Chapter 37 - Fishing for Criminals
I had drawn up my “Win Over the Paladins Plan,” and while waiting for the day of that juicy event to arrive, I busied myself with the tasks at hand.
My daily routine included training in Void techniques, swordsmanship, and mana control.
Of course, it wasn’t as if I could spend all my time focusing solely on myself.
I also had to keep watch over the protagonist, oversee the development of Void Town, hear the regular reports from Nihil, and, on top of that, take on the newly added “dirty jobs for the Heisenberg family.” My plate was overflowing.
If I didn’t make good use of every spare moment, there was no way I could keep up with everything.
So I reminded myself: no rushing, no wavering, no arrogance. Stay humble, stay steady, and tackle each task one step at a time.
By the time the night had grown deep—
“Phew... I really worked hard today...”
Having finished up the day’s work, I went for a stroll through Void Town to clear my head—when something unbelievable caught my eye.
“...Huh?”
Right there in the middle of town, a massive construction project was underway.
“Team A and Team B, lay down the foundation stones! Team C, reinforce and stabilize them with mana! Team D, keep cutting stone! Team E, support the others wherever needed!”
“““““Got it!!”””””
Wearing a helmet with “Safety First” emblazoned across it, Dia was barking out commands with impressive vigor, leading the charge.
“What in the world... is this?”
The words slipped out of me in a daze. Her elf ears twitched, and she whipped her head around.
In the next instant—
“...!”
Her dignified face lit up, and she trotted over to me with quick little steps.
“Void, you’re here.”
“What’s all this about...?”
“Hehe, remember what I told you before? We’re building the ‘headquarters for Nihil.’”
“Ah, ahh... I see...”
I glanced at the construction site and fell into thought.
“...Do you have, like, blueprints or something?”
“I have a simple version right here.”
“Mind if I take a look?”
“Of course. Here.”
I looked it over.
What I saw was a colossal structure that could rival a Demon Lord’s castle.
“You once said, ‘If we’re going to build it, I want it to be big and cool.’ So I did my best to draw up plans for something like that. Of course, someone like me could never create the perfect base you envision. But I’ll do everything I can to bring us closer to it.”
“O-oh... I see. Thanks.”
Her eyes burned with determination. There was no way I could say something like, “Don’t you think this is a little over the top?”
Too heavy... this is way too heavy...
I did say it, after all.
“If we’re going to build it, I want it to be big and cool.”
But come on—who would have thought she’d take it this far?
At the time, all I meant was, “If we’re going to have a base, it’d be nice if it were big and stylish.” Just an idle comment.
I never told anyone to go this far, and I definitely never imagined it would turn into this.
As expected of Dia... a ‘half-elf with overwhelming emotions.’
In her hands, even a passing remark from me ended up magnified dozens of times over.
“Well then, I still have work to finish up. Look forward to seeing the completed base.”
“Ah, yeah... just don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Waving lightly, Dia returned to her role as forewoman of the site.
“Wow... this is really going to turn into something incredible...”
As I absently pictured the finished structure in my mind—
“Owwww...”
I noticed a former bandit, tasked with cutting stone, grimacing as he shook out his right hand.
“Your hand looks painful.”
“B-boss?! N-no, please, don’t worry yourself! This is nothing at all!”
“Hmm... is that so.”
Looking closer, I saw that his palm was covered with raw blisters.
A quick glance around revealed that everyone’s hands were in similar shape, some worse than others. They were all pushing through the pain to keep working.
Hmm...
Up until now, I had focused on collecting the more versatile Magic Factors—things like Fire and Water.
Everyday magic like that could be adapted for countless uses, raising Void Town’s level of civilization by leaps and bounds.
But come to think of it... I haven’t managed to capture a single criminal with a Slash-attribute Magic Factor yet, have I?
That being the case, cutting and shaping stone still had to be done the primitive way—with wedges and hammers, just like now.
Zova probably has some general magic of the slash variety... but he’s a valuable researcher and serves as facility chief. I can’t just pull him off his duties so casually.
...Well, Void Town’s residents were all hardened criminals who could never be allowed back into the outside world anyway.
This place served as a kind of rehabilitation facility. Whether their hands blistered, bled, or tore open, it wasn’t really my concern.
Not that I felt sorry for them. Not at all. But for the sake of work efficiency, I needed a Slash Magic Factor—and soon.
Which was why, without further delay, I slipped into the royal capital under the cover of night.
(Let’s see... The obvious target would be “Jay the Ripper.”)
Reading through the wanted list I had quietly “borrowed” from the Paladin garrison, I wandered down a dimly lit alley.
This was the capital’s most lawless district.
By day, it was just a marketplace. But the moment the sun sank, the whole place transformed.
Brawny drunks, shady drug peddlers, masked gangs—everyone on the streets looked anything but normal.
And in this dangerous hotspot, I set out to do some “criminal fishing.”
I pulled a black robe over my shoulders, tugged the hood low, suppressed every trace of my mana, and played the role of a timid boy who had “accidentally stumbled into the wrong place.”
The trick was to keep glancing nervously around, broadcasting just enough fear to invite trouble.
I had been walking through deserted backstreets like that for about fifteen minutes when a “suspicious shadow” finally latched onto me from behind.
Oh?
When I walked, he walked.
When I stopped, he stopped.
Looked like I had a bite.
The criminals who prowl around here are either Jay the Ripper, the Brutal Matt Brothers, or Amus the Blood-Drenched... Heh, I can’t wait to see which one it is!
Those few brief moments before confirming which criminal I’d hooked—those were my absolute favorite.
It felt like the instant before pulling a gacha, or tearing open a card pack, or scratching off a lottery ticket—my brain lit up with a flood of adrenaline.
Heh, this is why I’ll never give up “criminal fishing”...!
As my heart raced with giddy anticipation, a voice called from behind me.
“...Hey, kid. You out here all alone?”
“Y-yes...!”
I answered in a trembling voice and slowly turned around.
There he stood—a gaunt man with a wicked grin stretched across his face.
This guy... It’s Jay the Ripper! Jackpot!
He carried the Slash-attribute Magic Factor I needed most.
As I celebrated inwardly, Jay sauntered closer.
“So you’re alone, huh... Heh heh heh. That’s no good, you know?”
“Wh-why not...?”
“Because around here... there’s a really scary murderer who prowls these parts!”
He spread his arms wide, and in that instant, razor-sharp blades of wind slashed toward me.
But—
“...What...?”
Every single blade vanished into the Void, swallowed whole.
“W-what the hell just happened...?!”
While Jay gaped in shock, I deliberately glanced nervously around as though still playing the role of a lost, frightened boy.
“You... you’re all alone, huh?”
“S-so what if I am...?! Wait—his aura just shifted!”
“I see... so you really are by yourself. Heh heh heh. That’s no good at all, you know?”
“W-what...?”
In that instant, the roles of hunter and prey flipped completely.
“Because in these parts... there’s a terrifying little thing called the Factor Collector!”
I bared a wicked smile and unfurled the jet-black Void around me.
“H-hiiiii...! ...Help...!”
Sensing death itself, the murderer collapsed pathetically to the ground—when a silver flash of steel streaked through the air.
“Well now.”
I held down my hood with one hand, took a light step back, and neatly slipped past the razor slash.
Tch... it was just getting good. Who dares interrupt...?
I turned toward the source of the strike. From the shadows emerged a beautiful young woman, sword in hand.
The Paladin uniform... long, pure-silver hair... Eliza, huh.
Eliza Lawrence—Rank 5 at Redrick Academy of Magic, fifteen years old.
Standing at 168 centimeters, with long, lustrous silver hair and striking silver eyes filled with unyielding will. Her silk-smooth white skin and refined features made her the unrivaled beauty of Ronzolkia.
Her curvaceous figure—ample chest and slender waist—only heightened her allure, and right now she wore the pure white uniform of a Paladin.
A paragon of righteousness and kindness, adored by all, and considered the rising star of the Paladin Association.
Known as the Mage Slayer, she specialized in blisteringly fast close-quarters combat with her silver blade.
And, incidentally... she had ranked number one for five consecutive years in the “Heroine You Most Want to Make Your Own” poll conducted by the official fanbase.
Bearing a tragic past, Eliza now wore the metaphorical “collar” of a certain great noble, forced into obedience.
The heroine, endowed with a noble spirit, struggled with the contradictions within herself, tormented by her own twisted way of being—yet even so, she continued to wield her sword for the sake of something she held dearer than her own life.
Her figure was both beautiful and heartrending... in short, she was the kind of girl who made you want to protect her.
So this district is under Eliza’s patrol... figures.
I had run straight into a classmate in the most inconvenient of places.
My knowledge of the original story covered the main routes and character settings, but patrol assignments of the heroines? That much detail was never given.
In any case... I absolutely can’t let her recognize me.
I adjusted my black robe to further obscure my figure, tugged my hood lower, and even resolved to drop my voice a tone or two.
Just then—
“At last, I’ve got you cornered... You’re the one they call the Abductor, aren’t you?”
Eliza leveled her blade without the slightest hint of carelessness.
“The Abductor?”
“Don’t play dumb. Lately, criminals across the royal capital have been vanishing. No—erased. The forensics unit’s detection magic can’t trace them at all. It’s as if they simply ceased to exist. We, the Paladin Association, have dubbed this phenomenon the ‘Abductions’ and have been investigating it in secret.”
“I see...”
Well, yes—that was me. No denying it.
“That black vortex just now... it’s a Unique Magic of the spatial manipulation type, isn’t it? What’s your purpose? Why target only high-profile criminals? Don’t tell me—you imagine yourself some righteous vigilante?”
“Heh. Nothing so noble. I only want their Factors, that’s all.”
“Factors...! Then you are with the Great Magus Cult!”
“What? No, that’s completely unrelated—”
“—Enough talk!”
With a sharp cry, Eliza drew her silver blade. In the next heartbeat she exploded forward, her speed blinding, unleashing a storm of strikes.
“HAAAAAAAH!!”
Diagonal slashes, upward cuts, downward chops, thrusts—the tempest of silver steel closed in on me. I answered with only the barest minimum of movement, skipping lightly out of reach, slipping through the flurry with ease.
Come to think of it... Eliza’s Unique is a Legend-Class slash attribute. If I were to abduct her, construction at headquarters would be dramatically accelerated... No. That won’t do. Eliza Lawrence is a named character who plays a key role in Chapter Two. Snatching her now would throw the main route completely off track. Hm... what should I do with her...?
This one… she’s brushing aside my combos so effortlessly...! At this level, he has to be at least ‘executive’ class!
The moment I shrugged off her storm of strikes, Eliza leapt backward to open the distance.
Sliding her silver blade back into its scabbard, she steadied her breathing in silence.
Oh, she’s about to use her Unique Magic.
“――Silver Flash: Sword Draw!”
In the blink of an eye, Eliza’s form blurred into mist—only to reappear as she cleaved my torso clean in two.
Except—
...What was that?! That strange sensation...?
Void Shift. I had displaced the part of my body she struck into the void, letting her attack pass through nothing but emptiness.
“You—what in the wor...ld...?”
Suddenly, her words slurred. Her legs wobbled under her.
Oh, that was quick. It’s already kicking in.
“...Urk... (What is... this...? My vision... it’s... wavering... My thoughts... won’t... hold... toge—r...)”
As we crossed paths, I had slipped a portable toxin capsule into her body—a fast-acting neurotoxin synthesized with Ms. Fiona’s Unique Magic, <Hyrdra>.
It didn’t affect the respiratory system, making it the perfect tool for safe, rapid suppression.
“What... have you... done to... me...?”
“A fast-acting neurotoxin. Don’t worry—I don’t plan on killing you.”
“Bast...ard...!”
Even as her strength ebbed, Eliza raised her blade and came at me once more.
Such willpower—still moving under the poison’s grip.
But this... no longer warrants dodging.
With a flick of my index finger, I knocked her descending sword aside.
The silver blade spun out of her grasp, twirling through the air before clattering onto the cobblestones.
“Ah—”
Weaponless, she stumbled against my chest, then collapsed onto all fours at my feet.
“Hm...”
I caught her chin, tilting her face up toward mine.
“Gh... y-you... vile scum...”
She ground her teeth, humiliation burning in her voice.
She glared, but her eyes had lost focus, her resistance little more than a formality.
The poison had well and truly spread through her.
Good. Her consciousness is thoroughly clouded. The efficacy is undeniable—if it can affect someone with Eliza’s strength, it will work on the rest without question.
This toxin... far more useful than I had anticipated.
As always, Ms. Fiona’s craftsmanship was impeccable.
I’d be sure to reward her next time with a monetary gift as ‘horse money.’
No doubt she’d erupt into frenzied delight.
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