The Weight of Ambition

An office with the same scenery as before. 

But Leo didn't miss the fact that the screen of the small screen in the corner of the office was obscured by an exquisite square. 

She poured Leo a cup of coffee and sat down across from him on the office sofa without saying a word, then sat down with a calm expression. 

"...." 

I was slowly choosing what to say. 

Panoa also knows very well that if she fails to catch Leo now, everything will go wrong. 

The first thing to do was decided. 

"Sorry." 

Slowly, she lowers her head. 

"I told you about a ridiculous plan and was late in solving it. It's all my fault." 

"...." 

"All the inconveniences that occurred during this operation were due to the headquarters' fault, and we will pay you compensation in accordance with the process. Of course, we also promise to delegate the success rewards to other personnel who failed the mission during the process." 

A clean apology without any excuses, and a calm, unwavering tone. 

You can see what kind of mindset she has when she comes here after experiencing bitter failure. 

But this alone wasn't enough to buy Leo's time. 

At least if they intend to continue pushing forward with the plan they initially set out without wavering. 

She looked down for a moment and slowly opened her mouth. 

"I think in a week or so you'll have an idea of what's going on inside our company." 

"...." 

Leo's gaze changed slightly at the unexpected words. 

I never thought I would bring up Dyke's internal circumstances, which I thought was his most vulnerable weakness, from the beginning. 

Panoa also seemed to have no intention of washing his mouth with just a few pennies. 

"I will admit it here honestly. In contrast to the capital currently being invested in this project, the number of high-level personnel that can be mobilized within the headquarters is extremely limited. Even those who are helping me will not be able to remain in the company if this plan fails." 

"Just get to the point." 

Panoa flinched at Leo's cold words and bit her lip. 

It must feel frustrating to see the positions of the two people reversed in less than a month. 

But instead of being engrossed in such petty emotions, she prepared herself for much more rational judgment and persuasion. 

"...No matter what happens, I want to borrow the magician's power. This is an expression of my will." 

With that, she pulled out a black security bag from behind the sofa. 

I open the lock on the tightly locked lock, enter the password, and the bag swings open. 

A pair of small rings can be seen, along with the scent of concentrated magical power emanating from it. 

"This is the Ring of Fry ice, an artifact that was given to the shadow magician who worked with us in the previous operation as a goal for the complete accomplishment of the plan." 

"...." 

"It is not as good as the reward I promised to the wizard, but it is a valuable artifact as it is equipped with a shock-resistant spell that can protect the wearer's body." 

Panoa's two eyes were burning hot. 

Even if you say it like that, if this ring was also intended to fully achieve the plan, it would be an item of considerable value. 

Even though you could tell that it wasn't something cheap just by looking at the magic power inside, Leo answered without changing his expression. 

"You probably know what I want." 

The minimum terms that Jenny and Leo agreed to. 

The two shared the idea that no matter how insufficient it was, the timing of receipt of the relics should be brought forward. 

If Panoa tries to wipe her mouth with a pair of artifacts, the deal is over. 

As if she had noticed Leo's feelings, she quickly continued speaking. 

The main topic starts now. 

"The bidding for the item you want at the VIP Auction House has ended, and it is currently being prepared for delivery. I promise that I will definitely have the artifact in your hands by the end of the next request, not just five requests." 

The urgency is evident in every word. 

The fact that she even handed Leo a certificate proving that she had purchased the item at the auction house clearly showed how determined she was to come to this place to persuade Leo. 

"...…" 

As Leo does not respond, her words become more and more urgent. 

"I will establish a command system so that the judgment of the Half-Wizard can be given priority in all future operations, and I will also delegate the selection of team members to participate in the plan. If that is not enough…...!!" 

Panoa's increasingly violent speech suddenly stopped after Leo picked up a pair of rings. 

Leo watched the flow of magical power emanating from the relic for a long time, then nodded and stood up. 

"Wizard…?" 

Considering the internal circumstances of Dyke that I heard from Sebastian, I think the compensation she just mentioned is the upper limit of the stakes that can be bet on Leo. 

Since I had already received confirmation of my purchase, I thought there was no need to listen to any useless words. 

"Make a document out of everything I just said and send it to Jenny. We'll talk about the detailed schedule later." 

Panoa's face brightened slightly as she realized the meaning behind those words, and Leo froze as he looked back. 

Leo looked down at Panoa with a cold gaze and spoke. 

"This incident will pass, but this kind of mistake must never be made again. You are not the only one taking risks." 

"....." 

"I have proven my abilities, and I believe I deserve to be treated accordingly." 

"…. I know that too." 

"What we're doing now is because our interests overlap to some extent, not because we're giving and receiving unilateral help, right?" 

Leo muttered quietly as he grabbed the office door handle. 

"You have to find a good balance. There are many things that money alone can't solve." 

It's ironic. 

The words that Leo threw at Panoa were words that suited Leo himself more than anything else. 

But in this place, even such temptation was nothing more than a luxury. 

Percussion! 

"...." 

Panoa, left alone in the quiet office, lowered her head in silence. 

Her face looked filled with an inexplicable fatigue. 

Leo confirmed the figure as if he was looking through the door, then turned his back without saying a word and immediately left the building. 

proposal 

'This makes it certain.' 

Leo thought as he walked down the street, politely escorted by the Dyke staff. 

'You're bold, but you lack experience.' 

At first glance, Panoa seems like a rational and bold person, but she is completely different from Jenny, who actually handles things that way. 

It wasn't a bad decision to delegate the chain of command for this plan while giving him a rare artifact right away, but I'm having a hard time shaking off the regret over the bleeding that occurred in the process. 

That's probably why he didn't easily trust Leo's decision and instead showed signs of trying to raise the stakes. 

This is what happens because Panoa doesn't trust Leo in the first place. 

"...." 

I can understand. 

It's hard to feel comfortable entrusting important work to someone you've never met before. 

But in this world, after a price has been paid, there should be no more complaints. 

In that sense, Panoa was a talent who didn't really fit in with this scene. 

'I have to give back as much as I received and then get out. It won't be easy considering the value of the relic…' 

Leo thought about that and glanced inside his coat. 

You don't have to hear how much effort Panoa put into obtaining Fry ice's ring. 

Artifact. 

To Leo, who understands how difficult a task it is to enchant an object, it is a treasure worth a thousand dollars. 

Although I don't have the five fingers of Enakpil in my hand right now, it is still a tangible achievement to have obtained an artifact with enchantment. 

Even if you can't make a lot of progress right away, it's not often that you get the chance to see with your own eyes exactly how an artifact is enchanted and how it works. 

'It would be nice if we could see visible results in a short period of time, but... we'll have to be patient.' 

Even for Leo, who freely uses shield magic, the protective magic built into the ring is of great significance. 

Unlike shield magic that simply unilaterally alleviates external impact, protection magic is capable of protecting the user through a variety of methods. 

Of course, we would have to analyse the ring's effectiveness properly to know, but it would probably be a magic that can either channel away shock applied to the internal organs and the skeleton itself or block various harmful substances that cannot be simply resolved with a shield. 

That was certainly not a bad thing for Leo, who relied heavily on just one magic for defence: Shield. 

Wasn't it all thanks to Leo's abnormal obsession with safety that the shield magic, which was seriously inflexible in terms of performance alone, was developed to this point? 

In that sense, the protective magic built into the ring will be a great insurance for Leo. 

Slowly calming down his slightly excited mood, Leo took out his cell phone. 

Leo's figure, who quickly dialled the number of his built-in contacts, disappeared into the crowd in an instant. 

The complicated gaze of someone watching from the top of the building didn't even know it had lost its way. 

# 

"I've been thinking about this lately." 

Alice, who had been quietly looking at a book, blurted out the words. 

A library filled with warm sunlight. A clear voice echoes through the clean space filled with the smell of paper. 

"Aren't you seriously lacking concentration?" 

"Yes?" 

Leo, who could be called the embodiment of a wizard in terms of talent alone, lacks focus. 

It was quite an unfamiliar thing to hear from him, who was able to control his magical power down to the particle level even in a situation where blades were waving before his eyes. 

At least Leo had never once failed to control his concentration since he opened his eyes in this world. 

But unlike Leo's sentiments, Alice seemed to have a lot to say about this matter. 

She put the book down on the glass table as if she had made up her mind and glared at Leo. 

"That's right. Am I wrong?" 

"...I don't know what you're talking about." 

"I always take the time to explain the theory to you directly every time you come to the library, but your mind keeps wandering. And that's already the third time! Did you think I didn't know?" 

"...." 

Yes. The meeting with Alice, which continued once every two weeks, was now in its third year. 

It's not surprising. It's been quite some time since I made the appointment with her at the library. 

Leo, who took a considerable amount of time off immediately after finishing a commission, spent a considerable amount of time in the library. 

Leo replied, slamming the book shut. 

"Professor, you are making a terrible mistake. Where is the evidence that I am not concentrating?" 

"It is the person who is stabbed that looks for evidence first." 

"But I have never made a single mistake in any of the questions and answers given by the professor." 

"...…" 

Alice shut her mouth with a displeased expression. 

Leo bit his lip slightly to keep from laughing as he looked at her face. 

Actually, there is nothing wrong with what she said. 

It is also true that the theories that Alice taught Leo were mostly basic, aimed at those who had not yet properly learned magic, and that Leo was unable to focus on such explanations. 

However, the questions she gave during class were relatively simple, so I was able to answer them without even attending class. 

But after seeing each other's faces a few times, I think I started to realize that Leo was thinking of something else during class... But Leo's acting was too excellent for me to get caught up in it. 

Leo stared at Alice, who silently stuck out her lips and picked up a book. 

"....." 

'Is it about time?' 

Even if Leo ignores her questions, there is no reason to hurt Alice's feelings. 

Especially considering that Leo was thinking of asking her for help. 

In fact, when they first met at the library, Leo had thought he would be satisfied with just taking her classes as they were now. 

Revealing oneself was a risk, and Leo was not strong enough to shoulder that burden. 

But now it's different. 

The encounter with the Ascendant left Leo wanting a little more. 

Wasn't it part of that that he decided to take a risk and join hands with Dyke to increase his influence in the underworld? 

And if you can take a step forward in the shade, what can't you do in the sun? 

The person named Aris Richellen that Leo had met three times was clearly someone more trustworthy than the nameless mercenaries from the underworld. 

Leo took a deep breath before speaking. 

I was thinking of bringing up something I've been thinking about since before this meeting today. 

I slowly opened my mouth, thinking back on what I had to say. 

"Actually, what you said, professor, is right." 

"…...What did you say?"