Wayland scratched his head, completely failing to understand Hishiri Adashino's bizarre concern for his safety.
"It's a Dragon Tooth."
"A Dragon Tooth?"
Wayland blinked. 'Wait, why is that a secret? I spent half my life farming those for the Artoria-class Servants.'
But he quickly caught himself. This was reality, not a gacha game.
Wayland forced an expression of shocked awe. "You mean a tooth from a literal giant dragon? Dragons actually exist in this world?"
"I know what you're asking," Louis shrugged. "Dragons did exist. Or more accurately, they existed in the Age of Gods. In the modern era, all that's left are dragon remains that haven't fully carbonized. That high-security organization I mentioned... the Bureau of Secret Remains... they call them 'Curse Bodies'."
"A Dragon Tooth must be incredibly precious. So we're going through all this trouble not just because Seiji Asagami is dangerous, but because of the value of the tooth itself."
"Exactly." Louis swallowed the last piece of bread and picked up his warm glass of milk. "The Bureau of Policies' order is: capture Seiji dead or alive, but ensure the Dragon Tooth is returned in perfect condition."
Wayland stared at the porcelain plate on the table, thinking. "Why do you think he stole it in the first place?"
"Simple. For the money."
"For money? He'd betray the Clock Tower for money? The Mage's Association's reach is global. He'll never have a place to hide again."
"If it were me, I definitely wouldn't dare. But there are always people who get blinded by greed."
Seeing Wayland still deep in thought, Louis added, "You know, you don't really think like a typical magus."
Wayland went still for a moment. He hadn't quite adjusted to his identity as a magus yet.
"Let's go," Louis said, standing up. "Let's hope we're not unlucky enough to actually bump into that guy."
"..."
'Man, when you say it like that, you're practically begging for a disaster. You might as well have a row of flags sticking out of your back.'
Wayland drained his milk, pushed back his chair, and stepped out onto the street.
"What's the plan? If he's prepared to flee, he's probably in disguise. Finding him with the naked eye is basically impossible."
"Don't worry. If you can think of it, Policies already has. As a Curse Body, the Dragon Tooth has a unique magical signature that's different from anything in the modern era. Here, take this."
Louis tossed a card to Wayland.
It was a transparent, crystal-like card with an image of a Western dragon etched into the surface.
"What is this?"
"The Botany Department created it by reconstructing the 'breath' of a dragon from its fossilized remains. Since they're from the same source, if the Dragon Tooth is nearby, the card will start to feel warm."
Wayland flipped the card over, unable to see anything particularly special about it. He tucked it into his palm. "And now? We just wander the streets?"
"Bingo. This mission is actually pretty chill--as long as we don't run into Seiji Asagami."
Louis blew on his own card, a gesture that reminded Wayland of a character in a movie blowing on a lucky coin. 'Seriously... stop with the flags.'
"Tell you what: you take the east end of the street, I'll take the west. Remember, if you spot him, don't say a word, and definitely don't try to engage him. Your job is simple: get away from him and call Hishiri. Or, even better, just cast a spell to trigger the mana sensors--though that might be less effective now, considering how many agents from Policies and Secret Remains are currently crawling over London."
"I understand."
Wayland nodded and split off from Louis. After a few steps, he heard Louis's voice calling after him.
"Remember! Don't engage! If something happens to you, I'll never be able to explain it to the Boss!"
Wayland didn't turn around. He just waved a hand to show he'd heard.
He walked down the street, blending in with the ordinary pedestrians.
After an hour of walking in circles without a single flicker from the card, Wayland stopped. He turned into a narrow alley and walked toward a large oak tree.
There, he picked up a snow-white stray cat.
He'd noticed the cat earlier and decided to sit in the alley for a while to avoid drawing attention to himself by constantly pacing the same street.
Wayland sat down, gently stroking the cat, but his eyes remained focused on the main street through the opening of the alley.
'This mission is such a waste of time.'
Wayland let out a sigh. 'In the time I've spent here, I could have died at least half a dozen times in the Land of Shadows.'
Just then, the white cat in his lap let out a sharp meow and leaped to the ground.
"What is it?"
Wayland instinctively stood up. He looked up to see the white cat running toward a young teenager.
The boy had a gentle, soft-featured face and a warm smile. He knelt down and pulled a bag of cat food from his paper sack, pouring a liberal amount onto the pavement.
A rare Oriental face.
Wayland quickly realized who the person in front of him was.
'Why... why did Louis's flag have to manifest right in front of me?'
"Hello."
Wayland stepped forward, putting on an apologetic expression. "Are you the owner of this cat? I was worried it was a stray."
"No, I noticed it here and felt sorry for it, so I went and bought some food."
The card tucked into Wayland's pocket was beginning to thrum with a searing, burning heat.
Maintaining his composure, Wayland offered a compliment. "That's very kind of you. Kindness is a rare quality these days."
Seiji Asagami stroked the eating cat and smiled. "Thank you for the kind words. My name is Seiji Asagami. And yours?"
"Wayland."
Wayland wasn't worried about Seiji recognizing his name. He'd only been at the Clock Tower for half a month; he was a nobody. And Seiji was from the Bureau of Secret Remains--there was no reason for a 'genius' like him to pay any attention to a student like Wayland.
"Wayland? I've seen your name before."
"?"
Wayland's body went rigid.
"Eighty thousand meters beneath the surface... the oldest classroom of the Clock Tower, the Bureau of Mystery Revelation. It houses the most secret and terrifying records in this world."
Seiji spoke a name Wayland had never heard before. He couldn't even fathom a classroom existing eighty thousand meters underground--that would be deep within the Earth's mantle.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]