Hook watched Terlo practicing in the training ground.
From the first time he saw Terlo at the tavern the previous day, one thing after another had left him impressed.
What surprised Hook most of all was the speed at which Terlo cast black magic.
Even now, his casting speed was unfailingly fast.
But separate from that speed, he learned slowly.
Compared to an ordinary black mage, he was not slow at all, but Hook had naturally formed certain expectations.
Terlo failed to meet them.
And what was strange was….
‘Tch. How can he be that bad at changing shapes?’
Hook had clearly taught him an offensive black magic spell that created and fired sharp spikes.
Yet instead of being sharp, they were blunt and looked just like cylinders.
His innate compression was so powerful that he could not form the proper shape at all.
And yet those cylinders still fulfilled their function admirably.
Hook’s eyes widened at the bizarre phenomenon.
‘He’s endlessly fascinating.’
Terlo’s rapid casting speed and powerful compression were unquestionably innate talents.
On top of that, had his eyes not opened to the ability to identify his opponent’s weaknesses and moves?
‘With that much talent, you’d expect him to excel in other areas too….’
Perhaps blood truly could not be denied.
It seemed even Terlo could not escape being born a Krauber.
The family was so insignificant that even someone naturally gifted could only go so far.
Still, what he had been born with was undeniably valuable.
Casting speed that fast and compression that strong were not things one could obtain easily.
Terlo had possessed from the beginning what others might struggle their entire lives without achieving.
With proper instruction, he would eventually grow strong enough to chew up and swallow most opponents.
‘But I can’t let that happen.’
Hook had accepted Terlo purely because he needed him.
A large organization had freely entered the kingdom, caused incident after incident, and threatened Hook’s position.
To remove that organization safely, he needed even one more person with decent ability.
Once Hook achieved his goal, that would be enough.
‘Why would I do anything that benefits that insufferable bastard?’
Hook gave a crooked smile as he thought of Doristen Krauber.
A pathetic little baron with nothing but money.
Baron Krauber had always talked far too much.
He constantly overstepped his bounds with Hook, who was practically the kingdom’s true power.
That was why Hook had consistently rejected the Baron’s repeated requests for a meeting.
Yet the man had continued clinging to him.
He spouted nonsense about understanding Hook’s circumstances.
Sick of dealing with him, Hook had eventually replied that if he insisted so much, he could come in person.
‘And to think his reason was to entrust me with his son. Tch.’
But in the end, it worked out well.
Terlo, whom Hook had already taken notice of, turned out to be Baron Krauber’s son.
Now that the other side had agreed as well, Hook could teach him just enough, use him, and throw him away.
With Terlo’s current level, progressing without Hook would be impossible anyway.
In the end, Terlo’s growth would stop after receiving only an incomplete education.
Of course, Hook had told the Baron that he would continue taking responsibility for Terlo even after the organization was eliminated.
‘He must believe me completely.’
The corners of Hook’s mouth twisted upward in a vile sneer.
He had poured his heart into the lie, so the Baron would never suspect him.
There had not been the slightest trace of doubt on Baron Krauber’s face as he smiled and thanked him.
Feeling a surge of superiority, Hook looked at Terlo as he practiced.
‘That’s right. Keep working hard.’
The harder Terlo trained, the sooner Hook’s plan to strike the organization could be carried out.
‘And after that….’
All that would remain was to discard him without mercy….
Still, I shall grant you a reward for your efforts.
***
A considerable amount of time had passed since Terlo began receiving instruction from Hook.
To be precise, he had spent twice as much time pretending to learn slowly as he had actually spent learning….
Even so, Terlo felt he had learned quite a lot.
Unlike Terlo, who had undergone such changes, nothing noteworthy had changed around him.
Disturbances continued in Hook’s tavern district, and the incidents throughout the kingdom showed no sign of decreasing.
Then one day, Hook summoned Terlo to his office.
“You even called me all the way to your office. What is it?”
“Thank you for coming at my request. Things have been rather chaotic on my end lately.”
For once, Hook opened with pleasantries.
Normally, he went straight to the point without warning.
Because of that, Terlo immediately realized Hook had something he wanted to say.
“Do you remember the large man you subdued on the day we first met?”
“…Ah, the one causing trouble in the tavern. Yes, I remember.”
“I do not know whether Baron Krauber told you, but that man belongs to an organization. It has caused a great many problems throughout the kingdom.”
“Yes. I heard. I was told you were planning to take that organization down….”
Hook’s deeply sunken eyes lifted in surprise, and then he smiled.
“In that case, we can discuss this more quickly than I expected. As I investigated the organization further, I came to believe that they are not merely causing incidents. They are undoubtedly doing something more behind the scenes.”
“Something more?”
“Yes. They appear to be preparing some kind of undertaking. It even looks as though they may be trying to introduce a new business. If that is the case, would it not be wise to find out what it is? Rather than reject it unconditionally, I believe we must first determine whether it will benefit the kingdom.”
He kept invoking the kingdom and speaking of a new business, but Hook’s true motives were obvious.
How much had he already lost because of that organization?
After everything he had suffered, merely removing them would never satisfy him.
‘If there’s anything profitable, he intends to take it.’
That desire itself was only natural.
But he was disguising the profit he wanted for himself as something that would benefit the kingdom….
‘He’s unbelievably devious.’
In truth, Terlo knew nothing about the organization either.
He did not know what they were doing or what they intended to scheme in the future.
In this situation, Hook’s word was the only thing he could rely on.
Other than the disturbances in the tavern district, there was no visible evidence.
Terlo would have to confirm for himself whether the damage truly threatened the kingdom rather than Hook alone.
‘And if everything he said is true….’
One organization came to mind.
The black-robed organization ‘More,’ which had been captured later in his previous life.
It was an organization of black mages who wore distinctive black robes and had become infamous for carrying out all manner of vicious deeds.
Absurdly enough, they had been caught while stealing something….
But because not all of them were captured, rumors warning people to beware of black robes continued for a long time afterward.
‘I heard it so many times my ears nearly callused over.’
The black-robed incident had thrown the Doiten Kingdom into turmoil for quite some time.
What if Terlo resolved that incident himself?
His contribution would be recognized as a major achievement.
Even if this was earlier than in his previous life, every deed they had committed would eventually be exposed anyway.
‘I want to confirm whether that organization really is ‘More.’’
If it was, his enthusiasm for this task would surge.
The mere thought of what he could demand once his achievement was recognized after resolving the matter was enough to put him in a good mood.
But to confirm it, he would have to approach them.
And to approach them, he needed to know their location.
‘Hook must know where they are.’
When Hook asked whether they should find out what the organization was doing, he must also have prepared a way to investigate.
Terlo’s gaze settled on Hook, who quietly waited for his answer.
“We need to determine whether it will benefit the kingdom…. Now that I think it over, you have a point. So how do you plan to investigate?”
“As expected of a genius, Young Master. You understand quickly. The method is… infiltration. Naturally, Ina and I will accompany you, and I have also devised a safe approach. I recently discovered one of their buildings….”
Hook began explaining.
Just as Terlo had expected, he readily laid out both the location and the method.
For something he called safe, it still involved danger.
But what infiltration in the world was truly safe?
If they were willing to accept the risk, it was indeed the best method.
Assuming there were no unexpected variables.
‘But there are always variables.’
As Terlo listened with that thought in mind, Hook’s explanation soon drew to a close.
“For that reason, the sooner we infiltrate, the better. They could disappear without warning one day, could they not? And so….”
Hook paused and adopted a solemn expression.
Then, in a voice just as grave as his face, he continued,
“How does midnight tonight sound?”
***
A little after midnight, in a dark alley,
Terlo, Hook, and Ina stood staring at the same place.
“That’s the building?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“Boss Hook, don’t worry. Even without a key, I’ll pick every lock in there.”
Ina held a thin wire in one hand and displayed her determination.
Terlo clicked his tongue at the sight, then turned toward the building and reviewed the plan.
‘First, we need to reach the building safely.’
To prepare for unforeseen circumstances, Hook had decided to use illusion black magic.
It would prevent anyone from seeing Terlo and Ina enter the building.
Once they reached it safely, their destination would be the basement.
Hook said that four members of the organization were guarding a prison there.
The plan for tonight was to put them to sleep with Ina’s poison magic and discover who was being held in the prison.
They also had to avoid leaving any evidence of the infiltration during the process.
In particular, they could not leave traces of Ina behind.
Black magic mixed with poison was so distinctive that it could be traced almost immediately.
‘Right. It sounds simple when you say it.’
But what if another member of the organization visited the building in the middle of the operation?
What if the four members guarding the prison did not possess the keys needed to open it?
What if the members were put to sleep by Ina’s poison magic woke sooner than expected?
Terlo could already think of three possible variables.
‘Then we’ll have no choice but to attack.’
And leaving no traces behind would become impossible.
All they could do was hope fortune favored them.
Variables were not something one could prevent merely by wishing to.
Just then, Hook cast illusion black magic and said,
“It seems best to leave now.”
A thin veil appeared before the row of buildings.
The veil concealed Terlo and Ina without leaving the slightest gap.
“Then take care. I will keep watch and wait here for you to come back out.”
Terlo and Ina began moving after answering him.
They were clearly walking toward their target building, but thanks to Hook’s illusion black magic, only the buildings were visible.
Once the two reached it safely and turned around, Hook nodded and withdrew the illusion veil.
From that point onward, it was a race against time.
Their objective was to complete the plan and escape as quickly as possible.
Terlo and Ina silenced their footsteps as they descended the stairs.
Then they heard voices chatting without the slightest wariness.
“I’m starting.”
Ina whispered and released poison into the air.
It was a kind of sleep magic that caused those affected by the poison to lose consciousness instantly.
It seemed useful, but she had said its effects did not last as long as one might expect.
A short while later,
The noisy interior fell silent.
Peeking inside, they saw four people seated in chairs with their heads drooping.
Every one of them wore a black robe.
‘…Black robes!’
The black-robed organization ‘More’ could be identified solely by the wrists.
Terlo had to check for the dark gray bands wrapped around the wrists of their robes.
He approached the sleeping men.
Then he examined their sleeves.
‘…They’re there!’
Seen up close, the gray bands were unmistakable.
That confirmed that the organization Hook had been pursuing was ‘More.’
As Terlo rejoiced,
CLANK.
CREEEEAK.
Ina was opening the iron-barred gate with a key in her hand.
But an astonishing number of rooms stretched beyond the bars.
There appeared to be nearly a hundred rooms in total across both sides.
And in the center stood a gleaming stone statue.
‘Why are there so many rooms?’
The scale was far greater than expected, lending even more credibility to Hook’s claim that they were planning something.
While Terlo was still surprised by it, Ina approached and opened her hand.
“This is the only key.”
“What? That’s the only one?”
“Yeah. Search them yourself if you don’t believe me. But before that, the doors to those rooms aren’t locked.”