Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 147

Episode 147: Wintert (2)

Crunch! Crunch!

A murderous sound echoed through the building.

Gaulic holding the falcon.

He smiled as if he was delighted by the weight he had already become accustomed to.

“Haha! It’s worth 1.1 billion elk, so it’s really tasty. With this, I can crush any armor. It was worth coming to the kingdom!”

“Look ahead.”

At Verden's words, Gaulic turned his head forward.

Costa's remnants were running towards them with their weapons drawn.

He paused for a moment at the sight of the corpse pieces and blood strewn across the floor, but did not withdraw his killing intent.

Costa's dominance.

His fear still remains. Otherwise, he would not have tried so desperately to stop it.

'Costa is already dead.'

Gaulic took a deep breath.

He grabbed the sword with both hands and rushed forward, breaking the ground.

A fierce battle that feels oppressive even though there is distance.

The remnants were overwhelmed by the momentum as if they had encountered a runaway carriage.

I pulled both arms back.

The rotation of the waist that occurred immediately afterwards triggered an explosive power. Then, the blade of the sword, with added strength and elasticity, drew a diagonal trajectory.

Kwajajajajajak!

Swords shattered, armor torn. Flesh and muscle torn, bones crushed to dust.

Four people were cut down and sent flying in one swing.

He then threw a spear and killed two people, and continued the fight with his bare body.

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

Excited laughter echoed.

A single punch shatters his face, and a front kick shatters his internal organs.

Even when facing dozens of people in a narrow hallway, the Butcher did not back down an inch.

After a while, only people and ruined hallways remained where he had passed.

“What, is this the end? This is a bit bland.”

Gaulic wiped the blood from his face and picked up the Fewel.

He swung it lightly and immediately shook off the blood and oil that had been on it. There wasn't a single scratch on his body.

"and……."

“……!”

“Is that a person…?”

It's a different kind of landscape than Verden.

Aiden and Charlotte's eyes lit up at the more brutal and primal power. Samwell was terrified.

Meanwhile, Verden burned the corpse, turning it into ashes, and then used his magic detection. There was no sign of life outside of Verden and his group.

“It looks like we’ve taken care of all the remaining troops.”

Now it's time to find Costa's room.

It was Aiden and Charlotte's turn to step up.

“This way!”

“Ahh……!”

The siblings began to guide us enthusiastically.

I knew the inside of the house like a log, having been dragged around by Costa and his men for the past few weeks. It was a painful memory, but it didn't matter anymore.

Costa, who was so scary, wasn't anything special.

Because I realized that there is something much more overwhelming than that.

The two learned about the world.

We walked deeper into the complex hallway.

It didn't take long before I reached my destination. When I casted my magic detection, I detected a room decorated in a splendid manner.

“There are no traps.”

“Come on!”

The door flew open at the kick of Gaulic.

Even though I entered, I still couldn't sense anything. After confirming that it was safe, Verden took control of the entire room with his magic.

<Telekinesis>

All at once, the furniture shook and the objects inside were thrown out.

Not only Costa's trinkets and decorative weapons displayed on the walls, but also a safe hidden in a crevice in the floor.

“Oh, it’s pretty big. I wonder what’s inside.”

Gaulic grabbed the safe handle.

There was no need for a key or password.

As the tendon bulged, crunch! The safe door was ripped open.

Inside were a dazzling jewel box, expensive jewelry, wads of cash worth a million roubles, and several ledgers.

Verden and Gaulic looked over the ledger.

It said something about drug and slave trade. Useless.

“If you sell it, you’ll get quite a bit of money… But shouldn’t someone with power in Loafra have 1 billion or 2 billion? Is that right?”

“Costa is a small power. And in Loafra, power means business. The power to make a profit, not cash or jewels, is the most important asset.”

Tsk. Gaulic clicked his tongue.

“There is no separate trash.”

“This is better than nothing.”

Verden packed all the contents of the safe into a space bag.

He took over Costa's territory as Gauliak had suggested. And he even took the legacy Costa had left behind.

Finally, once you have negotiated with Wintert, Loafra's work is over.

A table in the center of the room with sofas surrounding it.

Verden sat at the head of the table, and Gaulic took his place on his left.

Semwell, Aiden, and Charlotte took the remaining seats after observing.

… … Silence flowed.

The siblings rolled their eyes here and there in the awkward atmosphere.

Aiden carefully opened his mouth to speak in place of Charlotte, whose vocal cords had been cut.

“Thank you…… for helping me.”

“Ah…….”

Things have been so hectic that I'm only just now getting around to thanking you.

The two people bowed their heads deeply.

Verden answered.

"okay."

That was the end.

He didn't ask for anything in return. Nevertheless, he kept them safe. The siblings didn't know why.

It became quiet again.

When their benefactor spoke like that, Aiden and Charlotte didn't know how to express their gratitude. The two people, who had nothing, couldn't even repay him.

The air became even more awkward as the flow was interrupted.

Samwell, caught in between, was especially so.

It was torture to stay in this space for too long, not knowing when Wintert would come. His fidgety hands shook and hit the table.

'ah!'

It was a mistake.

widely.

Then something fell to the floor.

When I picked it up, I saw that it was a deck of cards used in casinos. Everyone's eyes gathered at the sound that broke the silence.

Samwell, whose thoughts were accelerating, spoke in a trembling voice.

“Uh… would you like to play a card game?”

* * *

Costa's territory.

Following the information network of Wintert, we followed the traces of Verden and his party, and a warehouse with a destroyed entrance came into view. One of the passages leading to Costa's house.

As I entered the hallway, the walls were stained with blood and the smell of charcoal hit me hard.

Drakeen's eyes widened as he held the bottle of alcohol.

“It smells bad. The bodies have been erased, but judging by the traces, it looks like at least 30 people died here.”

“It looks like they completely wiped them out.”

Burning the corpse was magic.

However, the corpse was not created by a wizard. The physical traces were clear. It must have been the work of the big shot who caused trouble at the casino.

“How do your skills look?”

Drake closed his eyes.

He slowly opened his eyes as he closely examined the blown-off iron door, the broken floor from being kicked, and the various marks left in the hallway.

“That’s quite something.”

“What if you set a benchmark?”

“Are you talking about adventurer rank?”

Robert nodded.

A mithril plate hanging around Drakeen's neck.

He was a former Mithril-rank adventurer who had flowed into Roafra and became the head of the security division in Wintert.

Fallen adventurer.

That was Drakeen's nickname.

“It looks like it’s at least upper-middle class even for platinum grade.”

“At least?”

“If we hit it at its maximum… it would be on the borderline of Mithril grade.”

A 4th-tier lightning wizard with a reputation in Gray and a warrior of the same rank as Mithril. It was quite a dangerous combination.

Although the possibility of that happening is very slim… … if they had been hostile to begin with, there could have been more friction than expected.

“Do you need assistance?”

"at all."

Drakeen answered without hesitation and took a sip of his drink.

Even though it was strong alcohol, it couldn't have a significant effect on his body. So they put drugs in it.

A drug that strengthens the body's muscles, heightens the senses, and even dulls pain.

The withdrawal symptoms were strong, but it didn't matter. I didn't feel them because I always took it with alcohol.

That's why he became stronger than when he was an adventurer.

Drake wiped his mouth with his forearm.

He was holding a bottle of wine in his right hand, and his left hand was resting on the sword at his waist in a unique pose. He looked defenseless, but there was no opening for him.

“I see. If that’s you, then so be it.”

Drakeen and Robert stepped forward.

I walked through a hallway filled with blood and ash and approached a room where I could feel the presence of people.

As Drake opened the door.

"eww……!!"

“Huh? My sister won!”

“Again? What the f*ck!”

Five people were playing a card game.

Crunch.

Drake closed the door again.

“……Did I come to the wrong place?”

“…….”

The two leaders of Wintert could not hide their embarrassment.

* * *

The ruling power of Loafra, Wintert, has arrived.

Samwell quickly left and hid under Costa's desk with Aiden and Charlotte.

Samwell whispered softly.

“No matter what happens, you must never make a sound. Not even if you’re curious. Do you understand?”

The siblings nodded, covering their mouths.

Samwell, who had been paying attention to the two, exhaled silently. He tried to calm his mind, but it just wouldn't calm down.

After all, at the center of the room were the two leaders of each faction, Wintert. They were in a position that even a small power like Costa could not even look up to.

And the two people facing them are also strong men who are far beyond Samwell's common sense.

'No matter what happens, you must not interfere.'

Samwell covered his mouth with all his might.

If necessary, I was prepared to hold my breath until I almost fainted.

Behind Samwell, negotiations were underway.

Berden, sitting at the head of the table, faced Robert.

Next to the two, Drakeen and Gauliak, who had lost eight consecutive card games, sat diagonally across from each other with the table in the middle.

It was Robert who spoke first.

“I never thought you’d be playing a card game so calmly. You’re more courageous than we expected. If you hadn’t been like that in the first place, we wouldn’t have come looking for you.”

Robert turned his gaze forward.

“Let me introduce myself first. My name is Robert. I am in charge of gambling and investment within Wintert. And this is Drakeen…….”

"hey."

Suddenly, Gaulic interrupted the conversation.

His gaze was directed to Drakeen's plate.

“Are you an adventurer? And a mithril grade one at that?”

“It’s a former job.”

“Former? Then why do you have a plate?”

Possession of the plate by anyone other than an adventurer is a felony.

Guild defectors are no exception, even if they are of Mithril rank.

Drake's eyes became cold and sank.

“This is mine. Why should I give it back to you?”

“Yeah, you don’t have to give it back yourself.”

Unlike the Bloody Sword, the one in front of you is not widely associated with adventurer companions.

In addition, they were hanging plates without permission. According to the rules of the Adventurer's Guild, they were subject to subjugation and confiscation.

The justification is sufficient.

If there is even a small trigger, he will swing his axe without hesitation at any moment.

The Gauls showed their determination to fight against the strong.

But the owner of this place was Verden.

"stop."

The mood was broken with just one word.

Verden, who had turned his gaze, continued the introduction.

“Asher.”

“Nice to meet you. Now that I’ve finished the brief introduction, let me get straight to the point.”

Robert's gaze changed.

“Did you know that Luing Costa has a connection with our Winterthur?”

"okay."

“Then that means it was a risky act to kill him. Either out of confidence as a wizard with a reputation outside, or simply because you saw Bintert as a joke… But it doesn’t seem to be the latter, considering you didn’t immediately flee Loafra after starting the incident. What would you have done if we had ignored you and given the order to kill you?”

“Are you thinking of doing that?”

“No. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have come to you in person.”

Robert continued.

“Costa is known for his bad taste even in Roafra, but he was quite competent in the drug business. He has brought considerable profit to Wintert over the past few years. Normally, you should have been killed as an example for your involvement in Costa’s murder… but that doesn’t mean you have to.”

“…….”

“Vintert, especially from my perspective as a money manager, the most important thing is profit and loss. Not revenge based on emotions.”

“That sounds like you’re not going to make an issue of Costa’s death.”

“The world is full of problems. If we were to worry about the dead, wouldn’t that be an extremely inefficient waste? So I’ll leave Costa’s murder aside. I think it would be a huge loss in terms of manpower, money, and time to kill you two.”

of course.

“That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to calculate.”

Costa is known externally as a person associated with Wintert.

But as expected, he was murdered inside Loafra. Of course, we can't just leave him alone. We have to show an example and save the damaged reputation of Wintert.

“What do you want?”

“In Wintert, I will ask you for two things.”

Robert held up one of his index fingers.

“The first is Costa’s domain. To be precise, all the properties and business rights he owned while he was alive.”

Just because it's called Wintert doesn't mean it controls the entire area of Loafra.

Their way of operating is similar to a feudal state. Even if there is a king, there are nobles who rule over each territory, and the king cannot take away the territory at will just because he wants to.

But this time it's an exception.

Since it was a form of Wintert regaining territory that had been taken away by outsiders, there was more than enough justification to make other powerful people understand.

At that moment, Verden narrowed his eyes.

“What does that property mean?”

“It’s literally Costa’s legacy. Including the jewelry box and expensive ornaments he left behind… and of course, the two slaves hiding under that desk.”

Suddenly.

The desk shook.

I tried desperately not to make a sound, but I could feel Aiden and Charlotte shaking in surprise from afar.

“Do you need those two?”

“That’s not to say that they’re useless, but they’re certainly in demand for young slaves. If I find a master with a similar determination to Costa, I can sell them for a pretty penny, so I don’t see any reason why I should throw them away.”

Robert tapped the back of his hand with his fingers.

“Asher, you must have had something to do with those slaves for killing Costa. But think carefully. Instead of saving those two, you should fight against Wintert, or you should leave those two behind and safely leave Loafra. Isn’t it obvious what the loss and gain would be?”

He abandons two slaves he doesn't know to save his own life.

If there were a hundred people, everyone would make the same choice. The fear of death comes to both good people and hypocrites alike.

Being targeted by Wintert meant an inevitable ending.

Robert assumed that the wizard in front of him would be the same.

but.

“I refuse.”

Verden answered.

Without even an inch of hesitation.