Chapter 04
I heard about Philion in plenty of other places, too.
—Philion Elfert? Of course I know him! He’s the wanted criminal the Magic Tower put a bounty of ten billion on!
It wasn’t just the Mercenary Guild. People in cafés, on the streets, in general stores—even noble ladies shopping for clothes—all knew who he was.
—The bold thief who stole one of the Magic Tower’s forbidden grimoires two years ago.
For reference, a forbidden grimoire was a book the Magic Tower had safeguarded for a thousand years, containing sixty-six spells capable of violating the laws of nature.
It was said to have been written by an evil mage who had made a contract with a demon in pursuit of world domination.
Despite such an impressive backstory, it hadn’t really been used in the original novel. It only appeared as part of the explanation of how the Magic Tower had been founded.
Even I had only just remembered it existed.
—H-He stole that? Why?
—They say he attempted a forbidden spell to bring Raiel Folx back to life.
—What?!
—He was discovered before the spell could be completed, so it ended in failure. I heard the former Tower Master personally stopped him. Unfortunately, they couldn’t capture him.
My mind went blank.
Why?
Why would he try to save me?
Why?!
“Why?!”
Bridin looked at me with an indifferent expression.
“Because Philion Elfert was in love with Raiel Folx.”
After spending the day asking around the capital about Philion, I ran into her on my way back to the Mercenary Guild.
The first thing I asked was:
“What do you think of Philion Elfert?”
“There are plenty of legends about people who break taboos to resurrect the one they love. This time, it just happened in real life.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t understand!”
Love?
He loved me?
Whenever I tried to get close to him, he’d mock me. Every time we fought, he’d laugh at me for being weak. He teased me relentlessly despite insisting he didn’t love me.
And that same Philion hadn’t shown the slightest reaction when he heard I had died.
He loved me?!
“Y-You… you already knew?”
“Oh, I heard about it when I came to the Western Continent a year ago. Everyone here knows.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Uh… I didn’t think you’d care? You don’t even like romance novels.”
But this wasn’t a novel!
This was happening right now, in this world!
And romance?
Absolutely not.
I stared at the wanted poster in my hand. I still couldn’t believe it, so I’d torn one down and kept it.
Philion Elfert. Bounty: Ten Billion.
It was written clearly enough.
The face, however, wasn’t the one I knew.
A pointed chin. A tiny nose. Thin, threadlike eyes drooping at the corners until they resembled the hands of a clock pointing to 8:20.
Strange.
Philion hadn’t exactly been a public figure, but enough people knew what he looked like.
So why use this face?
Did the Duke of Elfert pull some strings to help him avoid capture?
“Why? Do you know him?”
I shook my head so violently it almost flew off.
“No! Not at all!”
It was odd.
Even so, I had no desire to seek out Erian and ask her about it.
I was already dead.
She might not even recognize me anymore. Compared to five years ago, I’d changed in all sorts of ways.
For one, my hair was different.
Most members of House Folx had red hair, so the count had always forced me to dye mine.
But the moment I entered the Eastern Continent, I stopped touching it.
Now I was blond.
I’d gained weight, too. Back then I’d been unnaturally thin from constant stress.
My voice had become higher, and unlike before—when I’d worn nothing but black because I didn’t want attention—I now dressed in bright colors.
Most importantly…
Back then, I always wore glasses enchanted with a perception-distortion spell.
When I wore them, people couldn’t clearly remember my eye color—or even my face.
It was as though my appearance changed every time they looked at me.
The mages in the Tower were constantly whispering whenever they saw me, so I hadn’t had much choice.
Other than Erian, no one would recognize me.
I’m Rex Emil now.
But there was one person…
One person who just might recognize me.
“…I won’t run into Philion Elfert, will I?”
“As if! There’s a ten-billion bounty on his head. Unless he’s an idiot, there’s no way he’d be wandering around the Empire.”
“…You’re probably right.”
“Besides, if you did run into him, you should be grateful. Ten billion! Catch that guy and you’d be set for life!”
…That assumed either of us could actually catch him.
“Well, maybe not ten billion, but our job pays pretty well too. If everything goes smoothly, we’ll finish it in a week.”
I nodded.
“You said it was an ancient ruin expedition?”
“Yep. Just like I explained in my letter, it’s simple. Pays well, too. Way easier than that job we did in the desert three years ago.”
“If it’s easier than that, I’d almost feel guilty taking the money.”
“I already verified the client’s identity and finalized the plan. Oh, and you checked the team roster, right?”
“Yeah.”
I hadn’t recognized a single name on the list.
That was why I’d accepted the mission.
Our destination was also nowhere near the Magic Tower’s territory.
“Once we finish this job, we’ll both be able to head home with peace of mind.”
“Let’s hope so.”
“But sitting around until departure sounds boring…”
Bridin smiled as she pushed open an old door.
“So let’s have a little fun first.”
We descended a long flight of stairs.
Soon, loud chatter echoed through the air.
Underground.
The cavern-like chamber was packed with people.
At first glance they looked like friends enjoying drinks together.
In reality, every single one of them was armed.
Most of them also had the kind of faces that screamed criminal.
The walls were covered with wanted posters.
“So this is where illegal jobs are traded.”
Theft.
Assassination.
Or jobs even more complicated—and even shadier.
A meeting place for the underworld.
“Hey, they’re not illegal. More like… not officially encouraged by the Guild.”
“That’s basically the same thing.”
“They’re not really requests, either. Just people who need money making… little detours.”
“…Detours?”
“Just follow me. I’ve already gathered the others. We were supposed to meet somewhere around… Ah! There they are!”
Bridin pushed through the crowd until we reached an old table.
She greeted them cheerfully, and the middle-aged man polishing his sword looked up.
One glance told me he was a veteran mercenary.
“This is my friend. Remember the one I told you about from the Eastern Continent? Rex, this is…”
“Hemil. As you can see, I’m a swordsman.”
“I’m Rex. A mage.”
I looked at Bridin.
“Just the three of us? What exactly are we doing?”
Hemil shot Bridin a sharp glare.
It clearly said, You brought someone without explaining anything?
I expected him to start scolding her.
Instead…
“We’re hunting monsters.”
He explained in a deep, husky voice.
“You know the Mercenary King returned today after exterminating every demon.”
“We’re heading there.”
“Our targets are the monsters that come to absorb the demonic energy left behind after a demon dies.”
“The monsters absorb a demon’s residual energy?”
“That’s right. Every mercenary on the Western Continent knows that.”
“You could call it cleanup. And since we’re doing it voluntarily, it’s practically community service!”
In other words…
We were voluntarily walking straight into territory crawling with monsters.
It sounded incredibly dangerous.
“…Does it pay well?”
“Usually only Grade Four monsters show up. But there are enough of them that you’ll collect plenty of mana stones. Good spending money.”
“Then we won’t be the only ones there.”
“Which is why we need to get there early and claim a good spot.”
Only then did I understand why the Guild merely discouraged it.
The mercenaries earned money by harvesting mana stones from the monsters.
The Guild, meanwhile, didn’t have to waste manpower cleaning up afterward.
A win-win situation.
“So?”
Bridin grinned.
“You in?”
I shrugged.
“If they’re only Grade Four monsters, it should be fine.”
“Oh, and two more people are coming! One of them’s a mage, just like you…”
We sat down and continued talking.
Bridin handled most of the planning while Hemil occasionally added concise explanations.
It surprised me how kind someone with such a stern face could be.
Still, I couldn’t focus.
Monsters gather where demons die.
To absorb the lingering demonic energy.
I’d sounded surprised earlier…
But I actually knew that.
It had been mentioned in the side stories.
I knew it.
I’d simply forgotten.
And unfortunately…
I hadn’t remembered it five years ago, either.
Damn it.
No monsters would have gathered where I supposedly died fighting the demon.
Because the demon I’d summoned hadn’t been real.
It had only been an illusion.
The area had already been swarming with dead monsters because of my wager with Philion, so no new ones would have arrived immediately.
But if someone had continued watching the area over time…
They would have realized my death had been staged.
Suddenly, it felt as though I could hear Philion’s voice beside me.
“Raiel, it’s funny. You do everything right… and then you always overlook the tiniest detail.”
“You’re obviously not doing it on purpose. Do you just have trouble concentrating? You’re not thinking about something else while you work, are you? Ah… maybe you’re thinking about me?”
Don’t tell me…
That lunatic figured out I only pretended to die…?
Just then, Bridin called out.
“Over here!”
It seemed the rest of our group had finally arrived.
I hurriedly shoved those thoughts aside.
Then I turned toward the direction she was waving.
“Long time no see!”
The moment I saw the man walking toward us…
I froze.
