Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 068
Chapter Title: Miracle
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Late at night.
Marie and Ridge had just returned to Mage Tower Sapientia and entered the lower village when they quickly sensed something was off.
"...What's this?"
Marie muttered.
On the surface, the village looked no different from usual. Lights still glowed in every home, and the gothic streetlamps illuminated the dark roads brightly.
It should have been a scene of perfect, everyday peace.
But that was it. Something crucial was missing from the picture.
Marie swallowed hard without realizing it as she scanned the surroundings, her perception-blocking hood in place.
"Ridge."
"...Yes, miss."
"I'm asking just to make sure it's not my imagination."
Her eyes trembled.
"Has Sapientia ever been... this quiet at this hour?"
"......"
A chill swept between them at that moment.
It felt as if their voices were the only sounds echoing through the streets.
The village was that silent. Like a place where only the lights were on, with not a single soul in sight.
Ridge forced down the tremor in her voice and replied.
"...No."
"...!!"
Marie's gaze turned to the pristine white tower standing at the village center.
And instinctively, she knew.
Something was terribly wrong.
"Grandfather...!"
"No, miss!"
Ridge hurriedly grabbed Marie's shoulder as she tried to rush toward the tower, pulling her into a nearby alley.
"Ridge, why...!"
"Miss. Listen carefully...!"
Ridge, panting for breath, set Ulrich Reberk down on the ground and spoke.
"Truth is, ever since we entered the streets earlier, I've kept feeling... eyes on us from somewhere. At first, I thought it was just my nerves..."
Ridge's eyes shook helplessly.
"...But now it feels like it's not."
"What...?"
"The perception-blocking robe seems to be working—they don't know exactly where I am yet, thank goodness..."
Her face had paled as she spoke anxiously.
"Still, something—something—is constantly searching for me...!"
"What? Ridge, what are you...?"
"Can't you feel it, miss?"
Marie furrowed her delicate brow and shook her head.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. What exactly are you sensing?"
"......"
Ridge clutched her tightening chest and muttered as realization dawned.
"I see. My mana."
"What?"
"I have so little mana...!"
She gripped Marie's shoulders firmly and spoke rapidly.
"Miss. Get out of here right now and ask Mr. Clark for help."
"M-Mr. Clark?"
"You still have the brooch, right?"
"Y-Yeah, I've got it."
"Listen well, miss. Staying here is dangerous. If we linger any longer, you'll start feeling it too...!"
At that instant, Ridge straightened up rigidly.
As if an invisible chill had raced down her spine.
Her eyes wide open, she whispered lowly.
"We're made."
"!?"
Ridge then drew in all her mana and unleashed a spell at Marie with full force.
Wind Blast
Repels target with a gust of wind
Kwaaaaang-!!
"Kyaaaaak!!"
Marie was hurled roughly into the street by the sudden whirlwind.
"...!!"
Lifting her head, Marie saw it immediately.
A massive entity with goat horns standing right behind Ridge.
"Miss..."
Ridge, her face ashen, said.
"Run..."
Kwaaaaang-!!
The thing slammed Ridge into a wall in an instant, then bared its teeth at Marie.
"Ri-Ridge...!!"
Marie quickly gathered her mana and fired a beam of white light.
Kwaaaaang-!!
But it showed not even a scratch. Shocked, she bolted out of the village.
'What...! What the hell is this...!'
Mage tower knights blocked her path as if waiting.
Grotesque tentacles burst from their heads with a kwa-jik! Marie hurriedly deployed a spell in horror.
"Kuhk...!"
'Wh-What is this.'
Her internal mana destabilized rapidly, leaving her flustered only briefly.
Completing the spell just in time, Marie kicked off the ground with all her might.
Paaang-!!
Her form turned into a flash of light in that instant.
Ridge, watching the light streak away from the village in a blink, muttered hoarsely.
"Mi... ss..."
Coughing up blood.
Those were her final words.
"Good... luck..."
As her head lolled limply, the shadow of a goat fell over her.
Meanwhile, Kyle had returned to the detention block and was re-examining the business card from George Brocket.
[Alice Coffee Shop - Manager: George Brocket]
The back listed the shop's detailed address and phone number.
He recalled his earlier conversation with George.
"A broker and informant, huh..."
"Just so you know, I value trust above my own life."
Kyle had raised an eyebrow.
"You seem to know quite a bit about me."
"...Brokers are all connected through the same network, as a rule. Though I only became certain just now."
"Then you must know who was behind that hawk-nosed old man attacking me... and you approached me anyway?"
Those in the brokerage trade never dealt with anyone who attacked a broker.
That was one of the unwritten rules of the 8th Special District's broker network. It kept even the strong from carelessly touching brokers, allowing the relatively weak to do business.
"But there's an exception."
"Exception?"
"It only applies if the broker didn't break the rules first."
George wiped his sweat and continued.
"And that man sold information about your sister to the mafia. Clear rule violation."
The 8th Special District might seem like chaos run amok on the surface.
But minimal order was essential to sustain that freedom. Without it, the district couldn't have grown so massive.
"Breaking the rules means he lost his broker status."
"So dealing with me is fine?"
"Yes. We just secured solid proof. No issue at all."
Still, Kyle had been betrayed by a broker once before. And if George knew he was the Mafia Butcher...
He couldn't fully shake the suspicion.
'Even [Hyper Sense] doesn't give me any bad vibes...'
Better to be sure. Instincts weren't 100% reliable, no matter how sharp.
'I was planning to test it soon anyway. Might as well now.'
Kyle boldly invested skill points into [Spirit Eye].
Acquiring the skill, Kyle activated [Spirit Eye] immediately.
"...!"
A strange sensation in his left eye, and then—a bright brown will-o'-wisp swirling fiercely from George's chest.
Kyle instinctively knew it was George Brocket's soul.
'This... is intriguing.'
Peering deeper, he understood instantly.
'Curiosity, strong interest, excitement, and...'
Kyle narrowed his eyes.
'What is this.'
The word that best described the hard-to-name emotion was...
'Fanboyism...?'
He looked incredulous.
'Seriously?'
"Uh... Mr. Butcher?"
"Ah."
He quickly covered his left eye. He recalled the commander’s eyes glowing blue during previous use.
"...? Is your eye hurting?"
But Kyle blinked at the reaction.
'Is my Spirit Eye different?'
Maybe it needed more power for that effect.
"No, nothing like that."
Lowering his hand, Kyle cleared his throat lightly.
"Fine. I'll take your word for it."
"Thank you."
'No malicious intent detected, at least.'
Dealing with a broker would be convenient in many ways.
"If you need brokerage for jobs, black market auctions, or especially..."
George grinned.
"Information, contact me here. I'll provide top service."
"Information?"
"Brokers each have specialties. Mine's info gathering."
His eyes gleamed.
"Frankly, for anything on the 8th Special District, I'd say I'm better than Dun City's intel agency. Though they've neglected it for years."
Intel networks took long cultivation to perfect. George's claim might not be exaggeration.
Kyle nodded.
"Alright. If something comes up, I'll visit."
"You're always welcome. Please! Use Alice Coffee, not other brokers."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be off then."
As he turned to leave, George grabbed him hurriedly.
"Ah, wait! Just a sec."
"Yes?"
Rummaging frantically in his bag, George offered a tablet and stylus.
"???"
Kyle furrowed his brow briefly.
George cleared his throat.
"Mind giving an autograph?"
"......"
Shaking his head at the ridiculous memory, Kyle pocketed the card.
Just then, the break room door opened.
"Coffee here."
"Thanks."
Jim Gordon, newly promoted intel team leader, set the coffee down.
His support team had set up a temporary office in the newly expanded detention block.
The reason was simple.
"Can't exactly trust the company, can we."
The biggest issue: uncertainty about allies and enemies—even intel agency.
Kyle asked.
"What about the division chief? Reliable?"
There was a division chief above them.
"Probably."
Gordon sat across him.
"The chief graduated uni on Rockton Foundation scholarship like me. If he were the enemy, he'd have torn this team apart—not promoted me."
"Makes sense."
'Connection via Rockton Foundation.'
That explained the councilor's trust.
Kyle sipped his coffee as Gordon muttered, watching.
"Still, suddenly a commander."
Not just any—likely a powerful lower-tier one from deep web vids.
'This guy's impressive for taking it down in one go...'
But Reberk orchestrated it.
Gordon shook his head.
"Like with the dragon before, his methods are getting rougher."
"Still, catching him red-handed wasn't bad."
It meant more than a warning for Marie's group.
'Bonus: got that rare Evil Eye.'
Pure gain.
Cassie, tinkering at her computer nearby, pulled her chair out.
"If we play this right, won't the mage tower boot Reberk themselves?"
"Could be."
"That'd be great. One less headache."
She asked Kyle.
"Oh, you passed on the brooch okay?"
"Yes. Thanks to you."
"Good job. Like Ms. Clark said, better safe."
Preparation never hurt.
Cassie had been surprised Kyle had ties to mage tower folk.
'Related to his exceptional magic?'
All in all, things worked out.
The tower's insularity made internal issues hard to spot quickly.
'But with an insider...'
The brooch was intel-grade GPS; jamming it pinpointed location in real-time.
Any trouble would show here.
"By the way, what were those servers from the muscle pig's house?"
Gordon sighed softly at Kyle's question.
"Cybersec dug deeper—most capacity allocated to some program, but extra locks. They're struggling to crack it."
"Marshall side gonna notice soon, right?"
Gordon nodded.
"Likely regular reports, so handler compromised will leak eventually. Maybe they know already."
Moving to detention block was partly for that—Marshall would suspect here first.
Then, thud! Door burst open: Inspector Roden and support agents entered.
"How'd it go?"
Gordon asked; Roden clicked his tongue.
"Stubborn bastard. Won't crack even near death."
"Confession serum dilutes fast—probably his ability."
The captured handler from before, detained here for security.
Gordon tsked.
"Gonna have to crack his skull open?"
"You know forensics needed for that. Too risky hauling to HQ."
Gordon groaned at Cassie's words; Kyle suggested.
"Want me to try next?"
They exchanged glances, then looked at Kyle.
'Kyle Clark might...'
Gordon asked.
"You up for it?"
Then—a red alert popped on Cassie's monitor.
"?!"
Cassie spat her coffee, eyes bulging.
"Wh-What?!"
"What is it!"
She whipped to Kyle.
"Th-This."
"Yeah?"
"Brooch location signal!"
"!!"
Meaning Marie Fleetwood, back at the tower, hit the button.
Two possibilities:
'Fleetwood learned the truth and got ambushed on return.'
Kyle's eyes widened.
'Or...!'
He shot up amid panicked agents.
"Where's the location?!"
"Haa, haa, haa...!!"
In the dense forest sprawling around Sapientia, the Sage's granddaughter, Marie Fleetwood, ran desperately alone.
"Ridge, Ridge...! Ridge!!"
Swallowing tears threatening to spill, she glanced back.
The white tower loomed over the thick grass. Shadows cloaked the forest below.
It looked silent, devoid of life—but Marie knew.
She was being hunted right now.
"Kuhk...!"
She tried summoning mana, but it wouldn't obey.
'Something's wrong since earlier...!'
Felt like an invisible force was devouring her mana. She couldn't cast properly.
Swift shadows darted between trees in the darkness.
Taaaaang-!! Flame-like plasma grazed her side.
"Aaaak!"
The unfamiliar agony sent her tumbling into the underbrush, groaning in pain.
"Ughhh...!!"
Light healing magic bloomed from her fingertips. Patching the wound with a shaky spell, she dragged her heavy legs onward.
'Must escape.'
She bit her lip.
'Ridge bought this chance with her life. Somehow...!'
'Somehow...!'
Taaaaang-!!
Gunfire echoed; Marie deployed mana with all her strength.
Briefly becoming light, she moved.
That split-second dodge barely deflected the bullet from vitals.
"?!"
Paaang-! The smart round pierced her left shoulder instead.
"Keurk!?"
Indescribable pain buckled her legs; she collapsed into the brush.
Rolling several times, she slammed into a tree trunk base, groaning again.
"Kuhk..."
Limbs refused to move. Mana wouldn't stir. Feverish breaths escaped her.
Kwaaang-!! A massive figure landed in a nearby clearing.
"Impressive. The Sage's granddaughter indeed."
His battle-implant-riddled body approached the fallen Marie.
"You made it this far in that state."
Chik. His arm's huge barrel aimed at her small face.
Her trembling eyes looked up.
"At least you'll go painlessly."
'Ah...'
Tears filled her eyes; she squeezed them shut.
'Sorry, Ridge.'
You gave me this life.
'Guess this is it.'
A man's figure flashed in her mind.
That unyielding back, fearless even before a mighty commander. Stronger than anyone.
'...If I'd known.'
She let out a bitter chuckle.
'I should've just asked then.'
"Dra... How did you...?"
"Hm?"
The man narrowed his eyes at her odd words.
"...!"
A black helicopter materialized from thin air.
Kwang! Hatch flew open; Kyle muttered.
"Found you."
"?!"
Sunlight-like flash crossed the black sky.
The implant man gaped upward.
Vast lightning cleaved his body amid the forest dark.
Kwaaaaaang-!!
"Aaaaaaaaak!!"
His screams scattered everywhere.
But briefly. Thud! The giant implant knelt impossibly.
And before him.
In the swirling sunlight remnants like a storm stood a figure in black tactical gear.
Staring blankly at the familiar yet miraculous sight, she murmured unwittingly.
"Mr. Clark...?"
"No need to look so shocked."
His voice pierced her ear.
"I told you."
Press that button...
Kyle turned to the bloodied, collapsed Marie.
"I'd know right away."