Tsk, No Plans for Overtime
“Tsk……”
A magic circle drawn in blood. The Reverse Star of Misfortune. And the trees around the rotten magic circle. No doubt about it. This was definitely the black magic that had been eradicated ten years ago.
“They even drew an illusionary barrier to keep people away.”
On top of that, there was a spell woven in to tangle the mana flow, making it impossible for mages to approach. At least three spells etched simultaneously into a magic circle the size of a schoolyard. Exquisite work. Not the handiwork of a novice.
So that's why the Magic Tower failed to properly investigate.
The on-site investigators were mere 3rd Rank or 4th Rank mages at best. But the circle before his eyes was the machination of at least a 6th Rank mage.
Woooong!
The magic circle was still emanating a ferocious energy, voraciously sucking in the vitality around it. If left alone, it would drain even his own life force where he stood.
Do-jin placed his hand on the origin, where the circle had first been drawn. Sticky blood smeared onto his palm. He began unraveling the tangled mana flows radiating from the center like a ball of yarn, severed in places.
There were two ways to resolve artificially disrupted mana flows. Cut the power by tracing back to the source, like he was doing now. Or destroy the magic circle itself. The latter risked explosion, so the principled approach was to eliminate the root.
Contaminated mana drained of vitality and pure mana yet untouched began coursing through his body. Dizziness hit him instantly.
“Urk!”
A horrific headache struck, and the surrounding mana crashed over him. The backlash of forcibly absorbing lifeless mana into his body. His frame shuddered like a patient racked with severe illness.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The unquenched magic circle began to resist. He gritted his teeth against the sensation of massive hammers pounding his chest.
Damn it.
“Grrraaah!”
Reassembling a mana distortion of this scale wasn't for the faint-hearted mage. Especially with the ambient mana corrupted.
“Kahk!”
Blood erupted with his cough. A sharp pain stabbed his chest, furrowing his brow. But thanks to it, the surrounding mana flows began stabilizing bit by bit.
He untangled the core knot. Given time, the ambient mana would return to normal.
And.
Weeeeng.
The magic circle lost its glow and power, as if disconnected from its source.
“Haa, haa.”
He wiped the blood from his mouth with a handkerchief. Damn it.
“Shouldn't have taken this job.”
All the suffering for him alone. Shit. He'd make sure to settle this properly and get fully compensated.
Shhh shhh.
He could feel the disrupted mana flows gradually settling back into place. This circle was definitely the culprit.
Do-jin scooped up some of the blood composing the circle with his finger.
“Doesn't seem like human blood……”
Goat. The smell, taste, and texture matched.
Using animal blood. The perpetrator had considerable expertise in black magic. Motive unknown, but black magic's revival—right next to the empire's capital, no less—was no small matter.
The Magic Tower's in for some heat.
Whether deliberate negligence or incompetence, failing to detect black magic was their blunder. The Tower Lord would bear the responsibility.
He gazed at the magic circle's dead center. A single blood-red glowing gem.
“Anyone can see it's made by absorbing all the surrounding vitality.”
He snatched the ominous gem floating in midair.
Not as much power as expected.
Meager compared to the vitality it had drained. Clearly replaced at least once.
As he pondered disposing of the gem—
“You solved it?”
Luna arrived, clutching her head. With the mana distortion gone, her expression was far more relieved than before.
“Yeah. All done. You feeling better?”
“Much now. Feels like I just overdid it on booze last night.”
Luna's face darkened upon belatedly spotting the magic circle.
“This is……”
“A black magic circle. Don't know the perp, but they went all out. Absorbing ambient vitality to craft this gem.”
He handed the crimson gem to Luna.
“No way……”
“You know what it is?”
“A manastone. Artificially made ones glow red like this. I heard some black magic school could create them. Thought it was lost tech, only in ancient texts……”
“Looks like it's back.”
“Yes. The Shillaks faction—called the worst black mages—did it this way.”
Do-jin knew the name. He'd skimmed imperial magic history under duress once.
Shillaks, the worst black mage, who used human blood as sacrifice to raise undead legions and golem armies, waging full war on the empire. The empire had burned all his knowledge and grimoires.
If similar tech had resurfaced—
“Could infer other black magics are reviving too.”
“Very possible. Damn, if it's really Shillaks tech…… this is gonna blow up big.”
She gnashed her teeth. Her eyes blazed with fury—not from grand duty, but something more primal.
“Already swamped, and now overtime for sure……”
The desperate rage of a civil servant facing mandatory extra hours.
“Might not be Shillaks.”
“What do you mean?”
“Drawn in goat blood.”
Goat blood. Utterly different from that human-sacrificing school's direction. Shillaks earned his infamy through human sacrifices in every spell.
“That's odd.”
Luna stroked her chin, deep in thought.
“More complicated than I thought. Might even pull all-nighters……”
Do-jin silently offered condolences to the frazzled Luna. Not his workload.
“Preserve the scene and report up. Stand by till the imperial investigation team arrives.”
“Got it.”
After reporting to the lake via crystal orb, Luna reexamined the crimson circle.
“By the way, handling such a massive circle solo…… You're something else, boss. So cool.”
Alternating glances between him and the circle, Luna grinned ear to ear.
“Cool? Anyone would've done it.”
He shoved away Luna, who looked ready to pounce.
“Eek! Touching me like that……”
“Cut the crap and rest. Your guts are probably churning—push it and you'll regret it.”
“You can fix anything, boss. Our fixer, the dashing store manager.”
Keeping the clingy Luna at bay was quite the workout.
“It's natural for a girl to want to cling to a cool guy!”
Chaotic. So chaotic.
Less than thirty minutes later, the imperial investigation team arrived. Mages, knights, and heresy inquisitors swarmed in on reports of a presumed black magic circle. Magic Tower, palace, even the Church. A full mobilization order for black magic's supposed extinction.
Must've been pandemonium. The emperor probably threw a fit—everyone looked pale and haggard.
All the annoying folks had shown up. Plenty of unwelcome faces too.
The Church group bristled upon seeing Do-jin on site.
“Ahem, what a coincidence the manager's here. Like a scripted play.”
The cardinal still eyed him suspiciously, deep down deeming him a heretic. Back when the convenience store first opened, he'd called him the devil's incarnation sowing temptation. Old habits died hard.
“Just passing by, happened upon it. Came for a walk in the woods—talk about coincidence.”
No need to mention Crown Prince Astur's orders.
“Anyway, that's all from me. Circle set by at least a 6th Rank mage, using ritual to craft artificial manastone. Dismantled now.”
“Our thanks for your aid.”
Unlike the prickly cardinal, the knight commander saluted crisply after the report.
“No big deal. Just got lucky.”
Ah, dragged into this mess—bad luck, huh.
With knights, mages, and Church inquisitors here, his role was done. They were far more specialized.
“Please investigate thoroughly. I'll be off then.”
The empire's ordinary convenience store manager had no further business. Time to head back and sell goods. Poor Sylvia, forced to cover while he rested—guilt gnawing at him.
‘It's fine, boss! Just pay the night shift bonus!’
Sylvia's gleeful face lingered in his mind.
As Jane, he left Luna to the knights' questioning. She'd relay details and the secured gem perfectly.
Another fulfilling day.
Luna—or rather, Jane in disguise—watched Do-jin depart the scene.
What a guy.
She couldn't even approach the forest heart due to the mana warp, yet he'd waltzed in, dismantled the black magic circle solo, handed her the key evidence manastone, and left without a backward glance.
—Report to HQ that you handled it.
Do-jin's words while awaiting the team.
No greed for glory? How many could casually yield merits worthy of imperial medals?
Not hung up on fame. Nor money-obsessed. Womanizer? Hardly. With his handsome looks, immense power, and wealth, any woman could be his—yet he held a lofty poise, rebuffing advances.
Impressive in every way. His uniqueness piqued the intel agent's curiosity.
Any way to……?
But no time for reverie.
“Report.”
Sir Marcus, emperor's direct knight and Crown Prince Astur's confidant, called her.
Heading back to the store after wrapping up—
Madam's message summoning him. VVIP. Crown Prince Astur. Had to be about the circle. Nothing else fit. No way they'd task him with handling black magic. Tsk, no overtime intentions.