Seeing Yuliana leave the lodging and enter a building a short distance away, Damon
grew puzzled.
“Where is she going?”
“You’ll know when you come.”
Yuliana curtly dismissed the question and strode without hesitation into the building. It was built of brick
and looked extremely sturdy. Damon followed behind her without any suspicion.
But it was immediately after he entered the building that he sensed something was strange.
‘This is…?’
A certain gleam appeared in Damon’s eyes. He had perceived that the building he had entered had not been
constructed for any ordinary purpose. The walls were thick, the windows were narrow, and on top of that,
heavy iron bars had been set across them; this was most certainly no ordinary mansion. It had to be a building
constructed in secret for use by a thieves’ guild or a national intelligence agency.
‘Interesting.’
Damon smiled faintly. Considering that Yuliana had gone so far as to speak to him in order to bring him
here, there seemed to be some story behind it. Was she not someone who usually hated even meeting his
eyes? It seemed likely that a trap had been laid. But Damon was not the sort to avoid something simply
because there was danger. True to his usual temperament, Damon decided to face it head-on for now.
“Come this way.”
“Very well.”
Guided by Yuliana, Damon went deeper and deeper into the building.
‘I see. So this was the objective. To capture me…’
In front of the room Yuliana led him to, Damon gave a bitter smile. From the presence of the magic circle
he could feel within the room, he guessed Yuliana’s intentions. Though it had been hidden with concealment
magic, it could not deceive the senses of a Ninth Circle mage. There was undoubtedly a magic circle drawn
inside the room, and in all likelihood it was one that interfered with the gathering of mana.
When it became clear that Yuliana had spoken to him in order to lure him here, Damon felt a bitter emotion.
Of course, it was not as if he had any interest in her, but still, it did not feel pleasant. Yuliana, who had
entered the room, beckoned to Damon.
“What are you doing, not coming in?”
At the doorway, Damon was momentarily caught in conflict. He was debating whether to turn around as he
was, or to let himself fall for her scheme. Of course, a magic circle of this level could not bind Damon.
It had been made fairly well, but this much would only be effective against a mage of the Seventh Circle
or below at best.
Magic was something that could be cast with less mana if the number of rearrangements increased. Even
while standing atop a magic circle that scattered mana, a mage of Damon’s level could cast magic well
enough. Trusting in that, Damon decided to obediently go along with the scheme. He felt somewhat sorry
for having tormented her, and he also had absolute faith in his own abilities.
“I’ll come in.”
Damon moved forward silently.
Step, step.
As expected, a large magic circle had been drawn inside the room. Though it had been covered and disguised
with something like wooden planks, Damon could clearly feel the energy emanating from the magic circle.
As he had expected, the magic circle was of the kind that dispersed mana. He could tell just from how thin
the mana inside the room was, to the point that it could scarcely be felt. Once inside the room, Damon
looked at Yuliana. His gaze was serious, completely stripped of his usual playfulness.
“What is it you have to say to me?”
“Th-that is…”
Yuliana stammered. To be honest, there was no way she had anything to say to him. She had lured Damon
here as promised, but the mage Vertec was nowhere to be seen. Just as her heart was tightening with anxiety,
the walls on all sides suddenly opened wide.
Clack.
Through them, more than ten fully armed knights poured in all at once. Each of them had drawn a longsword
tinged with blue energy. Seeing the swords imbued with Aura Blade, there was no doubt that all of them
were paladins. Among them was Vertec, looking utterly confident.
As if there were nothing more to consider, the knights extended their swords and aimed them at Damon’s
body.
Clang.
Damon was subdued in the blink of an eye. As though he had no thought of resisting at all, Damon did
not move a muscle. If the swords were thrust even an inch farther, he looked as if he would be turned into
a skewer. Seeing that, a strange light appeared in Vertec’s eyes.
“Seeing as you aren’t resisting, I suppose you’ve realized there’s nothing you can do?”
“…”
“You may not have known when you came in, but this room has been installed with a magic circle that
scatters mana. So don’t make any useless struggles…”
Vertec approached and took several bracelets from his pocket before coming up to Damon.
Clack.
Bracelets that interfered with the gathering of mana were fastened all over Damon. Taking the opponent’s
level into account, Vertec densely shackled both of the black mage’s arms with bracelets.
Throughout it all, Damon showed no reaction. He merely looked silently at the bracelets being fastened on
him. After a moment, he slowly turned his head and looked at Yuliana’s face.
Emotions such as hatred or anger might well have appeared, but there was no expression on Damon’s face.
A quiet voice emerged.
“Was this your intention?”
Yuliana hesitated for a moment, unable to answer. No matter who she was, in a situation like this, even
if she had ten mouths, she would have nothing to say. It was impossible for her not to feel any guilt at all.
As if trying to shake off those feelings, Yuliana glared straight at Damon’s face.
“A villain like you must be judged by the law. You’ve tormented us countless times until now, haven’t you?”
“At least as far as you’re concerned, I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong…”
Yuliana continued to nitpick, as if refusing to back down.
“You kept staring at me with lecherous eyes, didn’t you?”
“Is simply looking at someone a crime?”
At those words, Yuliana was rendered completely speechless. In truth, other than staring at her persistently,
the black mage had done absolutely nothing wrong to her. Unable to keep watching her hesitation, Vertec
stepped forward.
“We can chat later. There is something I must confirm first. Is it certain that you came from Sebain?”
He had expected him to deny it, but the other party’s answer was unexpected.
“That’s right. I stayed there for a little over five years.”
Hearing the answer, Vertec’s eyes gleamed.
“Then it was naturally you who defeated the Crosen Empire’s punitive force.”
“Of course. I thought those fellows would be too ashamed to spread rumors about it, but how unexpected.
To think the story reached all the way to Terbia…”
“I like your honesty.”
Vertec’s mind was filled with exultation. He had captured the big fish who had defeated the Crosen punitive
force. Since he had even received a confession, Vertec now thought promotion was all but guaranteed. If
the king of Terbia learned of this, he was certain to bestow a great reward.
The sight of the black mage standing atop the magic circle with both arms hung thickly with bracelets that
interfered with mana gathering made Vertec certain of his bright future. As if there were nothing more to
think about, he gave orders to the knights.
“At once. Bring the mage-transport carriage here immediately. Once enough knights have gathered, we will
escort him straight to the capital…”
A mage-transport carriage also had a magic circle drawn within it without fail. It was the same as the one
drawn on the floor of the room they were now in. Vertec thought that he would escort the black mage even
if he had to personally reinforce that magic circle.
“Hurry. Time is of the essence…”
“Understood.”
The knight acting as messenger hurriedly ran out, and the remaining knights immediately rushed in and
began binding Damon. Poor Damon was tightly bound with ropes as thick as fingers. Damon, who had
silently watched the knights tie him up, turned his head.
“What do you intend to do with me?”
“You will probably have to go to the capital and stand trial. After imprisoning you securely, we intend to
dispatch people to Sebain and carefully gather evidence. There will be no way out for you, so you had better
give up.”
After finishing his words, Vertec gagged Damon’s mouth. His intention was to cut off casting at the source.
Mages beyond the Sixth Circle could cast by will alone. However, it was still inevitably more difficult than
reciting an incantation directly, so Vertec did not overlook even the smallest detail.
“That will do. Huhuhuhu.”
Looking at the black mage, who had become nothing short of a mummy, Vertec burst into a hearty laugh.
With his brilliant future shimmering right before his eyes, Vertec, his spirits rising, shook his head.
“Just wait a little. A group of knights has gone to arrest your comrades, so you will be able to meet them
before long. You likely won’t be too bored while being interrogated.”
The one who was startled by Vertec’s words was actually Yuliana.
“A-arrest his comrades? What do you mean by that?”
Turning his head toward her, Vertec answered without hesitation.
“I mean the mercenaries. Since he joined the mercenary corps, they, too, are guilty. Since they accepted
this man, they must be held responsible for it.”
“Th-that wasn’t what we discussed.”
At Vertec’s words, Yuliana could not help being utterly aghast. She had never dreamed that the mercenaries
would be arrested as well. Without the mercenaries, she would immediately be in trouble, so she desperately
tried to persuade Vertec.
“I handed over the black mage, didn’t I? Is there really any need to arrest innocent mercenaries too?”
“They are guilty. They are what you might call accomplices. The very act of accepting a black mage was
a crime. Well, their crime will be lighter than this fellow’s, who is the principal offender, but they cannot
avoid being brought to trial.”
At Vertec’s firm words, Yuliana felt all the strength drain from her. The thought that perhaps she should
not have reported him surged up within her. But the water had already been spilled. Hearing that the
mercenaries would all be escorted to the capital as well, Yuliana could only think that she would have to
find another way. She felt sorry, but now she had no choice but to part ways with the mercenaries.
‘It can’t be helped. After receiving the bounty, I’ll have to hire another mercenary corps and go to Crosen…’
Having finished thinking, Yuliana looked at Vertec with a bitter smile.
“If that is the case, then it can’t be helped. I will take my escort knight and leave. So I would like you to
pay the bounty you promised.”
But Vertec’s response was completely unexpected. Without erasing the smile from his face, Vertec spoke
on.
“I believe it will take a little time to pay the bounty. Because you must also go to the capital with us and
undergo an investigation.”
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
Yuliana’s eyes widened. She, too, had to go to the capital and be investigated…
At Vertec’s oily explanation that followed, she felt her anger soar to the heavens.
“First of all, you are the employer of the mercenary corps. In other words, you bear responsibility for aiding
the black mage’s joining of the mercenary corps. But do not worry, as it is not a very serious crime. You
will likely be released after a simple investigation.”
“You rotten bastard.”
Unable to contain her anger, Yuliana’s hand cut through the air. At Vertec’s attitude of casting aside their
promise like an old shoe, her characteristic temper had exploded. Unfortunately, however, Vertec had made
thorough preparations. Since he too was unable to use magic, he had placed two knights near Yuliana in
advance.
Clank.
Yuliana’s hand was futilely caught by a knight. Since all the knights deployed were paladins, no matter
how fast her hand was, she could not achieve her purpose. Two knights rushed in and seized Yuliana so
she could not move an inch.
“Please do not do that. Such actions may work against you in court.”
After answering leisurely, Vertec gave an order to the knights.
“Escort her away. Considering that she is a lady, see to it that you treat her with the utmost courtesy…”
“Understood.”
Yuliana was dragged away while glaring at Vertec as if she would devour him. Lightly brushing off her
gaze, Vertec smiled broadly. Thinking of the reward he would receive for the achievement of arresting the
black mage, his heart swelled on its own. Perhaps he might even be able to rise to the position of court
mage, the dream of his lifetime.
“I must take the utmost care in escorting him.”
Looking at the black mage bound without expression, Vertec eagerly waited for the transport carriage to
arrive.
The knights took Yuliana and headed for Dontrel’s city hall. It was the place where the mayor and other
important figures resided, and at the same time, the place where the city’s major affairs, such as law
enforcement, were carried out.
Upon arriving at city hall, the knights took Yuliana straight underground. Astonishingly, that place was
a prison.