Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 067
Chapter Title: The Calm Before the Storm
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Several hours earlier.
Now that she had a rough idea of what had transpired, Marie pressed a hand to her forehead.
"That's..."
Lizzie McClaire stroked the tip of her chin with a hardened expression.
"I've thought things were off lately. Elder Kirion suddenly passed away, and then Anton, who served as his aide, vanished from the tower..."
"Franz disappeared around the same time too?"
"Word is he's been holed up in research back at the Leverk main house... but it did feel strange."
Lizzie continued.
"Young Master Franz isn't the type to lock himself in the lab all day."
"Franz?"
"Yes. Franz Leverk. The only direct heir of the Leverk family born with dragon mana in centuries."
"Dragon mana..."
Kyle let out a small groan.
"Don't tell me that Leverk who possessed the dragon back then was this kid?"
"Probably... That's the most likely scenario now. He always had a bit of a reckless streak."
"I figured he was just some average joe. Who'd have thought he was a noble heir."
"Average joe..."
At those words, Lizzie could only be purely shocked.
There wasn't a hint of bravado or arrogance in Kyle's expression or tone.
He genuinely saw Franz as nothing more than that.
'From his perspective, Franz Leverk's talent is just that level.'
The successor of the Origin Mage, indeed.
Her way of seeing things was different from theirs, she thought.
"By the way, did you really take down the dragon yourself?"
Since the city's controls kept incidents in the 8th Special District from leaking out, this was the first they'd heard of it.
When Marie asked, Kyle nodded.
"Yeah, but honestly, if it hadn't been possessed by Franz or whoever, I wouldn't have won so easily. You could call it good luck."
But it was still an ancient dragon.
Piercing its hide alone shouldn't have been easy.
'So humble too...'
Lizzie's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Kyle.
Marie, now learning the truth, felt her heart race for entirely different reasons.
'I want to ask. I want to ask. I want to ask. I want to ask.'
She desperately wanted to know how, what magic he'd used to fell a dragon, but she barely held back.
This wasn't the time or place.
'But still, I want to know!'
"Ugh..."
"?"
Kyle scratched his head at her sudden pained expression, hands covering her face.
'Must've been quite the shock about Leverk.'
People she'd considered family had been scheming behind her back.
It wouldn't be easy to process.
Lizzie glanced at the fainted Ulrich and spoke to Marie.
"No time to dawdle anymore, Miss."
"Uh, yeah? R-right."
"Miss?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine."
Marie Fleetwood took a deep breath, nodding with a resolute face.
'Okay. I'll ask next time. Definitely.'
Composing herself again, she said,
"I'll report this to Sapientia right away."
Marie looked down at Ulrich, who had undergone Kyle's so-called 'interrogation'.
"With a culprit caught red-handed, Grandfather—no, the Sage and the elders can finally act."
"Better hurry then."
Kyle gazed toward where the battle with the death spirit had taken place.
"This ambush felt... desperate somehow."
Lizzie turned to Marie.
"Miss. Let's follow Mr. Clark's advice."
"Yeah."
With Marie, she pulled her hood low over her face and effortlessly slung the unconscious Ulrich over her shoulder with magic.
A slender woman carrying a full-grown man looked odd, but in a place rife with illegal implants, it wasn't that unusual.
"Oh, right. And..."
Marie pulled a transparent crystal gem from her bag.
"This... um, you know."
Her face a bit flushed, she continued.
"It's still a prototype... but I've at least finished the engraving?"
"No way."
Kyle took the crystal and glanced at her questioningly. Marie nodded.
"Yes. It's the light-attribute magic artifact you asked for... but since it's a prototype, it might be unstable. Please be careful using it."
"...Thank you for your hard work."
"Haha, no need. I did it because I wanted to."
"Then the magic demonstration..."
"Hmm..."
She scratched her cheek regretfully.
"Shall we postpone that?"
Kyle gave a wry smile.
"Yeah. Next time, show me all you want."
"Heehee, promise?"
'Wait, that death... whatever, princess's knight?'
Didn't look like it at all.
'...!!'
A demonic eye.
Kyle recalled how, mid-battle, one of the death spirit's eyes had suddenly glowed purple.
'Was that it?'
An eye that pierces souls.
He remembered the death spirit writhing in agony after using it.
'Contextually, that means it tried to steal my soul.'
What had it seen to react so violently?
'...What is it? Is my soul kinda weird-looking?'
He had no way of knowing.
'Anyway.'
Reading the skill description, he groaned softly.
'Pierces through facade and truth, huh.'
The effect seemed useful enough, but for a rare 'demonic eye', it felt a bit underwhelming.
'But it's growth-type...'
Demonic eye wielders were rarely weak, as far as he knew.
This 'Soul Eye' would likely grow powerful too.
'That's why I died, probably.'
As he considered investing skill points early, Lizzie bowed politely.
"Then, Mr. Clark, we'll take our leave."
"We'll bring good news next week."
Almost forgetting, Kyle stopped the departing women.
"Oh, wait a sec."
"Yes?"
He handed Marie, who turned, a small leaf-shaped brooch.
"This is..."
"There's a hidden button on the back. I doubt anything'll happen, but..."
Kyle shrugged.
"Just in case. If something really bad goes down at the magic tower and you need help, press it. I'll know right away."
It was an item he'd gotten from the intel agency's cache, prepared for potential crises.
After the dragon summoning, Leverk allying with Marshall to meddle in the 8th District seemed certain.
If that tied to the 'coup' Councilor Rockton mentioned, Kyle figured Leverk's first target was seizing the magic tower.
Controlling the powerful tower would bolster any scheme.
She smiled warmly.
"Thank you. I'll take it."
"...See you next week then."
"Yes. Definitely."
With that, Marie's group hurried off.
As Kyle turned to head back himself, he froze.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
A young man clung to a utility pole, panting heavily.
"??"
About to ignore him, the man steadied his breath and called out.
"Huff, whoo, you're the Butcher, right?"
"......"
Kyle's sharp gaze pierced him, and the young man quickly raised both hands.
"N-no need to be on guard. I swear, no ill intent."
Taking a deep breath, he continued.
"Finally met you. Whew... Thought I was gonna die."
Kyle narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
"Ah, I'm, well."
Swallowing hard, he swiftly pulled a business card from his inner pocket and offered it politely.
"This is me."
It read: [Alice Coffee Shop - Manager: George Brockett]
"Coffee shop manager?"
"Well, precisely..."
George introduced himself properly.
"I'm George Brockett, broker and informant in Sector 6."
"...!"
Meanwhile, the 8th Special District's deep web buzzed with the recent incident.
"......"
Austin Marshall, second son of the Marshall family, looked up from his tablet monitoring the deep web.
Under the dreary sky, trucks passed through the checkpoint outside.
Layer checkpoint in Porta Village, Sector 19 outskirts of the 8th Special District.
A gateway between surface and lowers, visible from the corridor he traversed to the lounge.
Austin bowed silently upon entering.
"So."
Lifting his head, he saw his father, Councilor Simon Marshall, lounging on the sofa, staring out the window.
"How'd it go?"
Austin set down the tablet.
"Looks like a failure."
"I see."
Even the Death Princess's possession spirit had failed.
Simon muttered,
"...No room for doubt now."
"Yes."
Austin agreed.
"The Butcher is definitely Luther."
Simon turned back to the window, smirking.
"...Yes, the last Luther."
Confirming his existence was progress, but priorities lay elsewhere.
"How's the magic tower?"
"Leverk accepted the final offer."
"As expected. Knew he would. That's his nature."
Chuckling lowly, his face hardened.
"Once the demon descent ritual starts, have the investigation bureau seal off the tower."
"Yes."
"Tell Central Secretariat to control stray media via executive order. City Council can't catch wind until it's done. Got it?"
Austin nodded.
"Yes. Won't block returning mages, but..."
"Kill anyone trying to leave, by any means."
"Father, they're still magic tower folk. Can investigation special forces handle it?"
"No worry. Once ritual begins, no one in the tower can cast properly—anyone."
The Sage was the lone variable, but preparations were in place.
"Understood."
Simon rose, gazing at the checkpoint.
"Austin. This must go smoothly. For our plan."
His eyes gleamed coldly.
"We must seize the magic tower."
"Yes, Father."
Austin bowed.
"I'll keep it in mind."