My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 12Vol 2.

“Well, I mean. Didn’t you all go to the capital to take down the imperial family? But you haven’t done a thing...”

“...Why are you so interested in this?”

“What, did you really think we’d take the Emperor’s side?”

As I pointed to my own strikingly colorful hair and Ishina’s green hair—both unmistakably Arkon traits—their expressions shifted as if they had just realized something.

“We have our own goals as well. Which means we need information.”

“If we give you information, what will you do in return?”

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“That depends on how precise the information is, doesn’t it?”

I shrugged nonchalantly with a brazen smile.

“Well, maybe we’ll turn a blind eye... just this once.”

At those words, they exchanged glances, clearly entertaining the idea that we might let the black magician go.

“...I see.”

“Captain, exchanging information should be fine, right? It might be useful.”

“Hmm. It would be ideal if we could resolve this through conversation...”

After murmuring among themselves for a moment, they finished their discussion and took a step closer to me. Aquila tightened his grip on his sword, eyeing them warily, but I signaled him to stand down.

They must have decided there was a chance for negotiation, because they soon began spilling everything.

“We lack the justification to attack the imperial family.”

“Justification...”

As I repeated their words, the one who seemed to be their leader elaborated.

“The Second Prince is dead, which means we’ve lost the key justification of being a part of the imperial bloodline.”

Ah, that’s right. I had heard they were planning to resurrect the Second Prince using black magic. Only then could they claim legitimacy and install him as the new Emperor. But it seemed they still hadn’t succeeded.

“We came here after hearing rumors that a Black Dragon had appeared in the capital, but every lead has been a dead end. Right now, our forces are scattered across the capital’s mountains, searching.”

“Because we need the Black Dragon’s heart.”

“The Black Dragon...”

Hearing that, I exchanged an awkward look with the others.

‘The Black Dragon’s heart... Isn’t that the one Ishina burned a while back?’

‘It couldn’t be allowed to be misused.’

As expected, Ishina was a wise one. If we hadn’t destroyed it back then, it would have ended up in someone else’s hands and been used for something like this.

But wait—aren’t Black Dragons usually found in the northern borderlands? There’s no way one would appear near the capital.

I was certain the Second Prince’s army would never be able to find a Black Dragon, but I decided not to share that information with them.

“So, you’re still wandering around the capital because you haven’t been able to resurrect the Second Prince?”

“That’s right. Without him, our plan cannot succeed.”

He glanced at us cautiously before adding in a solemn voice,

“If you choose to cooperate and let us go, we will not forget your kindness. His Highness the Second Prince can promise better treatment for your kind.”

“Hm...”

‘Better treatment, my ass. We don’t trust anything that comes out of a higher-up’s mouth, you bastards.’

The leaders of any organization are always the true enemy.

I didn’t believe a single word they said, but I pretended to be deep in thought, just to buy some time.

“Hmm. But... do you really need an Emperor at all?”

“What? What are you—”

“Oh, never mind.”

I cut myself off before I could go any further. Judging by their confused expressions, they weren’t expecting that statement. Damn it. I’d blurted out a rebellious thought without thinking.

Anyway, we had gotten all the information we needed. Our curiosity about why they hadn’t attacked the imperial palace yet had been satisfied.

Now, it was time to do our job.

“Everyone, get ready.”

Winter pointed his sword at the black magician.

At those words, the tense atmosphere between us and the Second Prince’s forces returned. The brief moment of camaraderie had clearly led them to a serious misunderstanding—they had genuinely believed we would take their side.

“So... you’re not going to cooperate with us?”

“Why the hell would we?”

I spoke indifferently, raising my gun toward them. My finger hovered over the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

“You’d best hand him over while I’m still being polite.”

Just as I finished speaking, the black magician suddenly moved.

"Argh!"

He raised one hand high and made a swift motion, and from somewhere nearby, a loud rumbling sound erupted.

Rumble—

“What the hell?”

I instantly felt uneasy. A noise that big... That meant he had used black magic.

“Salvia, run!”

“Aaaargh!”

I screamed as a massive boulder came rolling down from the mountain’s peak. A rockslide!

Forget the Second Prince’s army—at that moment, we all sprinted down the mountain at full speed. We were running so fast that our legs kept moving even without conscious effort.

“Damn it, you black magician bastard! Just wait until I catch you!”

I’d rather fight a monster than deal with this—at least a monster would change direction if you attacked it! This was pure terror in a form I had never experienced before!

‘I need to dodge sideways!’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I knew that logically, but the boulder was moving too fast for me to stop and think. It kept accelerating, and if we slowed down for even a second, we’d be crushed.

‘No choice!’

As soon as there was a slight gap between us and the boulder, I gripped my gun tightly and spun around.

“Salvia!”

Bang—!

Aquila called my name at the exact moment I pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit dead center.

Boom—

The bullet struck the middle of the boulder, causing it to crack.

But...

“Shit!”

Just because it cracked didn’t mean it had stopped rolling!

Right then, Aquila leaped through the air and wrapped himself around me. Holding me tightly, he threw both of us sideways.

“Aquila!”

Pinned under him, I watched as the fractured boulder continued to tumble down the slope.

“Salvia, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Aquila lifted himself slightly and looked down at me, his eyes filled with worry—worry mixed with something else.

His uniform’s sleeves were torn, and I could see he was injured, but his gaze was locked on me.

“I’m fine... What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

Yeah, right. Aquila saying he was fine when he clearly wasn’t—wasn’t this just another day?

As I scanned him for injuries, Winter and Ishina approached from where they had dodged.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, we’re fine.”

Ishina sighed heavily, looking at me with exasperation.

“Salvia, why the hell would you do something so reckless?”

“Well... You know how military uniforms come with a built-in intelligence debuff? I just keep making impulsive decisions.”

“...Ugh.”

Ishina didn’t bother scolding me any further. She just sighed again and shook her head. I let out a nervous laugh and quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, let’s go catch that black magician!”

I was absolutely going to drag that bastard to prison for trying to crush me.

***

Finding their trail wasn’t difficult this time either. They had been so panicked while fleeing that they hadn’t even bothered to erase their tracks.

"You motherfuckers! Stay right where you are!"

With my hair in a tangled mess and my expression radiating pure menace, I shouted at them. Their faces instantly drained of color.

"Run!"

"Everyone, move!"

"Move where?!"

After an intense chase, we successfully captured the black magician. Of course, the Second Prince’s soldiers had tried to attack us with their swords, but I simply swung my gun like a blade, effortlessly parrying their strikes.

Anyway, the black magician was now kneeling before us, staring blankly at the spot where his comrades had once stood—comrades who had abandoned him without hesitation. So much for their so-called loyalty.

"Alright, let’s go."

I roughly tied him up with the rope I had brought, speaking curtly. Winter added in a firm voice,

"You are under arrest. You will be transported to a prison within the imperial palace."

"P-Prison?!"

The moment he heard the word "prison," his face turned pale, and he fell into an even deeper bow, begging.

"P-Please, just give me one chance! I swear, I haven’t done anything that bad!"

"You’re a black magician. What the hell do you mean by ‘not that bad’...?"

"N-No! This is unfair! It’s just a misconception that all black magicians are evil! A total misconception!"

He pounded his chest as if he were genuinely aggrieved.

"Hah."

I knew for a fact that the black magicians under the Second Prince’s army had sacrificed countless people to fuel a massive spell. And yet here he was, spewing bullshit like this. Unbelievable.

Curious to test his moral compass, I crouched in front of him and asked,

"So, you’re saying you’re not an evil black magician?"

"Yes, really!"

"Alright. Then let me ask you a few questions. Answer only with ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ and stick to the truth."

At my words, a hint of nervousness flashed across his face, but he soon nodded eagerly.

"First question: Have you ever killed a person?"

"No!"

"...Have you ever used a person as a sacrificial offering?"

"Yes!"

"You absolute fucking lunatic!"

I was so dumbfounded that I shouted without thinking, but he didn’t even seem to realize what he had done wrong. Were all black magicians just completely devoid of a moral compass?

"Alright, next question: Have you ever kidnapped someone?"

"No!"

"Have you ever forcibly taken people and made them work against their will?"

"Yes!"

"You crazy bastard! And you have the audacity to say you’re not evil?!"

"S-Salvia, deep breaths! Breathe!"

Ishina quickly grabbed me from behind, guiding me through a breathing exercise. Thanks to her, I was able to calm down before my blood pressure went through the roof.

"Alright, so tell me—why the hell did you cast black magic on this village? What did you stand to gain from it?"

I had no idea why they had cast a spell that stirred up people's emotions, so I asked directly. The black magician, looking a little intimidated, muttered in response.

"Well... we wanted to create enough chaos to steal some food...."

"Sigh...."

Well, I guess that made sense. The village was in shambles, and with their group starving and short on supplies, this must have seemed like a golden opportunity.

"Whatever. Get up already! We need to throw you in prison as soon as possible!"

But once /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ again, the black magician refused to budge, pressing his forehead to the ground as he pleaded.

"P-Please! Just hear me out!"

"Go ahead, let's hear it!"

"Salvia."

"Ah, force of habit...."

I slapped a hand over my mouth, realizing I’d instinctively fallen back into my old habits. Meanwhile, the black magician, sensing his opportunity, began rambling at full speed.

"I'm telling you, not all black magicians are bad! The imperial family is the one that spread that false narrative!"

"Hm, well, the imperial family is a problem in a lot of ways."

"Yes, exactly! In fact, the very term ‘black magic’ is nothing more than propaganda!"

His voice rose with passion.

"There was a time when black magic was simply called ‘magic!’ It was only when the Adolph Empire felt that their power was secure that they decided to label it ‘black magic’!"

Hearing that, I momentarily stopped interrogating him. Because, honestly... it was kind of weird when you thought about it.

There was no such thing as just ‘magic.’ But there was ‘black magic’ or ‘black sorcery.’

Why was that?