Sitting in the open space, Debei looked around with a bewildered expression.
"Hmm..."
It was quite different from what he had imagined.
Leaking the Academy's test papers was a highly confidential and important task.
Naturally, he had imagined a secret and dimly lit place for such a conspiracy, but when he arrived, it was just an ordinary teahouse.
He checked the location on the note several times, thinking he might have come to the wrong place, but...
It was correct.
Most importantly,
- What would you like to order?
- D, Dragon Horn Tea, please, served hot.
- Yes, please wait a moment.
The waiter, upon hearing the absurd code phrase from the note, headed to the kitchen without a word.
Seeing this, Debei was certain this was the place Evelyn had told him about.
"You seem quite surprised."
"Ah, um..."
Debei saw a middle-aged man sitting opposite him and let out a slight sigh.
Given the circumstances, it was clear this man had come out after hearing the code phrase, but Debei was still unsure.
Perhaps sensing his hesitation,
"You don't need to be so nervous. I am the master of this teahouse."
"Ah, I see."
Debei nodded slightly, his expression still tense.
At that moment, the waiter approached and placed a teacup on the table.
Ordinary black tea.
The master sipped the black tea, savoring its aroma, and then spoke.
"Many people are surprised. When they think of the Black Market, they usually imagine a secretive and hidden place. But as you can see..."
Debei followed the master's gaze.
The door was wide open.
The citizens of Hagen, passing by on the street, were as lively as the bright weather.
The flowers in the opposite flower shop were fresh, and the shop owner, who came out to arrange them, waved at the master.
The master returned the wave with a smile.
"Who would have thought this place is the Black Market?"
"Hmm."
Indeed, it was.
By not hiding, it became even more secretive.
'The Black Market... I've only heard about it, but it's this level.'
They say it exists everywhere and nowhere.
At that moment, he could relate.
However, one question remained...
'Now, there are no customers, but what do they do when there are customers?'
Debei swallowed his small doubt and sipped the black tea, soon realizing it was a pointless worry.
"Ugh."
How could anyone brew black tea so poorly?
It was like waste in the form of tea.
How the master could enjoy such tea was beyond him.
Anyway,
That was as far as his thoughts went.
"By the way, how did you find us, young customer?"
Debei gathered his thoughts at the sound of the master's voice.
'How did I find you...'
His purpose was to carry out Evelyn's orders.
And though he only guessed, this master likely knew the truth.
'I thought I'd only meet some underling... but to be introduced to the Black Market...'
This was unexpected, but the task remained the same.
"I came to obtain the test papers for the first-year basic class of the Academy."
"...Hmm, the Academy's test papers. There is someone who has expressed an intention to sell. Which department are you interested in?"
Debei, who hadn't thought about the department, spoke without hesitation.
"Which department is the person who expressed the intention to sell from?"
"From the Magic Department..."
"Then, I'll take the Magic Department."
The master nodded at the smooth conversation.
'The conversation is going quickly, which is good.'
The plan to leak the Academy's test papers had been meticulously planned for months.
It started when Evelyn's admission to the Academy was decided.
He had done enough preparatory work to ensure there would be no problems.
However, there was some concern when he was suddenly sent as a front man.
No matter how clever an Academy student might be, they were still just a child.
But Debei seemed quite bold.
'From the way he talks, he seems to have a good grasp of the situation and understands his role.'
If this went well, he could be a useful front man for various tasks.
'So, let's see...'
"Hmm, let's see."
The master pretended to flip through a notebook and then asked Debei cautiously.
"By the way, I'm scheduled to meet the seller next weekend. Would you like to come along?"
"Come along...?"
Debei tilted his head at the question.
In the Black Market, it was enough to just take the goods and get a cut, so why the need for a meeting?
It was an unusual move.
However,
'Hmm.'
Debei soon understood the intention.
'They want to imprint my face completely.'
By exposing Debei to the seller, they intended to solidify his role in this operation.
"Of course, if it's too much trouble, we can forget about it..."
"No, I'll go."
"Hmm, are you sure?"
"Yes, checking the seller and the quality of the goods is a basic duty of a merchant, isn't it?"
It was a tight noose, but...
'There's no place to retreat anyway.'
The master smiled.
"Alright. I'll tell you the place and time. Listen here and don't record it anywhere."
"Yes, I understand."
"Location is..."
Debei listened intently as the master recited the location, imprinting it in his mind.
The absurd play of two actors without an audience came to an end.
Or rather, there was an audience.
A head peeked out from a window on the side of the teahouse, leading to a deserted alley.
Aster, who had watched the entire scene, peeked his head out and smiled.
'What a mess...'
He fell over.
He followed 310 gold and ended up witnessing an unexpected scene.
But, what was it?
'How dare they steal test papers?'
Who would have thought of such a thing?
But, I am a righteous troubleshooter. I cannot tolerate cheating in a sacred exam.
It's not that Damian is clever enough to cheat, but because I uphold justice.
This cannot be overlooked.
Most importantly,
'There are too many suspicious points.'
Academy test papers don't just roll around like stones on the street.
A seller conveniently appears, and a buyer just happens to show up at the same time?
Most importantly...
'No one mentioned the price.'
It was certainly not a normal situation.
However,
The thinking stopped there.
'I'll check it out myself.'
Aster's eyes alternated between 310 gold and the Black Market dealer.
'First...'
310 gold, looking somewhat relieved, left the teahouse. The Black Market dealer, acting like an ordinary teahouse owner, tidied up the table.
Which one should he tackle first?
The decision was quick.
'The rich one first.'
The Black Market dealer was just doing his job, but there was no choice.
Justice moves with capital, and the Black Market dealer had more capital than 310 gold.
"...Let's see. I'm sure I put it somewhere here."
Aster searched through Kalarhen's subspace.
There was a perfect outfit for this situation.
An outfit that could hide his identity and bring a Black Market dealer back to his senses!
'I found it.'
Aster took out a robe and put it on.
A pitch-black robe with the Deculan emblem prominently displayed.
It was broad daylight, but the area was deserted, and he had hidden his presence, so no one saw him.
'It looks good.'
Aster nodded in satisfaction.
But if anyone had seen him, they would have said otherwise.
He had to fold the sleeves a couple of times to manage the length, but the robe was so long it dragged on the ground.
Still, Aster walked into the teahouse.
* * *
After Debei left, the master returned to his role as an ordinary teahouse owner, manning the counter.
There were no customers, of course.
He had deliberately served subpar tea, so no one in the area visited the teahouse.
'Boring. Once this is over, I need to leave Hagen.'
He had been in Hagen for a year.
To be honest, Hagen wasn't a great place for a Black Market dealer.
He was only here because he was a VIP in the Black Market syndicate and at Evelyn's recommendation.
In a way, it could be called Evelyn's exclusive Black Market.
But, VIP treatment has its limits.
'Now that I've stolen the Academy's test papers, staying in Hagen is too risky. Where should I go next?'
Of course, he had been careful not to get caught.
He had been grooming a poor assistant professor at the Academy for a year, and after this operation, the professor would leave with a substantial sum of money.
But, danger can come suddenly.
The master also planned to leave Hagen.
'I've done enough here.'
The syndicate would likely accept it without question and send another Black Market dealer.
He spent a lazy afternoon.
"Are you not serving customers?"
"......?!"
The master turned his head in surprise.
The empty teahouse.
A man was sitting at the farthest table.
Or was it a man? He couldn't tell. The man was completely covered in a robe, and his voice, altered by a spell, was hard to understand.
'When...?'
He prided himself on being a skilled ether user.
To not notice someone's presence was unusual.
But, his surprise was short-lived.
The master regained his composure.
"I'm sorry, I must have dozed off. What would you like to drink?"
A seasoned Black Market dealer's response.
But, his composure didn't last long.
When he approached to hand over the menu, he saw the emblem on the robe's chest.
'De, Deculan...!'
Not just any magic guild.
A luminous red gem embroidered below the Deculan emblem.
This was the emblem of the Ruby, one of Deculan's elite magic guilds!
'Ho, how...?'
The master's mind raced.
Now that he thought about it, the Ruby's deputy leader had been killed after attacking an Academy professor a while ago.
Officially, it was a mistake by the deputy leader, but...
His thoughts were interrupted by the mage's low voice.
"The sound of your thinking is quite loud."
"T, that's..."
"Let's stop the poor acting. Dragon Horn Tea, or whatever, is a ridiculous code phrase."
"..."
The master instinctively knew the mage knew his true identity.
So, he lowered his gaze.
'Oh, I've been caught.'
Black Market dealers, despite their greed, knew some people were not to be messed with.
One of them was Deculan's mages.
Their reputation was more widely known in the underworld than the surface.
While the Black Market would take on any job for money, Deculan was an exception.
"W, what do you want to know...?"
The master asked politely.
"I'm looking for something. A subspace pouch."
"A subspace pouch...?"
He remembered something.
'Could they still be looking for it?'
After the news of Kalarhen's death spread,
Mysterious people had once stirred up the Black Market in Hagen.
The rumor at the time was:
- Kalarhen's subspace pouch disappeared. It couldn't even be found from Professor Falun.
- They are stirring up Hagen to find it.
He thought they had moved on to another place.
The master, sweating, bowed.
"We have never seen such an item."
"Hmm, is that so. But, what did you talk about with that boy earlier? It seemed quite suspicious."
"T, that was..."
The master was flustered.
Revealing customer information was one of the things a Black Market dealer should never do.
Especially since this involved the VIP, Evelyn.
"You seem to be hiding something. Tell me the truth."
The Black Market dealer's mind became complicated.
'What should I do?'
He was trying to find a way out.
But then,
Zzzz...
The teahouse was filled with a terrifying aura.
"Your thinking is too loud."
The master, who had seen everything in the underworld, had never experienced such an aura.
'This... is not an ordinary mage.'
The Ruby might be elite, but a mage who could emit such an aura was certainly not ordinary.
The Black Market dealer gave up everything.
"T, I'll tell you everything about that boy. It's not related to Deculan."
"Let me hear it and decide. There should be nothing hidden. If there's any doubt... "
Whoosh.
A part of the table cleanly turned to ash.
Just the size of a palm.
Remarkable mana control.
"A, I understand. This is what happened..."
The master stammered, trying to speak.
"Tell me on the way to the warehouse."
"Excuse me? Why?"
"To check the warehouse yourself. Tell me on the way."
The master looked at the mage with teary eyes.
"Why? Do you have something to hide?"
"T, that's not it, but..."
The mage smiled at his expression.
"If you are innocent, nothing will happen. I swear on Deculan's name. What you tell me will be kept secret if it's not related to Deculan."
"R, really?"
"Yes."
The master's face brightened.
A Deculan mage had sworn on their name.
This was a declaration with more weight than any promise.
"T, then I'll show you. Hey, open the basement."
"Y, yes."
A voice came from inside the kitchen.
"This is what happened..."
The master led the mage more comfortably.
There was nothing to hide, so his steps were light.
He felt a bit guilty about revealing information about Evelyn, but the mage had sworn on Deculan's name.
Even if it was hard to believe...
'If I don't answer, I'll die.'
There was no choice.
...And a few hours later.
The master sat at a table, muttering.
"Damn, damn. Damn it all."
He had sworn on his name that nothing would happen?
The VIP-related request was just a "Hmm, that's interesting" and passed over, and the warehouse was checked, and he nodded, saying there was nothing suspicious.
But,
- I don't see any problems, but... the family needs to check.
- ...What?
- Prepare two subspace pouches. Bring the suspicious items.
The master was not stupid.
He knew what this meant.
So, he tried to stall, but the mage insisted.
- I swear on Deculan's name. If there's no problem, I'll return them safely.
- T, that's a bit...
- Hmm, are you saying the great Deculan is the son of a...? A piece of trash, worse than a goblin? Is that what you think?
He had never said such things.
But, if he refused here, it would be as if he had.
So, the mage took two subspace pouches, filled with the wealth the Black Market dealer had accumulated over a lifetime and the hard-to-find items.
If he had known, he would have brought only what was necessary when he came to Hagen. But, he had brought everything!
"Damn. Damn. Hey! Go sprinkle salt outside!"
The Black Market dealer's angry shout echoed in the teahouse.
Soon, a pile of coarse salt was heaped in front of the teahouse.