CHAPTER 70: THE DETECTIVE MAGICIAN

The next morning, after learning the contents of the old man’s journal, Lucy, Gracia, and Elizir attended Fidri Costa’s magic show.

The three surviving smugglers were tied to chairs. In their state, they didn’t have the strength to break the ropes restraining them.

And even if they dared, so they thought, the quartet before them was more than enough to stop them especially that blonde-haired girl.

The smugglers’ leader was still haunted by the memory of her gunning down his men without the slightest hint of pity.

But, according to him, there was another danger: that young man in the hat, dressed in the blue coat of the Bureau of Internal Affairs. He seemed far too strange.

" Torture won’t work on me. We’re not amateurs, so don’t waste your time. "

The smugglers’ leader still held on to a certain confidence.

After realizing he was only facing initiates, he felt reassured.

His boss would be able to free them before a high-ranking enforcer of the Order got involved.

Of course, he knew he would be punished, but since it wasn’t entirely their fault, he believed that he and his men would earn their boss’s clemency.

Fidri chuckled at their confidence. He had promised the others that he would do better than simply ripping information from them. He would show them the full extent of his art.

Pulling a necklace from his pocket, he displayed it before the three smugglers.

" Gentlemen, you are about to witness a fantastic trick. An incredible, unforgettable trick! A show brought to you by the one and only Fidri Costa! "

He gestured with confidence, like an artist certain of his craft. Elizir was the only one to applaud, while the rest of the room remained skeptical.

Without hesitation, Fidri began swinging the necklace chain left and right, giving instructions to the smugglers.

" You are under my control. From now on, you will obey the one and only Fidri Costa to the letter! Whatever I say, you will do. "

As he spoke, the smugglers’ leader felt dizziness creep into his head. Glancing at his men, he saw their eyes roll back, as though they had fallen asleep with their eyes open.

He felt his own will falter. He shut his eyes, but Fidri merely laughed.

" Open your eyes and look at the necklace. "

As though he could not disobey, his eyelids rose against his will. His mind sank into a strange drowsiness. All three were now under Fidri Costa’s hypnosis.

Once certain of the effect, Fidri turned to his companions with a bow.

" Ladies and gentlemen, you are served. From now on, they’ll answer all our questions. "

Elizir applauded the demonstration, but Lucy and Gracia, surprised, could not hide their curiosity.

" How did you do that? " Lucy asked, stepping closer to the smugglers. She waved her hand in front of their faces, but they didn’t react.

Fidri adjusted his jacket under his coat, removed his hat releasing a shower of paper butterflies and answered:

" It’s magic, my dear lady. Magic. "

Gracia, ever stoic, spoke up next:

" Is that your resonance? "

Fidri nodded. He had no reason to hide it from friends.

" You must have watched the cartoon The Adventures of the Detective Magician ? "

The three of them shook their heads in protest.

Fidri stood frozen for a moment, shocked. Mentally, he noted he absolutely had to make them watch it later. Then he continued his explanation.

" When I was a child, I was fascinated by that series. I spent my days trying to replicate the tricks I saw on TV. The simplest ones were within my reach with a little effort, but the complicated ones like hypnosis or knife throwing were impossible for the boy I was. Still, I never gave up. As I grew up, I never stopped practicing until I could reproduce most of the tricks I had seen on screen. And when my Awakening came, I wished for nothing more than to perform all of them, every single one. That is my resonance: I am the Detective Magician. "

Stars shone in Fidri’s eyes as he shared his story.

Though it was possible for someone to obtain a resonance based on their desire, it wasn’t as simple as saying: I want to be like such-and-such superhero. To gain such a power, the desire had to match the very nature of the person. And even then, one had to survive the associated trial.

For example, someone who wished to wield fire would surely have to survive an ocean of flames in order to gain such a resonance.

Elizir wondered what kind of ordeal Fidri had endured to obtain his power, while Gracia simply thought to herself:

(" Who in their right mind would waste all their time imitating TV shows? ")

As each of them drifted into their thoughts, Fidri pulled them back to reality.

" Why don’t we begin asking questions? "

Turning to the hypnotized smugglers, he commanded:

" Tell me everything we need to know about you and your organization. "

At his order, the three prisoners began to speak. In summary, here is what they revealed:

The Mercury Clan, a multi-service mercenary group. They dealt in minerals and raw materials, arms trafficking, drugs, and smuggling serum. Their boss called himself OKI, a master.

Their business in Eterniti was simple: supplying the inhabitants with serum mixed with a drug that made them addicted. Once trapped, they demanded the addicts work the mines and harvest the resources their land was rich with.

A simple, safe, and extremely profitable business.

And if a city dared to rebel, all the men were executed, the city burned to the ground, and the women and children were sent elsewhere as living testimony to instill terror and crush any future uprisings.

---

Elsewhere

In a narrow office where a ceiling fan spun slowly, a tall, imposing man sat comfortably in a chair. His hand tapped rhythmically against the desk, a sign of his impatience, while his tense subordinate finished delivering his report.

The man sighed once the subordinate was done. His hand stopped drumming the wood and instead picked up a cigarette, which he lit. After a long drag, he spoke:

" So I’m supposed to believe one of those idiots survived... and that he was lucid enough to pass the information along. "

His subordinate stood still, trembling in silence. He was only a messenger and couldn’t offer any interpretation.

The tall man knew this. He asked such questions only to clarify his own thoughts.

With his free hand, he brushed the scar running across his face, recalling bad memories... memories he could feel were about to resurface.

Minutes passed, marked by the haze of chain-smoked cigarettes, while his subordinate waited, stiff with fear, until he was finally ordered:

" Gather all our men. If they want to act now, then let’s show them the fury of the Mercury Clan. Let those animals finally understand their place! "

The subordinate nodded quickly, then fled the room, not daring to look back.

Left alone, the man who was indeed the leader of the infamous Mercury Clan spun his chair. His thoughts drifted toward the coming battle.

" Eterniti... it’s already too late. You should have rebelled long ago. I am no longer the same man I once was. "

He muttered the words to himself, then, remembering something, grabbed his phone.

If he wanted to secure a grand victory, he would need quality reinforcements.