TNM CH 113

Chapter 113

Buck glanced at the documents that had been handed to him, then carefully unfolded them.

As he scanned the paper listing matters related to Bairon, he tilted his head in confusion.

“I’m sorry, but we probably don’t have this information either. Bozbourne is such a significant place that information tends to be interconnected, but Bairon isn’t like that.”

“So if you don’t have it, does that mean someone else does?”

“Huh?”

“The Thieves’ Guild isn’t just in Brilloxen. There must be one in Bozbourne too, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Then it’s simple.”

I reached out to Rippert standing beside me.

I took the pouch I had prepared in advance and dropped it on the table.

The thud it made caught Buck’s attention, and his gaze naturally fell downward.

“It doesn’t matter what methods you use. Just bring me information related to the Bairon family. If you do, I’ll give you double what’s in that pouch.”

“D-double….”

“You can contact the Thieves’ Guild in Bozbourne or whatever you want. The only important thing is to not get caught. If you do, Brilloxen will completely distance itself from this matter.”

“…”

Buck slowly lifted his gaze from the trembling money he was staring at.

Tilting his head slightly, he opened his mouth slowly.

“What happens if I refuse?”

“You can refuse, but what do you think will happen?”

“Then…”

“It’ll be simple. The Thieves’ Guild will undergo a tax audit, and all the unpaid taxes from over a hundred years will be collected. That should amount to quite a bit, right?”

As I smiled quietly, Buck’s lips that had been parting stiffened.

Seeing him freeze like a puppet, I stood up.

“By the way, you shouldn’t even think about running away. As you know, Brilloxen is a place so ruthless when it comes to money that even demons cry.”

I leaned over, looking down at Buck with a sly smile.

“Think it over and give me your answer. The choice is yours.”

The answer was almost predetermined, but there was still a choice to be made.

* * *

“Where have you been?”

The moment the door opened, Aden’s voice shot out.

Benicia stared at Aden, who had been working late into the night, surprised.

When Benicia didn’t respond, Aden stood up and poured himself a drink from the cupboard.

Benicia took the glass that Aden handed her and looked at it.

Aden grabbed a glass for himself and perched on the desk.

“I’ve heard you’ve been especially busy lately, and you filled in for me while I was away.”

“Taking care of my son’s love life isn’t easy.”

“…”

Aden’s hand, which had been tilting the glass, suddenly stopped.

Aden raised an eyebrow at the unexpected strike.

Benicia quietly laughed, took a sip of her drink, and then narrowed her eyes.

Her gaze on the shimmering yellow glass was sharp.

“…This doesn’t look like whiskey.”

“It’s a wine made with mushrooms.”

Benicia’s eyes twitched.

She knew that I disliked mushrooms, and this was a blatant choice of drink.

Just looking at which bottle he picked from the shelves told her everything.

Benicia lowered her drink and pursed her lips.

“So? What’s your reason for waiting up for your mother at this hour?”

“Nothing special. I just wanted to wait because it’s been a while since I saw you.”

“You mean you’re waiting just to see your mother’s face?”

Aden smiled slowly as he took a sip of his drink.

At his expression, Benicia narrowed her eyes.

As she scrutinized Aden’s face, Benicia waved her hand.

“Don’t make such a disgusting face and just say what you want. Even though I love my son, I’m not in the mood for that.”

Seeing Benicia grumble made Aden shrug his shoulders and put down his glass.

As Benicia settled back in her seat and crossed her arms, Aden spoke up.

“Did you see this?”

He tossed a rolled-up piece of cloth.

Benicia lightly caught it and quickly unfolded it.

Inside was a magic stone.

Benicia narrowed her eyes as she lifted the magic stone.

“What’s this?”

“It’s from the monsters that have been appearing in Redboron.”

“Redboron?”

Benicia lowered the magic stone and looked at Aden.

Aden nodded briefly and explained his deductions along with what had happened in Redboron.

As she listened intently to Aden’s explanation, Benicia’s expression gradually changed before it twisted in concern.

“I suspect that similar magic stones will be found in other mountain ranges known for the appearance of monsters, aside from Harmonia and Rippleton.”

“You haven’t confirmed that with your own eyes yet, have you?”

“I’ve sent out knights. We’ll be able to confirm it as soon as they return.”

A small groan escaped Benicia’s lips.

Her serious expression lingered as she pondered, and her eyes rolled slowly.

Silence filled the room, pressing down on both of them.

In that silence, Benicia reflected on what Aden had said.

Aden also kept silent, sorting out his thoughts.

“So that means…”

The long silence was broken by Benicia opening her mouth.

Aden’s eyes gleamed sharply like a predator as he looked up.

Benicia took a deep breath, swallowing hard before speaking.

“Does this mean a dark sorcerer is involved?”

Aden nodded briefly.

A dark sorcerer.

In the entire history of the empire, there had only been one person known as a dark sorcerer.

That was Kiliad Buernez, who referred to himself as a descendant of the demon.

He was the only one.

Not only did he wield dark magic, but he also had a mastery of elemental magic and regular spells—it was ridiculous.

He was the one who completely redefined what it meant to be called a dark sorcerer, as everyone who learned dark magic was labeled as one.

“There’s nothing certain yet. However, the lineage of dark magic, which was said to have died out after Buernez’s death, is starting to show up in various places. Furthermore, Bozbourne is among them.”

Benicia let out a low groan.

Dark magic and Bozbourne.

Just considering them individually was already overwhelming, and now they were intertwined.

“I’ve been thinking about this with Baran from various angles.”

Aden tossed a rolled-up document to Benicia.

Benicia caught it mid-air and unfolded it without hesitation.

“The time when monsters appeared in Hermonia, the time when Buernez’s dark magic, which was thought to be dead, resurfaced, and the time when Bozbourne started expanding its influence.”

“All about 150 years ago.”

“It’s highly likely that Bozbourne welcomed Buernez. If that’s the case, it explains all the incidents that happened during that period.”

Bozbourne hadn’t always held the power it had now.

150 years ago, Bozbourne began to expand its influence.

Along with that, many families, once called Bozbourne’s competitors, were swept away by accidents and incidents—either disappearing or being wiped out.

Fires, landslides, floods, falls, robberies.

They eliminated their rivals without distinction, from natural disasters to man-made calamities, resulting in the birth of the current Bozbourne.

“Buernez was said to have died about 50 years ago. If that information is accurate, then it makes sense that Bozbourne began sponsoring the Magic Association.”

Benicia frowned as she listened to Aden’s report while reading the document.

She roughly crumpled the paper in her hands.

“If that’s the case, then Rippleton unknowingly supplied monsters to Bozbourne, the very people who turned Hermonia into a land uninhabitable by humans. That’s embarrassing.”

Benicia, unable to contain her anger, gritted her teeth as her face twisted.

The long-standing grudge passed down through the generations in Rippleton.

That was their rage toward Buernez, who had used Rippleton as a lab rat, and toward dark magic itself.

People simply thought Rippleton had gotten stronger through training, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Rippleton had been born from Buernez’s dark magic.

It was a bloodline created through all kinds of experiments.

Superior sensory organs and strength compared to monsters.

Physical abilities that couldn’t be believed to belong to a human, along with eyes that could see freely in the dark.

As Benicia simmered in silence, her gaze slowly rose.

“That kid from Brilloxen is digging deeper than I thought.”

“She’s walking a dangerous path.”

“You take care of her. She’s a smart kid, so she’ll know how to act, but if she goes too deep, she might not be able to get back out.”

“Understood.”

Benicia stared at Aden as he answered, then smirked.

“More importantly, your face looks terrible. Seeing your dark complexion makes it seem like you’ve got a lot on your mind. I doubt you’re worried about Rippleton.”

As Aden rubbed his cheek with his hand, Benicia let out a slow laugh.

“Or are you worried about Sierra?”

“…”

“Your face looks like you want to run to her right away.”

Aden made a bitter expression as if thinking there was no point in hiding anything since she had already been found out.

It had only been a few days since he was separated from Sierra after the incident with Pallieva, but it felt like months had passed.

Benicia carefully observed her son’s expression, one she had never seen before.

She had always thought he was so stoic.

She had worried whether he could ever find a woman and experience love.

But Aden had met someone who exceeded her expectations, just like his father.

Suddenly reminded of old memories, Benicia smiled slowly and straightened her back.

“Look at you, able to make such a manly expression now. You’re showing a side of yourself I never knew.”

Sierra must be something special after all.

Benicia smiled faintly as she approached Aden.

Reaching out, she picked up a pen from his desk.

“Sometimes, it’s not so bad to put aside complicated feelings and let yourself go with your impulses. I did, and your father did too.”

To win the heart of the woman you love, you have to spare no effort.

“You can leave the aftermath to me, so just do what you want. Hearing my son talk about love is something I never expected.”

Feigning a cheerful expression, Benicia burst into laughter.

“I wish your father could see this.”

Benicia smiled longingly as she recalled her husband’s face, which she caught a glimpse of in Aden.