“……”
A room that looked like a research laboratory… No, a room that was, in fact, someone’s actual research laboratory. Inside, a woman held a crystal ball and contacted someone.
Wooong!
[…What is it, Eneria?]
As light filled the crystal ball, a deep male voice echoed from it. Linne, the woman with ash-gray hair responded.
“I contacted you because I have something to ask.”
[A question from you, huh… It’s not about magical knowledge, is it? Is it something related to internal matters of the organization?]
“Yes, that’s right.”
[Sorry, but even for you, there are things I can’t share freely. If you were to join the organization, it would be a different story…]
“There’s nothing more to discuss about that.”
At those words, Linne spoke in a low voice.
“You ‘dark mages’ supply me with demonic power, dark magic knowledge, and experimental materials… and in return, I cooperate with you. That’s the nature of our business relationship.”
[…….]
It was just as she said.
Linne Eneria, this alchemy professor at the academy who seemed to live an enviable life.
Her true identity was that of a collaborator with the dark mage faction.
Although she was not a dark mage herself, she cooperated with them as needed. The dark mage faction, in turn, relied on individuals like her, those who were not dark mages, to gather information or secure the necessary help for their activities.
The reason for this was simple. It was extremely difficult for dark mages to hide their identities. Whenever they used their powers, it became obvious that they were using demonic power. To conceal the demonic power, they would need magical tools or artifacts, which naturally were limited in supply.
Only a small number of dark mages could blend into society, and because of this, they searched for individuals they could use for their purposes and turned them into collaborators.
Whether the methods were coercive or not, they eventually gathered allies. Coerced collaborators went without saying, but those who willingly cooperated were typically people who were already interested in dark magic and demonic power or those who had a need for them.
Linne was part of the latter group.
She had shown great interest in dark magic and contacted the dark mage faction and promised her cooperation with them. This relationship has continued up until now.
Globally, research on demonic power or dark magic that used it was strictly forbidden. Naturally, anyone who violated this prohibition faced severe punishment.
However, human curiosity, thirst for knowledge, or greed could not be completely suppressed. There had always been, and always would be, those drawn to dark magic.
But attempting to study dark magic alone in secrecy had its limits. That was why people sought out the help of the dark mage faction. Through these methods, the dark mage faction extended its reach covertly across the world.
This was how the dark mage faction grew.
The man spoke.
[That makes it all the harder for me to tell you anything. If our relationship is strictly business, there’s no reason for me to spill our internal affairs so easily, is there?]
“I’m not expecting anything like that. What I want to know isn’t about your internal affairs. I’m asking if your side sent a spy to the academy.”
[A spy to the academy…? What are you talking about?]
The man asked, sounding puzzled. Linne narrowed her eyes and asked again.
“…So, you don’t know either?”
[It’s the first I’m hearing of it.]
When she heard this, Linne stared at the crystal ball with a subdued expression.
This isn’t a lie… There’s no reason for him to lie about something like this all of a sudden. If that’s the case, who is that man?
Linne fell into thought for a moment. Then the man spoke to her.
[We learned from you that the imperial second princess is gradually being consumed by the demon seed she received in the labyrinth. Therefore, we planned to target her. You should know that we have no reason to lie about such things.]
“I do know. That plan was the academy attack, wasn’t it?”
[Correct. The plan was to create chaos by attacking the academy and use that opportunity to abduct the second princess.]
“That’s why I’m confused. If that’s the case, then who is that man?”
[What man?]
“Yujin, Professor Han Yujin. He claimed to be a dark mage.”
[…What? What are you saying all of a sudden?]
“I’ll explain.”
She began to recount the situation in brief.
This time, it was Yujin, a mage whose name had risen significantly thanks to his lecture on space-time magic.
After he was hired as a professor at the academy, he arrived and approached the princess.
From gaining the headmaster’s trust by sealing the princess’s demonic power, to the true purpose behind sealing that demonic power, and finally to revealing that purpose himself to someone.
[……..]
After listening to everything, the man fell silent for a moment. Linne asked,
“What do you think?”
[…It’s a little… puzzling. Even I find it strange.]
“You feel the same, huh?”
[Still, it doesn’t seem like a completely nonsensical story.]
“What do you mean?”
[Let me explain something as well.]
With that, the man began to explain to Linne.
[As you know, magic that seals only a portion of the energy residing in someone’s body… especially magic that seals the energy of a transcendent being, is something I’ve never heard of before. Who knows what kind of side effects it might bring? From that perspective, it’s not an entirely unreasonable story. Sealing, after all, is the act of forcibly locking something away and suppressing it… and if it’s the energy of a transcendent being? Who could possibly predict how that suppressed energy might erupt?]
“That’s true.”
[The comparison to pus might be accurate. If left alone, it festers and rots, so it must be pricked. But if the sealed demonic power goes berserk, who knows what could happen? Yet leaving it as is would mean it rots and decays from the inside out.]
“….….”
[I don’t know what kind of phenomenon “rotting and decaying” would entail. Perhaps it could work in our favor. Or maybe it means she would turn into a demon in an instant, without even having the chance to resist. If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be a dark mage. Above all…]
The man paused briefly before continuing.
[You said his name was Han Yujin?]
“Yes, that’s right.”
[As you know, for security reasons, we operate under a cell system.]
A cell system.
Unlike conventional organizations, a cell structure was an organizational system where members pursued the same goals or direction and, at times, shared internal rules. However, in terms of member composition, only extremely small groups of one to three individuals acted or interacted together. There were no central figures such as managers or superiors, nor was there a constant system for command transmission or information sharing.
In such cases, the likelihood of a failed “cutting off the tail” was practically nonexistent, and the chances of an affected member suffering damage due to such an action were also remarkably low.
Due to its nature, this type of structure was often found in secret societies or criminal organizations.
[As such, there’s no common communication system among the members. Although there is a leader who founded the organization, no one knows who they are or what kind of person they might be. That person acts only as an invisible spiritual pillar and never shows themselves under ordinary circumstances. Occasionally, they would suddenly appear before the scattered members of the organization, utter a few words of instruction, and then disappear like a ghost. Even this terrorist plan wasn’t something decided from the top, but rather a spontaneously formed strategy that emerged as the individual cells gradually came together due to internal circumstances. In other words, it’s a plan without any interference from above.]
“Wait, that means…”
[Han Yujin… He could very well be our leader. At the very least, there’s a possibility that he’s someone close to the leader. Think about it; he avoided the gaze of that monstrous great witch, effortlessly subdued the Head of the Mages Association, discovered magic related to time and space, and even used incomprehensible magic to seal the demonic power residing in the princess. If he really is the leader, then perhaps he understood the significance of the situation and acted voluntarily.]
“……”
[Of course, his behavior of revealing such things to the professor and treating it as some kind of joke is beyond comprehension… but since I don’t know much about what kind of person he is, it might simply be a peculiar quirk born of his confidence.]
“I see…”
[Of course, nothing is certain yet. It’s just speculation based on the fact that while we were planning the terrorist act, the leader never appeared, and yet someone strange suddenly appeared and devised such a mysterious scheme.]
At the man’s words, Linne paused to think. Did that mean she had no choice but to confirm it herself?
The man continued speaking.
[If that’s true… perhaps we’ll need to revise the plan for the terrorist act.]
“What do you mean?”
[If the leader has personally stepped forward to orchestrate something, then it might be appropriate to carry out the terrorist act when some kind of anomaly occurs due to the demonic power within the princess. The leader wouldn’t be unaware of our plan. Maybe they will send us a signal or come to us to tell us the time… In that case, we may have to postpone the plan indefinitely while we wait.]
“……”
[However, there’s one thing I can’t quite understand… How could a mortal seal the energy of a transcendent being? Could it be something made possible by an artifact obtained from the labyrinth? We’ll need to investigate this as well.]
“…Maybe he’s not a mortal.”
At those words, Linne muttered without much thought and the man responded.
[…That might be true. I once had the chance to meet the leader from afar, and they didn’t seem mortal at all. Honestly, you might be right.]
“……”
A moment of silence passed, and then Linne spoke.
“Alright. For now, I understand. Since my questions are finished, I’ll end the communication here.”
[Okay.]
Wooong.
With those words, the communication through the crystal ball was cut off.
“Phew…”
Linne let out a long breath and leaned back into her chair. She closed her eyes briefly, only to slowly open them again.
“A transcendent… is it?”
In her eyes, there was a mix of fascination, an unusual obsession, and a hint of madness.
“…It might not be a bad idea to check for myself.”
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