Chapter 9: The Outlaw’s Trail and a Sweet Distraction

The Mage Association Kadan refers to certain mages as ‘Outlaws.’ These individuals wield and distort magic long forbidden by the Mage Alliance, inflicting widespread harm upon the public.

He, or perhaps she, would bestow their twisted magic upon ordinary people utterly devoid of magical knowledge. These were simple spells, easily activated by merely reciting a short incantation or performing a specific action.

Consequently, numerous casualties had occurred. The Outlaw’s magic, gifted to commoners, had propelled countless individuals to their deaths in myriad ways.

These phenomena included immense shopping centers collapsing in an instant on crowded weekends, roads abruptly erupting from the ground, causing those caught in the upheaval to die from falls, or entire regions being submerged in a flash. In essence, these were catastrophes from which ordinary humans could scarcely hope to survive.

Of course, the Outlaw’s magic did not always result in hundreds of deaths. Sometimes, the spells were relatively small-scale, making one question if they truly belonged to the Outlaw.

Such instances included a passerby suddenly solidifying into stone and dying, or victims turning to lead upon touching others, much like the mythical Midas’s touch. In this manner, over 100 incidents had occurred due to the Outlaw providing magic to ordinary people.

Despite this multitude of incidents, Kadan had failed to uncover a single clue about the Outlaw. Victims were either killed in the chaos or could not recall who had given them the magic, leaving Kadan with nothing but speculation and no means to ascertain the Outlaw’s identity.

This time, however, was different. The three victims of incidents suspected to be caused by the Outlaw’s magic all shared a crucial commonality: they were students at Icarus Academy, enrolled in a department exclusively for non-mages with high mana sensitivity.

No more victims could be allowed to suffer. Driven by this singular resolve, Seo Doyoo could not afford to let Lee Cheongshin slip away.

“Senior, ah.”

“Ah…”

Doyoo, who had vowed never to sit so close to Cheongshin again, felt a crushing desire to die in this situation, his resolve broken within a single day. Unaware of Doyoo’s inner turmoil, Cheongshin smiled brightly and popped a honey rice cake into his mouth.

With a single bite, honey oozed out, making the rumor that people queued for these treats entirely believable. It was truly delicious. Doyoo, momentarily forgetting his mortification, diligently swallowed the honey rice cake.

“Is it good?”

“…Yes. Cheongshin, I’ll eat it myself now.”

“But I worked so hard, going to another region since dawn to buy these. Can’t I feed you more?”

“Huh? Senior!” Cheongshin pouted, as if he’d never smiled, yet his hand moved steadily. Doyoo wore an awkward expression as he watched Cheongshin meticulously select the next pink honey rice cake and bring it to his lips.

“It’s just that you look so adorable, Senior, accepting it like a squirrel.”

As Cheongshin whispered, sweet as the honey rice cake itself, Doyoo, unable to resist any longer, accepted another bite. At his compliance, Cheongshin beamed a saccharine smile and offered yet another.

Doyoo desperately wanted to flee the lab, but he endured, steadily accepting each honey rice cake. He reasoned that since Cheongshin would cling like a leech even if refused, it was better to simply finish them all and end the situation.

“Let’s eat these and then start making.”

“Yes. The artifact processing tools you asked for, Senior, are over there. I also prepared various materials, thinking it would be good to experiment with different kinds.”

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness, but we don’t need quite so many… Wait. Is that!”

Doyoo, who had been surveying the artifact processing tools Cheongshin brought, suddenly shot up from his seat and approached where they lay. Without even touching them, he bent his head to check the brand, then spun to face Cheongshin, a look of utter astonishment on his face.

“What’s wrong, Senior?”

“This, this is incredibly expensive!”

“Is it?”

“Did you buy it because of me?”

Doyoo swallowed dryly, awaiting Cheongshin’s answer. If so, he intended to pay the full cost of the processing tools, even if it meant emptying his bank account. Yet, his hand trembled, knowing that a single tool small enough to hold could easily cost as much as a car, given the brand.

Cheongshin gazed at Doyoo with an enraptured expression and spoke. “Senior, even your flustered look is so adorable. You’re so cute I want to bite you. Can I lick you?”

‘He wants to bite me, but then he asks permission to lick me?’ Doyoo instinctively clamped his mouth shut, almost having blurted out a reply.

It had now been one month since they began working on their graduation project together in the academy’s research lab, which Cheongshin had managed to secure through his connections.

Ever since the incident in the park, Doyoo had been glaring at Cheongshin, trying to gauge his intentions behind such flirtatious behavior. Cheongshin, however, merely gazed back at Doyoo with wide, innocent green eyes, as if oblivious to everything.

“No?”

He tilted his head, asking the question. Not only the tilt, but the subtle angle at which his hair shifted made Cheongshin appear exquisitely alluring. Doyoo hardened his gaze.

He should have grown accustomed to it by now, yet just as one could never truly grow used to a beautiful face, the flirtations of a beauty felt novel in every moment, leaving him with no immunity.

“…No.”

“What a shame.”

He clicked his tongue, a gesture of genuine regret that was also undeniably beautiful, but Doyoo did not yield this time either. He knew that the moment he succumbed to Cheongshin’s overtures, he would become the fourth victim within the academy, which made him all the more wary.

“Anyway, if it weren’t for you, Senior, they would have rusted and been thrown away, so don’t worry and feel free to use them as you wish. In fact, it would be an honor for them to be worn down and broken for your graduation project, Doyoo Senior. You can treat me as you wish too, Senior.”

His tone conveyed genuine indifference. Doyoo, relieved to have saved his bank account, mentally erased Cheongshin’s last remark and inwardly breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Just then, Cheongshin took Doyoo’s hand and pulled him. Regardless of Doyoo’s complicated expression at being seated once more before the table piled high with honey rice cakes, Cheongshin looked at him as if he were a beautiful sight and spoke.

“Senior, hurry and eat more.”

“That’s eno—”

“Doyoo Senior…”

Faced with Cheongshin’s piteous gaze and voice, which sounded as if he might burst into tears at any moment, Doyoo ultimately sighed and nodded. Cheongshin’s expression instantly brightened, and he resumed feeding Doyoo the honey rice cakes.

“When I see you eating, Senior, I want to feed you other things too.”

“…I’m done now. Cheongshin, you eat too.”

“Since I fed you, this time, Senior, please feed me.”

“…”

“I brought the tools, I went all the way to another region since dawn to buy honey rice cakes for you, Senior, and I even rented the lab…”

“That’s, that was hard work, but—”

“And no one has ever fed me before, so I was curious, you see. Please? Doyoo Senior…”

Doyoo swallowed the curses rising in his throat. Regardless, Cheongshin stared intently at Doyoo, his eyes sparkling with anticipation like a child awaiting their birthday.

Just as Doyoo, having swallowed a small sigh, was about to pick up a new fork, Cheongshin stopped him. Then, he placed the fork he had been holding, the very one he used to feed Doyoo, into Doyoo’s hand.

“Why bother using a new one? Just feed me with this.”

It was a valid point. Doyoo also had no desire to increase unnecessary consumption of disposable items, so he was inclined to agree.

However, because the recipient was Cheongshin, something felt off. After a brief hesitation, Doyoo made up his mind, speared a honey rice cake with the fork, and brought it to Cheongshin’s mouth.

He ate well. Involuntarily, Doyoo smiled faintly, recalling a time when he fed the goldfish he raised at the orphanage as a child. The goldfish, too, would gobble up the floating fish food as soon as they saw it, much like Cheongshin.

Noticing Doyoo’s smile, Cheongshin asked, “You actually wanted this too, didn’t you, Senior?”

‘What did he mean by ‘this’?’ Doyoo mentally replayed the question, realizing it referred to the consumption of disposable products, and answered honestly.

“Yes.”

The campaign slogan, ‘Love the Earth! Reduce the Consumption of Disposable Plastic Products!’, had been prevalent worldwide for a long time, with banners even hanging near the academy’s main gate.

“Ah, that’s a relief. Truly.”

Cheongshin smiled widely, looking both relieved and genuinely happy. Doyoo was momentarily flustered, unable to comprehend Cheongshin’s suddenly overwhelming smile, but he didn’t try to understand.

Understanding Cheongshin wasn’t necessary for his current mission; his sole objective was to unearth evidence that this individual was the Outlaw.

Thus, Doyoo, with mechanical movements, fed Cheongshin honey rice cakes the same number of times Cheongshin had forcibly fed him.

As Doyoo began working on his graduation project with Cheongshin this time, he finally realized what utter nonsense the old adage, “A master craftsman does not blame their tools,” truly was.

Tools were paramount. Only with superior equipment could one truly demonstrate their skill. To that extent, the artifact processing tools Cheongshin had provided proved immensely effective for Doyoo.

While the artifact crafting tools provided by Kadan’s Special Department were good, they couldn’t even compare to what Cheongshin had brought. For a brief moment, Doyoo, using the finest tools he had ever encountered, became so engrossed in creating the mold for the magic inscription that he entirely forgot his mission.