“I’ll be leaving that behind. I may be a curse-caster who enjoys cursing, but keeping such an item isn’t really my taste.”
“You’re going to leave something that dangerous behind?”
“I’ve got something urgent to handle. Still, I can’t just leave a cursed object sitting there, so I’ll send my people as a courtesy.”
Cravat pulled a portable signal transmitter from his robe and activated it.
“In a little while, members of my school will come and wrap that thing up nicely. Whether you leave it or take it with you, that’s your choice.”
“I won’t take it. I’m sick and tired of things like that.”
“Why tell me? I said it’s your choice.”
Cravat smirked.
He knew Verom's words weren’t meant for him, but for himself.
“Well, if I had to give you one piece of advice, putting that on again won’t be as painful as before.”
With that, Cravat turned and walked away.
Verom stood there for a long time, staring at the Living Armor.
From the gaps of the armor, crimson lines were still slithering out, writhing toward him.
Maybe because of Cravat’s words, what once looked repulsive now appeared different somehow.
No longer the greedy lure of a curse seeking prey—but a desperate gesture, like a child yearning for a parent’s affection.
A child crying not to be abandoned.
Begging not to be left behind.
Verom's face, once filled with hatred toward the Living Armor, twisted into something complicated.
* * *
“Hm?”
Cravat spotted Ludger waiting for him between the alleyways and walked up.
“What, you didn’t leave yet?”
“I stayed here just in case.”
“Well, it’s all handled now. Let’s move. By the way, what about that brat Gariel?”
“He left with Rine and the Automaton. Since their base was exposed, they must have moved to a secondary one.”
“They have another base?”
“They dug a lot of rabbit holes just in case.”
“In Isla Machia, where even housing prices are sky-high? Where’d they get the money to prepare so many?”
Grumbling, Cravat suddenly asked with curiosity,
“So why did you let that man live?”
“What do you mean?”
“That Verom guy. I mean, I don’t have any grudge with him, and I was glad to get a look at a cursed relic I’d only heard about, but you—wasn’t it different for you?”
To Cravat’s eyes, Ludger was not a man of mercy.
He was someone who had hidden his identity under many masks, committing countless crimes under various names.
When Ludger had come to meet him in the E-34 district, he had wiped out black mages and New Mage Tower magicians alike without hesitation.
That was not the handiwork of a man who had killed only once or twice.
Cravat couldn’t imagine how many lives stained the road Ludger had walked.
“I thought you’d eliminate anyone with even the slightest chance of being a threat.”
“I spared him because I judged there was no danger. He’s lost his armor and never had any real power within the organization anyway.”
“What if he runs to that Nicolai and tells him everything?”
“Given Nicolai’s nature, he’d find Verom—now useless—nothing but a nuisance.”
Without the Living Armor, Verom was nothing more than an ordinary powerless man.
That alone showed just how tremendous the armor’s strength had been—enough to raise him to the rank of First Order.
“Still, he didn’t even try to take that Living Armor with him.”
“Who’d be stupid enough to touch a cursed relic?”
At that, Cravat widened his eyes, then burst out laughing.
Ludger looked at him, puzzled by the childlike laughter.
“No, it’s just funny. You act like a man without blood or tears, yet I see you’ve got a soft side.”
“Compassion? What do you mean by that?”
“Don’t react so harshly. I understand perfectly well.”
Cravat grinned, amused for some reason.
“I’ve been called a bad man too. A guy who spends his life studying curses—who’d ever welcome that? People just call me scary, dangerous, point fingers. And they’re not wrong. Most of what curses can do involves killing people. I may look like this, but I’m a black mage, and I’ve killed plenty.”
He said it casually, as though he were talking about the weather.
That was how far his morality diverged from ordinary people’s—
or perhaps the environment he lived in had made such things normal.
“Of course, I never killed anyone innocent. Unlike those black-mage schools we’re fighting now—those bastards snatch up any vagrant to use as meat shields or sacrifices. We fought only to survive.”
“And still, what came back to you was scorn.”
“Exactly. But look. Look at what I did today.”
Cravat smiled brightly, remembering earlier.
“With my curse, I saved a life. Even if it was out of curiosity, the result speaks for itself. No matter what others say, I used the power of curses to save someone.”
A black mage who had learned ancient curses and killed many, yet had also shown kindness.
Human beings carry both good and evil.
A hero to some can be a mortal enemy to others.
Cravat knew that truth well, and thus didn’t condemn Ludger’s actions.
In fact, seeing Ludger spare Verom made him realize this man wasn’t a merciless villain—he had a heart capable of mercy.
“People’s preconceptions are terrifying. Bad men must always do bad things, and good men must always do good. Haven’t you ever been trapped by that?”
“I simply do what I believe is right. I’ve never thought of it as justice or anything like that.”
“I like that answer.”
Ignoring public opinion and following one’s own conviction—
for Cravat, Ludger’s answer deserved full marks.
“Still, you’re not being honest. You could’ve just said you wanted to save him—why bother with excuses about him not being a threat?”
“At the very least, I need a reason that others can accept.”
“For whom?”
“For the people who’ll one day question or condemn me when the mercy I showed comes back to bite me.”
“Like—‘Why didn’t you just kill him and spare yourself this mess’? Something like that? Then why bother at all? You could’ve just killed him.”
“I wanted to prove something.”
“Prove what?”
“That the goodwill I show will someday return to me as goodwill.”
Cravat blinked, eyes widening.
He could have been offended by the disbelief, but Ludger answered calmly.
“I want to believe the world isn’t that far gone yet. Even if things have grown harsher and selflessness has faded, deep inside people there must still be some goodness left. There has to be.”
“You...”
Cravat let out a faint laugh.
“You’re more impressive than I thought. I expected you to be cold and purely logical.”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“No. On the contrary, I like it even more. Guess I misjudged you. From your demeanor, I thought you were some shadowy mastermind pulling strings behind the scenes.”
“......”
“Well, isn’t it true? This level of skill, a murky past, and every trace of that past extraordinary in its own way—and now you’re a teacher? Where did you say you work again?”
“Seorn.”
“Seorn! Ah, I’ve heard of it. That’s where young magicians go to learn these days, isn’t it?”
“There are more magic schools than you’d expect.”
“Obviously, it’s because you’re the best among them. How in the world did you even infiltrate that place? No, wait—since you changed your identity, was it undercover employment?”
“...Not something I did. Something that was done to me.”
Cravat shot him a puzzled look.
“If it’s undercover employment, then you did it. What do you mean, it was done to you?”
“......”
Indeed.
Ludger felt it was unfair, yet he had to admit the description wasn’t wrong. Trying to explain the whole situation would only make his circumstances sound more pathetic.
Caw, caw.
A few crows flew over the heads of Ludger and Cravat.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, those are mine.”
Noticing that they weren’t ordinary crows, Ludger raised an eyebrow. Cravat casually explained,
“It’s a Crow Transformation Curse.”
“You put that curse on your disciples?”
“Why that look? You think I’m some garbage master who curses his own students just to use them?”
“If that’s not it, then it must mean something else.”
“A curse isn’t just about casting—it’s about casting and lifting it. That’s the complete process.”
Ludger wasn’t particularly well-versed in curses, but he’d heard something similar before from Professor Merilda, who taught Curses and Disenchantment.
“They look like that because of the Crow Transformation Curse, but they can undo it whenever they wish. You know what that means?”
“In other words, they can transform into animals at will and move freely.”
“Exactly. With this, we can move unnoticed or gather information without drawing attention. Hardly anyone cares about a few crows flying around.”
Ludger nodded in agreement.
Hans used a similar method, after all.
Hans usually gathered information from rats, but lately, his power had grown enough to communicate with birds as well.
People never imagined the lowly creatures they dismissed as vermin could be listening in.
He hadn’t expected that same weakness to be exploited here too.
“So that’s why you came out of that fierce battle unscathed.”
“In this day and age, intelligence warfare is everything.”
As the two were talking, Gariel greeted them.
“What, you’re done already? Came back faster than I thought.”
“Where’s Rine?”
“I moved her safely. It’s an unused hideout, but I’ve kept it clean enough—no need to worry about that.”
“At least it’ll be much cleaner than before since there’s nothing to mess it up.”
“If anyone heard that, they’d think I was living in a pigsty.”
“Weren’t you?”
“...Maybe a bit messy.”
Following Gariel’s lead into the hideout, Ludger felt slightly relieved by the larger space.
“So how exactly was the previous hideout discovered? We were always careful.”
“Looks like someone caught our tail.”
“Did we ever leave one to begin with?”
“They just hadn’t made the effort to look until now. This place won’t last long either.”
Ludger recalled what he’d heard ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) from Verom about how Nicolai had found out where he was.
“There are all sorts of devices in Isla Machia, especially ones tied to security.”
“Ah, right. It’s a hub of important research and business, after all. Everyone’s constantly trying to protect what’s theirs.”
Cravat added,
“And to steal what isn’t.”
Attempts to steal research data or magical items from rival corporations, schools, or magicians were common in Isla Machia.
This barren, metallic island wore the mask of progress, but beneath it, wolves drooled in secret—waiting to sink their teeth into others’ intellectual property.
“Eyes that spy on others, and veils that hide from those eyes. If you ask what Isla Machia’s most advanced technologies are, it’s those two without a doubt.”
“So the entire island is covered by an extensive surveillance system.”
“Right. But no single person controls it all. Each faction has its own version of surveillance, managing only its territory.”
In truth, Isla Machia was home to thousands of organizations, each with its own network. The New Mage Tower was simply one of the most prominent among them.
“But why bring that up?”
“It seems Nicolai has taken control of that surveillance system.”
“Nicolai? Ah, the new rising power everyone’s been talking about. But controlling the surveillance system? At most, he’d have a few districts under his thumb...”
Ludger shook his head.
Gariel stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Not just a few. He’s secured control over more than half of the island’s surveillance network.”
“What? Half?”
Gariel couldn’t comprehend it.
If that was true, excluding the New Mage Tower’s private systems, Nicolai effectively controlled over seventy percent of Isla Machia.
“No way. We’re still fighting the black mages—how could he possibly take that much? If he had, someone else would’ve noticed long ago.”
“Apparently, he can breach other people’s surveillance systems.”
“Breach? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ah, right. That term doesn’t exist here yet. Hm. Put simply—it means breaking through another person’s security and seizing control of their system, bending it to your will.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s even possible? How?”
“If there are surveillance and security systems, it’s inevitable that methods to disable or hijack them would appear. And he’s expanding that control in real time.”
Gariel shook his head, dizzy from the thought.
“Wait—then what about our hideout’s location?”
“Assume it’s already exposed. If not now, it’s only a matter of time.”
Which meant that no matter where they fled or hid, as long as they were on this island, they were within Nicolai’s grasp.
“Then what do we do now?”
“What else?”
Even with the possibility that their every move was being watched, Ludger remained calm.
“We proceed with the plan.”
Whether Nicolai was watching or not.
Whether he kept sending assassins or not.
“We hit the New Mage Tower first.”