Chapter 76: The Wizard Ingelam
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 76: The Wizard Ingelam
Lilweed, the unfortunate elven entrepreneur who had been betrayed by his business partner and lost everything, changed his strategy to one of recruitment.
After confessing everything—his drug business, the new makeshift elevator he’d installed, and the breakdown of his partnership—he asked with a rather desperate look on his face,
“W-won’t you… join forces with me…?”
“A party of your skill could do it. If we work together, we can take down Ingelam.”
“…”
“That’s all I need. My only goal is to get revenge on Ingelam. I don’t want anything else. If you help me…”
Lilweed swallowed hard.
“…I’ll give you magic equipment. Anything you want from what we have.”
“Why would we need to do that?”
Back Attack suddenly cut Lilweed off, yanking him by the hair.
“Couldn’t we just kill you now and take everything? Isn’t that simpler and more profitable?”
“No! You can’t! No!” Lilweed shrieked in terror.
“What are you talking about! We don’t have a criminal record, legally speaking!”
He added hastily, “If you kill us now, you’ll be the criminals! You’ll be the ones looting! The Public Security Headquarters will investigate you! You! I’m serious! We’re innocent…!”
“You’re not innocent. You might be clean on other things, but you’re definitely a replica maker, right? We can prove that even after we kill you, can’t we?” Back Attack pressed again.
He used the tip of his bloodstained dagger, the one he’d used to stab Lilweed in the back, to tug at the chain of his pendant.
“We just have to take this pendant and have it investigated. That’s proof enough. Then we can just say we killed you for that reason, right?”
“No! That’s not a crime punishable by death! I’m serious, please!”
Hmm.
Technically, from a strictly legal standpoint, he was right. We shouldn’t kill him now.
Of course, making replicas was a crime, and we could prove it with the pendant, but we still couldn’t just attack and kill him privately.
That’s because replica manufacturing didn’t pose an immediate threat to Labyrinth adventurers.
For example, if a wizard like Antonelli was conducting an unauthorized experiment that could trigger a monster wave? We could kill him. If we ran into a group of looters like Sally’s? We could kill them, too.
But Lilweed, the replica maker, was a matter for the Public Security Headquarters.
If we killed them now, we might get some leniency based on the fact that Mrs. Renick had been scammed, but we’d also be punished for taking the law into our own hands.
“In that case, boss, should we call the constables as planned?”
“No! Please! I told you everything!” Lilweed yelped, jumping in protest.
“If I was going to involve the Public Security Headquarters, I would have done it myself! I would have told them the elevator’s location and everything about Ingelam! I would have asked them to catch him!”
He probably would have.
If he wanted revenge on Ingelam, that would be the easiest way.
But the reason he couldn’t was that if Ingelam was caught, he would be too.
Ingelam would surely spill everything—the makeshift elevator, the replica manufacturing, and the drug business.
“I-I just want to deal with Ingelam quietly, on my own. That’s all. I don’t care about anything else. So please, just let us go… I’ll give you magic equipment. I swear.”
Moments of choice like this often appeared in the game.
A criminal I’d caught might offer a bribe to be let go.
In the game, I would have weighed the stability and profit of the deal, or how useful the person might be in the future.
But now…
“There’s more you haven’t told us.”
Lilweed’s goal wasn’t just simple revenge.
“You want your business back, don’t you?”
His original plan was probably to lure us to the ironworks, team up with us to eliminate Ingelam, and then strike us when we were exhausted.
Then he’d take the Convergence Core, churn out a bunch of replicas, and head home.
“Isn’t that why you brought all this magic equipment?”
“Th-that… N-no… that’s not…”
“Yernil.”
“Yes!”
Yernil handed me her notebook.
“Sh… shit.”
Lilweed yelled at his men.
“Do something, you bastards!”
If they wanted a fight, I was more than happy to oblige.
“What the hell is this?”
Chief Constable Neko was dumbfounded by the message that had suddenly arrived.
“Lilweed is a replica maker, a drug dealer, built a makeshift elevator, was originally partnered with the poachers, they had a falling out… what is all this?”
“Good heavens.”
The human male priest, who was looking at the note with her, let his jaw drop.
He was Andrew, a priest of the Order of Nathaniel who also worked for the Public Security Headquarters.
“I remember now.”
He also had a slight connection to the replica case. After all, Andrew was the constable who had caught the black market dealer, confiscated his assets, and returned them to Mrs. Renick.
“So that Monk was Mrs. Renick’s husband.”
“…”
The note also included a sketch drawn by Yernil.
[Our team’s archer has seen Ingelam’s face, so I’m sharing a sketch.]
The constables examined the drawing closely.
“The drawing is…”
“Poorly done.”
“Hmm.”
Yernil had no talent for drawing.
Neko thought it looked similar to something her nephew would draw.
“Still, this is a huge break,” Priest Andrew said.
“Let’s arrest Lilweed’s party first.”
“Right.”
But instead of heading toward Caleb’s location, Neko’s party took out a notebook and a message-sending wand.
There was another constable team closer to Caleb’s position.
“I need to contact Public Security Team 2.”
Neko wrote a note and sent the message.
[Caleb’s party and Lilweed’s party, whom they have apprehended, are on the direct path from the Stair Gate to the Lava Pond. Lilweed is a replica manufacturing suspect. Apprehend them and exit the Labyrinth immediately.]
At the same time, she added another instruction.
[Also, request additional support from the Public Security Headquarters. The poacher team’s leader is Ingelam.]
As a wizard, Neko knew that name.
And it made her uneasy.
Their current forces might not be enough.
[He’s the 5th-floor wizard who used to compete with Inspector Ennes.]
The opponent was more dangerous and powerful than Neko had feared.
He had suddenly retired, claiming he was bored with being an adventurer, but he was once the most promising prodigy at the magic university.
He had cleared up to the 5th floor at the fastest pace in history. That record still stood unbroken.
If he hadn’t quit being an adventurer midway, he might have reached the Deep Layer by now.
That was the kind of reputation he had.
Even now, many professors at the magic university lamented his decision to quit Labyrinth adventuring.
[So, be sure to request support…]
Her pen came to a halt.
Wait a minute.
If Team 2 goes to Caleb now, takes custody of Lilweed, finds an exit room, clears it, and then requests support, how long will it take for reinforcements from the Public Security Headquarters to re-enter the 4th floor and reach the ironworks?
An eternity.
Could she be sure Ingelam wouldn’t escape in the meantime?
It would be a relief if Ingelam hadn’t even entered the 4th floor this time because of his last fight with the Labyrinth Union.
Then he’d be somewhere in Sohen, and the constables could just raid his location and arrest him.
But what if he was on the 4th floor now, and he left before the support team arrived?
“…”
Ingelam would escape to another Labyrinth through the Wallspace. He’d emerge in some remote village.
He was a meticulous person. Before returning to Sohen, he would definitely check the mood at the Public Security Headquarters. If word of Lilweed’s arrest leaked, he might not come back at all.
Then it wouldn’t be a Sohen-wide manhunt, but an international one.
Could they even catch him then?
…
Neko bit her lip.
Couldn’t they just control the information about Lilweed’s arrest so Ingelam wouldn’t find out?
But the Public Security Headquarters already had a history of operational leaks.
Back when Inspector Ennes was involved.
His words came back to her.
That it wasn’t the Public Security Headquarters that protected the Labyrinth City of Sohen. That they didn’t have that kind of power.
It was a cruel but accurate assessment. They couldn’t even find the wanted criminals hiding within Blackdog, so how could they possibly catch an international fugitive?
“Ah, damn it!”
Anger at her own powerlessness, and that of the organization she belonged to, surged through her.
“This is so…”
She ran her hands through her hair in frustration.
“This is so humiliating…”
But this was the only way. They had to catch him now. And if they lacked the manpower…
[…And try asking Caleb’s party for help as well.]
Neko added one more sentence to the end of the note.
The terrifying destructive power of the wizard who had crushed Ennes at the Blackdog gambling den kept replaying in her mind.
Mass disguise magic could create generic appearances, but it could also copy specific targets.
When tricking a monster like a Banshee, simply disguising as ordinary children would suffice. But it wasn’t so simple when trying to fool the veteran adventurers of the 4th floor.
For example, if they disguised themselves as Antonelli’s party, they’d hear something like this:
‘Fuck, Antonelli’s party is already dead! These guys are poachers! Attack!’
The same would happen if they tried to vaguely imitate an active party on the 4th floor.
‘Didn’t you cut your hair short…?’
‘You guys said you weren’t coming this season.’
‘Didn’t they replace their priest last time?’
The adventurers on the 4th floor were no pushovers. They were all veterans who had survived the scams, betrayals, and tricks of countless looters on the lower floors.
A half-assed disguise would be easily spotted.
So, what was the solution?
“You enter the 4th floor first through the Wallspace, then find another party and disguise yourselves as them. Identical, from head to toe.”
That’s why Ingelam’s party had an Avian Rogue.
He would use his invisibility skill, fly up, and use the incredible eyesight unique to the Avian race to find another regular party.
Then, Ingelam would cast a sophisticated mass disguise spell targeting them.
Ingelam’s party, now a perfect decal-like copy, would face no interference on their way to the ironworks.
As long as they didn’t run into the party they were copying, no one would suspect the faces they’d seen in the waiting room.
It had worked every time.
A human wizard, an Avian Rogue, a Barbarian fighter, and a Halfling druid.
This was the composition of Ingelam’s party, whose appearances were completely altered by disguise magic.
Thanks to this, Ingelam’s party had never once been exposed, succeeding every time in snatching the Convergence Cores and reaping the sweet rewards.
“But how did they know it was us?”
The wizard Ingelam swept back his damp hair.
“I don’t understand.”
At his feet, a dying dwarf was gasping for breath.
“How did they know just by looking at us that we were using disguise magic, that we were poachers?”
The moment that Dwarf party had encountered the disguised Ingelam party, they had attacked, shouting that they were poachers.
“Is there something that mass disguise can’t copy? Some kind of identification item that illusions can’t replicate?”
Ingelam stroked his chin and tilted his head.
“What could it be?”
Even if the party they were copying was standing right next to them, it would be like a spot-the-difference game with eight people.
It would have been difficult to guess without a clue.
“Isn’t it the card on their shoulder?”
Unfortunately for the Public Security Headquarters, Ingelam’s party included an Avian with exceptional eyesight and perception.
Since their identity had never been exposed before, no one had considered they might have such a rare race among them.
“The Remaining Party Check Card. They had it on their shoulders, but when the fight turned bad, they tore it off and ripped it up.”
The Avian Rogue pointed to the dwarf’s shoulder.
“Did he rip it so we couldn’t take it?”
“Looks like it.”
“Do you remember how many parties were left?”
“I think it was 18. I’m not sure exactly.”
Ingelam clicked his tongue, tore a piece of paper from his notebook, and cut it to the right size.
He clipped it to his own shoulder.
“Disguise.”
He cast a spell, turning it into a Remaining Party Check Card.
[Current 4th Floor Adventurer Parties: 18]
“I said it might not be exactly 18. I don’t remember,” the Avian Rogue said, sounding burdened by the possibility of being blamed later.
At the same time, the dwarf pinned underfoot let out a sneer.
“Idiot.”
As Ingelam’s party turned their gazes on him, the dwarf grinned again.
“I ripped the card. You think there’d still be eighteen teams left?”
“Ah.”
Ingelam let out a small laugh.
“Right. Thanks for telling me.”
[Current 4th Floor Adventurer Parties: 17]
Ingelam corrected the number.
But the dwarf landed another blow.
“He actually changed it. What a bunch of idiots, khahaha.”
“…Aish.”
The sole of the wizard’s boot stomped down on the dwarf’s chest in annoyance.
“Keok!”
“Tell me exactly how many teams were left.”
“Besides… no matter what number you write, you’ll be caught eventually,” the dwarf said.
The reason was that the number would constantly change. More constable teams could enter, or someone could leave through an exit room. Or, if a party was on the verge of death in an accident, they might rip the card themselves, just as this dwarf had.
“Rack your brains over that one…”
The dwarf’s eyes slowly closed.
“This has gotten a bit annoying,” Ingelam said to his Avian companion.
“You’re going to have to work for it. I’ll periodically drop the disguise, so before we meet another party, use your Avian sight to read the number on their card. It’s the only way.”
“What did you say?”
The constable from Public Security Team 2 was making an unexpected request.
“Um… the opponent is a rather strong wizard party. We were wondering if you might be able to assist with the arrest operation.”
I’d subdued Lilweed’s party and called them to come pick them up, and now this is what they say?
“If we let him get away now, catching him could become extremely difficult. We will request support from the Public Security Headquarters once we leave through an exit room, but…”
The constable glanced at me nervously.
“Hah. Just what you’d expect from Blackdog’s B-team…” Back Attack muttered with displeasure, and Aimus nudged him in the ribs.