Infinite Mana (9)
Negin was in a good mood. It was because the branch manager, who had been absent for so long, had finally returned.
“These are the documents regarding the renewal contract for the shop on East Street. These are the dispatch records and reports for the cleanup service over the past week. And these are…”
Negin kept stacking documents on the desk. Every single one required the branch manager’s approval. One sheet, two sheets… The pile had already reached the height of an encyclopedia. And there were still two more stacks like that waiting.
A bright smile bloomed across Negin’s face. During the time the branch manager had been away at the alliance conference, she had been buried under an absolute mountain of work. And it wasn’t just the regular workload—if only it had been that simple. The sudden appearance of that woman who called herself a dragon had made everything far more complicated.
But all that suffering was now in the past. The current Negin was in an absolutely delightful situation where she simply needed to unload all the pent-up resentment she had accumulated.
“Wait. Just wait a moment, Vice Branch Manager Negin.”
“What? You want coffee? There’s a coffee machine right over there, so help yourself. Actually, never mind. I’ll get it for you. Just don’t you dare move from that desk.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what is it? Lunch break was only an hour ago, there are no important meetings scheduled today, and there aren’t any external appointments you absolutely must attend. Don’t even think about running away.”
“R-run away? H-haha, of course not. I simply… yes. The restroom. I merely wanted to say I’d like to step out to the restroom for a bit.”
“Ah, the restroom? Why don’t you take a look under your desk?”
“Under the desk?”
Lee Hogwang, Branch Manager of the Shinsi branch of the Wolha Association, peered under his desk as Negin suggested. There sat a plastic container with a lid, a long, slightly curved opening—clearly designed for a very specific purpose. A suspicious object that had appeared right in the middle of a conversation about the restroom.
Lee Hogwang asked, half in disbelief, “Um… Vice Branch Manager Negin. Let me ask first—what exactly is this?”
Negin grinned. “What do you think it is? It’s a chamber pot. Just do your business in there. I even cast some spells on it so it doesn’t make any noise or let the smell leak out. It’s a special custom model. Oh, but don’t worry—I’ll step out while you’re using it. I have zero interest in watching an old man do his business. Since you’re a guy, thirty seconds should be plenty, right?”
“No, but, I mean, uh, that is…”
Lee Hogwang kept repeating “no” like a glitched game call until he finally scratched the back of his head and let out a long sigh. Then he suddenly lifted his head and spoke toward the door.
“Hm? Who is it? Come in.”
“Huh? I didn’t hear any knocking?”
Negin’s head naturally turned toward the door. In that instant, Lee Hogwang bolted for the window.
The branch manager’s office was on the tenth floor of the Wolha Association building. It was high enough that even a decent mage would be in serious trouble if they fell. But of course, a mere decent mage would never hold the position of branch manager.
“Hahaha! I’m just going for a little walk! I’ll be back before quitting time, so no need to worry—urk?!”
Thud!
Lee Hogwang had boldly declared victory as he leaped out the window, but his trajectory suddenly twisted and he slammed face-first into the wall beside it with spectacular force. It was Negin’s magic.
Negin sighed. “I had a feeling, but I really didn’t think you’d actually try to escape through the window. You’re the branch manager, so act like one.”
“Ugh… Even so, using magic is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“You’re the one who’s ‘a bit much.’ Do you have any idea how much I suffered while you were gone? This pile is what’s left after I handled everything I possibly could on my own.”
Negin patted the stack of documents. Knowing she was telling the truth, Lee Hogwang simply looked away and whistled a tune that refused to come out properly.
Then his gaze drifted to a certain point outside the window.
“Hm?”
“What is it this time? Don’t tell me there’s a dragon flying around in the sky? Dragons are just creatures from old myths… Well, I guess that’s not exactly true anymore.”
“No, that’s not it, Vice Branch Manager. Did the clock break while I was away?”
Lee Hogwang’s eyes were fixed on the tall clock tower rising in the center of Shinsi. It was a historic building that had existed long before personal clocks became widespread. It was also the source of the bell that rang at dawn to signal sunrise.
“Broken? I haven’t heard anything like that.”
Negin pulled out her smartphone to check the time. It was 2:30 p.m.—exactly what the clock tower outside was showing.
“Two thirty. It matches.”
“…That’s strange. The alliance leader should have arrived by now.”
Originally, Lee Hogwang had been scheduled to return to Shinsi on the same plane as the alliance leader. But after Negin had screamed at him over the phone to get back immediately, he had been forced to use an extremely expensive long-distance teleportation spell. Still, he had kept track of the leader’s flight schedule, so he knew roughly when the plane would depart and when it should arrive in Korea.
By this point, the plane should have landed at the airport and contact should have come long ago. Yet there had been no word at all.
Hearing this, Negin realized it wasn’t just nonsense meant to escape the mountain of paperwork.
“You think something might have gone wrong on the way?”
“I don’t want to think so, but it’s possible. Vice Branch Manager Negin, how many agents do we have who can move freely right now?”
“Right now? Hmm. Not that many, I’m afraid. Give me a second.”
It was the middle of a bright, sunny day—the equivalent of midnight for mages. Negin quickly ran through the numbers in her head, but no matter how she thought about it, the only people immediately available were the few assigned to cleanup service duty. And on average, they were only Rank 4. They weren’t exactly reliable in an emergency.
If they mobilized the entire security force it would be a bit more reassuring, but…
“…Ah.”
Two faces suddenly popped into Negin’s mind as she agonized. Donghyun and Goeun. The two Rank 5 mages she had recently hired for cleanup service. Officially, their main job was exactly what it said on the contract, but the real reason she had hired them was something else entirely.
Both of them were close to Ayoung, another Rank 5 mage. And Ayoung, in turn, was close to Serpina—the person Negin considered the highest-priority individual to monitor. Using that connection, it should be possible to contact Serpina somehow. And if Serpina stepped in, most problems would be resolved without issue.
In fact, it was hard to imagine any problem that Serpina couldn’t solve. A meteor strike, maybe? But…
As far as Negin knew, Serpina absolutely hated being used like that. The word “hate” didn’t even begin to cover it. Besides, even if she did reach out, there was no guarantee the dragon would agree to help. Negin was still weighing whether it was worth risking a worse relationship with Serpina when Lee Hogwang spoke up, as if reading her mind.
“If you’re worrying that much, just forget it. It’s because of that dragon woman in the reports, isn’t it? Better not to.”
“…But the alliance leader might be in danger?”
“True. It’s not certain, but the fact that it’s this late with no contact makes it quite likely.”
But, Lee Hogwang added, “That’s still no reason for us to rely on others. Surely you’re not saying we don’t have the confidence to handle it ourselves?”
“Hah.”
Negin let out a dry laugh. He was provoking her? Still, it didn’t feel bad at all. It felt like the tangled mess in her head had been wiped clean all at once.
“You’re right. We’re not at the level where we need to beg others for help.”
Having a powerful joker in hand was definitely a good thing. But becoming so fixated on that joker that you neglected your other cards was, without a doubt, something only an amateur would do.
Negin picked up the staff she had hung on the wall.
“Let’s go. You remember the plane’s flight path, right? We’ll follow that route and search for any areas where communication is being jammed.”
“Of course I remember. It’s been quite a while since I fought alongside you.”
“Why do you sound like you’re looking forward to it? We’re not going out to play—we’re going to rescue someone.”
Negin scolded him as she left the office first. If she issued an emergency request now, she might be able to bring along a few more useful mages.
Just before stepping through the door, something occurred to her and she added, “Oh, and just because something important came up doesn’t mean the paperwork disappears. You still have to finish it all when we get back, so don’t make a mess.”
“…Yes. Of course. I know.”
Under the bridge. Heerin walked up behind Heemang, who was blankly staring at the sky.
She picked up the little black kitten and hugged him to her chest. “Our little Heemang. Are you bored because no one’s playing with you? Just wait a little longer. I’m almost done with today’s work!”
She was currently waiting for the glue she had applied to dry. After that, she planned to attach colored paper and hammer in some plastic nails. That way, even if a wild boar suddenly charged in like last time, there wouldn’t be any problems.
(At least, that was what Heerin believed.)
“What were you looking at?”
Heerin followed Heemang’s gaze up into the sky. Far in the distance, a long contrail stretched across the blue.
“Wow! It’s a contrail! It’s so long!”
Heerin shouted with delight. The sound woke Serpina from her nap.
The dragon yawned widely. “Hwaaam… Contrails are pretty common. What’s all the fuss about?”
“But sis! It’s really long!”
“Well, yeah, it would be… Huh?”
As Serpina followed the direction Heerin was pointing, her brows slowly furrowed.
“That…”