Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 283

Episode 283 Clue (2)

Ezra and Molly, dispatched from different towers.

The wizards who received an urgent message from the Dominion came to the castle.

It was late at night, and dinner time had long since passed, so the two were very upset, and the Dominion Lord had to personally bow down and calm them down.

Only after doing that could I explain the whole story.

“……This is how it turned out.”

“Ha, so that’s how it turned out.”

Molly snorted.

He crossed his arms and lifted his chin as if in disbelief.

“You said you called us here because of some unseen and unheard-of person who rules over some underworld or something? And even told us to write <Invisibility>? I’m so shocked, I can’t even speak properly.”

“I agree with Molly. What’s so urgent about this…? Why couldn’t you just tell me tomorrow or the day after? I don’t understand why you had to contact me in the middle of the night, in secret.”

Ezra also looked as displeased as she did.

A knight of the Dominion, a mindset even more lax than that of Rentiha.

The pride in belonging to one of the ten magic towers was even more arrogant than the sense of chosenness of the nobles.

The self-governing lord tightly closed his eyes at that sight.

'Well, since it's a magic tower that has no direct connection to the underworld, I guess it's a natural reaction.'

Still, you must have heard something about the ruler of Loafra.

But it was so frustrating that they treated it so lightly.

‘Why do you take the title of king lightly… … .’

What can we say about the dangers that this name carries?

How can I persuade them to convey even a little bit of the seriousness I feel?

The Dominion Lord rubbed his eyes tightly.

He sighed inwardly, lowered his voice, and took on a serious expression.

“I understand what you two are thinking, but… to be honest, I don’t think this is something that can be passed over lightly. Well, according to the rumors.”

“Rumors? What rumors are you talking about?”

“Yes, that is to say, the young wizard who usurped the throne this time is said to have enough power to level the entire underground city of Loafra. In other words, there is a view that he may have far surpassed the fifth tier…….”

“Huh? So you’re saying he’s reached the 6th level? Tsk tsk tsk, Dominion Lord, you really don’t have any knowledge of magic.”

Molly clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“I will explain it specifically. The 6th rank is not something that can be easily mentioned. It is a realm that is only allowed to a select few with talents chosen by heaven, which even we cannot surpass. At that level, you can sit in the council of elders or a similar position in the magic tower, and in the country, you are treated as a major force.”

“For example, here, there is the head of the court magic of the Kingdom of Estyria, a 6th-rank high-ranking magician, Leonil of the Flame. He is a powerful figure known to all on the Eastern Continent. So, a mere author who rules the underworld is a 6th-ranking one? It seems that the Dominion Lord is quite narrow-minded to believe that outright.

The two wizards laughed openly.

The ridiculed Dominion Lord took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his face. His face turned red from the blatant laughter.

'These fucking Tower bastards.'

I wanted to strongly object, but I held back.

No matter what I say, they won't listen properly. There was nothing they could do about that authoritarian consciousness, even as a self-governing territory.

Ezra said, soon stopping laughing.

“Even if the rumor is exaggerated, there must be some truth to it, and the Dominion Lord seems worried… I think it would be best to assume that he is a 5th-rank high-ranking magician, or a 5th-rank middle-ranking magician. No, let’s even consider the possibility that he is a 5th-rank high-ranking magician.”

“Ezra, isn’t that a bit too harsh? Could it be that they’re on the same level as us, or even higher?”

“Well, our actual abilities may be superior, but aren’t our realms different? We may not have entered the Magic Tower, but we may have outstanding talent. But in the end, it doesn’t change the fact that we are from the underworld without any foundation.”

Ezra stroked his beard.

“Anyway, I understand that Asher is using the low-level crowds in the back alleys to gather information about the Mamentus Company. I wish I knew why.”

“I tried to find out too, but still…….”

Molly cut off the Dominionist.

“I’m asking this out of concern, but are you perhaps a swindler from the Bohemian Tower? If not, I don’t understand why you’d be digging up the backs of a failing business in this situation.”

“It’s hard to believe that the Bohemian Tower would hire such an underworld figure so blatantly…… but we can’t say for sure right away.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to deal with it immediately? Of course, we can’t come forward publicly ourselves, so we have no choice but to call back ‘them’ from the Central Continent.”

“Didn’t they say they only come out in relation to the Bohemian Tower? It’s a hassle to call them in unless it’s proven that way yet. They’re such rough guys, as you know.”

“Then what are you going to do? Are you just going to leave it like this and watch?”

“That’s not it…… Hmm, well……”

Ezra, deep in thought.

After a while, he opened his eyes and smiled slightly.

“Then how about this?”

The Dominion Governor tilted his head.

“Huh? What…….”

“We don’t know our opponent’s motives, and if we try to dig into their back alleys, there are too many bugs. Aren’t these two major obstacles?”

Ezra looked straight at the Dominion.

“So, let’s try it ourselves.”

* * *

Verden remained in his position and was kept informed of the situation.

The process of moving through the back alleys of the territory, gathering all kinds of information and monitoring the streets was extremely convenient.

If I had been working as Gray's mercenary, I would have had to move myself.

'It may cost a bit, but I have a lot of money anyway.'

There is a huge amount of wealth sleeping in subspace and Dyna bank accounts.

It's not enough to be confident that it can do anything, but it's enough that you can use it without any problems when you need it for personal reasons like this.

As a result, Verden was able to take control of the situation itself.

'The only ones who have reacted significantly at the moment are the autonomous regions.'

The Volcanic Island's Magic Tower and Larian Magic Tower are still quiet.

In fact, it's only on the surface, and they may have already made contact with the autonomous territory. They may have moved while hiding their appearance through <invisibility> or <transparency>.

The forces in the back streets, where there were almost no magicians, were not enough to even detect the movement.

But it doesn't matter.

They will have already recognized the existence of Verden, and will react in one of several ways.

Whatever it is, it won't be possible to ignore it consistently. It would be too jarring to sit by and watch as they try to unravel something that's almost finished.

'Maybe a third force will try to assassinate me.'

To be honest, it's the flow I wanted.

Because you will achieve your goal without wasting any more time. Of course, that is, if the power is worth bringing to your side.

If we don't get along, I plan to leave the Dominion and find others.

'If they get in my way, I'll just destroy them on the spot.'

Money, power, force.

Verden is an individual, but he holds these three powers in his hands. The confidence based on him is like an unbreakable fortress.

Then one day, a strange letter arrived through Padreld.

“……The autonomous territory lord himself sent it. How about checking to see if it contains any unknown poison?”

“No need.”

Because it's immune to poison.

Verden opened the letter without hesitation.

Inside was a sort of 'invitation' written in handwriting.

Padreld glanced at the contents and couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

“This, this is……!”

“The autonomous territory lord invited me to his castle.”

Rather than killing them right away, he wanted to know why they were chasing information about the Mamentus Company. It was a sensible yet reckless decision.

According to rumors, he was known as a rather cautious and selfish nobleman.

'Did someone else give you advice?'

The date is five days from now.

It seems like it took a long time, so I guess it took a while. I would have liked to have met him right away, but I had no choice but to give in to this.

Verden folded the letter carefully and threw it roughly on the table.

Padreld asked cautiously.

“Excuse me, Asher. Is this meeting with the Dominion State… okay? I’m sure we’ll be talking about the Mamentus Company.”

Verden is actually not affiliated with the Mamentus Company.

That means there was no reason to dig up the back of that company. He had no choice but to remain silent at the invitation of the Dominion Lord.

Perhaps the suspicion will deepen and a battle will break out along the way.

Padreld's concerns were justified.

Of course, Verden had already prepared a countermeasure.

“I already know enough about the Mamentus Company with the information you guys have provided. So, all you have to do is make up a reason.”

The owner of the Mamentus Chamber of Commerce is from the Republic of Libyan.

He also ran a business in the territory of Count Rodenmayer, who had a close relationship with Verden, as an agent of the Duchy and at Gray's request.

We also know what you did before coming to the Midlos Dominion.

And Verden has the title of King of the Underworld.

If you use them both well, it's easy to come up with a plausible excuse.

“So there won’t be any conflict, probably.”

“……I hope so.”

Padreld bowed his head.

I didn't forget to say a small prayer.

Even if I somehow managed to get through everything else, I really didn't want to get involved in the murder of a local resident.

At that moment, Verden turned his head.

“But I haven’t seen Baldar and Frankie lately. Since I gave the order, to be exact.”

Did he run away?

I thought so for a moment, but Padreld denied it.

“No, he came to me a few days ago and said he was going to look for some information. He added that it would take some time so it would be difficult to contact him.”

“I see.”

“They didn’t take any of my subordinates with them, and there was no sign of them taking anything with them, so they probably didn’t run away. But they are still guys who care about my life.”

Padreld shrugged.

“Perhaps he is not thinking of running away, but rather of risking his life to impress Asher and make up for his mistake last time. So I think it would be a good idea to wait a while. After all, it would be better to lose anyway.”

* * *

The western slums of the Dominion.

Deep within, the underground waterways are covered in pitch-black darkness.

The entrance is relatively safe, but the further you go inside, the more filthy it gets and the worse the smell becomes.

It is not only a haven for bugs, but also an environment inhabited by insect-shaped heteromorphs. They are particularly visually horrifying monsters to encounter in a confined space.

Frankie and Baldar went to such a place.

“Oh, crazy……! Even though I’m wearing a mask, I can still smell, yikes……!”

“Breathe through your mouth. You don’t want to suffocate to death from the stench.”

“My mouth and everything are about to burst, but what the… Ugh.”

I tried to protect myself with gloves, boots, and a mask, but it was still disgusting.

From my ankles to my shins, the water in the canal, which gradually deepened, was terrifying in itself.

The occasional corpse of an insect floating down seemed to stimulate my instincts.

But it didn't stop.

Since you've already set foot here, you should have something to gain.

Not long after that, the two were able to obtain a piece of information.

“As expected, the vagrants and Letz are nowhere to be seen.”

The culvert was empty.

Normally, they would have attacked everything from the entrance, telling people not to invade their territory.

Baldar, who had lifted the magic stone lantern, narrowed his eyes.

“I heard that there were vagrants hanging around the Rainbow Inn before the fire… If I do this right, I might be able to relate.”

“Yeah, f*ck. I really wish that were true. I’m going to go crazy if I come all this way and don’t find out anything.”

Frankie didn't stop complaining.

Still, I kept my nerves sharp and moved forward.

Occasionally, one or two mosquitoes with long beaks the size of a human torso would swoop down on us, but they were not difficult to deal with, as they only aroused a sense of disgust.

The scimitar held in both hands easily cut the heteromorph's body in two.

So it went deeper and deeper.

It was obvious that one meal along the way would be the worst I'd ever remember.

Even when I drank water, it felt like I was swallowing sewage.

How can people live here?

It was to the point where I began to respect rats and vagabonds anew.

The fact that they live in such filthy conditions that their resistance is strengthened means that almost no one dies of illness even though they eat, sleep, and defecate in these underground sewers.

'Where the hell did those crazy X's go?'

Could it be that he left the territory because he couldn't hold out any longer?

As I was thinking that, a black bundle appeared between the faintly flowing water. I lifted it up gently with my scimitar.

"……hair?"

Human hair.

That's a whole bunch too.

Frankie and Baldar locked eyes.

Then, at the same time, his eyes flashed and he walked towards the place where his hair had flowed down.

A space in the wall of an underground sewer.

As I entered, a rotten smell vibrated so strongly that it stung my eyes. There must be something in that darkness.

The two people swallowed quietly and slowly pushed the stone lantern forward.

“……?!”

“Oh my god, this is crazy……!”

And then we faced it.

Dozens of corpses rotting in shallow water.

It was the remains of the missing Letz and the vagabonds.