A Hunter in Angel’s Clothing

“What is it?”

As I tilted my head in confusion, the lounging Elliot sat up straight.

They say the Magic Tower is the source of all magic, but ultimately, that’s a story contained within the Empire. Imperial citizens seem to believe that magic is a special gift granted only to them and that beyond the Empire’s borders, civilization vanishes into savage lands—but of course, that’s not the case.

Whether you cross the western or northern mountain ranges into the lands of other races, cross the eastern border, or sail across the southern sea to foreign nations, it was only natural for them to have their own “sources.”

Among them, El-Sevet was a country where magitech—based on the ideology of sharing magic with everyone—was highly developed. I had heard they were the best on the continent at using magic practically, and their weaponry was so potent that relevant international treaties were updated every year. Although some claimed their magical level was slightly lower than the Empire’s, that was strictly from the perspective of Imperial mages and couldn’t be called objective.

“I heard that creating and using mana stones is a form unique to the Empire. While you can make higher-grade artifacts than by just enchanting gemstones, the cost-effectiveness is terrible. Besides, high-ranking mages capable of producing stones pure enough to look like gems aren’t exactly common.”

Anyone can create a mana stone according to a recipe if they have the materials and basic mana, but if you give high-grade materials to a lower-year Academy student, you’ll get something that looks like a common rock. To craft a mana stone that holds light with such transparency, one had to be skilled enough to own a private lab in the Magic Tower.

Only in the Empire would a mage of that caliber even think about dressing up a mana stone to sell as jewelry; in other countries, it’s impossible. El-Sevet, in particular, was a small nation. You can tell by the fact that the Empire doesn’t wage war over their threatening weapons, but settles for a few regulations instead.

“I heard El-Sevet enchants things at the component level.”

“I’ve seen goods from El-Sevet before, too.”

Elliot’s eyes narrowed. He seemed to be weighing whether the merchant had scammed him.

“But they say a lot of mana stone accessories made like this have been coming in lately. I’ll have to look into other places, but at least that’s the case here in Lovenus.”

If Lovenus, the hub of foreign exchange, was like this, the situation in other cities wouldn’t be much different.

“Well, since there’s so much trade, maybe they’ve started to influence each other. I only heard about it in passing a long time ago, so I’m not certain.”

“Certainly, for customers who like flashy things, sacrificing cost-effectiveness would be the wise choice.”

Satisfied with the logic, Elliot opened his notebook. His handwriting, scrawled so fast the ink smeared, was so poor you had to squint to read it. As he worked on the ledger, I casually brought it up.

“Remember that guy you mentioned? Lady Berinnon’s son.”

“Kyle Berinnon?”

His pen came to a dead stop. Elliot’s brow furrowed deeply. I shrugged as if it were nothing.

“He seems to know Blodgett. He was there today when I went to spar.”

“f*ck.”

“We didn’t say much. He seemed quieter than I expected.”

Elliot looked so revolted that his hunched shoulders were practically shaking. He started to nag me again not to act like I knew the guy, but then he suddenly paused as if something had occurred to him.

“I don’t want to believe that bastard did it on purpose, but…”

“Did what?”

Instead of answering, Elliot rummaged through some papers and pulled out an invitation. It wasn’t hard to guess who sent it.

“Is it from Lady Berinnon?”

“She’s invited you and me to dinner two days from now.”

“Are you saying Kyle Berinnon knew that and came to see me today in advance?”

I recalled the boy I saw earlier, the one with the angelic face and honey-sweet blonde hair. He didn’t seem like a transparent person, but he didn’t seem so dark-hearted that I needed to run away, either. He was a bit unsettling, but not to the point where I had to reject him outright.

Honestly, compared to Cedric Klein, who spent years exchanging letters with me pretending to be a girl, or the Crown Prince, who tried to choke me before acting like nothing happened, he was practically adorable.

“I hope not, but it’s possible. That prick has been peculiar since he was a kid. When things don’t go his way, he gets… a bit.”

His face said he wanted to say “crazy” rather than “peculiar.” He seemed to be choosing his words carefully only because of his friendship with Lady Berinnon.

Not that they were exactly old now, but for Elliot to recoil like this, the boy must have been something else from a very young age. His silenced expression seemed to be scanning the past.

“A bit?”

“It was about five years ago. Around then, he was unusually obsessed with his belongings and couldn’t take a joke, so he didn’t get along with the other kids. I wasn’t around him for long, so I don’t know the details.”

At seven years old, it’s not unusual for kids to be possessive of their things. Helena was like that, for example. She had always been loved and never had to compromise, so she had friction with her peers. She didn’t have many friends besides Lucia, but she wasn’t a bad or twisted person. In fact, she’d been doing fine since entering the Academy.

Even if Kyle Berinnon was an unlikeable brat five years ago, people change a lot in half a decade. I thought of Kyle, who stood out from the group in that strange, detached way. They didn’t seem like the best of friends, but I didn’t sense any particular animosity toward him from the other kids.

“If you hate him that much, why not just decline?”

Elliot shook his head.

“That might just provoke him for no reason. Besides, Lady Berinnon’s influence in Lovenus is substantial. It’s better to maintain the connection. We went through all that trouble to build a bridge with Blodgett; we can’t throw that away just to avoid one piece of shit.”

We concluded that if a meeting was inevitable, it was best to do it at Lady Berinnon’s residence. Everything in Lovenus was grand, but the central residential district was especially so.

Passing by decorations flashy enough to catch even my eyes—and I was someone used to the Imperial Palace—the master of the house greeted us.

“Hello, Elliot…”

The Kyle Berinnon I met again greeted us in a small voice. He was different from the frail yet composed version I’d seen before, and there was no trace of the boy Elliot so loathed.

His blonde hair, blue eyes, and pretty face were, in common terms, angelic. The way he held onto his mother’s skirt made him look shy. It’s not like I haven’t seen a pampered “prince” or “princess” before. If anything, his timid appearance was a relief. Someone like that wouldn’t be much of a hindrance.

The dinner that followed was very peaceful. Lady Berinnon talked to Elliot with a smile and complimented me.

The person who held the absolute, undisputed throne of Lovenus high society was Rebecca Luxsteel. People said Lady Berinnon wielded considerable influence by maintaining a friendship with her. Despite her gentle and innocent appearance, her way of speaking was quite sophisticated and exhausting.

As we headed back after the long dinner, I nudged Elliot.

“I told you he was quiet.”

“Maybe he grew up in the meantime.”

His tone was grumpy, but his voice wasn’t harsh. He seemed to be revising his impression of Kyle Berinnon as well.

Nothing much happened after that.

Elliot was busy and often away, while I spent my time getting closer to the Blodgett group. Kyle Berinnon appeared occasionally to show his face. I was tense at first, but it felt wrong to stay on edge around someone who just sat there smiling quietly every time.

The only problem was that, contrary to his delinquent appearance, Seth Blodgett was an incredibly straight-laced guy. He acted as if he didn’t know any routes other than his house, the training hall, and the knight headquarters. My plan to build a rapport with Blodgett and get a tour of the Lovenus back alleys had failed. Separate from the fun of sparring, I felt frustrated. Once Elliot returned to the capital, I wouldn’t be able to stay at the hotel. It would be hard to ignore Leo, who had rejected the provided officers’ quarters and bought a mansion instead.

Damn it, he looks like the type who’d spend all day strutting through the alleys.

Today, again, I parried the sword of Blodgett—who was twitching the corners of his mouth with a grumpy face—while looking at the gaps between the buildings. Lovenus is a city so vast and grand it’s called the capital of the East. But where the exterior is brilliant, the interior is often foul. Behind the rosy splendor, the dregs of hedonism remained like sewage.

And within that world, there was a guy who would rule like a king.

Based on the information Erkel gave me, I tried to imagine an image of Luke.

He seems like a hedonist no less than Cedric Klein, but in reality, he’s strictly calculated about his own gain. Like the Crown Prince, he has a brilliant talent for drawing people in. He keeps a low profile but is a hunter who never misses the timing. The most dangerous man in the original story.

Based on the descriptions, he sounds like a terrifying monster. My lips went dry with tension at the thought that such a man was right in front of me. Even though I had come here with a firm resolution, I kept hesitating, unable to take a step forward. I felt like a red alert was blaring loudly; I couldn’t tell whether I should ignore it and push through or follow my instincts.

“Are you interested in that side?”

A gentle voice. Kyle Berinnon smiled as he offered me a handkerchief.