Chapter 2
“Wow.”
Max let out an exclamation of awe as he looked at the Grand Lunatic Hotel across the street.
As expected of a hotel located in the 10-series districts.
It was grand and flashy. It was incredibly luxurious.
‘I have plenty of time.’
He shoved his hands into his pockets and was about to casually pass through the entrance.
Bodyguards dressed in suits instantly blocked his path.
“Please wait a moment.”
“Sure.”
Max didn’t panic.
Rather, he understood.
‘They must be suspicious because my appearance doesn’t fit the standards of this neighborhood.’
A situation where I was the only one subjected to an inspection, unlike the other customers.
It wasn’t something to feel particularly offended by.
In reality, I was a guy who came up from the Lower District. The bodyguards caught on accurately.
‘The bodyguards here do their jobs well. They have good intuition.’
Max didn’t resist the detector being thrust at him and underwent the belongings check.
He stated his business.
“I’m here for a lunch appointment.”
“We will verify that for you. Could you tell us the name of the person who made the reservation?”
“Layton Steiger. Here is the phone number.”
The bodyguards flinched at the name Steiger.
Ignoring their reaction, he showed them his father’s number saved on his smartphone.
“…Could you show us your ID?”
“Here.”
Approval was only granted after they verified with a scanner that the ID was genuine.
“Mr. Max Steiger! We apologize for the inconvenience!”
“It’s fine. You’re just doing your jobs.”
“You can head to the restaurant on the G floor. We will call a guide for you.”
“That’s all right. I can find the way on my own.”
He brushed past the bodyguards and headed inside.
Ignoring the gazes piercing him from all directions, he headed straight for the elevator.
“Which floor are you going to?”
“The G floor.”
He stepped inside at the prompt that it was okay to board.
Alone in the spacious elevator, he ended up looking around like a country bumpkin.
‘So luxurious.’
The inside of the elevator was cool and refreshing.
A subtle fragrance even lingered in the air.
It was comfortable enough that he wanted to lie down and take a nap.
Ding!
[G Floor]
It was a shame he arrived so quickly.
As he moved his reluctant feet and stepped out of the Elevator, an employee bowed his or her head.
“Mr. Max Steiger, I will guide you.”
They must have communicated with the bodyguards at the entrance.
‘Convenience really is the best.’
Max followed behind without a word, and upon entering, he saw his father in the distance.
And opposite his father, he saw red hair and perked-up ears.
Not just one person, but two.
‘Wasn’t it just supposed to be the person who is my stepmother? Plus, with that hair color and being a beastman, could it be…’
The memory he saw in his flashing life came to mind right before his regression.
─ Look closely. Do you really not know me? Does nothing come to mind even after hearing my name?
Did father form a connection with that family?
Max stopped in his tracks out of bewilderment and repeatedly wiped his face with his dry hands.
“Mr. Max Steiger? Are you alright?”
“Ah, I’m fine. I can see my party now, so you may return.”
After sending the employee away, Max organized his complicated thoughts and strode toward the table.
“I’m here.”
father raised his head at the voice and wrinkled his face as if he found him pathetic.
The displeased expression he wore, no matter what Max did, was an attitude Max had seen to the point of exhaustion in the past.
“What is with that disrespectful attire?”
“Everyone dresses like this these days.”
In truth, he knew he lacked formality.
His bank balance was simply too low to afford neat clothes. And he hadn’t had the time to multiply his money either.
“Tsk, sit down.”
“Excuse me.”
As he sat in the chair, he gave a slight nod to the two people sitting opposite him.
“Welcome.”
The older-looking woman gently accepted his greeting.
The girl sitting next to her with a blunt expression quietly replied with a nod of her own.
“She is your stepmother. Greet her.”
“I am Max… Steiger.”
Since I had come here of my own volition, I properly attached the family name I didn’t usually use.
In the past, I might have taken an attitude that father loathed as a form of rebellion, but I now know that ruining the mood wouldn’t just put father in an awkward position.
The two people in front of me were innocent and had no reason to suffer embarrassment.
“I am Enri Crimsonhowl. I’m delighted to have gained such a handsome son.”
“I look forward to being in your care.”
Max showed his manners as calmly as possible.
‘As expected… it really is Crimsonhowl.’
Crimsonhowl was one of the magic noble families representing Haze.
The traits of a wolf beastman harmonizing with red hair were also the proof of the family.
That was why Max was curious.
‘How on earth did he connect with Crimsonhowl?’
Given the size of the Steiger family, they couldn’t even dare to rub shoulders with such a mountain.
It was impossible to even guess how this relationship had been formed.
Max’s gaze quietly shifted.
‘Then the one sitting next to her must be…’
The wolf girl who had appeared in his flashing life.
She looked much younger than when he had faced her in his past life.
“Flora? Shouldn’t you greet your Oppa?”
“I am Flora Crimsonhowl.”
A calm voice with no fluctuation in pitch. It was the name Max had expected.
When Flora’s brief self-introduction ended, Enri offered an apologetic smile, asking for his understanding.
“Our Flora is very shy around strangers.”
“I’m not exactly the affectionate type either, so I understand.”
“And even if I suddenly tell you to call me mother… it must be quite difficult and awkward, right? There’s no need to force it. Just think of it as gaining a distant relative.”
“Thank you for your consideration. I will try to accept it slowly.”
The food arrived during their conversation.
It was a light dish signaling the start of the course.
“Flora is currently in her graduating class at Minerva Academy. She has to head back immediately after the meal.”
“…Graduating class. It seems I’ve taken up her precious time.”
During the time Max worked at Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals, Minerva Academy alumni were everywhere.
‘An educational institution where the children of wealthy families gather. They said it also served a community function.’
That was why Flora’s capabilities were even more astonishing.
He was certain that even the geniuses who graduated from the academy with excellent grades and got jobs at Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals wouldn’t even reach Flora’s feet.
‘She’s strong. It’s at a level that makes no sense for an academy student.’
It was because she had that level of talent that she was able to reach her future self.
If the trajectory from before regression remained valid, Flora would become the master of Muspelheim and the family head of Crimsonhowl.
“I recall that the Steiger family also sends its scions to Minerva Academy. Then Max must be Flora’s senior.”
“No. I didn’t attend the academy.”
Did father not even explain something like this? Since there was no malice in Enri’s voice, I also answered lightly.
However, Enri’s face instantly turned pale.
“Oh my… I’m sorry. I’ve committed a discourtesy.”
In the past, it would have been an act of rubbing salt into a painful wound.
But now, it truly didn’t bother him at all.
“You don’t need to apologize. I don’t really think much of it.”
Just as they were trying to recover the mood somehow.
father, who had been listening quietly, threw in a word and interrupted.
“Sending a talentless bastard to the Academy would only chip away at the family’s prestige. It’s a waste of money.”
At Layton Steiger’s venomous remark, not only Enri but even Flora showed signs of bewilderment.
However, Max, the person in question, remained calm.
Feeling no need to get angry, he reacted blandly.
There would come a time to prove the true talent I harbored to the Steiger family.
And.
He also knew that a sly and naive response would annoy father even more.
“That’s right. It would have been a waste of money even if I had gone.”
“You weak, pathetic bastard…!”
Look.
Doesn’t the hot-tempered reaction come right away?
‘In the first place, I simply didn’t have an aptitude for Steiger Magic.’
In my past life, I realized that too late because I was being stubborn.
Thus, I am even more grateful for this current regression.
The uncomfortable meal, which felt like walking on thin ice, came to an end.
As the final plates of the course meal were cleared away, the Crimsonhowl mother and daughter temporarily left their seats, saying they needed to freshen up.
Max didn’t miss the opportunity. It was time to hear the main point from father.
“So why did you call me here today?”
“I’ve prepared a position for you at Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals. Go work there.”
The past me would have refused out of petty pride, but now, there is a fundamental difference.
Even if the result of refusal was the same, the underlying reason was different. I had to at least check his reaction, because Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals was my grave.
“father, you should know better than I do that Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals is in a rival relationship with Genesis Bio, which Crimsonhowl co-founded… What is the reason for pushing me in there?”
A tone asking what kind of situation this was.
Anger surfaced on Layton Steiger’s face.
“If your father paved a path for you, you should be grateful. How dare you talk back!”
Max didn’t reply and drank his remaining coffee.
It was a meeting that didn’t make sense in many ways.
‘I’ll need to investigate this side.’
Of course, after building up my strength first.
“This bastard…!”
father couldn’t continue his fit of rage.
He saw the Crimsonhowl mother and daughter returning.
Enri, perhaps having spoken with Flora separately, approached with a smiling face and spoke loudly enough for Max to hear.
“Flora. Wouldn’t it be good to at least exchange numbers with your Oppa?”
“…”
Flora stared intently, and Max curled up the corners of his mouth at the thought of the old days.
About three seconds passed like that.
Flora gave a small nod and pulled out her smartphone.
* * *
“…”
Having left the hotel and boarded the vehicle, Flora found it incredibly difficult to understand the earlier conversation.
She fiddled with her red hair and mulled it over.
‘He has no talent and is weak? That man?’
Max Steiger, who had somehow become her stepbrother.
He seemed to have tried to hide it, but Flora could see it. He was probably at the 1st-Tier.
Certainly, his tier itself was low.
However, a tier was not the absolute standard that determined victory or defeat.
‘No matter how I look at it, that man is far more… than the other Steiger scions.’
Flora twitched her ears as she looked at the number saved on her smartphone.