The empire's greatest blacksmith family and the last remaining heir.
Lakto stared at me intently.
Why did he suddenly appear? Could it be that he knows I'm looking for him?
"Wait a moment!"
In an instant, Lakto hid himself among the crowd.
I hurriedly chased after him, scanning the surroundings, but he had disappeared without a trace.
I thought he couldn't have run far, so I looked around, but I didn't even see anyone with a similar appearance.
"Damn…"
"What's wrong? What happened, Zed?"
"It's him."
"Him? The one we're looking for?!"
"He was just here, but he ran away."
With so many people around, I couldn't figure out the direction he fled in.
If I knew the direction, I could at least try to chase him down...
"Riu, you know the positions of those six people, right?"
"Yeah, I brought the notebook."
"Let's start with the closest one. We have to hurry."
"I'll check right now!"
Lakto is a fugitive. Yet, he appeared before me, likely to confirm whether someone was following him.
He probably just wanted to see my face. Getting caught would not have been part of his plan.
'He'll run away immediately. If he hides on purpose, I won't find him.'
He would pack his personal belongings before leaving.
I had to catch Lakto before that happened.
"Here it is! Second room on the right!"
I moved quickly.
I leaped up to the second floor and flung open the door Riu had pointed to.
"Hah, hah?!"
A one-eyed old man with white hair.
But it wasn't Lakto.
"W-Wait! I'll pay the rent by tomorrow! Just give me a little more time—"
"Riu! Next location!"
We moved quickly.
We checked the second and third locations one after another, but Lakto wasn't there.
As time dragged on, the chances of missing him increased exponentially, and I started to get anxious.
"This is the fourth place, right? A small room on the left on the first basement floor."
"You wait here."
Just as I was about to open the door to the small room…
Perhaps due to my 100 sense stat, I felt an eerie, silent aura.
I had to hurry, but my instincts told me to slow down.
'What's this ominous feeling…?'
It might just be a gut feeling, but I couldn't shake it off.
I began to consider every possible variable.
'The other person is a top-class blacksmith. If this is where he's staying while on the run…'
A booby trap.
Yes, Lakto must have set a trap.
With his skills, he could easily set a booby trap without anyone noticing.
I drew mana into myself.
[Magic: "Full Body Refinement" is in use.]
Crackling!
Golden currents wrapped around my body.
Full Body Refinement not only enhances physical abilities but also provides a shield.
If this trap was set without a proper workshop, the trap's power likely wouldn't be too strong.
That said, I didn't rely solely on Full Body Refinement's shield.
Since the shield is proportional to mana, it couldn't block a strong impact.
But there was something else I trusted, so I boldly opened the door.
Click!
At that moment, I realized I had misjudged the situation.
KABOOM!
Before I could blink, intense heat overwhelmed me.
In front of me, blue flames danced. A higher-level flame attribute—Blue Fire.
The heat burned my skin, and warning lights flickered in my mind.
[Magic: "Full Body Refinement" is deactivated.] [Trait: "Immortal Gambler" activated.]
Fssss!
"Damn…!"
Crack! Crack!
Curses spilled from my mouth.
With an ear-splitting explosion, Blue Fire erupted, and as a result, the entire building was partially destroyed.
The small room, burned to nothing, was filled with thick smoke.
"Cough! Cough! What was that?! Zed, are you okay?!"
Luckily, Riu seemed unharmed.
I felt a sense of helplessness as I stared at the shattered debris.
Even as I looked at it, I couldn't believe it.
'He used a booby trap to create Blue Fire? Is that even possible?'
I wasn't mistaken. Though brief, the Blue Fire was unmistakable.
Considering the effort wizards put into acquiring higher-level attributes, this was astonishing.
It seemed Lakto was far more remarkable than I had originally thought.
Having set this trap while being a fugitive without a proper workshop…
'If it wasn't for the Immortal Gambler trait, I'd be dead right now.'
I knew this trait well, having used it many times in the game.
It's a trait that nullifies instant-death damage. In simple terms, if you have "Immortal Gambler," you can't be one-hit killed by anyone.
I had opened the door relying on this trait, but I never expected Blue Fire to explode.
I thought it would be a trap with explosive power equivalent to a 4th or 5th circle magic…
"I have to catch him. I need to make him my ally."
I muttered to myself.
Lakto is an incredible talent, yet he remains neutral, unable to belong anywhere.
For someone like me, with no power, an opportunity like this to recruit someone of his caliber would not come again.
We returned to our lodging without any results.
Because the small room had burned down, there was not a single trace left.
Lakto must have set Blue Fire for the same reason.
The explosion caused quite a stir in the city.
The local army had deployed, and while the fire would be suppressed soon, the problem was identifying the culprit.
Depending on the perspective, the explosion could be considered a terrorist attack.
They would surely try to catch the culprit, but ironically, the prime suspect was me.
"No, aren't we victims too? How am I a suspect?! This is so unfair!"
"Anyway, we were the last ones at the scene. If we can't prove the explosion was caused by a trap, it'll be easy to blame us."
Besides, the Arahan family is associated with fire.
If someone were to ask a passerby about Blue Fire, most would likely say Arahan.
In order to clear my name, I needed to find some trace, but the legendary blacksmith left no such trace.
"So what now? Shouldn't we leave before the imperial army arrives? Or should we ask the Bahal family for help? The head of the family is a nice person, so maybe he'll help if we explain the situation."
"I'd rather not get involved with the Bahal family."
"Is it because of the Black Jade Guard?"
"They reacted really sensitively last time."
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Then, strange sounds came from outside.
The clattering of armor and weapons.
It seemed the imperial army was moving quickly.
"Z-Zed! Look outside… The soldiers!"
"Stay calm. We haven't done anything wrong."
"That's true, but…"
Ah, I hadn't told Riu about the priest's insignia.
As long as I have the insignia on my shoulder, no one can treat me as a criminal.
Thanks to that, I could wait with a much calmer mind.
"Meyers local army, General Madden. Zed Arahan, come out immediately!"
A loud voice echoed through the entire lodging.
While Riu shuddered, I adjusted my clothes in the mirror.
The insignia was clearly visible.
"You're just going to go out like that?! Are you sure it's okay?"
"Oppa, I'm scared…"
Risa was clinging to Riu like a sticky gum.
To young children, the imperial army must be a terrifying presence. Especially since they came from the streets.
"You two stay here. I'll go alone."
"A- Alone?!"
I chuckled and patted Riu's shoulder.
I opened the door, descended the stairs, and stood in front of the entrance.
Though I could feel a tremendous aura from outside, I had something even greater.
I intentionally puffed out my chest and opened the door.
"I am Zed Arahan! Arrest that man immediately... Wait! Everyone, hold your positions!"
The soldiers stopped in their tracks, and General Madden's eyes widened.
He dismounted from his horse and strode toward me, his gaze fixed on the insignia on my shoulder.
"Priest's insignia…?!"
"It was given to me by Father Johann of Myers Cathedral."
"Ah…!"
It seemed he was newly appointed as the regional army general, replacing Polman.
Madden cleared his throat repeatedly and then completely changed his attitude.
"…I see. I'm sorry for not recognizing you."
"It's alright. As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up."
I smiled slightly, and Madden scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
It was impressive that a local army general was showing such respect.
I asked nonchalantly.
"What brings you here?"
"Ah! There was an explosion just now. According to a witness statement, your name came up… Were you at the scene?"
"Yes, I was caught in the explosion myself."
"You were caught in it?"
Madden scanned me from top to bottom.
I looked fine, so it seemed almost unbelievable. Madden appeared doubtful, but he said the opposite.
"Then you're a victim, not a suspect."
"Exactly."
"May I ask why you were at the location? It's a necessary question as part of the procedure… If you don't want to answer, that's fine."
"I don't mind answering. I went there because I was looking for someone, and there was a trap set. It really surprised me."
"Ah."
Madden nodded.
I was someone whose name had been vouched for by one who commands the blessings of the gods.
No matter how high-ranking a regional army general is, they couldn't treat me as a criminal.
'This might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.'
Suddenly, an idea struck me.
Lakto had completely hidden himself, making it hard for me to find him alone.
But with the help of the local army, things would be much easier.
I asked Madden, who seemed to be in deep thought.
"Would you be willing to help me?"
"Haha… I'm sorry, but the imperial army can't move for personal matters. We can't waste public power without proper justification."
Madden politely declined.
As a public official, his stance was correct, but the situation was a bit tricky for me.
I pulled another emblem from my pocket.
Madden's face immediately turned pale.
"Would this provide enough justification?"
"Is that… the investigator's emblem?! How did you…?"
"I received it from Investigator Cox of the Empire. He told me that showing this emblem would allow me to get help from the imperial army."
"Of course! Under imperial law, any request made by someone with this emblem must be given full cooperation."
"That's great. And this is also about capturing the culprit of the explosion. This is not a personal matter but something the local army should be handling."
"I understand! Please let me know what you need. From this moment on, the Meyers local army will assist you!"
This was much stronger.
If the priest's insignia was an exemption, then the investigator's emblem was an order.
"This is my messenger, Marvin. He's quick and clever, so he will be of help. Until the case is resolved, you can request soldiers through him, and contact me through Marvin as well."
"Yes, understood."
Marvin knelt and bowed his head.
He was small for an imperial soldier, but his muscles hidden under his armor were solid.
"This is Marvin, a messenger of the local army. Feel free to speak to him."
More than anything, I liked the look in his eyes.
He seemed like the type who would be good at his job, like a reliable communication soldier.
"Well, I'll take my leave now."
Madden left thirty soldiers and returned to his post.
With one sharp messenger and thirty soldiers, the net had been cast. Now it was time to start the hunt.
I said to Marvin.
"I need to have a portrait of the criminal drawn. Do you know someone suitable for this?"
"Yes! I'll bring him right away!"
Marvin walked ahead.
As I followed him, I suddenly glanced toward the lodging. Riu was half-peeking out of the window, covering her mouth with both hands.
When I mouthed "Why?" she shook her head.