Chapter 91

Purging a criminal organization was something even I, who handled every kind of mission, had rarely done.

Mainly because most targets were multiple Awakened, and in some cases, the organization retaliated systematically. Even within the Special Unit, only personnel with ample experience were assigned to such missions.

Someone like No Yeon-hwa, whose abilities were suited for taking on many enemies at once, or members from established families like Cheon So-baek or Yu Se-byeol, who didn’t need to worry about retaliation, were prioritized.

If I had faithfully carried out classified missions under Ha Yeri’s orders when the Sea of Decay overflowed, I might have been an expert by now.

But all that remained in my head was the manual for dealing with criminal organizations.

“First, we need to identify their base of operations and movement range. Which neighborhood were they last spotted in?”

“Well… that’s a bit of a problem.”

According to Norkel, the Hand of Oblivion wasn’t currently in Seoul.

As soon as the Bureau stripped them of their guild license, they had taken a train to Busan.

Busan was a space where the Pact of Protection, set by the Dragon Immortal, was in effect, making gate activations or monster summons impossible.

I could have just gone alone and wiped out the organization directly, but the plan was to lure them back to Seoul first.

The one who needed to become famous from this criminal purge wasn’t Black Mage Patel—it was Special Unit agent Sae Hayan.

“What do they want? They wouldn’t attack you without a purpose.”

“Well… if you look here.”

“This?”

I held up the watch Norkel had handed me.

The screen displayed a catalog of items sold by the Witch Trade Association.

It was similar to the one I had received from Rubietta, but the items were more detailed and more purchasable objects were listed.

Looking closer, I saw “VVIP Grade” in the top-right corner.

“We’ve been trading with witches for hundreds of years. Nightmare Demons have few means to protect themselves in the physical world, so they mainly purchase monsters.”

“Interesting. So, what exactly do they want?”

“This is a newly listed item in the Witch Trade Association. If you sort by price, it’s at the very top.”

Manipulating the smartwatch as she said, the top item appeared.

The handkerchief of the 56th ruler of the Demon Realm, the Archduke of Bewitchment.

“An artifact?”

“Exactly.”

Reading the description below, it was a relic said to bestow endless beauty upon its owner.

It was the last relic of an Archduke already annihilated by the Apostle of an Outer God, making it extraordinarily valuable.

For now, the 56th Duke, Gremory, wasn’t imprinted in my memory as a particularly formidable presence.

She just… seemed to sparkle a bit.

I eliminated her when Mala-nim took an interest, but there was no Star Scar.

But was this really something the black mages needed?

By my standards, it was hard to understand.

“You’re telling me they’re willing to turn all the guild-affiliated demons into enemies just for something like this?”

“The value of the handkerchief isn’t mere beauty, as the inscription says.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s a powerful hypnotic artifact based on the indulgence of aesthetic consciousness in sentient beings. Depending on how it’s used, it can manipulate perception, alter common sense, even rewrite the laws of the world—a truly frightening object.”

Its owner would appear as the most beautiful being in the world to all creatures, humans included.

Moreover, it would elicit extreme favor regardless of their true status or form.

Since it was an item imbued with the Archduke’s own power, its grade alone made it at least S-rank.

Hearing Norkel’s explanation that it would be difficult to counter for anyone other than a mentally resilient Awakened, I understood.

The Handkerchief of Bewitchment… if the black mages possessed it, they might no longer need to hide their identity at all.

Exaggerating slightly, they could even stride confidently through the Bureau’s main gate and register as agents—a terrifying thought.

“Currently, the only faction in this country that can purchase this is us. As you can see, we’ve accumulated quite a bit of capital…”

So it wasn’t their goal to simply control Nightmare Demons in the first place.

Though sentient, their combat power was weak compared to other monsters.

In any case, now that I knew the Hand of Oblivion’s objective, luring them was simple.

All I had to do was show that the handkerchief was in Seoul.

“Y-You’re not planning to buy it yourself, are you?”

“Of course. Even if it isn’t the Hand of Oblivion, it’d be dangerous if some other guy got it.”

“Y-You don’t intend to use it yourself…?”

“Nope. I’m going to burn it.”

“Eh?”

Norkel froze at my blunt reply.

Not only was I planning to wipe out all the funds they had amassed over centuries in an instant, I openly declared that I’d destroy the one thing they would gain from it.

“C-Can’t you reconsider? If that disappears, we’ll—”

“If I just hold onto it, who knows when someone might come to take it. Maybe twenty years from now I’ll rebuild the Black Magic Tower and come back—am I supposed to protect it until then?”

“Y-Yes, but…! Please, I beg you, reconsider!”

Norkel was stuck, unable to do anything.

In truth, the Nightmare Demons didn’t need to buy the Handkerchief of Bewitchment with their funds in the first place.

After all, I had the infinitely regenerating Digestion.

If I paid with Tentacle Pay, it would be practically free—but if I let her know now, her loyalty might waver.

As I reached to touch the screen, she went pale and clung to my arm.

“Now that I think about it, we probably have enough on our own!”

“Ah, too late. Go back, I have no intention of giving it up.”

“Then how about just pretending to burn it? Like, with some hallucinatory magic! We could use it too!”

“Not enough.”

“Excuse me?”

“A trick like that wouldn’t provide enough dopamine.”

My madness drained the last color from her face.

After all, a citizen of Seoul who enjoys tentacle surfing on the Han River and treats the Flame of Resurrection as a sightseeing course shouldn’t be afraid of something this trivial.

What would happen if, even for a moment, they realized the handkerchief was fake?

I had no intention of going around rounding up every last remnant of the Black Magic Tower.

“This… this wicked black mage! Someone on the level of the Apostle of an Outer God! How can such apocalyptic ideas even form in a human mind?!”

“Because it’s a human mind, that’s why.”

“Besides, there’s no way the ones in Busan could know we’re burning the handkerchief!”

To Norkel, clinging to me with a last-ditch desperation, I smiled behind the mask.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already thought of a method for that.”

As Mala-nim said, the important thing wasn’t money—it was the message.

Tall, clad in a black robe.

A Special Unit agent with a black collar around his neck and a silver bracelet on his arm was patrolling when he discovered the handkerchief.

He raised his smartwatch, turned on the broadcast, and began streaming the situation live.

Without revealing his face, his avatar, a wriggling violet tentacle, quickly drew an enormous number of viewers.

“Wow… so many people are watching just this guy’s broadcast?”

“He’s famous even within Special Unit as a rising prodigy. He even broadcast with the Commander-in-Chief recently.”

“From the outside, he doesn’t seem like much…”

Well, that’s because it was just a clone made from his tentacles.

From the outside, he would seem no more than a mid-level mage.

Hovering in the sky, Norkel flapped her wings and watched the situation with a serious expression.

As I predicted, she looked surprised that a seemingly ordinary Special Unit member immediately decided to burn the handkerchief upon discovering it.

“Do you know the author?”

“Of course. Don’t think your intel network knows everything.”

“We’ll mark him as a person of interest on our side as well. Name… SenaChok?”

“Light Mage.”

“Excuse me?”

“The Light Mage, Sae Hayan. Don’t ever forget it.”

I made sure to speak in as tense a tone as possible while urging her to remember my face and name.

I had to plant this seed with the demons as well, so that my new alias would firmly take root.

The cloned tentacle grunted as it climbed Namsan Tower to grab the Handkerchief of Bewitchment.

At the same time, Norkel closed her eyes and began exchanging messages with someone through her channel.

“Report from demons near Busan. The black mages have boarded the express train heading to Seoul.”

“The numbers?”

“All of them we confirmed are from the Hand of Oblivion.”

Just as planned.

Now, all that remained was to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

And if all the credit went to Sae Hayan, Norkel and her group would be out of danger, and I would gain my new alias.

“Then I’ll go ahead to the location where they’re to be dealt with… I… Lord Patel…”

“What?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For helping us.”

After a brief hesitation, Norkel expressed her gratitude to me.

Unlike when we first met in the fast-food restaurant, this time she bent deeply at the waist.

“Given that the Archduke of Flames is still alive, you could have just abandoned us like they would have.”

“I just don’t like other forces encroaching where I am. Especially those from the Seat of Silence.”

“Even so, purchasing the handkerchief at your own expense is an unheard-of act of generosity for a demon. What will you offer the witches in return?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“Even later, please tell us. Even if our souls are carried away by five rivers, we will not forget this…”

“Do as you wish.”

Her tone was beginning to normalize slightly—likely the highest form of respect she could muster.

After Norkel left, a little witch from the merchant guild came to collect payment.

“Please, the tentacle, please.”

“Alright, just wait a moment.”

The enormous MP (Witch Points) charged to Norkel’s smartwatch.

If I didn’t want to drain it completely, I had to provide the appropriate compensation.

Naturally, I intended to pay with Tentacle Pay, so, as usual, I used my ability to summon Digestion.

As I anticipated, tearing open the void, I secretly expected it to burst out crying with a “Kkieeeek!” as if asking why it had to be me again.

A second passed, then ten seconds—but nothing appeared.

Panicked, I tried again several times, but the thing didn’t even show so much as a trace.

“Give me the tentacle?”

“Wait, no, wait a moment.”

Why wasn’t it coming out?