The Genius Boy
The Messenger magic was truly remarkable.
It was a spell that allowed one to command thousands of people as if they were their own limbs.
Yet, at the same time, it left the caster with absolutely zero direct combat capability, meaning they required absolute protection while using it.
And there was one more flaw to the Messenger magic.
It could not be used while moving or casting other spells.
To put it another way?
I currently had absolutely no way to defeat the mage from Duke Leonard's territory who was hot on our heels.
The absolute best I could do was wrap myself in telekinetic magic and run for my life.
That was it.
"Where do you think you're going, you bastard?!"
Flames and lightning rained down, aiming right for my back.
The spells were carefully restrained in power.
They probably wanted to capture me alive to squeeze out information.
"Nyaaa! What do we do, nya?!"
"Quiet. Take this pistol and shoot at him."
"Nya?!"
"We need to disrupt his casting. Just do as I say."
The cat beastman grabbed the pistol and began firing.
Surprisingly, his aim was quite good.
Good enough to properly disrupt the mage's spellcasting, at least.
And I wasn't just running away empty-handed either.
Using telekinesis, I grabbed pebbles, flowerpots, and buckets, hurling them violently at the mage.
Yes, it was just telekinesis—a basic spell that proper mages scoffed at.
But I had survived on the battlefield for over ten years with this single, simple spell.
My relentlessly honed telekinesis was not something even a mage could simply ignore or brush aside.
"Tsk!..."
The thrown objects flew in from his blind spots, completely out of sync with the pistol fire.
Left with no choice, the mage had to cast defensive spells to block the incoming projectiles.
This disrupted his concentration on his flight magic, slowing him down.
Seizing the opening, I focused all my telekinetic power onto my own body, widening the gap between us as fast as possible.
Then, as if I had planned it all along, I dove straight into the slums.
Specifically, into the dilapidated back alleys where the beastmen mostly lived.
"No!"
The mage quickly refocused on his flight magic and swept in, but we had already vanished into the deep shadows of the alleyways, completely out of his sight.
"Fuck! That bastard!"
After circling the skies above the slums a few more times, the mage hastily flew off somewhere.
Realizing he couldn't find us alone, he was likely going to bring reinforcements to conduct a thorough search.
But by then, it would be far too late.
"Director!"
"I'm unharmed. Don't worry. Move quickly. Where are the others?"
"They slipped away long ago. Hybel is already heading to the North with the dwarven artisans."
"Good. Let's get out of here."
I had already met up with Kka-Chi and the 2nd Battalion Commander—both rat beastmen—and we were moving along a pre-planned escape route.
The moment we climbed into the truck parked just outside the slums' border, the engine roared to life.
"Is everyone safe?"
Looking at the passengers in the truck bed, I let out a sigh of relief.
Five cat beastmen, the rat beastmen, my adjutant, and even Mogant.
Everyone was aboard, safe and sound.
"Good work, everyone. As for you cat beastmen, you'll need to stay in the North for the time being. Duke Leonard will be searching for you with a vengeance. You'll be safest in the North."
The cat beastmen didn't answer my words.
Their eyes were fixed on the wounded cat beastman I had rescued, who was now sitting propped up against the side.
"You saved him... Did you really rescue him yourself, Director Volka, nya?"
"Yeah. I couldn't just leave him behind."
"Why? Why would you do that? If you got caught or killed, it would have been over for everyone."
"Because I was confident in my skills. And besides all that, saving him was the right thing to do. I keep my promises, cats."
At my words, the expressions of the cat beastmen shifted subtly.
One of them, who had been staring at me with wide, round eyes, suddenly stood up.
"This won't do, nya. Even if it's just me, since I'm uninjured, I have to go back, nya."
"I told you, you'll die if you go back."
"We still have kin left in the West, nya. Since the dwarven artisans were taken, they're going to arrest our people in droves, nya. They'll torture them, and some might even die, nya."
Hearing that, the other uninjured cat beastmen stood up as well.
"Everyone will do as they please anyway, and we can't force them, but we should at least let them know there's a place to run to, nya. I'm going to tell them to flee to the North, nya."
"Do you really think the cat beastmen will listen just because you tell them to flee to the North?"
"Of course they won't listen easily, nya. But still..."
The cat beastmen quietly gazed at their companion, who was currently having his gunshot wound treated.
"It will be a different story if they hear it from us, who saw and heard it all ourselves, nya."
"We've never seen anyone like you, Director, nya."
"If all the cat beastmen come up to the North, can you really give us a place to live, nya?"
I had told them repeatedly not to use that cat-like tone, but they refused to listen to the very end.
Honestly, they were troublemakers.
Disobedient, selfish, and unpredictable—ticking time bombs that could go off at any moment.
But they were still beastmen.
They were members of the race I had sworn to embrace.
I nodded.
"I will provide housing for you in the North. Go. Go and tell the rest of your kin. Tell them that if they make it to the North, they can enjoy all the catnip and money they want."
The cat beastmen smirked.
"We'll remember that, nya."
The four cat beastmen suddenly approached me, rubbed their heads against me in a surprise gesture of affection, and leaped off the truck.
A beat later, my adjutant began to growl.
"Those bastards...!"
I hadn't spent much time around cat beastmen, so I didn't know much about their culture or customs.
However, I could guess that the gesture just now was something akin to showing affection or marking territory.
"Are you jealous, Adjutant?"
At my words, the adjutant, whose tail had puffed up as she growled, hastily composed herself and smoothed down her tail.
"It is nothing."
"For 'nothing,' your tail got incredibly puffy."
"I simply dislike those who behave insolently."
"Sure. Let's go with that."
The adjutant glared at me, and I burst into a hearty laugh.
Rattling along, the truck continued to speed toward the North.
True to their nature, the cat beastmen moved incredibly fast.
Then again, given their notorious personalities and lifestyle habits, even among beastmen, it wasn't as if they had houses or fortunes to tie them down.
Even if they did have money, they probably spent it all on catnip, cigarettes, and booze.
The four cat beastmen who jumped off the truck must have spread the word instantly.
Before Duke Leonard's search could even begin, every single cat beastman in the West had vanished, leaving behind absolutely no clues.
Duke Leonard's representative must have been furious, practically flying all the way to the North, but what could he do?
"So, do you have any proof that we took the dwarven artisans?"
"...No."
The sound of the representative grinding his teeth echoed loudly through the room.
"We didn't do it. It seems the dwarven artisans finally had enough and planned their own escape. You should have managed them better."
At my mocking words, the elderly marquis who had come as the representative glared at me, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
"Let's stop playing word games about evidence. The North still has shares of funds and supplies to receive from the West, does it not? Your Grace, do not test Duke Leonard's patience."
The marquis raised his voice and tried to intimidate me, but when it came to playing tough, I wasn't one to lose.
I stood up abruptly, stepping close to the marquis and thrusting my face right in front of his.
He flinched, his body trembling slightly.
With a face practically built for intimidation, I hardened my expression, glared at him with wide eyes, and began to spit out my words slowly.
"Tell him that if he messes with the supplies bound for the North, I will show him what a cornered North can do—legally, politically, and militarily. I've already put this in writing. And what? Patience?"
"I-I was merely delivering a message..."
"The dwarven artisans were on loan. A loan! The lease period expired ages ago, yet the West shamelessly pocketed them, taking advantage of the North's chaos. Of course, I had nothing to do with their disappearance. But even if those dwarven artisans suddenly show up in the North later and ask to be taken in, there will be absolutely no legal issues with that."
"T-that is..."
"Your side crossed the line first, and now you dare speak of patience? Huh? Bring me concrete proof that the North did it. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut in my territory. Understood?"
Faced with my words, the marquis could only hang his head in silence.
After the man trudged weakly out of the room and vanished, I let out a long sigh.
"Adjutant."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Let's keep the dwarven artisans hidden for the time being. We both know it's an open secret, but being officially caught is a different matter. We shouldn't provoke the West any further."
"A wise decision."
As the adjutant and I were talking, a sudden knock sounded, and Kka-Chi, Rabelt-Chi, and Marquis Krat entered the room.
"Chik! Director! A guest!" Kka-Chi hissed.
"A guest?" I asked.
Marquis Krat answered my question.
"A boy named Larmor has arrived in the North with the rat beastmen. He wishes to see you, Your Grace."
Larmor!
The key to holding the South by the throat.
I quickly stood up.
"I want to see him myself. Where is he now?"
"We have shown him to the drawing room."
I hurried to the drawing room and came face-to-face with the handsome, golden-haired boy I had seen in the South.
His brilliant hair looked as if it were spun from molten gold.
His features were so beautiful that it was hard to tell if he was a boy or a girl.
Those delicate lines and sculpted beauty...
His face is practically screaming, 'I'm a romance fantasy character.'
If this were a romance fantasy novel, he had the exact face of a second male lead—appearing midway through to build some subtle romantic tension with the female lead, only to die or disappear and drop out of the story by the latter half.
Lucky bastard.
Some of us were called subhuman because of our ugly mugs, both back in Korea and here.
Meanwhile, he had a face that could seduce women with a single glance.
God is truly unfair.
"How was your journey?"
Larmor, who had been elegantly eating the simple snacks and tea laid out on the table, burst into a bright laugh.
"It was the best! Crawling through sewers, hiding under straw mats, sneaking onto trucks! I got really close with the rat beastmen, too. I want to join the rat clan!"
Kka-Chi and Rabelt-Chi's whiskers twitched.
It didn't seem like they took offense; they appeared to find him cute or amusing.
"You're a bit too young to join the rat clan. Let's think about that when you're older. First, I'll have a room prepared for you. It won't be as luxurious as the South, but..."
"The library! I want to visit the library! You have books here, right?"
Books, huh?
In the original romance fantasy novel, the library was usually where the male lead took the female lead to woo her.
It had been neglected and practically ruined during the ten-year war, but still...
Maybe we could salvage a few decent books to read.
"Sure. Let's go to the library. There might be some books you'll like."
"Will you take me there?"
It was a hassle.
I had so much to do. I had to coordinate with the mages and dwarven artisans, monitor the reconstruction of the North, and check on the repairs of the Blood Wall!
But looking at his sparkling, innocent eyes and the hand he held out to me, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
I took Larmor's hand and headed toward the library.
Along the way, I explained the layout of the ducal castle to him.
"That's the dining hall. This is the hallway. Over there is the study—don't go in there without permission. And that way is the bathhouse. My sister-in-law built it. You can soak and wash up there."
"What about over there? What's that?"
"The banquet hall. We used to hold balls there."
The female lead's debutante ball in Northern high society had taken place in that very banquet hall.
It was also where she had taught a lesson to the marquis's daughter who was clinging to the male lead.
The proposal, the moment the male lead first opened his heart—it all happened there.
Now, that place stood desolate and cold, repurposed as a temporary research lab for the mages.
As I stood in front of the banquet hall, lost in thought for a moment, Larmor spoke up.
"Why are there mages inside the banquet hall?"
"They just have some work to do. It's nothing you need to worry about."
"Me too! I want to see it too! Can I watch? I've always wanted to see mages' research up close! Please?"
Larmor suddenly began to plead desperately.
I hesitated for a moment.
No matter how you looked at it, Larmor was from the South.
Furthermore, the research taking place inside the banquet hall was a top-secret project that would save the North.
Was it really okay to expose a child to something like that?
Just as I was pondering this, Larmor spoke again.
"I can help. My father—that bad man—he didn't want to let me go, right? It wasn't just because I'm his son. I heard I'm a natural-born mage. A genius that only appears once every few centuries. I can help with the magic research."
Larmor was making a very interesting claim.
Indeed, Duke Luvheim's reaction had been far too extreme to be considered just a father losing his son.
Besides, Larmor was ten years old at best.
Even the Golden Magic Tower Master had said this magic was of a scale that could never be copied just by looking at it once, so showing it to him briefly shouldn't pose any major issues.
Even if he were a spy trying to gather information, there was no way a mere ten-year-old could copy it.
And if he really was a genius, who knew? He might actually be of help.
"You must never speak of anything you see inside the banquet hall. Understood? And we're only staying for a brief look."
At my words, Larmor's face lit up.
Seeing him nod frantically, I led him into the banquet hall.
"Velmut. How is the research going?"
"Ah! Volka! It's going well. The stabilization of the magic circle is almost complete. Now our engineers are discussing how to engrave it."
"That's good news. We need to run a test. When will that be possible?"
"The prototype should be ready sometime this week... By the way, why did you bring this kid in?"
Velmut's gaze shifted to Larmor, who was holding my hand.
Larmor stood frozen, staring at the massive magic circle on one side of the banquet hall as if transfixed.
It was a dizzying array of dozens of complex magic formulas tangled together, yet Larmor stared at the magic circle with pure rapture.
"He's a guest of the North. He seemed very interested in magic, so he begged me to let him take a look."
Velmut chuckled at my explanation.
"Hey there, kid. Do you see something strange in that formula? Can a little squirt like you even read it?"
Despite Velmut's teasing tone, Larmor replied in a voice filled with wonder.
"It's just... the formula is so beautiful that I was lost in it for a moment. But it feels like it's not quite finished yet."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know all the technical details yet, so I can't say for sure... but it looks like a magic circle designed to extract high-purity Elixir through a neutralization process. At this rate, it won't reach its maximum output."
Larmor walked up to the formula and pointed to a few spots with his finger.
"I don't know why, but when the lines connect to the places I'm pointing at, it feels like they can't breathe. If you open this part up, I think the formula will flow much more smoothly."
The voices of the mages and magic engineers cut off all at once.
Silence descended upon the banquet hall.
It was not a silence of anger or fear.
It was the stunned silence of those who had just witnessed a true genius.