A space filled with a faint glow, at its center.
A black-haired man sat on an old, worn throne, holding a wine glass. In front of him, a robed figure knelt.
"So the doctor is dead, huh... Did you confirm the body?"
"We couldn't confirm it since he burned to death, but judging by the circumstances, we believe he's dead. All the research materials he had also seem to have been incinerated."
"Well, that's good. One less nuisance to deal with."
He took a sip of wine and swirled the glass.
No appetizers were needed. The news of the doctor's death was the finest treat for this man.
"I should've dealt with him long ago, but he kept scurrying around like a rat, and I couldn't find him. Has it already been twenty years since we started tracking him? And the only thing we've gained after all that time and effort is this piece of news."
Even that was just a stroke of luck.
Within the intelligence network established in the Principality of Riviant, a mysterious underground facility had accidentally gotten caught in the net cast across the city of Martes. A secret investigation revealed that it was the hidden laboratory of the very doctor they were pursuing.
It was a result devoid of meaning.
"This was our negligence."
"That's not negligence, that's incompetence. Still, I won't blame you. That's just the nature of humans."
The man leaned back in his throne.
Humans are weak.
They boast the highest numbers of any intelligent species, but on average, they are physically the weakest. Long ago, humans were a feeble race, constantly exploited and preyed upon.
But what they possessed, among all living beings, was an unrivaled uniqueness.
Among thousands, tens of thousands, once every ten or a hundred years — humans who defied the norm were born again and again, and those led by them faced few who could stand in their way.
Humans were no longer food or slaves to other species.
The captain commands, and the crew follows.
That was the path of humanity, and one man called it the "Ark." As time passed, the path split into many, and one of them became known as "Gluttony."
They once revered the monster that had been subjugated by the Ark — the beast that devoured the world.
Their ideology was born from the human instinct to adapt to what they consumed.
Clink. The man emptied his wine glass and sneered.
"How outdated. Advancing humanity by devouring — what are they, pigs? You'd think they'd come to their senses by now, but they just keep going crazier... On top of that, they now talk nonsense about distinguishing humanity and destroying the 'Old Humanity.' It's shameful to share the same roots."
He tapped the wine glass with a finger.
The glass cracked with a sharp noise and split diagonally. The cut was clean, as if made by a blade.
"Which is why it's time to clean things up."
The man rose from the throne and walked forward.
At his gesture, the drawn curtains and closed doors swung open. Warm sunlight and a cold breeze poured in. Gazing down at the white, cloud-covered world below, he spoke.
"If news of the doctor's death spreads, Gluttony will go berserk. The city of Martes will be completely wiped out. Make sure the rumors don't spread."
"Yes. We'll eliminate anyone we find and make sure they never step into the light."
"Let's hope you're competent this time. Incompetent humans are always destined to be weeded out. Oh, by the way..."
The man looked back.
"What's the name of the mage who killed the doctor?"
"He's called Asher."
"Asher, huh..."
It had a good ring to it.
The man repeated the name softly and smiled faintly.
***
A forest to the east of Martes.
It would take a few days on foot, but for Verden, who could fly, it was a round-trip journey that could be completed in a day. If he pushed his speed, he could make two trips.
"...It should be around here."
Under the blazing noon sun,
Verden spread out his map and glanced around.
He had reached the area marked in red, but the exact location was unclear. Nothing looked particularly suspicious to the naked eye.
He took a deep breath and expanded his mana outward.
Insects, trees, grass, beasts, demi-humans, and more — a flood of information poured in through the mana. It was impossible and inefficient to interpret it all.
Verden let most of the information pass and focused on the terrain itself — for example, something like a cave entrance.
But nothing stood out.
Expanding the range any further would push his mana beyond its limit. Instead, he fixed the flow of mana and increased the amount of information processed.
From terrain to objects. From earth to trees.
'...Found it.'
An artificial structure hidden beneath a tree.
Verden descended immediately and yanked the tree out by its roots, revealing a small, old door just big enough for a person to pass through.
Unsure whether there were traps, he kept his distance and used telekinesis. A loud snap echoed as the lock shattered, and the door swung open.
He spread mana to scan the internal structure.
'Pretty deep. Judging by the dust buildup, it's probably been abandoned for a long time.'
But that didn't necessarily mean it was safe.
The assassin that Knight Jason had missed could be hiding there. Given that the intruder entered Martes through an underground passage without leaving a trace, the odds were high.
Eyes that pierced through the dark.
Verden activated his mana circuits and descended underground.
A space filled with floating dust and crawling insects.
Verden, nerves on edge, floated slightly off the ground and moved forward silently.
The air was so stale it felt suffocating — probably because the place lacked ventilation.
Here and there in the hallway's small rooms, dried bloodstains could be seen. A normal person would have been chilled to the bone at the sight, but Verden calmly looked around with an expressionless face, as if it were all too familiar.
'The structure's similar to the lab the doctor used... Maybe it was an older lab?'
Or maybe a prison.
That's how dismal and confined this place felt overall.
After passing more than twenty rooms, he finally reached the end of the corridor.
Unlike the others, a heavy metal door stood firmly shut. When he turned the handle with telekinesis, it snapped off weakly from the rust.
'Breaking down the door entirely... won't do.'
Being abandoned for so long had weakened the whole structure.
If he forced this heavy door open, the place could collapse. He wouldn't die, but anything behind the door surely wouldn't survive.
So telekinesis was out. Same with elemental magic.
What he needed now was a spell powerful enough to break the door, but also confined within a specific area.
'In that case...'
Mana gathered at Verden's fingertips.
He drew a circle in the air — the base of a magic circle — and inscribed intricate symbols along the edge. Then he drew another circle in the center and etched a different set of runes.
The Confine circle to restrict the area, and the spell formula for fireball.
A complex magic circle like this could misfire or malfunction if even slightly off. Without sufficient knowledge and experience, it could explode right in your face.
Of course, Verden met both requirements as a mage.
He opened his hand, and the magic circle flew forward, landing precisely in the center of the door.
Two overlapping circles rotated in opposite directions, then came to a stop — and exploded. From the impact, only the area around the locking mechanism was blasted open.
Creak. He opened the door and stepped inside.
'...'
As expected, no one was there.
Even with his own eyes and using mana detection, only bugs and small animals were picked up. From a magical perspective, Verden was the only sentient being present in this place.
He let his guard down slightly and lowered his gaze.
Inside the cluttered room, worn-out papers were strewn all over. He picked one up from the floor.
"Orc test subject No.132, death due to physical overload. Human No.292, mental collapse. Kobold No.408, insanity after delirium and discarded..."
They were similar to the contents of the experiment logs he had burned along with the doctor.
Judging by the scribbled handwriting, these were probably memos jotted down before being officially recorded… Without having read the doctor's journal, it would've been impossible to guess what these experiments were even about.
He gathered the papers and placed them on the desk.
Then, opening a drawer in the back, a sealed envelope along with the hide of a magical beast was revealed.
Verden, examining the hide, widened his eyes.
"This is… Could this be Mahbat's hide?"
Judging by the deep green sheen, it was unmistakable.
Mahbat — a monster that smashes its prey with brute force. Its hide, known for exceptionally high physical resistance, is highly sought after. It's a material occasionally seen even in the magic tower.
"With this much, I could probably make a whole outfit."
Tempting.
He left the hide for now and picked up the envelope.
Inside was a red emblem shaped like a fang.
'Looks similar to what I saw in the experiment journal… but the color is a little deeper.'
Is it some kind of identification? Or just a symbol?
Whatever it was, it didn't seem ordinary. It looked important — so why had the doctor left it behind? Judging by the fact he took the map, maybe he was planning to come back for it?
Now that the doctor was dead, those questions would never be answered.
After a moment of thought, Verden decided to take it with him.
Upon close inspection, it wasn't a magical item, nor did it hold any special effects — just a simple emblem. No harm in disposing of it later if needed.
Fwoosh. A wave of fire engulfed the documents.
Once outside, he used terrain manipulation to completely seal off the underground space and its entrance. No one would be able to find anything in the dirt and ashes.
This should be enough to erase all traces.
Verden looked down.
At the sight of Mahbat's hide, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
'This alone made the trip worth it.'
It was expensive, but not so rare as to be impossible to find.
Which meant its origin couldn't be traced. Verden now held a material worth nearly his entire fortune.
'Still don't know what kind of group Gluttony really is.'
To be safe, it'd be better to have it processed in another city. That much trouble, he could handle.
Now, all that remained was the doctor's plan.
Parts related to the experiments had already been removed. With a few edits to ensure the contents made sense, he could create a fake plan completely different from the original.
It was an act of deception against the city's mayor, but Verden didn't mind at all.
"Because I really did prevent the disaster that was coming to Martes."
It was a fair reward.
***
Early morning, the training grounds of the Martes Adventurer's Guild.
A few adventurers there for training glanced over at one mage — Verden.
Whoosh, whoosh.
His staff cut through the air in elegant arcs. Whether it was practical in combat or not, the performance alone was enough to catch the eye.
Sweat beaded on Verden's face after his physical training.
"Here."
Iris, who had been watching in secret, approached and handed him a towel.
"What brings you here?"
"Isn't it natural for an adventurer to be at the guild's training grounds, Senior?"
Well, that's true.
Verden covered his face with the towel. After wiping off his sweat, he quenched his thirst with a cold drink.
Iris, staring blankly at him, asked,
"By the way, where did you learn that staff technique? The sound it made was intense. Were you perhaps a knight-in-training before becoming a mage?"
"Knight? Not even close. It's just the kind of thing you pick up from sweeping with a broom."
Chores that started when he was eight. Young Verden had been curious and energetic.
Give him a broom, and he'd end up swinging it around after sweeping, just for fun. He repeated that day after day, thousands of times, and even trained alone.
It would've been stranger if he couldn't handle a staff properly.
"Broom…?"
Iris tilted her head.
She didn't quite get it, but it didn't matter. That wasn't what she was really curious about anyway.
She had a mountain of questions — like what happened that night at the Lorix Inn, or how she could grow as a mage.
"Um…"
Just as she opened her mouth,
Someone approached.
Armor and sword engraved with the symbol of the principality.
They were members of the elite knight order under Gellin Warhard, the Mayor of Martes.
"Are you Mage Asher?"
"What is this about?"
"The mayor requests your presence."
It had come.
The reward promised in exchange for handing over the doctor's fake plan.