Warning Of Destruction (2)

Police forces, as well as the military, were dispatched in a hurry.

Since civilian casualties nearing fifty had occurred, a commotion was unavoidable.

Furthermore, as it became known that they were hidden deep inside the Gate, and that a black mage cleaning the Gate discovered them and brought them all out—an incident that almost led to the perfect destruction of evidence because the core had been broken—the matter began to escalate exponentially.

Consequently, both the relevant guild and government officials began to be investigated, and in the process, reports about the involvement of the Cultists of Ruin were broadcast daily, heating up the media.

In the midst of that, a detective visited me.

“So you’re saying the location of the bodies was identified based on the circumstances at the time, right?”

I looked at the detective, who was holding a notebook and waiting for my answer, and said.

“I believe I have already conveyed all the details?”

“It’s a verification investigation. The Gate has been closed, and since you are the one who found that place.”

“Surely you aren’t trying to pin this on a black mage because you can’t find the culprit one way or another?”

“Do we look like such trash to you?”

“I’ve been subjected to trashy behavior so often, you see.”

“Is that defamation on your part?”

“I have plenty to say myself, but let’s think carefully. If you want to frame a second-generation black mage as the culprit, you know what kind of process you must go through and that you must also secure clear circumstantial evidence, right?”

“Second generation…?”

The detective showed an absurd expression.

“There aren’t even ten second-generation black mages left in the country, and you’re one of them?”

What on earth did this person know before coming to find me?

I had clearly spoken about all the circumstances as the discoverer at the police station and had explicitly conveyed my identity.

Was that why? I immediately emitted mana, suppressed the individual claiming to be a detective, and said.

“You aren’t a detective, are you?”

“W-why are you doing this!”

“It’s impersonation of a public official, and since it’s impersonating a detective at that, the punishment will likely be quite strong.”

“I-I am…!”

It was just as he was about to struggle and scream.

“Whoa, Mr. Geum Seong-chan, let’s stop there. That man might die of a heart attack at this rate.”

A familiar voice was heard, and when I turned my head, the detective I had spoken with was standing there.

He then approached me and placed handcuffs on the suppressed man’s wrists.

“I am summarily arresting you for the crime of impersonating a public official and fraud.”

Leaving behind the sight of the detective cleanly handcuffing him and handing him over to a fellow detective who had come along while notifying him of his Miranda rights, I looked at the detective in front of me and asked.

“Did I not even hand over the evidence?”

“We did find the Cultists of Ruin, but… it was already a bit late, you see?”

“Did they run away?”

“They all committed suicide. It’s a common situation, but it was unpleasant.”

It would be better to just be caught and serve time, but the Cultists of Ruin generally chose death when their identities were revealed.

I spoke up, wondering if they had been missed just in case.

‘As expected, those extremists…’

“You don’t know who’s at the top, then.”

“We don’t know the associates either. It seems they have some relationship with government officials, but as you know, since it wasn’t a summary arrest, there are limits to the investigation, aren’t there?”

“Then, why did you come to find me?”

“I came to ask for cooperation. Among the prominent black mages in the country, you are the only one I know.”

“You want to summon the souls. But this won’t serve as evidence, will it?”

“It might not be adopted as evidence, but we can obtain information. We can find the evidence step by step from then on.”

It seemed he desperately wanted to catch the mastermind.

So I glanced back at Go Yu-jin, and she nodded.

It meant I should go.

Having gone back and forth to the police station for various matters lately, the work situation was quite leisurely, so I followed the detective with the intention of finishing it off properly.

The place we arrived at afterward was a funeral hall.

“It’s surprising that even such trash are given funerals.”

“It can’t be helped, can it?”

One cannot hold the dead accountable for their crimes. Therefore, it was only the naturally following situation that was annoying.

Afterward, we moved to the place where the bodies were laid out, but there were those blocking the way.

“Absolutely not. I won’t cooperate! I can’t!”

I glanced toward the detective, and he said they were the bereaved families.

“Please don’t do this. Your family members might also be victims. They could have been brainwashed, or they might have made an unavoidable choice after being blackmailed in some absurd way; why are you trying to obstruct the work of catching those who made your family act this way?”

“How do we know what you’ll do to him! Move out of the way!”

It was truly a laughable situation. Those in front of me might have no choice but to feel aggrieved or angry about their family members dying and being used, but it seemed incredibly selfish that they had no consideration for the real victims who died at their hands.

Furthermore, as the commotion grew, a few quick-witted reporters rushed in; I looked at the detective and asked.

“It is better not to do things you cannot handle. Why don’t you wrap it up reasonably?”

“…The same thing will keep happening repeatedly, and it’s because the situation where I have to turn a blind eye every time is so damn frustrating.”

In the end, it was the detective using force with the fellow detectives he brought along; while I wondered if this was acceptable, the detective said to me.

“I will take the responsibility.”

‘That shouldn’t be possible…?’

I scratched my head for a moment, and since the situation was not very pleasant, I lightly emitted mana. Then, as I cast a Sleep Curse on everyone causing the commotion, they collapsed powerlessly.

I spoke to the flustered detective who watched this.

“I’m curious as well. Who the middleman of the Cultists of Ruin is.”

The Cultists of Ruin were a devilish group eating away at the world.

However, every time they were caught, it was only the low-level members, and even those caught would make extreme choices just like the previous case.

Even if that was prevented, they would ultimately not open their mouths until they died, so all sorts of attempts were made to get a confession.

But at this time, it was already a late situation; even if they sought out the middle manager later, they would have already left their positions and hidden their identities, so no answers could be obtained.

The situation repeated like that every time.

As I moved my feet and entered the mortuary, the death energy of the deceased was felt in its entirety.

“The souls… can you summon them?”

“It is possible, but there are many.”

Just by looking, it was clear that the number was quite large.

It was simply that they had ended their own lives, but conversely, it could be that they had chosen an unavoidable death due to someone’s intention.

There were three Cultists of Ruin who committed suicide, so I first emitted mana, and after identifying who the three people were, I proceeded to use Call of Spirit.

‘I’m using it frequently.’

While the reflections continued, two souls revealed themselves before my eyes; making the tense detective take a step back, I proceeded to question them.

“Who is the entity that ordered your deaths?”

-We desire the destruction of this land. The Gates are the judgment of God, and a heavenly punishment! -

-Ah, oh God, look down upon us… -

‘They are thoroughly insane.’

That was likely why they floundered in their cult of ruin and even chose death. So in this case, I had no choice but to use force; I emitted mana again, modified the ‘Shock’ magic, and struck the two souls.

Then, although the two souls were quickly turning red and black, screams were ringing loudly in my ears as they would be experiencing terrible pain.

Nevertheless, I said to them as they occasionally burst into laughter and provoked me as if to try more.

“If your souls become dyed black, I do not intend to subjugate you but will make you suffer while wandering the world forever. Everyone knows that these are pebbles called Magic Stones, and if you are contained here and cast into sub-space, you will have to live a life forever in that empty abyss, hoping I would pull you out at any time; unlike in the soul state, if you are in a sealed position after having monsterized, you will not grow tired, nor will your mind break. If you desire a heavenly punishment, keep laughing and spouting nonsense.”

It was a strong measure to make them realize that the salvation they desired did not exist.

And although I frowned slightly at the detective’s action of swallowing dry saliva, one of the souls soon began to sob and finally spoke up.

-I-it was that person’s will. We simply followed!! -

“Who is that person?”

-We don’t know the name either. We only know the voice. -

I could not help but feel absurdity at the mention of it being a voice, but thinking it would be good to know regardless, I used the ‘Link’ magic to pull out their memories.

And while the soul that allowed the Link shared its memories, a familiar voice dug deep into my mind.

‘A voice I’ve heard sometime before. Who was it?’

Since it was a voice I had heard recently, I retraced my memories, and as the other soul also said it would testify if freedom was guaranteed, I promised to do so and proceeded to Link together.

And after hearing a common voice from the two people, I came to recall a single face.

‘Government official. It’s the same as that bastard’s voice.’

It could be a mistake, but there was a possibility.

The guild that had been designated so out of the blue, the fact that it was quiet while 50 people were offered as sacrifices without anyone knowing, and the point that even the guild members did not know such facts also showed that there had been a cover-up in various circumstances.

‘Is he a middleman?’

Or if not that, is he also just a low-level member?

Whatever it was, for now, I was able to find one link, and I thought that many results could be derived depending on how that link was utilized.

Afterward, when I kept the promise to the two and gave them freedom, countless emotions poured in, the greatest among them being emotions regarding ‘pleasure.’

It was enough to make me nauseous at the false beliefs and pleasure they firmly believed in—that they could be saved because they had offered those countless people as sacrifices.

‘This emotion is not very pleasant.’

I had no choice but to frown, and the detective, who was observing me, asked cautiously.

“Did you… find something out?”

Unless one is a black mage, one cannot overhear the conversation of a soul. So I spoke to him, who ended up listening to the contents of the conversation unilaterally.

“I found the mastermind behind them, but if you search for that person, you will meet the same result.”

“Please tell me… who it is. I will judge what to do after that.”

So, as I emitted a black veil to hide the sound and appearance, I revealed the identity only to the detective. Then, with a startled face, he froze and only spoke after a long time had passed, as if in a daze.

“How… what could a person like that be lacking enough to…”

“The Cultists of Ruin do not become that way because they are lacking something. It’s just… it’s easier to think of it as spreading like a religion in the form of a cult. A malicious act using belief; it’s literally just a crime.”

The detective nodded calmly, and afterward, he said he would do as much as he could.

‘I suppose it remains to be seen how far he can succeed.’

I had no particular intention to intervene, but if an influence were to come to me, I intended to see it through to the end next time.