A few streets off the main road, in an alley, the person was hidden in the shadows of a building as if to conceal themselves.
The sun had completely set about an hour ago, and the surroundings were enveloped in the darkness of night.
“Well, I’m in trouble. I never imagined they would have infiltrated this far.”
The words were muttered by the man, but there was no one around to hear him.
Of course, the man only spoke his words because he had confirmed there was no one around.
He was deliberately speaking aloud without anyone to hear him in order to calm himself and think clearly.
“…It’s only a matter of time before this place is discovered, huh. Now, what should I do?”
The man was faced with a decision. He was hiding in such a place at such an hour in order to escape from a certain group. If he were captured by that group, there would be no one left to deliver information about the group. The man, for one, absolutely wanted to avoid such a situation.
However, the man’s combat ability within his own group was only average. He couldn’t imagine being able to escape while fighting the group that was currently pursuing him. Objectively analyzing his own combat abilities, the man decided to use a last resort.
“…I didn’t want to use it if I could help it, but I guess it can’t be helped. I’m not in a situation where I can afford to be picky… Oh. They’re faster than I thought. I should just run.”
As he muttered and checked his surroundings, he could hear the sound of footsteps searching for him clearly increasing. The man began rummaging in his pocket, pulled out a palm-sized piece of paper, and began chanting spells mutturedly. When the man finished chanting, he had completely vanished, leaving only the darkness of night behind.
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The man became enraged at the report.
“What the hell are you doing after deploying so many people! You idiots!”
He said, kicking the desk in front of him violently. The wooden desk, though quite heavy, was lifted slightly by his kick. A considerable noise was made when he kicked it and when the desk slammed back onto the floor, causing the three reporters in front of the man to flinch. They were sweating inwardly at the man, who could kick the heavy wooden desk with such ease, something an ordinary person couldn’t even kick properly, let alone lift.
“W-we are very sorry. However, it seems the opponent used an invisibility spell at the last moment, and we had no way to counter it since we had no handlers.”
“…What did you say?”
At that report, the enraged man’s expression shifted to one of interest. Invisibility spells are known to be well-known among those in the know, yet users are rare. The reason is simple: it takes a long time to learn, and it’s considered inefficient because the effects are not significant. It was common knowledge in the industry that only those in professions where they often needed to conceal themselves would bother to learn such a spell.
“Was there any report that he could use magic?”
“N-no. When we checked before, it was said that even if he could use it, it wasn’t very effective.”
“We checked too, and the talk was that he probably used a magic tool or something.”
Trying to deflect the anger, they provided the information that seemed to pique the man’s interest.
“…I see.”
Saying so, the man closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and began to ponder.
In the first place, there are few users of invisibility spells for the reason mentioned above. Therefore, magic tools imbued with such magic are even rarer. Despite the demand, the number of such items on the market is small, and their price inevitably becomes high. In simple terms, a mid-tier adventurer could not afford it. There are few places that produce such magic tools, so it is not difficult to narrow down their origin. Even if they didn’t use a commercially available product, it would still allow them to identify the user. Invisibility magic circles are such magic tools.
“…Hey. You are investigating the origin, aren’t you?”
“Of course. We haven’t gotten the results yet, but it shouldn’t take long.”
“Hmph. …Well, whatever. I’ll overlook this particular failure. …But don’t expect the same next time?”
To the man who gave them a final warning, the three nodded. Sensing that the man wanted them to leave the room, they fled and departed.
After watching them leave, the man moved to his own desk a while later. He opened a drawer on the desk and took out a certain magic tool. Anyone who saw it would immediately recognize it as a communication device. The man operated the magic tool and began to communicate.
“I apologize for bothering you while you are busy.”
The man’s attitude changed completely from moments before as he began speaking.
“…Yes. Of course. …Yes! Understood!”
Since there was no one else in the room, the conversation via the communicator was not overheard by anyone. The conversation then continued for some time.
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A few days after successfully escaping the cordon, the man arrived at another village and headed for the capital of the Sumit Kingdom from there. He had already sent the information he obtained the other day through members of his organization. How they would proceed from here would be decided by those higher up in the organization. As a mere subordinate, the man would simply wait to be assigned his next mission after rejoining the organization. He was heading to the capital for this very purpose, but at that time, he had no idea that he would be caught up in an event that would shatter his common sense upon his arrival.
Meanwhile, at the organization that received the man’s report, a countermeasure meeting was being held.
“Now, everyone. I’ve called you all here to discuss that particular matter.”
When the eldest of the representatives, an elderly man, began to speak, the room, which had been abuzz with chatter, fell silent. Seeing this, the elderly man continued.
“I don’t think I need to tell you, but they are expanding their forces quite aggressively, and we are close to a precipice. The only measures we can take now are either to comply or to fight back.”
Some of the attendees murmured at his definitive statement. Some asked if there weren’t any other options.
“…If there are other options, I would very much like to hear your opinions. This is the time when we can discuss calmly, so please share any ideas you have.”
In response to his words, various opinions flew from all directions, and then counterarguments were made, with various strategies being examined from different angles. However, what everyone gathered here felt was that each opinion had its own pros and cons, and it was not something that could be decided easily. Those gathered here were individuals who collected information from subordinates scattered in various places. It was inevitable that there would be differences and disparities in information depending on their area of responsibility. However, it was common for all handlers to be formidable.
The elderly man, who was listening to the opinions exchanged at the meeting, sighed inwardly, thinking that things had become quite difficult. When this problem arose, he had secretly thought that it would determine the future of the clan, and that concern had indeed come true. Perhaps those gathered here already realized this, as they were discussing the matter earnestly. It was not an issue that could be decided immediately, but they did not have the luxury of time. Ultimately, the discussion at this time would be thoroughly examined over a long period, and the decision would be entrusted to another location.
The new chapter begins. Although the main members didn’t appear in the first chapter, they should appear next… probably. Will it be understood who will be the main character of this chapter based on this story? lol.
