Chapter 41: I Won’t Bite, So Don’t Be Scared
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 41: I Won’t Bite, So Don’t Be Scared
My heart sank.
How did he know?
Isel felt her breath catch, and she took an involuntary step back.
The person before her was a scrawny Tier 1 wizard, a mere freshman who had just enrolled in the magic university. As an adventurer, he had only explored the first floor of the Labyrinth a couple of times at most.
No matter how many achievements he’d racked up there, no matter how astounding his performance had been to the professors, Caleb was still a rookie, far beneath Isel.
And yet, she was afraid.
Isel was not one to be easily shaken, but she was now gripped by a profound sense of bewilderment and fear.
How does he know? How in the world? Did he overhear our conversation?
Isel replayed the moment she had met Enver for a brief, secret talk by the door.
The hallway had been empty.
If someone had used an auditory-type spell, there was no way Isel and Enver wouldn't have noticed. So it wasn't magic. In that case…
Sound mapping!
The term flashed through Isel’s mind like lightning.
It wasn't a common ability, but some people were born with such a blessed talent. They could track random noises over a wide area and form a concrete picture of the situation. It was similar to how people with perfect pitch could hear a sound and instantly identify its exact note.
He has sound mapping!
That elf archer!
Think back to when they first entered this maze. Hadn't that elf told Caleb she couldn't hear any other teams?
She’s used to tracking people by listening to their voices!
Damn it.
To make such a fatal mistake. There was a reason Caleb kept that incompetent rookie around.
No, wait a minute.
Thinking it over again, that didn't explain everything.
Even if the elf was a sound mapper, to eavesdrop on a whispered conversation from a great distance, she would have to focus her hearing with immense concentration. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to hear it. It was like being in a bustling market; the low murmurs and chatter would just pass you by, never registering in your mind.
But how?
In the middle of a crowded party that lasted five hours, from six to eleven in the evening, how did she manage to pinpoint the exact moment Enver and Isel were speaking in secret? It couldn't have been more than a few minutes.
Could she have done that unless she’d been suspicious of Enver from the start and had been listening in for all five hours? Even a sound mapper couldn't maintain that level of concentration to eavesdrop for so long.
If that's the case…
It wasn't because of the elf's sound mapping.
No.
Maybe she didn't have sound mapping at all.
Perhaps he hadn't found out by eavesdropping. Maybe. No way.
He didn't find out today…?
A chill ran down her spine.
Isel’s reasoning was heading in an increasingly terrifying direction.
Caleb knew even before then.
Enver had said he'd never exchanged a single word with Caleb before meeting him at the party today.
Then how did he know?
They’d never even greeted each other, so how?
Insane.
Maybe it was possible.
This was the man who’d spotted a few corpse illusions while sprinting, identified the Banshee, and launched a preemptive strike with a message scroll.
He had seen through Enver in the same way.
And in that same way…
He found out that I'm connected to Enver's club?
Enver had been in his sights for a long time. And the one caught today wasn't Enver, but Isel herself.
“…”
Cold sweat beaded on her skin.
For a moment, Isel felt a chill as if she were facing the Deep Layer of the Labyrinth. It was the kind of fear that came from not knowing what might leap out from the abyss below, an abyss so deep it felt like you could never reach the bottom. It was like dropping a stone into a chasm and never hearing it land, a depth you couldn't possibly fathom.
She couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of abyss lay within the mind of this scrawny freshman wizard.
“Isel.”
“…”
“Calm down.”
Caleb said.
But Isel couldn't calm down. Even more terrifying thoughts were now surfacing in her mind.
Caleb… he came here after killing a Possessor in Wyndham…
And one more thing.
Meldini adores Caleb, thinking of him almost as her own disciple.
This freshman was holding Meldini like a knife, pressing it right against her and Enver’s necks!
“Isel!”
Caleb stepped closer. He backed her to the very edge of a cliff, then held out his hand.
“Don't be nervous. I joined Isilof's club, not Meldini's, remember?”
“…”
That made it even stranger.
He’d killed a Possessor, so she thought he might be a Possessor himself to have joined Isilof, but that wasn't it either. She thought maybe he wanted nothing to do with factions like Meldini's after his time as a slave for murder, but he was on friendly terms with her. She thought it was just networking, but then he suddenly drops, ‘You guys are with the Possessor Enver, right?’
This is driving me crazy!
His unpredictable position was making Isel feel like she was losing her mind.
*
Isel.
I'm not going to eat you, so calm down…
You look like you're about to cry.
“I have no intention of harming any Possessors. And of course, I’ll keep your secret.”
The reason Isel was having a complete meltdown was because she was a smart wizard. After all, she was a brilliant individual who had graduated from the elite course. Her mind must be racing with a million thoughts right now. When did I find out, how did I find out, will I expose them to Meldini, what happens then.
I have no intention of doing that.
For now.
“I just want to talk.”
At that, Isel swallowed hard.
“Wh-what do you want?”
She seemed to realize she had failed to control her expression and that there was no point in denying it anymore.
“I have a feeling Professor Enver will convene a Possessor meeting to talk about me.”
“—!”
A new wave of shock spread across Isel’s face.
“Tell me what you know about that meeting.”
“I-I don't know the details,” Isel said. “The meeting is held by a secret club within the magic university. The Possessors use disguise magic to change their appearance when they attend. Only non-Possessors like me have their identities revealed…”
It was best to only half-believe information that came out like this. Use it, assuming it's true, but always keep in mind the possibility that it's fake.
“If you’re not a Possessor, Isel, why did you join that club?”
“…”
Isel hesitated, her face suddenly turning red.
“To… to…”
She confessed as if letting out a sigh.
“To learn… the magic binding method… at first…”
So that's the elite path you took, Isel.
I could roughly picture the situation. The Possessor cartel formed within the magic university must have approached Isel to ensure their own safety. Their plan was likely to use the eldest daughter of a prestigious magic family as a puppet, securing the power of the Berten family as their backing. And Isel, just a young student at the time, had eagerly grabbed the rope they offered.
But now, Isel was a Tier 5 wizard. Hadn't she squeezed out just about all the magical knowledge she could from them?
She said she joined the club ‘at first’ to learn the binding method. What about now?
“I… can't talk about that.”
When I pressed her, Isel bit her lip, her expression turning grim.
This wasn't going to be easy.
“You don't know this, you can't talk about that…”
“…”
“I haven't gained a single piece of information.”
Isel fidgeted, not knowing what to do.
“I-I'll do anything else. If you want money, I can give you money…”
“I have plenty of money myself.”
“Then…”
“Isel. Instead of information that's difficult to give, I'll ask for something easier. If you cooperate, I won't say a word about you and Professor Enver.”
Isel swallowed hard again.
“You work in the eastern region, don't you?”
“Yes.”
“I'm from Wyndham in the east, too.”
“…”
“When you go back, I need you to investigate two people for me.”
“Who?”
“Two of my old party members.”
I came here as a slave, convicted of murdering my Fox Spirit comrade. But there were two other members in my party.
What were those two up to now?
If I were to run into them by chance, they would sense that I was different from the Caleb they knew, and that would become a threat to me.
Someone like Isel would be a decent informant to have stationed in Wyndham.
“What do you say? You'll be buying information with information.”
“…”
Isel gritted her teeth, looking mortified.
“Fine…”
The corners of her eyes turned red. For a wizard who had walked the elite path and built up a strong sense of pride, it was humiliating to submit to this kind of blackmail and do as she was told.
Should I lighten the mood and offer a carrot now? To tame someone like Isel and make her my ally, I needed to get the push-and-pull just right.
“About the reason you're hanging out with Enver's club now.”
It used to be to learn the magic binding method, but that had changed. What was the reason now?
Probably…
“You're trying to get to the Deep Layer, aren't you?”
“—!”
Her expression told me I was right.
“H-how…?”
How did I know? Because Isel's reaction so far had been a bit too extreme to be just about her concern for Enver. If she wasn't a Possessor herself, she wouldn't be in any danger, so why go to such lengths? Was she really willing to protect Enver to the point of becoming my informant in Wyndham, even though they weren't lovers?
Why?
What reason could Isel, the eldest daughter of Sohen's most powerful family, possibly have to need Enver? Whether it was money, power, or anything else, Isel had far more. Besides, Isel had no interest in high society and couldn't care less about her reputation. All she did was go out east and research the Labyrinth.
“There's really only one thing Professor Enver's club can offer someone like you.”
Knowledge.
In the past, it was the magic binding method. Now that she was a Tier 5 wizard and that was meaningless…
“Knowledge of the Deep Layer.”
After all, they must have reached the Deep Layer and seen the Labyrinth Master in the game, even if it was on a lower difficulty. At the very least, they would have seen it through the guide videos I uploaded to MyTube.
“You've planned something for the Deep Layer, haven't you? That's the secret you and Professor Enver share. Right? That's why you can't let him get caught, isn't it?”
“…”
Isel’s legs trembled.
But there's no need to be scared, Isel.
“I can help you.”
Let's get in the same boat.
From now on, you will gather the information I want in Wyndham. And you will also act as my mole inside Enver's club.
In return…
“I will teach you. About the Deep Layer. I know more about it than Professor Enver's club.”
A professor's club versus a freshman.
Putting them on the same level was absurd to begin with, but Isel began to consider it seriously.
“I'm not forcing you. You can choose not to make a deal with me, just find my two old party members, and we can be done.”
“…”
“But if you're interested in working with me, let me know before we leave the mansion today. Tell me everything, including that Deep Layer plan.”
Let's leave it at that for now.
Since I hold all the cards, all I have to do is slowly reel her in.
“Ah.”
But I need to make this clear.
“At the club meeting Professor Enver calls, don't mention our conversation.”
“—!”
Isel’s body trembled violently.
“Y-yes…”
She nodded quietly.
“Let's go.”
With an almost mentally shattered Isel in tow, I resumed navigating the route.
“Um… Caleb.”
Yernil, who had been cautiously watching our intense conversation without being able to chime in, sidled up to me.
How much of that conversation did Yernil understand?
“Are we really rich?”
You didn't understand, did you?
It's okay. It's fine.
It's okay, Yernil! Don't feel bad!
You're the average Labyrinth beginner.
“Aren't we broke right now…?”
“We are for now. But we'll have a lot of money soon. We still haven't received the reward from the Order of Nathaniel for helping Bernard, we haven't sold the things we farmed in the Labyrinth, we haven't sold the items we got from defeating Sally's team, and we'll get an additional reward if we prove they were a plunderer group.”
“Oh?”
“On top of that, we still haven't received the reward from Lord Berten for recovering Abison's body, and we're going to win this game we bet on.”
I didn't buy you those clothes for nothing, you know.