Fwoosh-!
The demonic contract went up in flames and soon turned to ashes, scattering into the air.
I was watching the black ashes dance like they were performing when it happened.
[A contract has been established between ‘Crowell’ and the ‘Dark Beast Squad.’]
[Crowell must fulfill the contract within 90 days.]
[Failure to fulfill the contract will result in due consequences.]
‘Just as planned.’
The condition I placed wasn’t just ‘Don’t kill anyone who isn’t a black mage.’ I also set a time limit of 90 days.
‘The quest has a time limit of 90 days.’
Crowell must obtain information on the Four Heavenly Kings within 90 days and provide that information to us.
‘On the other hand, we don’t have a set time limit.’
Crowell’s demand to have his brand removed.
However, there was no mention of a ‘date’ or ‘time’ in that demand.
It simply means that I have to remove the brand… at some point.
‘Even if that happens right before he dies.’
Honestly, it didn’t matter to me if Crowell died.
After all, demons aren’t kind enough to grant the wishes of the deceased.
Why would they go to such lengths when there’s nothing to gain?
Moreover, this is a contract between humans. There’s no room for a demon to interfere.
‘He was so focused on ensuring his own safety that he forgot to impose restrictions on us.’
And even better, there’s no penalty for us if we fail to uphold our end of the deal.
Perhaps Crowell had just realized this. His lips jutted out in frustration.
[Someone has realized they were deceived by the ‘Dark Beast Squad.’]
[Reputation increased by 1.]
[Current ‘Dark Beast Squad’ Reputation: 4]
What can you do? He only has himself to blame for being so foolish.
But since he’s my experimental spy prototype, I should probably pat him on the back a little.
“I’ll take moral responsibility, so don’t worry.”
“Moral responsibility… Sounds like something merchants say all the time. Really instills trust.”
“Keke, I think so too.”
“…?”
Crowell’s face twisted in displeasure.
I don’t understand why he’s making that face when I agreed with him.
Did he need more sympathy?
If so, that’s a problem. Even for someone like me, it’s hard to muster up more than this!
“Hah… I suppose I have no choice. So, what do I do now?”
Has he realized that there’s no way out of this? Crowell seems to have accepted reality.
I could tell him directly to obtain information and aim to become a 7th-grade black mage, but I felt there was more to discuss.
‘This is my first time experiencing an event like this, after all.’
Who knows? I might learn something I didn’t expect.
“You said you’ve been active as a black mage for three months, right? First, tell me what information you’ve gathered during that time.”
“There’s not much, but…”
Crowell began recounting the events that took place during that time, specifically describing the daily life of a black mage.
Building hideouts, serving senior mages, digging graves.
And even offering people as sacrifices.
Most of it was routine, but there were some parts that were sickening.
“…That’s all the information I know.”
It was a rather lengthy explanation, but there was no particularly useful information.
I’ve had plenty of opportunities to hear about the daily lives of black mages during gameplay.
Heck, I’ve even experienced it firsthand.
“You mentioned you were part of the Creator of Madness’ group? Have you ever seen him in person?”
“No. Actually, everything I know about his appearance is second-hand. But my disguise was so perfect that even the you were fooled, right?”
Perfect disguise, my foot. If it was really that good, I would’ve run out of here immediately.
Not that it would have saved him from death anyway.
“One of the Four Heavenly Kings is still unidentified, correct? Do you have any information on them?”
“Well… Ah, I did hear that they use a strange emblem made of intertwined rat tails. A senior once explained it to me like this…”
Crowell rubbed his fingers across the dusty floor.
In no time, a drawing took shape.
An emblem of rats intertwined by their tails, each looking in different directions.
It was the symbol of ‘Red King’ Broken.
‘I’ve secured information to give to Caron.’
I whistled inwardly. Broken is a member of the Four Heavenly Kings who hasn’t yet revealed themselves.
It’s a small piece of information, but I can sell it for a high price.
“Hmm… Not much useful information here.”
“It can’t be helped. There are limits to what information a subordinate can access.”
“Then you should aim to become a high-ranking black mage.”
“…Pardon?”
“Advance to the 7th Grade. Then I’ll remove your brand.”
A brief silence fell.
But it didn’t last long. Crowell lunged at me, shouting.
“Telling someone who wants to escape to become a higher-ranking black mage! How can you say something so outrageous!”
“Keke, it’s the fastest and most stable way to gather information. But if you have another method, by all means, go ahead.”
“Th-that’s…”
Crowell fell silent.
The only other methods would be to tail a high-ranking black mage or steal documents.
But that’s the limit for someone at Crowell’s level.
And if he gets caught spying in the process?
He won’t die an ordinary death.
“You’re voluntarily becoming the Creator of Madness’ test subject… Keke, I can’t help but applaud your bravery.”
“S-stop! Don’t say such horrible things!”
“Besides, a 7th Grade isn’t exactly considered ‘high-ranking,’ is it? With a little effort, it’s a position you can reach. I only suggested it because it’s the safest strategy.”
“Th-that may be true, but… telling me to advance without killing anyone… That’s impossible.”
As I mentioned earlier, the most efficient offering is a ‘human.’
As a black mage, there will inevitably come a time when you have to kill someone.
But currently, Crowell is under a restriction due to the demonic contract he made with me.
So it’s no wonder he’s reacting this way. However.
“Keke, I never said you couldn’t offer people as sacrifices.”
“What do you mean? The contract clearly stated that if I kill someone, I’ll die too…”
“I specifically said, ‘You can’t kill anyone who isn’t a black mage.’”
“That’s the same thi—… No… Wait, don’t tell me!”
Crowell’s eyes widened in shock.
That’s right. The condition I placed was ‘If Crowell kills someone who isn’t a black mage, Crowell will die too.’
In other words, it’s perfectly fine to kill other black mages.
It’s clearly stated in the quest. ‘If Crowell kills someone who isn’t a black mage and awakens as a true black mage, the quest will fail.’
“B-but if I do that, I’ll be ousted from the organization!”
“That’s something you’ll have to handle, Crowell.”
I decided to make Crowell a spy because I judged he had the necessary skills.
Decent at lying and acting.
If he uses those skills well, becoming a 7th-grade black mage shouldn’t be too difficult.
“You want me to prolong my life… by sacrificing the lives of others?”
“Didn’t you just mention those bad seniors earlier? Isn’t getting rid of them something you’d want to do anyway?”
“…”
“Well, the choice is yours.”
Of course, the responsibility will be yours as well, Crowell.
But there’s no need to say that out loud.
“…”
Crowell remained silent, deep in thought for a while. Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“I’d like you to tell me one thing truthfully.”
“What is it?”
“Are you… bad people?”
Asking the person in front of you if they’re bad… What a ridiculously stupid question.
It’s a question anyone would answer with ‘Of course not.’
No con artist would say, ‘Actually, I’m a con artist.’
A question not even worth answering.
Maybe that’s why I simply looked toward one side of the underground sewer in response.
“Haaa!”
Joseph swung the tree branch he held in both hands, cutting through the air with force.
“Kki, kkiek…”
Was it the sheer force that struck fear into her? Rezé collapsed sideways.
“You took down my ally! Impressive. But the one you defeated was the weakest of the Three Kings… You won’t stand a chance against me!”
“Cat Mask, I’ll defeat you and go after the Snake Mask! Come at me!”
Whack, whack-!
Luna and Joseph began engaging in a fierce duel.
They really are having fun. Is it because their mental ages match?
“Keke, fighting a child with full strength. Truly ruthless. As expected of Cat Mask.”
“…”
“As you can see, we’re bad people. A group of ruthless criminals who show no mercy, even to children.”
“I see. Bad people. That seems accurate.”
A small smile appeared on Crowell’s lips.
Smiling even after confirming we’re bad people? What a strange guy.
“Understood. I’ll aim to become a 7th-grade black mage and obtain information on the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“Keke, a wise decision.”
Just as planned.
Now I can use Crowell to gather information, sell it to Caron, receive my reward, and grow stronger.
It’s what you’d call ‘automated hunting.’
‘Except for receiving and passing on the information, I don’t have to worry about anything.’
Ah, why am I so brilliant?
Handsome looks, perfect proportions, a body destined to become ripped in a few years(?).
And on top of that, a genius-level intellect.
I couldn’t help but praise myself.
As I was posing heroically, lost in admiration of myself, Crowell spoke up.
“Since my life is on the line, I’ll work hard. So, I’d appreciate a small favor…”
“Keke, what kind of favor do you need?”
“I need something to defend myself against the black mages. Could you lend me a powerful weapon?”
“No.”
“…”
“…”
Crowell lunged at me.
Before I knew it, my fist swung instinctively as his face suddenly got too close.
“Ugh!”
Crowell tumbled backward.
This isn’t my fault. It’s Crowell’s fault for rushing at me with that ugly face.
What if his ugliness had rubbed off on my perfect self!
Crowell grabbed his now bloody nose and yelled.
“We were having a heartwarming moment! This is the part where you’re supposed to say, ‘Sure, I’ll lend you my weapon’!”
“It wasn’t heartwarming at all. It was sheer terror.”
“If not a weapon, then at least an artifact or a potion!”
“Have you ever heard of a healing hand? There’s a legend that anything my hand touches gets healed…”
“Can’t you see the blood?! It’s not a healing hand; it’s just a bloodstained one! Ah, whatever! Just kill me! I’m not doing this spy thing anymore!”
Crowell collapsed onto the floor, flailing his limbs wildly.
He thrashed about with such force that he even started spinning.
“I’m just going to die! Just die right here!”
It looks like he’s really going to die unless I give him something.
I have no choice. I’ll have to give him something.
“You have a shovel, right? Hand it over.”
“Sniff… You’re really squeezing blood from a stone… so cruel…”
Crowell pulled a shovel from his pocket dimension and handed it to me.
[Black Mage’s Shovel: F]
A shovel given to low-ranking black mages.
A shovel that isn’t much different from an ordinary one.
Shovels. One of the things black mages always carry.
I’m not joking. When you kill a black mage, there’s a high chance they’ll drop a ‘shovel.’
Maybe it’s because they always have to build hideouts. They always carry shovels and pickaxes.
I wonder if that’s something black mages and soldiers have in common.
“Keke, this heavy, cold sensation. It’s been a while.”
The reason I took Crowell’s shovel was to use the skill I recently obtained through potential gambling.
I prepared to activate the skill, [Digging].
Pock, pock, pock!
As I activated the skill, my body began digging at an incredible speed.
As expected of an S-rank skill.
“Oh, oooh! What incredible digging skills! Even among black mages, I’ve never seen such skill!”
[Digging] can be used for offense and defense, but its primary use is uncovering items or mysteries in an area.
‘Not that I expect to find anything valuable.’
[Digging] is a skill that activates based on ‘the map,’ covering a fairly large area.
In this case, it would target the entirety of the ‘Underground Sewer 2nd Floor.’
Well, what comes out is obvious.
‘A stone from the Carpathia underground sewer,’ at best, ‘a brick from the Carpathia underground sewer.’
But what can I do? He seems ready to die if I don’t give him something, even if it’s just a brick.
‘I’ll just tell him to use it to hit another senior from behind, like I suggested earlier.’
As I continued digging, it happened.
[Digging] has succeeded.
[You have obtained an item.]
“Huh?”
Something caught on the tip of the shovel. I bent down, dug away the dirt, and picked up something that was glowing.
It was a round gem, slightly larger than a marble but smaller than a crystal ball.
It was big enough to fit in my hand with a bit sticking out when I held it.
[Kelzad’s Jewel: A]
A jewel once used by Kelzad, the 3rd Legion Commander.
It allows trash to be substituted as offerings.
The results vary based on the black mage’s rank, magical power, the trash’s size and mass, and its components.
This is a class-restricted item. Only black mages can use it.
…Why is this here?
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt
The hidden piece prepare by the developers!
Zero almost miss it,I bet Crowel going to end up as aide or something to one of the heavenly king
Nice nice nice