After a long pause, she spoke softly.
"...The payment, keep it."
"Aza. No take-backs. But why?"
"...I don't particularly need money."
"I heard alchemists always place equal weight on both sides of the scale. If you don't accept compensation, isn't that against your principles?"
"...I'm fine."
'...Those chosen by the Golden Mirror, whose unique demonic path and alchemy have become one. They blind the eye of the scale.'
What nonsense. Don't blind it. The eye of the scale exists to be shown to people.
More than the eye of the scale right now, I have something else I'm curious about. That person is the Guild Master of Yeolguk, yet she's secretly cooperative with me. She doesn't seem inclined to start a war either.
Hmm, should I poke around once more? I was pondering that.
Then it happened. Someone pulled back the tent flap and entered. Given there was a guest inside, it was a slightly discourteous action, but he paid no mind and shoved his large frame in.
"Excuse me, Guild Master Peru. Do you have a moment?"
Why ask for permission after you're already inside. While I was pushed to one corner by him, Peru asked him flatly.
"...Commander? Why?"
The burly commander ignored me and immediately spoke to Peru.
"I've come because of an incident that occurred in the camp."
"...Me?"
Peru asked back with a puzzled face. His identity was the Camp Commander. He was the one who first created this camp and the general manager who operated it.
What could the Camp Commander be compared to? It's not an appropriate metaphor for the people of Yeolguk who could leave at any time, but a lord would be the closest comparison. He organizes the camp and guarantees peace and order within it, and in return, collects a certain entrance fee from visitors. A sort of tax.
Naturally, to guarantee peace, one needs the power to end conflicts. As befitting the leader of a large camp, the Camp Commander was a strong fighter counted among the top in Yeolguk. Comparing to the Military Nation, he would be around the rank of a general.
Yet, for what problem could he not resolve an issue arising in the camp himself and come seeking her? Both Peru and I waited for the commander's words with curiosity.
"There's a young, blue-haired kid outside grabbing anyone he can, demanding to know the location of the Golden Palace. He's making such a ruckus that the inside of the camp is in chaos."
"...."
Peru stared intently at me.
What. Why.
Right. That's probably the regressor. His behavior is so suspicious he's drawing suspicion. What can you do. It's in his nature.
Peru, who had been staring at me sharply, leisurely opened her mouth.
"...Did he cause a problem?"
"No. He hasn't specifically caused any problems yet, but the money he sprinkled as an information fee is enormous. So many alchemy coins have been released that we're on the verge of running out of physical goods. I thought it would be nice if the camp sat on a pile of money, but at this rate, we'll have to fold the camp just to spend all this money."
Overwhelming money becomes violence. The camp seems to have gone beyond confusion from the regressor's (發) quantitative easing and reached the brink of collapse.
No, regressor! If you have that much money, give it to me! For half that price, I could read everyone's thoughts here and draw approximate locations on a map!
"………."
Meanwhile, Peru is glaring at me.
What, why! I'm lamenting too. My stomach hurts enough to kill me! A significant portion must be alchemy coins or physical goods—how much is all that! Does the regressor have an endless supply of wealth?!
"Isn't it suspicious? If the right to plunder has been conveyed, the jackals naturally head toward the Military Nation. But instead, he's going against that flow to find the Golden Palace. And a kid with that much money who looks suspicious... Normally I would have let it pass, but given the current situation, I thought I should ask for your opinion first, Master Peru."
Right. Honestly, it's suspicious. Even I, with mind-reading, find him suspicious enough to keep watching, so it must be even more so for you.
'...He's openly suspicious, but if he's the Military Nation's envoy, he might be in a hurry.'
While I nodded, Peru sighed and spoke softly.
"...Leave him. It's fine."
"Do you know something?"
"...Roughly."
"Understood. Then I'll leave him be without taking action. Tsk..."
'Thought about branding him a spy and confiscating his assets, but it seems Master Peru has no intention of helping. He could be a big shot. I should tell the others not to touch him.'
He had some audacious greed in the meantime too. Should I say it's fitting of Yeolguk, or should I say that not acting rashly in the midst of it shows the capacity of a Camp Commander.
Peru looked up at him and said.
"...Is that all your business?"
"Ah, there's one more thing. About what that kid was scattering besides money."
The commander took out a metal construct from his chest. It was a regular icosahedron made by combining various metals, and each face had a different color. However, it looked a bit too heavy to be used as dice, making its purpose hard to guess.
The commander said.
"It's embarrassing, but even my alchemy couldn't decompose it. I thought perhaps you might be able to, Master Peru."
"...This is."
Peru's eyes widened as she snatched the construct. She usually showed a slothful appearance like a sloth, but now she was as swift as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
The commander, having the metal snatched from before his eyes, scratched his head in awkwardness.
"Well, I thought you might know something."
"...Gold of Understanding."
"Pardon?"
"...Elik's legacy. Where did you get this?"
"I told you earlier. Some strange kid..."
The commander, flustered by the extraordinary momentum, belatedly realized Peru's gaze was directed at me.
Hmph. No wonder he had an insane amount of money. Did he discover the secret vault of the old Gold Nation? And he's using that as a 'pocket,' connecting subspace to carry it around? What a lucky fate. He's probably never worried about money in his life.
More importantly, the fact that he has that now means he obtained it in this cycle. Why didn't it read on my mind-reading? If it's a memory from 'this cycle,' it should be readable, right?
Is it not reading because it's a routine repeated every cycle, or is there another reason I'm unaware of? It's truly suspicious.
"...How did you get this?"
I'll be honest. I don't know either. But I can't easily give away that fact. If I confess I don't know, it ends there, but if I pretend to know, it becomes a weapon to move the other person.
I opened my eyes slightly and spoke dismissively.
"Well?"
"...He's your companion, isn't he?"
"That's right. But you're not my companion, are you? Between my companion and a non-companion, who should I think of first?"
"...You."
"You bastard! How dare you speak to the Guild Master like that!"
The commander quickly reached for my collar. Fast and powerful, but obvious. Even if I weren't a mind reader, I could have dodged it.
Moreover, I am a mind reader. Before he could move, I snatched a card from the desk and transmuted it into a wire. By the time his hand reached, the wire had already wrapped once around his wrist.
"You're the one. Do you know who I am that you reach out first? You should mind your manners depending on the time."
The world's greatest magician and a pickpocket who dominated an era—such a typical collar grab. It won't work. How many of these collar grabs do you think I've overcome?
'A wire made with alchemy? Steel...! In that short time!'
Of course, it would be troublesome if he forced his way in with strength. I could infuse qi into the thread and散发 malice... well, I could, but with this feeble qi, it would only leave a scratch.
'Damn it. I didn't expect this at all! I should have been on guard the moment I was alone with the Guild Master...!'
However, if you make the opponent think you 'can do it,' they will treat you as such. Now, calm down. I'll let go slightly as if I'm being generous, so pull your hand out in time....
It was then.
"...In front of me."
Swish. The strength leaves my hands. My two hands that were pulling the wire taut grow further apart.
Along with that, a voice that seemed to grow distant echoed in my ears.
"...Don't use my work as a weapon."
The steel crumbles. The brand-new wire created just moments ago turns to dust and disappears in an instant. Fortunately, the part that disappeared was limited to the portion I had transmuted, but...
If the other side wished it, all the cards in my chest would lose their vessels and disappear.
Damn it. I forgot about that.
The commander, now emboldened, raised his freed arm again.
"You fool! Relying on iron in front of the Guild Master of the Frost of Residue! It's over!"
"...Stop."
"Yes! I'll make you stop right now!"
The commander was about to swing his fist at me just like that. But at that moment, the desk elongated and grazed the tip of his nose. The corner of the desk, sharpened from stretching, tore halfway through the tent and protruded outside.
While the startled commander swallowed nervously, Peru continued speaking very slowly.
"...Both of you, I mean."
She speaks so slowly that the words come after the action. I wish she'd do it before exerting her power if possible.
Anyway, the intention was successful. Both the commander and I stopped, unable to move physically. Peru let out a long sigh and looked at me.
"...What were you going to use it for?"
Hmm. The regressor probably didn't think much of it. It's a precious metal, so he probably scattered it thinking, "They'll like it if I scatter this~" and just scattered it.
But I can't let them know the regressor is that thoughtless. Let's deceive them. As if there was an intention.
"Well. It means I didn't come empty-handed either. Look. You all reacted to this metal too, didn't you? Thinking, 'Maybe if I have this, I can meet the Golden Mirror~' right?"
"...Don't do such foolish things."
'...The relic of King Elik... can awaken the Golden Mirror.'
Oh ho. This is new information. She herself isn't certain, but it can awaken it? What exactly is this metal?
...Regressor. What on earth are you casually scattering around? It's starting to get a bit scary.
"Come on. If you just tell me not to do it without even explaining what's foolish about it, I'll surely listen. Am I your son? Can you just tell me not to do something without explaining why? If you want to keep the scale from tipping, you need to put something on the other side, don't you?"
"………."
"I don't know what scheme you're pulling, but you can fool the scale, not me. Come on, show me."
"………………."
No, just tell me a little bit. Either just follow me or tell me a bit more. Sigh, so frustrating. Why is she so guarded.
"Guild Master!"
Then the commander cried out urgently. He wasn't trying to prompt an answer or interrupt the conversation... that wasn't his intention.
Because in his eyes right now, something—mysterious flying objects trailing flaming tails—were flying toward them.
Huh. What are those.