Chapter 242
Flas.
Everything around was red.
Flickering firelight, the stench of burning flesh, the sll of heated tal, severed electrical wires spitting sparks, screams and shrieks, fragnts scattering in all directions, iron balls rolling across the floor.
It was a blaze worthy of being called hell itself.
The only fortunate thing was that the explosion had occurred just beyond a single office wall separating it from us.
Of course, even if the blast had gone off right in front of , it would not have been much of a problem—but the two beside were a different matter.
Thanks to the wall absorbing at least so of the shock, I was able to shield Kim Cheolsu and Salvatore Morone just before the explosion engulfed them.
“……Are you alright, Boss?”
“A, ah, y-yes. I’m fine…….”
Kim Cheolsu cursed with his eyes, as if saying, ‘Do I really have to keep acting even in a situation like this?’ But with Salvatore watching from the side, there was no helping it.
Sssshhhhhhh—!
Rain began pouring down at just that mont.
Anti-Rain Level 3, and the droplets were thick.
Thanks to this damned city spraying Anti-Rain at the slightest provocation, fire accidents like this were usually suppressed relatively quickly.
The flas that had seed ready to swallow the world gradually began baring fewer fangs under the relentless downpour. The crimson glow dimd, and dark bluish puddles mixed with ash ford across the ground.
As if unable to believe the situation, Salvatore stared blankly at the pachinko parlor that had been reduced to ruins.
It looked as though the shop had suffered a full-scale bombardnt.
“A, ahhh……!”
Staggering, Salvatore suddenly broke into a frantic run toward sowhere. “W-wait—!” Kim Cheolsu tried to stop him, but I held him back.
Salvatore began rummaging through places like beneath the wreckage of the building, searching for sothing. I imdiately understood what he was looking for and activated my biotric reaction scanner to sweep the surroundings.
Fortunately for Salvatore—and unfortunately for this city—quite a number of his mbers had survived the explosion.
Of course, their numbers were less than half of what they had been, but I was able to detect several mbers curled up beneath the debris, barely clinging to life.
I relayed that information to Salvatore, and he rushed over to rescue the survivors. The way his hands moved felt far too pitiful for one of the major powers of the Underworld of New Valhalla City.
I felt no particular sympathy.
Compared to the scale of the Salvatore Family, the mbers who had died here were no more than a drop in the ocean. And I was not such a philanthropist that I would concern myself with the life or death of criminals who had treated others’ lives lightly.
What bothered was what exactly had happened. The fact that soone had done this where I was ant they were openly picking a fight.
And what troubled even more was…….
[Warning]
[High-Concentration Mana Detected.]
This was not an ordinary act of terror.
If it had been a bomb made rely of gunpowder and plastic, such a large amount of mana would not have lingered like this. This was undoubtedly sothing crafted with Mystic materials, or else the result of so kind of magic.
“Salvatore.”
“A d-doctor. Call a doctor……!”
I had been about to question him, considering the possibility that the target of this attack might have been Salvatore rather than . But he seed in no state to answer anything.
Left with no choice, I called for ergency services instead.
Since we were in the very heart of Sector E, there was no telling how long it would take for them to arrive, but that was no longer my concern.
‘Tch. Things are starting to get complicated.’
For all I knew, this might simply be the protagonist’s fate at work. Thinking that way made feel slightly better.
In any case, since Salvatore Morone was clearly in no condition to hold a proper conversation, I would have to deal with other matters first.
I imdiately contacted Kara and Ciel.
[It’s . Change of plans. Bring the two of them here.]
It was about ten minutes later that Ciel arrived, bringing Evangeline and Guardian with her.
The mont Kara found the two of them, she inford unilaterally and left. Just before departing, she added, ‘I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t drag into things unless it’s absolutely necessary from now on.’
She did not seem particularly interested in factional strife within the Stingray Family or in the progression of any episodes.
I had sensed that tendency from her before, but this was the first ti she had stated it so directly.
Perhaps she had instinctively realized that this incident was about to spiral into sothing troubleso on multiple fronts.
And, to be fair, it was a bit much to keep employing soone busy with governnt work for personal requests. Still, I had paid her handsoly, so it wasn’t as if I owed her anything.
Anyway, after two days, I had found Evangeline and Guardian. Wearing a chick-yellow raincoat, Evangeline spotted and toddled over with a delighted expression.
“Aaron-!”
As she ran toward , she spread her arms wide, a clear gesture asking to be picked up. Normally, I would have gladly scooped her into my arms and lifted her up.
But not today.
Flick.
I carefully controlled my strength and flicked Evangeline on the forehead.
She had been about to throw herself into my arms, but instead let out an “Uek!” and stumbled backward.
Barely regaining her balance, Evangeline looked at with a betrayed expression, as if asking why I would do such a thing. But when I glared at her for a mont, she seed to realize why.
“Isn’t there sothing you should say?”
“……I, I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Perhaps because it was not the way she usually spoke, her tone sounded slightly awkward. But judging by how she lowered her reddened, slightly swollen forehead in remorse, it did not seem like an empty apology.
“Is your runaway girl act over?”
“Th-that is…… There was sothing I absolutely had to tell you…….”
Evangeline spoke haltingly, as if making excuses.
Maybe it was because the forehead flick had hurt—her eyes were brimming with tears. Still, fortunately, there did not seem to be any other problems. She was not injured, and the flow of her mana was the sa as usual.
I let out a sigh of relief inwardly and sent Maria a text ssage.
[I’ve found Evangeline. I’ll bring her back soon, so wait without worrying.]
Then I turned to look at the large young man in monk’s robes standing a few steps behind her.
That must be Guardian.
He was slightly taller than —easily around two ters—and traces of cyberware and Combat Modules were visible on his face. His Replacent Rate appeared to be quite high.
Although he was a Sect-Breaking Monk, perhaps so vestige of a believer’s mindset still remained, as his head was neatly shaved. In many ways, he had a striking presence.
“So you’re the one who found Evangeline.”
“T-that is correct.”
“Thank you. I’ll repay you later. Ciel, you’ve worked hard as well. You may head back now.”
“Oh, it’s fine~. I owe Aaron far more, after all~. Just give a little more allowance next ti~”
“Alright.”
After that brief exchange, Ciel took a taxi back to her apartnt. Personally, I felt a bit disappointed, but she was no longer just a housekeeping android—she was now a college freshman with plenty to do, so I had to understand.
Now only four of us remained: myself, Evangeline, Guardian, and Kim Cheolsu. The Salvatore Family had been taken to the hospital by paradics who had arrived a few minutes earlier.
From here on, there was much to do.
Since there were no prying eyes, shall I begin in earnest?
“Evangeline, can you sense any mana?”
“Hm? Ah, yes. I can feel it faintly.”
“That’s a relief.”
Because of the relentless Anti-Rain Level 3 that had poured down until their arrival, the mana had dispersed considerably. It had grown so faint that even my mana-detection sensors could barely pick it up, but fortunately, Evangeline—whose sensitivity was high—quickly found the traces.
However……
“I do not know what magic it was. The rain struck it and scattered the entire spell structure. It has shattered into fragnts, so I cannot tell what kind of magic it originally was. Whether it was a simple Fire Ball or so other spell…….”
“There’s no way to determine it?”
“If only we could see the mont the magic was activated, that…… you know. That rec…… rec…… what was it? The moving picture……!”
“A recording?”
“Yes, if there is such a thing, I might be able to find out!”
Evangeline said that, but unfortunately, there was no way such a thing existed. At the ti of the explosion, all the custors had evacuated the shop, so no one had been inside.
There would be no benefit in watching a fight involving the Mafia, so surely there would not have been any witnesses lingering outside to observe the interior either…….
“Hm?”
In that instant, I sensed a presence.
Turning my gaze toward it, I saw a man loaded down with luggage half-concealed in a distant alley, staring this way.
What is he doing?
The mont our eyes t, the man flinched in fear. But contrary to my expectation that he would flee, he instead hurried toward and threw himself flat at my feet.
“A-Aaron……!”
“……!?”
He knows ?
Who the hell is this guy?
Raising my guard to the utmost and preparing to crush him at a mont’s notice, I found that he struck first.
“I-if you need a recording, I have one I fild!”
“……What?”
“Ah, please don’t think it’s suspicious! I’m simply your fan…… or perhaps a believer…… My na is ‘Jeren’…… You may not rember, but we t once before…… Anyway! I’ll hand this over to you, so please make good use of it!”
The man rambled incoherently before suddenly offering a tablet with both hands in utmost politeness. I stared at him suspiciously for a mont.
We t before?
I don’t rember…….
“If you are trying to deceive , I will not let it slide.”
“N-not at all! Why would I ever do such a thing! I simply wish to be of help!”
“…….”
His excessive deference made him seem even more suspicious, but his identity was not the urgent matter, so I let it pass.
I turned on the tablet and played the video he claid to have recorded—and there, I witnessed sothing shocking.
“What in the world is this…….”
A living person suddenly turned into a bomb and blew the entire shop apart. Bizarre—no, grotesque…… I wondered whether it was right to show such a horrific sight to Evangeline, but there was no alternative.
I shared the footage with her. She watched it with a far more serious expression than when she watched her usual girls’ animations, and before long, her face turned pale.
“A-ah……!”
“Evangeline?”
“I rember…… everything……!”
“What’s wrong? What is it?”
At my concerned question, Evangeline staggered before dropping onto the ground.
Startled, I quickly helped her up, and she continued in a trembling voice.
“This…… is Dragon Magic…….”
“Dragon……!”
“Yes, a Dragon (Mythical Being). The reason this body returned was to consult you regarding the ‘Curse of the Dragonkin’ placed upon Guardian. And there is sothing else I have recalled…… Did this body not once et your father?”
“……Don’t tell , you rember?”
At the ti, Evangeline had collapsed with a high fever for so reason shortly after eting the Stingray Chairman. She had not properly rembered that encounter.
Yet now, in this mont, she had recalled it.
Why now of all tis? Was it re coincidence?
No, that could not be.
Sure enough, what ca from Evangeline’s lips was—
“There was a ‘Curse of the Dragonkin’ embedded in that man’s heart as well.”
—the worst possible scenario.
Reviews
All reviews (0)