[429] A Chance for Revenge (1)
Cage B Team arrived on the mainland.
With twenty-one mages taking up the road, people automatically made way.
Outside the unspoken rules between communities there were no laws here, so those who lived on the mainland had noses for strength honed to an almost evolutionary level.
That didn't mean Cage B Team was putting on airs.
They were a party of ranks four to six, but as the kingdom's top talent most of them were young. Of the twenty-one, only team leader Rose, vice leader Horkin, and communications mage Weigan had experienced Heaven.
"Ow, ow."
A petite woman with a bob and her bangs tied up above her forehead kept scratching herself.
Official rank-4 fire mage Aroella of Flame.
She wielded flames reaching 3,200°C. Hot-tempered and prickly, she also had the odd record of having had her entire fortune taken three times by three different men she'd dated.
"Why is it so itchy? Is the air bad here?"
Unable to bear it, she shoved a hand under her clothes and scratched the spot.
Summoner Marloy frowned. "You've been doing that for a while. Why do you keep fiddling with your chest? Going full self-sufficiency now?"
"No… my armpits have been itchy since we came here. Bim, did some weird bug bite me?"
Insect mage Bim's answer was succinct.
"Because you don't shave."
"Ha! That's ridiculous! I don't have fur or anything!"
Cage B Team's terminator Tarban said, "That's even odder."
"Shut up! I'm in the worst mood right now, so don't touch me! I'll burn you to ash!"
Tarban ignored Aroella and looked to Rose.
"What do we do now? Do we go find where Gaold is? Or leave it to Jonah in the city center?"
Vice leader Horkin shook his head. "Arthur. Even a Cage-grade team shouldn't take the mainland lightly. If we needlessly open a Spirit Zone and some weirdos latch on, the mission gets hard."
Carnivore addict Benifis said, "Old man, isn't it time you retired? This is the kingdom's top elite that even captures demons. We don't need to be cautious."
"A Cage-grade party can catch demons. But here, demons travel in Cage-grade groups."
A short silence followed.
Rose said, "Heaven is dangerous. And our target is Micaea Gaold, the kingdom's finest battle mage."
Incantation mage Mami screwed up her face—irregular features, prominent cheekbones, a hysterical air. "So what? No matter how good Gaold is, he can't catch a demon alone. We aren't weaker in combat."
Horkin said, "Demons and humans are different. Demons can be tackled by logic, but humans have too many variables. And—"
Horkin's face went cold as he turned toward Mami.
"Gaold could handle them on his own."
Mami swallowed.
Rose said, "The best outcome is eliminating Gaold without a single teammate lost. But it wouldn't be surprising if someone died. This isn't some rank-one number game. Gaold is special."
Only then did the team's expressions show grim resolve.
In all the years they'd worked together, it was the first time their leader had put the target above the team.
Tarban, however, showed no sign of tension. He was the team's most destructive mage; there was no way he'd be cowed before a fight.
"If Spirit Zones are out, we'll have to do it on foot."
Tarban abruptly turned and headed for an alley.
No one was unaware they'd been tailed since arriving here, so the team followed without complaint.
As they entered the alley, armed men appeared.
They were as numerous as Cage B Team, and their eyes flashed with murderous intent.
"What are you lot?"
Mind mage White opened a mental channel and translated Tarban's words, but the thugs showed no surprise.
Their leader unsheathed a keen blade as if it were expected and stepped toward Tarban.
"You don't know who we are? I could tell from the way you looked around like a country bumpkin. Thought you'd be safe in numbers, did you?"
On the mainland, where countless lifestyles and creatures mixed, information was as important as force.
If you were new to the mainland, whoever claimed you first was the owner—you were prime prey.
"That's why I'm asking. Who are you?"
"Heh heh. Since you asked, here's some tips. First: if someone on the mainland calls, you run and kneel. Second: hand over everything. Third: leave the women and run with everything you've got. Now, do it."
Tarban glanced back at his teammates.
No one looked willing to step forward, so he sighed and approached the thug.
"Hah, same everywhere…"
Five minutes later.
Twenty thugs lay sprawled in the alley, their faces broken.
They hadn't even been worth using Tarban's specialty, the Kaiser Blast.
"Ugh! Please, p-please spare me…!"
Tarban grabbed the leader by the collar and lifted him.
"Let's ask one thing first."
"Y-yes! If it's something I know—no, even if I don't know, I'll find out!"
It was laughable. Compared to bandits from the original world, at least their posture switching was quicker.
Communications mage Weigan opened a magical vision with a bright smile and projected Gaold's face.
When Gaold's face appeared, the leader's color drained completely.
"Have you seen this person?"
"Ah, um, well…"
From the leader's reaction Cage B Team realized—he had seen Gaold.
Mind mage White stepped closer. "Lucky break, Tarban."
"Tch, I already figured this would happen."
Tarban's words were probably false, but in hindsight the result was natural.
At the bottom of the mainland food chain, predators preyed on novices. If you couldn't even gauge an opponent's strength, someone would have tailed Gaold.
"Hey, you. Tell us everything you know."
White's words were met by a rapid mental calculation from the leader through the channel.
'Value of the information you have. Weighing life against the price.'
"I-I don't know anything. But—"
White didn't wait to hear more and turned back to the team.
"Done. Let's talk."
Tarban grinned and raised his fist. Realizing things had gone wrong, the leader screamed in despair.
"W-wait! I did see him! I saw him!"
"We know."
The leader's face was smashed into the wall.
Tarban released his grip and looked to Horkin. "Pathetic. For a place where demons move in Cage-grade packs, this is too weak."
Just then, a group appeared at the end of the alley.
Tarban turned at the presence; his gaze, unlike before, calmed.
What were those people?
Etella had been walking while checking the hunting list Frankwine had given her and looked up at the strange feeling.
Twenty-one people occupied the alley.
Kuan instinctively laid a hand on his sword hilt. From the aura alone, each was a master of their specialty.
Tension shot up as if it would explode, dozens of eyes rapidly scanning one another.
Tarban had to eat his earlier words.
He'd assumed this was a place of ordinary people, but the mainland could throw such inhuman types into an alley.
Horkin stroked his beard with an interested smile. 'Hmm, what to do?'
For those trying to leave, this alley was a dead end.
If it weren't a fight they'd back away and open a path, but none of Cage B Team intended such a ridiculous thing.
Realizing no one would step aside, Kuan moved forward slowly.
A one-legged man.
Twenty-one eyes simultaneously examined Kuan's leg and then moved up.
"You seriously plan to do this alone? Are you crazy?"
If there wasn't going to be any hugging or kissing, there was no reason to approach in a blocked alley.
"Seriously. If you want to leave, you go back."
Tarban radiated hostility to block the approach, and like a chemical reaction Kuan's temperament instantly amplified.
"Whoa…"
Someone on the team breathed.
Tarban's mouth twitched. The killing intent was exquisite.
There's no such thing as friendly killing intent, but to project it without hesitation meant the man had already steeled himself.
Yeah—this was someone who meant business.
Kuan limped forward with an even stride, eyes unblinking on Tarban.
One more step.
Then it would have to be cut.
Time came in an instant; Kuan's foot crossed the line. At the same moment, after a brief pause, Horkin spoke.
"Don't do that—"
As Kuan's sword drew a streak of afterimages, Tarban's body became a flash and he was shoved aside.
"Puh!"
A swordsman's physical reaction speed is faster than a mage's. If Horkin hadn't cut the moment so precisely, the outcome might have been very different—that single, lightning-fast strike.
Did I dodge? No, was I cut?
A freezing sting ran across the bridge of his nose.
It might have been wind pressure, it might have been an actual cut. Either way, reaching out to check would bruise his pride.
"Uh? Are you perhaps people from the continent?"
Etella pointed at Horkin with a surprised expression.
Hearing a familiar language, Cage B Team's hostility eased a little.
That didn't mean they would step aside or turn back.
But everyone in the alley sensed that using this petty commonality was the best way to end things well.
Smooth-talking Horkin stepped forward.
"Oh my, I didn't realize you were from the same region and raised my hackles. Nice to meet you. Are you on a mission too?"
Etella shook Horkin's hand with a polite smile. "Yes. We almost fought our own side by mistake."
Heh—our side?
Horkin's lip twitched.
They weren't so clueless as to fail to think of Cage when they saw twenty-one mages together.
Are they from the Red Line?
Weigan slid into the conciliatory mood, layered with his own calculations. "Who were you looking for? Have you seen someone like this?"
He opened a magic vision with Gaold's face. Etella's eyes widened.
"Oh? Isn't that Micaea Gaold?"
Shiina added, "I thought he was the former president of the Tormia Magic Association. Why look for him on the mainland?"
Hmm—so that's it…
Horkin blinked and fell into thought.
Strictly speaking, Gaold was the former president of the Tormia Magic Association.
Do they really not know him? They don't seem like mainland veterans. Then again, it's been less than a month.
Tarban grunted, "It's nothing. Just something related to our mission."
Given the place they'd met, the chance of a secret mission was high, so no one pressed.
"All right."
Etella bowed politely and closed off her interest—now asking them to make way.
The younger members of Cage B Team bristled, but Rose's cold voice restored order.
"Make way."
Cage B Team stepped aside left and right, and Armin's group slipped through.
Most avoided direct eye contact, but Aroella of Flame glared at Shiina until the last moment.
That woman is definitely a freezer. I'm sure of it.
Aroella's personal theory was that feeling inexplicably irritated meant the elemental opposite was nearby—and oddly, she was often right.
Once Armin's group vanished from sight, Rose turned to White. "Well?"
"What do you mean, 'well'? Of course it's a failure. They're all blocking thought—nothing can be read. And we couldn't press aggressively either."
Rose, undeterred, moved on. "And the man?"
White looked back at the thug leader. "He did tail Gaold. But Gaold didn't respond and left the mainland immediately. There were two with him—one young man and an unknown woman."
"Unknown woman? Hmm."
Zul was the world's greatest summoner, but he was a foreign mage and so reclusive few knew his face.
"But that's odd. If they left the mainland right away, why would they stop here at all?"
"According to that guy's memory, they didn't enter any building or rest. They came and left within an hour."
"I see. Finding that reason is likely the fastest path to Gaold. We'll retrace their route from here."
As Rose stepped out of the alley, the remaining members followed in a bustle.
Horkin suddenly stopped and looked back down the path.
"Old man, what's wrong?"
"The woman who shook my hand. I definitely know her face from somewhere, but I can't place it. Didn't seem to be from the magic community."
Tarban didn't care. "With that level of skill, she's probably been seen somewhere before. Anyway, let's hurry. I'm starving."
Horkin's gaze lingered long on the path where Etella's group had disappeared.