"..."

"What are you staring at?"

Felixo found the current situation awkward.

The security arrangement had been changed due to the councilor's whim, and so was the mercenary named Hella who had been assigned as his temporary partner.

She was staring at him as if she were going to pierce a hole in his skin, so he couldn't find a moment to spare.

No time to slack off, and no time to finish the preparations for the big event.

'Damn it, she didn't notice, did she?'

The negotiation itself proceeded normally.

Then it wasn't discovered by the higher-ups.

In fact, Mezaia was placed inside.

Perhaps it was a personal suspicion towards him.

'There are guys like this sometimes.'

Quick-witted people who sense a discrepancy and become suspicious through intuition, even without any evidence.

'Did I get stuck with such a guy as a partner by bad luck?'

It was an unexpected variable.

'Should I just get rid of her first?'

His temper wanted to do so.

The reason he couldn't put it into action was because the mercenary was a formidable opponent.

He wouldn't lose, but if it dragged on, it would interfere with the big event.

It was the moment he was contemplating.

"That."

"Hmm?"

"Which company's product is it?"

Hella pointed to the weapon hanging from his waist.

'What, was that it?'

Felixo could finally let out a sigh of relief and chuckle.

"It's not a ready-made product. I asked a blacksmith I know."

"The gloss is unusual, it looks sturdy. I've been thinking about changing my weapon lately."

"You have a good eye. They said they used a special alloy. A secret stolen from the dwarves."

"Oh-ho, dwarves. If it's the technology of those stay-at-home old folks, it's trustworthy."

Her action of licking her lips with sparkling eyes revealed a blatant greed.

'She was just an ordinary equipment enthusiast.'

It was a healthy hobby for a mercenary.

He had spent some money for the big event, and it seemed to have attracted her attention.

"If you want, you can swing it once."

"Is that okay?"

"It's not like it's going to wear out. If you like it, I'll introduce you to the maker, so just give me a referral fee."

Hella, who had received the weapon, jumped up and down with a lively expression like a child.

Now that her gaze was off him, it was his chance.

Crack!

Felixo broke a vial containing a black gas from his bosom.

He didn't know its identity.

He had only heard that it was a magical medium that the Corrupted would go crazy for.

Ddddd!

After a while, a reaction began to return.

The ground rumbled.

Hella raised her head at the suspicious vibration that spread from her feet to the crown of her head.

"What's going on all of a sudden? Is there an earthquake..."

Hella couldn't finish her sentence and her mouth hung open.

The great plain where the horizon was visible.

A dust cloud was rolling in from the distance.

It was as if a storm had arisen.

"...What is all that?"

"They're the Corrupted. Haven't you seen them, since the mercenary corps is focused on escorting the key figure?"

"The masters of the great plain? Those things?"

"They're also called that."

Bizarre creatures hiding their bodies in the ocher dust cloud.

The earthquake was the stamping of the Corrupted's feet, and the sandstorm was a disaster caused by their advance.

The sheer number of the army, swarming like a colony of ants, was estimated to be well over a few hundred.

'Incredible.'

Felixo was inwardly impressed.

It was a force as if all the Corrupted of the great plain had gathered.

He thought he had cleaned up a lot, but was it not enough?

The Corrupted still boasted an enormous number, as if they had reproduced in the meantime.

Chaos spread here and there, and the sound of astonishment erupted.

A large-scale offensive by the Corrupted.

It was a disaster for the escort unit, which would have assumed a battle between a small number of people, even if there was an attack.

'They can probably block it.'

The skills of the Drexier Mercenary Corps, as well as the contractors, were also great.

No matter how much the Corrupted had formed an army, there was nothing they couldn't handle if they went all out.

'But what if they have to deal with an internal enemy as well?'

An internal enemy and an external army.

It was more than enough to be called a life-or-death crisis.

Furthermore, a black magician who had prepared in advance and set traps was equivalent to an army on his own.

The old monster, who had been active for many years without being caught, was confident even if his opponent was a war mercenary.

'Should I start by getting rid of one? I have to make her pay for giving me a headache.'

The big event had begun.

There was no need to drag it out any longer by testing the waters.

Felixo naturally snatched his weapon from Hella.

And swung it.

Crack!

"...Huh?"

However, the blunt weapon, with the strength to shatter even a metal skull, did not exert its power.

Beyond the bent spear shaft that had blocked the surprise attack, Hella was baring her fangs as if growling.

"You bastard, I was about to die of anticipation, waiting for you to reveal your true colors."

"What, how did you know...!"

"The evidence of your betrayal is clear, so you can't get away with any excuses now, can you?"

Hella, who had parried the weapon, swung the spear shaft above her head.

Felixo became tense at the unusual momentum.

But fortunately, it was a crisis within his expectations.

"You brat who hasn't even dried the blood on your head, the big event has already begun. There's no need for excuses."

"Wow, you're so confident."

"Do you think I would have started the big event alone? You guys are already dead. Especially you will die first."

"You should worry about yourself, not me."

Hella pointed behind her with the tip of her spear.

"Our old man was more determined to kill you than I was."

"What...?"

Twitch!

It was long after Felixo realized the formidable presence that had approached from behind him.

Crack!

He couldn't even turn around.

Just as he heard the sound of clay being crushed, Felixo's consciousness fell into an endless darkness.

***

"...To think a brat would try to evaluate a brat, it's far too early."

The war mercenary was a monster, even if he had fallen.

Even Felixo, a contractor who had gained enough fame to receive a request from the City Government, couldn't react and was turned into a lump of meat.

Rumble!

The force of the monster's blow did not stop even after turning a person into a pool of blood.

The surrounding ground collapsed as if crushed by a giant's footprint.

Hella, who had jumped and avoided the cracks that had spread to her feet, whistled.

"Our old man isn't dead yet."

"Nonsense."

"Ack!"

Crash!

Hella, who had been kicked by Drexier's kick, bounced like a skipping stone and rolled on the ground.

"I did well, why did you hit me! I even acted so you wouldn't suspect anything, and I even drew attention so the old man could show off his skills!"

"You did well in that. Now you just need to show some respect to your superior."

"You're asking for the impossible."

"You cheeky brat."

Hella, who had gotten up unsteadily, aimed her spear at the other side.

The army of the Corrupted had already gotten close enough to be seen with the naked eye.

"Let's clean them up now. If we're unlucky, it might take more than a day."

"The black magician is still left."

"Allen was supposed to take care of that. Oh, there are even some strangers joining in. Is it a special forces unit that the City Government prepared without us knowing? If we miss the timing, we won't get our share."

As the army of the Corrupted got closer, a unit with expensive weapons appeared from somewhere and began to respond.

Their numbers were small, but the human wave tactics were useless because of how much money they had poured into their equipment.

It was physically impossible to deal with the entire army, but the speed was so fast that it seemed like they would just be watching and sucking their fingers.

"...You sly dog, changing the subject."

"It's because the old man brought up something that was already settled. He found out and shared the precious information, so shouldn't we give him a chance to get his share?"

"Alright, but if things look strange, I'll step in."

"There's no need to worry."

Hella said and jumped into the army of the Corrupted.

"From what I saw last time, that guy is a pro at catching black magicians."

After fighting together this time, his skills had also improved tremendously.

Hella's faith was firm.

"...I don't know if that tomboy is a member of our mercenary corps or that guy's companion."

Drexier lamented like a father who had lost his precious daughter to some good-for-nothing.

***

"Hehehe, the situation outside is unusual."

"It seems so."

The building, which had been hastily built, was shaking as if it had been designed to be earthquake-resistant.

It was a sign that something had happened outside.

I closed my eyes and shared my vision with the Sentinel Hawk.

The vision, which had been on the ground, soared into the air in an instant.

On the vast plain where the negotiation site looked like a dot, I could see an innumerable army that formed a surface, not a dot.

"They're the Corrupted. They're swarming in."

"Oh-ho, how did you know that?"

"A little trick."

"Hehehe, it doesn't seem like magic, but it's strange."

Mezaia's eyes shone with greed as she scanned my entire body.

She didn't hide her emotions, as if she felt the time was ripe.

"Contact inside the negotiation site..."

"You can't. We were hired to prepare for such a case so that the negotiations wouldn't be disrupted."

"How wise. You're a rookie in terms of experience, but you know how to use your head."

Mezaia's footsteps gradually headed to a corner, so as not to overlap with the patrol routes of the other security teams.

From the baggy clothes, black magic was being released from the old woman's hand.

[The World Tree shudders in disgust and resists the black magic!]

A natural trick that even someone with a good eye would not suspect.

It was a veteran's petty trick that disturbed one's sense of direction and balance.

"Aren't you going to help?"

"The arrangement is such that the outside matters can be handled by the outside personnel."

"You seem inflexible. Well, maybe that's why you've quickly gained a reputation in an industry where laziness is a basic virtue, because you try to stick to your principles like that."

Mezaia did not spare her praise.

Her evaluation was generous, as if a rich person were appraising a piece of art they had collected.

"You, who noticed first, would know, but even this old woman feels that the numbers are not to be taken lightly. I think it would be good to lend a hand."

It was a kind voice, as if she were teaching a junior.

[I'd better finish the big event first and then slowly cook him, lest his beautiful face gets scratched in the commotion.]

The whispers of Mother Nature revealed Mezaia's ulterior motives, disguised as advice, in a blatant way.

"I can't do that. Who knows if some suspicious followers will take advantage of this commotion and infiltrate the negotiation team."

"Hmm."

As things didn't go her way, Mezaia licked her dry lips with her tongue.

Then, suddenly, a glint settled in her gray eyes.

"...I hope it's my mistake, young man."

Mezaia stopped her footsteps.

The largest room besides the negotiation site.

It was a fake conference room prepared to deceive any potential attackers.

"Did you notice?"

"What do you mean?"

I asked softly.

"That you and Felixo were preparing for a big event at the behest of Centrim? That you made the Corrupted attack by controlling them? That you led me to a deserted place to skin my face and collect it?"

The air grew heavier as the words continued.

The pressure weighing down on my shoulders was the effect of the black magic that had begun to flow from the old woman's body.

"I don't know which of those you're talking about."

"So it was true."

Mezaia cackled and laughed maniacally.

But unlike her torn lips, her eyes were strangely motionless.

"Since when did you know?"

"From the beginning."

"Hmm, I don't know where the story leaked from. There might have been an opposing faction within Centrim. Well, it would be shameless to hope that such a big request would go smoothly without any trouble."

Mezaia stroked her protruding chin.

The gloomy voice that flowed out spread a strange echo, as if overlapping with a contrasting melody.

"Then you must know that this old woman is a black magician."

"It was hard to pretend not to know, with the terribly foul smell you were giving off."

"Then you should have told everyone from the beginning."

One step. Two steps.

[The World Tree is on high alert!]

The black magician slowly distanced herself.

"You're young, so you probably don't know how scary a prepared black magician is."

"I know."

I dropped the honorifics.

It was ridiculous to be polite when we had both revealed our true colors.

"I didn't say anything because I was confident I could handle it alone."

"..."

"If it's a controllable crisis, you should know how to use it to increase your influence. Don't you think it's a commendable behavior for a junior, as a senior contractor?"

"Kl-kl-kl."

Mezaia no longer laughed.

It was just her voice imitating the sound of laughter.

It was a sign that the black magic had penetrated to her marrow and caused an abnormality in her brain.

"I thought you were a promising young man, but you were a crazy bastard."

"I never thought I'd be called crazy by a black magician."

"Let's stop the small talk."

The overlapping melody stopped.

The wrinkled fingers of the black magician, extended towards me, were stained a deep black.

"I was going to be considerate of your enchanting face and end your life last, but you're arrogantly rushing your fate."

The overlapping melody was a simple chant.

The black magic was complete.

"Die."

"Who's talking?"

I was also finished with my preparations.

[The World Tree urges the lazy spirits!]

Whoooosh!

A cluster of light that filled my vision.

As long as the World Tree and the spirits residing in it were with me.

I would never lose to a black magician.

(End of Chapter)