Chapter 160

Chapter 160. My Good Fortune

Prompted by Henji’s call, I made my way across the estate of House Brando.

Under ordinary conditions, trying something like this would have been unthinkable for someone like me.

While sneaking around an interior is supposedly simpler than breaching from the outside, the security measures of House Brando were remarkably formidable—truly fitting for a prestigious family.

I was able to manage this not merely because of my background as a Troubleshooter, but thanks to the highly capable guide leading me, Dinner No. 1.

Chirp, chirp.

Keeping pace with the fluttering wings of Dinner No. 1, I crept toward the Magic Studies Hall by sticking to the least populated paths.

A flap of the left wing meant turning left, while a flap of the right meant moving right.

‘What exactly is this… It’s almost like I’m riding a mount.’

I had somehow ended up being guided like a rider by a bird, but perhaps because I already had plenty of practice with Breakfast No. 1, the situation didn’t feel entirely unnatural.

As I moved through the deep shadows cloaking House Brando, I began reviewing several matters that required sorting out before my encounter with Henji.

‘Seeing Henji is fine, but…’

Certain details were nagging at me.

Let’s analyze the situation.

To someone like Henji, what sort of individual is “Aster”?

The primary trait that would come to his mind is my origin—“a drifter from the Black and White Zone.”

Even though I might have ended up in the same predicament regarding the new Thousand Origin Art after becoming involved with Demian, the fundamental perception of me as a mere Black and White Zone vagrant would remain deeply embedded.

That was the root of my anxiety.

‘How can I possibly clarify everything that has transpired up to this point?’

Truthfully, there hadn’t been an excessive number of events directly tied to the new Thousand Origin Art.

The raid on Parun’s estate was unavoidable, certainly, but the occurrences within the Hall of Trials were unknown even to Parun.

Consequently, the only significant matter left on the table was the recent business with the Infinite Chain.

And those two specific events posed the real dilemma.

‘Knowing Henji… he might easily connect me to the cloaked figure who turned up during the raid on Parun’s manor.’

He might have exchanged words with Parun without my knowledge, and even if he hadn’t, the alignment of the details was just too perfect.

Rather than assuming “a random masked individual happened to show up and assist Parun,” arriving at the conclusion that “the Black and White Zone drifter and that masked person are somehow linked” was simply a far more logical deduction.

Naturally, ordinary people would dismiss that idea as absurd—but the Henji I knew was far from ordinary.

Most individuals would chalk things up to coincidence rather than bet on a microscopic sliver of probability, whereas Henji would fixate on that tiny sliver instead of dismissing it as a coincidence.

Consider the reality of it.

‘A random vagabond from the Black and White Zone whom I happened to pull in turns out to be an extraordinary master?’

Exactly. It’s impossible not to harbor doubts about that.

So how would an ordinary person respond?

‘Wow, I guess I’m just fortunate… and leave it at that?’

Not a chance.

If I were in his position, I would have vivisected him.

Suspicions that didn’t even exist before would erupt like a raging volcano, and I would lock the guy up to interrogate him relentlessly until he confessed to things he didn’t even know.

Furthermore…

‘…What if he has also gathered intelligence regarding the events that took place in Lortel?’

My mind began to race.

If I were Henji, I would probably drag myself into that “secluded area” I had playfully mentioned before and ensure we had an incredibly agonizing, deeply personal conversation.

Granted, bringing up the Lortel situation might be overthinking it a bit.

“Sigh. Concealing too many secrets really causes a massive headache.”

In reality, I wasn’t intentionally hiding anything.

I was merely a cryptic individual who, much like an onion, kept revealing further layers no matter how much you peeled away.

At any rate, the uncertain nature of our connection made me hesitate, though I wasn’t particularly terrified.

I just felt a wave of anxiety regarding where I should begin and how deeply I should dive into the details.

‘For the time being, I ought to at least open up about the Lortel affair…’

Anticipating that tonight’s discussion would drag on, I quickened my stride, trailing closely behind Dinner No. 1.

We eventually arrived at the rear of the Magic Studies Hall.

Despite the midnight darkness, I gazed up at the brightly illuminated structure of the Magic Studies Hall, which was precisely when Dinner No. 1 began flapping its wings.

Flutter, flutter.

It perched upon a windowsill on the highest story, its gaze clearly conveying a silent message:

“Make your way up.”

“You expect me to climb up there?”

Chirp.

Without needing a second prompt, I leaped upward, using the lower window ledges as stepping stones a few times until I reached the specific window where Dinner No. 1 was waiting.

Before knocking on the glass, I took a deep, stabilizing breath.

‘I am blameless. And I am full of confidence.’

The last time I stepped foot here, I was merely a drifter from the Black and White Zone. But now that I have returned, I am an honorable Troubleshooter.

So, what defines righteousness?

Might.

Immense capability makes my cause all the more righteous.

Therefore…

‘Henji’s private chambers?’

I feel no dread.

All I could do was offer a silent prayer.

I hoped Henji wouldn’t awaken my inner sense of righteousness through a reckless choice. I hoped he wouldn’t provoke that underlying force wrapped in “justice”… well, regardless, I hoped he wouldn’t stir up trouble.

Holding onto that thought, I tapped on the windowpane.

Swish—

The drapes were pulled back, revealing a very familiar face.

Henji, maintaining his usual amicable expression, showed no sign of astonishment and promptly unlatched the window to let me inside.

“Aha, Aster-gun. It has been quite a while. Have you been doing well?”

“Well enough, I suppose.”

Why was my heart hammering so loudly against my ribs?

My fists were practically tingling.

Had I perhaps… become consumed by my desire for justice?

Henji poured some tea with that ever-smiling countenance and seamlessly initiated the dialogue—beginning with the topic of “Parun’s letter.”

“Just a short while ago, a missive arrived from Parun. Though… perhaps I should refer to him as the Tower Master now?”

“A missive?”

I expressed my skepticism regarding the fact that Parun had actually sent a message.

I figured the two maintained constant communication, but using the specific title “Tower Master” caught my attention.

Recognizing him as the “Tower Master” implied that the letter detailed the entire situation connected to Lortel.

Observing my reaction, Henji continued speaking.

“Ah, to be precise, this is actually the first correspondence I’ve received from him in several months. Thanks to Ilgeom (Single Sword), Deculan’s surveillance over him has relaxed considerably.”

Ah, so that explained it.

Even so, the fact that Parun had written a letter was rather surprising.

It wasn’t as if Parun was unaware that I would be traveling to Lortel during the break, meaning there shouldn’t have been any urgent need to write—

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Henji offered further clarification.

“To be clear, it is by no means because he harbors doubts about you, Aster-gun. He mentioned that he sent it simply to provide a more detached and precise rendering of the events.”

…Right.

Perhaps he didn’t suspect I would vanish with the Thousand Origin Art manuscript, but some lingering doubt must have prompted him to put it in writing.

Regardless, that detail wasn’t particularly critical.

‘Very well. So how is he going to react now?’

With a racing pulse, I braced myself for Henji’s response.

In the event that Henji had been corrupted by darkness, I stood ready to purify him with righteousness and guide him back to a proper path.

Ultimately, however, Henji showed no signs of corruption.

He simply—

“You chose to conceal your true identity from Parun. A highly intelligent decision. If your goal is to steer clear of annoying complications, that is definitely the superior path.”

He validated my choice, and—

“Even so, I found myself astonished. Did you happen upon some miraculous stroke of luck or training during your time away? When we initially met, I don’t recall you possessing this degree of capability.”

He displayed genuine curiosity and admiration laced with intrigue.

Following that, the dialogue consisted primarily of Henji posing inquiries and me providing replies, though his questions were purely born of genuine interest.

He wanted to know what Kalahen was truly like, what precisely occurred within Lortel, and noted that Parun seemed to hold me in quite high regard—inquiring how I had pulled that off.

It was that particular comment that left me unable to mask my bewilderment.

“Parun holds me in high regard? He actually likes me?”

“Indeed. Is that so difficult to credit? Haha, I can see why. He is quite a distant and frosty individual.”

At that instant, I became intensely curious about the exact contents of that written message.

Reflecting on the Parun I knew, it wouldn’t have shocked me if half the pages were filled with scathing criticisms like “reckless” and “completely unfit to be a mage”…

At any rate, after exchanging a wealth of background information omitted from the letter alongside a series of curiosity-driven questions—

We took a brief pause to sip our tea and moisten our throats.

At this juncture, I couldn’t resist asking.

“…Why?”

“What are you referring to?”

“Well, it’s just…”

Now that I was attempting to voice it, the words eluded me.

It would feel incredibly awkward to demand plainly with my own voice, “Why aren’t you suspicious of who I really am?”

Yet, he truly seemed to be the sort of person who could grasp an unspoken thought instantly.

Right at that moment, Henji spoke up.

“To be perfectly candid, yes. I do possess curiosity. You are a drifter from the Black and White Zone, Aster-gun… and during our initial encounter, you were merely a bit exceptional. You weren’t at this level. Yet when I review Parun’s letter… well… haha.”

Henji’s voice drifted off as a smile graced his features.

It was as though he was reminiscing about the sheer shock of reading the missive for the first time—though his expression didn’t convey any overwhelming emotion.

After taking a brief moment to compose himself, Henji redirected a question back to me instead.

“But does that truly matter?”

“Is it… not important?”

“Imagine for a moment that you are a chess player, Aster-gun. Spread across the board are your own pieces alongside your adversary’s. However, right from the commencement, the matchup is entirely unequal.”

Henji spoke with a serene tone as he channeled his magical energy, constructing a visual chessboard complete with figures.

It was a staggeringly accurate and rapid display of transformation magic; within moments, the contrasting shades separated, and distinct black and white chess figures crystallized atop the grid.

Yet the positioning of the pieces was highly unorthodox.

The white side was utterly packed with pawns, rooks, bishops, knights, a king, and a queen—so utterly crowded that they spilled across the squares, crammed together in total defiance of the standard regulations.

Meanwhile, what of the black side?

There stood only a queen and a king.

Merely two figures desperately clinging to their positions.

“A completely unbalanced match, wouldn’t you agree? Now, suppose you are the one controlling the black pieces, Aster-nim. And one fine day, a simple ‘pawn’ aligns with the black side. A seemingly powerless little pawn. What course of action would you take? Would you cast it aside? Or would you cling to even that single piece to press on with the match?”

“I would… press on with the match.”

“That is precisely the reason I selected you, Aster-nim. Ah! Naturally, I never viewed you as a mere ‘pawn.’ Rather, I thought, ‘Ah, if it is this particular pawn, perhaps it possesses the potential to penetrate deep into the opposition’s territory and alter its function entirely.’ A slender thread of hope like that, you might say.”

By now, the true meaning behind Henji’s words had become clear to me.

In this scenario, the white player represented Deculan.

The black player represented Henji and Parun.

Concurrently, Henji and Parun occupied the roles of the queen and the king.

And then, out of nowhere, I had entered the picture.

‘A pawn with the potential to transform into a queen.’

Yet, as fate would have it…

“When we actually put it into practice, it turned out to be no mere pawn. I am uncertain of the exact cause, but it performed as a bishop or a knight… perhaps even something far greater. It utterly shattered all initial expectations. Under such circumstances, do we truly require an explanation?”

“……”

I silently observed the black pawn that hovered gracefully above the magical chessboard. And that token shifted its appearance—transforming into a bishop, and then reshaping itself into a knight.

Yes. I had no idea how a piece designated as a pawn could suddenly manifest as a knight, but the underlying reason felt irrelevant.

In such a perilous predicament, the only thing that truly mattered was that they had secured a highly effective asset.

Furthermore, another realization struck me.

I understood exactly why Henji had utilized a chess metaphor. It boiled down to a simple concept.

‘Chess pieces do not require a personal history.’

Why a pawn functions as a pawn.

Why a bishop operates as a bishop.

Very few individuals sit down to a game of chess while pondering the philosophical origins of the pieces. No—even if they did, the origin means nothing during actual gameplay.

The only thing of value is how the piece is utilized.

Satisfied with his transparent response, I gave a quiet nod.

“My good fortune, then.”

“…Excuse me?”

“No. It is nothing at all.”

Regrettably—or rather, fortunately—there was absolutely no call for me to mete out justice.

As I exhaled a sigh of disappointment—or rather, profound relief—a gentle smile played across Henji’s lips.

“Quite so. I understand you have something intended for me? I also recall being told that you have inquiries you wish to make.”