insult even Siegfried, who cared little, could hardly tolerate.
Jamie sensed Siegfried’s mana fluctuating irregularly.
Siegfried said,
“Given the gravity of this, we need to handle it quickly.”
“That’s why I’m asking if there’s anyone we can ask for help.”
They had uncovered the 3rd Elder behind the organization, but Jamie didn’t think he was the end.
Even if he was, demons were backing him up.
The Demon King of Vengeance, they called him.
He didn’t know his standing in the demon world, but if he could mitigate Apophis’s side effects, he was at least a demon noble.
‘Anyone below Rueta should be manageable.’
Rueta, the demon baron who had turned Upton’s Mirene Forest into a wasteland.
His power was among the lowest of demon nobles.
Yet he had master-class strength, so if a viscount or higher demon was backing them, it would be a headache.
“There is someone.”
“Who?”
“The mages of Equality.”
Jamie nodded at that.
Equality, one of the three major organizations in the magic world composed entirely of commoners.
The 3rd Elder, Serpent Gerol, was pro-royalty and a noble with significant influence. Though he held no separate title, his position as an elder of the magic world was secure enough.
So the mages of Equality, who rejected the pro-royalty and noble factions, would surely help.
Jamie recalled the 5th Elder, Luke Presl, he had seen at the elder meeting before. Even if his insides were rotten, his skill was real.
“But I don’t want to get involved with them.”
“I understand.”
Siegfried and Equality didn’t get along.
The reason was simple.
Siegfried didn’t like Equality’s egalitarian ideology, and Equality didn’t like Siegfried, a former slave, for not joining them.
“Heh. Thinking about it, Equality might even be in league with the 3rd Elder.”
Equality of class ultimately equates to equality of power.
Equality’s ideal was a world without discrimination.
It was similar, if not identical, to the 3rd Elder’s organization’s goal.
“Let’s rule them out.”
Siegfried nodded at Jamie’s words.
They sifted through like this, distinguishing who could be used and who couldn’t.
“What about the 2nd Elder?”
Linmel Marquis.
One of the strongest mages in Seldam right now, and a figure in the magic world with influence rivaling the 1st Elder.
If he helped, this incident could be wrapped up easily.
“Young Master. You must have felt it too, but the more we talk……”
“The more it seems like we should handle it ourselves?”
“Yes. The 2nd Elder is trustworthy enough and a good person, but with demons involved, no one can be trusted. That’s my conclusion.”
“I feel the same.”
In the process of selecting who to seek help from, the two had already half-reached a conclusion.
In this situation where they didn’t know who had contracted with demons, they couldn’t blindly trust even the most reliable person.
Demons were good at ‘pretending’.
Pretending to give trust, pretending to be trustworthy, and so on—believing that would just get them burned.
“Especially.”
Then Siegfried spoke.
“That teacher. Even Kennyak Teacher didn’t know his identity, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, that teacher is on par with the 3rd Elder. Or right below him.”
“Same thought. And Mary confessed their organization was worldwide, but I don’t think that’s true.”
“Agreed. Probably lied to boost loyalty.”
In a compartmentalized organization where members don’t know each other, anxiety builds from within, shaking the whole group.
So introducing it as a massive organization from the start instills pride in belonging, turning them into loyal minions.
Especially for someone like Mary, whose goals aligned with the organization, it would have been easy to control.
‘If their goal really is equality of talent, maybe.’
But Jamie didn’t think so.
Even if that was the initial intent, a place that crosses lines so easily likely had rotten leadership.
“Just the two of us.”
“Understood.”
“Catching the 3rd Elder first will reveal a lot, and it shouldn’t be too hard.”
He was elder-worthy in skill, but the 3rd Elder was still a 6th-class mage.
No match for Siegfried.
“If worst comes to worst, we use this power.”
Jamie held out his left hand.
Pyro’s pattern emitted a faint golden light.
Though it was just the adult mark and not strongly divine, it had one special function.
‘Didn’t want to use it because it feels off, but better than letting things escalate.’
“First, let’s plan how to take down that 3rd Elder scum. You look tired, Young Master, so rest up.”
As a magic world elder, Siegfried could more easily find the 3rd Elder’s location and access than Jamie.
Jamie nodded without argument.
As he entered the staff room, the remaining teachers greeted Jamie, asking what was up.
Jamie said he had something to grab briefly and headed to his seat.
Sitting in his chair, Jamie let out a low sigh.
‘Came here relaxed, and got tangled in something heavy.’
It was so absurd he almost laughed.
Demons out of nowhere.
The secret of Apophis as a nutrient was shocking enough, but its origin being demons was still hard to believe.
But since he heard it directly after taking over Mary’s brain, it must be true.
“Let’s get some air.”
Sitting felt stifling.
Jamie quietly slipped out of the staff room and headed to the lounge.
The academy after everyone had gone home was very quiet.
The darkened classrooms were filled with sunset light, glowing reddish.
As he walked calmly with hands behind his back.
“Ah! Teacher Jamie!”
Then, Javelin’s voice came from behind.
Turning around, he was approaching with a smile.
“You haven’t gone home yet?”
“Forgot something and came back.”
“Aha, I see. Did you find it?”
“Yes, well. Do you have something to say to me?”
“Not really, have you seen Teacher Sophia by any chance?”
At the mention of Sophia, Jamie was momentarily flustered but calmly replied without showing it.
“Saw her earlier but not since…… Why?”
“Haha. Just have something to discuss with her. Well, take care going home~”
Javelin waved and turned away.
Jamie watched his receding back.
A thought suddenly struck him.
Javelin was a flawless man. Always smiling, so you couldn’t read his thoughts, but he had never heard of him making any mistakes.
He hadn’t talked much with the other teachers, but whenever they did, praise for Javelin always came up.
They implicitly saw him as a leader and relied on him heavily.
The students were the same. With his affable personality and包容力 embracing each student, they respected and liked him.
On top of that, he managed the academy in Siegfried’s stead and could communicate directly with the 3rd Elder, the superintendent.
‘Receives respect from teachers and students, holds real power as the academy’s key figure, has authority to meet the 3rd Elder directly, and finally.’
When Silver went missing, many teachers worried.
Javelin had stepped up then.
He said he’d contact Silver directly, and if not, go to his house.
He didn’t know what happened after.
“Teacher.”
Jamie called out to Javelin.
Javelin stopped and turned around.
“What’s up?”
“What happened to Teacher Silver? Haven’t heard since that day.”
“Ah. He’s not feeling well. Worrying. For someone so healthy to suddenly collapse. You’re still young, Teacher Jamie, so take good care of your health when you grow up~”
As Javelin tried to leave again, Jamie asked,
“Why did you do that?”
Javelin stopped again and this time asked back without smiling.
“Teacher?”
“Why did you do it?”
“What do you mean……”
“Teacher. Why did you do it?”
At the repeated question, Javelin looked flustered and pointed at Jamie’s face with his index finger.
“Did I make some mistake?”
It felt like a double-layered question.
Jamie smiled and nodded.
“Yes. A big mistake.”
“What……”
“Being too perfect was the mistake.”
Too popular.
Too capable.
Always suppressing emotions and wearing that nice-guy smile.
Jamie generally didn’t trust people who hid their emotions.
They always had ulterior motives.
Just like now.
“You were right here under my nose, Tea. Cher.”
Javelin lowered his head without answering and adjusted his glasses. The sunset reflected off them, gleaming.
He looked at Jamie with his usual nice-guy smile.
“Well, well.”
Javelin said.
“You caught me?”
His eyes turned pitch black.