Chapter 222
Somewhere in the mountains of Europe.
An old-fashioned abandoned mansion that seems to have been neglected for decades at least.
In the center of the messy room, Hermes and Shadow were looking at each other with meaningful expressions.
“To use Wi Sang-hyeon as a throwaway word at will. What are you doing?”
Shadow’s voice was rather serious.
Sanghyun Sang is an important manpower recruited over 10 years in the Mage Tower.
How could such a person be consumed so easily?
without even looking at it.
This is an obvious overkill.
“The moment the first negotiations failed, Sang-hyeon Sang lost the value of existence. Was it necessary to let them live and hold on to our ankles?”
Hermes smiled and replied calmly.
“Did you remove it in advance because you were wary of leaking our information from Sang-hyeon Sang-hyeon?”
“yes.”
“It’s an excuse. If that was the case, there would be no reason to have him kill Sang-cheol Sang.”
For the sake of destroying the evidence, it would be enough to kill only one Sanghyeon Sang and finish it.
“It’s just that I killed someone who could get in my way.”
“It was a situation that could have been suspicious?”
“I think it was a risk worth taking.”
“Then how are you going to explain why you brought Adela Stewart and Shin Ha-yul in?”
“Is there any need to explain it in words? I was just trying to nip the buds that could become a huge threat in the future.”
Hermes was always relaxed.
“How good is it? To be able to deal with discarded horses that need to be disposed of and at the same time deal with potentially dangerous molecules in the future.”
“… … .”
Shadow’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘The horse is a liquidator.’
Everything Hermes said is a lie.
Due to Hermes’ personality, there was no way that such a big event would happen for that reason.
If I was going to dispose of Sang-Hyun Sang, I would have just dealt with Sang-Hyun Sang and finished it.
If I had intended to do that in the first place, I would have reported it to the Dark Mage King and dealt with it according to the procedure.
That’s Hermes-like work.
But what about now?
In addition to removing Sang-hyeon Sang without reporting, he made a bold move to kill Sang-cheol Sang, and even made an irrational move to attract Adela and Shin Ha-yul.
It was an act unbecoming of Hermes whose motto was clean and clear work.
Even more so, the reason is only to remove dangerous molecules in the future.
Doing such a drastic thing just for that?
It can’t be.
Everything Hermes said is a lie.
There are obviously different intentions.
“Well, it doesn’t mean anything unless you fail. Ugh. I can hear what the Dark Mage King has to say.”
Hermes stuck out his tongue and smiled cutely.
“I never thought Shin Ha-yul would be that strong… … .”
“I think I made it clear. Shin Ha-yul is so powerful that even I can’t defeat him. Did you hear me with your ears?”
“I thought it might be a little exaggerated. After losing, it is often the case that pride elevates the opponent more than necessary.”
“… … indeed.”
Shadow frowned.
“I really wanted to, but… … . I guess that’s right. you. Do you consider me a traitor?”
“You are quick-witted. yes. I was thinking that you betrayed us and joined the servant Ha-yul.”
Hermes smiled broadly.
“That will be too. Your movements have been obviously strange lately. Wouldn’t it be necessary to receive a mission from the Chinese side, not the area in charge? Isn’t it suddenly out of contact for 10 minutes? Isn’t the report late… … .”
The corners of the eyes slowly rise.
“Some even go to Korea and come back without a report.”
“… … .”
I was genuinely perplexed by this statement.
‘Did you know that I was in and out of Korea?’
Of course, that embarrassment was not apparent.
As the face was covered by a shadow, there was no chance that emotions would be revealed.
“Previously, you showed a strange appearance in the Faelian Prison. When talking about Shin Ha-yul, you must have shown hesitation, unlike you. I wondered if he was doing something with Shin Ha-yul.”
“… … .”
“just as expected. Parade is also said to have been killed by Shin Ha-yul. Even where you are. Can I get rid of it without a doubt?”
Hermes covered his mouth and laughed discreetly.
“Then, are you saying that now as a final goodbye before purging me?”
“no way. It can’t be. If I was going to purge you, would I have come alone?”
Hermes waved his hand.
“Unfortunately, to do the purge, your suspicions have been dispelled.”
“Have my suspicions been resolved? Why?”
In fact, we already know why.
However, you shouldn’t pretend to know.
Pretending to know is proof that Shadow betrayed him.
“a moment ago. You asked why did you bother to include Shin Ha-yul when using Sang-hyeon Sang?”
“okay. To that question, you answered that it was to remove future shoots in advance.”
“Actually, that is a lie. The reason I brought in Shin Ha-yul was to check the power of Shin Ha-yul.”
It was as Shadow expected.
“I knew from the beginning that it was a lie… … . What does the backstory mean?”
But like I said, you shouldn’t pretend to know.
Shadow once again pretended not to know.
“If you are a traitor… … . What if you are doing some kind of transaction with Shin Ha-yul? There’s no way to report Shin Ha-yul’s information as it is, right? Of course, he must have made a false report.”
Shadow pretended to think.
“I mean, is it like this? If it’s the opposite of what I reported, if the power possessed by the minister is in fact insignificant, then that fact itself becomes evidence of my betrayal.”
“yes. Exactly.”
It’s pretty plausible circumstantial evidence.
“Is that proof? I may have reported the truth to avoid suspicion.”
“There is no need for that. We don’t know if Shin Ha-yul has really strong power or not. We don’t know if you told the truth or if you lied. Why report true information in such a situation? And the most important secret that Shin Ha-yul has a level of power that overwhelms you? You are not such an idiot.”
It was a theory.
“If I were you, on the contrary, I would report having moderate powers. No matter what you’re aiming for, revealing all your power is just a penalty.”
It was said that the report that Shin Ha-yul had more power than expected was a piece of evidence proving Shadow’s betrayal.
“So I was pretty sure you made a false report. I saw that he was exaggerating his power and reporting it for Shin Ha-yul’s safety.”
It was the correct answer, leaving the theory behind.
‘I knew he had great insight, but I didn’t expect him to have this much.’
Hermes was a more terrifying woman than Shadow thought.
A cold sweat broke out on Shadow’s back.
“So I checked. He used Sang-hyeon Sang to kidnap Adela, an important person of Shin Ha-yul, and then threatened her to come alone.”
“… … If you put your friend in danger, you will have no choice but to do your best, what is the power you have been hiding?”
“yes. There is no one else to see. There is no reason to save power, right?”
“What would you have thought if Shin Ha-yul brought reinforcements like Shin In-hyuk or Charles?”
“Why would you choose to put your friend at risk while hiding such powerful power?”
“… … Calling reinforcements itself is like proof that Shin Ha-yul has no hidden power.”
“yes. Yes. It’s a design I came up with, but isn’t it pretty perfect?”
Hermes erased his smile and turned into a sullen expression.
“Well, in the end it was a waste of time.”
He even smiled bitterly.
“Contrary to my expectations, Shin Ha-yul was really strong. Minimum 7 circles. If you look at the last magic, is it the 8th circle?”
“So my doubts are cleared?”
“yes. As long as Shin Ha-yul has real powerful power. All my hypotheses will lose their meaning.”
Hermes’ logic is like an elaborate cogwheel, and if one goes out of order, all the others go out of order.
The moment one is out of sync, the other doubts have no choice but to disappear naturally.
“So everything is at the origin. The chance that you betrayed is again 50%. It’s half and half.”
“It’s not 0%.”
“yes. I still have doubts about your suspicious movements, or about the strange appearance you showed in the Huaelian prison.”
“… … indeed.”
She is a very difficult woman.
Shadow clicked his tongue.
“By the way… … . If all suspicions are not cleared, why are you telling me that?”
“guess. Why do you think it is?”
Hermes laughed meaningfully.
Shadow narrowed his eyes.
“Is this a warning?”
“That is correct.”
Hermes clapped lightly.
“If I warn you like this, you won’t be able to move quickly, right? If you’re not a traitor, there’s nothing wrong with that. Whatever it is, it’s good for me.”
Hermes got up from his seat and stood in front of Shadow.
Then he brought his face closer and smiled at him from a close distance.
“So, if you’re a traitor and you’re going to do more traitors in the future… … Please be careful. I will keep an eye on you closely from now on.”
“If I were a traitor, that’s a warning that will give you goosebumps.”
“sure. I am a scary woman.”
Hermes covered his mouth and laughed discreetly.
* * *
Two days had passed since the incident at the Mystical House.
Currently, I am staring blankly at the sky at the entrance of Sangcheol Sangcheol’s funeral home.
“… … Were you here?”
As I was staring blankly at the sky, Sunchan sneakily approached me from behind.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t slept for two days. Molgol is not a word.
“What about Adela?”
“I fell asleep.”
Soon-chan smiled bitterly and stood next to me.
“I cried in my mother’s arms and fell asleep as if I had passed out… … . Really, I don’t know what to say.”
Sunchan’s lips trembled.
It looked like she was about to cry.
“Why are you crying?”
“I know. For some reason, I am about to cry.”
“… … Only the sensitivity is enriched.”
Soonchan smiled.
“Isn’t that better than being insensitive?”
“It doesn’t.”
I lowered my head and looked at Sunchan.
“I say you don’t know. Never make that face in front of Adela.”
“… … Am I stupid?”
Sunchan brought his fist to my chest.
It was the same gesture as usual, but I didn’t feel any force.
“You’re not talking nonsense right now. Go get some sleep.”
“it’s okay.”
Sunchan shook his head slightly.
“To stay like this until the funeral is over tomorrow. I can’t even sleep.”
“… … Is it?”
“Get some sleep. He said he couldn’t rest properly after coming out of the training ground.”
“I’m fine too. Even if I lie down, I can’t sleep.”
“… … You too.”
Sunchan smiled bitterly.
“Whoa. Then I’ll go down again. Come get some more air.”
“okay. Call me when Adela wakes up.”
“okay.”
Sunchan patted me on the back and went downstairs again.
I stared blankly at Sunchan’s back.
“He and you. Aren’t you too kind?”
At that time, Captain Charles appeared behind me.
“Have you been watching?”
“huh? I did not know? I was openly nearby.”
“… … yes. I didn’t notice.”
“I guess you have a headache. Usually, no matter what I did, he found it right away.”
Captain Charles looked at me with a sad expression.
He wants to comfort me, but he doesn’t know what to say.
“What more than that?”
The atmosphere became too heavy, so I changed the topic first.
“Ah, I’ve been contacted by the dark one.”
sullen.
It’s a kind of slang for a shadow.
“Hermes hasn’t shown any movement yet. First of all, it seems that the doubt about me has decreased somewhat. However, I don’t think I’ll be able to contact you as often as I do now, as I’m under suspicion. since.”
“Not bad news.”
“right. It’s not good either.”
The intended purpose of allaying Hermes’ doubts was achieved.
I’m really fortunate
“Oh, and Shin In-hyeok must have found the ledger left by Sang-hyeon Sang while investigating the inside of the Secret Service.”
“… … A ledger?”
“uh. It’s a ledger for exchanging money with the Black Mage Tower, and it seems that not only Sang-Hyun Sang’s transactions are recorded, but also the details of other people’s transactions being brokered.”
“That means… … .”
“It means that the Secret Service can take care of my other spies at once.”
Captain Charles grinned.
“Does it match our list?”
“uh. It matches 100% with the list I got from the dark one. With this, the spy on the mystery committee side can strike a blow without hesitation.”
“It’s really nice to hear that.”
It’s an unexpected luck.
“Still there. In that ledger, the name of the elder of the Madoshin family came out.”
“The name of our family elder on Sanghyeon Sanghyeon’s ledger? Is that the name on the list Shadow gave you?”
“uh. it’s a name Perhaps, apart from Sang-Hyun Sang, we made a deal over the right to sell illegally modified AI.”
My expression frowned.
“The only thing the nobleman called the elder of the magic god family does is… … .”
Illegal modified AI chip business.
Anger rises to the top of your head.
“after. In any case, using that ledger, it means that even the elders can be captured.”
“That’s not all. With that elder as a starting point, you can weave the others into a string of sausages.”
“I wonder if the elder left something that could be evidence like Sanghyeon Sang?”
“well. don’t know that But, it doesn’t matter if I didn’t keep a separate ledger.”
“ah.”
I see what you mean.
“We already have a real list, so you could use that list to create a fake ledger or fake it to induce a confession.”
“yes. I wouldn’t know if the elder’s name hadn’t come up in Sang-hyeon Sang’s ledger. As long as it’s out, it’s not that big of a problem to weave it one after another.”
“If we weave them one after another like that, Shadow won’t be harmed either.”
“That’s it.”
Captain Charles made a ‘click’ sound with his thumb and forefinger.
“If we weave little by little like this, it will be possible to track down spies from other families.”
“… … The key is how well you can make fake ledgers.”
“Leave it to me. There is an expert in our mercenary corps.”
“Please.”
It feels like things are progressing at once.
“It would be great if we could find out all the spies on the list… … .”
Captain Charles clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“That would be difficult. There are limits to making fake ledgers.”
“right. If your tail is long, you will be stepped on.”
Even a string of sausages, the end of which exists.
If you weave infinitely, you will inevitably have problems.
If you make a fake ledger, you shouldn’t exceed three.
If it’s more than that, it’s clear that the Black Mage Tower will be suspicious.
“Eh. I just want to destroy Shadow’s well-being and whatever.”
“… … I really want to do that.”
“I don’t know what you’re doing with him. Can’t we get other information soon? Then there should be no problem.”
There is only one reason why we are concerned about Shadow’s safety.
Because it is still worth using for Shadow.
After Shadow shares all the remaining information, there is no reason to worry about Shadow’s safety.
‘Well, if we share all the information, even Shadow will manage to escape from the Black Mage Tower.’
No matter what, there is no reason to worry about Shadow’s safety.
“I intend to proceed as soon as possible.”
“As soon as possible, how long do you think it will take?”
“About three months at the longest.”
In order to hear the remaining information from Shadow, the first thing to do is to remove the shadow of Umbra, the curse that Shadow has in his body.
And in order to remove Umbra’s shadow, it is necessary to clear the prerequisites before that.
‘I get the mythic magic, Ignis.’
Thanks to the Heavenly Demon of Helios, they came to know each other by chance.
Mimir had already finished researching the relationship between Umbra and Ignis.
‘If I get Ignis, I can definitely remove Umbra’s shadow.’
