Magic Society (2)

Magic Society (2)

Rumi’s cold voice coming from behind.

The moment that voice is heard, Delia quickly turns her gaze elsewhere.

‘She seems to be embarrassed.’

Well, it’s only natural to be embarrassed after saying something close to a confession, not only to the person involved but also to a third party.

I briefly spoke to calm down Rumi, who was glaring intently from behind.

“We’re almost there, so let’s get ready.”

At those words, Rumi seemed to come to her senses, nodding her head quickly and clinging to my side.

I stealthily glanced at Delia once more and then slowly lowered my eyes with a sunken face.

* * *

“Young master, welcome to the Magic Society.”

As we reached the checkpoint that we must pass through before going up to the third floor.

A guide sent by the Lercier Family greeted us.

I nodded lightly at such a greeting, and he pointed to the nearby shopping district and said.

“Before going up to the third floor, would you like to stop by the second floor? There are quite a lot of things to see here as well.”

At those words, I briefly looked around the second floor and then shook my head.

I figured that anything worth seeing on the second floor would also be available on the third floor, so there was no need to stop by.

‘Besides, I don’t want to waste time unnecessarily.’

Given how vast the grounds are, even a quick look around would easily take an hour.

Instead, it would be better to go straight up to the third floor and explore it in more detail.

So I made a gesture to go up right away, and he politely nodded and said to me.

“Understood. Then I’ll prepare for you to go up immediately.”

Unlike the second floor, it seems difficult to pass through at once.

I nodded briefly at his words and then slowly looked around, lost in thought.

‘By the way, I don’t see anyone coming to pick a fight with Rumi.’

In the original work, there were people who came to pick a fight as soon as we reached the first floor.

I’m not sure if they were pushed away by the crowd or if it’s because I’m here.

Thinking that such people are not visible, I shrugged my shoulders.

‘Well, it’s better not to let my guard down. You never know when or how they might show up.’

Just as I was slowly sinking into thought, deciding to focus my gaze on Rumi for today.

I felt a somewhat strange mana wave from far away.

‘Did an experiment fail? Or did something happen?’

Curiosity took over, but with Rumi and Delia present, I deliberately withdrew my interest, not wanting to venture into a dangerous place.

‘There must be plenty of others who can handle it besides me.’

There’s no need to get involved in trouble unnecessarily.

As I was thinking this and turning my gaze away, trying to ignore it.

The central staircase leading to the third floor suddenly stops working, as if it’s broken, and freezes in place.

As I look around at the suddenly noisy surroundings with my arms crossed

The guide approaches me hurriedly with a flustered expression and says.

“… Young master. It seems there’s been a problem and operations have been suspended.”

I nod at those words and say.

“When is it expected to resume operations?”

“We’ll have to check for the exact time, but judging by how busily the magicians are moving, it seems it will take quite a long time.”

At those words, I look up, contemplating what to do.

The guide makes another suggestion to me.

“Young master, how about looking around the second floor while you wait?”

It could simply be asking because they think I might get bored.

But as it feels strangely urgent, a subtle suspicion arises.

The moment that suspicion arises, I suddenly discover one question I had been missing all along.

‘Come to think of it, did I ever tell the butler that I was going to the third floor?’

No, that couldn’t be. I was completely focused on my research.

I was so busy that I didn’t even have time to check my magic book, and I had to ask Delia about the magic conference schedule, which was ‘nothing but free time.’

It didn’t make sense that I would have leisurely told the butler about my schedule.

‘And above all, I don’t remember saying anything.’

So there’s no way the butler could have known I was going to the third floor.

I couldn’t understand why this guide was talking about leading us to the third floor as if it were natural.

‘Moreover, this isn’t the only strange thing’

Thinking about it, it was quite odd how the doorkeeper opened the door for us as if it were natural when we went from the first floor to the second floor.

If the butler had given advance notice to make our ascent ‘comfortable’.

There should have been a guide or escort from the first floor, not just the second floor.

‘If this were a trip, it’s like having a guide standing with a sign in the middle of a tourist spot, rather than at the airport.’

So, feeling that everything was oddly out of place, I let out a hollow laugh.

… It strongly felt like the Heaven God Cult had set this up.

‘Was this why they were so quiet…’

Thinking that they were people who really loved fraud and kidnapping, I fell into contemplation.

‘So what should I do?’

It might be fine to just follow along, but that could put Rumi and Delia in danger, so it’s not a good approach.

So, deciding to make a move in advance rather than following blindly, I called out to the guide.

‘I really can’t tell just by looking at the exterior.’

While thinking that I couldn’t distinguish whether this guy was a pawn of the Heaven God Cult or just an ordinary person.

I forcefully kicked his shin with my foot.

“Ugh?!”

Startled by this action, he fell forward and looked at me with a bewildered expression.

I looked at him and spoke as if it were natural.

“Isn’t it only right for a guide to be punished if they fail to properly guide the way?”

“……”

If such a scene were witnessed on Earth, it would have made headlines as ‘Abuse of Power Gone Too Far’.

But in the Central Magic Academy, where hierarchy is more pronounced than elsewhere and a closed culture has taken root.

Everyone was passing by us indifferently, going about their business.

Thinking that I quite liked this situation, I slowly trampled on the guide with my foot and said.

“When a problem arises, it’s only natural to quickly identify and solve it. But seeing you make excuses and try to avoid responsibility, I can tell your level.”

It was sophistry in itself.

To be honest, the content of the conversation wasn’t that important.

Whatever I said, it probably wouldn’t reach that guy’s ears anyway.

‘From his perspective, he probably doesn’t even know why he’s being beaten.’

His main plan was probably to pretend to guide and then slip away and escape.

Suddenly being beaten out of nowhere, he must have been flustered.

I was trampling on him, who couldn’t resist at all, and slowly drew up mana, then shot it into his back.

‘After adding magic penetration to this.’

I wrapped his heart with mana, taking it hostage.

I whispered to him in a calm voice.

“Where are the Heaven God Cult members hiding?”

At those words, the heart I was holding began to beat excessively fast.

Whether it was because he was caught lying to me, or because he was in a life-threatening situation, I’m not sure.

One thing for certain is that his expression was closer to shock than indignation.

“… Wh-what Heaven God Cult? I don’t know anything.”

At first, he responded to my question by saying he didn’t know anything.

But as I gradually tightened my grip on his heart, he eventually started gasping for air, shouting, ‘I know!’

Then, as if truly begging for his life, he desperately cried out to me.

“Th-they’re in the tavern in that alley over there!”

Hearing this, I thought mockingly.

‘This must be another lie.’

Since all the members actively involved in the Heaven God Cult’s operations were under a spell.

They would either die or become half-paralyzed if they revealed information about the cult.

‘Considering this guy didn’t suffer any penalties…’

I couldn’t help but think that even getting caught might be part of their plan.

I chuckled at their increasingly cunning methods, then stood up and looked towards the alley.

‘Usually, one would go knowing it’s a trap, but still fall for it.’

I was worried about Rumi and Delia.

Above all, seeing how excited Delia was about coming here earlier, I didn’t want to ruin it for her.

‘So… rather than solving it myself.’

Deciding to borrow the power of the Magic Society, I took out the magic book from my chest and sent a text message to the butler.

[It seems the security of the Magic Society isn’t very good. I just saw someone trying to kidnap me.]