Central Front Border Zone (1)
Central Front.
The largest battlefield on the continent, formed around Ars Nova.
This vast frontline spanning the heart of the continent had never once lost its importance since the fall of the central city.
Fertile land. Diverse environments ranging from mountain ranges to plains. The legacy of wealth and resources said to amount to a third of the world, once possessed by the central city.
Even now, countless people were dying to claim that untouched legacy.
Though he had heard about it ever since awakening in this world, Lennok himself had never once set foot on this battlefield.
“Phew.......”
Lennok sat on the outermost border of the Central Front, smoking a cigar.
Letting the acrid smoke drift, he gazed at the green meadow stretching below the hill.
He had vaguely imagined a blood-soaked wasteland, but the scenery of the border zone was more ordinary than expected.
Considering that the central region had once been rich in spiritual and magical energy, it wasn’t strange that the nearby ecosystem was still somewhat preserved.
As Lennok thought that, he pulled out the phone vibrating in his coat.
Beep beep...............!!
-Ah, yes. Can you hear me~?
A languid male voice, lacking energy yet oddly relaxed.
But Lennok didn’t miss the subtle wariness hidden beneath it.
-If you can hear me, please respond. It’s a line I abandoned ten years ago, so I wasn’t sure if it would work—
“I hear you.”
…Hmm.
The man seemed slightly startled as soon as Lennok replied.
A short silence passed before he spoke again.
-So it really is you. I thought it was a lie when the Chairwoman told me.
-I’m Angel, in charge of the communications division. We’ve met before, right?
Angel, the fourth executive under Olivera Ron Maize, who managed the communications division.
A former member of the Ability Awakening Corps currently occupying the Central Front, and a level 7 cryokinetic esper.
But the reason Angel called Lennok an acquaintance wasn’t because he felt any familiarity.
“An esper. So you survived.”
-Indeed. I thought I’d die when I saw the sun you dropped back then.
Angel joked over the phone.
-If it weren’t for Merilda, I would’ve melted into sludge right there. I was lucky in many ways.
That was because Treadburn and Angel had once clashed while Lennok was trying to save Lapis.
Near the abandoned dam, hadn’t Merilda, Angel, and a curse sorcerer blocked Lennok’s path?
There was no way Angel, in his right mind, would forget the technique Lennok had used back then to escape the executives’ pursuit.
“You’re acting as the guide for this deal?”
-Yes. Among the executives, I was the one most recently active in the Central Front.
Angel replied with a wry smile.
-I still have acquaintances here, so it’s relatively easy for me to move in and out. I’ll guide you to the gate.
Angel, the fourth executive of the cartel, was a former Ability Awakening Corps esper.
As someone who had long been active in the Central Front, it wasn’t strange for him to still have connections among the Corps.
If Lennok contacted those forces through Angel, reaching the gate would be much easier.
It was ironic that Angel, who had once nearly died fighting Treadburn, was now helping him.
But Lennok made no comment and immediately stood up.
“Understood. If preparations are complete, let’s move.”
-Ah, just wait there. Smugglers heading to the gate should arrive soon.
“Smugglers?”
-Well, there’s no shortage of things needed on a battlefield.
Angel laughed.
-Weapons, drugs, organ trafficking, even slave trade—there’s a lot that needs to be smuggled in and out.
So smugglers dealing in shady businesses regularly passed through the gate.
If he blended in with them, he could reach the gate without unnecessary trouble.
-I purchased contraband under the name of the Ability Awakening Corps and called them to bring it through you. Just match the story and it’ll be simple.
“You’re part of the cartel, yet you casually borrow the Corps’ name.”
Lennok exhaled smoke as he asked.
“Are you still that closely tied to them?”
-Ahaha, didn’t we agree not to comment on such details?
Angel replied casually.
-If we’re going there, I’d have to ask why you, once part of the Eyes of the Blue, is working for Mr. Van.
" ......."
-I know you made a deal with him, but honestly, I don’t trust it. This job is far too dangerous to justify with just a deal.
There was a sharp edge in Angel’s voice.
He was clearly suspicious about why Treadburn was heading to the Central Front now.
But Lennok answered without hesitation.
“During the battle at Vulcan, Bolt saw how I amplified my spells.”
He slowly clenched and unclenched one hand while tapping his phone.
A small flame flickered between his fingers and vanished.
“He knew I needed a [spark]. That’s why I accepted this job in exchange for it.”
-A spark, you say.
“Since you’re guiding me to the gate, there’s no need to hide it.”
Lennok stood up.
“You’ll see and understand whether you like it or not.”
“Once we enter the front, we’ll have to switch communication lines. Anything else you want to say?”
-Our objective is strictly the first gate, not entering deeper into the Central Front.
Angel spoke with slight tension.
-You must prioritize avoiding involvement in the war between the Union and the Order inside the gate. Understood?
The first gate was one of the few passages leading inside the curtain of the Central Front.
Naturally, the battles inside were far more intense than outside.
Angel was warning Lennok that entering the gate itself was not the goal.
“The bigger obstacle isn’t inside or outside the gate, but the Conjoining Sorcerer guarding it.”
Lennok rubbed his shoulder and looked ahead.
“Can you handle that part using the Corps’ name?”
-I’m not sure. Even in the Central Front, his whereabouts are mostly speculation…
Angel trailed off.
-No one knows why a sorcerer who was so active in the war against the Order suddenly settled at the gate.
-Some say he was injured fighting an Apostle. Others say he wanted a place suitable for human experiments… He’s not someone who acts on a single motive.
“So we won’t understand his intentions unless we meet him directly. Fine.”
Lennok began walking toward an old truck approaching in the distance.
“I’ll handle that part myself.”
***
Rattle, rattle!!
Leaning against the cargo bed of the dusty old truck, Lennok closed his eyes.
Even as he folded his arms and leaned back, the gaze sticking to his face didn’t leave.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly.”
Without opening his eyes, Lennok spoke toward the young man glancing at him from across.
“Your stare is irritating.”
“Ah? Sorry.”
The young man flinched and apologized.
But even so, his gaze continued to bore into Lennok’s face.
“Um… excuse me, but… are you perhaps Evan Martinez…?”
“I think I saw a similar face on a wanted poster before…”
“Hey, you idiot.”
At that moment, a middle-aged man sitting next to him smacked the young man’s head.
Smack!
As the young man clutched his head, the man sneered.
“I told you we’re smugglers working with the Ability Awakening Corps. Why would a mage like Treadburn be riding in this shabby truck?”
“But… the face really…”
“Just someone who looks alike. Damn it, use your brain!!”
The man shouted, spitting as he spoke.
“Even if he left the Eyes of the Blue, a mage like that would be fought over everywhere. If word got out he was coming to the Central Front, every faction would’ve sent envoys to recruit him.”
“Damn, at least if he were on one of those airships, I could believe it. But this filthy truck? What nonsense…”
The pale sky visible above the cargo bed.
Beyond it, the faint shadow of a massive airship loomed.
The young man tried to speak again but shut his mouth.
But Lennok picked up more than simple denial or mockery from their conversation and asked,
“The way you talk about Treadburn is more favorable than expected.”
“What?”
“He’s never operated in the Central Front before. How do you know him so well?”
The identity of Evan Martinez had branched off from Evan Vylun.
So Lennok had only used this identity when working with the Eyes of the Blue.
It made sense that rumors spread in places like the Ganges Sand Labyrinth or the Gido Cult’s Far East branch, where he had acted under that name.
But for smugglers heading to the Central Front to know him so well felt strange.
There were many more famous superhumans in the Central Front.
But the man scoffed.
“That’s obviously because of the great battle between archmages at Vulcan. You must be deaf.”
“.....”
“Everyone knows those monsters turned a megacity upside down. Where are you from?”
The man looked at Lennok suspiciously.
But Lennok answered calmly.
“I’m a mage tower apprentice. I’ve been traveling for funds for my research, so I haven’t heard much news.”
“Hmm…”
“I’m curious about powerful mages. If you know any rumors, I’d like to hear them.”
Now even praising himself felt as natural as breathing.
When Lennok placed two silver coins in the man’s hand, his expression softened immediately.
“Haha, now I see you’re a polite young man. That gives me plenty to talk about.”
Ignoring the young man’s sulking look, the man cleared his throat.
“You see, after that fight at Vulcan, the reaction from other mage towers was huge.”
“Other mage towers?”
“The city government handled it well. Instead of mediating between two level 8 archmages, they called in high-ranking mages from various towers for consultation.”
Lennok already knew that his actions back then had drawn massive attention from other mage towers.
After all, Clarisse had revisited Vulcan partly to provide consultation about it.
The man glanced at Lennok and continued.
“But in the battle between Bolt and Treadburn, the high-ranking mages became very… interested in Treadburn.”
“Interested?”
“I don’t know the details, but…”
When Lennok tossed another coin, the man quickly spoke.
“They said there was something to dig into about the way he used magic. Rumors about it spread for a while.”
As expected, it was about the substitute incantation method using martial arts.
Because of that, mages from various towers were even lining up at Rancia’s studio to learn martial arts.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the rumors had spread throughout the Central region.
As Lennok fell into thought, the man continued.
“Anyway, once the mage towers reacted like that, other factions also started raising their evaluation of Treadburn.”
“That’s not strange.”
“Right. Rumors you can’t see tend to grow bigger.”
The man chuckled.
“But I think that guy isn’t as much of a monster as the rumors say. People might be disappointed if he comes to the Central Front.”
“.....”
“Honestly, if he were that confident, he would’ve already accepted recruitment and come here—”
Bang!!
The man, who had been grinning while rolling three silver coins in his hand, collapsed as blood sprayed from his temple.
His body convulsed with his head buried in the cargo bed.
Though he seemed alive, it was essentially a fatal wound.
As Lennok looked down calmly, the other passengers sprang up.
“Damn it!! It’s an attack!!”
“There’s a sniper. Southeast direction. Where the wind’s coming from!!”
Even while panicking, they accurately identified the direction.
They immediately used cargo as cover.
Most of them were used to surviving in such conditions.
A woman near the driver’s seat shouted,
“Step on it!! We have to get away before they catch up!!”
"......"
“Hey!! Why aren’t you—!!”
She stopped when she saw the driver slumped over.
A hole in his forehead, blood and fluids spilling onto the wheel.
“Shit—”
Bang!!
Another shot pierced her forehead.
Screech!!
“Waaah!!”
The truck skidded violently.
Lennok, still leaning, glanced at the young man who had fallen across from him.
The young man smiled awkwardly.
“Seems like this isn’t your first time.”
“It happens all the time.”
He scratched his head.
“I thought it’d go smoothly this time, but guess not.”
“Smoothly? That’s not the right word.”
Lennok smiled.
“No one calls robbery something that ends smoothly.”
“Ahaha.”
The young man laughed and extended his hand.
At that moment, a bone blade grew from his fingertips and slashed the neck of a passenger beside him.
Thud!!
Blood sprayed as flesh tore.
He crushed another’s skull.
Dragged out someone hiding and cut off their legs.
Tore off a peddler’s wrist and shoved it into his mouth.
Crack!!
Moving like wind through the cargo, the young man massacred everyone in seconds.
“Phew…!!”
Covered in blood, he stepped toward Lennok, chewing.
Spitting out a half-broken finger, he grinned.
“But how did you know I was a robber?”
“You were in on it with the driver.”
Lennok replied lazily.
“You sat where you could see the side mirror, near the exit.”
“....”
“You brought up the wanted poster to test me, then had the sniper kill the driver. Why?”
“Well, fewer heads means bigger rewards, right?”
The young man wiped his bone blade on a corpse.
“These people are smugglers trying to make a fortune here. They look poor, but their bags are valuable.”
“I see.”
Lennok asked,
“So you killed him once you knew I wasn’t Treadburn?”
“He hit me first.”
The young man stomped the man’s head.
Crunch!!
The skull shattered.
Then he stared at Lennok.
“And it wasn’t just that. I knew you weren’t Treadburn for sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“After Vulcan, rumors spread about his personality.”
At that moment, the truck’s rear door burst open, and a woman’s voice rang out.
Dozens of armored vehicles surrounded them.
People in mismatched uniforms and armor stood with weapons.
Some had missing limbs, others half their faces gone.
But all of them stared at Lennok with greed and killing intent.
A curly-haired woman at the front spoke cheerfully.
“They say Treadburn is absurdly upright. Doesn’t really match a sharp guy like you, right?”
“Upright?”
Had he ever done anything worthy of that reputation as Evan Martinez?
“Of course. Don’t you know? He’s the top recruitment target among Central scouts right now.”
At that unexpected remark, Lennok tilted his head.
“It’s because turning a megacity into a sea of fire earned high praise here. Even though he lost to Bolt, some say his large-scale casting was superior.”
“....”
“That’s…”
“Especially since he fought risking his life to protect the Lighthouse Keeper in Vulcan. His character is highly praised. You get what I’m saying?”
The woman grinned.
“A loyal, straightforward man who risks his life for his master wouldn’t calmly chat with robbers like us.”
Lennok covered his face to hide his expression.
Only now did he understand why they were certain he wasn’t Treadburn.
It seemed that in the Central Front, Treadburn’s reputation had gone in a very strange direction.