Preparation (1)
Beep. Beep.
A click echoes in the dark.
It was only after a few more small, annoying noises rang out that one side of the wall was brightly lit and the beam projector revealed itself.
“Oh sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve used it, so I don’t listen well.”
The muttering was a middle-aged man with a thick body wearing glasses and constantly muttering something with his mouth.
Contrary to the first impression, the shirt and slacks are quite neat, but the feeling of standing hunched over somewhere cannot be erased.
I put one hand in my pocket and press the remote control in my hand, but no one pointed it out here.
I’m just looking at the eyes of one person with my head down with my pods on.
As she lifted her head, her eyes shone coldly through her light brown hair.
Was it an illusion that the thick smell of blood wafted from the tip of his nose for an instant?
Irina Pesfield answered quietly.
“No… don’t mind it. Continue.”
“yes. To continue the explanation in that sense… First of all, there are three candidates who are presumed to have killed the expedition team.”
While saying that, the man casually flipped through several slides that floated on the wall.
Appearing at the auction house, they were wearing masks, and as a result, the members of the exploration team who directly met them were wiped out, making it difficult to dig up the proper identities.
At least, it would not have been possible to investigate through the intelligence organization without the contact that Brook sent right before the chase.
He said while showing the three pictures that appeared on the screen in turn.
“First of all, the first candidate is Aladale Bomber, a genius wizard who has recently been attracting attention in the Gravein Mage Tower. After ending his long apprentice life, he has recently started appearing in public, and he is a perfect candidate for the traces of powerful manipulation-type magic that have remained in the field.”
Dark brown skin and cool smile. When a young man with an impressively tall face flirts with his two fingers, the demonic beasts rushing towards him are indiscriminately cut off.
The remaining members of the exploration team, including Irina, watched the video carefully.
When he felt that enough time had passed, the man turned the slide.
“The second is Shah Marah, a wanted criminal in the first degree who is said to have recently escaped from an out-of-district prison camp. As a very powerful psychic, using his telekinesis, it is also possible to explain the traces of the brutal battle left on the scene. Personally, I think this is the most likely, but…”
The man muttered insipidly and played the same video, and a man with a shaggy beard bursting or burning the heads of people around him without even touching them. started playing.
No one frowned or averted their eyes, even though a naked video of a person dying was being played.
The members of the expedition here are not only unfamiliar with the Balkan lifestyle, but they are talented people who share every moment in a harsh environment in their own way.
A person so stupid as to be agitated by this level of brutality and bloodshed cannot work in the Exploration Team.
The problem is that the enemy of the exploration team is so strong that even such talented people will disappear in vain.
When the team’s reaction was unsatisfactory, the man cleared his throat and turned the slide toward the last candidate.
“Now, the last thing I want to show you is…”
A thin young man with black hair. It doesn’t have a striking appearance or characteristic, but the sharp expression is impressive enough to be seen through the screen.
Unlike the previous two, it was noteworthy that the photo was not looking at the camera from the front.
Everyone was at a loss for words at the photo of the camera approaching from behind, as if they were aware of it, and turned their heads slightly to look at the camera.
Between the blurred gazes beyond the hem of the jet-black coat, not pupils, but blue eyes were flowing.
“sorry. First of all, Candidate Lee is a freelancer who does not have an official identity, and he is very good at avoiding being photographed himself. I also had a hard time finding this material.”
“Now that you say that, I feel like I paid for it.”
Irina said as she folded her arms.
The man broke into a cold sweat at the blatant criticism.
Sitting in front of the computer and making it a business to search through databases, but if he had dulled his senses, he would have been beaten in the back of the head somewhere before.
If you don’t know that this woman is the head of the group that has commissioned him to steal personal information and that she is not very good at it, then you probably don’t even deserve this money.
“Continue.”
“yes. The last candidate is a freelancer named Ban, a rookie wizard who has recently emerged from District 49 in the outskirts. It has been a little over a year since I started working, but it seems that I have built up connections while working with big customers from the beginning.”
“………”
“Even those from outside the city know who ‘Hyeongung’ is, right? Rumor has it that the monster is keeping an eye on him, so he’s a proven newcomer. Even though he has no past experience, his work is very neat and his hands are famous for being quite brutal compared to that.”
While saying that, the man pressed the button on the remote again.
Unlike the previous two candidates, the man named Lee Ban was an unusual person who had a lot to say even though he had no special past records left.
“You can roughly guess that he is a wizard who works alone, but he is a very unique person. The unknown magic system and the fact that he does not rely on magic and constantly uses firearms and auxiliary equipment, and to the extent that he forgets all of those characteristics—”
Beep.
The video plays and the mouths of the silent explorers slowly open.
“Overwhelming combat sense.”
A video in which a wizard confronts a gigantic tall spearman who appears to be over 2m tall.
However, the workshop going back and forth there was so intense and brutal that it could not be explained with just one word.
It was a kind of battle that even the members of the exploration team, who had gone through all the battles, had never seen before.
In the sea of fire, thunderbolts fly, flames fly, and frost rages.
It was only after watching until the moment when the ripples spreading ceaselessly in the air disappeared that the gigantic clock tower turned into the tomb of Changsha in time with the movement of the spear that silence flowed from everywhere.
“This… is too dangerous.”
“It’s not a level where you can simply measure your skill level.”
“What unique magic did you learn? If it’s a one-man battle technique, it seems impossible to find out information in advance.”
Even those who have dealt with monsters or beasts rather than humans while exploring the ruins will not lose their insight.
It is not difficult to notice that the broken-legged spearman, who collapses little by little while allowing critical hits to the point of futility in the midst of intense battles, is not at all inferior to himself.
“stop.”
The meeting room turned into a commotion in an instant, and Irina cut off the conversation like a knife.
“…”
The members of the exploration team quickly shut their mouths. It was a moment that clearly revealed how tightly Irina Fesfield held the organization.
In the awkward silence, the man stuttered again and continued.
“…Anyway, there are three possible culprits that I found out through my research. Well, the last candidate has been talked about for a long time, but the data research has been completed to the extent that additional inquiries can be made on the previous two candidates. After the briefing, I will proceed with the backup in the direction of sharing the data I created separately…”
“Which one do you think?”
“yes?”
“Of the three people you introduced, who do you think killed my comrade and took the artifact?”
“…………”
If honorable words and honorific words are mixed together, isn’t it already going back and forth?
Thinking so, the man continued talking slowly in order not to offend her.
“Uh… I think I mentioned it earlier, but personally, I think the second most wanted criminal, Shah Marah, is more likely.”
“Why?”
“The traces left at the site are an infallible manipulation series, but skilled telekinetic powers can follow those traces similarly. In addition, Sha Marah belonged to the ‘Nine Counts’, known as a vicious criminal organization, so there is a good chance that he was targeting the people leaving the auction house.”
The man said that and kept his mouth shut, but the members of the expedition quickly exchanged glances.
In order to avenge the dead members and recover some of the stolen artifacts, he requested an investigation, but the man did not know that the expedition team was looking for a talisman of medicine.
It was possible to ask for good information, but it was difficult to expect a proper judgment from him.
“….great job. You can stop now.”
Irina understood this right away, gave the man an appropriate reward, and sent him back.
The man left immediately after confirming that the promised amount had been deposited into his account.
He was well aware of the fact that Irina was telling him to go away immediately.
As soon as the door to the meeting room opened and closed and the man’s presence faded, Irina spoke.
“I need to investigate a wizard named Ban. We need someone much more professional than that goofball.”
The members turned their gazes with bewildered expressions at the name that popped out as if it had been decided from the beginning.
“Isn’t it a bit early to move yet…”
“Shouldn’t we have a little more discussion?”
“Can you tell me what the captain thinks the basis is?”
“You don’t have to think hard. If you think about the time you were conducting the exploration of the ruins, it would be simple, right?”
Looking around at the silent members, Irina smiled coldly.
“Of these three people, who is the person you hate the most?”
“………”
“This bloody smell was only done in the way I didn’t want it to come to me the most.”
Should I say that it was the dogma of the leader who lost his reason in anger?
Or should I say it was an intuition he had accumulated while leading the exploration team for a long time.
Either way, the members couldn’t even think of going against Irina’s words.
As a result, I didn’t even notice that it was the judgment closest to the correct answer.
“Check Ban’s movement, the magic and weapons he uses, his fighting style, his residential environment, and his clients. Get everything figured out and get to work. Please contact our supporters.”
Irina muttered quietly as she stood up from her seat.
“If we deviate from the original plan any further, this side will rather bleed.”
At the point of failing to obtain the talisman of medicine, the idea was already wrong.
The death of Brooke, a talented member there. At the same time, even the damage to the artifact that was put up to obtain the amulet.
I had to finish the work before the purpose and means were reversed any more.
Hadn’t the sacrifices necessary for that been paid in the meantime?
Just do what you always do.
Irina’s eyes shone coldly as she looked at the members who started to move according to her words.
