Chapter Twenty-Seven: Blackhorn Alley

Compared to the commercial street in the southern district, the streets of Blackhorn Alley were narrower, more crowded, and far noisier. It was said that many merchants who operated large storefronts on the commercial street would also open special, mysterious shops here to cater to more exclusive customer needs. At the same time, they could access a wider array of “supply” channels. This was a black market, a haven for fencing stolen goods, with its own slave market and shops selling magical creatures unavailable elsewhere. Even those places Helen once said “there is no such thing in the Academy City” could be found here.

But not everyone who came here did so of their own free will—after all, slaves were sold here.

The streets bustled with carriages and people. Louis, pipe in mouth, strolled along the muddy paths, meandering through the chaos. It was easy to tell that many of the locals were residents, mostly people who’d settled here for work and money. In truth, Blackhorn Alley had grown into a small town, with a permanent population exceeding seven thousand, and more outsiders than locals. For this era, such a population was not insignificant. Without tall buildings, the area sprawled considerably.

Visitors here didn’t all come from the Academy City—Blackhorn Alley could be reached from other places as well, though most visitors still hailed from the Academy. The passersby were a motley lot, their clothes and appearances wildly eccentric.

Many were clearly wild wizards—those who had never received any formal magical training. Among wizards, they were dubbed “laymen.” Wild wizards often couldn’t even distinguish between wizards and ordinary people—they were the “odd ones out” who had slipped into the wizarding world.

To true wizards, these laymen possessed a strange confidence, their understanding of magic built upon “I assume” rather than genuine knowledge. Some were staunch believers in “empirical learning,” others tried to explain magic through mundane science. Some wild wizards were hard to distinguish, appearing as sages or recluses; others were obvious charlatans.

Wizards generally looked down on the wild ones—even robbers wouldn’t bother with them, as they were poor and useless, though every now and then, one would turn out to be surprisingly powerful.

At present, Louis himself was dressed as a wild wizard.

This group could be found everywhere, yet rarely had true experience of the wizarding world. Trouble seldom found them—and when it did, it was usually from other wild wizards.

They often carried all sorts of peculiar trinkets they believed useful, but which were, in fact, useless—like a tribe of witch doctors.

Yet among them were always a few who possessed real power—akin to wandering immortals without sects in a world of cultivation.

Blackhorn Alley indeed had many genuine witch doctors; this was an ancient art. These practitioners specialized in curses and the occult, and were highly respected by the wizarding community. However, witch doctors had fallen into decline—most were not from the academies, but from old families or organizations, and their strength was far inferior to the wizards of Sacred Oak.

Louis even noticed a few dressed as pirates—likely witch doctors or wizards too. Their garb made him pay closer attention to the air; sure enough, there was a salty, damp smell, and in the distance, the sound of the sea. This must be a port town.

A group of students brushed past Louis, piquing his curiosity.

They were about Helen’s age. Though they had made a concerted effort to disguise themselves, the scholarly air about them was unmistakable. They had come here, it seemed, out of curiosity—but as Stuart had said, these students often became the subject of curiosity themselves.

What most surprised Louis, however, was the contrast in how wizards here treated non-humans. Outside, non-humans were approached with caution by wizards; inside, he saw wizards openly leading foxfolk and even Yordle children by the hand. Some wizards paraded young dragons through the streets, selling them in broad daylight. The passing non-humans paid them no mind.

After taking in the lively scene, Louis entered several shops. When he emerged, only five ancient gold coins remained in his hand, but his purse now held seventy-two golden galleons. He could have fetched a higher price selling these coins to Academy professors, but he preferred to deal here—even if these cunning shopkeepers pocketed a hefty middleman’s cut and he wasted much time, at least there would be no trouble.

Or would there? There had to be trouble! All those who came before him, the pioneers who crossed worlds, faced one pitfall after another. How could one exchange money in a novel and not be targeted? That’s how it always went.

Louis narrowed his eyes, glancing back from time to time. Sure enough, before long, he spotted two wild wizards trailing him.

His heart tightened a little. At the next street corner, he slipped into a quiet alleyway.

They must be following me! Because I just exchanged money! I visited eight shops, and they still managed to track me—these aren’t ordinary folks! Either that, or the shopkeepers sent them!

Louis decided to act first—this was called decisive action.

At the corner of the alley, the two passing wild wizards never imagined how fate could change with a single glance in a crowd. As was their routine, they took the shortcut home via this quiet, muddy lane—there, they saw a strange young wizard smiling at them.

Another lunatic, probably one who’d lost his mind gambling at the Red Fox Inn.

They exchanged a glance and, a bit speechless, ignored him, planning to walk around. But suddenly, everything changed. The alley writhed like the gullet of a giant serpent, grotesque monsters and evil spirits appearing all around them, while the madman vanished.

Sweating profusely, the two fled through the twisting passage, fending off attacking wraiths, but the alley itself had become a never-ending labyrinth. Worse still, a pair of immense eyes glared down from above, chanting incantations ceaselessly. Before long, both lost their minds in a daze of terror.

All of this, however, was only their dream. In reality, the moment they met Louis’s gaze, their eyes rolled back and they collapsed to the ground.

[Two hapless strangers fell victim to Louis’s spell…]

“Ahem.” Louis ignored the narration, rifling through their purses as he muttered, “The security in Blackhorn Alley really is dreadful. Broad daylight, and there’s already a robbery—ah, eight golden galleons, not bad. Can’t blame me; you made the first move.”

[You have indeed discovered the security in Blackhorn Alley is quite ‘terrible’—well, in truth it is. But perhaps, rather than roughing up innocent wild wizards, you should be doing something more meaningful… Perhaps, while treating this place as your playground, you could help the wardens of the Shadow Domain with a few matters; the Ministry of Magic and Mr. Stuart would surely be delighted… though it might also attract the Aurors’ investigation.]

[You suddenly grow excited, almost hoping to be caught—after all, you’ve heard the prisoners in the black dungeons are fascinating. Do you regret not choosing Option A back then…?]

Louis chose to ignore the narration. He glanced at a new task that had just appeared.

[Task: Dreadful Security—The Terrible Serial Killer!

Each time you defeat six wizards, you grow stronger.

Reward for completion:
1. +1 Random Attribute
2. +50 Experience

Description: This task can be completed once per week. If, among the six defeated, at least one is a dark wizard, fiend, or Auror, you receive a bonus: +1 Magic.]

Ahem, this “serial killer” must refer to someone else. I’ll do my best to catch him and make this place safer. Yes, six people per week.

After this narration, Louis realized that, through his storybook, he could now see prompts indicating whether those around him were dark wizards. The words appeared before his eyes:

[The two ‘pitiful wizards’ lying before Louis have already fallen under his Nightmare Charm…]

Previously, the storybook had referred to passersby only as “strangers,” but now he saw hints like “wizard.” This made distinguishing dark wizards and Aurors much easier.

There’s a bounty for capturing dark wizards—they can be delivered to the black dungeons through Stuart’s connections. Such a pity this can’t be done openly, or I’d surely be promoted and get a raise… Well, at least it could help Stuart’s career.

The two before him were clearly not dark wizards, but Louis was not about to let the opportunity slip—they had made the first move, after all!

Using his puppet strings, he dragged the pair deeper into the alley and began testing all sorts of spells on them.

Only after he had improved his proficiency with these spells did he finally leave.