_Clatter— Clatter—_
Sitting at the front of the carriage, Administrator Agnes, affiliated with the Imperial Family, was deep in thought. Her keen eyes were naturally fixed on the cube that was frozen solid.
‘This is no ordinary cube.’
Though it wasn’t a Sacred Artifact, it certainly rated as a relic. Just a flick of her finger had the effect of restoring the wielder’s Vitality.
However, Ezekiel had frozen it. Without any prior warning.
That meant he had an astonishingly deep mastery of Ice Magic. Agnes couldn’t help but wonder who this person being transported to the Imperial Family was.
A Mage? Well, Mages were incredibly rare.
“What the heck is this person?”
Agnes pondered the appearance of the individual sitting behind her.
White hair reaching his shoulders, a particularly unruly demeanor, and the nonchalant way he was munching on Sunweed.
…So far from the dignity Mages typically pursued.
Her gaze shifted to the soldier riding the horse beside them.
“Is the person being transported currently a criminal?”
“Yes. He definitely isn’t a criminal.”
“But he’s not a guest either.”
“…That’s true. Still, isn’t it the first time His Majesty the Emperor has specifically summoned someone? Quite surprising.”
“Could he be a Mage?”
“…I really don’t know. There’s no information available at all.”
I wonder if he used a Magic Scroll.
“What if he used a Magic Scroll inside the carriage?”
“That can’t be. This carriage blocks Scroll Activation.”
“Right, that makes sense.”
Ezekiel seemed to be a pure Mage. A rather high realm at that.
Agnes’s prized possession, her notebook, offered no useful clues.
[ Mission Peculiarities ]
─ Do not understand it with common sense.
─ Avoid confrontation as much as possible.
“Hmmm.”
Agnes, who was always confident in following rules to the letter, had never encountered such abstract ones before. For someone who valued common sense and reason, being told to abandon them was unsettling.
I don’t understand. The more questions I have, the more question marks pile up.
“How long until we reach Feital?”
“We’ll be arriving shortly. However…”
The soldier glanced at Agnes.
“Speak.”
“Considering we are specifically passing through Feital… it seems like saving him for the Imperial Family isn’t the plan. Isn’t that right?”
“That makes sense.”
Danger zone, Lawless Zone, Feital.
The Imperial Family had expressly instructed that this area be passed through in the transport. It’s strange to pass through a place where sending troops would be inadequate.
“Who knows? We’ll have to keep an eye on it.”
Soon, the frozen cube turned in Agnes’s hands. Wondering about what it meant was uncharacteristic of her. Her task was merely to carry out orders and report the situation.
Thud.
Just then, a sound from inside the carriage—the sound of fingers snapping.
“Ah.”
Agnes glared back.
…Because he froze the cube again.
“…Ugh, how annoying.”
What in the world is he doing?
When the crescent moon hung in the night sky, the carriage finally stopped.
“Get out.”
Agnes opened the door.
I stepped out of the carriage and looked around. It seemed like an ordinary city, but it had an undeniably eerie atmosphere. I could instantly tell where this place was.
“Feital? Did the Imperial Family move without telling anyone?”
“We’ll be staying here for the day.”
“Why? Did some high-ranking official order it?”
“Do not refer to His Majesty like that.”
“I never said anything about an emperor.”
“…”
Agnes narrowed her eyes, as if confronting something trivial.
“Stop playing word games.”
“So, what’s the reason for staying here for a day?”
Feital didn’t seem like a necessary stop between my old village and the Imperial Family. I was curious why we’d take this detour.
“It’s His Majesty’s will. And only you will be staying here.”
“Aha.”
Now that I knew Feital was for the Emperor’s purpose, the intent became clear.
Every area typically has its specialties.
Then what is Feital known for? Prisons? Heinous criminals?
This place was famous for allowing heinous criminals to kill one another. Most heavily sentenced individuals were exiled here.
“Well, great. Before even seeing their faces, I’m tasked with cleaning up their mess.”
I chuckled.
“Come back alive.” That short phrase could mean making it through alive or being wiped out by the heinous criminals.
Even in a lawless zone, there were basic buildings. I followed Agnes into a large inn with a dining hall attached.
“Yes, I’d like to order this, please.”
Agnes ordered food without even listening to my opinion.
True to being a city of heinous criminals, the food was scant. It was just hot, watery porridge with a bit of corn sprinkled in.
Agnes picked up her spoon first, casually stuffing the unappetizing food into her mouth as if it were nothing.
I pulled out some Sunweed and asked, “How does it taste?”
“I don’t know. It’s mealtime, so I eat.”
“It’s not easy living off a paycheck, is it? Eating this kind of stuff.”
“You’re not a VIP either, are you? You should get used to meals like this since you’ll soon see how you’re treated.”
“Forget it. I’d rather starve to death.”
After that, our meal continued in silence.
Agnes chewed her porridge at regular intervals as if timing herself, while I merely gnawed at my Sunweed. My vision grew hazy. It was rather soothing.
Surprisingly, Agnes broke the silence first.
“Are you a Mage?”
“You didn’t know? You’re so lazy without doing any background research.”
She seemed to dislike being called lazy, her eyebrows twitching.
“Mages are prime targets here in Feital.”
“Mages are targets everywhere.”
“Yes. Magic Scrolls have changed a lot on the continent.”
With the development of Magic Scrolls, professions like Mage Scholars and Scrollers emerged, drastically reducing the number of Mages left, which was to be expected.
Now it was hard to call someone strong just because they used magic.
There was no need to struggle with casting magic oneself in a world like this. It was better to enhance other skills.
Oh, there’s another reason. The Erosion Phenomenon.
Just then, Agnes opened her mouth.
“Recently, the Erosion Phenomenon has also become serious, especially here in Feital.”
“I already know that.”
“Well then, that makes my job easier. I’ll skip the part about those afflicted by the curse preying on Mages.”
“Yeah, they slobber over Mages they see.”
“That’s right. But you’re a Mage, aren’t you?”
With aspects like this, Magic Scrolls became increasingly popular.
When someone trained their Mana to become a Mage, they became a target. But how convenient and safe it’d be to just use a Magic Scroll!
Agnes brushed her hair behind her ear, blew on the porridge on her spoon, and once again shoved it into her mouth.
“This place, Feital, is a Lawless Zone. It wouldn’t be strange if anything happened here. There are plenty of heinous criminals who harbor grudges against the Imperial Family.”
“I have plenty of grudges against the Imperial Family as well. Not a heinous criminal though.”
Wait, am I a heinous criminal? I don’t even know who the Princess that accepted my Proposal is.
“How feral do you think those heinous criminals would become if they also got infected by the Erosion curse? It’s not a hard question. I don’t think it requires deep thought either.”
“I wondered why you were making such a fuss, and it turns out you just wanted to scare me.”
“Yes. Did it induce a bit of fear?”
“I’m about to yawn. You need to practice more.”
“Have you given up?”
“No, I’m just a bit strong.”
Huff, I exhaled a long puff of Sunweed smoke. Agnes squinted and fan her face to blow the fumes away.
Then she opened her notebook on the table and marked something off.
[ Transport to Feital ] V
[ Eat ] V
[ Scare ] X
[ Observe and Report ]
As soon as Agnes noticed my gaze, she quickly slammed her notebook shut.
“You work quite cutely. How old are you?”
“I will take my leave now. See you again in the morning.”
Agnes left, her short hair swaying.
In the empty inn, I wondered how much time had passed.
‘I’m hungry.’
Ezekiel suddenly thought to himself. No matter how bad the food was, hunger always trumps everything else. Reluctantly, he picked up the spoon.
The porridge was, unsurprisingly, nearly inedible. I felt a new level of awe for Agnes, who had silently finished her meal.
He propped his feet on the table, fiddling with the spoon between his fingers. He merely stared at the empty space while chewing on another piece of Sunweed.
“Now that I think about it… was it like this back then?”
It had started like this when he was involved in the back organization of the Imperial Family.
After locking fifteen people in a secret room, the last survivor was released. If he held out until the end, they filled the room with fourteen more, a process repeated fifteen times.
Well, compared to back then, the situation now felt infinitely more innocent.
Tap— Tap—
Just then, he heard footsteps.
Someone began entering the inn’s dining area. A crowd, numerous enough that counting them seemed bothersome, quickly formed a circle around Ezekiel.
Each of them held weapons and exchanged glances before smiling.
“Looks like there’s a lot of cash here? We’ve hit the jackpot.”
“Not a penny. Are your eyes that terrible?”
Ezekiel answered calmly.
“I saw you getting off the Imperial Family’s carriage.”
“I’m supposed to be the fiancé of the Princess, but I’m not part of the Imperial Family.”
…Though I don’t know who that Princess is.
“Really? We happen to have some grudges against the Imperial Family.”
“So let’s just beat him up. Something’s bound to come out.”
The encirclement slowly tightened.
With his feet still propped on the table, Ezekiel spat out the Sunweed.
Wssss—
“…”
The leader of the group approaching Ezekiel suddenly stopped. A discomfort ran down his arm, revealing a thick layer of frost on it.
“…Frost?”
There was no doubt that it was frost covering his arm. Suddenly, it felt like the temperature dropped. His breath puffed out visibly.
“Didn’t you guys bring warmer clothes?”
Ezekiel, arms crossed behind his head, asked.
Huff— His breath turned into frosty mist, creating an enigmatic atmosphere.
“From here on out, it’ll be pretty cold.”
His smirk widened, exuding composure.
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