TM-Chapter 41

Don’t Be Scared, I Won’t Eat You

My heart sinks.

‘How did he find out?’

Izel felt her breath catch and instinctively took a step back.

What stood before her was a scrawny 1st-tier wizard. At best, he was a freshman who had just entered Magic University.

As an adventurer, he had only gone around the 1st floor of the labyrinth a couple of times.

Even if he had achieved numerous accomplishments there and produced remarkable results that surprised even the professors, Caleb was still a rookie far below Izel’s level.

However, she was afraid.

Izel was not someone who was easily shaken, but now she was overwhelmed by considerable bewilderment and fear.

‘How does he know? How exactly? Did he overhear our conversation?’

Izel recalled in her mind the brief meeting with Enver and their whispered conversation at the door.

There was no one in the hallway at that time.

If someone had used sound-based magic, Izel and Enver couldn’t have failed to notice.

So it wasn’t magic. Then…

‘Sound Mapping!’

That word flashed through Izel’s mind like lightning.

It’s not a common ability, but some people are born with such blessed talent.

They can track random noises occurring over a wide range and specifically understand phenomena.

It’s similar to how people with perfect pitch can hear sounds and accurately discern their musical scales.

‘She has Sound Mapping!’

That Elf archer!

Think about when they first entered this maze earlier.

Didn’t that elf tell Caleb that ‘I can’t hear other teams’ sounds’?

‘She’s someone who’s originally accustomed to listening to and tracking other people’s voices!’

Damn.

To make such a fatal mistake.

There was a reason Caleb kept that incompetent beginner around.

‘No. Wait a minute.’

Thinking about it again, even that doesn’t explain some parts.

Even if this Elf has Sound Mapping, to eavesdrop on others whispering at long distance, she would have to concentrate tremendously and listen intently in that direction.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to hear it.

Just like how small noises and conversations pass by one’s ears and don’t remain in the mind in a bustling marketplace full of people.

But how?

In the middle of a bustling party that lasted five hours from six in the evening to eleven at night, how did she precisely catch the one moment when Enver and Izel had their whispered conversation?

It couldn’t have lasted more than a few minutes, could it?

Could that be possible unless she had suspected Enver from the beginning and eavesdropped for the entire five hours?

Even someone with Sound Mapping wouldn’t be able to maintain such long-term concentration while eavesdropping.

Then…

‘It’s not because of this Elf’s Sound Mapping.’

No.

Sound Mapping might not have existed at all.

She might not have found out by eavesdropping on the conversation. Perhaps. Could it be.

‘He didn’t find out today…?’

Chills ran down her spine.

Izel’s reasoning was heading in an increasingly terrifying direction.

‘Caleb knew all along.’

Enver said he had never exchanged a single word with Caleb until meeting at today’s party.

But how did he know?

When they hadn’t even exchanged greetings, how exactly?

‘Crazy.’

It might be possible.

The person who had been running with ‘Accelerated Steps‘ for a while, saw some corpse phantoms, figured out the Banshee, and launched a preemptive attack with message notes.

He had seen through Enver in that same way.

And in that same way…

‘He also found out that I’m connected to Enver’s club?’

Enver had already been caught in his sight long ago. And what was caught today wasn’t Enver but Izel herself.

“……”

Cold sweat breaks out.

For a moment, Izel felt a chill as if facing the depths of the labyrinth.

No matter how far down you go, it doesn’t seem like you’ll reach the bottom, and you’re anxious because you don’t know what might jump out from that abyss below—that kind of fear.

Or like throwing a stone downward but never hearing the sound of it hitting the bottom, so you can’t gauge the unfathomable depth.

She couldn’t even imagine what kind of abyss lay in the mind of that scrawny freshman wizard.

“Izel.”

“……”

“Calm down.”

Caleb said.

However, Izel couldn’t calm down.

Because even more terrifying things were now coming to mind.

‘Caleb… Came back from killing a possessor in Windham…’

And one more thing.

‘Meldini thinks of Caleb almost like a personal disciple and cherishes him.’

That freshman is holding Meldini like a blade and pressing it close to the necks of her and Enver!

“Izel!”

Caleb approached.

He had driven her right to the edge of a cliff, then extended his hand.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m someone who joined Isilof’s club, not Meldini’s, you know.”

“……”

That makes it even stranger.

The person who came back from killing a possessor, thought to be a possessor himself for joining under Isilof, but that’s not it either.

Though he might not want to get involved with factions like Meldini after going through slave life for murder charges, but he gets along well with them.

Thought it might just be networking, but suddenly ‘Enver is a possessors, right?’

‘This is really driving me crazy!’

His unpredictable position made Izel feel like she was going insane.

***

Izel.

Don’t cry, I won’t eat you, so please calm down…

She looks like she’s about to cry soon.

“I have no intention of harming possessors. Of course, I’ll keep the secret too.”

The reason Izel is having a mental breakdown like this is because she’s a smart wizard.

Anyway, she’s someone who graduated through the elite track and has exceptional intelligence.

She must be thinking all sorts of things in her head right now. When I found out, how I found out, whether I’ll expose this to Meldini, and what would happen then.

I have no such intention.

For now.

“I just want to have a conversation.”

Then Izel gulped.

“What… What do you want?”

She knows she failed at managing her own expression, so she seems to think there’s no point in trying to deny it now.

“Professor Enver will probably convene a possessor meeting to talk about me.”

“……!”

Shock spread across Izel’s face once again.

“Please teach me what you know about that meeting.”

“I, I don’t know much in detail either.”

Izel said.

“That meeting is held in a secret club within Magic University. Possessors attend using disguise magic to change their appearance. Only people who aren’t possessors like me have their identities revealed…”

It’s best to believe only half of information that comes out like this.

Use it usefully under the assumption that it’s true, but always keep in mind the possibility that it’s fake.

“If Izel isn’t a possessor, why did you join that club?”

“……”

Izel hesitated. Suddenly her face turned red.

“Ma…”

She confessed as if sighing.

“Magic… I wanted to learn binding magic… At first…”

So you walked the elite path, Izel.

I can roughly picture the situation.

The possessor cartel formed at Magic University would have approached Izel to secure their own safety.

They probably intended to make the eldest daughter of a magic noble family their puppet and use the Berten family’s power as their backing.

And Izel, who was still a young student at the time, eagerly grasped the rope they extended.

But now Izel is also a 5th-tier wizard.

Hasn’t she already absorbed most of the magic knowledge worth taking from there?

She said she joined that club to learn binding magic ‘at first’, right? Then what about now?

“I… Can’t talk about that.”

When I pressed her, Izel bit her lip and looked gloomy.

Not easy.

“You don’t know this, you can’t talk about that…”

“……”

“I haven’t gained any information at all.”

Izel stamped her feet, not knowing what to do.

“Then, then I’ll do anything else besides that. If you want money, I’ll give you money…”

“I have plenty of money too.”

“Then…”

“Izel. Then instead of information that’s hard to answer, let me ask for something easier. If you do well, I won’t reveal anything about Professor Enver and Izel.”

Izel gulped.

“Izel works in the east, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m also from Windham in the east.”

“……”

“When you go back, please investigate just two people.”

“Who?”

“Two of my former party members.”

I killed a Yoho tribe woman and became a slave for murder, then was transferred here.

But there are two more remaining party members.

What are those guys doing now?

If I happen to run into them, they’ll sense that I’m different from the Caleb they know, and that becomes a threat to me.

Someone like Izel would be good to station in Windham and use as an informant.

“How about it? You’re buying information with information.”

“……”

Izel gritted her teeth as if frustrated.

“I understand…”

The corners of her eyes reddened.

For a wizard who has built up solid pride by walking the elite path, it’s frustrating to succumb to this kind of blackmail and move as ordered.

Should I ease the atmosphere here and give her a carrot?

To train someone like Izel and make her my ally, I need to play push and pull well.

“About why Izel is hanging around with Enver’s club now.”

Previously it was to learn magic book binding, but now it’s changed.

What’s the current reason?

Probably…

“You’re trying to go to the deep layers, aren’t you?”

“……!”

Looking at her expression, I’m right.

“How… How did you…”

How did I know? Because Izel’s reactions up until now have been somewhat extreme to just be worry about Enver.

If she’s not a possessor herself, there’s no reason for her to be in danger, so why go that far?

You’re not even lovers with Enver, yet you’d work as my informant in Windham to protect Enver?

Why exactly?

What reason would there be for Izel, the eldest daughter of Soren’s highest power holder, to need Enver?

Whether it’s money, power, or anything else, Izel has much more.

Moreover, Izel has no interest in social circles and doesn’t care about reputation.

She just goes east to research labyrinths.

“For someone like that, there’s really only one thing Enver’s club could offer.”

Knowledge.

In the past, it was magic book binding, but now that she’s become a 5th-tier wizard and that’s become meaningless.

“Deep layer knowledge.”

Anyway, they too must have gone down to the deep layers at some point and seen the Labyrinth Master, even if at a slightly lower difficulty level than in the game.

At the very least, they would have seen it through the strategy videos I uploaded on YouTube.

“You’ve made some kind of plan regarding the deep layers, haven’t you? That’s the secret Enver and Izel share. Right? That’s why Professor Enver can’t be caught, isn’t it?”

“……”

Izel’s legs trembled.

But there’s no need to be scared, Izel.

“I can help you.”

Let’s get on the same boat together.

You will collect the information I want in Windham from now on.

And you’ll also work as my spy in Enver’s club.

Then…

“I’ll teach you. About the deep layers. I know more about the deep layers than Professor Enver’s club does.”

Professor’s club versus freshman.

It doesn’t make sense to put them on the same level to begin with, but Izel began to seriously consider it.

“I won’t force you. You don’t have to make a deal with me—just find my two former party members and that’s it.”

“……”

“But if you’re thinking of working with me, let me know before we leave the mansion today. Everything, including that deep layer plan.”

Let’s leave it at this for now.

I’m holding the hilt of the sword anyway, so I can lure her in slowly.

“Ah.”

But I need to nail this down.

“At the club meeting Professor Enver convened, don’t mention that you talked with me.”

“……!”

Izel’s body trembled.

“Y-yes…”

She quietly nodded.

“Let’s go.”

I started route exploration again, leading Izel who had become mentally shattered.

“Um… Caleb.”

Yernil, who had been unable to join the high-intensity conversation until now and had only been reading the atmosphere, quietly approached from the side.

How much of the conversation did Yernil understand?

“Do we really have a lot of money?”

She didn’t understand, huh?

Yes. That’s okay.

It’s okay! Yernil! Don’t get discouraged!

You’re the average labyrinth beginner.

“We don’t have money right now, do we…?”

“We don’t have any now. But we’ll have a lot in the future. We still haven’t received compensation for helping Bernard at Nataniel Temple, we haven’t sold what we farmed in the labyrinth, we haven’t sold the items we got from defeating Sally’s team, and if we prove that team was a raiding group, we’ll get additional rewards.”

“Ah?”

“Plus, we still haven’t received the reward from Lord Berten for recovering Abisson’s corpse, and we’re going to win this game where we bet on it too.”

I didn’t buy you clothes for nothing.