Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 16

Episode 16 Help (3)

“What the heck is going on…….”

Locke sat down on the stone pillar with a dejected expression on his face. The others did the same.

A sinister man suddenly appears and tries to kill them, and then another unknown man appears and they fight each other.

Then the ashen man gestured and the ground rose up, leaving me on a stone pillar, as if to prevent me from escaping.

We just came here to hunt goblins… … .

While everyone was absentmindedly thinking about that, Iris came to her senses and touched the stone pillar.

'Is this… … terrain manipulation? How on earth could something of this scale… … .'

It was far beyond the power she knew. To create such a large stone pillar in an instant, a magician with a calculation ability of at least 4th tier would have to pour in several times more magical power than a 3rd tier magician.

None of them were of a level that could be measured against Iris's.

She tilted her head down slightly.

A man who said he was Sergen and a gray man floating in the air were facing each other. I couldn't hear what they were saying.

And in the next moment, a sight unfolded that would never be forgotten in her memory.

Lightning series.

There are less than ten people in the academy, including the professors, who can handle that attribute. And yet, it is being used by an unheard of wizard.

Moreover, it was more intense than the lightning magic I had seen at the Academy.

'Awesome… … .'

Regardless of the circumstances, I was simply impressed by him as a wizard.

The next magic I saw was no less magical.

“Triple casting…?!”

That's three completely different properties.

Iris knows how difficult that technique is. It is difficult for anyone but a famous wizard to even try to imitate it.

She stared blankly at the ashen man, even forgetting her fear.

The other adventurers also approached her quietly, and held their breath at the sight of the merciless magical bombardment.

Phew!

The fight ended with the wizard crushing the man's head. The wizard, who had been searching the corpse for something, turned his head.

Our eyes met.

I hid quickly, but I was already caught.

Kookookookook.

Slowly the stone pillar began to sink.

* * *

Verden looked at the adventurers cowering in thought.

It turned out that I ended up saving his life, but I couldn't think of a good reason why I was there.

'Wait a minute. Do I really need to explain this?'

No need to do that. I got the information I wanted, and I even got some expensive magic items.

The adventurers don't really have any business to attend to, so they can just go their separate ways.

Verden, who had been shunning Iris, turned his back. It seemed that there was nothing more to take from the corpse.

As I took a step out of the cave in silence, I heard a voice.

“I…… thank you.”

What is this gratitude for? It must be a reward for the goodwill that saved my life.

It seems that they realized that Verden had no intention of killing them after seeing their attitude. However, a faint sense of wariness and fear remained on their faces.

‘… … He must be one of Martes’ adventurers.’

The city of Martes was Verden's destination.

Despite my research, I didn't know much about Martes other than that he had a huge library. There were opportunities to gain information in the barony, but climbing the ranks was far more important.

The principality was a peaceful country, so I thought it would be more efficient to see it once than to hear about it a hundred times.

'It would be better if there was a guide there too.'

I changed my mind.

Verden turned around again and looked at the adventurers. Iris, who had expressed her gratitude, flinched and shook her shoulders.

“Have you received a request to subdue goblins from the village at the bottom of the mountain?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. That’s right. Because the goblins were causing damage to the barn…….”

“The villagers said that they saw a strange monster other than a goblin, but they didn’t tell the guild because they were afraid of wasting money.”

“……?”

“I don’t know much about adventurers, but it seems like it’ll definitely be a problem…….”

Iris blinked.

When requesting from the Adventurer's Guild, hiding information is a felony.

It was the minimum law to protect adventurers who risk their lives, but in fact, the standard was ambiguous. You could just pretend not to know.

In any case, if something like that happens, the client will have to pay additional fees.

But that's only if you've reached an amicable agreement. If you insist on not knowing, it'll be a headache for the Adventurer's Guild, too. There's no physical evidence.

But if there is someone to testify, if it is valid and credible, it is a different story.

The moment this is proven true, the guild sets a price for the adventurer's life, and the client must pay that price.

If they are short on money, they seize their property through forced execution. If that doesn't work, they arrest them and send them to forced labor.

The punishment level is very high because it is difficult to prove. It is a matter of precious property of the Adventurer's Guild and people's lives.

But why are you asking that?

Verden glanced at Sergen's corpse at Iris' questioning gaze.

“You said thank you to me, right?”

"……yes."

Iris nodded and swallowed hard.

If you owe someone a debt, especially if it's your life, you should repay it, but I had no idea what he would ask for.

‘Surely… you’re not asking for something weird, are you?’

After Iris and her colleagues became anxious, Verden spoke indifferently.

“I will accept your gratitude in money.”

Practicality.

The wandering wizard wanted money.

* * *

After completing the subjugation and returning to the village, Iris' party headed straight to the village chief.

The village chief swallowed hard at the serious expression and cold tone.

'It's okay. Just say you don't know.'

The townspeople have definitely kept their mouths shut. They won't even open their mouths because it's related to their own financial situation.

The village chief, sitting across from the adventurers, spoke calmly.

“Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to you, adventurers, we were able to escape the goblins. Here is the fee we promised.”

He placed a crumpled wad of bills on the desk. Iris, the leader, stared blankly at the money and said nothing.

The village chief asked cautiously in the sudden silence.

“Is there… something wrong…?”

“Isn’t it enough?”

"yes?"

The village chief raised his eyebrows and quickly picked up the money. He counted it again, but the amount was correct.

I showed her the bills as if it were nothing, but Iris's attitude was the same.

“What the hell are you doing? It’s the same amount as written in the contract, but what’s missing…….”

"hunter."

Huh? The village chief's heart sank at those words.

“You didn’t write about the unidentified monster that the hunter witnessed?”

“……Wh, what are you talking about at all─”

“There’s no use trying to evade your claim. I’ve already secured the testimony. If you want, should I notify the guild? If the investigators come, you won’t be able to pretend not to know.”

The village chief kept his mouth shut at her confident attitude.

Actually, I was scared. I was trying to save a few pennies with the townspeople, but at this age, I ended up becoming a criminal. I hated it so much.

'Who the hell is that…?'

The village chief soon gave up. But there was still a way to survive.

If the purpose was punishment, the adventurers in front of us would have taken the commission fee and gone to the city to report it.

“Wow, what do you want?”

Iris left just one word.

“Money.”

* * *

The Irises, who had raided the village chief's granary, headed to the city.

And as promised, I met Verden on the way and handed him a whopping 1.2 million elk in cash. I didn't regret it. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have known that the information was hidden.

Verden divided some of it and gave it back to Iris.

“This is…….”

“It’s not just given.”

It was a kind of commission fee.

Even though he happened to save my life, I had no intention of using him for nothing.

It was a huge amount of money for just guiding her around the city. Iris had no reason to refuse, so she cautiously accepted the money.

The awkward company continued. Naturally, the adventurers who had distanced themselves from Verden began to whisper.

“Sister, so what is this money?”

“So…… I took this and asked you to guide me around the city……”

“What? But you’re giving me this much? I don’t understand…….”

Both Locke and Mild nodded at Mirna's words.

To them, Verden was a benefactor, but also a suspicious person.

Why was he in that cave at that time? What was he talking about with the dead man? I couldn't figure it out. There was just too much left unexplored.

And the sight of people being killed mercilessly with magic… …was a terrifying sight, enough to haunt a dream. It was like that for those who had only recently embarked on the path of adventure.

'But I don't think he's a bad person.'

A handsome wizard with unparalleled talent, never seen before even in the Academy where the world's best talents gather.

Iris looked at Verden's back and soon made up her mind.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Hey, sis?”

Iris walked briskly and headed towards Verden, who was walking ahead. Blue eyes met hers, as if by magic.

“What's going on?”

“That, that’s why…….”

Phew. She took a deep breath and clenched her fist.

“Can you teach me some magic?”

… … ?

Verden was speechless at the absurd request.

* * *

'What should I say again?'

To be exact, I wasn't asking for magic itself, but rather if you could answer my questions about magical theory.

Well, it was ridiculous to learn magic while walking, when even months of concentration would not be enough.

Verden nodded readily.

He was bored, and he was confident in his knowledge of magic theory, especially in the elemental field he majored in. He was so good at it that even the most respected professors wouldn't even hand him a business card.

Upon receiving permission, Iris asked about various theories she had been studying like a fish in water.

There was nothing particularly difficult about it. It was just the basic theories that were required to enter the Magic Tower.

Verden and Iris.

Her colleagues looked at her with concern as they watched the two people talking to each other after only meeting for a short time. However, Iris' expression looked bright, so they just watched.

… … Before I knew it, I had arrived in the city of Martes.

First, the Iris party decided to visit the guild. They had to report about the clown goblin in the cave and the man named Sergen who tried to kill them.

“So I think it might take a little while……”

“Then let’s meet tomorrow afternoon.”

Verden planned to stay at the most expensive inn in the city. He had enough money, but the chicken he had tasted in the previous village was so shocking. He never wanted to taste something like that again.

After hearing the name and location of the inn from Iris, I parted ways with her party.

Verden walked along the street and looked around the city. It was much larger than he had heard.

'There must be a bank at this point.'

Including the bounty, the cash amount exceeds tens of millions.

I was anxious about carrying it around in my arms, but it turned out well.

Magic costs money.

Moreover, Verden was from a wealthy family that spent money like water, so he knew better than anyone the importance of money.

Bounty and opening a bank account.

It was something Verden had to do before stopping at the inn.