CHAPTER 67………………………………………..
Infiltration (7)
Temia, having managed to find a terrace tucked away in a quiet corner where few people came and went, quickly pulled the two men inside and firmly drew the curtain so no one could see in.
“Phew… finally, I can breathe again!”
It was a rather bold move for someone in her position as a workshop assistant, but fortunately, there was no one around to point that out. Thanks to that, she could shove the two men—who were busy exchanging snarky remarks with her caught in the middle—into a secluded space without interruption.
“I heard places like this are meant for private conversations. Don’t you think three’s a bit too many, Temia?”
“I agree. So how about we send this mage away first? Seems we’ve exceeded the proper number.”
“Sorry, but I’m not into threesomes.”
“Ah, at last, something we agree on.”
Of course, that didn’t mean they could jump straight into discussing their plan. Eventually, Temia gave up trying to keep things civil and smacked both men’s arms with her hand.
“Enough! Lowell, we’re here to make a plan because you acted impulsively without consulting anyone—so could you stop messing around?!”
“…”
“Same goes for you, Rio. Because of your request, we haven’t had a moment’s rest since that last trip! So both of you, shut it and focus so we can finish this fast!”
“…”
Thankfully, they both had enough sense to stop glaring at each other and take a breath.
“Good. Since you’ve calmed down, let’s organize things. Lowell, first question for you. When you provoked the viscount earlier, you said he was using a trick. Were you serious?”
“Yes. Like I said then—it was obvious at a glance.”
Lowell nodded confidently. The problem was—that was all he said.
…Wait, that’s it?
When no further explanation came, Temia nearly tore her hair out in frustration before yelling,
“Are you trying to drive me insane?! You’ve been dodging questions this whole time!”
“I don’t think I’ve ever dodged you, Temia. I was sitting right next to you the whole carriage ride, remember—”
But his teasing was cut short when Temia, face flushing, choked down the scream rising to her throat and snapped,
“That’s not what I meant! You didn’t even give the viscount solid evidence—so to him, you just looked like you were picking a fight! You provoked him for no reason and ran off! And now you’re still avoiding the point!”
“Calm down. I did that on purpose because I wanted to test something. I was just about to explain.”
“…Fine. Talk.”
“When I got close to the viscount, I sensed a very faint distortion of mana. That’s why the mages here kept doubting him. Unfortunately, that’s as far as they got. They didn’t know what the issue was, so they asked me to investigate.”
Lowell explained smoothly as ever, while Temia fanned her flushed cheeks. Rio, at least, didn’t interrupt—he only nodded from time to time, deep in thought. He already knew that the Calisland mages had repeatedly investigated the viscount because of unusual mana fluctuations.
After a pause, Lowell continued, checking that they were following.
“The dealer at that table—he was wearing the same ring as the viscount. I noticed the mana leak was faint but definitely coming from the viscount’s ring finger. Then I turned and saw another person nearby wearing an identical ring. That’s when I knew.”
“Knew… what, exactly?”
“That the dealer was an accomplice.”
“That can’t be! He didn’t even try to stop your fight with the viscount—if they were on the same side, he would’ve helped! Besides, rings can look similar—”
“Maybe, but like I said, there were traces of mana leakage. If either of them were mages, the rings wouldn’t be the problem.”
Rio, who had been listening intently, shook his head—confirming that neither the viscount nor the dealer was a mage. That meant both non-mages had somehow used magic. Lowell turned to Temia with a confident look.
“And one more thing—the ‘test’ I mentioned earlier. When the viscount was alone after chasing me, there was no mana leaking. So I figured those two rings must be linked artifacts that only work when close together. There’s no other explanation. When they go through inspection, they just keep the rings apart so no mana traces appear. Since the dealer and the client wouldn’t enter at the same time, sneaking them in wouldn’t have been hard.”
…Is he a genius or what?
Temia had always known Lowell was skilled—though his constant self-proclamations of being a “genius” made her doubt it sometimes—but this level of deduction was astonishing. An enemy like him would be a nightmare. She silently vowed again never to let him live the same kind of life he had before.
She had suspected there might be an accomplice, but Lowell’s ability to instantly connect clues with his deep magical knowledge was on another level. No wonder the “Ghost Duke” had summoned him personally.
And as if to hammer the point home, he continued with precise analysis.
“In random games like roulette, it’s impossible to skew the odds toward a specific player without interference from the organizers. But this time, the organizers themselves asked me to investigate because they thought the odds were strange. So the only logical conclusion is that one of the dealers independently partnered with the viscount to cheat the system.”
Clap, clap, clap—
It was then that Rio, who had been silently listening, started to applaud, as if to lighten the atmosphere. Lowell turned away with little interest, but Rio seemed quite pleased.
“I knew you’d figure it out quickly. It’s still a hypothesis, but I doubt you’re wrong. If you vouch for it, I’ll believe it—that the dealer and the viscount smuggled in magic artifacts to rig the games.”
Rio, who had clearly been troubled by this case for a while, looked genuinely relieved. His praise, so different from his earlier childish bickering, was surprising. Equally impressive was the mage’s unshaken composure at being complimented.
“So, all that’s left is to find the viscount and the dealer from that table and examine their rings. After that, you can handle punishment however your regulations dictate.”
“Right. Though calming the guests might make things messy.”
“Well, I’ll give you this much—it’s not an easy case. And I doubt those rings are unique to this place, so you may want to investigate further.”
“There aren’t many venues as tightly regulated as this one. If we’re to check smaller establishments too, we’ll need more manpower.”
“Probably. Anyway, that means my work here is done, right?”
“Done? Where do you think you’re going?”
The smooth flow of conversation came to an abrupt halt when Rio cut him off. Lowell frowned deeply.
“What now? Don’t tell me you expect me to write a formal statement until those two are in prison. I’ve already explained everything you need to know. You said you needed an assistant, but I don’t see why Temia’s required anymore.”
“Actually, that’s exactly it. This time, it’s your assistant’s help I need—so hold off on leaving just yet.”
Temia blinked in surprise and pointed to herself. Rio chuckled.
“There’s something only she can do—find the true cause of the rigging. As you saw, if a mage investigates, there’s a high risk the culprits will notice they’re being tracked. So we need a non-mage. I thought I made it clear earlier—we need a ‘mana-free collaborator.’”
Temia tilted her head, puzzled.
The cause? Is that… really that important to Calisland?
Lowell seemed just as confused. He’d already broken down every magical factor of the case—so why dig further? Rio elaborated.
“The viscount has no debts left. No signs of buying luxury goods or investing in any business. Yet he’s been getting a steady influx of money from here without keeping any for himself.”
“He wouldn’t take on that kind of risk without reason.”
“Exactly. He hasn’t used the bank for some time, even though money flows in constantly. But his wealth hasn’t increased.”
“That is suspicious. Maybe he’s secretly funneling it somewhere?”
“That’s what Calisland suspects. If he’s laundering the casino’s winnings into black funds and moving them elsewhere in bulk, it’ll cause serious trouble for us. It’d make it look like a duke of our nation opened the door for criminal activity.”
Rio finished with a wry smile.
This is why moderation matters, his tone seemed to imply.
Lowell, who had been listening in silence, let out a long sigh.
…This just got way bigger than I thought.
It was now clear that the matter had grown beyond his control—and his main concern shifted to Temia, who would have to handle the follow-up. If mages couldn’t be involved because their mana would give them away…
That means Temia will have to face the viscount alone?
He recalled the viscount’s towering build, like a feral wolf. A sense of unease began to gnaw at him.
