episode_0029

“Phew… I’m glad Aileen fell asleep first.”

“Yeah.”

Rebecca and Jenny, who came downstairs to the first floor leaving Aileen sleeping behind, found a suitable table and took their seats.

“Two beers here, please.”

“Yes!”

Jenny called over a passing waiter to order beer.

“Here you go!”

Before long, the beer was delivered.

“So… should we have one glass for now?”

Saying so, Jenny picked up a glass first.

“Sure.”

Rebecca also picked up a glass, clinking it with Jenny’s beer glass.

Clank-

After a toast, the two of them drank their beers sip by sip and soon began discussing things they could only talk about secretly in front of Aileen.

“The way I see it… Allen won’t be able to run for long. He’ll probably be caught within a month, don’t you think?”

“I agree on that part too. No matter how much Allen flies and crawls.”

Gulp-gulp-

“Haha!”

Having emptied her glass in one go, Jenny ordered another beer.

“So… we need to make plans for when Allen and Aileen meet, right?”

“Yeah. It’s clearly necessary.”

Why did the two of them confirm that Aileen had fallen asleep before coming down?

The answer was simple.

It was because they were both frustratingly insensitive fools when it came to love.

In a sense, it was like a Cupid operation.

“How about… locking the two of them in a room together?”

“Not a bad idea. But it’s weak. Those two aren’t the type to make progress just by being locked in a room.”

“Well… that’s true. There’s even a question of whether we can lock them up in the first place.”

“If we use magic properly… even if we can’t lock them perfectly, we can lock them for a certain amount of time.”

Casually chatting about things that would startle Allen or Aileen, the two continued their conversation while drinking.

“From the beginning… it doesn’t seem like those two will make progress just because we push them.”

“That’s true, but… there must be some way.”

“Hmm… lock them up… lock them up…”

As Jenny pondered for a moment, an idea flashed through her mind like lightning.

“Wait… if we lock them using magic, can we set conditions for them to escape?”

“Conditions?”

It was a bizarre idea, but Rebecca seriously considered it.

“It’s not impossible. But, it requires thorough preparation.”

“Really? Is that so…”

If an ordinary magician had heard this, they would have dismissed it as nonsense, but Rebecca was no ordinary magician.

As a member of the Hero Party who defeated the Demon King, she was a magician who could be considered on par with a Grand Magician, so although it might take some time, implementing conditions was possible.

“Listen for a moment.”

“What?”

Since it was a confidential matter that no one else should hear, Jenny whispered softly into Rebecca’s ear.

“!”

And upon hearing Jenny’s words, Rebecca’s eyes widened.

“How is it?”

“I never thought I’d say this… Jenny, you’re a genius!”

“Haha! Really?!”

Although the content of their exchange was unknown, Jenny and Rebecca smiled broadly, seemingly satisfied.

Perhaps with a slightly wicked smile.

“This method will definitely work.”

“I agree. It’s absolutely possible.”

“We need to prepare before finding Allen at all costs. Can you do it?”

“If you help me a little.”

“Okay!”

Having devised a clear plan, the two of them excitedly began pouring more drinks.

And the next day.

“Ugh…”

“Ugh…”

“… What on earth happened?”

Two people fell ill with a disease called a hangover and turned into zombies.

“… Something gives me the chills.”

Alan, who had sneaked out while Lily was asleep, shivered at the sudden chill that came over him.

“Is it because it’s cold?”

Although Alan was briefly puzzled, he soon dismissed it as just the winter weather.

Why did Alan come out on a night when darkness had fallen?

It was because of the characteristics of curse-type wizards.

Usually… Wizards proficient in curse magic often had a dark side and were active at night.

In modern society, even if someone were to call them discriminatory, it was an undeniable fact.

Although Alan hadn’t fully grasped the city’s geography yet, he could tell where they mainly resided.

Unlike ordinary wizards, those who had mastered the kind of magic that made others wary tended to inhabit alleyways.

No matter how good the public safety was in the city, there were still shady areas.

In other words, Alan was heading towards a shady area named the alleyway.

“… Is this the place?”

As Alan looked around, trying to heighten his senses as much as possible, he spotted a place where an eerie energy could be felt.

Seeing the dark and damp appearance of the alleyway, Alan smiled.

It seemed easier than expected to find curse-type wizards.

“Hey, mister.”

“What?”

“Do we need to pay a toll to enter the alleyway?”

“Huh.”

The fact that someone was trying to extort money from the entrance meant that Alan had found the right place.

“What are you doing? Not going to pay?”

Swoosh-

“You… You may enter.”

Of course, even if that was the case, it didn’t mean Alan would hand over the money willingly.

Usually, such individuals would get scared and run away at the sight of a sword.

“Pitiful.”

As expected, when Alan drew his sword, the man ran away, prompting Alan to enter further into the alleyway.

“It’s bigger than I thought…”

“Hey, wanna buy some magic herbs?”

Upon entering the alleyway, various illegal street vendors greeted Alan.

It was clearly an illicit market selling items prohibited by law.

People were haggling and arguing with each other.

“Mister, want to try this?”

“…”

“Hehe… This one will blow your mind, right?”

A man blocking Alan’s path offered him white powder.

“Get lost.”

“Tsk! You’ll regret this!”

Since Alan hadn’t come to the alleyway to do drugs, he promptly chased the man away, using rough language in accordance with the alleyway’s rules.

“If you show respect in the alleyway, you’re a pushover.”

There were rules even in shady places.

Alan obediently followed those rules.

Continuing to walk, driving away the thugs blocking his path, Alan eventually realized he had reached his destination.

“Is this it?”

[House of Curses]

Though tacky, the straightforward name gave Alan a sense of having arrived at the right place.

Creak-

“A rare guest.”

Opening the door cautiously, a pale-skinned man with a slight build welcomed Alan.

“Who do you want to curse?”

“… I’m not here for a curse, but for a blessing.”

“Oh, looking for a blessing, then.”

In reality, most people who sought out curse-type wizards asked them to curse someone, so a request for a blessing was quite rare for the man.

“I don’t think I’m under a curse… Am I?”

“I’m going to curse someone else, not me.”

“Oh, I see. I had a hunch. So… where is that person?”

“At the inn.”

The curse magician looked at Allen with an incredulous expression.

“Hey, I’m not going on a business trip. Bring them directly.”

“I’ll make sure you’re generously compensated for the trip.”

“… How much are you going to pay?”

Although the man didn’t particularly want to go on a business trip, it was polite to at least hear the amount if they were offering a substantial sum.

“Will this amount do?”

Thud-

Allen placed a purse of money on the table where the man was sitting.

It was a hefty purse containing a significant amount of money.

Swoosh-

“Hmm… With this amount, the business trip seems worth it.”

Swiftly grabbing the purse and tucking it into his chest, the man stood up from his seat.

Intrigued by the sudden change in attitude, Allen was surprised but relieved that the conversation ended well.

‘I guess there’s no need for threats.’

In reality, if the man had refused to go even after being threatened, Allen had planned to resort to more forceful measures, such as brandishing a knife. Fortunately, the man made a wise choice.

“Hyung, I have one condition.”

“What is it?”

“You probably already guessed, but as a curse magician, I inevitably have many enemies.”

“I’ll provide some protection.”

“Well… Looks like we can communicate. Let’s go quickly.”

The man headed outside before Allen.

“Hyung, let’s hurry!”

‘Isn’t this a drastic change from his initial demeanor?’

The power of money was indeed a fearsome thing.