Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1260: The Notebook

A week later, the group of Magi from the Arakuro Clan returned to Ichigane Town.

Needless to say, they were still furious about how their trip to investigate the death of their young master had concluded.

They had gone to find answers, but instead they returned with more questions.

Within the Jade Lantern Inn, Hisaki Ichinomiya—the owner—sat behind the bar counter and leisurely smoked from his long, wooden pipe.

He was in a very pleasant mood at the moment, not just because of the arrival of the alleged Ghost and what it meant for the secret organization he was part of, but also because this time of the year business was always booming.

With the arrival of spring, more and more adventurers arrived at this part of the continent to try their luck on climbing Mount Hoshigane or looking for arcane inheritances left behind by ancient Magi.

All of them rested at Ichigane Town, making it their temporary base. So business was booming for all the taverns and inns, potion shops, artifact stores, and forges during this time of the year.

The stout tavern owner exhaled a plume of smoke into the air. His eyes were glazed over as he was deep in thought.

The Ghost of Hoshigane, he pondered.

That’s what the prophecy said. He is said to be the harbinger of change. I wonder if this is a boon for these lands or a curse. But that man Constantine... he didn’t seem like the bad type.

Sure, he’s a madman. But my gut tells me—

Slam!

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt, and so did the booming chatter within the tavern when the doors were slammed open and a group of Magi in red and black robes walked in.

The moment the customers saw the Arakuro insignia on these men’s robes, they subconsciously gulped. Without the tavern owner having to order them to get up and leave, they rose to their feet on their own accord and prepared to head out.

”No.” Hisaki’s voice boomed within the tavern. ”All of you stay and enjoy the drinks and meal.”

The customers glanced at one another, confusion and nervousness gleaming in their eyes. Then, they shrugged and sat down. However, compared to before, the sound of conversations now was quite muffled, and the excitement was curbed.

Hisaki glanced at Masahiro, who was leading the group of Magi, and asked with a faint smile, ”I take it that your investigation has borne fruit? Did you get the bastard?”

Though he had a casual look on his face, tumultuous waves were churning in his heart. It was fine if Tensei Arakuro’s murderer was someone other than Adam, and this group of Magi from the Arakuro Clan had dealt with him.

But if Adam was truly the real culprit, then it was going to get very problematic.

The Ghost held significant importance to the secret organization he worked for, after all.

Masahiro didn’t reply. He first scanned the tavern, then looked at the stout owner with a raised eyebrow.

”No.” Hisaki shook his finger. ”I can’t drive out my customers again. It’s bad for business.”

”You!” Takezo gnashed his teeth in frustration. ”Don’t overstep your—”

”You’re the one overstepping, kid.” Hisaki’s cold words rang in the man’s ears.

Takezo’s eyes gradually widened, a chill running down his spine.

What... what kind of bloodthirsty aura is this?! He thought in alarm.

Masahiro sighed helplessly. ”Forgive my nephew,” he said.

”Your nephew?” Hisaki’s brows rose in surprise. ”Then how come he’s so snobbish?”

Takezo gritted his teeth, feeling insulted. However, this time he didn’t retort. He simply looked away. Hisaki’s aura was enough to put some sense into him.

”I wish to talk to you in private,” Masahiro said in a solemn voice.

Hisaki inhaled a long drag from the pipe, deeply looking at the elderly man standing before him. Then, he observed the expressions of the others in his group.

His eyes flashed with a peculiar light, and he thought:

What’s this? Did they fail to catch the culprit?

”Alright, let us head to one of the private booths on the second floor,” said the stout tavern owner as he got to his feet.

Snapping his fingers twice, he ordered one of the stewards nearby, ”Send enough food and sake for everyone upstairs. Only the best of the best for the Arakuro Clan members.”

”Yes, boss!”

***

The group found themselves in one of the VIP booths upstairs. Hisaki watched the Magi wolf down the food with great relish.

He said with a light chuckle, ”Isn’t this the best food in Ichigane?”

Everyone nodded. Except Takezo, of course.

”So, Masahiro-san, what did you wish to talk about?” He asked casually, smoking from the long pipe.

The elderly man got to the chase. He retrieved the notebook he’d found in the cave and pushed it to the tavern owner.

”Hisaki,” he began in grim tone. ”I need to know everything about this outsider.”

The stout tavern owner’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the portrait of the man wearing the kitsune mask. On the opposite page was information about him, notes stating that he didn’t speak the local language, that he wielded twin blades, that he didn’t use magic spells, and that...

”Single-handedly took down... a hundred Magi?” He muttered in shock.

His heart sank realizing that a good chunk of those hundred consisted of Mana Vortex Magi, and the rest were Mana Liquefaction Magi. Only a handful were at the Mana Foundation Rank.

Yet, Adam had slain them all?

That was utterly ridiculous!

Hiskai turned towards the elderly Arakuro and asked in a stunned voice, ”So the culprit... the one who killed your young master was this outsider?”

”Ehm...” Masahiro didn’t know what to say.

Right at that moment, Takezo spoke up. This time, his tone was much more polite. ”No. The Soulmark Lantern led us to a man, whom we’ve already identified as a rogue Magus from the unorthodox faction.”

Hisaki turned to him and listened intently.

Takezo continued, ”When we found him, he was already dead. That honorless coward had committed suicide, can you believe it?!”

He pointed at the notebook and scoffed. ”We found that in his robes.”

Takezo chugged a cup of sake and then slammed it on the table. Then, he said in an enraged and frustrated voice:

”We already found the culprit who murdered my cousin. That rat knew he couldn’t face the wrath of the Arakuro Clan, and so he killed himself. But even before dying, he left us this piece of garbage, almost as if... he was toying with us! The audacity of this bastard!”

He then turned to Masahiro and continued:

”Uncle, we must come to terms with this harsh truth. We have already found the culprit, but... we have failed our mission!”

Hisaki was flabbergasted. He looked at Takezo. Then, he glanced at Masahiro. At last, only a simple syllable escaped his lips:

”Eh?”

Masahiro turned to his nephew and hissed, ”Shut up for a moment! We don’t know the whole truth!”

”Whole truth? Whole truth???” Takezo’s eyes started to tear up.

He chugged another cup of sake, then another. He then said with red and tearful eyes:

”I’ll tell you the whole truth, uncle. That unorthodox rat killed my cousin. Then, he escaped to the mountains up north. Then, he realized that in his condition, he wouldn’t be able to fight whoever the Arakuro Clan sent. And so he killed himself.”

Takezo chugged another cup, tears streaming down his face. Then, he continued:

”But that bastard! That damned cowardly bastard! Before dying, he pinned the blame on someone else so that we would run around in circles. For all we know, this man with the kitsune mask is already dead. He was probably even killed by that coward.”

He then turned to his uncle and added, ”And now he wants us to go look for some dead bastard? He wants us to chase a ghost? For how long? All our lives? What a vile and cunning scheme this is! Surely, you can see through this deception!”

Masahiro grimaced, his hands clenching into fists involuntarily. Of course, he had already considered his nephew’s viewpoint. In fact, the rest of the Magi in the group were also of the same mind.

But there was always this lingering thought that clawed at his mind.

What if?

What if the one-armed Magus wrote the truth in his notebook?

What if he didn’t actually kill Tensei Arakuro?

What if the true culprit was the man in the kitsune mask?

Masahiro was at a complete loss for words.

”Forget it, uncle.” Takezo wiped his tears away, then chugged another cup of sake. ”The Soulmark Lantern has pointed us to the murderer. Unfortunately, he’s already dead. Let’s just... return home.”

”But how can we return home empty-handed?” Masahiro spat through gritted teeth.

”We’re not returning empty-handed.” Takezo shook his head. ”We’ve got that coward’s head, remember?”

”You...” Once again, Masahiro was at a loss for words.

Right at that moment, Hisaki’s words echoed in the private booth:

”Hmm, yes. I believe young Takezo is right.”

He turned to Masahiro and said in the most sincere way possible:

”Raise your head, Masahiro-san. You have not failed the mission given by your Patriarch. You have found the killer, and now you’re bringing his head back home. You have avenged your young master and brought his killer to justice. I see this as a victory.”

Masahiro’s eyes flashed with conflicting emotions. He thought about it for a long time. In the end, he downed a cup of sake and helplessly sighed.

”...Fine.”