Chapter 31

Expansion (1)


Chapter 31


The previously noisy upper floor had become silent.


Brack, waiting in the basement, had beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.


While sudden commotions could occur, it shouldn’t have ended in silence.


As he swallowed hard, the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor came from above.


Through the slightly open cellar door, a fist-sized object rolled toward him.


“…?”


Sssshhh!


“Damn!”


As smoke began to seep out from the fist-sized orb, Brack quickly pinched his nose and fled with his subordinate through a secret passage.


The pathway led to a warehouse adjacent to the building—Brack’s last lifeline.


Climbing up a ladder, Brack peeked out from a corner inside the warehouse, scanning the surroundings.


‘No one.’


The interior of the warehouse seemed safe for now.


But as Brack joyfully opened the warehouse door, Ray approached from the shadows, enveloped in a blue aura.


Brack’s heart froze.


“Which one of you is Brack?”


“Ju- kill him!”


Following Brack’s order, his subordinate carelessly leaned out of the warehouse.


Ray nodded knowingly and swung his sword.


Chhack!


The subordinate fell, his head severed before he could even scream.


Entering the warehouse, Ray locked eyes with Brack.


“Let’s make this easy.”


As Ray placed a finger to his lips, Brack stiffened, his eyes darting left and right.


Ray paused for a moment, allowing the smoke in the basement to dissipate.


According to Jimmy’s explanation, inhaling that smoke in an enclosed space would usually cause unconsciousness.


Once the smoke cleared, Ray kicked Brack down the ladder.


“Come on, to the chamber of truth.”


“Krk!”


Supporting Brack, who had fallen painfully on his back, Ray descended into the basement.


“You’re Brack, right?”


“Y- yes, but…”


“I came here to ask some questions. The journey was quite rough.”‘


Inside the basement was a small prison cell.


Beyond the iron bars lay two children, about Ray’s age, asleep.


“These bastards were stealing from my ass through the back hole.”


To the right, an unusually refined desk stood incongruously in the dim basement.


Papers were scattered chaotically across its surface.


Seated at the desk, Ray skimmed over the cheap paper while questioning Brack.


“How does human trafficking work? Do you hold auctions in dark places?”


“S- surely not. There are brokers who connect us with clients.”


“That makes more sense.”


Ray continued opening the desk drawers, asking questions.


“Do you remember the kid that Karl and Hans tried to abduct recently?”


“…Huh?”


“Your team set it up so the parents would escape, leaving the child alone, then sent Karl and Hans to grab him.”


“Th- I don’t really…”


“Mage.”


Instantly noticing Brack’s trembling eyelids, Ray didn’t miss a beat.


“A mage must’ve commissioned it. They asked you to kidnap the kid. Remember?”


“Th- that’s… I…”


Ray stood up from the chair.


Brack finally felt a strong wave of regret.


“Umm…”


“Get on your knees.”


“Knees? Kkkkkkkk!!”


With his ankle stepped on, Brack trembled, his mouth gagged.


“If you’re going to resist, at least bite your tongue dramatically. If you don’t have the guts, let’s do this easily.”


“Kkrrk…”


“What’s the identity of the mage who commissioned the kidnapping?”


“I-I don’t really know…”


Kwagak!!


A whip-like Sword Aura slashed the ground right in front of Brack.


With stones embedded in his face, Brack instinctively retreated, only to return to his spot and kneel down.


Ray pointed a cyan-colored Sword Aura at Brack’s neck.


“Am I joking around when I’m being nice?”


“S- steward! The son of Lord Gardi’s steward, Simone! One of Simone’s close aides commissioned it!”


“So the aide of this Simone guy is a mage?”


“Y- yes.”


“Is this guy always pulling pranks?”


Frowning, Ray made Brack panic.


“J- just wait! What exactly is the problem?!”


“Why would a mage bother hanging around as the son of the steward, playing the role of a lackey?”


“Misunderstanding! That’s because you don’t understand the situation in the barony!”


After staring at Brack for a moment, Ray returned to his seat and warned while checking the remaining drawers.


“Answer properly while your limbs are still intact?”


“Understood!”


“Lower your voice.”


“Yes, sir!”


“What’s the situation in the barony?”


“The lord hasn’t been seen for years… so the steward has been handling all business.”


“The lord is missing, and the steward is acting as regent?”


“…Yes.”


Prrt!


Forcibly breaking open a locked drawer, Ray narrowed his eyes upon seeing its contents.


A dead bird with blue feathers, its wings torn off, lay inside.


It was a Bricht.


Next to the Bricht was a single shredded piece of paper.


Ray picked up the paper. Although it used known characters, it couldn’t be deciphered due to encryption techniques.


“Brack, just asking hypothetically, did Simone conspire with you to overthrow his father?”


“…Yes.”


“And the mage was involved in that process too?”


“Yes.”


“What exactly are they after by getting involved?”


“I don’t know. Truly, I don’t!”


“How would you know anything?”


Rubbing his furrowed brow, Ray organized his thoughts.


‘The lord is missing. However, since there haven’t been any major issues until now, it seems the lord prepared beforehand for the steward to handle his duties.’


The barony had run smoothly for the past few years.


But problems were bound to arise now. The son has already used gangs to overthrow his father.


Georgia Family is already roaming around, disrupting the atmosphere.


“Brack, honestly speaking.”


Sighing, Ray lamented.


“I hoped this issue would be simple. I wished removing a single stupid mage would resolve everything.”


But things kept tying together strangely, much like Matthew’s hypothesis suggested.


Realizing that both the gang activities and internal strife within the fiefdom were connected to the mage, Ray’s scalp tingled.


“This situation is bigger than expected. Do you know anything more about the mage?”


“When we eliminated the steward’s spies, they actively assisted…”


“Not just one person?”


“Y- several people. Though I don’t know the exact number… they followed one person’s orders.”


“Was the person commissioning the kidnappings the lead mage?”


“Yes.”


“Ah…”


Laughing wryly, Ray pinched the bridge of his nose.


“Hey, do you know the mage’s name? Or at least what they look like?”


“I don’t know at all. J- maybe Brother Georgia knows something… Ugh!!”


Shocked, Brack scratched the floor with his hands, retreating.


Blood tears streamed from Ray’s eyes.


“Did the steward write this?”


“N- the mage killed the flying Bricht, and we recovered it. A- perhaps it wasn’t sent by the steward?”


Randomly arranged characters reorganized themselves according to a rule.


Some characters disappeared entirely, while others merged anew.


Clenching his tongue to stay conscious, Ray read the encrypted letter:


[Power has been forcibly seized.]


[Georgia Family provided assistance.]


[Many bureaucrats responsible for security and administration have been bribed. Uncooperative individuals are missing.]


[Simone identified as the main instigator.]


[Existence of a Dark Wizard confirmed.]


[Hostile forces targeting ‘Titi.’]


After reading the final line, Ray sighed.


[Phillip Count requests immediate deployment of troops as the representative of the lord. Normalize the fiefdom. Fulfill your obligations under the pact.]


“What the hell was this steward doing, letting things get this bad? Was he busy with some hot woman? Did she drain all his energy in bed?”


“It’s not like that…”


“Then what the hell is it? Ah, it’s frustrating.”


Somehow, the starting area seemed too ordinary.


Despite facing sensational secrets from infancy, Baron’s Territory had been relatively peaceful.


“Alright, I understand. Events like these can happen occasionally. But damn, I don’t know what kind of event this is.”


In short,


Ray had reincarnated into an unread novel.


Without a guidebook, he had to judge and act based on fragmented information.


Whether this current situation was merely a few clumsy mages trying to grab leftovers or part of a grand conspiracy that shouldn’t be meddled with lightly—no one gave clear answers.


“Divine beings in the heavens, if you sent me here by mistake, shouldn’t you at least give some kind of sign?”


[…]


“Yeah, I didn’t expect anything anyway, idiot.”


What could he expect from that dumbass?


Shaking it off, Ray recalled his original purpose.


Eliminating the Dark Wizard. If elimination isn’t possible, at least accurately identifying them.


‘Judging by how things are going, rushing in with a sword alone would likely end badly.’


He needed to inform Count Philip of the situation.


The relationship between Lord Gardi and Count Philip was unclear, but given the involvement of a Dark Wizard, they’d surely try to resolve the matter.


However, one concern remained.


If the Dark Wizards noticed the count’s movements and fled first, tracking them would become extremely difficult.


And once they escaped, they’d eventually return to the orphanage.


Ray snapped his fingers.


In his previous life, Ray hadn’t liked gambling much, but since reincarnation, he had been constantly playing gacha games.


‘Since this might be the last chance to sweep through the barony like this…’


Taking risks was necessary to seize opportunities and achieve goals.


Ray picked up a pen lying on the desk and flipped to the back of the letter.


[Greetings, Father-in-law. It’s been a while since I last wrote.]


Intentionally written this way due to the risk of interception.


[I’m in Dinor. While investigating the Georgia Family for selling children, I found this dead Bricht along with a letter. Could you decipher its meaning? You were always good at such puzzles, weren’t you?]


All necessary information should be included.


After pondering briefly, Ray continued writing:


[The atmosphere in Dinor has changed significantly. It feels like the master of the fiefdom has changed. Please be cautious if you ever visit. I’ll need more time before returning, so please take care of your health. I hope to see you again soon.]


Having added a few more lines, Ray questioned Brack.


“How many mages have you seen? Give me a rough estimate.”


“Three to five? Approximately. They all dressed similarly, so it was hard to tell if they were different individuals unless they gathered together.”


Ray added “minimum 3~5” above the word “Dark Wizard” written in cipher by the steward.


Exiting the basement, Ray stretched his hand upward.


After waiting a bit, a breeze sounded and the Bricht landed on his arm.


The Bricht held a creature resembling a salamander in its blue beak.


“Not an eagle, yet you managed to catch this alone? You truly are a spirit beast.”


Smiling faintly, Ray tied the letter to the Bricht’s leg.


“Fly low and quietly. Don’t get caught.”


As if understanding, the Bricht spat out the salamander-like creature and flew low into the night sky, disappearing from sight.


Wishing for the Bricht’s safe journey, Ray descended back into the basement.


“Give me the prison keys.”


“Huh? Yes, here they are.”


Armed with only a dagger, Ray entered the prison where the children were held, locking the cell again through the iron bars.


“W- what are you doing?”


Watching Ray imprison himself, Brack hesitantly asked.


After tossing the keyring to Brack, Ray gestured toward his pocket.


“Put the keys back in there.”


“Understood.”


“Hey, do you have kids yourself?”


“Uh, I have a son and a daughter…”


“Are these delinquents fond of selling other people’s children to feed their own?”


Clicking his tongue, Ray sat down on the floor.


“Once this is done, we’ll need to ensure no scum like you remain. I’ll have Jimmy manage Dinor entirely.”


“…”


“We’ll also establish a nurturing orphanage called ‘Jimmy’s Love and Care’ Dinor Branch.”


Recently, Lida had been struggling with a shortage of orphans due to nearby sweeps.


However, starting today, quite a lot of coins for gacha pulls were expected to roll in.


“Don’t worry too much, Brack.”


“?”


“Once the Dinor branch is completed, I’ll prioritize enrolling your children.”


Pwack!


A dagger pierced Brack’s forehead.


Unable to withstand the impact, Brack’s body rolled across the floor.


Crawling through the sleeping children, Ray positioned himself.


‘Hopefully fortune will favor me.’


Having confirmed multiple Dark Wizards existed, Ray decided to lie low.


Nevertheless, he needed to identify the wizards somehow.


Deciding to play the victim and wait for an opportunity, Ray thought: if Simone wanted to cover up this massacre, he’d likely send aides to clean up the aftermath.


If lucky, Ray might be retrieved by Simone’s aides and gain the chance to gather information on the wizards up close.


Of course, if things went poorly, he could end up trapped in poison and die.


Close to an all-or-nothing gamble.


Lamenting his fate, Ray closed his eyes.


Lying in the blood-soaked darkness for a while, Ray reopened his eyes at the sound of footsteps above.


Who would take the bait?


Listening beyond the iron bars, Ray heard someone’s voice.


“It seems we’ve been attacked. What should we do? Master Simone.”


A smile crept onto Ray’s lips.