My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

However, the problem was that the officers were currently managing the Black Mage.

In this situation, it didn’t seem possible to get past them and approach the Black Mage, nor could I ask them questions about black magic that might make me look suspicious.
That meant I needed a way to sneak past their watchful eyes and reach the Black Mage undetected.
“Dalin! …Ah.”

I instinctively called out Dalin’s name, only to realize she wasn’t here. Seriously, why was she never around when I actually needed her?
“Ha, then who else…”
If it were Dalin—the ultimate trouble magnet of this world—she would have no doubt drawn every single officer’s attention to herself. But since she wasn’t here, I needed someone else to act as a distraction in her place.

Yes, someone like…
“Patty! Matty!”
They weren’t quite at Dalin’s level, but they were still excellent at stirring up chaos! After all, the ability to cause trouble and the ability to attract attention usually went hand in hand.

With my eyes shining, I scanned the area—and spotted Jason in the distance.
"Forget it! Just Jason! Just Jason, come here!"
Jason approached me with a sullen expression. Naturally, Patty and Matty were trailing behind him. Those two were practically glued to him at all times.

“…Am I still ‘Just Jason’?”
Jason muttered gloomily, but I ignored him and looked straight at Patty and Matty.
“Patty, Matty, I need your help.”

“Wow! You need our help?”
“Of course, we’ll do it!”
Getting their cooperation was ridiculously easy. Why? Because…

“If there’s somewhere we’re needed—”
“We’ll go anywhere!”
These two had a field of flowers blooming in their heads, so the moment someone needed them, they’d just beam with excitement. See? The Patty-Matty-Dalin trio could actually be useful if handled properly.
“Patty, Matty, you need to draw those people’s attention.”

I pointed toward the officers’ group. Jason’s face twisted in horror, but Patty and Matty only looked even more thrilled.
“You need to cause a commotion big enough to make them all leave their posts.”
“We’re totally confident!”

“That’s our specialty!”
…Wait, so they knew they were troublemakers this whole time? And they still caused that much chaos?
I felt a surge of frustration but forced a smile and encouraged them.

“Guys, I feel like you’ve really grown! I believe in your abilities!”
“Don’t worry about a thing!”
“We’ll handle it perfectly!”

With excitement plastered across their faces, Patty and Matty dashed toward the rocky hill where the officers were stationed.
“Waaah!”
“No, Patty!”

And soon enough, Patty was tumbling down the rocky slope.
“Someone help! Ah, no!”
Matty shouted before promptly rolling down after him.

“A-Are you kidding me?!”
Two red-haired soldiers rolled down the rocky hill in perfect synchronization. The officers had no choice but to rush over. It was impossible not to stare. Even their way of tumbling wasn’t normal—it was downright acrobatic.
Seizing the opportunity, I sprinted toward the Black Mage. Karon, who had the necklace, followed right behind me.

At some point, Benny had also appeared, her eyes blazing as she glared daggers at Karon while following me.
“B-Benny! What are you doing here?!”
“I saw a suspicious girl clinging to Lord Karon last time, so I’m keeping watch! I need to monitor his actions!”

“…What? Why are you keeping watch over Karon’s love life? Oh, wait… You’re competing with Luka, aren’t you?”
And so, the three of us rushed toward the Black Mage’s location. My breathing became ragged as we ran, and my blood reflux got even worse than before, but I just wiped my sleeve across my mouth and didn’t stop moving.
Perhaps due to the drugs, the Black Mage’s head hung limply, drool dripping onto the ground. He didn’t even seem to realize the officers had disappeared, or that new soldiers were standing before him.

‘Wait a second. That means…’
A better way to use this situation suddenly occurred to me, and I signaled the others to stay quiet. Karon and Benny immediately held their breath.
“Lady Salvia, what are you planning?”

Benny leaned in and whispered, careful not to let the Black Mage hear. Since she was always a reliable subordinate, I trusted her even now.
“I need to ask him something. I’ll pretend to be an officer who was interrogating him.”
At my words, Benny’s eyes sparkled.

“Leave it to me.”
“…Huh?”
“I can act like an officer.”

…For some reason, I felt an odd sense of trust. In the end, I decided to let Benny handle it.
I leaned in and whispered my questions to her. Benny nodded, then turned to the Black Mage with a serious expression.
“Ahem, back in my day, we never would’ve let a Black Mage do this to us… Once we get back, I need to retrain our soldiers.”

…What the hell? Why did Benny suddenly sound like an old man? And what was with that speech pattern?
“B-Benny, what’s with that weird way of talking?”
I lowered my voice, and Benny proudly answered.

“I’m imitating my father.”
“…It’s a very dignified and old-fashioned way of speaking. Carry on.”
Was she a disrespectful daughter for mocking her father, or a devoted one for observing him so well?

Either way, Benny continued the interrogation.
“So, about this subspace—how do we get out? Speak clearly. Don’t make me ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) ask twice.”
“You must first collect five hidden gems within this space, then extract the power of black magic condensed in them.”

The Black Mage answered in a lifeless tone, completely unaware that we weren’t actually officers.
It seemed the officers had really broken him in well. That meant he would likely answer the rest of our questions, too.
“And then, you must draw a magic circle and offer five people as sacrifices.”

“…What? Are you out of your goddamn mind?!”
That was the escape method?!
Now it made sense why the officers, despite having already interrogated him, hadn’t escaped yet.

Rather than going through with that insane ritual, we were better off finding another way. Maybe something like… Karon’s father’s keepsake.
But before that, we needed to extract every last bit of information we could. I signaled Benny to continue.
“And why do some people suffer more than others in this space?”

“Because they’ve been greatly affected by black magic…”
“What kind of black magic? Explain properly.”
“A massive-scale black magic… For example, something related to the world’s structure or transportation…”

“Gasp.”
I reflexively clapped my hands over my mouth.
Of course, I wasn’t the one who had cast black magic—it must have been someone originally from this world. But the fact that he could pinpoint it so precisely…

‘So it really is because of my possession.’
There was one last thing I needed to ask. When I whispered it to Benny, her eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself and asked the question.
“You said something about world transportation. Does that mean it’s actually possible to move between worlds?”

“Of course.”
That meant… I could return to my original world.
Hearing that, I felt strange. It wasn’t like I had been longing for my old world, but knowing there was a way back suddenly made my thoughts more complicated.

I tried to recall my previous world.
It had air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter. The food was perfect for my taste, and even now, I sometimes teared up craving spicy dishes. Hell, my life was already spicy enough, but still.
There were fun novels, comics, movies, and dramas. There were my favorite singers. And instead of getting motion sickness in uncomfortable carriages, I could use cheap and convenient public transportation.

Most importantly, I wouldn’t have been drafted into this shitty Border Defense Army.
Just as I was reminiscing, the Black Mage suddenly snapped his head up.
We all flinched. But somehow, he was now staring at me with sharp, piercing eyes.

“You… I definitely met you earlier. You’ve used enormous black magic before.”
“…Huh?”
“I thought your questions were odd…”

Shit. He figured it out!
I instinctively prepared to flee, but the Black Mage murmured.
“Interesting…”

The hell? That was some mad scientist energy.
“Well, I’m as good as dead anyway, so why don’t you tell me about it?”
He leaned in seductively, whispering.

“What magic did you use? How did you change the world? I’d love to take a sample of your blood and hair…”
Holy shit, he really was a mad scientist!
As soon as I took a step back, Karon stepped in front of me protectively, blocking the Black Mage’s view of me. But the Black Mage seemed completely lost in his own world.

“You asked earlier whether magic that allows world travel truly exists,” he said. “I can tell you the answer. Are you curious?”
I stared at him.
He looked so smug, as if he was sure I would take the bait. But my answer was obvious.

“No. I don’t need it.”
What, did he think I was crazy enough to go back to my original world? That phase—the one where I might have agonized over my identity—was long over.
If he had asked me this when I was still struggling with my sense of self, maybe I would have considered it. But at this point? No way in hell.

As soon as I rejected his offer, disappointment flashed across the Black Mage’s face. Watching him, I slowly spoke again.
“Instead, there’s one more thing I want to ask you…”