Prologue
“If you do bad things, a witch will come for you.”
That’s what adults in this country tell their children. Witches are evil beings, they say, and wrongdoing summons them. Parents do their best to make it sound terrifying, all to keep their kids from mischief.
But Rogue knows better now—it’s nothing more than a fairy tale. After all…
No witch has come here.
“Hurry the hell up and fill the bag! I’ll kill you!”
Behind the counter, a masked man waves a grimoire in one hand while barking orders. A young female bank clerk scrambles toward him, arms loaded with stacks of cash, her face on the verge of tears. She dumps the money into a sack and hurries back the way she came.
Glancing left, Rogue sees the melted remains of a security guard. Straight ahead, three more masked figures prowl the lobby—keeping watch over the terrified customers, himself included, who are forced against the walls.
Rogue Macabesta lets out a sigh—he’s lost count of how many by now.
All he came here for was to withdraw money. So why the hell is he stuck in a robbery? The sheer lawlessness of it all makes him want to groan.
As far as he remembers, this is the fifth bank robbery this year. If you include solo jobs, the number easily surpasses sixty.
No, he knows the real culprit. It’s all magic’s fault.
His stomach growls—he hadn’t eaten lunch yet—and he sighs again. Just my luck.
“Hey, you! What’s with that attitude?”
A voice snaps his attention upward. One of the lookouts glares at him.
“Don’t try anything funny! You wanna die right now?!”
“……”
Rogue silently returns the glare, hoping to intimidate.
But his face must’ve had the opposite effect—the veins on the lookout’s forehead bulge in anger. A hand yanks Rogue up by his collar, and the man screams in his face, flecks of spit flying.
“You thought we wouldn’t lay a hand on you?! I’ll murder you!”
The lookout raises his right hand, gripping a carved disk. A popular tool among silent criminals, these disks have handles for easy use and wide engraving surfaces for spells. The magic carved into this one? Probably 〈Liquify〉.
The disk begins to glow.
Magic beams move faster than bullets—once fired, dodging is impossible. So Rogue has no choice but to strike first.
He tightens his grip on the hand-groove bag at his side.
Steps in—
“UGHAAAH?!”
—And smashes his fist into the lookout’s face, disk and all. The man flies several meters, lets out a single choked noise, and goes still.
“What the hell?!”
The remaining masked men immediately turn their magical tools toward Rogue. Their efficiency in taking over the bank suggests this isn’t their first heist—they’re definitely wanted criminals. In other words, dangerous felons who need to be taken down.
“……I’m off duty, y’know.”
With that, Rogue grabs a nearby office desk.
Before the robbers can activate their magic, he hurls it at them with both hands. They don’t even get a chance to dodge before being sent flying.
Well, then.
Ignoring the three groaning men on the floor, Rogue strides toward the counter. The last robber, who had been threatening the clerk, finally snaps out of his daze—just as Rogue closes within five meters.
“D-Don’t come any closer! I’ll kill her!”
He wraps an arm around the clerk’s neck.
Rogue sighs in disbelief.
“You really think you have time to cast magic? Didn’t you see what happened to your friends?”
“Sh-Shut up! I’ve got a knife!”
The robber pulls out a blade—just an ordinary one, no magic enhancements.
“Don’t. You’ll only get hurt.”
“Shut your mouth, Inspector!”
Rogue frowns.
“So you knew? That I’m an investigator?”
“Damn right I knew! You bastards are always getting in our way! What, you think criminals don’t deserve freedom?!”
“……You have freedom. But what about hers?” Rogue nods toward the hostage. “Is her freedom something you can just ignore?”
“The hell do I care about others?! Get the hell outta here!”
The masked man presses the knife to the clerk’s throat.
“Eeek?!”
She finally screams, dropping the cash in her arms. The robber, irritated by her reaction, digs the blade deeper. A thin line of red blooms across her throat, staining her shirt.
Rogue’s voice drops low.
“……Last chance. Let her go.”
His right hand slips into his pocket.
“I said don’t move, damn it!”
the robber snarls.
“You won’t release her?”
“Screw you! I’ll slit her throat right now!”
Negotiations are over.
A thud echoes—and the robber collapses.
A coin, fired straight from Rogue’s pocket, had struck his forehead.
Rogue clicks his tongue, eyeing the hole in his pants.
“Great. Now my pants are ruined.”
He pulls out his terminal and calls the police.
“Rogue Macabesta, Ireil Branch. Bank robbery at Flübe Avenue, District Three. Four suspects—all neutralized. Send retrieval immediately. And a medical team… Huh? Yeah, I said it’s handled. That’s what I’m telling you.”
As he ends the call, the clerk calls out to him.
“U-Um, Rogue…?!”
He pockets the terminal and turns to her. Oddly cheerful for someone just held at knifepoint. A bad feeling creeps up—and it’s immediately confirmed.
“‘Bloodstained Rogue’…! Thank you for saving me!”
Ugh.
He suppresses a groan. Even here, that name follows him.
“Bloodstained Rogue”—because he beats criminals bare-handed and gets drenched in their blood. No matter how much he insists he doesn’t want to be covered in it, the name sticks.
“I-I’m honored you saved me! Could I get your autograph later?”
She was nearly just killed, and she’s acting like this?
“Sorry, but I’m not an entertainer. Gonna have to pass.”
“O-Oh, okay! But next time we meet, can I have one?”
“I’ll think about it.”
(There won’t be a next time.)
Soon, Rogue will be promoted to a managerial position.
His record speaks for itself—countless arrests of magical criminals, including notorious figures like the 〈Headhunter〉, 〈The Second Allen〉, 〈Stormrain〉, and 〈Swamp Man〉. A rogues’ gallery he’d rather forget.
But the thought that today is the last time he’ll have to deal with scum like this—like the ones sprawled on the floor—lightens his chest.As the distant wail of sirens grows louder, Rogue scoffs.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Once the exclusive domain of nobility, 〈Magic〉 became public knowledge in the wave of modernization.
〈Ignition Heat〉—manifesting flames.
〈Winged Flight〉—levitating objects.
〈Regeneration〉—healing the body.
Magic is, in essence, the phenomenon of another world.
With just words or script, one can command it to act as desired—literally casting magic. No special talent is needed; even a child can wield it by following a grimoire’s instructions. Its accessibility led to magic spreading like wildfire.
Humanity should have overcome hunger and disease, joining hands to build an era of prosperity.
But something as convenient as magic was bound to be abused.
〈Burst〉—which causes objects to explode used to crack safes.
〈Morph〉—which changes appearance used for fraud.
〈Spark〉—which generates electricity used to maim and kill in inheritance disputes.
Crime rates skyrocketed, and the world became a haven for criminals.
Among them, the Las-Rilte Empire, ruled by the Two Great Noble Houses, earned the nickname “The cauldron of Crime” for its staggering criminal population relative to its density.
Public safety hit rock bottom. Women and children couldn’t walk safely, even in daylight. Bank robberies became routine. Petty arguments escalated into bloodshed.
The decent citizens, forced to arm themselves with grimoires, often became criminals themselves through unintended magical accidents.
Recognizing the severity, the Drakenia House—one of the Two Great Nobles—established a new organization.
The Bureau of Magical Crime Investigation.
With 25,000 personnel—former police, mages, scholars, even retired soldiers—every member was a magic expert.
They tracked criminals, employing their skills and experience to achieve remarkable results.
In the ten years since its founding, the Bureau arrested 850,000 magical criminals—
a staggering number compared to the era when the police stood helpless.
Annual crime rates began declining after the fifth year.
Daytime robberies vanished. Overt criminal acts became relatively rare.
The Bureau’s presence alone acted as a deterrent—a fact as plain as day to anyone who remembered the past.
And today…
Rogue Macabesta is set to be promoted from field investigator to a higher-ranking position.
—
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
