Ch.261261. Hunter

“…..”

In the late evening as the sunset faded.

All the assistants had gone home, and Erika, standing alone in the laboratory, stared at the Deus Verdi doll placed in the corner.

It was an odd feeling, but it really did look exactly like him.

The subtle fragrance that Professor Per Petra had sprayed when explaining still lingered, the same gentle scent that could be detected in his laboratory.

But it was different.

Only the appearance was the same.

It felt like seeing the real Deus when he had returned to his original body before.

That weighty atmosphere he carried.

The intimidating presence that made one feel they shouldn’t speak carelessly in front of him.

All of that was gone from this completely empty doll.

Sensing these invisible differences, Erika realized once again that she truly loved that man.

Appearance alone wasn’t enough.

She wanted the real man.

Thud.

She gently pressed her forehead against the doll’s chest. An object that had only felt unpleasant when Professor Per Petra first gave it to her.

It wasn’t satisfying at all.

She wanted to see the real Deus.

After a moment of satisfaction came an overwhelming sense of loss. And within that, a pitiful sadness.

She slowly pulled her forehead away and turned around.

“Tomorrow, I’ll have to ask them to put it away.”

Just as Erika was about to leave the laboratory, thinking she should ask her assistants despite it being somewhat mischievous.

Clank!

The laboratory door opened roughly and two girls entered.

Aria Rius and Elenoa Luden Griffin, who had been silently waiting for him at Robern Academy, besides Erika Bright.

“…..”

“…..”

The two who had urgently come after hearing the news from somewhere froze the moment they saw the Deus doll was really there.

Gulp.

Only the sound of swallowing echoed through the laboratory.

* * *

The Han Empire was certainly very different from the Griffin Kingdom.

Just looking at the security forces alone made that clear.

The interrogation room where I was tied up with rope was filled with various torture devices.

Axes, saws, water buckets, branding irons placed on extinguished braziers, dissection knives, and more.

Though they were frightening objects just to look at.

‘They haven’t been used.’

Whether there was no need to use them or not, there were no visible signs of use.

Perhaps they were a kind of psychological device placed in the interrogation room to pressure the subject?

Bang.

The door opened roughly.

The man who had come to arrest me earlier entered. I heard he wasn’t from the security forces but an imperial inspector.

I seemed to have become an unfortunate murderer caught by the inspector’s eye.

With a grim expression, he glared at me and slammed his hand on the desk in front of him before asking.

“Six citizens and two security officers are dead.”

He spoke quite boldly. He seemed to think he was putting pressure on me, but.

I remained silent, gauging something else.

‘He doesn’t know that I’ve noticed.’

I had been uncertain before, but now I could be sure.

He doesn’t realize that I’ve noticed his true identity. If that’s the case, this conversation becomes somewhat easier.

“…..”

As I kept my mouth firmly shut, appearing not to be intimidated by his pressure, he immediately gritted his teeth and shouted.

If I had been watching from a distance, I might not have noticed, but being this close to the source of killing intent, I could vaguely sense that it was an act.

“Do you know how many people are suffering because of you? I’m asking why you killed them!”

“I didn’t.”

I give the minimum response with brief words. Seeing me as unyielding as an old tree, he sighed.

Then, pretending he couldn’t hold back anymore, he gestured toward one wall.

The interrogation room lights went out.

In the darkness that came with the silence, only the man’s brown eyes gleamed eerily as they turned toward me.

This was probably like those scenes from detective movies, where they turn off the recording in the interrogation room to conduct a somewhat violent interrogation.

Conversely, the inspector’s voice now softened.

“Surprised?”

His cheerful smile visible even in the darkness. He had deliberately created time for a private conversation by making it appear as if the interrogation wasn’t proceeding properly until now.

Now the inspector spoke to me in a rather polite tone.

“I am Unyeop, an imperial inspector.”

“…..”

“I am also a hunter.”

Hunter?

Obviously, it meant more than just the literal word.

As I listened to him expressionlessly, he continued his explanation.

“I saw you gathering and eliminating the monsters in the city. It was truly impressive. You’re a Black Mage, right?”

“Yes.”

As if seeing possibility in my answer, he grinned and pointed to himself with his thumb.

“The dragon you saw. It was us who killed it.”

“…..”

“Thanks to you gathering the monsters, we were able to finish it much more easily.”

There was no need to show a surprised reaction. I just accepted it and moved on.

I was somewhat curious about how they killed the dragon.

They probably discovered something it was guarding and targeted that.

But that wasn’t what was important.

I had no interest in a guardian spirit that was already dead.

“Kim Shinwoo, right? It’s a rather unique name.”

“…..”

“Join us.”

Unyeop extended his hand. The calluses on his hand indicated that he was no ordinary warrior.

“The way you eliminated those monsters. It was quite impressive. Become a hunter and let that talent bloom.”

“And if I refuse?”

I already knew what he would say, but I probed anyway.

Unyeop shrugged his shoulders and answered all too predictably.

“You killed six people, and even attacked security officers. I don’t know where you’re from, but the Empire won’t just kill you mercifully.”

Execution was certain.

As if forecasting the pain that would come before that, his eyes swept over the torture devices scattered around.

So that’s why he framed me with such an absurd charge—it was one of his negotiation tools.

It wasn’t a bad method.

But it was only temporary.

If he really wanted to bind me, he would know this wasn’t enough.

He seemed to understand my doubt as he naturally continued.

“And as a Black Mage, aren’t you a being who pursues power?”

That was the general perception of Black Mages. It’s just that Griffin was a bit excessive in their rejection.

“We kill guardian spirits and are in the process of uncovering the secrets of their power.”

“…..”

From my perspective, I couldn’t help but be skeptical.

Who would simply desire power for its own sake? Everyone has their own circumstances and reasons for taking action.

This man who called himself a hunter, and the organization he belonged to, must have their reasons for killing guardian spirits and trying to usurp their power.

Seeing that I wasn’t showing much interest, Unyeop seemed somewhat frustrated, and while pretending to be calm, his speech slightly quickened.

“But that’s not the end. We’re not satisfied with mere guardian spirits.”

“Then?”

As I casually threw out bait, he immediately seized the opportunity.

“Guardian spirits are just stepping stones. We have a separate ultimate goal.”

I wondered why this man was revealing so much to me.

I understood it came from overwhelming confidence. But still, it seemed excessive.

From his next words, I could understand why he thought I would definitely cooperate.

“You know that mana is contained in souls, right?”

“How could I not?”

As a spiritmaster, how could I not know that? Unyeop flickered his tongue as if pleased that we understood each other, and whispered the secret stickily.

“Three months ago, a man who took all the souls accumulated on the continent.”

“…..”

“Following his voice that echoed across the continent, all souls departed. Everyone could see that spectacle directly.”

Because I had also cast a spell allowing souls to take form for the enlightenment of those remaining on the continent.

“As a Black Mage, we know very well what situation you’re in now. With the souls gone, you probably can’t use magic properly.”

Is he identifying me as a spiritmaster because he saw me eliminating monsters with blue flames?

Unlike Griffin, they weren’t ignorant about Black Magic.

“By now, you’ve probably figured it out.”

Grinning, Unyeop boldly declared.

“Our goal is the mana contained in millions of souls.”

“…..”

“Its owner, the spiritmaster of the Griffin Kingdom, Deus Verdi.”

Yes.

This was why he was confident I would cooperate.

For the spiritmasters of the continent, Deus was the root of all evil who suddenly took all the souls they had been handling.

He was certain I would cooperate with them because no Black Mage would miss an opportunity for revenge.

I was momentarily conflicted.

It was somewhat ridiculous that this person was secretly confessing his intention to kill me right in front of me.

But I hadn’t heard the full story yet.

‘Why are they targeting the mana contained in souls?’

Killing guardian spirits was to gain strength to kill me.

Killing me was to seize the vast mana contained in the souls I had taken.

Then.

What did they want after obtaining that?

My doubts increased.

I realized that what I was about to dismiss was directly related to my life.

Ridiculously, I took his hand.

“I’ll cooperate.”

Good.

Let’s see.

Let’s try to kill Deus Verdi.