Three days later, Special Operations Department.
For some reason, a strange sense of tension filled the room today.
It was only natural.
Into the usually carefree room that felt more like a clubroom than an office, three outsiders had entered.
Although they all lived in the same Magic Tower, neither the Mad Fiend nor Seiro was someone whose existence could be publicly revealed.
Since they couldn't exactly walk around openly, it was only natural that no one had ever run into them.
'The only one they might recognize is probably Edna, since she works as a librarian...'
These brats must never even set foot in the library.
They're staring at them like they've never seen them before in their lives.
Even the outgoing Fran seemed to find it difficult to approach them.
Covering his mouth with one hand, he cautiously asked,
“Oscar, who are these people?”
“The one on the far left is Edna Sol Laplace. She's the last dragon I brought back from beyond the Crimson Mountain Range. She had been safeguarding the White Tower's records entrusted to her by the previous Tower Master.”
The problem children's stunned expressions at the very first introduction were quite a sight to behold.
“A-a dragon? Didn't they all leave this world right before the war against the demons?”
“But I remember hearing about it. The dragon who was a close friend of the previous White Tower Master stayed behind and fought until the very end.”
“...How fascinating.”
They stared at Edna as though they were looking upon a hero from an ancient legend.
Completely unfazed by the barrage of gazes, Edna greeted them lightly.
“I'm Edna Sol Laplace. I look forward to working with you.”
Oscar immediately continued with the next introduction.
“And this person is...”
Although he was publicly known as the Mad Fiend of the Violet Brigade, in reality he was Gilliot Dominic, the current Tower Master's senior brother.
...Naturally, he couldn't introduce him like that.
Because of that, the introduction ended up rather brief.
“The Mad Fiend of the Violet Brigade. For certain reasons, he's helping us.”
“No, wait. Why would someone from the Violet Brigade...?”
Ignoring Fran's question, Oscar turned toward Seiro.
“And lastly...”
Hmm.
Unexpectedly, this guy was the hardest one to introduce.
As Fran had just said, the world believed that dragons had abandoned this star and left.
But in reality, that was a misunderstanding, and their role had actually been this and that...
Explaining that whole complicated story from beginning to end would take far too long and be unnecessarily academic.
'More importantly, it's a pain.'
Having made up his mind, Oscar gave a very rough introduction.
“This is Seiro. He's a mage with a unique ability that lets him transform into an enormous lizard.”
“...Huh?”
Quietly listening until then, Seiro stared blankly.
To him, being a dragon was a source of immense pride.
“T-to introduce me like that?! I can't believe it!”
His cheeks trembled in shock, and Edna quickly educated him.
“Seiro. We don't have much time, and it's troublesome. Let's just go with that.”
“B-but!”
Unable to stand against Edna's firm attitude, he fidgeted awkwardly before hanging his head.
Just then, Killian strode directly toward the Mad Fiend.
With the two men of similar height facing one another, an odd sense of pressure filled the room.
Killian swiftly looked the masked Mad Fiend up and down.
'The body of a well-trained warrior.'
Suppressing the urge to challenge him to a fight someday, he asked,
“If you're with the Violet Brigade, have you ever met Kaya Lockwood?”
“...Grrrr.”
Startled by the Mad Fiend's low growl, Killian immediately responded,
“Grrr.”
“Grrr.”
“O-Oscar... should we assume they're actually communicating?”
At Fran's voice, as though he had just witnessed the language of some primitive tribe, Oscar shrugged.
“Who knows? I suppose they probably are.”
Watching them exchange growls, it really did seem like a genuine conversation.
Bang! Bang!
Oscar slammed the desk loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
“All right, eyes up. Time for today's operation briefing.”
As he flicked a finger—
Fwaaash!
A map spread out before them.
“Our destination is here. A place called Caligo, located deep within the southern jungle.”
“Hm? That's the Black Finger's headquarters?”
“For a headquarters... it isn't actually all that difficult to find, is it?”
As Fran said, it wasn't located in the deepest part of the jungle.
If anything, it lay somewhere between the outskirts and the center.
“They still need a steady supply of basic provisions, so they probably didn't want to settle too deep inside. Besides, they can simply conceal it with illusion magic.”
“I see. Makes sense.”
“How many enemies are there?”
At Killian's question, Oscar waved the documents he had received from the Emperor.
“According to the Dark Tracker's report from a few days ago, there are estimated to be at least several hundred members active.”
“At least several hundred... That's more than I expected. What's their level?”
“Fortunately, nothing we need to worry about. They range from complete civilians to Level 6. The gap is pretty wide.”
He looked at Edna and Seiro.
“You two handle the small fry outside the temple. If anything happens, notify us immediately through message magic. We'll head straight into the temple.”
“Understood.”
Edna answered confidently.
If it had only been Seiro, that might have been another matter, but with her beside him, there was no need to worry about the outside.
“Oscar, you said two of the Fingers are there. Have you figured out who they are?”
“For now, we've confirmed that the 'Hound' is there. Then, a few days ago, another Finger joined him, making it two at present.”
“The Hound?”
Since everyone looked unfamiliar with the name, Oscar gave a brief explanation.
“The executives leading the Black Finger are known as the Five Fingers. Of those five, the Dark Trackers have only identified the abilities of four. The Hound, whose current location has been confirmed, possesses a unique ability that allows movement and assassination through shadows.”
“What the hell? That's completely broken.”
“In practice, he's already used that ability to kill more than ten members of the Dark Trackers.”
The report clearly stated:
Never engage him in a dark location under any circumstances.
Oscar continued reading.
“Next is the Alchemist. He's the chief researcher in charge of the magic ore they call the Philosopher's Stone. Nothing is known about his abilities.”
“If he's a researcher, there's a chance his combat ability is low.”
“Right. That's also the Dark Trackers' assessment.”
If the two Fingers stationed at the headquarters turned out to be these two, that would be the best-case scenario.
They would be far too easy for the group to deal with.
“Moving on. The Dark Trackers only obtained information on the next Finger through examining corpses, so not much is known. Since he uses a massive axe as his weapon, they call him the Lumberjack.”
“Is he strong?”
“Judging from the traces of battle, he's most likely a warrior-type who fights using strength and speed.”
“How interesting.”
At the mention of a warrior, Killian's interest visibly grew.
“As it happens, if the Lumberjack is there, I was planning to leave him to you and the Mad Fiend. The next opponent isn't a good match for either of you.”
“Who is it?”
“The fourth Finger is known as the Cult Leader. He's the one leading the Salvation Church.”
“The Salvation Church... weren't those the people we encountered?”
“That's right. They're the ones who deceived orphans and the homeless in Saint Hill and turned them into test subjects.”
The report described the Cult Leader as follows.
“Although nothing concrete is known about the Cult Leader's combat abilities, judging by the Salvation Church's abnormal devotion and obsession toward him, it's believed he possesses a unique ability resembling hypnosis or brainwashing.”
“A mental-type ability...”
“Yeah, that's definitely a pain.”
Just hearing the explanation was enough to make everyone frown.
Anyone who had ever fought an enemy with mental abilities knew just how troublesome they were.
“If someone with low magic resistance like Killian or the Mad Fiend faces him, it could be dangerous. If things go wrong, trusted allies could end up becoming enemies.”
To prevent such a worst-case scenario, Oscar intended to keep the two of them as far away from the Cult Leader as possible.
Turning his head, he said,
“Fran, Veronica. If the Cult Leader is there, I don't care about the situation—rush straight toward him and kill him first. If he starts taking control of the battlefield, things will become a nightmare.”
“Leave it to us.”
“Cult Leader. Got it.”
That concluded all the information on the four known Fingers.
As for the First Finger—their leader—
No information existed yet.
'Or perhaps... there might finally be one now.'
If the traitor within the Imperial Palace truly was the First Finger, then they would be catching him soon enough.
“Capture the Fingers as quickly as possible and extract information about whoever is backing them. Any questions?”
Oscar looked at everyone one by one as he asked, but no one raised a hand.
“Good.”
Nodding, he snapped his fingers.
A portal opened.
“No point dragging this out. Zero five thirty-four. Operation begins.”
Before a desk inside a room illuminated by flickering torches stood a middle-aged man wearing gray robes.
Looking over the papers scattered chaotically across the desk, he muttered,
“I'm really almost there... Am I missing only the final piece...?”
A trace of regret crossed his face before he suddenly spoke.
“What is it?”
“—Ho.”
A voice echoed as though speaking from inside a cave.
Fwaaash!
A slender figure rose from the room's shadows.
“Sharp senses. I thought you were just some bookworm who stayed holed up in a room doing research.”
“...What do you want, Hound?”
“You seem a lot smarter than I am, so I figured I'd ask.”
Meaninglessly tapping one of the flasks rolling around on the desk, the Hound asked,
“About this summons. No matter how I think about it, I can't figure out the reason. Got any ideas?”
“Hmm.”
At those words, the Alchemist straightened his back and looked at the Hound.
Indeed, even he had never expected this summons.
Since the organization's founding, this was the first time all of the Fingers had been called together.
“The First Finger will tell us once everyone has gathered. He's the one who summoned us.”
“That's what I'm curious about too. While we're out working, we occasionally hear bits and pieces about the other Fingers. But somehow, we never hear a single thing about the First Finger.”
After thinking for a moment, the Alchemist replied,
“Who knows? Perhaps, as the organization's underlings speculate, he's a high-ranking noble... or even a member of the imperial family. Otherwise, this level of information network simply doesn't make sense.”
“If that's true... then he must be old. Old men with one foot in the grave always crave immortality.”
“I don't know. Is that all you came to say?”
The Alchemist stared at him flatly, clearly annoyed at having his research interrupted.
The Hound let out a snort.
“Hmph. How boring. I heard the others will all arrive before the day is over. It'll be the first time we'll actually meet face to face.”
“If you're finished, leave.”
Just as the Hound was about to quietly melt back into the shadows, he stopped.
“By the way, I really don't like that commanding tone of yours. Looking to die?”
“I'm already short on time just trying to finish my research. Please get out.”
The moment the Hound stared intently at the Alchemist, wondering where all that confidence came from—
RUMBLE!
A powerful tremor shook the entire temple, and dust rained down from the underground chamber's ceiling where they stood.
“Hm.”
The hostility between them faded, and both men looked up at the ceiling simultaneously.
“Seems... some little rats have arrived.”

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