The timeline is around chapters 96 and 97.
The perspective is that of the infamous magician.
Please be cautious as it is that kind of story.
I am a mere magician.
Normally, I am used as an adventurer and a mercenary.
My reputation is fairly good, you know? In the realm of magic combatants, there aren’t many as unprincipled as me… Those who aren’t picky about their jobs.
As long as the pay is good, I’ll do any job. Be it escorting, monster extermination, aiding in ritual magic, or even if someone wants to give another a taste of their own medicine, I’m up for anything to that extent of being unprincipled.
…That was when a fairly profitable job came my way.
“A simple job of protecting the temple from the Demon King’s army,” that’s what it was.
I had somewhat heard about the situation where a total of nine members of the Demon King’s army came to the temple and easily crushed the knights. Of course, I could always run away if it came to that.
Even excluding that, it was a simple job of sneaking into the temple, and it paid well. There was no reason not to apply.
I was in Aitzoll at that time, and if you went to the square in Aitzoll, there was a skyship heading to the temple, so moving there wasn’t a hassle. “Join as a mercenary,” they said, and anyone could get on. They must have been quite desperate. Even the temple couldn’t afford to be stingy under such circumstances.
Under such circumstances, I thought maybe it was possible to do things I normally couldn’t.
Weapons, treasures, and secret techniques passed down through the temple. You could think of anything, right?
There are places that would buy such information for a suitable price. That meant I could expect some extra income.
…So, that’s why I went to the temple, I mean the cash cow.
There were some amazing ones there.
Six incredibly beautiful people. Two swordsmen, two magicians, one priest, and one archer, that was the lineup.
Looking at them, their strength was on a completely different level.
…You see, even if they were desperate for help, hiring weaklings wouldn’t make sense, right? That’s why there was a sort of employment test.
But it was simple, just show your skills. I easily passed with my specialty in illusion magic.
After I quickly finished my test, I watched the others.
The beautiful magician took turns demonstrating their magic in front of the examiner.
The first one used orthodox earth magic. But the power and precision were extraordinary.
It was so precise it was doubtful if it was really done by a human.
Then, the second one.
The magic used was something I had never seen.
Wind drove ice particles into the ground. Despite their small size, the ice particles were hard, and upon hitting the ground, it was gouged out.
I couldn’t tell if it was a type of weather magic, or a combination of wind and ice magic.
…And then.
That magician using magic was quite to my liking. Ah, I swing both ways, just so you know.
The delicate body, pale skin, and the expression of casually using such amazing magic were quite nice.
Well, I didn’t think the Demon King’s army would attack today or tomorrow, so I thought there would be a chance to get closer.
I seem to be quite lucky.
Mercenaries were basically assigned two to a room, and my roommate was that magician.
After I placed my luggage in the room and was sitting on the bed, the magician, completely drenched, entered the room.
He had rare black hair, but it looked rather good, wet and clinging to his pale skin.
I was momentarily stunned. If you saw it, you’d understand. It was artistry?
“Are you my roommate?”
“It seems so.”
What a lack of friendliness. Even though he’s beautiful, isn’t his attitude a loss?
He just placed his luggage carelessly and started changing out of his wet clothes without paying me any mind.
Well, I tried introducing myself anyway.
“Hagasaki. Magician.”
He gave a rather indifferent reply.
Doesn’t he enjoy conversation at all?
Hagasaki acted as if I didn’t exist, showing no sign of concern.
“I saw your test. What kind of magic was that? Weather magic? A combination of wind and ice?”
“Why do I have to tell you that?”
Even when I tried talking a bit, it went like this.
…Well, that’s expected. Someone who readily reveals their hand isn’t cut out to be a magician.
In that sense, Hagasaki is probably well-suited to be a magician.
“Anyway, it’s fine. Neither of us wants to reveal our hand. But that magic was amazing, wasn’t it? It’s surprising you can cast such magic with such a slender body.”
The ice pellets were launched at that speed, and this slender body didn’t even flinch.
I’ve trained to a certain extent, not just for magic. Some magics have recoil, and if you can’t move your body during a fight, even if you can use magic, you could easily die.
In that sense, I’m interested in this delicate magician.
…Well, I’m interested in him in more ways than just that, you know?
“You’re almost like a woman. But besides your body, your skin is really pale. …Are you from the north?”
The skin revealed by casually removing the wet clothes was unusually white. The sharp lines of the angular body were quite enticing.
People from the north, like Aegis or Kukurtz, tend to have fair skin. Maybe he’s from there.
Noticing my gaze, Hagasaki glanced at me.
“But even considering your height and skeleton, honestly.”
“Since earlier,”
I was interrupted by a cold voice just as I was about to continue with words of admiration.
And then, our gazes, which had not properly met until now, firmly did.
It was a gaze as cold and sharp as ice.
“…What, you’re staring at me like that? Pervert.”
I was completely taken aback by that displeased face and the cold gaze.
No, I’m not joking, this might be a fateful encounter.
“I like that expression. I’m not averse to it, you know?”
Whistling and heaping on praise, the gaze turned even colder. Ah, that’s good. It sends shivers down my spine.
“Ah, I see. Well, I hate it. ‘Ice Bullet'”
And without moving an eyebrow, he said that and used magic on me without any hesitation.
…And after taking a direct hit from that ice bullet, I ended up knocked out.
I became even more fired up. I wanted to see that incarnation of ice melt.
I tried to talk to him during meals, but he smoothly avoided me, and I couldn’t catch him at all.
At night, I waited without sleeping in our room, and finally, he came back.
“Hey, where have you been? You won’t last if you don’t sleep early. Who knows when the Demon King will come?”
“It’s none of your business.”
And with that, Hagasaki bluntly went to bed.
…Just as I thought about taking a peek while he was asleep, a wall of ice suddenly formed around Hagasaki’s bed.
Was I being guarded against? Well, it figures.
When I woke up in the morning, Hagasaki was already gone. Seriously, he doesn’t give me a chance.
I couldn’t find him even when I went to get breakfast.
…And then, after listening to the temple people’s grateful talks, the mercenaries were free to do as they pleased again.
I spent my time gathering the information I wanted and killing time before returning to our room.
Then, there he was.
Sitting on the bed, maintaining his staff.
However, that staff, it was clearly of a shoddy make, or rather, it seemed unsuitable, which caught my attention.
“Hey, that staff doesn’t seem to fit you, does it?”
When I spoke up, there was a response.
“Ah, so you can tell?”
Oh. Is he interested in this kind of conversation?
“Well, I’ve been in this field for a while. …Is there a reason or something?”
Using an unsuitable staff, for a magician, must be for a significant reason.
When I asked, he hesitated a bit before speaking.
“Found it. Just using it because I found it.”
…Well, that basically means, “It’s not something I can talk about.”
…So, is that it?
“Does it have some sort of special ‘Lost Blessing’ attached to it?”
I couldn’t think of any other reason.
“…You know a lot about that?”
Oh. Oh. Ooh. He seems to be biting.
He must be interested in this direction, this guy.
“I deal with that kind of stuff in my work.”
But if he’s interested in this… well, I guess I wouldn’t mind using it to bait him.
“Right, the temple’s treasures, like the Knight Commander and High Priest’s tokens, aren’t you interested?”
“…What’s that?”
He’s bitten, alright. Maybe I should tease him a bit here.
This is where negotiation comes into play, you know?
“Well, what do you think?”
I was pretty confident he wouldn’t have a clue, but then.
“An amulet.”
He guessed it right away, which genuinely surprised me.
“…You know about it?”
“And you, how do you know about it?”
Well, even if he knew, knowing the extent of his knowledge is another issue. Time to recover and continue.
“I take on dirty jobs by nature. I do things that are a bit shady. So, this was an opportunity. A chance to infiltrate a strict organization like the temple.”
Then, Hagasaki’s eyes narrowed a bit. …Well, even if I’m accused, there’s no evidence. I can just deny everything. Or even run away, so I’m not worried.
“So, I have connections, you see? Places that buy and sell information of that origin? I thought I’d sell some temple treasure information this time. So I bought a little bit of information about the temple’s treasures. Namely, information about the amulet that the Knight Commander and High Priest possess. Then, based on that information, I infiltrated this temple as a mercenary. Although, I haven’t found the Knight Commander or the High Priest yet.”
Of course, that’s mixed with lies.
It wouldn’t make sense to buy information if I’m selling it. I’ve fudged that part a bit.
And I’ve already found the Knight Commander, put him under an illusion, and extracted a lot of information.
“Huh. …What kind of capabilities does it have?”
“Oh? Are you interested in that kind of thing?”
He must like these conversations. Could he be a fellow professional? Nah, if such a beauty was in the same line of work, it would be more widely known.
“…Is that bad?”
His slightly “melted” look was enough to satisfy me, but at the same time, it made me want more.
“No? Not at all? …You’re really interested in an amulet that might not even exist?”
I’ll leak as little information as possible. I don’t have that much information to begin with.
“…So? What kind of item is it?”
He clearly wants to know.
I can’t help but smile.
“Oops, it wasn’t easy getting my hands on this information. I can’t just teach it to you so easily. There has to be a proper price for this kind of information, right?”
I emphasized “price,” half-expecting to be brushed off. If he did, it would be amusing. But to my surprise…
…Hagasaki, with his long white fingers, unbuttoned one of the buttons on his shirt.
…Being this beautiful, maybe he’s used to this kind of thing. That’s fine by me.
“So?”
“Could you at least undo one more?”
I tried my luck, only to be met with that icy gaze again. Really, it’s irresistible.
“…Really, you’re expensive. …Ah, well, as I mentioned earlier, the amulet essentially nullifies any status abnormalities or mental influences. Being confused, having your sleep intensified, being paralyzed, or being controlled—all of that is nullified. However, it does allow effects that are positive. Like boosting morale, or waking you up, that sort of thing. …Of course, it has its flaws… Alright, that’s all for now. The rest comes after an additional fee.”
I thought I might be pushing my luck, but I was also confident I could go on.
Proof of that came when Hagasaki, after a while, relented and undid another button.
He’s really making me wait. Must be used to it.
“Couldn’t you provide a little more service?”
“What about the rest?”
Might as well push my luck since I’m here, but he’s as aloof as ever.
“…Alright, alright. So, about that amulet, no matter what, it’s impossible to create something perfect with just a single amulet. That means, either the wearer has to bear the burden of activation, or the amulet’s effects aren’t perfect. Or both. …But you know, even if the wearer has to expend mental energy for activation, do you think it’s the same as casting several layers of protective magic? Normally, no one with an average amount of mental energy could keep it activated at all times. …And, I’ve found decisive evidence. Alright, that’s all for now.”
I cut off my speech, and Hagasaki undid another button.
But I didn’t budge. He had kept me waiting enough. This much should be fine.
I thought so and held out, winning in the end.
Hagasaki undid the rest of the buttons, too.
The completely opened shirt revealed white skin. Wonder how many have fallen for this.
“And the evidence?”
“…Hey, take off your shirt.”
“Not taking it off. This is enough, right? So, the evidence?”
I probably should have held out, but I had reached my limit.
“Sigh… You’ll pay for this information, right? …Look, the former Knight Commander. He resigned a while ago, right? The reason is… remember the gladiator tournament in the capital not long ago? He apparently went there with eight knights. But then, that foreign woman’s voice, or whatever that was… After hearing that voice, their bodies couldn’t move. Even though he was wearing the amulet, mind you. So he resigned, you see. There, I’ve told you all the information I have.”
I thought to myself how foolish I was, spilling all I had researched.
To the extent that I thought it was okay to do so, it seems I’ve been quite taken with him.
“Lies. You still have more to deduce, don’t you?”
He keeps wanting more.
But I’ve run out of things to say.
“Right? …The rest comes after you take everything off.”
I bluffed, thinking I could just make something up after the fact. Or even run away… though, that would be a bit of a shame.
Used to such situations, Hagasaki didn’t flinch when I reached out.
…Or so I thought.
Next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the floor.
…Whoa, my stomach hurts. Looks like I’ve got a bruise around my solar plexus.
Hagasaki was no longer in the room. His belongings were gone, too.
…I got played. Damn. No wonder he didn’t flinch. Quite the nerve he’s got.
With nothing else to do, I tried to leave the room, but the doorknob was so cold I let go.
Feeling a bad premonition, I grabbed it again, trying to open the door… but it wouldn’t budge.
It’s frozen. This is.
…Though this room has a window, it’s not big enough to escape through.
Seriously, what a piece of work…
That night, Hagasaki didn’t return to the room.
…Actually, I never saw him again after that.
I would catch glimpses of him in the dining hall, but as soon as I tried to approach, he’d flee. I never managed to catch him.
While all this was happening, a quite beautiful lady announced herself as the new High Priestess, and there were talks about the threat of the Demon King being over, among other things, so the job for mercenaries just fizzled out.
This place is pretty suspicious, though. I’d like to dig in and investigate at some point, but for now, I decided to head back to Aitzoll first.
…Well, I did get the information about the amulet, so if you think about it, it wasn’t all bad. Yeah.
And my interactions with Hagasaki, well, they were somewhat enjoyable. A pity, though.
…Right, with the way things are, he must be involved in similar jobs elsewhere. Maybe if I head over to Aegis, I might bump into him again on some occasion.
…Thinking about this and that, I found myself on a carriage back to Aitzoll.
First thing when I get back, maybe I’ll look for jobs in Aegis or Kukurtz.