24. Expensive Request
“I told you to just try it once?”
The man held out a glass bottle. The blood inside was dripping crimson.
A black magician who drinks the blood of demons and beasts.
‘Crazy… It’s real. That’s real.’
The calm voice made Sherne feel goosebumps.
The notoriety of the Demon Blood was well known in the Black Magic Society.
The story was that ten warlocks drank the blood of a demon, eight of them died, one went mad, and the rest went missing.
He was casually offering the blood of such a demon.
“Why don’t you drink it? Is there anything more effective than experiencing it firsthand?”
The man was rather harassing the two.
“I··· If it’s not really dangerous, then try it once!”
Parnthal shouted in a trembling voice.
A glimpse of desire appeared between Parnthal’s face, full of fear.
‘Crazy Partal!’
Sherne screamed softly.
“There isn’t much, can I drink it?”
The man shook the glass bottle and asked, as if asking if he could drink this precious substance.
Feeling the cold disconnect, Shern and Parnthal were unable to answer and just nodded.
“Good. Oh, do you have anything like candy?”
“···Candy?”
“Is there nothing sweet?”
Sherne, who likes sweets, took out a few candies and threw them at the man.
“Thank you, this doesn’t taste good.”
The man poured the monster’s blood into the glass cup without hesitation.
“······I really drank it.”
Sherne let out a groan of shock at the sight of the man who had actually drunk it.
The man put the candy into his mouth without any thought.
Drinking demon blood like it’s alcohol and eating candy because it’s bitter.
It felt like all of Shern’s common sense was being denied.
“This calculation is wrong. The mana concentration is slightly lower. If I were to express it in a formula, it would be-. Hey, are you listening?”
“···yes yes!”
“Reduce the concentration a bit more. And the calculation itself is wrong to begin with. There is no standard. There is no standard.”
He even pointed out the exact calculation.
‘Isn’t the demon’s blood damaged?’
Perhaps thinking something similar, Parnthal picked up the glass bottle.
It was a vial containing the same demon’s blood that the man had drunk.
“I… am I really okay?”
“It hurts a little, but I just need to stay alert.”
After hesitating for a while, Parnthal swallowed the monster’s blood all at once.
“Well, it’ll be hard to drink it all at once, but he’s young and full of energy.”
“I told you in advance······.”
Parnthal’s mouth stopped.
Parnthal’s eyes widened as if they were going to burst. Blood vessels filled his eyes. Tears flowed down his eyes. He could only make a sound like he couldn’t breathe.
“Oh, it’s okay. It may feel like every single blood vessel is on fire, but that’s an illusion. It’s just pain at best. Concentrate. Press down on your mana.”
“Ugh-.”
Parnthal gasped and trembled. Veins appeared on his face. He stood on tiptoe.
It was such a horrible sight that I can’t even imagine the pain he must have been going through.
“It’s okay. It’s not the blood of a demon, it’s the blood of a beast. And it’s been a while since that happened, so why are you being so sarcastic?”
‘Um…kill?’
Standing on tiptoe and shaking his body, there was no way it was a joke.
“Okay, the method is simple. Think of your mana in your heart. Imagine pressing down on it. It’s a similar feeling as when you take a deep breath. Try to follow along. Hoo- ha- Hoo- ha-. Do it properly. Do you want to die?”
At that moment, Parnthal’s head shot up. There was a strange sound of bones being twisted. The skin rose as if bones were being pulled out.
“Well, that won’t work. I’ll just help you this once.”
The man placed his hand near Parntal’s heart. The man’s hand was filled with veins. Parntal’s breathing quickly stabilized.
Parnthal collapsed. Shern hurriedly supported Parnthal.
“Parental! Are you okay? Are you awake?”
It was some time later that Parnthal came to his senses.
The man was reading Parnthal’s research report.
“······That’s right, the coefficient was high. The margin of error was chosen incorrectly.”
Parnthal, who had come to his senses, immediately started talking about his research. At Parnthal’s urging, Shern checked the report.
‘If you change the coefficients-. That’s right.’
The problem that had been bothering me for so long was solved in an instant.
What the man said was true.
“this.”
At that moment, the man pointed to Parnthal’s research report.
Parnthal desperately got up and approached the man.
“The human mana counter in the middle is empty?”
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“Ah, the research related to humans is still in preparation. It was lost in an attack by some group···.”
“I see. Could you give me a pen?”
“yes!”
The man began to write something on the report with the pen he had received from Parnthal.
Parnthal, who absolutely hates having his research tampered with by others, was now quietly watching. In fact, his face looked expectant.
A moment later, the man handed me a research report.
“There is a slight margin of error, but I think it is within the acceptable range.”
All the empty seats were filled.
That wasn’t all. The man wrote additional information on the back of the paper right there.
All of these were lost when they were attacked by some group. They were necessary for research, but there was no way to obtain them, so they were difficult to obtain.
Knowing about him was one of two things.
Either some kind of group, or this association, which is the highest level of the Black Magic Society.
There was no way some group could be here editing the report.
then-.
“Are you from our company?”
The fact that the deputy director ignored procedures and brought it in, that he was well-versed in the blood of demons and beasts, that he drank the blood of beasts and felt no ill effects, and that he knew about the lost information.
Everything pointed to the man as someone from the main office.
“It’s a secret.”
Shern and Parnthal gulped at the answer that was nothing short of positive.
This is the main meeting-.
My lips became dry as I came face to face with a story that had only been passed down as a legend.
“Why did the members of this association come all the way here···.”
“Why would that be?”
The man asked back instead. His attitude was relaxed, as if he was testing her.
“To clean up all the rotten ones!”
Parnthal answered in a rough voice, his voice full of anger.
The man wiggled his fingers as if to tell her to continue.
“The academy is now obsessed with magic stones! Research is secondary, and it’s full of rotten guys who are proud of their magic stone staffs! Even we, the ones in charge of research, are forced to quota magic stones!”
Parnthal gushed out blood as if spitting it out from his mouth. Parnthal, who was usually dissatisfied, had a desperate tone in his voice.
The man nodded.
“I am preparing for renewal.”
Renewal-. Sherne muttered the sweet yet thrilling word under her breath.
“The magic stone is good. Isn’t it a stone that is worth calling? However, it is still just a stone. Do you think a lump of stone will open the truth?”
The man’s voice was powerful. Sherne nodded absentmindedly.
“You’re the only ones of any use. The others are all fake magicians who lick their magic sticks.”
Parnthal shuddered at the man’s recognition. Isn’t the reaction too intense? Sherne frowned slightly.
“I will cut away the rotten flesh to make room for new flesh to grow. Parnthal, you will pass.”
Parnthal let out a loud gasp at the man’s nomination. Tears were welling up in his eyes.
“I knew this day would come!”
It was a dark magic academy that I had entered to worship ascension. However, my research was put on the back burner and I spent more and more days digging with a pickaxe in the magic quarry. These were too sweet words for the angry Parnthal.
“Parental, give me your hand.”
“thank you!”
The man grabbed Parnthal’s wrist. Sparks flew out continuously from the man’s hand. It was truly a magnificent and elaborate magic.
How can you do such elaborate magic without even a spell?
‘As expected, this is the main event!’
“Okay, this is the seal.”
There was a beautiful lightning-shaped scar on the inside of Parntal’s wrist. Parntal looked at him and shed hot tears.
“Me… Me?!”
Sherne asked urgently.
“There is only one condition.”
The man pushed a vial containing the monster’s blood.
“Show your true feelings.”
Gulp-. Sherne swallowed dry saliva.
It was a very ignorant test, but that was why it was impossible to cheat.
“Drink! Shern!”
Parnthal, who had always been kind to Shern, glared at him with upturned eyes and shouted.
Under the pressure, Sherne swallowed the monster’s blood.
It was as if it had swallowed fire. It wasn’t just any fire. It was a fire full of thorns.
A pain as if everything inside of his body was being torn apart and burning struck him. Shern’s mind went blank for a moment.
At that moment, the pain slowly subsided.
The moment she saw the man looking at her with a relaxed expression, she was able to understand Parnthal’s madness.
It was natural to feel awe at a man who could handle such pain so effortlessly.
“You will pass too.”
Shern and Parnthal looked at each other and nodded. The humiliation they had felt melted away.
“Now, you are my direct subordinates. Congratulations.”
The two nodded with much more solemn faces.
“Stay here for now and do your usual routine, and organize information about the branch. Especially Corton.”
Shern and Parnthal nodded.
“Oh, can you give me some paper? Thanks.”
“no!”
The man began to quickly write something on a blank piece of paper.
“The standard is the mana arrow. Use this to study the blood of the demons. Since you can utilize the blood of monsters, it should be sufficient.”
“of course!”
Shern’s pupils grew large. It was detailed information about the blood of the Demons. The man simply waved it away, but it was information they absolutely needed.
“Oh, human research is prohibited. There are rumors that some group is approaching. If there is anyone who is conducting such research, please write it down separately. Always remember to be innovative.”
The two nodded with solemn faces at the man’s serious voice.
“I’ll come again next time.”
The man stood up, speaking softly.
At that moment, the door opened and Deputy Chief Corton appeared.
The man laughed as if nothing had just happened.
****
“How was the research?”
“It wasn’t bad.”
It was easier to entice the magicians who were only doing research than to turn their hands over to Galahad, the agent.
There was no need to say anything more, even with the information they had.
Persuasion was Galahad’s specialty.
‘You’ve set up a research center.’
Their research was poor at the moment. They had high expectations because they had a lot of magic stones and expensive magic tools, but it was not that great.
Still, they were useful guys.
I gave you directions and even information about the blood of the Demons, so next time you come, you will be successful.
It was perfect that he was given the role of watching over Corton.
‘I have to dig two holes.’
Now, if we could just thread the cortenon, we could plant henchmen on both sides and have them watch each other.
At that moment, Corton, who had checked outside, locked the door.
“Let me get straight to the point.”
Corton said with a serious expression that did not suit him.
“Kill Adrianna.”
Galahad let out a sigh at the request that was so direct.
Kill Adrianna right away.
“Whew······, very high ups want Adrianna dead. If you deal with Adrianna, you’ll be given a huge reward.”
Dawn was clear.
“Is the tall person very tall?”
Corton chuckled.
“Would we study the Demon Race for nothing?”
Galahad realized why Corton had shown him the research.
The empire strictly prohibited research on the demon race. It was an empire that uprooted any research related to the demon race.
Studying such a demon race-.
‘It shows that the power is not subservient to the empire.’
The dawn seemed bigger than he had thought. Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth and collected his thoughts.
‘The Dawn has put a bounty on Adrianna. The reward will be quite large. Adrianna is their biggest ambush.’
Our greedy Corton seemed determined to proceed without telling the branch manager.
‘So you’re going to eat it all by yourself?’
That meant that confidentiality was guaranteed.
‘A request to kill Adrianna-.’
The scent of lemon was deep.
Considering all the circumstances, the request to kill Adrianna is-.
‘Not bad.’
It was a pretty good suggestion.
Of course, I had no intention of actually killing Adrianna. I doubted if it was even possible in the first place.
However, it was an opportunity to approach Dawn.
I asked a question because it wasn’t good to just move on.
“What do I gain?”
“······Profit? Oh, right. Of course there is!”
Judging from the way he groped, it seemed like he hadn’t considered the reward he would give Galahad. He really was a hopeless bastard.
“It is a request from a very high authority. If you succeed, you will receive an unimaginable reward. You saw the rolling magic stones and expensive magic tools, right? There will be an even greater reward!”
Vague rewards always end badly.
Of course, this time we won’t see the reward.
“Compensation-. That’s great. But as you know, I’m just a facade right now. If I want to get a chance, I have to get close to Adrianna, but to do that···.”
“Didn’t you say that we even hold hands?”
“I almost died after catching him. Don’t you know the temperament of northerners?”
Corton chuckled at Galahad’s answer.
“Don’t worry about support. If you need anything, just let me know.”
Galahad smiled coolly at Corton’s confident face.
“You’re really solid!”
“Haha! I’m the deputy manager. Since there’s no branch manager, this is my world. Didn’t you see the magic stones and magic tools on your way here?”
As Galahad told him what he needed, Corton’s laughter gradually stopped.
A moment later, Corton held out a single, hideous finger-sized piece of silver.
“Know the pain.”
“Egg of Pain?”
“This is something I got from a high-ranking demon. If you eat this and break your oath, you will die in terrible pain.”
Corton said in a confident voice.
Somehow I thought Corton would believe meekly, but it seemed like he had prepared a plan of his own.
If it was definitely an item from a high-ranking demon tribe, I could be confident.
but-.
“If you break your oath, you die in terrible pain? Who sets the standard? Does this little thing have a brain to judge? Or does it understand a person’s feelings? Or is it some kind of magic?”
Corton felt something was wrong as Galahad’s questions poured out.
When Galahad saw this horrible sight, far from being frightened, his eyes lit up.
As if I had discovered something very precious-.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Um, it’s from a high-ranking demon tribe-.”
The Egg of Pain was now in Galahad’s hands.
Corton shivered slightly as Galahad carefully observed the terrible object as if he were examining a jewel.
“Okay, eat it and swear-. Okay.”
Galahad swallowed it without any hesitation.
gulp-.
Corton swallowed dryly at that bold action.
At that moment, Galahad looked at Corton with sunken eyes and swore.
“If you wish, I will kill Adrianna.”
Although it seemed like there were some strange conditions attached, the content matched, so Corton nodded.
“Oh, so that’s the principle. A high-ranking demon. With this level of mana concentration. This is truly amazing.”
Galahad was stroking his own neck.
“Can I get one more?”
“What on earth are you talking about-.”
“I’m saying this because I think I’ll know if I eat one more. Do you have one more?”
Galahad, who had been losing his appetite, got up and ran away.
****
“Sir Gilbert, we are in trouble.”
Gilbert winced at Tom’s serious voice.
“Why did the captain have an accident?”
“Yes? No.”
“So Gwen burned down the barracks again?”
“Oh, I’m going outside and doing it.”
“Did Damian say he was hungry?”
“Yes? No. Look at this.”
Tom held out something. It was a yellow parchment with a lot of writing on it.
Gilbert read slowly what was written on the parchment.
“Special Forces accounting ledger? Was there something like that?”
“Oh, I had some time left, so I organized it. I thought no one else was doing it… Sorry if I went off topic.”
I couldn’t understand the flow of the story of how he had time left and prepared the accounting books.
Gilbert slowly looked through the ledger. He felt dizzy as he read two lines of numbers.
“What’s the problem?”
Gilbert handed the ledger back to Tom and asked,
“We’re going to run out of money soon.”
“The budget is running low? Didn’t you say that when you received the carriage, you also received the operating expenses for the unit?”
“Yes, isn’t the unit budget based on performance?”
“Yeah, right.”
Gilbert nodded for a moment.
“But when we received the budget, didn’t we achieve nothing?”
“That’s right.”
“So the budget itself was small.”
“Right.”
Gilbutton, who only then understood, nodded.
“Won’t the performance reflection come out in the next quarter?”
“yes.”
“Our unit is over-budget. I understand the price of Sir Gilverton, who is from the 1st Battalion, but Damian and Gwen’s prices are ridiculously high.”
Gilbert’s head started to hurt as the money talk continued.
“And then there’s Damien’s food expenses, and this time, Sir Gilverton’s armor repair expenses-. At this rate, we’ll go bankrupt.”
The two words ‘bankruptcy’ were clearly heard. Gilbert nodded and said.
“So you’re going bankrupt?”
“Yes? Oh, yes. That’s right.”
“Why are you talking at length when you can get to the point first?”
“Ahahaha… Anyway, I have to find a way.”
“method?”
“Yes, for example, Sir Gilverton’s armor repair was done while helping the 4th Battalion with its mission, so it would be right to send the cost to the 4th Battalion. And in the case of Damien’s food expenses·········.”
The strange story continued for a long time.
Gilbert nodded as if he understood.
“I see Sir Gilbert agrees.”
“What are you talking about?”
“······I mean, a salary cut.”
“Cutting my salary? What do you mean?”
The corners of Tom’s mouth hardened slightly.
“That······is not it.”
“For example, isn’t it that you don’t have enough money?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Why are you talking about such useless worries for so long?
Gilbutton clicked his tongue.
“The captain will take care of it.”
“But even if you are the captain, isn’t this the North? There is no way to get money······.”
At that moment, the barracks door opened. Galahad came in.
“Ah. You’re here.”
Tom stood up and bowed politely. Gilbert nodded.
“It’s a little late. What about Damian and Gwen?”
Galahad asked, handing Tom a large leather bundle.
“I’m training.”
“You’re working hard. Why are you in this shabby barracks?”
“It’s a different unit, but this is good treatment.”
“How can this damp, smelly barracks be considered good treatment? Where did that horrible smell come from… Sir Gilbert, did you wash your feet properly?”
“Why do you wash your feet?”
“It’s terrible. That’s why it’s unpopular.”
Then Tom screamed.
The bundle fell from Tom’s hands and unfolded roughly.
In between, sparkling things poured out.
Gold coins, silver coins, and even stones with a soft glow.
Gilbutton’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the amount of money he had never seen before.
“What… What is it? Where did you go? You turned into the 5th Battalion?! What the hell!”
Gilbert grabbed his sword and jumped to his feet.
“What are you talking about? I got a request.”
“…What on earth was the request that led to such a large sum of money?”
Galahad coughed slightly at Gilverton’s dubious question.
“It’s a secret.”
Gilbutton became extremely anxious at the humorous answer.
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