I Became a Raid Boss

A person with a large bag heading somewhere in the dead of night, while everyone else is asleep?

Looking around nervously, trying to avoid the eyes of others, it was an undeniably suspicious sight.

Nightly escape.

That was the word that popped into the magician’s head.

“…Are you talking about someone close to Max? You probably won’t find anyone. He always used to say he wasn’t the type to be stuck in a place like this; he claimed he would leave someday and become a royal magician.”

The magician’s attitude had noticeably changed since receiving the gold coins.

The once careless demeanor had vanished, and he now treated them with utmost respect, as if they were VVIPs.

He occasionally glanced at Ashie’s pockets, but that was understandable.

“There are ways to make someone treat you with respect without spending money. Want me to share?”

Especially effective with magicians.

Despite my good intentions, Ashie rejected my offer with a bewildered tone.

“Don’t need it. Keep your hands off the sword.”

‘What’s with this kid being so aggressive?’ Ashie mumbled something strange, and the magician hesitantly asked him.

“Excuse me, but are you all from Grasis?”

“Huh? Why do you think that?”

“Your speech sounds familiar. I used to live in Grasis for a short time…”

“We are from there.”

Ashie cut off the conversation between Da-eun and the magician.

Then, scratching his head awkwardly, he addressed the magician.

“So, there’s no one who would know Max’s whereabouts?”

“Well, if I talk, who would want to stay friends with someone who says stuff like that? At least no one I know is close to him.”

“That’s….”

“…What’s he saying?”
“Asked if anyone was close to a guy named Max, and apparently no one is.”
“Oh dear.”

Hearing that, my trust in Ashie grew stronger.

What kind of person was Brondin to trust Max enough to hand over the workshop key?

I heard he didn’t have a great reputation either.

At the very least, people around him would have advised against getting close to Max.

‘Could it be that Brondin has no friends either?’

Hmm, maybe I could understand that.

Having no friends isn’t a crime.

“I guess I should go check out the workshop.”

While I was talking to myself, Ashie seemed to have reached a conclusion and grabbed the doorknob.

As expected, the door wouldn’t budge.

Shrugging his shoulders, he turned to me.

“Kana. I’m counting on you.”
“Sure.”

Earlier, I had jokingly placed my hand on the sword, but I had no intention of drawing it in a public place like this.

Drawing a blue blade in broad daylight would certainly draw attention, and I wouldn’t do something so foolish.

Especially if that meant breaking into someone else’s workshop.

At least not in the city of the Dwarves… the city of artisans, Baltora.

So, I approached the door empty-handed.

I raised my hand and then lowered it again, turning to join the party.

“….”
“….”
“…Hey, Kana?”
“Yeah?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be opening the door? Why did you just come back?”
“?”

Da-eun, who had been staring blankly at my actions, asked in a dazed voice.

Though Ashie didn’t show much of it, it seemed he agreed with her.

As I scanned the faces of my group, I went “Oh,” and nodded slightly.

So that’s why everyone was standing around looking dumbfounded?

“I opened it.”
“…Huh?”
“Here.”

As I pushed the door, it opened without resistance, as if it was never locked.

Da-eun let out another surprised sound at the scene inside the workshop beyond.

And there was another person who was surprised in a different way.

“H-how…?!”

The magician’s jaw dropped in shock.

…Looks like my little hand could fit inside there, huh?

As I alternated between glancing at my tiny hand and his gaping mouth, I barely managed to suppress the urge to test it out.

Still, even a magician sensitive to mana couldn’t detect this?

I might’ve underestimated Ashie since he looked scared, but he might actually be a competent magician.

I answered Da-eun’s question about what I had done.

“I used sword energy to cut the lock.”
“…You used sword energy without a sword?”
“Yep.”

I can split rocks with a twig, so this much is nothing.

Creating a sword with mana isn’t very efficient, and I rarely use it, but it’s not that difficult.

“With practice, Joanie might be able to do it too.”
“While I appreciate you raising me up, I still think that’s a bit much.”
As the old saying goes, dream big, but Da-eun seems to have forgotten how to dream after being weighed down by reality.

What a shame.

But—

“So Joanie can be forgiven, but Ashie, why are you surprised?”
“I wasn’t surprised.”
“You were just standing there dumbfounded, not even realizing the door was open!”
“That was just because I didn’t know! How was I supposed to know it was open when it wasn’t visible to my eyes?”
“Why couldn’t you see?”
“…Not everyone in the world is a genius like you.”

“Hmmm.”

I remember he was quite diligent in learning the sword, but could it be because he’s been using a hammer instead? He doesn’t seem to have improved much since a few years ago.

“What about alarm magic? What about anti-theft magic?”

We turned to enter the workshop, leaving behind the magician who was still mumbling in shock.

Open drawers, papers strewn about carelessly, garbage strewn from an overturned trash can….

It was a sight that could only be described as a mess.

“…Is this how magician’s workshops are usually kept?”
Da-eun frowned at the scene.

“Couldn’t be.”
Ashie, denying her remark, inspected the workshop.

Following his lead, I combed through every corner of the workshop, searching for clues.

“Hmmm….”

I picked up a piece of paper from the floor and swallowed nervously.

…I still couldn’t decipher it.

After being hit by the dual attack of magic and Arkish, I laid the paper down gently.

The workshop was filled with traces left by the magician named Max.

Of course, it made sense since this was his workshop.

“This is….”

Ashie discovered something and picked it up.

Da-eun, who had been browsing around, dashed over.

“Did you find something?”
“It’s something my master made a long time ago. He made it on commission, but I remember one broke while inscribing a magic circle, so he made another one. But finding it here means…”
“It’s not a good sign.”
“If he didn’t deliver the finished product, Brondin would have likely been notified, but the fact that he doesn’t mention it means that’s unlikely.”

Saying he lied about it being broken and received another is a more plausible hypothesis.

Of course, whatever was gained from it would be money.

Additionally, we discovered incomplete magical tools and remnants of broken magic circles, but we couldn’t find any clues to pursue the missing magician.

If there was any silver lining, it’s that the chances of Max being the culprit increased.

“Looks like there’s nothing of value.”
The condition of the room made it clear: it must’ve been rummaged through in a hurry for anything valuable.

Was this being thrifty?

The three of us gathered together, deliberating.

“What should we do now?”
“Shouldn’t we chase after him? If he left last night, it might be too late now….”
“The night in the mountains is dangerous; he likely didn’t set out yesterday. Even if he left the city, it would have been after dawn.”
“…The night in the mountains is dangerous? Why?”
“Just stay quiet.”

While the three of us were deep in thought, a voice called out to us.

“Um….”

At some point, the magician who had followed us into the workshop was quietly calling us.

“You all want to find Max, right? If so, there’s one way…”

“Yes?”

Ashie’s head whipped around fast enough to break.

The magician, startled by his eager demand, continued.

“There are people willing to do anything for money. They may not be the best quality, but…”

“…Wait a minute.”
“Ah, you already know? If you do, then this conversation will go faster.”

Seeing the magician’s reaction, Ashie’s face soured.

Naturally, not understanding what they were talking about left me clueless.

*

Baltora has a Teleport Gate.

However, using the Teleport Gate in Baltora costs more than using it in other cities.

This was because it’s considerably distant from the cities equipped with the gate.

Would someone who cooked up a plan to steal a Dragon Orb out of a greed for money and hastily gathered valuable items… be willing to bear the expensive Teleport fees?

The answer would obviously be ‘no.’

Despite the high cost of using the Teleport Gate, compared to the value of the Dragon Orb, it’s merely a drop in the bucket.

For a small cost, you could catch two rabbits: safety and stability. However, blind with greed, Max chose another route.

Thud.

“…Gah!”

Max jumped in surprise at the hand on his shoulder.

“Why the alarm?”
“Ah, no. …Nothing.”
“Geez.”

The mercenary who had placed his hand on Max’s shoulder scratched his messy hair.

Max grimaced at the flakes falling from that dirty mane but quickly fixed his expression.

No matter how filthy and lowly they may be, it was him who needed something right now.

He would get nothing good by irritating them and causing friction.

To escape the city, Max chose to rely on a mercenary group based in Baltora.

They’ll do anything for money.

Such a phrase was openly circulated, and the mercenary group proudly touted it themselves, yet their skills were guaranteed.

If they were to see Brondin approaching, they would eliminate him without a second thought.

‘The chances of that are low, though.’

Max felt the texture of the leather pouch he had tucked away and let out a faint smile.

Dull-witted Brondin would never suspect him to be the culprit.

‘But that guy… the one named Azier, he’s different.’

Having disliked him for a long time, it was possible he might gather people and come after him.

The mercenary group served as insurance for such situations.

He feared betrayal, but claiming to be a noble of the Empire should suffice.

After all, they wouldn’t want to turn the Empire into an enemy.

“So, really, all I need to do is take you to another city?”
“Yeah. Just that, and I’ll make sure to reward you handsomely.”
“Well, if I can make money with such a simple task, then that’s great.”

The dirty-haired man said that while casually draping his arm over Max’s shoulder.

In a tone akin to a close friend, the man added with a sly voice.

“So, did you do something shady? Did you… kill someone?”
“…Something like that.”
“Oh my! What a terrifying fellow! We better be cautious around you.”

Max wanted to shove the friendly-seeming man off his shoulder straight away, but he held back.

Murder, my foot.

He would never commit such a filthy act himself.

But if he mentioned that he was currently stealing goods and trying to escape, those greedy fools might do something unpredictable.

Better to act the part and get the same treatment.

The man laughed heartily, yet his eyes glimmered with a subtle malice as they looked at Max.

“Anyway, just trust us. We’ll protect you no matter what happens.”

The man’s arm slipped away softly.

Once he confirmed the man wasn’t watching, Max sighed and brushed off the lingering bad smell from his shoulder.

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