Chapter 34

I awoke only a few hours after having drifted off, an uneasy feeling washing over me. Marie had curled up into a ball on her side of the bed and was sound asleep. I looked around the room, and nothing was out of the ordinary and the door to Yukino’s holding wasn’t open. I got out of bed as the uneasiness didn’t fade, but I couldn’t tell what the cause was. I decided to make sure Yukino was still bound in the stockade, my only guess to the source. I walked over to the door and quietly unlocked it and slowly opened the door, using magic to let me see in the dark. I peered inside and let out a small sigh; Yukino was still in the stockade, slumped against the wall and asleep. I closed the door and decided to check on Tsuki and Ichiro. Peering inside I saw Tsuki sprawled out on her bed in her usual nightwear, asleep, and on the other side of the room, Ichiro had fallen asleep at the desk. Seeing that everything looked fine, I closed the door and surveyed the room once more, trying to figure out the source of this anxiety.

I couldn’t find anything and instead decided to get some air, stepping outside into the cool dawn. I sat on the front step and watched as early morning joggers and bikers passed by. I then wrinkled my nose at the scent of cigarette smoke. Turning to my right, I saw a man dressed in a perfect black suit with an orange dress shirt underneath and a shiny black tie. He had slick, jet black hair and chiseled features. He was leaning next to the door I had just exited, and I jumped up in surprise, somehow completely missing his presence.

“Who the hell are you?!” I exclaimed.

The man took one last puff of his cigarette before exhaling a large cloud of smoke. “Marie sent for me. Though, I was hoping to finish this smoke before disturbing your slumber.” The man said before placing the cigarette back between his lips.

“Are you a magi, too? I didn’t even notice you were there.” I asked, still slightly on edge.

“What do you mean? You came out here at 4 in the morning after being awake for an entire day. Surely you felt my presence.” He said, spitting the cigarette out and crushing it under his foot.

“That sense of unease was from you?”

“Unease, that’s how it felt? I was sure killing intent would feel stronger than that.” The man said looking around the neighborhood, as if what he said meant nothing important.

I clenched my teeth and felt a cold sweat drip on my forehead. Did this guy really just tell me he was here to kill us? Do I kill him right now? But, if he’s answering Marie’s call, then he’s with the agency. I had no idea what my next move was, but I decided to try to avoid a fight.

“Killing intent? For… Yukino?” I asked, trying to make it sound sincere.

He let out a small chuckle. “Loosen up, Ryuki. I’m not here to kill anyone. Call that more of a test. Marie mentioned you awakened a new level of magical talent, potentially on the level of an Elder.” He finally looked back toward me. “We have long theorized Elders have a supernatural sense for hostility and sincerity. Lost many spies due to that ‘theorized’ ability. So, I just acted and thought like I would do on an assassination mission.”

I didn’t let my guard down, but this made sense to me. Even before ‘awakening’ as he put it, I always felt like I knew I could trust Ichiro despite knowing nothing about him and meeting him inside a Secular compound. I could sense his sincerity. And right now, despite this man still having an intense aura of unease, or rather of killing intent, I could also sense he was sincere in saying he has no one to kill here. But that still left one thing.

“You never answered me, though. Are you a magi, too?” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Unfortunately, no. I’m just good at blending into my surroundings. You’re probably just still sleep deprived; you should have noticed me.” He said, shrugging his shoulders.

Then, I felt it. I could tell he was lying. About what part, I didn’t know. “What part of what you said was a lie? I know you’re hiding something.”

“Impressive. Elders can tell when people are lying, too. Even if it’s a small, unimportant one.” He stood up from leaning against the wall and pulled something out of his pocket, holding it by its small chain. “This is something our engineers made. It lets anyone holding it fade out of human basic perception.”

What the man was holding seemed like a simple keychain that anyone would have on their key ring. It was a black square that was semi-translucent that reflected light on every angle. It was very unassuming, matching that of its apparent power.

“Made from magic, I’m assuming.”

“Indeed. See, there are many people like Ichiro. Infatuated with magic, wanting to use it to help the world, to create new tools like this one. Well, ones more meant for general use. But those people get manipulated, locked away, or their minds altered in order to serve the Secular’s shadowy operation.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “While the agency’s main goal isn’t to bring magic into the spotlight, it’s definitely something we see as a potential positive.”

I stared at him, not understanding the significance of telling me or showing me any of this. “That’s noble, I guess, but why tell me?”

“Because I want you to know that there’s more to this war than your revenge.” He said to me, staring daggers into my eyes.

The sense of unease washed over me like a torrent as he looked at me. Despite me being a powerful magi, I felt my life being threatened simply by his presence. It made me wonder if he had another talisman on him causing that.

“What I want right now is for you to take your hand off my shoulder. And then tell me exactly what you want to say without all the flowery pretext.” I said, returning an equally hostile glare at him. The man took his shoulder off in a slight shock before returning to his cool demeanor. He then straightened his tie and stood up straight.

“I’ll get right to it, then. We need to take Yukino. We have to-”

“Not happening.”

“This is why I was trying to lead into it.” The man said pinching the bridge of his nose. “Look, Ryuki, I understand your desire for revenge. But you killed the other Bishop and left Yukino alive, so we need to take her.”

“Get a different Bishop. Or do what you need to do here. You won’t be taking my chance at revenge away.” I stepped in closer to the man. “Or I won’t make just the Secular my enemy.”

The man, clearly trying to fight the fear from showing, raised his hands. “Look, Ryuki, I may be higher up in the agency, but I’m still here just on orders.” He then stepped back, placing his hands back in his pockets and returning to his relaxed posture. “Best I can do is make a deal here.”

“Speak.”

“You can keep your prey; kill her, do whatever you want to her, but you have to bring me a Bishop as a replacement.” He said, starting to light another cigarette. “Call it a trade, one Bishop for another. You get your revenge, the world gets one step closer to salvation.”

I stared at him, my eyes narrowing and rage building in my mind. I could feel the fire igniting in my eyes. “So, what you’re offering me is I get to keep- and kill- the Bishop that I was hunted by and managed to subdue, and in return I have to go out of my way to get another one for you guys?” I tilted my head as I stared at him. Again, I could see the fear creep up in the mans face. I dropped the hostility in my face and crossed my arms. “One thing you should know. I fully intend to remove Yukino from this plane of existence. But I’m not so lost in my revenge that I don’t understand greater pictures. I never intended to shirk my responsibility to deliver a Bishop.”

The man relaxed, his fear disappearing. However, it was soon replaced by complete shock as he heard my next words.

“Now, though, I’ll instead deliver an Elder.”