The Magician and the Scientist
“All right, thanks.”
Throwing aside the soldier who’d been beaten until he looked like a ragged mop, I headed out of the city and toward my destination.
The forest at night was so quiet it seemed to swallow sound. As I walked, the damp earth squelched under my feet.
In my hand was the map I had forced the information out of him to obtain. My methods were rough, so there’ll probably be trouble later—but hey, I’m officially recognized as a Saint. I’m important. Something like this? I can smooth it over. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully…
“… This should be it.”
Before long, I arrived at the cave that was my target.
The entrance wasn’t hidden, and it wasn’t a natural monster den like something goblins or orcs might use. It was a hole clearly dug by human hands.
I slipped on the white gloves I’d kept in my pocket, then fitted all ten rings in their usual places, checking the feel.
“… Let’s go.”
Murmuring to myself, I stepped through the entrance—and the air instantly changed. The outside humidity turned cold, and the stone’s chill bit at my skin.
I sent mana into the ring on my pinky, and a small sphere of light floated up with a soft glow.
Beginner Magic [Light Orb]
A spell that creates illumination.
I can’t use magic. Even so, with these magical tools—rings engraved with spell formulas—I can use magic like this.
As I walked, lighting the area around me, a scent grew stronger. A familiar one—unusual in a world with healing magic, but one I knew well. A mix of chemicals, blood, and ash.
When I passed through a narrow passage, my view opened up into a large chamber. Lamps flickered on the walls. Tables, bottles, and rusted instruments lay scattered around. Dark red stains clung everywhere, and bones of something littered the floor.
It smelled like a slaughterhouse.
At the center of the wide room, on the edge of the shadows, lay a small shape.
Reddish-gold hair was splayed messily, her pale face faintly catching the light. As I approached, I realized it was a young girl. Riko—the one who’d been taken.
She was unconscious, but her chest rose and fell. Not dead.
I gently touched her cheek.
“… At least that’s one relief.”
I stroked Riko’s head once, then moved my hand across her body, checking her condition. Some bruises on her abdomen and arms, but no bleeding. No injection marks. No signs of anything sexual having been done.
It really seemed like they just dragged her here.
Her value as merchandise shouldn’t have dropped—
—The instant that thought crossed my mind, a small sound of shifting stone came from behind me. Something moved quietly. Not the forest’s stillness—something in the cave’s darkness trembled.
My body reacted before I could turn. I gathered mana into my hand, ready to activate a spell at any moment.
From the edge of the darkness, a figure slid out. Slowly, deliberately, a man stepped forward.
I knew who it was immediately. Wearing a white coat and staring at me with a greasy grin—Baldo.
He held a few small vials, and the scent of herbs or chemicals drifted toward me.
“Nfufu… Don’t worry, Ale-san. I haven’t done anything to her.”
“I don’t need explanations. Hand her over, and then die.”
In the depths of his eyes, science and madness flickered together.
“Come now, no need to get so angry. A researcher like me just wanted to ‘poke around’ a little, you know? Fufufu.”
Baldo stepped fully into the light, his white coat fluttering. I’d always thought of him as nothing more than some weird doctor. Looks like I’ll need to revise that opinion.
Every time he lightly shook the vials, the liquid inside gleamed ominously.
“Fufu… No need to glare. I told you—I did nothing. Not yet.”
“So you’re saying you were planning to?”
I shifted position so I stood between him and Riko. Her small body still slept, breathing faintly. If he used her as a hostage, it would be trouble. That meant I couldn’t move away from here.
“Researchers, you see—when we spot a good specimen, our hands move on reflex. A bad habit.”
“Don’t call her a specimen on your own. This kid is my merchandise. Thief.”
I said it plainly. Baldo exaggeratedly shrugged, like some stage clown.
“Cold as ever. I’ve watched you around town, and honestly, I felt relieved. You never looked like a Saint. I thought maybe my eyes were going bad.”
“… That title’s just a signboard. And even so, I’m still better than the likes of you.”
I snorted. Baldo chuckled in his throat. His thin lips twisted upward, and his eyes glowed like a beast’s.
“Actually… she isn’t the main prize. She’s the bait to lure you out.”
Of course. They targeted my orphanage for one reason.
To draw out me, the Saint. Otherwise they wouldn’t kidnap a newcomer at this exact timing. They’d had plenty of other chances.
Maybe they’d waited until I was officially recognized as a Saint. Who knows. Doesn’t matter.
“So? You lured me. What now?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I intend to study your body—its divine mystery.”
“… Hah… I see. And?”
The casual way he spoke of dissecting a person in the name of research made me sick.
“Then why not kidnap me from the start? Instead of the kid.”
“Impossible. An angel is always with you, yes? Her name was… Lily, I believe? Ever since you were recognized as a Saint, she never once left your side. Very inconvenient.”
…
“But she won’t be coming. Right now the Jester should be stalling her. He is far stronger than I am… No, I doubt anyone in this world could defeat him. A single Saintess could never reach this place.”
A weight pressed faintly on my chest, but my expression didn’t change. Whether Lily could win or not wasn’t the point. I honestly didn’t know her full strength—but she would fight as a Saintess.
Which meant the important part was simple:
I would have to handle everything here alone.
“… So no one’s going to interrupt.”
“Yes. So feel free to go wild. You have nowhere to run anyway.”
Baldo spread his arms dramatically, welcoming me like some over-the-top performer. The vial in his hand fell to the ground, hissing and smoking.
I tightened my gloves, feeling the cold of the magic rings through them, and exhaled.
“──Fine. I’ll crush you and take her back.”
Baldo’s eyes sparkled even brighter.
“Now then—let the experiment begin!”
The air in the cave went taut.
Before the sleeping girl in the corner of the chamber, the fake magician and the mad scientist finally faced each other.
What do you think about this chapter?
