Prophet Marqion (1)

Kleio remembered that Guilard Eclipsi had been a student expelled for attempting a summoning. It had been when Kleio and Arthur stood guard at the door of Mnemosyne when the dungeon opened.

Thats right. Hes gotten a little taller and lost some weight. That strange hair color is undeniably from the Eclipsi house. There has been no news after his expulsion, so he mustve been working on this in secret.

Eclipsi wasnt a great wizard. How did he become able to use magic that even Kleio couldnt recognize in two years?

Surely. He was always a stupid sorcerer who was buried in the library, but now I confused him with an arch-mage because of his ether color.

Did his ether have a color?

Yes, a bluish purple. But I couldnt determine the level. [Ether detection] didnt work at all.

After hearing Cels response, Isiel looked at Kleio with a slightly harder expression, but he also shook his head.

.

.

.

By the time Kleio washed up and finally lay down, the outside of the window had already grown bright. He couldnt sleep thanks to the sounds of birdsong. Under his eyelids, the scene of that miraculous play reproduced itself.

Thats probably the power of mantras.

Guilard mustve gone beyond the world and peeked into the sentences of the world before Kleio was born. Other than that, there was no hypothesis to explain magic beyond that standard. But, he was guessing. On the day Kleio woke up from this world, Guilard tried summoning, and his summons was successful. However, the moment the world opened, more than Kleios soul had flowed in from the other world. The result was that magic.

Was this an error that occurred while making my place? The aftermath of excessive adjustment.

Now Guilard called himself a prophet that would save those people from destruction.

But that prophecy cant be Gods intent.

***

Five days later.

Dione was looking at the grass Kleio had spread over his handkerchief. She sniffed at it, then laughed.

This is Oniro. Its a psychedelic medicine that grows in the southern Pintos mountain. Its so out of fashion that no one uses it.

Diones analysis grew bitter as Kleio explained the route of his acquisition.

Usually, its dried and smoked like a cigarette, but its not addictive. It works when inhaled, but its efficacy is weak. It was also used as a pain reliever during the old war. How can they still be in business with this obsolete technique?!

They wear masks, they used invitations to control the number of visitors, and then after the second time, let them watch an infield show that cost a pretty dinar. Its a huge hit.

Wow, how many dozen people attended it? The resourcefulness is enormous.

Dione, who treated necromancy as a fraud, looked ferocious. Merchants like her, who obeyed the laws and regulations, hated fraudsters.

Do ghosts pay rent? Is the prophet looking for a realtor?

Youre right.

Look at this.

Dione had investigated the identity of the current tenant of the mansion. Looking at the papers, Kleio smiled. Who was Carolinger nobility?

The black hair was dyed too; originally, it was a brighter color.

Madame Lamors real name was Mary, an extremely common Albion name. Her identity was a backstreet psychic, cheating people out of their money. The mansion wasnt widely known to the people because its real owner was in another principality. The actual tenant of the estate who signed the contract was with him was a businessman in Novantes.

Then, does that mean the real culprit is him? There arent enough clues.

***

Despite it being sunny midday in early summer, Captain Daria Isai, a member of the mobile research division of the Defense Forces magic team, was feeling low pressure. It was because she was in charge of Ezras surveillance by herself for the past few weeks.

As the number of demonic haunts increased, the budget and roles set for the mobile team had increased, which also meant that the paperwork had exploded. Ezras lieutenant, Aremis, was busy dealing with paperwork that his boss had completely neglected. So, inevitably, Daria and Hesta had been chasing down Ezra.

Only the research wizards have had a lot of fun so far, but I think the day will finally shine even for you.

Certainly, there were a few who felt different from the mobile research division. There was Daria herself, who was adept only at making fire, Ezra, obsessed as he was with fantasy creatures, and Hester, who used healing magic but was born to Novantes commoners. In addition, Aremis possessed some skills in swordsmanship. Members of the mobile research division werent very noble, regardless of their origin, so they didnt mix well with the other wizards.

Damn it. Now, seeing the light doesnt make it any better.

Meanwhile, Hester Ward, her magical partner, best friend, and classmate, had taken a leave of absence to help her sister through childbirth. That had only increased Darias anger and decreased her motivation. She had run to take care of something that could be left to a maid or nanny. Hester was really nice.

But theres one less person to take care of Ezras accidents, so Im the one dying.

Hester was a thoughtful and kind friend who loved everyone. Unlike Daria, who was hot-tempered, and Ezra, who lacked common sense, she understood the hearts of others and resolved conflicts wisely. Among the wizards, it was worth saying she was a truly rare species, which made her vacancy feel bigger every day.

That motherfucker Ezra. These new magic tools being tested are useless.

Daria was ready to question anyone or anything that Ezra introduced.

Anyone who hangs out with that child cant be a real human. How dare you frame Hester?!

Isnt Sir Kleio mistaken? Hester isnt like that. Since weve been in school, she was the best model student and a talented person with intelligence and an honest character.

At Darias honest response, Kleio swallowed a bitter smile. Given that he had come in with Ezras introduction and was asking about a trusted member of their group, it was an appropriate response.

Darias expression was colder than the frigid north. The beauty of the wizard was incredible, with her glossy copper hair and mismatched green and blue eyes.

Shes still the best healer on the team who will return in the fall. She just returned to her hometown to help her sister, and its very unpleasant to file such charges against the talents of our department!

As Daria spoke angrily, a circle almost automatically opened around her with a spark.

Whoa, whoa. Daria, be patient~. Its hot~. Stop the fire.

This child! Youve been increasing the work!

Daria, a 5th-level wizard, was a master of fire magic. She was excellent at providing light during night battles or searching, as well as controlling the burning forests to make paths. Even if her attack power was low, fire was still fire.

Kleio stepped back as he prepared to cast his own defensive magic. He needed to choose his words carefully.

Its not that Hester is a member of the scammers, but perhaps she is on a secret mission to infiltrate them.

That was immediately refuted by Ezra.

Hey~, that doesnt make sense, junior. Think about it. Even though the deputy king isnt an idiot, theres no way such a mission would be given to our department.

Behind Ezra, Daria was holding the back of her neck with one hand. It was certainly not what the head of the department should say.

Well, what

It was true that Ezras office and the lab didnt seem like spaces that could handle confidential information at a glance. As a result of years of hard work and chaos, it was at the level of creating a messy maze. No wonder the demons blood had been able to be stolen without anyone knowing, given the disorder this place was in. Then, the story went back to the point. Even after acquiring the personnel file, Hesters career was exactly as her old friend Daria said. As Zebedee wrote on her report card, she was an exemplary student.

Is that really wrong? Hmm.

Ezra began to shout as Kleio readied to stand out.

Junior, junior, junior, junior, wait a minute, dont go~.

Yes? Isnt this over?

No~, thatsone moment!

Ezra, speaking gibberish, went through a desk that looked more like a garbage dump for a while before pulling out a magic tool with a rounded crystal. As he groped the center of it and applied strength, the sphere split into two, revealing a complex seam.

[Hub Hemisphere

-Rating: Best

-The two spheres can be traced to each other through an etheric reaction.

-Note: Single use]

It was a magical tool with excellent quality, but Kleio tried not to show any response.

Why are you showing this to me?

If you dont know, go to the mansion with this. An alarm is triggered when more than a certain amount of ether is detected. Then Daria and I will run to you~.

The mansion is on the outskirts of the Nodus district, will there be a signal?

Well then. Its a beta version made by this genius~. I tried it before~. Its good, right? Isnt it amazing?

Daria, who had checked her pocket watch several times, couldnt stand the captain wasting any more time and began to yell.

Now, stop bothering Aremis and me and get to work! Sir Kleio, go now.

Oh, this ones fiery~!

Worried that Daria would start an actual fire, Kleio stood up with his jacket. Now was time to bail.

Yes. Thank you for your cooperation.

***

The third meeting was different from the second and the first. As they reached the middle of the mansion, one after another, people began building up a frenzy far beyond the previous ones.