novelraw Chapter 101 : Eye of Kabbalah (1)
Chapter 101 : Eye of Kabbalah (1)
Chapter 101: Eye of Kabbalah (1)
“Wait, what did you just say…?”
“Well then, excuse me!”
After dropping a tremendous bombshell, Gustav dashed out like an arrow.
Those who were present at the scene stayed frozen in silence for a while.
Then, two reporters hurriedly chased after Gustav.
A chilling stillness settled over the place.
“……”
“Ha… how are we supposed to interpret this?”
Faced with an outcome none of them had foreseen, the three seated men each showed a different reaction.
Abel rubbed his lips, as if struck speechless by confusion.
Edgar merely stared at the seat Gustav had been occupying, as though unable to make sense of it.
Meanwhile, Dominico’s face was already clouded with such fury that he could barely contain it.
Seeing the Archbishop looking as though he might explode in rage at any moment, Mikhail hurriedly forced a smile and approached the remaining reporters.
“…Well. How about we take a short break for now?”
Sending the reporters to a room at the end of the hall, Mikhail muttered as he returned.
“…Was this his plan from the start?”
KWAANG!
As expected, furious shouting was already echoing from inside.
“Does this make any sense? The mere Master of the Magic Tower dares to reject our proposal? He must be insane…!”
“Indeed. No sane man would dare such a thing.”
Closing the door behind him, Mikhail sat down in Gustav’s empty seat and placed the dropped agreement on the table.
“There’s no way he’s gone senile at that age… seems he’s got something up his sleeve, doesn’t it?”
He said, glancing at his longtime business partner.
Edgar’s gaze drifted into the air.
“If it’s the Master of the Tower… could it be Duel?”
“Hard to say. Duel doesn’t seem to be the one behind it.”
It was true that Duel was an international organization with influence all around the world.
But their focus was purely on research and academia.
They had always refused to interfere in national affairs, insisting on nothing but the preservation of the path of magic—and it was precisely for that reason that their influence had grown to this extent.
“If they wanted to intervene, it would’ve made far more sense to approach a magic-strong nation like Hallard.”
“…That would be the logical move, yes.”
But logic wasn’t always the best option.
“For some reason, Duel might be aiming for rebirth as well. If their goal is to join the struggle for supremacy, taking interest in the Empire isn’t entirely strange.”
“Even so, with the Empire’s three major powers still intact, do you really think Duel would intervene so openly? They’re not exactly a radical group.”
Edgar couldn’t help but agree with that.
If Duel truly intended to meddle in the Empire’s affairs, they would’ve approached the situation far more carefully.
They weren’t the kind of group to overlook the potential fallout of such a decision.
Which meant—
“Someone might be egging Duel on from behind the scenes.”
At Edgar’s words, Mikhail’s eyes gleamed.
“No way… Eugene Carter?”
“Could be.”
“But isn’t he the one with the least connection to Duel?”
“He did show some interesting behavior at the summit. Maybe Duel made the first offer, and he just pushed it a little further.”
That explanation seemed plausible.
Mikhail let out a dry laugh, covering his mouth with his hand.
“Hah… things are getting interesting.”
Dominico, beside him, lost his temper at that empty chuckle.
“What’s so interesting about this! I’ll move Dellowell right this instant…!”
And then—
The moment Dellowell’s name was mentioned, Karen Rosefield, who had been silently standing guard behind them, stepped forward.
“Is the Duel–Mallet subjugation agreement officially broken?”
“……”
Everyone fell silent at Karen’s question.
If she received even a single order, there would be no turning back.
Once Karen Rosefield committed to an operation, no one in the Empire could stop her.
A single wrong word here could truly start a war.
The four of them knew that risk all too well.
So, representing the group, both Mikhail and Dominico quickly spoke up to dissuade her.
“There are still unresolved matters to discuss, so please, let’s take it slow….”
“Hmm. I’ll visit Dellowell myself and talk things over in detail. For now, stand down, Executor.”
“Yes.”
The moment Karen was pacified, Mikhail rose from his seat with a thud.
“Please take a short rest. I’ll go coordinate with the reporters.”
As he walked down the long corridor outside, Mikhail sank deep into thought.
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, leaving him unable to organize them.
“……”
And in the end, the last thing that crossed his mind—was surprisingly his daughter’s face.
Creak—
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let me explain how things turned out—”
As Mikhail opened the door and stepped inside, he found himself at a loss for words again.
It was only natural.
There was only one reporter left in the room.
Under the soft glow of moonlight.
I swiftly crossed the familiar night streets of the capital, letting out a deep sigh.
“Phew….”
The negotiations should be over by now.
Hopefully, everything went according to plan, and they got a proper shock.
Thinking back on my final, long conversation with Gustav, I couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“Just pretend to go along with them, then reject it in the end. Drop my name while you do it. Got it?”
“…You’re sure that’s okay?”
“What we need are information and time.”
“But if we reject them outright, won’t we lose both information and time? Wouldn’t it be better to at least sound cooperative first…?”
“You think those bastards would let it slide if you tried to play it halfway? They’d keep pressing you until you swore allegiance.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“I told you. Reject them.”
“In this situation, when we’ve got nothing?”
“We’re the only ones who know that.”
“Ay, you think they’re idiots? They’ve probably dug up every little thing about us already.”
“That’s what they thought… at least until the summit.”
“……”
“They thought we had nothing, yet we landed a clean hit right where it hurts. Now they’ll be scratching their heads, wondering—‘Who’s backing these guys that they’re this good at exploiting our weak points?’”
“…So it’s a sort of devil’s proof, huh.”
“Exactly.”
“No matter how high your odds of winning, there’s no such thing as a zero percent chance of losing, is that it…?”
“The more they have to lose, the deeper their doubts grow.”
“If, after how we handled ourselves at the summit, we hit them with another blow this time…”
“They’ll have no choice but to misunderstand.”
“The more they prepare based on their own misconception, the more time we’ll buy… fitting plan for you, Carter.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Haa… this is getting messier by the minute, damn it.”
“You’re not backing out now, are you? Our great Master of the Magic Tower, Gustav.”
“…Well, I’ve no reason to refuse. Let’s give it a shot.”
“I’m counting on you, Master. Your role’s crucial.”
“Don’t say that, you’re making it sound heavy.”
If Gustav had turned down the agreement just as we’d planned—playing it off with that usual bit of bluff—
We’d buy ourselves at least ten days.
Before they could grasp the situation, reorganize their strategy, and move to act.
In that window, we needed to build up the strength and defenses to face Dellowell head-on.
As long as we could turn that bluff into truth, everything that followed would be an entirely different game.
Lost in thought, I soon realized I’d already arrived at my destination.
I opened the entrance to Ain Kabbalah the same way as before.
Passing through the corridor and swinging open the iron door, I was met with a completely different scene from last time.
Instead of a tavern, a reading hall stretched out before me, rows of empty tables lined up in silence.
At the center, more than ten people were seated together.
Every one of them wore a pitch-black mask.
Except for one.
And that one face—I knew it quite well.
“Ephraim Robinson….”
Unlike most black magicians, who cloaked themselves completely, he stood tall as though deliberately showing off his body.
Thick, corded muscles rippled across his half-bare torso.
The lazy swagger, the street-thug smirk, the lips twisting with scorn—
He was a well-known radical of the Platinum Dawn, one of fewer than twenty people in the Empire who possessed a Code Black.
Ephraim Robinson scratched at his philtrum and smiled.
“Have we met before?”
“Not sure. My memory’s a little hazy.”
I gave a vague answer, keeping my poker face as my mind raced.
‘So he’s the leader of Ain Kabbalah? That’s… unexpected.’
Being granted a Black Code meant his skill was beyond question.
But given his naturally thuggish temperament and habit of deciding everything on impulse, he was hardly the type to lead.
If anything, exposure to black magic would have made those flaws worse, not better.
When I didn’t respond, he let out a low chuckle and spoke first.
“You really put on quite a show, Eugene Carter.”
“…From that reaction, I take it you enjoyed the performance.”
“Only regret is I didn’t get to see it myself.”
He picked up a newspaper from the piles scattered across the tables and waved it lightly.
“You’ve become quite the celebrity, even in our underworld.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“I heard the Resistance reached out to you. If you join up with them, we won’t be seeing each other again. Shame, really.”
So the word traveled fast among them, huh.
I shook my head and shrugged.
“I’m not exactly planning to switch allegiances.”
“After the chaos you caused?”
“Yeah.”
Ephraim’s mouth split into a wide grin.
He rubbed his forehead and laughed in amazement.
“Ha… you’ve got nerves of steel, huh?”
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come alone into this den, would I?”
“Can’t argue with that. Fair point.”
“Well then…”
“Let’s start with your reason for coming here.”
He stretched a hand toward his subordinates behind him.
In that instant—
Countless crimson-black lines shot through his followers’ heads.
“Gah!”
“Ughk…!”
Memory-sharing—the trademark skill of black magicians.
Those who shared the same lineage of codes could recall even trivial conversations as if they were their own.
As he absorbed the leaking memories through those lines, Ephraim nodded slowly.
“The Incurable Curse… so you’ve fallen victim to that nasty thing too.”
“…A vile brand, that’s for sure.”
“Right. So, what do you want to know? The cure, I presume? If that’s what you came for, you must’ve brought proper payment. And you clearly know who I am, don’t you?”
“Oh, I know you well. Ephraim Robinson, the most infamous man of the Platinum Dawn.”
“Heh, top-class flattery skills too. All right then, let’s see what you’ve brought.”
But when he held out both hands expectantly, I firmly refused.
“Sorry, but I’m not here for a cure.”
“…Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. I came for a different kind of information.”
“What kind?”
“The Reincarnation Stone.”
“…What?”
This time, it was his turn to fall silent.