Sweeping a hand across the nape of my neck, I felt the raised scar.
Along with it, Samuel’s gaze as he stared intently at my neck came to mind. Hadn't he said he could find me because I was a resurrected one?
"Do you happen to have any more of that cloth you gave Nadiv? Could it hide divine power as well?"
"Divine power is somewhat different from mana. It's also completely different from the gloomy aura emanating from that horse. Therefore, magical artifacts will be of absolutely no use against divine power."
Listening to Xenon's explanation, I inadvertently clicked my tongue softly. It seemed I was destined to be relentlessly pursued by Samuel after all.
"Why do you ask?"
"It seems a trace of divine power has been left on my neck."
"...By any chance, did the temple soldiers appear this time because they were tracking that trace?"
"Most likely."
Replying nonchalantly, I pulled my cloak tightly around myself and fastened it, only for Xenon to ask in a startled voice,
"Wait, then did you not escape safely?"
"I made it out safely, didn't I?"
"What I mean is, safely—without getting caught, without being tailed, and in one piece."
Feeling a pang of guilt, my hands—which had been meticulously hiding my neck—paused. I subtly turned away and replied with feigned composure.
"...Let's get moving. It should be fine as long as we quickly take care of business in the city and move on."
"Are you saying we're definitely being tailed right now...!"
"Xenon."
Calling his name with profound implication, Xenon flinched. It seemed he instinctively sensed something ominous.
Meeting his stiffly rigid face, I continued in the gentlest voice possible.
"I believe most people in the world are swindlers and bad eggs, but as you said, they can't all be like that. You trusted me and waited for me, after all."
"S-so what?"
"Thanks to you, it seems my love for humanity has awakened, if only a little."
"Why on earth..."
Frowning, he muttered, his lips opening and closing like a goldfish.
"Why, even though I used the magical artifact, why...?"
He looked so aggrieved that his eyes seemed ready to spill tears at any moment. I had no idea what he was talking about, but it seemed I had roughly succeeded in provoking his soft heart.
Taking a step closer to him, I asked in the most affectionate voice I could muster.
"You'll help me out for a while, won't you?"
Looking back at me with drooping eyebrows, he let out a deep sigh.
"Well, there's still the balance you owe me, after all."
Watching Xenon mumble and hesitate over money he didn't even care about, I smiled faintly.
The righteous and upright Nesi had supported the courageous decision of the feeble male, insisting that one must naturally help the weak.
Nadiv, disguised as a black horse, rejoiced that a servant had appeared to tend to the Captain. It was truly a blessing that Xenon couldn't understand Nesi and Nadiv's words.
But seriously, for his resolve to soften this easily... he's an easy mark.
Gelbun was a region designated as a research and investment hub for magical technology. This meant that anyone living in or visiting the city possessed at least one magical artifact.
Carrying a magical artifact was the norm, and thus, my appearance-altering artifact was nothing special in this city either.
Naturally, had it been an illegal artifact, it would have been flagged by the guards, but thankfully, the one Xenon provided was officially sold.
A mana-charged artifact would have been quite expensive and hard to come by, but as expected of a Magic Tower graduate, he seemed to have connections.
Passing through the city gates without issue, I took in the open cityscape and fell into a brief reverie. Setting aside the fact that I was being hunted, the city seemed to suit my constitution far better than the countryside.
Just looking at the large buildings and the noticeably cleaner paved roads put my mind at ease.
First, I ducked into the nearest shop, purchased a basic communication artifact, and handed it to Xenon.
"You go secure lodging. If you go just one block from here, you'll see a five-story building. Make sure to ask for a room on the fifth floor."
Taking the communicator in bewilderment, Xenon looked at me quizzically.
"Weren't you here just to buy a magical artifact?"
"I'm buying an artifact, and I have some information to look into."
First off, I needed a bag. Not an ordinary bag, but a very expensive artifact connected to a subspace pocket.
I planned to pack all my travel essentials inside and travel light. The only regrettable thing was how difficult it was to simply purchase an offensive artifact.
"Ordinary citizens can't purchase offensive artifacts, right? Would it be impossible even with your connections? You're from the Magic Tower, after all."
"It is impossible. To legally purchase an offensive artifact, there is a mountain of paperwork to prepare, and the authorization period is quite long. Even Magic Tower graduates are no exception."
I couldn't even use magic like Warp through artifacts, and now I couldn't freely buy offensive ones either.
"Then it can't be helped. I'll just have to buy one illegally."
"...Excuse me?"
Roam was trying to drag me away as long as I was still breathing, so I needed to at least have some means of self-defense.
Leaving Xenon staring at me with incredulous eyes, I quickly picked up my pace. I had a lot to do, so I was in a hurry. Staying here for more than a day was dangerous.
Samuel would catch up in the blink of an eye. I had coldly rejected his absurd proposition to take him along, so he might be holding a grudge.
This time, if he found me, he might drag me straight to the temple.
I wanted nothing to do with the temple. Just thinking about them spouting nonsense—asking me to vanquish evil or realize the blessings of a god—made me sick to my stomach.
"We're leaving tomorrow, so if you have anything to do, get it all sorted today. See you this evening."
"Are you going to move around alone?"
"Obviously."
"Even with your appearance altered, it's still going to be dangerous..."
"I know my way around."
"Have you ever been to this city before?"
Facing his bewilderment, I nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Of course. I grew up in the Roam family."
There was no way someone from the Roam family hadn't visited this city, where power and capital were so deeply entangled.
At my smile, Xenon's expression went blank.
* * *
The ruler of this city had changed hands several times for various reasons. The primary one being that the lords of the neighboring territories were all formidable powerhouses.
Then, just as the outline of the city's rulership began to take shape, the ancient Belpent family of the Empire ultimately seized the city, ousting the Kopen family, who were renowned for producing numerous Magic Tower mages.
Compared to their long history, the Belpent family had produced remarkably few mages—so few you could count them on one hand. And even those were only Imperial Court Mages.
Yet, they became the rulers of this city. It was because the Roam family had backed them.
I had visited this city at the invitation of the Belpent family head. And back then, I learned how to efficiently exploit this city. That 'method of exploitation' had likely remained unchanged.
First, to acquire some magical artifacts, I headed to the street lined with artifact shops.
The shops along the main road might appear to be reputable magical artifact stores catering to ordinary travelers, but those flashy, overt establishments were exactly the ones committing all sorts of illegalities out back.
It was reverse psychology exploiting vague prejudices. Supposedly, the truly legitimate shops were stuck between alleyways in poor locations, barely noticeable, and hardly making any money.
I stopped in front of the largest, most garish, brightly lit, and pristine shop on the main street: 'Heitin Magical Artifacts'. It was a place with enough staff to even station a dedicated gatekeeper at the entrance.
"Welcome! This is Heitin Magical Artifacts, providing safe artifacts at reasonable prices!"
The moment I stepped over the threshold, a sociable employee's greeting rang out. One staff member swiftly approached and began guiding me through the store's interior.
I nodded intermittently as I walked. Striding straight toward my objective without even glancing around, the employee discreetly signaled another staff member. They must have realized I wasn't just a customer browsing.
The employee training here is quite impressive.
"Sir, you've chosen the automatic signature-recognition paper."
"And the pen?"
"Right this way, please. Allow me to guide you."
Automatic signature-recognition paper was primarily used for drafting contracts. However, official contract paper had to be stamped with an authorized seal issued by the Imperial Palace, whereas this paper bore no such marking.
In other words, it was paper meant for the underworld.
The employee swiftly led me further inside. In contrast to the brightly lit storefront, the lighting grew dimmer the deeper we went. The lighting, saturated in blue and red, was rather eerie.
"Here we are."
The room we arrived at was a sealed space without a single window. An area seemingly leading further inside was concealed behind thick curtains, and I could sense a presence from beyond. A moment later, a gloomy-looking man drew back the curtains and revealed himself.
"You're looking for a pen, sir?"
Contrary to his gloomy appearance, his voice was just as friendly as the staff outside. As expected of the largest shop on the street, their employee training was thorough.
"I need a signature pen."
"Did you have a specific item in mind? Or are you looking for a recommendation?"
"Something I can get immediately."
"If you tell me the intended use, I can check our stock and..."
"Everything."
"Excuse me?"
"Your entire inventory."
The man's smiling expression froze. Having been armed with a perfunctory smile, he now stared at me with a suspicious gaze.
He was sizing me up to see if I was a genuine customer. Even I would have been suspicious if someone barged in out of nowhere and demanded they hand over everything they had.
I pulled out a seal I had already taken from my ring. It was a brooch bearing the distinct emblem of the Roam family, something typically only given to direct descendants.
Each member's brooch had minute differences, but they were so trivial that an outsider couldn't possibly notice.
Since they were all used to prove one's identity as a Roam, anyone other than the direct bloodline would only care about the emblem in the center of the brooch. And anyone running this kind of business ought to recognize it.
The brooch I held was one I received as the second daughter of the Roam family. Around the time of my death, my name was erased from the registry, but the brooch was never taken from me. Since I was sent straight to the execution block without anyone even bothering to confiscate my belongings.
Thanks to that, the ring containing my entire fortune still remained on my hand. Should I be grateful for that hasty execution now?