The Book Eating Magician Chapter 62:
The Second Mission #2
Soon after receiving Veronica’s call, Vince hurried to the Tower Master’s office . Veronica told him the whole story and said that he would be one of the two people being dispatched . Vince’s expression hardened at the mention of the word ‘slave . ’ To him, a criminal organization which sold intelligent species for money were the worst gutter rats .
“I understand the mission,” Vince replied in a tone which was different from his usual cold self . “Liberate the slaves from the organization, [Shackler], and eliminate members of said organization . In addition, find out why they’ve come to Meltor and investigate the truth behind the deal, right?”
“Exactly . If there is some room, capture the commander . If you can’t afford it, torture and kill them . ”
“I understand . ”
It was a **** conversation, but this was normal when it came to Red Tower tasks . Things couldn’t always go smoothly, and sometimes violence was needed . The royal family allowed Red Tower magicians to commit violence, and they even had the right of execution depending on the circumstances .
Moreover, utilizing torture in order to extract information was, of course, acceptable . It was why Meltor’s villains didn’t dare go against red robes . War mages were an existence on an entirely different level to them .
“…Tower Master,” Vince spoke to the Red Tower Master instead of immediately leaving the room .
Apart from the difficulty of the mission, he didn’t want his disciple to dip his feet in a dirty ditch like this . It was enough for Vince to dirty his hands . He should be able to handle this much of a force on his own .
However, Veronica realized his thoughts and shook her head . “No . I don’t have a good feeling about this . The information from the White Tower is excellent, but they couldn’t find out everything . If there are more hidden forces, then you won’t be strong enough on your own . Take the kid . ”
“Theodore is still only 19 years old . ”
“He is also a 5th Circle magician . This Veronica has personally seen that he has a promising future . ”
The gazes of the two people clashed in the air . Neither of them doubted Theo’s skills . Theodore’s capabilities had already surpassed the top Average, and he could keep up with his mentor, Vince . Above all, it was important that the person involved, Theodore, didn’t intend to refuse the mission .
Theo took a step forward and broke the confrontation between the two people . “I will do it . ”
“You will?”
“I don’t want to send Master to a dangerous place alone . If I can be of assistance, then please let me accompany you . ”
Veronica smiled at his attitude . “The kid said so, Vince . ”
“…Then it can’t be helped . ”
“Well, think of this as the price for having a very good disciple . You don’t have to worry about him doing well . ”
In the end, she smiled at Vince and picked up a piece of parchment from her desk drawer . Then she wrote on it roughly with a pen and stamped it with her seal . The stamp had a special ink, which only the Red Tower Master could use, and a certificate holding her name .
Veronica threw the piece of parchment toward Vince . “This is my stamped order . If necessary, use it to ask for the cooperation of Earl Bergen . You may not be able to encircle the organization with just two people . ”
“Huh? Wouldn’t it be a nuisance for you to handle?”
“Hey, if I give it to you, then just accept it . What are you saying?” Veronica shouted, forcing Vince to accept the parchment with a grim expression .
Vince didn’t think it was a good idea, but he thanked her anyway . She didn’t finish there as she pulled out one more thing . “Kid, take this . ”
“Huh? Ah . ” A small pouch was placed on Theodore’s palm . The outward appearance of the pouch resembled something he knew . Veronica spoke and reminded him of something he had forgotten about, “Apparently, your dimension pocket hasn’t been reissued yet? So, I will lend you mine instead . ”
“Thank you for your consideration… Huh?” Theo made a confused sound as he found that the pocket had a strange weight .
“Tower Master, are there things inside?”
“Don’t mind the clutter . Potions, scrolls… These things aren’t very useful to me . ”
‘Why would she leave useless things in her dimension pocket?’ Theodore questioned inwardly, but he was able to see the reason after Veronica avoided his gaze . He smiled when he understood her secret intentions, while Veronica fanned her face with her hands . She still couldn’t hide her feelings .
“Go . I’ve said everything I needed to say . Old Man Shugel must be waiting . ”
“I understand . ” Vince and Theo answered at almost the same time, but unlike Vince, Theo didn’t turn around to leave . Instead, Theo looked at Veronica with a strange expression and said, “I will be back . ”
These last words were said soundlessly, with only the movement of his lips . He was embarrassed to say them in front of his master . However, the meaning of his words was conveyed . Veronica’s eyes widened, then she was smiling like a blooming flower .
***
Flash!
A light suddenly shone in a narrow space . It was an empty space without any furniture, and the dust on the floor rose up like a whirlwind . This was the phenomenon of spatial magic as people moved from Mana-vil Capital to Earl Bergen’s territory .
Two people appeared in the distorted space . This time, they weren’t accompanied by the caster of the magic, so Theo and Vince were the only ones to appear .
“…Hoo, these **** side effects haven’t changed . ” Vince was no exception to the dizziness caused by spatial magic as he pressed a hand to his forehead . It was an inevitable side effect which affected anyone other than the White Tower elders who crossed space repeatedly .
Theodore was also affected, but it wasn’t as bad for him as it was for Vince because Theo had experienced it recently .
“Should we take a rest for a while?”
“No, it is fine . This dizziness will go away quickly . ” As Vince said, he quickly regained his sense of balance . Then he immediately walked toward the exit .
Their location was a secret mansion on the outskirts of Bergen . It was a facility unavailable to magicians unless they were of a certain rank . Perhaps even Earl Bergen, the master of this territory, didn’t know about the existence of the mansion .
The two people from the capital opened the secret door into the back alley and naturally blended with the crowd .
“…I didn’t expect to come back to Bergen again . I sent a resignation letter after going to the capital,” Vince murmured as he saw the familiar city views .
In retrospect, they had only been gone for around a month . However, there was a strange sensation, like he had been away for a long time .
Theodore felt the same way . ‘The hobgoblin chief, Sylvia in the finals… the elder lich, the grimoire, and Veronica . ’
He had struggled against monsters and met a genius he never thought he would reach in his lifetime . Theo had also encountered a monster he’d only read about in books and survived . Unexpectedly, Theo had even gotten acquainted with an unimaginable person who asked him to call her, ‘Sister . ’
Theodore had gone through so much in just one month . Vince had accepted Theo’s diploma for him, but that didn’t matter . Those days were like a dream in the night .
‘…No, it isn’t . ’ Theo denied it firmly as he looked at his heart . The five circles were moving as they followed the instructions of their master . It was clear evidence that the past month hadn’t been a dream .
At that moment, Vince spoke quietly, “Theo . ”
“Yes, Master . ”
“Let’s look around first . We came secretly, so we shouldn’t expose ourselves . ”
“Understood . ”
Their clothing were different from usual . Theodore and Vince were dressed in casual clothes and didn’t look like magicians . The clothes were roughly woven mixtures of brown, grey, and green cloth which could be seen everywhere .
This was a mission to infiltrate the seedy world, so they couldn’t be revealed as magicians from the magic towers .
Step, step .
The two people walked along the outskirts . Occasionally, they bought food which couldn’t be called delicious from the street stalls . This type of camouflage wasn’t difficult .
They walked around for approximately an hour while conversing .
“Foreigners… There seem to be a lot of people from Austen . ”
“There are aura users and well-trained warriors . ”
“They are either members of the [Shackler] organization or mercenaries . Either way, this isn’t great . It is probably a patrol . ”
The veteran war mage and Theodore’s sensory perception meant they could sense things ordinary people couldn’t feel . It was easy to grasp the level of mana or if a person learned martial arts by looking at the movements of someone passing by .
As such, Theo’s Hawkeye discovered strangely curved swords on someone’s back . Theo pointed it out to Vince who explained,
“They are shamshirs, swords used by Austen warriors . The shape of the handle and the blades are streamlined . ”
The form made it difficult to stab something, but its utility was excellent . Such weapons were specifically designed for the warriors of the desert kingdom, Austen . It was at this moment that…
“Yes . ”
“Ah . ”
The two people recognized it at almost the same time, but they pretended to be ignorant and started moving again . Vince understood that he shared the same feeling with Theo, so he didn’t look back as he opened his mouth .
He let out a small whisper which was difficult to hear even at close range, “There is a tail on us . ”
“Yes, but I don’t feel any danger . ”
“I don’t feel any killing intent either . Not assassins… Maybe they are intelligence operatives . ”
The two of them hadn’t done anything which would cause doubts . They didn’t know why there was a tail on them so quickly . The two people silently came to the same conclusion and turned toward a place that wasn’t populated .
They were going to… ‘Catch the tail . ’
After a while, they reached an alley with no one around them .
‘…?!’ The person following them flinched as he sensed something strange, while the two magicians activated their magic power at the same time .
Vince finished his magic one minute earlier than Theo, and a blinding light emerged from his palm .
It was the 4th Circle magic, Burning Flash . This magic was extremely effective when used as a surprise attack . An empty void was revealed amidst the blinding light . Vince and Theo didn’t know the method that the person used to hide, but the stealth was exquisite .
Furthermore, in a situation where the target’s eyesight was lost, they reflexively prepared for battle . A person unused to fighting might’ve tried to flee, however, this person was outnumbered . “Ugh, dammit!”
Theo’s spell, which was completed afterwards, caused an enormous pressure to tighten around the person following them, and the magic used to hide their body was turned off . However, a strange expression appeared on Theodore’s face . “…You?”
The face revealed underneath the magic was of someone Theo knew .