Chapter 10
Mitchell and Grant waited for nightfall.
Having recovered as much as possible in the meantime, they had managed to avoid the worst-case scenario.
"Ugh."
Mitchell was stretching his stiff body when he looked up to see Grant entering the room, holding something in his hands.
"What's that?"
"Infiltration gear."
Mitchell caught the bundle Grant tossed him and unfolded it to find black clothes and a mask. When they finished changing and looked at each other, they looked like the perfect pair of thieves.
"Oh, we look like real burglars."
In truth, what they were about to do wasn't much different. The only difference was that their target was a person, not an object. Grant's goal was to extract High Chancellor Hail.
"But couldn't we have put these on after we left?"
"There might still be spies left in the house."
Even if there weren't, there could be eyes watching the house from the outside. If it was the House Lapel he knew, they were more than capable of that. Thus, they moved cautiously from the moment they left the house, and it took quite some time before they finally reached the Lapel estate.
"This way."
Grant headed toward a spot where the guard was weak, just as he had scouted beforehand. They soon arrived at a high wall.
"There's magic on it; it looks like it'll be hard to climb over."
It wasn't just because it was tall. An alarm spell was cast on the wall. Mitchell, who was well-versed in magic, recognized it instantly and frowned. Grant shook his head at Mitchell's observation.
"How do you recognize that at a single glance?"
"I've always been a bit gifted."
Mitchell took pride in knowing magic theory better than anyone—at the very least. Even if he couldn't use it. Well, it didn't matter now. Instead of a book, Mitchell’s hand now held a sword.
"Fine, you're gifted. But I bet you didn't think of this."
Grant pulled something from his breast pocket.
"Tada! A Dispel Scroll."
"Aren't magic scrolls restricted from circulation?"
"I took it from the warehouse. It's old, but it should still work."
"Give it here. Let me check."
"Why? Do you even know what you're looking at?"
"Just give it to me."
With a skeptical face, Grant handed over the scroll. Mitchell examined its condition. It certainly looked old. Since all scrolls had been managed by the Imperial Family since the war with the Holy Empire, this was likely a relic from before then. Mitchell inspected the magic circle engraved on the scroll for any potential defects, but fortunately, it was perfectly fine.
"It's in good shape."
"Are you a mage? No, wait—a mage can't open an Aura Hole."
"I did study magic."
"How do you study magic when you can't use it?"
Magic is the act of exploring the great laws of nature. Thus, those who are not mages do not study magic theory. No matter how deep one digs, if they cannot use magic, they are nothing more than a half-wit who cannot verify their findings.
Mitchell had done exactly that for ten years. And thanks to that, he was able to modify his only usable skill, Soul Drain. Mitchell let out a small smirk as he recalled his rough past and tossed the scroll back to Grant.
"Stop talking nonsense and let's go."
"Sigh, I can never figure you out."
Grant grumbled as he tore the scroll, and the alarm magic on the wall dissipated.
Tap—
Grant scaled the wall first. Leaping lightly, he used a few kicks against the stone to fly several meters up.
'He's definitely a 5th-class Aura User.'
Mitchell now understood how much profound technique was contained in those foot movements. Making the body light, sticking the feet to the wall, and balancing power to rise upward even after a strong kick. Of course, it helped that Grant had mastered body-flicker techniques.
'Should I try it too?'
Mitchell backed up a few steps while waiting for Grant to toss a rope from the other side. Doing it from a standstill like Grant was impossible. But with a running start, he thought he could manage.
Pata-pata-tap—
He cleared the wall and landed. Even though only his eyes were visible through the mask, he could feel Grant's astonishment.
"How did you do that...?"
"With skill."
Grant sighed at the short answer and moved ahead. They had to get to Hail as quickly as possible before the guards showed up. Grant navigated through the estate, recalling the patrol routes he had memorized, and soon stopped in front of a detached villa.
"He's in here?"
"I'm certain. You have no idea how hard I worked to find this place."
Confident, Grant opened the back door and stepped inside, with Mitchell following close behind.
"Tch. When I think about all the trouble I went through, this is too little. They failed, yet they cut my commission."
High Chancellor Hail—or rather, Knox, who wore his face—was sitting at a desk counting gold coins. A famous fixer in the northern underworld, he had received 100 gold for this mission. It was an amount a commoner wouldn't see in a lifetime, but his mood was sour because his pay had been halved for failing to capture Grant Lunei.
'Well, whatever. I got something better out of it anyway.'
How shocked he had been when he received the request from House Lapel. To go in as a spy for House Lunei? It just so happened that he was also chasing a famous northern legend.
The legacy left behind by the first head of House Lunei, Kallian Lunei. It was said that his essence was dissolved within the items he left behind.
'I wonder what's in there.'
The current House Lunei was far lacking compared to the days when they dominated the northern part of the empire. That glory had been built on martial arts created by Kallian Lunei, who was called a Grandmaster, far beyond an Aura Master. To think they didn't even consider looking for such a relic.
'Idiots.'
Knox thought of the people of House Lunei. He had entered with high expectations after taking Lapel's request, but no one there knew anything about Kallian’s relic. They simply thought his legacy was the martial arts themselves.
But Knox was different. He had seen related information in an old book he had obtained by chance. Since it was a document certified by the Imperial Family, it had to be true.
<Kallian requested help from an Imperial Mage to leave behind his essence. Thus, the Imperial Family dispatched a mage and...>
The records were 200 years old, so he couldn't know exactly what was left behind, but he had discovered the approximate location through the ancient book. While carrying out Lapel's request, he had diligently searched for Kallian’s relic and finally found it in a secret space inside the main building. It was a shame that the relic was cracked in places due to being neglected for so long, but that was a problem he could solve by finding a restoration expert.
Besides, since it was separate from Lapel's commission, the relic belonged to him. The mere thought of it made Knox's mouth curl into a wide grin. But then, a sudden itchiness made him frown.
"Ugh, this itching is killing me."
Every time he laughed, a sensation close to pain surged. It was the side effect of killing High Chancellor Hail and switching to his face-skin.
'No matter how I think about it, that guy was a quack.'
Since he had the surgery done by a back-alley black mage, he had no one to complain to. But this would be over soon. The date for the surgery to return to his original face had already been set.
"Ehehe. Now, once I restore the relic..."
"Restore the relic?"
Huk!
Knox gasped. He hadn't felt a single presence, yet suddenly two men were standing behind him.
'Dammit! How the hell are the Lapels standing guard?!'
He was famous not for his martial prowess, but for his infiltration skills—he had never been caught before. In fact, he hadn't even learned Aura so that he could disguise himself and infiltrate more easily.
He had always been extremely cautious, even mimicking the behavior and speech of his targets to avoid suspicion. But now, he had been discovered. A fight was unavoidable. Knox pulled a dagger from his robe and pointed it at them.
"Who are you!"
At his words, the intruders pulled off their black masks. One was someone he didn't recognize, but the other was someone he knew all too well.
Grant Lunei.
The eldest son of House Lunei, and the very man he had sent to his death. Realizing he couldn't win against a 5th-class Aura User, Knox immediately fell to his knees.
"P-Please spare me."
"Before those words, shouldn't you first explain why you betrayed the family?"
"……"
Knox racked his brain. Since Grant hadn't thrust his sword at him immediately, it seemed he didn't intend to kill him right away. Furthermore, the man he was currently disguised as, Hail, was a loyal servant of House Lunei. If he explained that he was being blackmailed, he might survive this immediate crisis...
"Grant, look on the desk over there."
"What is that?"
"Human face-skin. If you keep it in a container with preservation magic like that, you can use it again later."
"That means..."
"He's wearing High Chancellor Hail's skin over his face. Look closely; the color of his neck and face are different. He isn't wearing makeup right now, so the difference is obvious."
Grit—
The sound of teeth grinding came from Grant's mouth. High Chancellor Hail was someone very meaningful to Grant. He had tried so hard not to jump to the conclusion that he was a spy when the crisis first hit. It was only after returning to the house that it became certain. Thinking that the person who killed him was right in front of him made his blood boil with rage.
Shing—
Grant drew his sword and was about to swing when Mitchell stopped him.
"Wait a moment."
"Why? If he's not the real High Chancellor, there's no need to take him alive."
"No, I have something to check first. Hey, what's your name?"
"……"
"Don't even think about lying; tell me the truth. I might have a job for you later."
At those words, Knox's dark expression brightened slightly. If he played his cards right, he might be able to act as a double agent.
"I am Knox. I'm a fairly well-known fixer in the North."
"Alright, Knox. So what were you talking about just now? About restoring a relic."
"T-That..."
He absolutely could not speak about that. While he was struggling with how to lie, Mitchell was already moving somewhere.
'I felt it the moment we entered the villa.'
A strange sensation tingling his senses. The feeling had grown stronger as they approached this room, and Knox's words had given him a hint.
'It's definitely the relic that guy mentioned.'
Mitchell walked slowly toward the source of the presence, which seemed to be crying out to be found. As he approached the desk, Knox's face turned white. Mitchell searched the desk thoroughly, but nothing suspicious appeared. However, having seen Knox's face, Mitchell was certain the relic was at the desk.
'Is it underneath?'
He reached under the desk drawer and felt something in a hollow space. Mitchell pulled out a small box about the size of his palm. When he opened it, there was a single old magic stone inside, covered in cracks.
"This must be the relic? Knox, would you mind explaining what this is?"
Mitchell felt a familiar energy coming from the relic. As Mitchell approached Knox while holding the magic stone, it suddenly shattered, and a pale smoke began to flow out.
"W-What the!"
Grant rushed toward Mitchell in a panic, but there was nothing he could do. In an instant, the pale smoke enveloped Mitchell. Because of the immense presence, Mitchell’s mind received a massive shock.
"Mitchell! Snap out of it!"
"Ugh... Get him first...!"
Gritting his teeth while on one knee, Mitchell pointed in one direction. Knox was trying to escape amidst the commotion. If he escaped now, it was only a matter of time before they were caught. Grant quickly pulled a dagger from his robe and threw it, burying it directly in the back of Knox's head.
"Huh? Mi-Mitchell...?"
In the meantime, the pale smoke from the magic stone was flowing into Mitchell's body.
