A great mage family rooted in the Eastern Continent, I was once a troubleshooter for the Deculan family.
Now, what is a troubleshooter?
To put it simply, a hunting dog.
Like a hunting dog that lives and dies by its master's command, a troubleshooter faithfully carries out the family's orders.
The tasks are truly varied. For example, infiltrating a rival family to uncover secrets and prevent threats to the Deculan family.
And if caught?
Then you have to run for your life.
Anyway, this is what a troubleshooter does, but in fact, there is no retirement for a troubleshooter.
Think about it. The things a troubleshooter does are all heinous acts that must not be discovered, and when discovered, you lose more than the success of the mission.
Who would let you retire alive?
‘I wouldn’t, if I were them.’
But, how did I become a ‘former’ troubleshooter?
I retired.
The job wasn't hard. No, rather, the job itself suited me.
Once, I was pursued by the Lortel, the Eastern Continent's premier swordsmanship family (名家). A whole knight squadron drew their swords to catch me.
It was really—
amazing.
‘It was really fun.’
Their faces were flushed red as they chased me, and it was fun to provoke them. I've been chased by most prestigious families, but Lortel's reaction was the most entertaining.
Those ignorant swordsmen.
There was so much to say about those ignorant swordsmen, but anyway.
The job itself was enjoyable.
It was fun.
But, why did I retire—
‘Well.’
There was no particular reason.
One day, I looked up at the sky and saw a wyvern flying. It was slicing through the clouds and circling the sky, looking so free.
Of course, the wyvern that ended up in my stomach after trying to eat me was a separate incident.
‘That guy...’
It was delicious.
Maybe because I was starving for a few days, it was a delicacy. Not that I would eat it again, though.
Anyway, I am having this grand retirement ceremony for this very reason.
“Now, only you are left.”
The ground was a mess.
A cold wind swept through the space.
Though the wind blew as it always did, the scent it carried was far from the same.
The pungent smell of blood.
A man stood where the Deculan mages who came to catch me lay.
“Number 1, you... you were hiding your true strength. That's not the kind of strength a mere troubleshooter should have.”
A Deculan bloodline member.
His name... I don't know. He was just known among the troubleshooters as the unlucky supervisor 1.
“I'll be the one asking the questions.”
I lightly punched his solar plexus, and he curled up as if he was about to die.
I then showed him a book.
“Is this a grimoire?”
“...”
“Answer.”
The bloodline member weakly nodded.
“Y... yes. Did you think we would gather like this just to catch someone like you?”
“Sure, if I knew, they would have come like a pack of dogs. Wouldn't they?”
The bloodline member didn't answer.
It seemed he agreed with himself, and I didn't bother to press further.
What was important now was not that.
“So, how do you use it?”
“I... don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
After a brief moment of rephrasing, I soon understood.
“Sure, if you knew, you wouldn’t have buried it in the back of a notebook like this.”
What kind of greed does Deculan have? Even a greedy goblin would be outdone.
And yet, to let a grimoire with known usage rot? That's absurd.
Perhaps, even if they didn't know, they intended to swallow the entire continent. If it were the Deculan I've observed, they would have aimed even higher.
‘Hmm, an unexpected gain, indeed.’
No, obtaining a grimoire is more than just a gain.
It's a grimoire. Depending on its use, it has the power to change the landscape of the continent and leave a name in history.
Isn't it said that the number of grimoires one possesses determines the superiority of a mage family?
But, whether this is a good thing for me, that's another story.
‘They’ll probably chase me to the ends of hell.’
Even if they don’t know how to use it, the Deculan won’t give up on a grimoire. As I said, their greed surpasses that of a greedy goblin.
Just as I thought this,
“Hand over the grimoire now. Then I will plead for leniency from the head of the family.”
The bloodline member's words made me burst into laughter.
“Do you have the power to do that?”
“...”
There was no answer.
Of course not.
No matter how much he is a bloodline member, he was just a supervisor who oversaw troubleshooters. At best, a loser pushed aside in a power struggle.
“So, any last words?”
“Bastard...”
“Finally, you’ve realized your true self. Admirable.”
Indeed, it seems people gain enlightenment when faced with death.
Anyway, I congratulated the bloodline member on his small achievement while gripping his neck. Enlightenment is enlightenment, and this is this.
Just as I was about to snap his neck—
At that moment.
“...!”
A chilling sensation.
My instincts warned me.
Danger.
Every hair on my body stood on end, and cold sweat poured from every pore. A low voice whispered in my ear.
“Not bad, you have a good sense.”
I slowly turned my head.
A middle-aged man.
He was calm and composed.
He walked as if he were taking a stroll through a field of corpses, with a relaxed smile. Only his appearance seemed peaceful.
With each step, the oppressive aura intensified, becoming quite terrifying.
“...”
To my knowledge, there is only one person in Deculan who can emit such an aura.
The head of the Deculan family (家主).
The leader of the Eastern Continent's premier mage family and... the strongest mage in history.
Only he.
“Pleased to meet you. My name is Pahern von Deculan. I am the uncle of the fool you are holding and the head of the Deculan family.”
The head introduced himself casually and extended his hand to me.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to take my nephew and the grimoire. We can talk afterward.”
* * *
As a troubleshooter for over a decade.
Despite spending half my life in the Deculan family, this was the first time I saw the head of the Deculan family.
I often imagined.
The head of the Eastern Continent's premier mage family, Deculan, and the strongest mage in history. What kind of person would he be?
But the impression was...
“Unlucky.”
“...?”
I put the grimoire into a subspace and spoke.
“I knew Deculan was a shameless thief, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad. To take away the spoils someone worked hard to obtain?”
Was this the first time he was treated like this?
The head let out a sigh and laughed.
I laughed along, but inside, I was not amused.
‘Damn wyvern.’
Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten the wyvern back then. I didn’t expect the head to come in person.
The head, as I saw him, was beyond my imagination. His aura was more terrifying and overwhelming than any mage I had ever seen.
No discernible weakness.
Just as I realized this, the head spoke.
“So, what do you want to do? Die at my hands? I admit, it would be easier for me...”
“There seems to be a catch. Let’s get to the point. You’re not the type to hesitate over catching a mere fool, are you?”
As I tightened my grip, the bloodline member groaned. The head looked at him with a disdainful expression.
“He’s a failure, but he’s still my nephew. Seeing him suffer like this is unsettling.”
No, he looked quite at ease. The head never once glanced at the bloodline member.
I showed no reaction. Because it was not worth reacting to. The head seemed to understand my feelings and shrugged.
“Fine. Let’s get to the point. I watched the entire battle.”
“From start to finish?”
“Does it matter?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
However, I thought:
If the head watched the entire battle from start to finish, the bastards in Deculan wouldn’t be limited to the one in my grip.
“Let’s move on. Anyway, it was quite impressive. I originally intended to kill you with my own hands, but after watching the battle, my mind changed.”
“...?”
Why was he rambling so much?
As I waited silently, an unexpected proposal came.
“Return to the shadow of Deculan. If you hand over the grimoire, I will overlook everything you’ve done.”
“Huh.”
I couldn’t help but gasp.
“Do you know how many Deculan members I’ve killed?”
“Of course. I watched the battle, didn’t I? I even counted them.”
“You counted them?”
It seemed like a joke to him, but it wasn’t funny. However, my vague suspicion turned into certainty.
The bastards in Deculan are not just one. There are two right here.
“What do you think? Will you accept the offer? Your talent is truly remarkable. I regret not discovering it sooner.”
“Hmm.”
I crossed my arms and thought for a moment.
The head waited silently, not wanting to interrupt my thoughts. My head nodded not long after.
“Alright.”
It was a low response.
However, a bright smile spread across the head’s face, genuinely pleased. I felt good seeing him happy.
Because the more he’s happy, the dirtier he’ll feel when his expectations are shattered.
“But, there’s a condition.”
“What is it?”
“Give me the head’s position, and I’ll think about it.”
“...”
His mouth tightened, and his eyebrows twitched. Emotion clouded the head’s always composed face.
I secretly rejoiced at the sight. Then, I remembered something I had forgotten.
“By the way.”
“...?”
“Didn’t you say you counted them?”
The head looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I tightened my grip.
Crack.
A low snapping sound.
The neck of the bloodline member in my grip broke, and I said calmly.
“Then, how many now?”
Is he really counting? The head was silent.
Regardless, I added the limp body of the bloodline member to the pile of Deculan mages. The head spoke around that time.
“Strange.”
“Strange?”
“Why are you deliberately going against my wishes? You should know. You are not my match.”
His tone suggested genuine confusion. I burst into laughter.
“You won’t know until you try, right?”
“You can know without trying. The gap between us is clear.”
True words.
Painfully true words.
Crack.
I leaped forward and punched the head of the Deculan family in the face.
However, he was indeed the head of the Deculan.
He blocked my punch before I could react. He had already cast a barrier in that short moment.
Crackle.
My magic-infused fist and the head’s barrier clashed, and our eyes met.
“Are you really going to do this? You might die.”
“I’m tired of eating dog food.”
“Fine, then I’ll show you the gap. See for yourself.”
A terrifying aura emanated from the head. He was genuinely preparing for battle.
Amidst this, I spoke.
“What if I bow now? What if I return to the shadow of Deculan?”