Chapter 23 - A Competent Screwup

'Impressive.'

The Black Magic Society's security used to be abysmal. The fact that its branches even shared information with one another said it all.

Now, however, they were meticulous enough to employ several layers of security. Even Galahad found the final door somewhat daunting.

Three mana stones had gone into that door. Even at a glance, they were at least medium-grade. Not even a Mage Tower master's room had a door like that. It was a luxury only possible in the North, with its magic-stone deposits.

Something about the design of the magic circles connecting the stones looked familiar.

'The old man's work.'

For all his bluster about retiring, it seemed old habits died hard.

'Is the old man in the North?'

There was no way to know. Things could have gotten quite complicated had Galahad come alone. A door designed by the old man was not something even he could breach easily.

Considering how much the old man charged, plus three medium-grade mana stones, Galahad couldn't begin to imagine how much they had spent on security.

'Did I hit them that hard?'

Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

There was one thing they had overlooked, though. No matter how perfect the security, people were always the problem.

People could never be perfect. That went doubly for a fellow who had taken four whole years to graduate from the academy.

"Ah, let's keep your name a secret for now."

He was even offering to keep Galahad's name secret. From the greed gleaming in Corton's eyes, he seemed to have something else up his sleeve.

There was no reason to refuse, so Galahad nodded.

"Come in."

Corton opened the door confidently.

In contrast to the elaborate security, the interior was surprisingly ordinary. Apparently no thought had gone into the decor; everything was gray. The only thing distinguishing it from a dungeon was the absence of iron bars. These Mages' aesthetic sensibilities hardly bore mentioning.

Books everywhere, sinister fellows wandering about in hoods... Despite the name Black Mages, it looked surprisingly like an ordinary Mage Tower.

What caught his eye were the mana stones lying around like common rocks, and magical devices that were obviously expensive.

"Impressive facilities."

"Didn't I tell you? We've entered our golden age here in the North. We've uncovered so many magic-stone deposits that we can barely keep track of them. And those northern idiots treat mana stones as unlucky pebbles. Need I say more?"

One little prod, and his dear fellow alumnus Corton explained everything. What a helpful fellow.

'So they're actually thriving.'

After all his hard work hunting them down, they were flourishing in the North instead. It was absurd.

'I'll have to take a different approach this time.'

His original plan had been to find suitable evidence, then win them over one at a time to obtain information on the other branches. That would have been cleaner.

But the situation was not what he had expected.

'They've tightened security too much.'

Even Corton, who seemed fairly high-ranking, didn't know where the other branches were. He might crack open every head here and still learn little of value.

Number Eight would bring him information, but he couldn't simply sit around waiting for that.

An agent always needed to dig two burrows.

"Mining mana stones requires plenty of Mages. We offer Mages the best possible treatment. You couldn't earn this much even in the capital."

"Mages mine the stones themselves?"

"Ah, you don't know. Ahem."

Galahad knew mana stones' applications and uses inside out, but he didn't know how to mine them.

No, he had never been interested in the first place. To him, mana stones were merely toys. Or auxiliary tools.

"It's more efficient for Mages to mine them. When ordinary people do it, the quality often deteriorates. That's why Mark can't let go of me."

Galahad nodded at the helpful explanation.

'So that's why Mark took a neutral stance.'

He needed Mages to exploit the magic-stone deposits, so he couldn't afford to let Corton go, however suspicious he seemed.

'He's got nerve.'

For a commander to welcome a Mage and even go into business with him in the North, where Mages had such a bad reputation... That went beyond mere nerve.

Three magic-stone deposits were worth that much.

The tightened security, the relationship with Mark of the Fifth Battalion, the operation of the magic-stone deposits... Galahad weighed each factor.

Simply wiping them out would have too many repercussions. Besides, the advantages of keeping them around were enormous.

Their security was so strict that they didn't even know where the other branches were. In other words, the branches were isolated. Someone could swallow this one whole and run it, and the higher-ups would have trouble noticing.

'Better to keep this branch intact.'

Galahad nodded.

Keeping the branch intact would give him access to information on other branches. It would also give him the upper hand in dealing with Mark of the Fifth Battalion.

Furthermore, operating the magic-stone deposits would bring in a considerable sum. Feeding Damian was becoming quite expensive.

'Perfect.'

Galahad's eyes grew still.

There was no such thing as a bad blade. Only a bad owner.

'I just have to put it to good use.'

The corners of Galahad's mouth lifted.

Just then, a sharp voice rang out.

"Master Corton, where are you going?"

The speaker was a heavily freckled man, his eyes full of suspicion. A sizable mana stone was embedded in the staff he carried.

In the capital, a staff set with a mana stone was the mark of a successful Mage. Here, they felt more like walking sticks.

"Ah, Bart. I'm busy. Out of the way."

"I wasn't told we would have a visitor today. The Society strictly prohibits outsiders from entering. If word of this reaches our superiors, the entire branch is certain to be penalized."

The freckled man called Bart looked Galahad up and down as he spoke.

His argument was perfectly sound. That made it difficult to counter.

Galahad looked forward to seeing how Corton would handle it.

"Shut up, Bart! Go mine some mana stones! How dare you raise your voice to me, the deputy branch chief!"

Corton immediately started shouting.

A truly groundbreaking solution.

"... No, that's not what I meant. Letting outsiders in is a sensitive matter."

"Do my words mean nothing to you? What does a bottom-rung nobody like you know, running your mouth like that?"

"Has this been cleared with the higher-ups?"

"With the branch chief away, I am the higher-up! Or should I submit my reports to you? Are you someone important?"

"That's not—"

"Fine, then you be deputy branch chief! I'll report to you, sir."

"... No, sir."

The freckled man's face reddened at Corton's brazen abuse of authority.

'Impressive.'

Galahad was genuinely impressed.

Even so, the man did not back down easily.

"Outsiders are dangerous regardless. We must prepare for any potential threat—"

"He doesn't even have a staff. What potential threat?"

Galahad pulled his coat aside for them. No sword, no staff. Just a neat shirt and trousers.

'So he underestimated me because I don't have a staff.'

Only then did Galahad realize why Corton had considered him such an easy mark.

Certainly, possessing a staff fitted with a mana stone made a considerable difference among Mages. They didn't spend their entire fortunes buying staffs for nothing.

Once the others confirmed that Galahad had no staff, the suspicion in their eyes faded. Their dependence on staffs seemed even worse than in the capital.

But the man still refused to back down.

"He could have a large amount of mana. We need to measure it."

"Hah, you're a real nuisance. This is why you never get off the bottom rung."

"You never know, sir."

"Fine, then. Just you wait. You don't mind a device test, do you? It's the same one we used at the academy."

Galahad nodded.

The mana-measuring device worked on the same principle as Galahad sending mana into someone during a handshake to check their reserves. It introduced highly concentrated mana and estimated the total from the amount absorbed in an instant.

"Bart, you'd better be ready to answer for it if you've put us through this for nothing."

Corton sneered, glaring at the freckled man.

Deliberately looking away, Bart held the mana-measuring device out to Galahad.

"To use it..."

"I know."

Galahad took it and fastened it around his forearm. He recalled how much mana he had possessed during his academy days.

'A little less than that should do.'

Mana-measuring devices weren't particularly reliable magical devices to begin with. Even the Intelligence Bureau treated their readings as little more than a reference.

These fellows, however, seemed to trust them implicitly. From the staffs every one of them carried to the mana-measuring device, their dependence on magical devices seemed worse than he had expected.

With mana stones in such abundance, it was inevitable.

That was the nature of magic: a year of training could yield less benefit than carrying one more mana stone. Human beings could hardly help taking the shortcut.

Unfortunately, the right path was always the hardest.

'Mages relying on tools. What a sight.'

Suppressing his rising disgust, Galahad adjusted his mana concentration.

Checking mana was practically second nature to him. Reversing the process to manipulate the apparent quantity was child's play.

The mana-measuring device glowed dark red.

The less mana it detected, the blacker it became; the more mana, the redder. This reading indicated an ordinary Mage.

An ordinary Mage without even a staff apparently posed no threat whatsoever in their eyes.

A sneer spread across Corton's face. He truly excelled at sneering.

The freckled man looked faintly relieved. A truly loyal servant.

Unfortunately, their dependable Corton had no eye for loyal servants.

"Didn't I make myself clear? I told you this was necessary! Yet a bottom-rung nobody like you dares question me?!"

"No, that's—"

"What, you bastard! Go mine some mana stones! Your quota is doubled today!"

The freckled man's face crumpled at Corton's shouting. He vanished toward the back as though fleeing.

The classic fate of a loyal servant.

'Bart, was it?'

Galahad murmured the name under his breath.

"An insignificant nobody getting above himself! Hah. Anyway, the branch chief's out, so let's look at the research first. You liked research, didn't you?"

Corton laughed pompously.

Now that Galahad had passed the mana test as well, he seemed completely at ease. There was surely also an intent to bring Galahad firmly under his thumb.

But even so, offering to show him their research...

'How competent.'

A truly competent screwup.

"Thank you."

Once again, Galahad expressed his sincere gratitude.

"What are fellow alumni for?"

Corton grinned.

A truly dependable fellow alumnus.

* * *

"Apparently the deputy branch chief brought in an outsider."

"Good heavens. Really?"

Shern could hardly believe his ears.

The deputy branch chief's abilities were abysmal, but his hunger for achievements was immense. He frequently reported his subordinates' accomplishments as his own.

Still, it was difficult to dismiss him as entirely useless. With his enormous appetite for advancement, Corton sometimes produced astonishing results.

He was the one who had established dealings with the Fifth Battalion's commander. That was how he had become deputy branch chief.

But bringing in an outsider? That was madness on an entirely different level.

"Even the deputy branch chief wouldn't bring in an outsider without thinking, would he? Nobody's better at protecting his own skin. It must be someone important enough to disregard security for."

Everyone nodded at Shern's words.

The discussion shifted to the person the deputy branch chief had brought in. Who on earth could warrant such a drastic move?

"What are you all doing gathered here?"

A familiar bellow came from behind them. It was the deputy branch chief, puffed up with importance.

Their attention naturally turned to the person beside him.

He was a handsome man with his hair slicked neatly back. His appearance fell somewhere between youth and mature manhood, though his sunken eyes were heavy with exhaustion. His limbs were long and lean, yet there was something firm and solid about him.

In short, he looked like a handsome, well-groomed nobleman from the capital.

But his eyes were strange. They were unnaturally still. Almost as though—

Shern hastily averted his gaze when their eyes met.

"Shern, show this fellow your research results."

"... Pardon? Our research?"

It was an absurd order. Shern was in charge of Demon research. Show that to an outsider?

"We'll be working together now anyway."

"... Yes, sir."

With the branch chief out, no one could stop Corton. Dragging his feet would only earn Shern a shouting-down.

"Have a look around. I'll go make my report."

Shern was quietly appalled to hear Corton treat Demon research like a tourist attraction.

He headed to the laboratory alone with the unfamiliar man.

"It's a little dirty, isn't it? We weren't expecting a guest."

"It's fine. One Mage's laboratory is much like another."

The man's old-fashioned, refined manner of speech convinced Shern that he was a nobleman.

"Wh-what is it, Shern?"

Farntal, who was in the laboratory, spoke irritably with narrowed eyes. His sharp gaze fixed on the man.

When it came to research, Farntal would confront even the branch chief. Shern hurried to explain.

"The deputy branch chief told me to show our research results."

"To whom? Don't tell me—"

"A pleasure. I'm the 'whom' in question."

At the man's nonchalant wave, Farntal's brows furrowed deeply.

"Has he gone mad? Does he have any idea what research is—"

"Carry on with what you were doing. I'll show him."

Even at Shern's words, Farntal's brows remained knotted. Only after Shern whispered, "He won't understand it just from looking anyway," did he back down.

After all, Shern's research wasn't the sort of thing someone could grasp at a glance.

"My work concerns demon-beast blood."

"Demon-beast blood?"

The corners of Shern's mouth rose at the man's question. It was the usual reaction upon hearing that someone researched demon-beasts.

Research into Demons was strictly forbidden in the Empire. Studying them was tantamount to rebellion. Of course he would be frightened.

'He's smiling?'

Shern's eyes widened at the faint lift of the man's lips.

But on closer inspection, his expression hadn't changed. Shern must have been mistaken.

"I take it you get your supplies from the Fifth Battalion?"

"... Ah, yes. They use demon-beast hides, but not the blood."

"How have you been studying it? A mana-measuring device couldn't analyze Demon blood."

"Yes, so we had to make a separate mana-measuring device for demon-beasts..."

The man knew that Demon blood contained mana, and that its concentration was high. He had clearly researched Demons himself.

"A mana-measuring device for demon-beasts? You'd use mana stones, but wouldn't their concentration be too low? Ah, you measure the rate at which the mana drains out. Is it single-use?"

Shern nodded uneasily at his question.

He had said only one thing, yet the man was already asking about the operating principle of the demon-beast mana-measuring device. It left him with the uncomfortable feeling that he had divulged a secret.

"Wouldn't that consume too many mana stones?"

"Hah! What an obvious criticism. Too many mana stones? Then suggest another solution!"

Farntal's reply was sharp. They were constantly being criticized for using too many mana stones, so it was a sore point.

But there was no alternative. Demon mana was simply too concentrated.

The man narrowed his eyes at Farntal's question, as though he couldn't understand it.

Just as Shern was about to interject, the man asked a question of his own.

"Couldn't you just drink it?"

His voice was so calm that the suggestion sounded utterly trivial.

Then Shern registered what he had said and started in shock.

"You're telling us to drink Demon blood?!"

"Why so surprised? Wouldn't that be efficient? It would reduce your mana-stone consumption and have a beneficial effect on your own mana."

Certainly, his argument was relentlessly theoretical.

But still...

"Drinking Demon blood? How barbaric..."

Drinking Demon blood directly was far too crude and barbaric a method.

"Well, to study demon-beast blood, you'd need mana stones of at least medium grade. Those hardly come cheap. Besides, wouldn't drinking it be more accurate and efficient?"

In a calm voice, the man explained why they should drink demon-beast blood.

"Hah! Drink Demon blood? You can only say that because you have no idea how concentrated Demon mana is! Do you know how many Mages have died or gone mad after drinking it?"

Farntal's rebuttal was sharp, and Shern nodded along. How many people had died from drinking Demon blood?

Then the man shook his head as though that were the wrong answer.

"They didn't die because they drank Demon blood."

He spoke in that distinctive, calm voice.

'They died from drinking Demon blood, but they didn't die because they drank Demon blood?'

Shern's eyes narrowed deeply. What on earth was that supposed to mean?

"They died because they couldn't withstand the Demon blood."

The man spoke firmly.

A heavy silence settled over them for a moment. Shern seriously questioned whether he had heard correctly.

'So people who died from drinking Demon blood died because they couldn't withstand the blood?'

It was sophistry, like saying a drowning man had died because he couldn't get out of the water.

Yet the man's calm voice held unshakable conviction.

"Demon-beast blood is less concentrated than Demon blood, so it's quite drinkable. Here, give it a try. You just have to keep your wits about you. Say 'ah.'"

The man held out a bowl of demon-beast blood as though offering him a drink.

At his earnest tone, Shern's eyes widened until they nearly split.

Saying demon-beast blood was drinkable because it was less concentrated than Demon blood meant...

'He's tried both!!'

Shern and Farntal went deathly pale.

'Corton, you lunatic! You brought in a real Black Mage?!'

Shern desperately held back the scream threatening to burst out.