NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
#073. A young man who pays respect (4)
Hotel Gallot. Room 207.
The guards nodded as they noticed Ray coming in following the instructions.
“Hello, wizard.”
“See you again, Wizard.”
The attitude was very polite.
There was no one among them who would dare to act arrogantly even though they knew that their opponent was a magician.
Ray nodded slightly and unconsciously looked for someone.
‘Michael.’
For some unknown reason, he was not seen among the bodyguards.
There was a knock on the door to the inner room.
Smart─
“Sir, I have brought the magician.”
─Come in.
Squeak─
The door opened and a view was revealed.
Luxurious carpets and leather sofas.
A table with an antique feel.
Afterwards, in the kitchen, John, dressed in a bathrobe, was making tea in a teapot.
“Then I’ll take my leave now….”
The bodyguard nodded his head toward John’s back, closed the door, and disappeared.
Squeak─ bang.
Only two people were left in the room.
“Please sit down first.”
John returned with a steaming pot and a teacup.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation at this late hour. I know it may seem rude, but this is an urgent matter.”
A polite and gentle smile.
Ray sat quietly across from me.
“How’s the search going? Skyle said that the tracking magic was a great help in chasing the Rockdeer.”
John chatted about miscellaneous matters while the car was waiting.
Exploration situation, personal details.
Questions about the weather, magic, etc.
“I think this is enough.”
Chorr …
The only thing that was being filled was Ray’s glass.
“This is Repina, a specialty of Sector 33. It is said to relax muscles and help calm the mind and body. Drink it. The night wind is quite chilly these days. It will help melt away the cold air that has come from outside.”
The warm scent of tea spread throughout the room.
However, that didn’t change Ray’s feelings at all.
Because I didn’t feel any interest in taste or smell.
“… … .”
Ray, who had been looking at the teacup, moved his gaze to John’s bowl.
A vessel in which all the colors of the emotions he has experienced are haphazardly painted.
It is difficult to grasp detailed emotions.
However, it would be impossible not to recognize the emotion that is radiating from the center of the bowl.
The color of that emotion.
‘golden yellow.’
The largest object I’ve seen since arriving at Sector 48.
Around the golden mana, various kinds of desires, other than materialism, were crowded together like a herd of animals.
‘It was like this when we first met.’
There was nothing new.
The difference from that time is that other emotions besides desire are showing relatively large fluctuations.
Anxiety, excitement, anticipation, nervousness, etc.
The emotions John is feeling right now.
Ray assessed the situation.
It is a combination of emotions that usually appear when trying to deceive someone.
The opponent’s glass that has already been filled.
John keeps glancing at this glass.
The way he keeps beating around the bush as if he’s waiting for some time and doesn’t get to the main point.
“… … .”
The other person is waiting for this person to drink tea.
The bright lights inside, underneath.
An unconcealable malice is revealed.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar technique.
Because one of the common tricks practiced in back alleys was putting drugs in food or drinks.
Dalgrak.
As he lifted the glass to his lips, John’s anticipation rose as expected.
——————
faqwiki.xyz
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
‘You’re right. I’m looking forward to drinking tea.’
Dalgrak.
Slurp. Gulp.
He pretended to drink and then put the glass down.
The tea didn’t even touch my lips.
The doubts and confusion reflected in John’s bowl.
I’m not sure if you actually drank the tea.
“Could you tell me why you called me?”
“Ah! Right, let’s get to the point. I think we’ll have to pay a fee. I can’t just accept the help of a high-level magician, can I?”
John brought up the topic of money.
“Okay. How much do you want to be paid? Do you have a set standard?”
The questions were quite persistent and detailed.
Rather than being a question intended to actually negotiate a salary, it felt like a question to see how greedy they were for money.
“I guess he’s a skilled magician, so he wouldn’t be paid a low salary.”
“… … .”
What could be the intention?
Why do you want to drug me?
First, I answered in time with the rhythm.
“The more, the better.”
“Haha! That’s a silly question. Yes, the more money you have, the better. There’s nothing in the world that money can’t solve.”
Golden mana swelled with John’s laughter.
The conversation continued, but John was reluctant to reveal his true feelings.
Every time I touch the teacup, the feeling of anticipation expands and contracts repeatedly.
It was then that Ray used his psychic powers to knock down the wall clock.
Kuung!
“Huh? Oh, suddenly the clock….”
John got up and turned around to put his watch back on.
Ray picked up the glass and poured the tea into the inside of his coat.
And then, as if nothing had happened, he put the glass back down and opened his coat.
John returned to his watch and flinched at the sight of the half-empty glass.
He soon sat down with a faint smile on his lips and continued the conversation.
And after the tea had had time to fully absorb into his body, he opened his mouth.
“I have a suggestion to make.”
At the same time, Ray also created golden mana and moved it to John’s vessel.
*
“Wouldn’t it be right to throw away a dog that has served its purpose? Keeping it around will only waste money.”
To summarize John’s story, it was like this.
The moment Skyle finds his target, his role is practically over.
So, I want to wipe out the Skye Mercenaries in the wasteland.
“It just so happened that the place Skye suggested yesterday was perfect for our plan. After all, I know when it’s time to die, so I’ll dig my own grave.”
To avoid paying the remaining wages.
No, to go beyond that and rob the entire mercenary group of their assets along with the initial deposit paid.
He also said that he already knew that Skyle was wasting his time hunting and neglecting his commissions.
“Actually, I didn’t know that I would actually find the Blue Jewel Rock Deer. I didn’t have high expectations.”
Rock Deer of the Blue Jewel.
One of the many desires attached to the golden mana stirred.
The desire to have an object.
That was possessiveness.
“Don’t you already have a lot of money? Why do you go to such lengths to save it?”
“Hmm? Didn’t you say that earlier? The more money you have, the better. Of course, you’re still young, so you might not have much experience with money.”
John, who had been staring at Ray, seemed to understand.
After that, he went on to give a long speech about why money is the most important virtue in living in the world.
“… … .”
However, just like Skye, it didn’t really hit Ray hard.
John also viewed money as an end in itself rather than a means.
Ray, who didn’t seem very interested, cut John off and went in.
“So if you help me, it will be easier in battle─”
“Wouldn’t it be easy to win without me? Michael seems like a skilled wizard too.”
John’s words suddenly stopped.
He became serious for a moment, then laughed in vain and continued the conversation that had been cut off.
“Michael is a friend with firm convictions. He is like a bamboo that bends but does not bend. He always tries to be upright. He is also full of energy because he is young.”
Michael said he was unaware of the operation taking place tomorrow.
“If I had told you, you would have definitely opposed it. No, you would have been shocked by the fact that I made such a suggestion. Because you only know me as a good person.”
John continued his story in a calm voice.
“Of course, I wasn’t like that at first. I tried hard to make the world a better place. But it wasn’t enough to do it alone. I got tired as I got older.”
Donations, charity events, free distribution.
What started out with good intentions later all degenerated into something purely for corporate gain.
Donations are for money laundering.
Charity events are held to improve the company’s image.
And the free distribution is to use the lower classes to experiment with water that is barely above the standards as a drinking water source.
“Everyone becomes meaner as they grow older. You could call it a compromise with yourself. I thought that day would come for Michael too. But it didn’t.”
John wanted Michael to do several things that he could not do in the sun.
Assassination of competitors, infiltration of corporations.
And many other illegal activities.
“If Michael had been a little more cowardly, the collapse of Kernel Water could have been delayed by a few years.”
In Sector 48, Michael remained unchanged.
“I was expecting it, but it was as expected. Michael plans to fire me after I send him into battle tomorrow.”
I believe in Michael’s skills.
But I want to get insurance.
It is possible that Michael will not be able to demonstrate his skills in a battle that he was suddenly thrust into.
“That insurance is for me.”
“That’s right. That’s correct.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Even if you promise me a huge reward? How much do you want? My fortune is worth tens of billions─.”
“I don’t think you have that much money.”
Ray suddenly stopped talking.
John’s eyebrows twitched.
“What did you just say?”
“I don’t think I have that much money.”
“What nonsense are you talking about─!”
“You don’t have any money. That’s why you’re planning to commit robbery against the mercenary group.”
John’s face turned bright red.
He jumped up from his seat and burst into laughter as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
“Ha! Hahaha! Hahahaha!”
Then he stopped laughing and glared at Ray.
“I treated you well because you were good at it, but you’re being rude. Do you think you can refuse my offer? Huh? You’d be shocked if you knew what you just drank.”
Ray thought as he watched John, who was finally revealing his true colors, get angry.
I should have done this a long time ago.
“There must be something in the car….”
“Yes. I gave you a deadly poison that will cause cardiac arrest and death if you don’t take the antidote at regular intervals. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Tikaiocin. Are you finally starting to understand the situation?”
Ray’s acting was atrocious.
It was like reading a script.
Fortunately, however, John seemed to be in a state of extreme excitement and didn’t seem to notice anything unusual.
“It’s the kind of poison that you can never find an antidote for in a remote sector like this. And the antidote is stored in a place that only I know of.”
If you look at the way he continues to threaten in an arrogant voice.
‘It’s poison.’
Ray continued to debate whether or not to keep up the rhythm.
It was intentional to provoke John.
Malice left unchecked can pop up at unexpected moments and disrupt your plans.
The opponent’s malice was in vain.
Since you didn’t drink the poison, there’s no problem with our plan.
If anything, what has changed is that the other party has revealed their malice first, giving them a justification for revenge.
‘Skyle said his goal was to steal John’s Ignis card.’
John’s emotions were greatly shaken when talking about the property.
These are signs that someone is lying.
He may not be completely broke, as he maintains a large bodyguard force, but it will never amount to the billions he talks about.
But still, he must have quite a bit of assets.
‘It would be helpful to secure it.’
That was Ray’s conclusion.
*
“Okay. See you tomorrow. The antidote is in my hand, so don’t even think about running away.”
Ray nodded slightly at John, who had a deep smile on his face, and went out into the hallway.
Squeak- thud.
The sound of the door to room 207 closing was heard from behind.
Ray recalled the conversation he had with John earlier.
“… I will start the attack at my signal. I think it would be better to start the battle at the timing when the magic is ready.”
“Now you understand your situation clearly. That shouldn’t be difficult. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to convey this clearly to all the bodyguards.”
‘That’s interesting.’
Ray was intrigued by the situation.
Strictly speaking, he had no significant role to play between John and Skyle.
They were the ones who approached me first and made the offer.
If it was something I did, it would only have whetted the desires they had.
The two men were pointing knives at each other’s throats without any intervention.
And both of them wanted to recruit this guy.
In Skyle’s case, he wanted to be drawn into the mercenary group.
In John’s case, he wanted a loyal dog to take Michael’s place.
‘… In both cases, the wish will not come true.’
Ray snapped out of his thoughts.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
As I was heading up the stairs, I suddenly heard a noise from the terrace connected to the hallway.
It was Michael.
He was leaning against the railing, looking out at the darkened street, his mind racing with a multitude of emotions.
I thought it wasn’t visible in the room, but it was here.
Ray, who had activated his stealth magic, turned to the terrace.
He walked up to Michael and said.
“What’s out there?”
“─Oh, that’s a surprise!”