-The Enemy Is Close By
There was nothing special about the contract.
If anything about it was special, it was the fact that the details of the work were not written down specifically.
On paper, it was described only as “work commissioned by the company.”
And a separate nondisclosure agreement was attached.
I did not even know what I was supposed to do, yet I had to sign a pledge to keep it secret first.
I lifted my head, looked Han Da-in straight in the eye, and said,
“The contract doesn’t say anything about the actual work. You can tell me now, can’t you? I should at least know what kind of job it is before I decide whether to sign or not.”
“As I told you before, I can only inform you of the detailed work after the contract has been concluded. But since you’ve come this far, I’ll trust you, Master Mage, and give you a brief explanation. We are commissioning you for security work at the chairman’s private residence.”
Han Da-in replied in a dry tone, wearing a smile as picturesque as ever.
Hearing that, I nodded quietly.
Security work at the Vanaheim chairman’s private residence, huh…
It was quite surprising that they would ask me to do that. Did they not consider me an enemy?
Did they not know that I had hidden Ren? Or did they know and were still doing this?
Well, it was not as if they had peered into my thoughts, so there was no particular reason for them to regard me as an enemy.
Or perhaps they did regard me as one, but intended to keep me close so they could manage me—or win me over.
If that was the case, I would have to pretend to be won over.
“If it’s security work for Chairman Vanaheim’s private residence, that must be very important, no? Looks like I’ll have to be paid even more handsomely this time.”
I put on a slightly surprised expression and spoke with affected nonchalance.
“Of course. We’ve set your compensation at a generous level, one that won’t disappoint you. It’s listed toward the back of the contract. Have you not seen it yet? Our company has always treated mages with special care.”
Han Da-in played along appropriately.
I checked the back pages of the contract. Of course, what she said was true. Even last time, they had already paid a fairly generous fee.
Not that I had taken the job for the fee back then, and that was even less the case now.
‘I’ll have you know, I’m a man with a chest full of treasure at home.’
In any case, it was a request I could not refuse.
The fact that the Vanaheim chairman was paying attention to security meant he was afraid of something.
If I could find out what that was, I might be able to dig into Vanaheim’s internal circumstances.
The amount written in the contract was even larger than I had expected.
I deliberately pretended to be startled. I wanted to give the impression that I was doing this because I had been tempted by the money.
“Hmm. You were right, Ms. Han Da-in. It’s not disappointing at all. I’ll sign now.”
I immediately picked up the pen and signed the contract. Since I had already decided to walk into the tiger’s den, there was nothing to hesitate over.
After signing everything, I pushed the contract back toward Han Da-in and said with a relaxed expression,
“So now we’re one family. Though I’m not an employee.”
“Welcome. Thank you once again for accepting the company’s request. Ah, and before I explain the detailed work, there is one thing I should tell you first.”
Han Da-in placed the contract into a document file and paused for a moment.
“Go ahead.”
“You may stop the missing-person tracking case you took on for us last time.”
“Stop tracking the missing person? Why? Are you cutting me off because I didn’t produce results? Or have you found the missing person, perhaps?”
I had more or less expected it based on what she had said last time, but I had not thought she would tell me outright to stop.
A faintly uneasy thought brushed past my mind.
‘Did they find Ren?’
But if something had happened to Ren, Yantu would have contacted me immediately.
Unless both of them were dead.
“Cutting you off? Not at all. It isn’t because we don’t trust your abilities, Master Mage. And we have not found the missing person yet. It’s just that the company has decided to take a new approach. Quite some time has passed since the disappearance, after all. We believe ordinary detection methods will no longer be possible.”
Han Da-in spoke to me with the same smiling face as before. But her eyes were probing me.
I hid what I felt inside and let out a sigh, putting on a slightly disappointed expression.
“I see. That’s a shame. Since I couldn’t finish the job, I won’t receive the success fee.”
“No. We will pay you the full compensation. We are also asking you to stop because the new task you must take on is important.”
“Ah, is that so? That’s a relief. By the way, what sort of detection method is this new approach to tracking? I’m curious.”
I casually prodded once more. But Han Da-in did not intend to give up any information.
“You’ll find out before long. More importantly, I’d like you to focus on the new task you’ll be taking on.”
“Very well. Then let’s hear about the new job.”
Asking any more about the matter of tracking Ren would be showing my hand. I decided to set it aside for now.
I laced my fingers together, leaned forward, and showed that I was concentrating.
“The new task we are asking of you this time is magical detection at the chairman’s private residence. You must thoroughly detect any risk factors and also strengthen security.”
“Are there any specific risk factors you are wary of?”
Now that the contract was signed, there was no need for vague explanations. I asked directly.
Han Da-in opened her mouth.
“Yes. We are wary of a black mage named Yasin. He announced a terrorist attack, didn’t he?”
“Yasin?”
This time, I was truly surprised. I had not expected that name to come directly from Han Da-in’s mouth.
I remembered the awkward way she had reacted last time when I asked her about Yasin’s broadcast announcement.
“Is there a particular reason Vanaheim is on guard against Yasin’s terrorism? Is there some connection between the company and Yasin?”
When I asked directly once again, Han Da-in erased the smile from her face and spoke with a serious expression.
“What I am about to tell you is something you absolutely must keep secret. Since you are now one of us, I will trust you, Master Mage, and explain the company’s circumstances. Yasin once worked at Vanaheim as a research mage. Of course, at the time, no one knew he was a black mage.”
As expected, once I had set one foot inside the tiger’s den, information began spilling out smoothly.
They said to keep your enemies close, and that saying was right.
Yasin had worked at Vanaheim as a research mage. I became intensely curious about what sort of biological experiments he had conducted here.
“It was already several years ago. And Yasin’s time with Vanaheim was not especially long. In any case, something unpleasant happened when he left the company. Yasin often clashed with other mages over research, and in the end it escalated into a physical altercation, so we could no longer keep him at the research institute.”
“Then the company dismissed Yasin?”
“Yes. That is why he likely does not feel kindly toward Vanaheim. In truth, it would be fair to say he bears a grudge. That is why we believe Yasin may carry out a terrorist attack against the company.”
I did not think Han Da-in was telling me the whole truth.
Yasin would commit terrorism against the company simply because he resented being fired?
There was surely a more complicated reason tangled up in it, but it did not seem likely she would tell me all the internal details now.
It would be something I could uncover gradually from here on.
“But why are you entrusting me with security at the chairman’s private residence instead of the company building?”
“The company building and research institute have always maintained strict security. Recently, we upgraded the security system as well, and several mages are stationed there. But the chairman’s private residence has not been replaced with the latest system. And it seems the chairman wishes to have it inspected by the best mage.”
Han Da-in furrowed her brow and let out a shallow sigh. It was a rare sight from her.
Was there something she was worried about? Or something that frustrated her?
Then again, that sigh might simply have been another act.
“I see. Understood.”
I answered readily.
At any rate, I had managed to obtain one important piece of information.
In the end, among the “people who had unwittingly helped” that Yasin had mentioned in his broadcast, Vanaheim had been included.
Whether they had truly been used without knowing Yasin was a black mage, or whether they had secretly cooperated and then fallen out, Vanaheim’s biotechnology lay in the background of the monstrous lifeforms Yasin was currently creating as tools of terror.
No matter what excuses they made, Vanaheim clearly bore responsibility for these terrorist attacks.
But instead of running straight to the government authorities and reporting Vanaheim, I would be taking on their job.
Of course, it was not because of the nondisclosure agreement. It was so that I could uncover Vanaheim’s secrets myself and grasp their connection to the black mages.
“Ah, but the security work at the chairman’s private residence is a one-time job, right? You’re not asking me to stand guard at the residence continuously, are you?”
I lightly brought up the concrete schedule.
“Of course, we are not asking you to reside there and stand guard. However, for the time being, we would like you to continue detection on an ongoing basis.”
“Understood. Then when am I to visit the chairman’s private residence?”
“You can go tomorrow. You will go alone. When you arrive, a bodyguard there will guide you through the details of the work. I’ll organize and send you materials with the location of the mansion, points of caution, and so on. And we will pay the remaining balance for the previous commission and the advance payment for this task today. Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
At some point, a fresh smile had returned to Han Da-in’s face.
She was still treating me with a consistently polite and capable attitude, but now there was a faint impression that she wanted to end this meeting as soon as possible.
“No.”
Since I also wanted to leave, I answered briefly and returned the same false smile.
* * *
On the way home, two things weighed on my mind.
One was the fact that Yasin likely possessed Vanaheim’s exceptional biotechnology, and the other was the part about Vanaheim saying they would track Ren using a new method from now on.
Both pieces of information gave off an ominous feeling.
The fact that Yasin possessed Vanaheim’s biotechnology could lead to serious consequences in the future, but there was nothing I could do about it immediately.
In any case, Yasin’s terrorism was something that had to be stopped.
More than that, I was worried about Ren. Somehow, I had a premonition that a serious problem was about to occur.
‘Still, this means Vanaheim hasn’t found Ren yet. I should contact Yantu sometime soon.’
Since then, I had deliberately avoided contact with Ren or Yantu. I did not want to draw Vanaheim’s attention by making unnecessary contact.
But now, it was time to check in at least once.
I also had to tell them that Vanaheim had said they would track him using a new method.
‘What on earth are they trying to do? What could this new method of tracking be?’
Unexpectedly, I soon obtained the answer to that question.
It came from the news flowing out of the radio.