Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Heretic of the Magic Tower (17)
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"Hmm. Suspiciously little information."
Elvin had mobilized his patrons and every bit of intelligence network at his disposal. That chilling sensation brushing the back of his neck never steered him wrong, so he'd investigated the cafe manager out of sheer caution—but there was nothing remarkable to report.
The one solid piece was the testimony that the man possessed enough raw power to crush most adventurers like insects. But his origins? His status? Nothing concrete.
In the end, he set aside the "cafe owner" keyword and combed through info on Astraea's high nobility—or those equivalent. People inevitably crossed paths with someone, and anyone coming or going from outside Astraea would have stood out.
To put it bluntly, the guy's looks made him impossible to miss anywhere. And the nobles backing Elvin's political ambitions might rule narrow domains directly, but their influence stretched far.
Some openly vied to share the emperor's power, while others stayed neutral, granting minor favors to both sides.
After pulling all-nighters digging, sorting, and analyzing data from every corner, he spotted a few meaningful patterns.
"A blonde, blue-eyed young man recently crossed the desert solo from Astraea, heading south. Intel from Armin Katir down south. Not noble faction, so no deep details, but that's enough. Then, sometime later, a Demon God Cult executive who'd set up shop in southern Imir Kingdom was 'taken out under the emperor's lead.' No movement from heavy hitters in the emperor faction's northern Astraea, so an external force deeply tied to the emperor. And skills verified by Astraea eyewitnesses."
Having neatly jotted down his organized notes, he let out a sigh and pondered for a moment.
The emperor's direct involvement carried massive weight. If it wasn't the emperor's faction within the empire, the only viable players were the theocracy's holy knights—who utterly despised the Demon God Cult—or Imir Kingdom's high nobles, whose national power could contend.
But if the theocracy had moved, the emperor would lack solid proof to claim it as his own doing. It'd be too clean to pin on a holy knight of the Goddess faith.
That left a high noble from the kingdom as the prime suspect. But which of them would be slinging drinks in Astraea...?
"...Only one fits the age too. Julius Lebedev, the academy dropout gone mysteriously off-grid. He had ties to the emperor in childhood, so unknown channels wouldn't be surprising."
The top candidate was Lebedev's prodigy son. Seemed cut off from the family, but you couldn't touch him—not with that power, not with that bloodline. Fight him, and you'd lose. Pressure him politically, and he'd shake it off if he wanted.
Of course, it was hard to swallow that a figure representing Imir's next generation was holed up brewing drinks.
"Better shelve any thoughts of profit."
That was a hornet's nest. Knowing the identity alone could be a killer card later, but pushing now would get his own throat ripped out.
Best to bide his time quietly.
No need to tip off even his patrons. If his own strings ever got cut, this could be his ace in the hole.
**
"Aigo."
Whether it was habit from early-morning bean roasting or from pre-academy dropout days spent training at dawn, my eyes popped open bright and early again. As I quietly stirred and sat up, Mina's eyes fluttered open beside me.
Maybe because elves had keener senses than humans on average, or from all the vigilant nights camping in the labyrinth, she woke almost the instant I moved.
"Waking up in the morning to the manager right there."
"Why phrase it like that...?"
"Spent the night under the same roof."
"Heh."
Since we'd both woken up together and there was only one bathroom, I yielded the indoor one to Mina and opted for the backyard hose I'd rigged for watering.
Underwear was unavoidable, but I figured she'd be uncomfortable changing after a late night without fresh clothes, so I dug out some relatively unisex, smaller-sized stuff from my wardrobe, left it by her door, locked the back door behind me, and started washing up.
No way I wanted some rom-com trope of her barging in mid-wash.
Anyway, guy-style rinse—or the quick bucket shower from my demon border patrol days—and I headed back inside to find Mina wearing my clothes, sniffing the ones I'd shed.
"Gift it to me."
"Way too bold, aren't you?"
"At least the underwear."
"Of all things, that..."
Before I could reach, she snatched my undies and stuffed them into her bosom like a taunt—dare you to try taking them now. I just sighed and gave up.
At least I got my regular clothes back. Small mercies.
Figuring roasting could wait today, I took Mina to the cafe, where Leimi was blinking blearily with bedhead, and Dalia looked wan, stomach probably churning from booze.
"Want to wash up?"
"Uh. Yeah. Huh? Oh. Right, crashed at the cafe..."
"Yeah. Mina and I already did. Bathroom upstairs is free."
"...You two washed together?"
"...Let's wake you up first."
Last time I went for those promised accessories in the morning, she seemed half-asleep too.
I quietly fired up the espresso machine and waited. Once the water hit temp, I pulled a shot, brought it over. She shuffled like drawn by invisible strings and took a sip.
Blinking a few times, she seemed to snap to, flushing a bit embarrassed.
"...Did I just spout nonsense?"
"Asked if Mina and I washed together."
"Total nonsense. The manager—whose libido I'd suspect was busted—wouldn't."
"Nah, it's fine. Pretty normal, actually."
"You're excessively wholesome."
"Mina, tone it down a notch."
I warned Leimi not to brag about my underwear.
She sensed my grab attempt like a ghost and tucked it back into her chest.
Leimi eyed my undies, first startled, then incredulous.
"...I have my own, you know. Bragging about that is kinda..."
Dalia still looked and sounded queasy, so after a moment's thought, I mixed honey into lukewarm water and handed it over.
She'd been trying to tame her sweat-mussed hair from overnight boozing. She took the honey water, sipped, while Leimi—who showed no rush to shower—headed to the bathroom first instead.
I lent her some clothes to replace the booze-reeked, sweat-soaked ones. By the time I returned, Leimi—fully alert now—had drained her coffee.
Figured group breakfast was smart, so I whipped up easy toast and pancakes. Mina started prepping veggies for a simple salad she could eat comfortably.
Everyone had work soon anyway, so nothing fancy. Finished the morning grub, pulled coffees all around, and brought them out as Dalia emerged from the bathroom, already perky.
"Ugh, I owe you big time."
"No big deal."
"I'll pay it back somehow later. And thanks for the meal."
"Me too. Looks good."
"Mm. Same."
The meal passed with just the occasional clink of dishes. Clearing the table left the usual coffee cups—like any morning gathering.
Perfect setup. Satisfyingly tidy.
"Thanks for the meal. Oh, right. Wasn't just here to get sloshed yesterday. Wanted to talk about that damn old coot."
"Huh? Something up? Thought it wrapped clean."
"That's the weird part. Guy torments anyone with a weakness viciously, but he's got killer political instincts—sniffs out bad vibes instantly. Whatever it is, he might've sensed something off about you."
"Dunno what vibe that'd be."
"I agree with Dalia. Foot in every door—could dig up convincing intel anywhere. He only knows your face, so who knows how far he'll chase."
"His name's Elvin, right? I'll keep it in mind."
"Smart. Anything happens, we'll back you—hit us up."
"Count me in. Message via Leimi."
Mina quietly signaled her buy-in with a hand gesture from the side.
Though cradling her precious chestful kinda ruined the mood.