"This is… quite an interesting story."
"… … … "
"If it's true that you said it yourself, it wouldn't be a lie, but in fact, there are more than one or two reasons why companies haven't gotten involved in this area so far. If you're thinking of taking that risk and jumping into this game, I'll be a little busy too… ."
Sebastian's face hardened and he shook the glass in his hand without stopping.
The wrinkles on his face, which had been deep in thought, suddenly disappeared, and he smiled broadly.
"Okay. Let's talk about the details once I get the blueprints back. In the meantime, I'll also gather some information about other companies."
"Is it possible?"
"Of course. Even considering the agreement with the Dominion, this move is extremely bold. It's no exaggeration to say it's reckless. If something like this happens, there's no doubt that the company has problems with its internal dynamics. If I shake up the executives I know, something will come out of it. I'm actually interested in it."
"… … .."
The sight of Sebastian picking up his cell phone as he spoke was completely different from the image of an old man who was lost in a drink.
"Why do you look like that?"
"No, it's nothing. Then I'll go now."
Leo put down the wine glass he was holding and stood up.
Leo didn't have to delay long, since Sebastian was determined to make the move he wanted right away.
The clues about the robbers according to Madison's testimony are volatile, and you'll have to move as quickly as possible to chase them down.
"Let's leave right now. Send me Madison's recording file too."
#
According to Madison's testimony, the area where the blueprints were stolen by robbers was an apartment complex owned by a construction company in District 35.
The 30th district is where most of the Balkan population lives.
Leo was also thinking of moving his residence to this area if he had even a little free time.
In terms of security, it can't even be compared to the 40th District, and considering the magical research Leo is conducting in his one-room apartment, the importance of security can't be ignored.
A season when warm air blows.
A group of families walking down the street and friends chatting noisily.
"… … … "
A peaceful scene that was once taken for granted, but now feels absurdly awkward.
I calmed my troubled mind and went to the place Madison had mentioned.
Considering the situation he was in, there would have been no lie in his intention to retrieve the blueprints, and if so, there would have been no reason to deceive the two people when making his statement.
The back of a run-down apartment complex slated for redevelopment.
A narrow trail with a small hill on top.
Leo nodded, checking the bloodstains scattered on the dusty bench.
I used magic right away.
[Bloody Chase]
The magical power that extends from the palm of the hand creates a specific flame and instantly transforms into a crimson magic circle.
The magic circle that was slowly rotating around the bloodstain suddenly transformed into a single red thread.
Boom!
It's disconnected and disappears.
"… … ."
Although the tracking magic, which had never let down expectations when tracking down a criminal, did not work, Leo was not that flustered.
Bloody Chase is a much simpler magic process than you might think, and there are many instances where the chase is interrupted or stopped due to very small variables.
I guess I'm just lucky that I haven't had any problems so far.
Leo was rather glad that the magic that traced this bloodstain had been broken.
If this blood had simply been Madison's, the magic would never have been stopped in the first place.
Whatever happened here, there is no doubt that the robbers who stole the blueprints left behind a trail of blood.
'There are two possibilities that can be considered when the Bloody Chase is interrupted.'
The owner of this bloodstain is someone skilled enough to immediately notice Leo's use of tracking magic and stop his interference.
If the blood mixed in this bloodstain scattered here belongs to more than one person.
And to Leo, the latter seemed far more likely.
If a high-level wizard had come here who could immediately notice and cancel the magic he had implemented, he wouldn't have left such a trace in the first place.
"What should I do… ."
Leo, who collected the bloodstains scattered on the bench and put them in a plastic bag he had prepared in advance, was troubled.
Although he uses a common magic that uses bloodstains as a medium to track down a target, his knowledge of blood itself is extremely limited.
Ultimately, what this means is that in this field, Leo needs to get help from someone rather than solving it alone… .
There were a few options that came to mind, but none of them seemed like they would avoid additional costs.
Leo slowly left the apartment complex as he dialled Sebastian's number, which they had exchanged earlier.
[… … … ]
After finishing talking about the additional cost, we head straight to the 40th area.
Area 44.
As befitting the number that somehow looks ominous, this area is home to many occupations that have a strong occult feel.
In the world of sorcery, it is a line that deals with extremely dark and minor catalysts, or secret sorcery that is passed down through individual legends.
Or, a place where those who deal with subjects that may not be directly helpful to people's future, such as prophecy or astrology, can spread out their mats without any hesitation.
Leo, who had entered a street in an area with a particularly strong smell of blood, slowly looked around.
Judging by the smell that tickles my nose, I feel like I've come to the right place, but I'm at a loss because I can't find the entrance.
Phew..!
I had no choice but to spread my magic power widely and look in all directions. Only then did the entrances that were hidden behind a lot of talismans appear on all sides.
A strange pattern drawn in red ink running down blue paper.
It was obvious that the ink was not a product simply containing pigment.
Blood Mage
As I removed the talisman without hesitation and chose an entrance to enter, one of the people who had been burning incense with his back to the door suddenly turned his head.
A boy who appears to be in his mid-teens. Contrary to his young appearance, it is hard to believe that he works in a place like this, his expression looks very calm.
This was the first time he had encountered such a young partner while working on this floor, so Leo looked at the boy with curiosity.
The boy also looked Leo up and down openly, then said something in an indifferent tone.
"I never said I was doing business."
"If the entrance is open, isn't it accepting guests?"
"… … .."
The boy, who had been looking at Leo with a strangely sullen gaze, reluctantly nodded.
"… Sit down."
As soon as he sat down in the small room designed for sitting, Leo took out the blood he had collected from his bosom.
"I'm looking for someone. I want to know whose blood this is."
The place Leo went to with the blood trail that cut off Bloody Chase was the den of blood mages.
It would be possible to send the bloodstain to a facility like a research institute and have it analysed for components to track it, but we decided that it would be much more efficient to get help from those who specialize in blood-related techniques, even if it costs a little more.
When I was chasing Taylor Evans in the past, I thought about getting help from blood mages, but I gave up when Jenny said the labour cost was high.
But when it came to extracting and manipulating information about blood at a more specialized level, no one could surpass the Blood Mage.
The boy replied indifferently.
"3 million cells, down payment. Additional costs will apply depending on the additional work."
As Leo silently placed a wad of cash next to the blood, the boy immediately picked up the money and the blood.
The boy, who had placed the blood sample on an old table, slowly brought his index finger up to it.
The bright red light from the bloodstain seeped into the boy's fingers, and soon he opened his mouth.
"The blood of three people is mixed."
"There are three?"
"One man in his 40s. One man and one woman in their 20s."
Madison and the robber?
While Leo was lost in thought, the boy continued speaking without pause.
"The man in his 40s shows no signs of having learned magical powers, while the magical power concentration of the other two is considerable. All three were injured at the tips of their fingers. Judging by the metallic smell, it seems like they were intentionally wounded with a blade."
"...what?"
"The bloodstains were exposed to the outside for approximately 30 hours. The two men and women in their 20s are magical beings, so they'll have to use magic once more… But the man in his 40s can write down the location right now."
"… … … ."
I thought it would be helpful, but the information is so specific that I can't believe it's coming from just a few drops of blood.
Of course, it would be impossible to identify the owner of the blood with this information alone, but if we combine this and that information from the underworld and the circumstances of the case, it would be possible to greatly reduce the number of candidates.
It is precisely because of these advantages that blood mages have been able to continue to exist despite the fatal disadvantage of having to pay with their own life force, and they are receiving a demand that never dries up.
According to Jenny, the city government's investigative agencies often visit this street, so assuming that there is a medium called blood, their usefulness cannot be expressed in a word.
Of course, all of these advantages only apply to those who do not have strong targeting resistance abilities like Leo, so to speak.
Considering the number of people dying each day in this huge city, it didn't make much of a difference.
The boy who had been talking up to that point suddenly shut his mouth tightly and looked up at Leo.
"From here on out, there are additional costs."
"Additional cost?"
"It takes 12 million cells to find the location of a man and a woman in their 20s. It takes 4 million cells for a man in his 40s."
As expected, it is definitely a significant expense.
No, this was a much higher price than what I had heard from Jenny.
So instead of answering that question, Leo asked the boy a question in return.
"How much does it cost to classify each mixed bloodstain?"
"what?"
Leo ignored the boy's question and took out more wads of cash from his bosom.
chin!
Five million dollars in cash that I withdrew from the bank on my way here.
"I paid the deposit and laid the remaining money down on the old table," said Leo.
"Five million cells, including the cost of accurately classifying the mixed blood into three people's individual blood types."
If there is no blood mixing, it is possible to use Bloody Chase to determine the direction to some extent.
It may not be as efficient as pinpointing a location with blood magic, but there was no need to spend money on something useless.
When Leo came out strong first, the boy slowly shook his head.
"It's a little bit lacking."
"… … .."
"I'm not doing this bargaining just for the money. If it's not for the money, then offer me a price that's worth it."
The tone of the boy speaking like that was quite gentle.
It's not just that he's being pushy, he really thinks the money Leo is offering is not enough.
The price… What price could Leo possibly pay him now?
If it were to be an item of value to sorcerers who only stay in one place and make money by receiving guests… .
The conversation he had with Evelyn came to Leo's mind.
"How about this?"
"say it."
"I heard there will be a raid on the sorcerers operating in the 40th District soon. I think it will be important information for blood mages like you."
Evelyn revealed the information about the checkpoint as if she was doing a favour, but Leo noticed that the information about the checkpoint was not as important as she had said.
There's no way the police can get their act together in this city, especially when it comes to the 40s precinct.
Anyway, by the time the full-scale inspection begins, the rumours will have spread everywhere.
Instead of the sorcerers actually being caught, it's obvious that there will be a money feast with bribes being exchanged.
It seemed like a good deal if I could sell this information to someone else before it lost its value.
Of course, assuming the boy believes all these words.
The boy grimaced silently at Leo's words.
"… Are you kidding me? You want me to believe that without any evidence?"
"… … … "
"If you're going to talk nonsense, then go ahead. I won't have any thoughts after hearing such things from an incompetent sorcerer."
"Phew… .."
Leo also let out a small sigh at that calm answer mixed with faint contempt.
Even though we know it clearly, we often forget it.
The fact that nothing in this street can be solved with kind words.
This is not how you give trust to someone.
I had to show it, not just tell it.
He summoned up his magical power in one breath and slammed down hard on the table in front of him.
thud!!