ALL NOVEL Chapter 40
“……”
In a room that looks like a lab… or rather, actually is someone’s lab, a woman holds a crystal ball and contacts someone.
*Bzzzzz!*
[…What’s up? Eneria.]
As light fills the crystal ball, a deep male voice echoes from it. The woman with ash-gray hair, Rynne, speaks.
“I contacted you because I have something to ask.”
[You asking me a question… It’s probably not about magical knowledge, but something about the organization’s internal affairs, right?]
“Yeah, that’s right.”
[Sorry, but even for you, I can’t just spill everything. If you joined the organization, it’d be a different story…]
“There’s nothing more to discuss about that part.”
At those words, Rynne spoke in a low voice.
“You ‘Dark Sorcerers’ supply me with mana and dark magic knowledge, as well as experimental materials… and in return, I cooperate with you. That’s our business.”
[……]
It was exactly as she said.
Rynne Eneria, who seemed to be living a life envied by many as an Alchemy Professor at the Academy.
Her true identity was a collaborator with the Dark Sorcerer faction.
She wasn’t a Dark Sorcerer herself, but she cooperated with them as needed. The Dark Sorcerer faction, in turn, used non-Dark Sorcerers like her to gather information and secure necessary cooperation.
And for good reason—it’s extremely tricky for Dark Sorcerers to hide their identities. Using their power inevitably reveals the use of mana, and to conceal it, they need magical tools or artifacts related to other energies. And of course, such things are limited in number.
Dark Sorcerers who can blend into society are extremely rare, and as such, they seek out individuals in society who can be used for their purposes and turn them into collaborators.
Whether the method is forced or not, collaborators eventually gather. Those forced into cooperation are one thing, but those who cooperate voluntarily are often those who are inherently interested in dark magic and mana or need them for their own purposes.
Rynne was the latter.
She showed great interest in dark magic, contacted the Dark Sorcerer faction, and promised cooperation with them, which has continued to this day.
Globally, research on demonic energy, or mana, and the dark magic that uses it is strictly prohibited. Punishment for violating this is a given.
However, human curiosity, thirst for knowledge, or greed cannot be stopped. There have always been those interested in dark magic, and there always will be.
But there are limits to researching dark magic alone in secret, so they seek the help of the Dark Sorcerer faction. In this way, the Dark Sorcerer faction quietly extends its reach worldwide.
This is how the Dark Sorcerer faction grows.
The man spoke.
[If that’s the case, it’s even harder for me to tell you. If our cooperation is purely business, there’s no reason for me to spill internal affairs.]
“I’m not asking for that much. What I want to know is whether you guys have sent a mole to the Academy.”
[A mole to the Academy…? What are you talking about?]
At those words, the man asked in confusion. Rynne narrowed her eyes and asked again.
“…So, you don’t know either?”
[This is the first I’m hearing of it.]
Hearing this, Rynne looked at the crystal ball with a heavy gaze.
‘He’s not lying… There’s no reason to suddenly lie about this. Then who is that man?’
Lost in thought for a moment, Rynne was interrupted by the man.
[From you, I got information that the Empire’s Second Princess is being gradually consumed by the Seed of the Demon she obtained in the Maze. That’s why we planned to target her. I hope you understand that we have no reason to lie about this.]
“I know. That plan was the Academy terror attack, right?”
[Yes. The plan was to cause chaos with a terror attack at the Academy and use that opportunity to extract the Second Princess.]
“That’s why I’m confused. Then who is that man?”
[What man?]
“Yujin, Professor Han Yujin. He claimed to be a Dark Sorcerer.”
[…What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?]
“Let me explain.”
She continued with a rough explanation.
Yujin, a mage who recently gained significant fame for his lectures on Space-Time Magic.
From the moment he was hired as a professor at the Academy and arrived to approach the Princess.
To sealing the Princess’s mana, earning the President’s trust, the true purpose behind sealing her mana, and even revealing it to someone himself.
[……]
After hearing all this, the man fell silent for a moment. Rynne asked.
“What do you think?”
[…I’m a bit baffled. It’s puzzling to me too.]
“Right?”
[But it doesn’t seem entirely impossible.]
“…What do you mean?”
[Let me explain a bit too.]
The man continued explaining to Rynne.
[As you know, a magic that seals only a part of someone’s energy… especially the energy of a Transcendent, is something I’ve never heard of before. Who knows what side effects it might have? From that perspective, it’s quite…]
It’s not an impossible story. Sealing is ultimately about forcibly confining and suppressing something… and if it’s the energy of a Transcendent? Who knows how that suppressed energy might explode?
“Indeed.”
[Comparing it to pus might be accurate. If left alone, it festers and rots, so it needs to be burst. But no one knows what will happen if the sealed demonic energy goes berserk. On the other hand, leaving it as it is will cause it to rot from the inside out.]
“……”
[I don’t know what kind of phenomenon ‘rotting from the inside out’ refers to. Maybe it’s a good thing for us. Maybe it means becoming a demon in an instant, without even a chance to resist. If that’s the case, it’s not entirely impossible for him to be a Dark Sorcerer. Above all…]
He pauses for a moment, then continues.
[Was it Han Yujin?]
“Yeah, that’s right.”
[As you know, for security reasons, we operate as a decentralized network.]
Decentralized network.
Unlike typical organizations, a decentralized network shares goals and internal rules, but members usually act or interact in very small groups of 1 to 3 people. There’s no central figure or a permanent command/information-sharing system.
In such cases, the possibility of a cover-up failing is virtually zero, and the chance of a member being harmed by a cover-up is also very low.
By nature, these often take the form of secret societies or criminal organizations.
[Therefore, there’s no shared communication system among members. There is a leader who formed the organization, but no one knows who they are or what they do. They act as an invisible spiritual pillar, suddenly appearing before the scattered members to give occasional orders before vanishing mysteriously. This terror plan wasn’t decided from above but was spontaneously devised as the decentralized groups came together due to internal circumstances. In short, it’s a plan without interference from above.]
“Wait, are you saying…”
[Han Yujin… he might be our leader. At the very least, he could be close to the leader. He evaded the gaze of that monstrous Great Witch, easily subdued the Mage Association’s chairman, unearthed Space-Time Magic, and even sealed the demonic energy within the Princess’s body with an incomprehensible magic… If he really is the leader, he might have understood the importance of this matter and acted voluntarily.]
“……”
[Of course, I can’t understand why he would reveal himself to the Professor and act like it’s a prank… but since I don’t know much about him, it might just be a twisted sense of confidence.]
“Is that so…”
[Of course, it’s not certain. It’s just speculation based on the fact that while we were planning the terror attack, the leader didn’t appear, and suddenly someone showed up with a strange scheme.]
The man’s words made Ryune think for a moment. Does that mean she has to verify it herself?
The man continues.
[If that’s the case… we might need to revise our terror plan.]
“What do you mean?”
[If the leader has personally started scheming something, it might be appropriate to carry out the terror attack when some anomaly occurs due to the demonic energy within the Princess’s body. The leader wouldn’t be unaware of our plan. The leader might give us a signal someday or come to tell us the timing… We might need to wait indefinitely, putting the plan on hold.]
“……”
[But one thing is puzzling… how could a mortal seal the energy of a Transcendent? Could it be possible with an artifact obtained from the Maze? We should look into that too.]
“…Maybe he’s not a mortal.”
At her casual remark, the man responds.
[…That might be the case. I once met the leader, and he didn’t seem like a mortal at all. Really, it might be as you say.]
“……”
After a brief silence, Ryune speaks.
“Alright, I get it. I’ll end the call now since the questions are done.”
[Sure.]
*Beep.*
With that, the communication through the crystal orb ends.
“Phew…”
Ryune exhales deeply and leans back in her chair. She closes her eyes for a moment, then slowly opens them again.
“A Transcendent… huh?”
In her eyes, a mix of curiosity, obsession, and madness flickers.
“…Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to check it out.”