Chapter 5

"A"

Something like a gust of wind passed through my body as I let out a surprised cry. A wave that could be called a wind, which did not physically touch me, passed through the shadows.

Is this magic?

A misplaced comment pops into my head as if to escape reality.

There's nothing I can do about it. I have a weapon, but as a complete novice, I have no chance of winning. Therefore, I have no choice but to fight with magic cards, even though it will be a trial by fire.

With this resolve, I pull out a stack of magic cards that have already become a bundle. If I had a holder, it would look more impressive, but unfortunately, I don't. So I hold the stack in my left hand and take one card in my right, assuming a combat stance. This makes me look like a duelist from a card battle manga.

I don't care if it shows I'm a complete novice. I maintain my guard without letting my guard down.

Go ahead and expose me whenever you want. The moment you drag me out of the shadows will be your last.

It's just bravado, but it's necessary to fight right now. The enemy consists of eight soldiers and one mage... while on our side, there's just me. Moreover, I have a means of attack, but I don't even know what it is.

As Sun Tzu said, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

I'm in a really tight spot.

But the unexpected words that greeted me were surprising.

"No magical reaction from the target."

"Damn... So it's certain that he has a teleportation device... And it's a teleportation device, of all things."

The captain spat, clearly not wanting this to happen.

What? What does that mean? The magical presence should have been here... Could it have been just my imagination?

Confused, I tilted my head, and the soldiers began to talk.

"Is it a teleportation device... Captain, that's a real pain, isn't it?"

"Yeah, the worst."

The captain answered the soldier's question with a weary expression.

"Listen. 'Teleportation' is a magic that allows you to instantly move to a predetermined location. It consumes a huge amount of magic, so you can only use it once a day, and the distance isn't very long. Therefore, the best way to corner someone who uses teleportation is to wait for them at the location they will teleport to after investigating it."

There might be a device to interfere with teleportation, but unfortunately, it's a rare item that the country may or may not have. Of course, this country doesn't have one, and the mage was grumbling, "If only we had a teleportation interference device in our country..."

"But this time, it doesn't apply to this case."

The captain continued with a bitter tone.

"Listen? The target escaped from the castle using teleportation without setting a teleportation point. The higher-ups are frantically trying to find clues in the strange objects left in the room..."

The situation doesn't seem to be going well, and he trails off.

I was surprised by the unexpected performance of the Rubik's Cube I had placed as a last resort.

"Well, let's report first. Now that we know he has teleportation, this number of people isn't enough. If we need reinforcements to press the attack, the higher-ups should approve it."

With that, the captain started walking, and the soldiers followed.

For some reason, I didn't trigger the detection magic they used earlier. It probably won't be used again soon, and even if it is, I might not be detected. So I decided to take the risk and gather information.

When everyone turned the corner, I emerged from the shadows and entered another. Compared to the previous crisis, this wasn't a big deal, but I had to suppress the urge to run and move along the shadows of the building, entering the shadows of the soldiers. The sun was high, so even though they were close together, the shadows were narrow, making it difficult to enter.

Come on, talk. You are a valuable source of information. If you have any problems, feel free to consult me.

"But Captain, is he really a teleporter?"

"Most likely."

The captain answered immediately, apparently with a solid basis. I almost laughed at the sight of a confident answer based on a wrong premise. I regret that his helmet hides his face.

"On the day in question, no one with a small enough magical presence to match the target was confirmed to have entered or left the castle."

From this, it seems that my small magical presence is a characteristic. I remember being called "completely devoid of magic."

"The castle walls have been the same since they were built long ago and still function. Whether someone climbs over the walls or digs a hole to enter and exit, all of it is recorded. And there was no one matching the target in those records."

"So... the target either has the power to deceive the 'Legacy' or has a means of teleportation... is that it?"

The captain nodded vigorously.

"Even if he could deceive the power of the 'Legacy'... what kind of ability would allow that? And I've heard that the gift of the summoned is the ability to turn gold into items. If he could leave the castle without being noticed and escape the range of the detection magic in an instant, the only conclusion is that he has obtained a teleportation device."

Unfortunately, what I obtained was a skill, not a device. The reasoning of the kingdom's soldiers is full of holes.

But did something like 'Legacy' and an ancient civilization really exist?

It's quite exciting. I'll praise it as a proper fantasy.

"But what about other possibilities... for example, if he could hide his magic and escape the castle skillfully?"

"Even if he could hide his magic and slip past the 'Legacy,' what about the detection magic? Hiding can fool 'detection,' but not 'scanning' magic."

I wanted an explanation of the difference, but none was given.

I stayed in the shadows of the soldiers for a while, and they continued to discuss as they walked. I was about to give up on understanding the content when the correct answer came.

"Maybe he doesn't have any magic at all..."

I was startled by those words but quickly realized it was a false alarm.

"A person without magic... Do you really think such a creature exists?"

There's no such thing, the soldier answered with a laugh, and the others joined in.

It seems that a creature without magic is a joke. In this world, it's normal for inhabitants to have magic, and the idea of not having magic doesn't even come to mind.

The mage also said, "No magical reaction." And I was told I had no magic. It seems that having no magic is considered the same as not existing, but in reality, it was zero. Otherwise, I would have been detected by the scanning magic and recorded by the castle's 'Legacy.'

In other words, they can't detect me with magic. Furthermore, the 'Shadow Crossing' I obtained can't be detected by anything other than magic. From these facts, it can be concluded—

I'm a cheat.

There is a condition that there must be a shadow of a certain size, but the condition itself is not difficult. Its effect is a complete stealth ability. It's an incredible skill that no one can find.

I always thought I was weak because I had no combat ability, but it turns out I have an incredible power.

However, this changes my plans a bit.

I can act without anyone noticing. Infiltration and investigation are a piece of cake.

Pig King and his bald minions. You should regret calling me here. I'll collect a hefty compensation.

So, I'll infiltrate the castle at night. Just wait, treasure.

"Hehehe... hehehe..."

Late at night, in the treasure room of the royal castle in the capital of Laurenthus, an eerie laugh echoed. The room was overflowing with gold and silver treasures. I was amazed at how much they had accumulated. Well, this is the wealth of a nation, isn't it?

However, from the look of the capital, the civilization doesn't even seem to have reached the Middle Ages. The people looked unhealthy, bandits were rampant, and the commercial district, which should be the center of the economy, was not crowded with people. There were slums, and the stench of filth had spread to neighboring districts, a nightmare.

Most likely, these riches were extracted from the people. In two weeks of information gathering, I never heard a good word about the nobles, the royal family, or anyone involved in politics.

Well, that doesn't matter. Now I can thank the Pig King.

Thank you for saving up so much gold for me.

I opened a nearby treasure chest. It was packed with gold coins. Opening a small box revealed gems, and a more luxurious box contained several gem-encrusted ornaments.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

I can't stop laughing.

I might as well practice filling points for the gacha. I remember that the image is important. But first, there's something I need to do.

I plunged my hand into the pile of gold coins and grabbed a handful.

Yes, grabbing gold coins. Oh... What is this thrill, this bliss... I can't stop.

"Wow, ho ho ho ho!"

I can't stop laughing. I want to keep doing this forever.

Practice? I'll do it later.

I jumped into the pile of gold coins, rolling around. The sound of the coins rubbing against each other was incredibly satisfying.

It's like bathing in a pile of cash in Japan, but this is pure gold. The realism is unparalleled.

Laughing until my stomach hurt, I lay down in the pile of gold coins and caught my breath.

I'm quite a materialistic person, it seems.

I feel like I've discovered a new side of myself. I thought I was indifferent to everything, but it turns out I'm quite shallow.

But that's okay. This is a different world, and I have power.

Is it bad to be shallow?

Is it bad to be greedy?

What's wrong with doing what I want?

It's allowed in this world. The country, the king, the nobles, the merchants, the people of this world, they all taught me that.

A merchant who sold me information said, "If you have power, you can do anything." This world is exactly like that.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I will follow the ways of this world. No, I don't need such an excuse.

I have power, so no complaints, right?

This is enough.

But even after all this laughing, no one comes. I wouldn't want them to come, though.

Well, there's a large door in front of the treasure room, and a long corridor leads to a guard. The distance is great, and the door is tightly closed, so they probably won't hear unless I make a lot of noise.

By the way, what was I going to do if I didn't have an 'unlock' card? I was going to slip through the gap, but there was no gap in this door.

It's a good thing it worked out, but acting on a whim is not a good idea. From now on, I should plan my actions carefully.

I'll reflect on this and practice converting to points.

The first time I converted a gold coin to points, I imagined buying points with the gold coin. I took a gold coin and imagined, "I'm buying points with this gold coin."

But nothing happened.

"Could there be a limit, like only a million points a month?"

I voiced my concern, but I managed to convert it by imagining the conversion. It seems to take a little time to convert.

1 gold coin converted to 100,000 points.

I ignored the message in my head and tried converting gold coins with various images.

But none of them worked, and it turned out that only the initial point conversion