Dark Archmage

"What... do you mean by that?"

Ethan's breathing quickened, and even speaking became difficult.

Ivy replied, "Exactly what it sounds like. As long as I send a letter, transferring you to work in the Containment Bureau's intelligence department shouldn't be a problem. As far as I know, it's not a particularly difficult place to get into."

That day, Ethan witnessed the darkness of the imperial capital firsthand.

According to his plan, he would need another three years to save enough money to rent a place and live in Gear City. By then, he would have accumulated five years of work experience. If he was lucky enough, the Guild Master's letter of recommendation might help. After becoming an official employee of the Containment Bureau, he would have to start at the bottom. Usually, newly hired staff were assigned to frontier towns. If they performed well and earned their superiors' favor, they might have a chance to be transferred back to headquarters.

That would take another five or six years, at least.

And all of that depended on having enough luck. In reality, the work of low-level intelligence personnel was hardly safe. They needed to handle Cursed Objects frequently, and if a major case occurred in their town during their tenure, they would have to report to the front lines of the anomalous scene.

Ten years of struggle, along with the sort of luck that meant his ancestors' graves were smoking, was worth no more than a single letter to Ivy.

Too dark!

It was even darker than the Evil God Cultists!

Ethan often felt that he was not dark enough to fit into this world. No wonder people in his previous life were always saying they did not want to work anymore.

He looked deeply at Ivy. She had clearly inherited the noble bloodline's finest traits: young, beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful woman in all of Brookwood Town, with a great figure—and more importantly, a kind heart.

"Lady Ivy, we've worked together for a while now."

To show his resolve, he lifted the bowl and drained the meat soup in one gulp.

In truth, he had always believed he had the potential to become a Dark Archmage. He had merely lacked an opportunity. "Look, I didn't take your gun and run away. That proves I'm brave. And I'm smarter than most people in town, too."

Those had all been Ivy's own words.

"If you have something to say, say it. Why are you rubbing your hands together?"

Ivy frowned. After putting down the bowl, Ethan looked like he was up to no good. Combined with the fact that he was bare-chested, he was truly unbearable to look at. "Do you want me to write you a letter of recommendation?"

"I've always believed I'm no worse than those people. I just lack a platform."

"What's in it for me?"

"If I make something of myself in the Containment Bureau, everyone will know you have an eye for talent—that you discovered someone capable in an overlooked frontier town."

Ethan felt that this was probably the sort of opportunity people meant when they spoke of changing one's life. Yet he was pessimistic about the outcome. The reason was simple: as Ivy had just pointed out, he could not currently bring any value to her or the Margaret Family. He could only sell her a dream. "How about considering it an investment in the future?"

He believed he could make a name for himself in the Containment Bureau's intelligence department, not out of blind confidence, but because there were too many people in that department who did nothing. Anyone who showed up to work on time would be made to look like an exemplary employee devoted to their post.

"Then prove it to me."

"How?"

"While you were asleep, Containment Bureau agents already took away the Cursed Object. They learned about Riverside Town's destruction, and they also mentioned that anomalous cases have been appearing more and more frequently lately. Headquarters is considering establishing intelligence stations in frontier cities. Since you don't want to be my Assistant, then be my colleague instead."

Ivy said, "Starting today, I'm the Station Master, and you're an investigator."

"Is your station legitimate?"

Ethan was skeptical. Ivy had made it sound far too easy, almost as though she were bluffing.

After all, this was not about stuffing someone into the logistics department. This meant establishing an actual frontline station. Even if headquarters truly had such plans, they would not hand the job to some noble child who pulled strings and did no work.

"Of course it's legitimate."

"Is there an official position? I won't be an intern or contracted worker, right? Does headquarters recognize it?"

"Yes."

Ivy's expression did not change.

Although there was not one yet, there was nothing a letter could not solve. "You'll have an official investigator identification card, a complete performance evaluation system, and the ability to participate in quarterly excellence reviews. I'll be staying in Brookwood Town for a while. As long as your performance is satisfactory during that time, I'll write you a recommendation letter and transfer you to headquarters."

Ethan thought it over.

Earlier, Ivy had given him her sidearm. Even knowing there was a chance he might run away, she had still chosen to trust him.

If they worked together, she should be a pretty good leader.

"Deal—oh, no. I'll work hard."

Good leaders were rarer than hen's teeth these days, and this one even knew the current Director of the Containment Bureau.

Not getting everything in one step was admittedly not dark enough, but at least it would save Ethan several years of struggle and eliminate luck as a factor. He had never been especially lucky, after all. What kind of lucky person got transported into a world filled with danger at every turn?

As the saying went, comparison was the thief of joy. His previous life had not been particularly pleasant either, but it had never been bad enough that he had to worry about being kidnapped or assassinated whenever he stepped outside.

That was assuming Ivy had not lied to him.

Ethan wondered whether a noble Young Lady like her would really deceive someone poor like him.

Margaret.

He silently repeated Ivy's surname to himself, finding it oddly familiar. When he repeated it for the sixth time, he suddenly jolted, slapped his thigh hard, and startled the Golden Hair atop Ivy's head into silently cursing at him.

He remembered a name.

Diana Margaret.

"May I ask, Queen Diana is...?"

Ivy did not answer. She said coldly, "Don't mention my surname outside from now on."

"Yes, boss."

Ethan said that aloud, but inwardly, he grew suspicious. Could this Young Lady have secretly run away from home?

"And don't call me boss. Once we start working, use our codenames. Mine hasn't been issued yet."

Ethan understood.

He had done plenty of research beforehand. Every official Containment Bureau employee was assigned a codename for confidentiality reasons. Due to the nature of their work, the Bureau needed to ensure their families did not become targets. However, with the Bureau's staff numbers growing in recent years, the codenames had become increasingly strange.

"No problem, Ms. My-Haven't-Been-Issued!"

The codename was far too long. Ethan felt shortening it to three words made it much catchier.

"Gasp!"

Ivy sucked in a sharp breath. At last, a flicker of emotion appeared on her usually expressionless face. Ethan saw her raise her right hand several times, shaping it into something almost resembling the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. It was only noble etiquette that stopped her from driving that vicious claw technique into his forehead.

For the first time, Ethan heard Ivy speak in a voice that sounded as though she were about to grind her teeth to dust. "I mean our identification cards haven't arrived yet, so we don't have codenames yet!"

Her chest heaved violently. It took her a full minute to suppress the urge to slap Ethan to death.

Ivy felt as though her teeth were about to shatter. "It looks like you're almost recovered. You can start working this afternoon."

With a new station being established, they would inevitably need to acquire basic facilities. "Go get dressed. We're heading to Fireplace Bay shortly."