< My apologies for the abrupt change, but if we implement stringent counterintelligence measures from the start, it’ll indicate that we are up to something. Instead of completely blocking investigative methods, it’s better to deceive anyone attempting to pry by blending truth with lies. > Sumire’s telepathic message resounded in his head, while her spoken words took a different direction. “Welcome back, Katyusha! Have you had breakfast yet? I’ll prepare some heavy water for you to eat!”
Impressed by Sumire’s level of preparation, Mordred nodded. He had previously evaluated her from a Sovereign’s perspective, which might have lowered her evaluation. However, when viewed in the perspective of a rank 1, she proved to be an excellent schemer.
“Da! I'm starving.” Katyusha replied, taking a seat while sending a telepathic message. < Satoru, your mother’s fate has been sealed. However, to avoid suspicion, her death will be slow and painful. >
Sakuya noticed Mordred’s lack of response and informed him about their telepathic connection. < All of us are now under the effect of Sumire’s spell. We are connected with telepathic links. You can send telepathic messages by thinking the words you wanted to convey to a specific person. > Sakuya explained to Mordred.
< Ah, I understand. > Morded nodded in understanding before turning to Katyusha. “Miss Katyusha, why are you eating a block of ice?” In his mind, he sent a telepathic message requesting further information. < Please elaborate. >
“Hmm, this is not ice, you see… Heavy Water is more like a pudding…” While her teeth crushed the ice like it was nothing, he could hear her telepathic reply. < The method of assassination involves the deployment of nanomachines, or nanoms for short. They are tiny machines that eluded detection due to their small size, and their form and function vary depending on their programming and materials. >
< The nanoms we used are slicer-strain nanoms. They are designed to infiltrate the victim’s bloodstream and rapidly destroy their red blood cells, causing severe anemia and subsequent organ failure. This could result in symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, pale skin, and chest pain. The victims could potentially die from cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, or multiple organ failure due to the severe damage to their body caused by the destruction of their blood cells. We were able to program the killing speed, which should take approximately a month after our departure. Considering the civilization level of the village, it is an incurable condition. It truly is a painfully slow death, > Sumire explained.
Mordred responded with concern, < Wouldn’t this method leave behind any traces once we’re all long gone? >
< You don’t have to worry about that. The infection vector is through their drinking water, and the nanoms are made out of my ice-path Elemental Radix, it’s my special ice, highly resistant to melting and blends perfectly with water. I’ve ensured that they will also spread through exchange of bodily fluids to the designated targets and only melts after killing them. > Katyusha added.
< That’s… amazing! > Mordred feigned excitement upon hearing this rather innovative killing method.
< Hahah, that’s what the captain designed in her spare time, although it never had the chance to be put into practice due to the lack of necessity. I thought that it would be the best choice in this situation. > Sumire made a slight ‘fufu’ sound while watching Katyusha consume the sapphire-like block of ice that she served.
< Since everything is taken care of, where do I sign? > Mordred glanced at the parchment, feigning ignorance once more.
< This is a soul contract, not a traditional one, so you’ll sign with your blood. The blood would serve to imprint your soul signature. > Katyusha explained, producing a thin ice needle and handing it over to Sumire.
The vice-captain assisted him through the procedure of pricking his finger and letting a drop of blood fall onto the paper, which then burst into purple flame, before reappearing as eleven identical copies.
< Each of these copies represent our rights and your responsibilities. I will keep it safe for now. Before we part ways, I will return yours. > Sumire stated, waving her hand and storing the copies in her dimensional storage. “Well then, it’s time for me to erase any traces of our conversation.”
“Hahah, it’s fortunate that I am resistant to psychometry. My mere presence is a shroud against time-path investigative methods.” Katyusha casually remarked as she devoured the last bit of the ice. “You should prepare yourself; we will be departing soon.” The last part was aimed at Mordred before she left the tent.
“She’s right.” Sakuya said, placing her hands on Mordred’s shoulders. “We don’t have much time, you’ve almost mastered [Fireball]. Let’s review the spell formula before we set out.”
“Then, excuse us.” Mordred said, bowing at Sumire before leaving with Sakuya.
In response, the vice-captain nodded as she took out various spell catalysts. ‘It’s fortunate that counterintelligence has become Twin Helix’s bread-and-butter after the captain joined, the process of forging false information or diverting future investigations has never been easier… with the catalysts she refined.’
Approximately five minutes later, she concocted a staged scene to conceal the truth from potential investigators in the far future. After she was done with her routine, a commotion erupted outside.
Upon checking, she saw that villagers, future-apprentices, and her team member’s were captivated by the presence of a large assembly of non-humans rapidly approaching the safe boundary of Mira village.
The village, being small and lacking proper walls, relied on an effective defensive strategy developed by the villagers. They stationed a network of outposts to create a safety net, detecting any threats before they could endanger the village. Hunters from the village would communicate swiftly through smoke signals or other methods, but this time, no smoke signals indicated an invasion by hostile races.
From afar, the scene revealed a group of village hunters being pursued by a small army of lizard-like beings, standing upright on two legs. These humanoid lizards possessed red scales with hints of brown, displaying paler colors on their fronts. While some had distinct features such as two pairs of eyes, two tails, or a height exceeding two meters, they all shared a common trait—they wore uniform metal plate armor.
A majority of these humanoid lizards were seen holding leashes connected to large, muscular reptiles with matching scales. Examining their attire, Mordred couldn’t help but notice the resemblance to Twin Helix’s magic machinery armors, similar to the ones worn by the brother-and-sister duo, Shirogane and Kurogane. Although the armor donned by these lizard-like humanoids wasn’t custom-made like the siblings’, they possessed a comparable quality, as if they were mass-produced by the same person or originated from the same factory.
Upon further observation, it became apparent that the village hunters were not being coerced or forced by the humanoid lizards. Instead, they appeared to be engaged in casual conversation.
“They are here!” Sakuya’s voice reached Mordred from behind.
“They?” He glanced at her. “Are you familiar with these creatures?”
“Of course!” Sakuya responded. “They are our vice-captain’s combat resources—her kobold army.”
“Hmm…” Mordred recalled that kobolds were typically smaller than adult humans, standing around 1.3 to 1.5 meters tall. However, these lizard-like humanoids, despite sharing physical features with kobolds, stood at an average height of 1.8 meters. ‘Genetically engineered mutants?’ he wondered.
Before long, the true answer became clear. “The captain has been plundering minor inheritances left and right, with no rest in between. Some of these inheritances contain special resources that allowed me to grow my kobold army. Now, they are an elite force containing forty rank 1 kobold warriors!” Sumire revealed from behind the pair.
“Hahah, the vice-captain is one of the beneficiaries who benefited the most from the captain's extradimensional expeditions. She has a special place in the captain’s heart.” Sakuya teased.
“Cough!” Sumire almost choked on her own spit, an uncharacteristic display from a wisdom-path expert. “I wish that was true.” She attempted to divert the topic. “Now that they have arrived, we can depart as soon as possible. You two should tidy up the tent, we’ll be leaving in about an hour.”
“Understood!” Sakuya nudged at Mordred, “Let’s pack our things.”
…
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Mordred’s gaze lingered on Mira village one last time. ‘It’s too bad that this village still exists, the karmic trails will eventually point back to when I usurp Satoru’s identity, but with my passive counterintelligence method applied when I was the Great Archmage, it should be five decades or so before the Sacred Alliance is able to discern the truth. I'll have to glass this area once I’ve become a rank 2 Lord to make sure it won’t happen.’ With his heart seething with malice, he turned his gaze away from ‘Satoru's’ home as it gradually shrank in the distance.
“You’ll have the opportunity to visit your home during holiday, or when you undertake missions. If you stayed in one place for too long, you wouldn’t be able to grow as a person. The world is vast, and the universe is even more so, there are worlds that are worth visiting. So, cultivate hard so that we’re able to explore other worlds, ok?” Sakuya tried to cheer him up, mistaking his genocidal gaze for the bittersweetness of leaving his home.
Currently, they traveled in a carriage pulled by a towering 2.5 meter tall lizard beast. The carriage was refined by advanced technology, minimizing turbulence and providing a smooth ride. While cars powered by magic fuel exist, considering the lack of infrastructures, engineers and whatnot made these ‘primitive’ traveling methods more affordable compared to maglevs. The efficiency and affordability of the carriage made it a practical choice for their journey.
“Hmmm.” He grunted, his impatience palpable, “How long do we have to ride the carriage?”
“We’ll rendezvous with other teams responsible for recruiting in different villages and towns.” Sakuya explained. “At this pace, we should reach another team tomorrow or so, I believe...”
“Other teams?” Mordred’s curiosity was piqued.
Sakuya nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! The Hunter Academy is constantly searching for potential rank 0 apprentices to join the Hunter Association’s ranks. The Academy’s recruitment happens yearly, and each time, us senior students of the Academy are responsible to scout and recruit promising individuals from various locations. While big cities offer an abundance of talent, the association seeks to uncover hidden gems in frontier villages like yours.”
Mordred sought further clarification. “Why wouldn’t the Association simply recruit from the big cities?”
“I’m not sure. Politics, I guess?” Sakuya shrugged, not wanting to touch that topic. “Even if they could, they choose not to. Frontier villages like yours hold the potential for undiscovered talent. However, I do agree that traveling large distances isn’t wise, considering the world is filled with dangerous beasts and hostile races. Hence, we won’t be returning directly.”
Understanding the purpose behind their meeting with other teams, Mordred nodded. “So, we’re forming a convoy to combine our manpower and resources, enabling us to better defend against the perils of our journey.”
Sakuya’s expression turned serious as she cautioned Mordred about the competitive nature of their mission. “That’s correct. However, connecting with other individuals means entering a realm of competition. The Association can only accept a finite amount of recruits, so be prepared for anything, such as being sabotaged from other teams or their recruits. I heard that last year, there was a genius with grade-S spirit talent who got crippled before they could reach the Academy because their spot is highly sought after. Jealousy and envy can run deep.”
“That’s cruel… and a waste of talent.” Mordred uttered with a frown. “Were the saboteurs punished?”
“Of course.” Sakuya replied matter-of-factly. “The Hunter Association’s investigative efficiency is on par with the Kingdom’s inquisitors. The saboteur, their team member, and anyone involved faced punishment according to the severity of the crimes. Nevertheless, you shouldn't let yourself be exposed to such danger. Prioritize your safety above all else, especially during battles. There’s no telling what could happen in the heat of the moment. Keep in mind that Twin Helix’s captain has yet to rendezvous with the rest of us. Although we are not at our most vulnerable with Katyusha and Kenji in our midst, we still have to be careful.”
Mordred pondered on Sakuya’s explanation before asking another question. “Is that why your team readily accepted my request to conceal my talent? Can you keep quiet about my grade-S spirit talent and mana pool?”
“It’s not that simple.” Sakuya paused before continuing, “The Association’s recruitment is extremely rigorous, their staff are bound by extremely strong and binding contracts. If we were to discuss the quality of an organization’s human resources, the Hunter Association stands as the best in the world precisely because there is no corruption. This very fact allows the Association to operate in the four regions. However, we couldn't simply falsify our report.”
Mordred’s concern shifted. “But wouldn’t that risk revealing that I am, in fact, a grade-S talent?”
“Not necessarily.” She clarified. “The Association does not tolerate corruption within its ranks, as their daily operations are supported by Artificial Intelligences, or AI for short. Don’t ask me what they are, you’ll soon learn about them in the Academy. Anyway, along with our report, we also filed a request to hide your talent, so we have ‘legally’ obtained permission to conceal it. However, because you specifically requested it, the Academy can only provide support commensurate with a grade-A talent, rather than the original grade-S.”
She continued, “If you wish to obtain more strategic or specialized resources that can’t be acquired solely through monetary means due to your grade-A talent restriction, you’ll have to find them yourself during missions or embark on an expedition by yourself, much like what our captain has been doing. She’s always busy because officially, her spirit talent is barely grade-A, but everyone on the team believes she should be Brave-class talent, an appraisal level higher than grade-SSS!”
“Wait, I thought grade-S was already the best…” Mordred expressed his uneducatedness.
“Well, officially, the classification ranges from E to A, right? Considering grade-S already surpassed the standard classification, isn’t it possible to have grade-SS or SSS, or something beyond that?”
“Do people with that talent exist in the first place?” Mordred curiously inquired, a hint of disbelief laced within his tone.
“Of course! I know one with grade-SSS talent. Her name is Ayame.”
“Huh…” Mordred suddenly realized why the captain of Twin Helix is described as unfathomable, even by her own team member. It’s no wonder that Ayame is ‘too embarrassed’ to demand payment from a future-Paragon. To her, future-Paragons like him might seem like beggars. “So that's what you meant back then… If the captain were able to dictate how a grade-SSS talent behaves, then it’s no wonder that she’ll be unfathomable.”
Sakuya chuckled mischievously. “Hahah, oops, I shouldn't have said that.” Her teasing expression made it clear that she said it on purpose. However, it was noteworthy that she didn’t show any signs of jealousy or envy despite being in the same team as such extraordinary talent. “Let’s put this topic aside for now. We must be prepared for anything on our long and arduous journey. Therefore, I will give you an artifact and some catalysts to protect yourself.”
From her dimensional storage, Sakuya retrieved an ornate black box. Even to Mordred, who had refined taste, the box’s lavish gold and red linings indicated high quality in both material and craftsmanship. It suggested that the object inside couldn’t be obtained with money alone. As she opened the box, Sakuya took out a black object and showed it to Mordred. “Satoru, I will give you this magic machinery artifact for self-protection.”
Curious, Mordred asked, “What’s this?” as he received the large-caliber revolver.
The design of the revolver was in stark contrast to the box. Its non-reflective black color and simple design diverged from the ornate decorations of red and gold. Based on his memories, the gun bore a resemblance to a .44 magnum revolver from Holy Terra. However, upon closer inspection, Mordred noticed microscopic carvings so fine that they were almost invisible to the naked eye from a distance.
“During the captain’s extradimensional expeditions, she sometimes came across incredibly useful resources, while other times, high-quality artifacts that nobody can use. On one of her ‘failed’ expeditions, she entrusted us with the task of determining their value, and this revolver is one such example.” Sakuya elaborated. “I sent this revolver-type artifact to my family, and they concluded that replicating it in the short term would be impossible. So, they returned it to me after a thorough examination.”
Mordred hesitated, feeling overwhelmed. “It seems overly lavish to give something like this to someone like me. Is this what they called over-glorified trash?”
“Hahah.” Sakuya chuckled. “There’s no way I would give you trash. This is actually an incredibly expensive magic machinery artifact that couldn’t be replicated, even with the resources that my clan have at their disposal. The only reason why I don’t use this is because I already have my own artifact, and this revolver is simply incompatible with my combat style.”
“I see…” Mordred nodded understandingly at her reasoning. “What exactly can this artifact do?”
“I’m glad you’re interested.” She took out some tubes from the same box. These rounds were approximately eleven millimeters in diameter, made out of transparent crystalline materials. Within these bullets, Mordred could see a faintly glowing red liquid. “Similar to the magic guns used by the Kingdom’s military, this revolver requires these spell resources called bullets to function.”
She elaborated further, “Magic guns operate by emulating the Great Archmage’s cheat-like spellcasting method, the infamous [Potion Casting]. The bullets here could be considered as spell potions, specifically [Fireball] spells. In a pinch, you could simply load these bullets into the revolver and instantly activate the spell.”
Mordred’s expression turned to shock. “You mean I can bypass the spell formation construction process? Wouldn’t that make me incredibly powerful in battle, able to rapid-fire any spell?
“Not exactly.” She shook her head, “Some artifacts, like this revolver-type magic gun, have dependencies on their bullets. If you have prepared sufficient countermeasures against the spells, you can render their attacks useless. Yes, you can modify the bullets, but that’ll require advanced refinement-path methods. The reason why the Great Archmage’s [Potion Casting] is considered cheat-like is because he is also the greatest refinement-path expert in this world. He could easily alter the ‘spell potion’ before activating it. This is why traditional spellcasting, in which you can modify the spell during the spell formation construction-phase, is still the mainstream spellcasting method. The difficulty of following the Great Archmage’s method is too hard.”
“I see.” Mordred replied, feigning enlightenment while ignoring the giggles from the two demons in his phylactery. “Then, how can I use it?”
Sakuya smiled and said, “There’s no rush, but there’s something that you need to do first before anything else.”
“What is it?”
“You need to ‘refine’ the revolver with your spiritual force imprint, making it your ‘property’.” Sakuya explained. “Due to the nature of magic guns being easily usable even by mage apprentices like yourself, there’s a built-in limitation to prevent misuse. Without the owner’s permission, such easy-to-use artifacts can be used maliciously by others. By refining the artifact with your spiritual force imprint, you ensure that only you can use it.”
“Ah, I see.” Mordred nodded in acknowledgement. “How do I refine this?”
“The revolver is currently not owned by someone else, so it’s extremely easy. However, it’s still not something that an apprentice with low spiritual force like you can do easily…” Sakuya smiled as she began teaching Mordred.