Ch.12Chapter 12. Operation: Hourglass Heist (2)

“Is the barrier activated?”

“Yes. Even if Archmage Willian came, it would take a full 3 days to break through the barrier.”

Two people wrapped in white robes from head to toe were having a calm conversation.

Unlike other buildings, in an empty space, the two stared at something simultaneously as if they could see something invisible, nodding their heads.

“Have we identified who infiltrated yet?”

“Not yet. I naturally thought it was those church bastards, but it doesn’t seem like it.”

“Those church bastards couldn’t possibly know where we are.”

“Damn it. We could have performed the ritual if we had just a little more time.”

“It’s just been delayed a bit.”

“Hmm.”

As they spoke, both men pushed back their hoods simultaneously, revealing their faces.

An elderly man with a long white beard and a fierce-looking blonde man with a long scar on his cheek.

After removing their hoods, the two continued to stare at the empty space and were gradually approaching the center of the building.

Whoosh-

As the white-haired man reached his hand toward the empty space, a transparent box appeared where nothing had been before.

Inside the transparent box floating in midair was an hourglass, also made of transparent glass.

“Let’s get ready.”

“Right.”

The two men stared at the hourglass for a moment, then extended both hands toward the box containing it and began concentrating their mana.

It was a transfer spell to move the hourglass to a safe place.

Everyone living in this mountain village, including these two, knew how important this hourglass was.

Anyone from the Arcaria Continent would have heard at least once about the legendary myths of “Crescen,” the first emperor who founded the Crescen Empire.

Among these legends, the most famous was the “Demon Invasion” tale, where Crescen fought against a great demon that invaded the human realm.

It is said that the first Emperor Crescen fought the nameless great demon for days, and eventually won and burned the demon.

Though the truth cannot be verified, it’s said that Emperor Crescen, to commemorate his victory over the great demon, created an hourglass using some of the demon’s bone ash as a trophy.

The hourglass containing the bone ash of the great demon—now extinct and nameless—who was considered the most threatening being to the first emperor.

Woong-

The white-haired and blonde men were convinced that the hourglass before them was that legendary hourglass.

And this hourglass would become the cornerstone of revolution for us, and for all of humanity.

“Is this the hourglass worth 50 million gold?”

“W-what!”

“Hmm. It looks too ordinary for that.”

The two men, who had been concentrating on their magic with their eyes closed, opened their eyes in shock at the sudden voice beside them.

The white-haired man, Shen, blinked several times, wondering if he was seeing things.

But the black-haired man examining the hourglass with a skeptical eye, like a jewel appraiser, was no illusion.

“W-who are you! No, how did you even get in here…!”

Shen couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

The moment the black-haired man had interrupted, the transfer magic circuit they had been carefully building collapsed, and Max beside him was showing a similar reaction.

‘Breaking through the barrier is impossible. Did he infiltrate before we set up the barrier?’

Shen tried to assess the situation as calmly as possible.

Shen knew exactly what kind of barrier he had just created.

A complex barrier that would take at least three days for even Willian, the wisest archmage in the continent, to understand and dismantle.

It was one of the finest barriers that rejected the passage of any being with even the slightest mana, while allowing free use of mana from inside.

It was a barrier installed by the Elder himself due to the importance of the hourglass.

He said with this barrier, they could protect the hourglass no matter what happened.

“I came in because I saw a suspicious-looking barrier.”

“What nonsense…! Max!”

Shing-

Max had already drawn two swords from inside his robe and was pointing them at the black-clad, black-haired man.

Still unable to take his eyes off the hourglass, muttering something about 50 million gold, the man showed no sign of tension despite Max drawing his swords.

“Were you sent by the church?”

“Huh? No. I’m not exactly on good terms with the church either.”

“Step away from there! Haah!”

“Hey, that’s unfair, making me talk and then—!”

Whoosh-

Max leaped into the air with agility that belied his size and swung his sword at the black-haired man, but the man was already gone.

‘He’s fast!’

Shen instinctively sensed danger as he watched the man easily dodge Max’s attack.

The black-haired man, or rather the Black Shadow Corps leader, had vanished as if he had never been there in the first place.

“W-where?”

“But is this really genuine? You didn’t switch it with a fake or anything, right?”

“Huh-huk!”

Shen quickly turned around at the voice behind him and was about to cast his pre-prepared lightning spell, but stopped when he saw what the man was holding.

The man had somehow removed the hourglass from the box and was shaking it around, examining it.

The hourglass containing the great demon’s bone ash, which their organization had found after years of tracking.

‘How did he get the hourglass out of that box…?’

Shen felt like he was losing his mind at the impossible situation unfolding before him.

Breaking through the barrier was shocking enough, but casually avoiding Max’s attack and even removing the hourglass from a box secured with magic that only the Elder could undo.

Not even Archmage Willian, no, not even Willian’s grandfather could undo magic at such speed.

This was physically impossible…

“C-could it be!”

“Shen, what’s wrong?”

Shen stared intently at the black-haired man, eyes wide.

From his black shoes to the black hood covering half his face.

Even his hair was black.

Add to that his unnervingly casual evasion of Max’s attack.

“B-Black Shadow Corps?!”

Shen blurted out the words that naturally came to mind seeing the man’s attire and abilities.

A secret organization known to those in the know, operating covertly throughout the continent regardless of region.

“Huh?”

The black-haired man, who had been focused on his own thoughts, finally reacted to Shen’s words.

The man, who had been examining the hourglass, immediately glared at Shen with furrowed brows at the mention of “Black Shadow Corps.”

Though his face was half-covered by the hood, Shen could clearly tell the man was frowning intensely.

“Could it be…!”

Shen had a realization.

The man before him was not only a member of the Black Shadow Corps but the infamous leader who never showed himself in public.

Breaking through the barrier, effortlessly bypassing the Elder’s security magic that even Shen, considered a “mage” within the organization, wouldn’t dare attempt to solve.

Little was known publicly about the abilities of the Black Shadow Corps leader, but according to rumors, the leader, known as “Black Shadow,” could move anywhere like a literal “black shadow.”

“B-but I heard the leader was a woman…!”

“Uraaaah!”

While Shen was muttering in confusion, Max charged once more toward the Black Shadow Corps leader, his short blonde hair flying.

And without any warning, the black-haired man, or rather the Black Shadow Corps leader, appeared right in front of Shen.

“You figured it out, huh?”

Whoosh-

As Max’s sword cut through empty air, Shen instinctively cast his lightning spell at the Black Shadow Corps leader standing before him, forgetting all about the hourglass.

Shen, who also operated in the shadows, knew very well why there were so few rumors about the Black Shadow Corps leader.

The leader mercilessly eliminated anyone who discovered their identity.

Crackle-

Unfortunately, the lightning from Shen’s hand missed its target and dispersed into the air.

“Black Shadow” had vanished like a shadow from in front of him.

“Max! Be careful! Our opponent is the Black Shadow Corps lead—!”

Woong-

“Ugh!”

“Damn it!”

Shen drew more mana as he stared at the spot where Max had vanished from before his eyes.

Where Max had disappeared to wasn’t important right now.

If he wasn’t careful, he might disappear without a trace just like Max.

Crackle- Crackle-

Shen surrounded his entire body with lightning as he carefully scanned his surroundings.

‘I need to track the traces of mana.’

Shen focused, recalling the saying that even if captured by orcs, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.

While maintaining the lightning around his body, he simultaneously cast a detection spell to more precisely identify traces of mana in the surroundings.

If Black Shadow was human, they must have left traces of mana when using their abilities.

By tracking those traces in reverse, he could figure out where Black Shadow was hiding, waiting to strike.

‘There are… no traces?’

Woong-

“Sigh, you’re really making me take out my gloves.”

“…Huh?”

Shen felt a chill as someone grabbed his shoulder from behind, and slowly turned his head without being able to release his lightning.

Eyes as black as the man’s hair were looking at him with a slight smile.

“This isn’t a fake, right?”

Nod-

Shen found himself nodding slowly without realizing it.

Woong-

And then Shen vanished from that spot as if evaporating.