The vacation he had not even gotten to start was over.
Han quickly returned to headquarters and met with Ventman in private.
“Alkant Grand Prison has fallen.”
Ventman delivered the grim reality.
Although Han had already heard the broad details, the news shocked him all over again.
Alkant Grand Prison had seemed as though it could never fall.
The Oberian Republic's largest and proudest prison had collapsed. It had happened just six days earlier, at the very moment Han and Violet were watching the aurora from the passenger ship.
“You already saw it yourself, but after the tsunami swallowed Alkant, a formula on a scale unlike anything we have ever seen was activated. That aurora. Because of that damned magic that swallowed the night sky, every prisoner in Alkant was scattered across the world.”
The aurora's formula had appeared when Alkant was thrown into chaos by a tsunami that struck without warning.
It was advanced dimensional magic that far surpassed the bounds of reason.
“When you say every prisoner, do you mean even the prisoners incarcerated on the ‘Lowest Level’?”
“Yes. Those extremely dangerous bastards are back out in the world. Pandora's box has finally been opened.”
Countless notorious criminals had been imprisoned within Alkant, which had boasted impenetrable security.
Those deemed especially dangerous had been confined in individual isolation cells on the Lowest Level, yet even they had been set free.
“At last.......”
Ventman, renowned for his good-natured appearance, had his brows knitted so tightly that they showed no sign of relaxing. Instead, he puffed away at a cigarette, trying to soothe the burning in his gut.
“I told them we should kill those bastards. Why did they have to insist on using them as Mana Batteries?”
Ventman ground the finished cigarette into the ashtray.
Using imprisoned Heretical Mages as sources of mana was nothing new.
Ventman and several others had long pointed out the danger posed by Heretical Mages and argued that they should be executed immediately, but their proposal had been rejected by the higher-ups.
By disregarding the danger and trying only to suck up the sweet honey of efficiency and the benefits it yielded, they had finally brought this disaster upon themselves.
“Have you identified those involved in the formula?”
Han naturally assumed that multiple people had carried it out.
At the very least, dozens of Fourth-Tier-or-higher mages—no, perhaps even hundreds of Heretical Mages—might have taken part.
However.
“There is no one to identify. Only one person cast the formula.”
Ventman's answer was astonishing.
“Pardon?”
“Everist.”
Perhaps remembering the aurora he had witnessed that day, Ventman's expression hardened.
He did not want to believe that a sight seemingly impossible for anyone but a god to create had been produced by a single person.
Yet anyone who heard the name ‘Everist’ would slowly nod in understanding.
“The founder of Pest. That bastard activated the large-scale formula all by himself.”
Pest, the organization to which most Heretical Mages belonged.
Everist, the head of that enormous criminal organization.
He was an internationally wanted fugitive with the largest bounty on his head, as well as a figure who had become a symbol of Heretical Mages themselves.
“We suspect that the tsunami that struck without warning was also his doing, but that has not been confirmed. The Large-Scale Dimensional Transfer Formula, however, is certain. There were multiple witnesses.”
Ventman's eyes creased with frustration.
“We should have suspected something from the moment he allowed himself to be captured so easily. At the very least, we should have cut that bastard's head off.”
As Ventman said, astonishingly enough, Everist had recently been imprisoned in Alkant.
He had seemed like someone who could never be caught, yet he had allowed himself to be tracked down and dragged in without resistance.
The citizens praised the Special Unit for its great achievement and believed that the tiresome Pest would finally disappear.
“Everist must have been wearing Magic-Suppressing Silver handcuffs as well.”
Han quietly went over the situation before asking.
Han's left arm forcibly shut down a mage's mana.
Likewise, the Magic-Suppressing Silver that would have been used in Everist's handcuffs should not have allowed him to manipulate his mana.
For someone as important as Everist, they would surely have used Magic-Suppressing Silver of even higher purity.
Han could not understand how Everist had managed to cast a formula while imprisoned in Alkant.
“We do not know the exact truth, but judging from what we have uncovered so far, Magic-Suppressing Silver does not seem to work on Everist.”
Impossible.
Magic-Suppressing Silver doesn't work on him?
That's practically the same as saying he can ignore the laws of nature.
Is that bastard really human?
“......He is even worse than I had heard.”
“According to the survivors who barely escaped alive, even Magic-Suppressing Silver Bullets could not pierce his head. Even when they fired the silver bullets, they could not penetrate his magic and simply fell powerless to the ground.”
Magic-Suppressing Silver Bullets had been created specifically to hunt mages.
Even the most notorious mages could be sent straight to the afterlife with a single properly aimed shot, yet those bullets did not work against Everist.
Everist had once again vanished without a trace.
The government had also reassessed how dangerous he was and issued orders for summary execution rather than capture.
Ventman relayed additional eyewitness accounts from the survivors of Alkant, and Han had no choice but to accept the suffocating reality.
‘If it's true that Magic-Suppressing Silver doesn't work on Everist, then this was planned. He must have let himself be captured on purpose to bring Alkant down.’
‘But why now, when he has barely ever shown himself before? For what reason?’
Everist's name had been etched into the minds of the citizens like fear itself, but in truth, cases where he personally moved and caused an incident were exceedingly rare.
What change had come over Everist for him to do something like this?
‘No. I shouldn't try to understand bastards like them through normal logic.’
Once Han concluded that there was no point thinking about it, he organized his thoughts.
Ventman, who had been smoking one cigarette after another, had also calmed down by then and opened his mouth.
He had not called Han in merely to explain the current situation.
“Captain Han Augustus. Effective today, you are appointed team leader.”
The Special Unit used the military rank system, but that was largely nominal, maintained for wartime situations and discipline. In practice, its system differed from the military.
Because its primary duty was apprehending criminals, it was actually closer to the police, operating through a system in which team leaders and team members cooperated with one another.
There were also people like Han who operated individually, but with Alkant destroyed, circumstances had changed.
“With the Alkant survivors, elite police officers, and soldiers now being transferred into the Special Unit en masse, the organization is struggling to control its suddenly swollen body. No matter how many existing team leaders we have, there are not enough. Capable people like you are needed all the more.”
It was nothing short of a national emergency.
Even now, criminals who had been released were committing atrocities throughout the continent, causing the number of innocent victims to increase exponentially.
To stop them, the Special Unit had to change.
“I am sorry to make you give up your long-awaited extended leave, but for the sake of the Republic and its citizens, I ask for your understanding.”
“I have no complaints. It was a vacation I never wanted in the first place, so there is nothing for me to dwell on.”
“Excellent.”
Ventman rose from his seat and patted Han on the shoulder as though proud of him.
He held a file in one hand.
“These are the profiles of the team members assigned to you. You have operated independently until now, so working with a team may feel unfamiliar, but I am sure you will have no trouble.”
“I will do my utmost to fulfill my responsibilities.”
“Good. However...... No, never mind. You will naturally find out once you meet them yourself.”
Ventman began to say something, then stopped.
His reaction was somewhat unsettling, but Han decided not to pay it any mind.
“Ah, one more thing. The drug criminals you caught aboard the passenger ship are currently being held in a prison in the capital. It is late, but you did good work.”
“Regarding that matter, did you not already know that the drug criminals would be aboard that passenger ship?”
It could have been dismissed as mere coincidence, but Han was naturally a suspicious man.
Ventman shrugged.
“It is true that we received an unverified tip, but the likelihood was extremely low. Well, I cannot say there was absolutely no intention behind giving you that passenger ship ticket.”
“I thought so.”
Only then did Han understand the situation.
Being aboard the same ship as the Heretical Mages had indeed not been a mere coincidence.
The fact that Ventman had not given him any information beforehand meant that the possibility truly had been extremely low, but Ventman had bought the ticket while leaving every possibility open.
‘......Come to think of it, the daughter of the Bradin Family was aboard that ship as well. Was that intentional too?’
Han studied Ventman's reaction.
His eyes were kind yet upright, and his gaze remained firm.
Ventman had received advanced training and spent years being hardened in the field, making it impossible for Han to see through his thoughts as easily as he could with ordinary people.
‘No, I'm probably overthinking it.’
Violet had hidden the fact that she was a mage not only from those around her but even from her own family.
It was difficult to find any connection between the Bradin Family and Ventman, and even if there had been some intention behind it, what reason could there possibly be to arrange for Han and Violet to meet?
“Ah, right. I almost forgot to give you this.”
Ventman took a wristwatch from his drawer.
It was the same type Han had previously worn.
“I saw your request for replacement equipment.”
“Thank you.”
“I do not know who you left the other one with, but I am glad you seem to have enjoyed the banquet hall.”
“......That is not what happened.”
“Haha. It was a joke. A joke.”
Ventman chuckled before changing his tone and bringing the meeting to a close.
“At any rate, Captain Han Augustus. I think highly of your abilities. I have no doubt that you will lead your team well and achieve remarkable results. As a proud soldier of the Republic, I expect you to help set this chaotic situation right.”
“Captain Han Augustus. I will carry out your order.”
Han saluted.
***
Han left Ventman's office.
As he fastened the newly issued watch around his wrist, Violet came to mind.
‘I wonder if she managed to finish her business safely. Things were so hectic when we returned.’
The day after the aurora appeared, Han arrived in District 10 and immediately booked passage on a ship bound for the capital.
He and Violet had parted without even being able to properly say goodbye.
There simply had not been time.
‘Then again, she's a bold woman. I'm sure she's fine.’
Had she said they might meet again if another coincidence came along?
Their lives were far too different, so they would probably never meet again.
But if they did happen to meet again.
That might be amusing in its own way.
SNAP—.
As Han walked down the corridor, Special Unit operatives in black uniforms saluted him.
Having finished organizing his thoughts, Han returned their salutes and continued on his way.
His destination was Conference Room 251.
It was the dedicated room assigned to Han's team.
Han skimmed through the profiles in his hand.
‘Their individual careers are excellent. They've gathered talented people from every field.’
The youngest State-Certified Mage.
One member of the Covert Mobile Unit.
Two prison guards who had survived Alkant Grand Prison.
‘Five in total, including me.’
Like the youngest State-Certified Mage, one of the prison guards from Alkant was also said to have graduated at the top of their class.
Han himself had entered the Special Unit at the top of his own cohort, which meant there were three top graduates on the team.
Of course, simply holding the title of top graduate did not automatically mean someone would perform well on missions, but it was also true that such people tended to be highly capable.
Anyone who saw Han's team profile would have high expectations.
And yet.
“Ah, the team leader is finally here. Excuse me, Team Leader. I don't want to be on this team, so please switch me to another team as soon as possible.”
Something feels ominous right from the start.