The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

Pzzt!

“Hngh, heuk!”

The sensation I felt as I swung my fist was like hitting a highly elastic punching bag.

A dazzling electric spark flew from the center of my fist.

It was the old man’s defensive spell, a force field.

Even in this situation, had he not let go of the one move to save his own life?

No, it was probably closer to something engraved in his subconscious.

“Heh, heh heh!”

The old man, who had been screaming, soon realized he wasn’t dead and revealed a faint sense of superiority.

Jjijik!

“……!”

It didn’t take much effort to tear that paltry feeling apart.

The green aura emitted from the tip of my nail pierced the force field and reached the old man.

The old man’s facial muscles contorted with shock, anger, and despair.

“You’re not a security officer, so where did a monster like this come from…!”

Paak!

The old man’s head snapped violently to the side, then slumped down.

I threw the old man’s broken staff far away.

“You talk too much. If you like to talk, do it at the Public Security Bureau after you wake up.”

Although it was an impact that could break a staff, the sensation in my hand was dull.

Perhaps he had instinctively used another defensive spell.

He probably wasn’t dead.

I had a lot to hear, so it wasn’t as if I hadn’t controlled my strength.

“Then…”

I took out my phone and searched for Taylor’s contact information.

If I handed him over to the Public Security Bureau, they would use all sorts of methods, whether it was a truth serum or scrambling his brain with magic, to extract all the information in his head.

It was the moment I placed my finger on the call button.

Kiiing!

A sound wave in a range beyond human hearing reached me.

A sound I would never have been able to hear normally.

It was possible because the synergistic effect of the doping agent and synchronization had sublimated my senses to the realm of a beast.

It was the rooftop of a building silhouetted against the western sky, where the sun was setting.

The hawk’s vision captured a single flash of light emitted from there.

Kugwagwagwang!

The flash of light slammed into the ground, turning the earth inside out.

Dust billowed up from the condensed and then exploding shockwave.

In the empty air, a ripple followed the trajectory of the flash like a contrail.

The old man’s body, directly hit by the flash, had literally vanished.

Only his wrinkled face was shattered on the ground like a dropped watermelon.

「The World Tree shrivels at the heat.」

The whip-like stem that had been protecting the old man was not unscathed either.

The cross-section of the gaping hole was scorched as if it had been seared with a torch.

The overwhelming impact and the heat that followed due to the near-subsonic speed.

It was not an exaggeration to call this a bombardment.

Jalgeurang!

It was just unbelievable that the object that had fallen in the center of the impact was a warhead.

I turned my gaze back to the top of the building.

What I saw there, where the flash had been obscuring, was a single gun, and a woman.

‘A sniper rifle, a power close to a bombardment. I see.’

I realized the identity of the other party.

‘A security officer.’

The pinnacle of the force that the Public Security Bureau prided itself on was there.

***

Thud!

The woman who had sniped from the rooftop landed as suddenly as she had appeared.

A light movement, despite having jumped from the rooftop of a 10-story building.

In a world where magic exists and outdated relics like magic, cold weapons, and martial arts prove their strength, these were the people who enforced public security with a single gun.

Just as their guns and talents were special, their physical abilities were also beyond the human category.

Chiii!

I clicked my tongue at the old man’s scalp, which was beginning to melt from the ground heat.

‘Even if I brought a high-ranking necromancer, it would be impossible to revive him.’

The hostage I had finally found and captured had turned into trash in an instant.

It was a pity, but not shocking enough to make me angry.

‘I had also expected that the terrorist organization would take action to prevent me from getting the hostage.’

Fortunately, the terrorist organization the old man belonged to was not that thorough.

‘I just didn’t expect to be hindered by my own side.’

I observed the woman carefully.

The woman was carrying a guitar case, linked by chains at the top and bottom, on her back.

She probably stored the sniper rifle I had just seen in there.

Her jet-black hair came down to her waist and swayed with every step.

Her cold face, combined with her light-colored eyes, gave the impression of being emotionally sparse.

“Hazel Walnut, Public Security Bureau security officer.”

The woman who stood five steps in front of me said.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Then she fell silent.

In the strange atmosphere, I finally noticed the words she had omitted.

‘She introduced herself, so is she telling me to introduce myself too?’

Then she should at least nod her head.

I, who had been waiting for her to continue, answered with a sigh.

“Allen, a contractor.”

“Allen.”

As if it were the correct answer, Hazel, who had nodded her head in satisfaction, muttered my name several times as if savoring it.

It was a natural gesture that made one forget that this had been a battlefield full of killing intent just a moment ago.

A unique atmosphere flowed from her, as if she were detached from the secular world.

“This is a city government inspection area. Orders have been given to severely punish private disputes.”

“……?”

“Don’t you understand? Follow me for now. I took care of that old man because I had a bad feeling about him… but I won’t kill you.”

I stared blankly at the handcuffs she held out.

Recalling the conversation, I could see where this whole flow of conversation had gone wrong.

“Didn’t you hear that the Public Security Bureau mobilized a contractor for the inspection?”

“I heard.”

“I am that contractor.”

Hazel tilted her head.

“This isn’t an inspection area.”

“I had found and was in the process of capturing the members of a terrorist organization who were hiding.”

“……Ah, those guys?”

“Yes.”

A frown formed on Hazel’s brow.

When a clear expression appeared on her emotionally sparse face, even the small movement of her facial muscles created a serious atmosphere.

She tapped the old man’s head and the mashed bodies of his disciples.

The act of fumbling around and silently searching for something was far from collecting evidence.

It was an act of escapism, trying to hide the fact that she had made a mistake.

“He was a skilled mage. He must have held a high position in the terrorist organization. If I had captured him alive and taken him to the Public Security Bureau, there would have been a lot to hear.”

“……”

“Do you understand? You ruined something that could have been easy.”

Hazel couldn’t lift her head.

She stopped her fumbling with an embarrassed look and scratched her cheek.

“……Sorry.”

The apology, in its own way, was unpleasant.

But getting angry at a security officer would only be a loss for me.

The arm bends inwards.

The Public Security Bureau would not admit the security officer’s mistake.

They would rather devalue my achievement.

‘It was just bad luck.’

That Hazel had appeared on the scene among the many security officers.

‘She’s a person who is absolutely unsuited to be a security officer, who should be versatile.’

The personal details of the security officers active during this period were all in my head.

Among them, Hazel was a very unique individual.

This was clearly revealed in the title that referred to her.

‘The Public Security Bureau’s most powerful gun.’

It was both a compliment and a mockery.

‘It means she’s just a powerful tool.’

A tool has no head.

Her talent, which was a pity to just leave alone, had unusually moved the Public Security Bureau to appoint her as a security officer.

She was an opponent that would only bring loss if I fought her.

Rather than creating unnecessary emotional damage, it was wiser to use this as an opportunity.

“What’s done is done. Just in case, contact the Public Security Bureau for now.”

Although the old man’s scalp had melted, his brain remained.

There would be a way to extract information even in that state.

It was an open secret that the Mage Tower retrieved the bodies of mages who died outside to prevent their secrets from being stolen.

“If I had handed him over alive and well, I would have been greatly recognized for my contribution…”

When I glanced at her, Hazel avoided my gaze by flipping her side hair.

Then, unable to withstand the pressure of my gaze, she mumbled.

“Consider it my debt.”

I was waiting for those words.

“Let’s just say the debt is paid by visiting one place together.”

“Is that all?”

“It won’t be a loss for you either.”

I picked up the items that had fallen on the floor.

There wasn’t just one or two.

While the bodies of the old man’s disciples were mashed, their belongings had fortunately maintained their shape.

“I think I know where these guys got their supplies.”

The doping agent the old man had used.

It was the same as the product Bordon had demonstrated at the direct market.

***

The Public Security Bureau immediately dispatched personnel.

Knowing that they had been coming up empty-handed so far, it was a swift action unbecoming of an organization that was usually so arrogant.

Taylor and other front-line officials collected the old man, and a control order was issued in the vicinity.

One couldn’t help but say that they were only showing up after everything was over, as expected of public officials, but they had their own rational reasons.

This was a world where mana existed and could be felt in daily life, and mages were a major social class.

The traces of magic, under the examination of a professional investigator, would reveal a lot of information.

‘It’s a kind of fingerprint.’

The information that could be extracted from it was beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.

And the Public Security Bureau was a group that had hired many experts in that field.

In addition to the information that could be extracted from the old man’s body, there would be a lot of information that could be inferred from the scene.

“I know you’ve made a contribution. But why did you come to see me?”

Cromwell asked, as if my visit was strange. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the noᴠelfire.net

“The broker who arranged this request was Reina, not me. If you came for a report, you’ve come to the wrong address.”

“You make it sound like I forgot something so basic and came here out of habit.”

“Am I wrong?”

“No.”

Humans are creatures of adaptation.

I had also adapted somewhat to the life of this city.

From living with my nerves on edge 24/7, I was now living with a little more relaxation.

But I wasn’t an idiot who would let my guard down even while carrying out a request.

“Reina explained that she was a broker related to the military, and you were a broker related to corporations.”

“I do profess to be so.”

“I need information related to a corporation.”

Cromwell seemed displeased with my statement.

“The request from the Public Security Bureau must have been easier than you thought. Even if your name value has risen, the risks inherent in a request do not disappear. It’s a situation where you should be focusing on one thing, but if you look around here and there, you’ll end up destroying the tower you’ve built with so much effort.”

“This is related to that request from the Public Security Bureau.”

“Then are you saying that a corporate investigation is related to the suppression of a terrorist organization?”

“I’m not sure. That’s why I’m trying to find out personally without informing the Public Security Bureau.”

“Hmm.”

Only then did Cromwell relax his expression and stroke his beard.

“You’re not looking for a superficial investigation, are you?”

“Right, I need to dig up everything, even information that only an insider would know.”

“That’s not difficult if the conditions are right. But you need to have enough money, and it can’t be at the level of a megacorp.”

“Fortunately, it’s neither.”

“So, which corporation are you suspicious of?”

“Boulderveer Industries.”

That was definitely the name.

“A terrorist organization related to a corporation. If it’s true, the city will be turned upside down.”

“It will be turned upside down.”

But would that be a blade of purge aimed at the corporation?

‘That never happened.’

As far as I knew, the influence of corporations in the future of this city had never diminished.

If anything, it had only increased.

That was the story.

‘That’s why it’s suspicious.’

The purpose of the terrorist organization was the chaos of the city and the collapse of the system.

But the actual result was not the collapse of the system, but a change.

That was the reason I was trying to investigate the front company of the terrorist organization that had caused this commotion.

***

Gellerg City was a city that professed freedom but in reality, advocated licentiousness.

Here, corporations grew explosively without any legal regulations or sanctions.

This was a characteristic unique to Gellerg City compared to other cities.

But no one said that the owners of Gellerg City were the corporations.

Even the corporations that had penetrated the lives of the citizens and wielded absolute influence had a supreme power group in the city to which they had to bow their heads.

The city government.

As the ruling class that reigned over the city’s system, they enjoyed power equal to or greater than that of a megacorp.

Each councilor was comparable to a large corporation, so they were an absurdly privileged group.

Therefore, the ultimate goal of the corporations was not elsewhere.

To rise above the city government.

And according to the storyline, the corporations later came close to achieving that.

The reversal of the authority and power held by the corporations and the city government.

The starting point that made that possible was the uprising of a single terrorist organization.

‘The Public Security Bureau and all the other organizations that the city government had put forward publicly all failed.’

The clutches of the terrorist organization even reached the councilors, and they could not offer any special solution.

The authority of the city government, the ruling power of the city, was shaken, and the administration was paralyzed.

In that chaotic situation, the weight of the corporations came to the fore.

The security forces owned by the corporations had brought the chaos under control.

A kind of vigilante system was introduced.

As the corporations increased their military spending under the pretext of looking after the city’s public security and maintaining peace, even the councilors had to be careful.

I had watched that process clearly while working as a security officer for the Public Security Bureau.

‘There’s a reason I didn’t remember this case right away.’

It was because I had prematurely assumed it was a resolved case due to the active intervention of the Public Security Bureau.

Since the premise was wrong, the result was bound to be wrong.

This case was a grand incident that had continued for at least a decade and remained a source of concern for the city government.

I was standing at the first crossroads of it.

(End of Chapter)