Ch.239Episode 12 – The Strongest Mage in History

# When the Tiger is Gone, the Fox Plays King

When the tiger is gone, the fox plays king, and wolves prowl before the gates.

This is the way of animals—they run wild when there’s no stronger predator to keep them in check. Humans aren’t much different.

During the four years of the Empire-Magical Realm conflict, countless northern citizens committed crimes.

Some looted their neighbors, others set fire to homes, and many didn’t hesitate to rape and murder.

I don’t particularly think these people were born criminals or lacked moral sense.

After all, generosity comes from a full storehouse, and people can only afford kindness when they have enough for themselves.

In Central Africa, people with barely enough rice to survive the day frequently resort to violence over a handful of grain.

Unlike North Africa, Central Africa generally lacks proper industry, so joining the military for rations or turning to robbery are the only viable options.

But we shouldn’t blame these people. How can you blame someone for being born in such a place?

The same goes for northerners. When your hometown suddenly becomes a battlefield and your family faces starvation, how can you just sit still? You have to feed them, even if it means robbery.

But regardless of how pitiful these people are, crime can never be tolerated.

And even more unforgivable than criminals are the bastards who dare to sprinkle ashes on the table I’ve set.

“Pippin! Jake! Prepare for field work.”

## Episode 12 – The World’s Strongest Mage

Commander Mikhail responded positively to my request. Multiple meetings, both large and small, were held in an office overlooking the Grand Duke’s body in the center of Novo Nikolayevsk.

And a few days later.

I finally witnessed the fruits of our labor.

“By order of the Military Governor, our 13th Company will be deployed in an operation to eliminate criminal organizations effective immediately.”

“More than 30 armor-piercing rounds, none.”

“First and Second Platoons, mount up!”

The Military Government mobilized the rear area military police for the operation. The purpose was to maintain public order—specifically, to arrest “serious criminals” disrupting the economic order and security of the north.

In other words, a purge operation.

Military police units responsible for the north dispersed in vehicles to carry out the purge. The trucks quickly entered the city, reached their destinations, and disgorged heavily armed troops.

These forces immediately raided buildings.

“Military Police!”

“Hands above your head!”

When one military policeman kicked down a door with his boot, three or four others rushed into the office to arrest the criminals.

“Weapon! He’s got a weapon!”

“Fire order issued. Shoot!”

When the non-commissioned officer shouted, a soldier pulled the trigger of his rifle. The explosion and flames shook the surroundings, and before the gunfire ended, the criminal dropped his knife and collapsed in the alley.

-Tadadadadada!

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

“It’s those military bastards!”

“Why are the military police coming here?!”

Criminals who had been scraping by in the black market were struck by a bolt from the blue that day. It was the perfect example of a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

“Shit… Hey, grab what you can and run!”

The criminals abandoned their stockpiled goods and tried to flee with whatever money they could grab. They attempted to escape through the back door to avoid the military police who had stormed in through the main entrance.

When they opened the carefully concealed back door, hidden behind boxes and curtains, to escape the gunfire behind them, they were greeted by the gloomy northern sky and the barrels of military police guns.

In what could only be described as an instant, the mounted machine gun began to spit fire.

The military policeman pulled the trigger, and with the sound of discharge, shell casings pattered onto the asphalt. The criminals attempting to escape through the back door were transformed into something that had once been human in an instant.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!”

“Enter the building. Collect anything that could serve as evidence.”

The military police operation was relentless. True to the name “purge,” the Imperial Military Police brutally suppressed the criminals, and the few survivors were dragged into the streets with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

The corridors of what had once been a criminal den, along with some streets, were stained with the criminals’ blood.

The blood flowing from the gunshot wounds was deep red, and the flames spewing from the gun muzzles burned just as red.

It was a merciless purge.

The northern citizens watched the entire spectacle clearly.

The investigator loading bags full of evidence into vehicles, the military policeman firmly pressing his boot on the head of a handcuffed criminal, the bodies lined up after being dragged from alleys and buildings.

The citizens of the Empire took in each of these moments.

And as always,

They chose silence once again.

“Daddy.”

“…Misha. Close the window. Draw the curtains too.”

Under the gloomy, ash-gray sky where snowstorms raged.

The thunderous gunfire continued to spread high into the sky until sunset.

On a day in December, the Military Government’s purge operation in the northern Empire remained in people’s memories in this way.

*

The Imperial Military Police purge was carried out under orders from the Military Government.

Military Governor Mikhail sent signed documents to those in charge, and the governor’s orders were transmitted to each unit, becoming the basis for military operations.

The foxes who had been playing king in the tiger’s absence were swept away as soon as the tiger arrived.

The military police purge was that bold and, at the same time, merciless.

“…Sigh.”

Honestly, no one knows if this operation will normalize security in the north. Not even I do.

But issues like normalizing northern security or the market economy aren’t my concern.

“Phew.”

After exhaling a long stream of smoke, I flicked my fingers.

The cigarette spun from my fingertips and buried itself in the snow that had been pushed to one side.

Hiss! The sound of the ember dying out reached my ears.

And then,

-Bang!

A single gunshot echoed from deep within the alley.

“Damn… this is going to damage my ears again… I should have brought earplugs.”

I muttered with an annoyed sigh. It reminded me of when my eardrum was damaged while fighting communists in Venezuela years ago.

I cursed in Avas, but those around me neither cautioned me nor paid any attention.

After boldly littering my cigarette butt, I put my hands in my pockets and stood with one leg forward.

“Well, my friend. Have you had enough time to think?”

“……”

“I’ll just ask one thing. I’d really appreciate a kind answer.”

Despite my awkward pronunciation in Kiyen, the man before me didn’t move a muscle.

The man was kneeling in the snow. He was middle-aged, and beside him sat another man of similar age, and next to him was a man with a youthful face. There were a few more people besides these three, but… well, I’d think about that later.

I crouched down in the snow-covered alley and addressed the man.

“Have you seen any suspicious people in the north? People who use magic or sorcery that makes you sick just looking at them, who move alone or in small groups, and you don’t know where they came from.”

The goal of this operation was to identify the source of the black magic used in the department store attack.

So I devised a plan to raid the northern black market with Francesca at the forefront, and to facilitate her smooth business, I secured support from the Military Government to sweep away minor criminal organizations.

And the man kneeling before me was one of the humans making a living in these numerous small criminal groups.

“Suspicious people. Haven’t seen any?”

“……”

“I’d really appreciate if you said something.”

Interrogating a civilian who isn’t even a spy isn’t particularly labor-intensive.

At least not like in the old days when I boarded Middle Eastern or African airline flights with forged passports.

But now I’m abroad in an official capacity, not unofficial. This means I’m not in a position where I can threaten to gouge out someone’s eyes if they don’t spill information.

Still,

-Slap!

I can at least deliver a slap to the face.

As soon as I slapped him, the man’s head jerked to the side.

The man who received the slap fell face-first onto the snow, but the military police didn’t let him lie there comfortably. They grabbed his clothes with rough hands, and the man, wearing a shirt with blood and a stretched collar, was made to kneel before me again.

Though my hand didn’t hurt thanks to my gloves, I reflexively shook it off.

This was a kind of habit.

It’s not like slapping someone in the face in urgent situations was a one-time thing. Since I couldn’t always wear gloves when throwing punches, I developed the habit of shaking my hand afterward.

It’s a habit I should break, but it hasn’t changed even after 28 years. That’s why habits are so frightening.

“Sigh…”

I lit a cigarette with my lighter.

“If you keep your mouth shut, it’ll be tiring for both of us. So speak up while I’m still being nice.”

“……”

“A magician or someone who looks like one but seems suspicious. Have you seen anyone like that?”

Again, there was no answer. I slapped the man’s face again, and the military police made him kneel in the snow once more.

After repeating this a couple of times, the man finally opened his mouth, perhaps reaching the limit of his patience.

Of course,

“Ptui!”

It wasn’t the answer I wanted.

“……”

I wiped the spit from my face with my hand. Thanks to my gloves, my hand didn’t get dirty, but the wet feeling trickling down my eyebrow seemed like a problem only washing my face could solve.

After wiping off the spit, I let out a faint sigh and looked at the military police. Receiving my signal, they lifted the man who had spat in my face and dragged him away somewhere.

And shortly after.

-Bang!

A single gunshot was heard from a distant alley.

I don’t know who fired it, but no one present was unaware of what the gunshot meant. After all, the military police who took away criminals always returned alone.

Seeing the military policeman returning with his rifle casually slung over his shoulder, I ground out my spit-covered cigarette with my shoe and began in a low voice.

“Everyone. Have you had enough time to think?”

After scanning the criminals, I gestured with my chin toward one of them—the one with the youngest-looking face.

As the military police brought him to sit in front of me, I took out a new cigarette and flicked my lighter.

“I’ll just ask one thing. If you answer kindly, we can both avoid embarrassment.”

“……”

“Suspicious people.”

Have you seen any?

*

The Military Government’s purge operation ended only after sunset. At the same time, the ridiculous act of speaking Kiyen with an awkward accent finally came to an end.

I met Pippin and Jake in a square located in the largest city among the areas where the purge had taken place.

“Hey, good work everyone. Did you find out anything?”

Like me, Pippin and Jake had been moving independently to interrogate criminals.

Although we didn’t have formal investigative authority, when I directly asked Commander Mikhail if we could inquire about the magician murder cases in the north, he readily agreed.

I was prepared to use Luciana or Francesca’s name if necessary, but I was honestly surprised when he gave permission without adding any conditions. I’ve rarely met someone so forthright in my life.

Anyway,

“No, we didn’t find anything.”

“Is that so?”

Pippin and Jake, who had been roaming the northern cities interrogating criminals, had no success. Despite Pippin’s decent Kiyen conversation skills and Jake’s professional interrogation training (or rather, torture resistance training), they achieved no results.

Pippin spoke with a tired look.

“We barely had time for interrogation. Just asking questions took forever because we had to go through a translation officer, and the military police were pressuring us to process the criminals quickly.”

“I don’t know what the rush was. Anyway, good work, both of you. Go back and get some rest.”

I sent Pippin and Jake back to the hotel. Then I met with Senior Lyudmila, who had served as their interpreter, and had a brief conversation.

“Senior Lyudmila. Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine, Officer. Your Kiyen has improved.”

Senior Lyudmila was assigned to me by the Imperial Ministry of Defense for translation. Hearing my awkward Kiyen pronunciation, she joked that “Soon you won’t need an interpreter.”

“Pronunciation is the problem.”

“If you could just fix that a bit, you’d be fine. Well, I’ll be heading back now.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

So Pippin, Jake, and Senior Lyudmila returned to their respective places. But I couldn’t return to my quarters yet because I still had work to do.

After the purge began, the military police executed all arrested criminals without trial. The military police would force a criminal to kneel, handcuff their arms behind their back and twist them to immobilize the body, then the officer in charge of execution would place the gun barrel against the back of the head and pull the trigger.

I heard from a military police officer that about 40 people were executed in this manner.

I’m not sure if it was an order from the Military Government or an independent decision by the commander, but looking at the bodies piled in the square gave me a strange feeling.

“In the name of the merciful and loving Lord.”

Luciana’s voice echoed across the square.

“Forgive those who repent. Grant them mercy and help them understand your infinite love. Embrace with your healing hands those who are wounded and those who have inflicted wounds.”

Dressed in a white cassock, Luciana was praying before the bodies of criminals lined up in the square.

Personally, I wondered why she needed to pray for those who committed crimes and were executed, as they wouldn’t go to heaven anyway, but I had no desire to stop Luciana.

“Their suffering is not theirs alone but the responsibility of us all, so please take pity on the families who bury their loved ones and mourn. Share their pain with us, and shine your light upon those who have repented of their sins, that they may enjoy eternal rest and complete peace.”

I leaned against an alley, watching Luciana and the clergy offering prayers.

As I watched Luciana and the clergy praying, I suddenly muttered, looking up:

“…Those guys didn’t seem particularly repentant when they died.”

It was a soliloquy.

But someone right beside me answered my muttering.

Francesca, who had been standing in the alley with her hands behind her back looking at the square, turned to me and asked:

“Did you see them die?”

“I did.”

“You saw criminals being executed. You must be having a lucky day, Officer.”

I silently surveyed the surroundings before addressing Francesca.

“Anyway, the competitors have been eliminated. There won’t be any obstacles going forward. Will the business be fine?”

Francesca tapped her lips with her finger, deep in thought.

“…Well, with the small criminal organizations gone, filling the void shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Not all criminal organizations in the north were eliminated by today’s operation.

But now that the Military Government, which had been observing the situation until now, has mobilized troops to sweep away criminals and set an example, any criminal organization will find its freedom of movement greatly restricted. The Military Government’s actions were incomparable to mere police crackdowns.

Anyone uncertain about the Military Government’s future actions would naturally feel a chill down their spine.

That is, if they lacked information.

“The Military Government’s purge operation ends here, right? They’ve made their point, so everyone will lie low for a while, and continuing the purge until the offensive begins in spring would be a practical burden.”

“That could be the case. Or not.”

Despite my ambiguous answer, Francesca didn’t mind.

Having assessed the Military Government’s position, Francesca continued her calculations.

“Unless it involved complex interests entangled with multiple groups like state-level smuggling, there’s not even a proper distribution network…”

Her eyes softened into crescents, hiding her violet irises. With a cunning smile, Francesca paused briefly before continuing.

“Now that we’ve removed the thorn from under our nail, it’s time to eliminate the competition, isn’t it?”

“Please don’t be late. And don’t make mistakes.”

I took out a cigarette from my pocket and moved deeper into the alley. Francesca followed me, and we relocated to a more secluded place.

As I surveyed the surroundings, Francesca blurted out:

“You have something to discuss, I see?”

“There’s something the Administrator should know.”

I got straight to the point as soon as we found a suitable spot. I shared the information I had obtained from interrogating criminals.

“Other mages besides us have been frequenting the black market.”

“Other mages…?”

“They’ve been active for quite some time, apparently. A mixed-gender group with ages ranging from… roughly 18 to 30s.”

“……”

“They visit the black market irregularly, selling and buying things. They mainly deal with herbs and wild vegetables. Their faces are quite similar to mages who have visited before, and they always move in groups of three.”

Francesca rubbed her chin with her arms crossed. With her eyes closed as if meditating, she quietly asked me a question.

“Who did you get this information from?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I looked in the direction we had walked from.

And at the end of that gaze were the bodies of criminals lined up in the square.

“Ah, perhaps I was better off not knowing that.”

Francesca joked, then spread her fingers one by one as she organized the information.

“Men and women between 18 and 30s. They visit the black market irregularly, sell herbs and wild vegetables, then purchase what they need. The members rarely change, but they always move in groups of three.”

Francesca nodded.

“That’s organized.”

“Indeed it is.”

“How long have they been active, Officer?”

“About three years, they say. Not sure if it’s four years or three, but they’ve definitely been active since the early days of the conflict.”

When asked if they had seen any suspicious-looking mages, the criminal provided information about mages who had been frequenting the black market for 3-4 years.

No one knows their identity, but they give off a distinctly suspicious vibe.

I lit a cigarette.

“Those black magic spreaders. We might catch them much sooner than expected.”

Francesca simply smirked without replying. Her expression seemed to ask if I wasn’t getting ahead of myself.

Anyway, now that we’ve removed obstacles and obtained information, there’s only one thing left to do.

Provoking Hormoz.

That’s all that remains.

Looking at the smoke blending into the gloomy sky, I shared my thoughts.

“Since we’ve made a bold move, we should get a reaction soon.”

“And if there’s no reaction?”

“Then I’ll kill a few of that black bastard’s subordinates and burn down a few warehouses.”

His days of playing king in the north are numbered.

“Let’s see how calm he remains when his own body is on fire.”

I was formulating various plans to pressure Hormoz and preparing for the next operation. But none of my planned strategies were implemented.

This was because a message from Hormoz came through Francesca. It was a request to meet briefly.

Although the method was different, my wish was fulfilled earlier than expected.