Chapter 22
….
Kael slowly rose from his seat without a word, then picked up an empty bowl sitting nearby.
Mira blinked at the sight.
So did the gang members.
…?
The man who had just spilled the stew frowned.
“What are you doing?”
Without answering, Kael walked slowly toward the man with the bowl in his hand.
The man let out a derisive laugh at the sight.
“What? Want me to fill it up again?”
But before he could finish speaking.
Clang—!
Kael brought the bowl in his hand down on the man's head.
The bowl shattered, sending fragments flying in every direction.
“Urgh, wh—?”
His blood ran down from his forehead.
“That’s for the food.”
The gang members were briefly unable to comprehend what had happened, as though the bar had frozen in place.
Then the scarred man was the first to come to his senses.
“Fuck!”
He raised an electroshock baton.
“What are you waiting for?! Kill that bastard!”
Two men charged at him simultaneously.
Kael stepped back and slightly twisted his body to evade the swinging electroshock baton.
Blue electricity crackled from the tip of the baton.
Kael seized his opponent's wrist and twisted it.
Crack.
The electroshock baton fell to the floor.
Before the man could even scream, Kael drove his knee into his abdomen.
Thud!
The man doubled over without even managing to exhale properly.
Another man behind him swung an arm toward Kael's neck, but Kael ducked.
As the arm cut through empty air, he struck his opponent sharply in the side.
“Kugh!”
Kael grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed him into the bar table.
Bang!
Everything was over in an instant.
Mira and the employees were unable to say anything for a while.
Broken bowls, spilled stew, and fallen gang members were scattered across the floor.
Kael quietly brushed off his hands and walked toward the window.
Mira's eyes widened.
“Wait. What are you going to do?”
When Kael opened the window.
Creak.
Cold air from outside rushed in.
Immediately below were overlapping old tarps and a cushioning net used for collecting trash. It was high enough that a proper throw would not kill them.
Probably.
Kael first grabbed the scarred man by the back of the neck and dragged him over. The man regained consciousness and began struggling.
“W-wait! Are you crazy?!”
Kael did not answer.
“Our boss won't let this go! You hear me?! Do you know who owns this district?!”
Without a word, he pushed the man toward the window.
The man's face turned deathly pale, but Kael lifted him without changing his expression.
“Hey! Hey, wait! Fuck, just wait! The boss…!”
He could not finish the sentence.
Because Kael threw him out the window.
“…Aaaaaaaah!”
His scream grew fainter and fainter.
A short while later.
Thump!
The sound of the cushioning net shaking violently came from below.
Kael then grabbed the second man's ankle.
“W-wait. I didn't do anything…!”
He threw him out the window as well.
“Aaaah!”
Thump!
Finally, Kael saw the man who had spilled the stew crawling across the floor and grabbed him by the back of the neck.
The man's eyes trembled with fear.
“I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry, all right? I'll give you money. I swear.”
Kael stared at him briefly, then.
….
“Please…!”
He threw him out the window too.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Thump.
“Hmm….”
After lightly dusting off his hands, Kael looked around at the wreckage and spoke.
“Sorry for causing a disturbance.”
Mira blinked several times, looking deeply startled.
“…The inside can be cleaned. It was a bar that was closing anyway.”
“I’ll pay for the bowls.”
“Later.”
Mira slowly exhaled.
“More importantly, are you going to be all right?”
Kael did not understand what she meant.
“What do you mean?”
“The men you just threw out.”
Mira's expression darkened slightly, as though things had become serious.
“Those men aren't just local thugs. They're members of the gang that controls this district.”
“A gang?”
“The Black Ring. Ruthless, just as the name suggests….”
“So?”
“…The problem is the gang leader people call Toph.”
Mira added in a small voice.
“He's sixth-tier.”
Kael rubbed his chin as though puzzled.
“Sixth-tier?”
“Yes.”
“Why would someone sixth-tier be in a place like this?”
According to Lin, sixth-tier ability users were among the most renowned in the city.
In fact, Pale had once worked as the head of security at Seraph Industries.
And yet someone of that caliber was the leader of a gang in an outer-district slum.
Mira shrugged and answered.
“I don't know either.”
As though nothing strange could happen in a place like this.
“All kinds of strange people wash up here. People cast out by corporations, people expelled from the military, people who ran away after botching an experiment….”
“Is this Toph person one of that sort?”
“There are plenty of rumors, but… no one really knows anything about him.”
Mira looked Kael straight in the eye.
“In any case, be careful. I know you can fight, but sixth-tier is on an entirely different level.”
Kael fell into thought for a moment.
What mattered most to him here was not the boss's strength itself.
It was the fact that there was a sixth-tier mage here who was the leader of a criminal organization.
That meant there was a high chance no corporation would protest if he took the man's ACU.
“I see.”
Kael spoke calmly.
Mira frowned as though she was not pleased with his reaction.
“Are you listening to me?”
“I am.”
“You don't look scared at all.”
Mira pressed a hand to her forehead, as though she had developed a headache.
“You're seriously strange.”
Kael looked again at the stew spilled across the floor.
“I’ll pay for the meal somehow.”
“I told you it was free.”
“One bowl was free.”
He looked at the pieces of the broken bowl and said.
“The second one wasn't.”
He turned around and walked outside.
“I’ll come back later.”
However, Mira called out to stop him.
“Hey.”
Kael stopped for a moment at her words.
“Your name is Kael, right?”
“Yes.”
“Be really careful.”
Her serious voice carried genuine concern.
“The Black Ring isn't the kind of organization to let something like this slide. And Toph even less so.”
Kael looked at her for a moment, then nodded.
“Got it.”
It was not a particularly reassuring answer, but she seemed to accept that there was no point in saying anything more.
..
..
The gang members Kael had thrown out the window earlier were gone from in front of the building.
Only traces of a torn cushioning net and a few drops of blood remained on the ground.
He stood there for a moment and looked up at the building.
….
The location was not bad.
It was not completely removed from the main road, yet it was not somewhere constantly exposed to people's gazes, either.
Moreover, with the first through third floors vacant, there were countless ways to use the space.
Most importantly.
He owed Mira and the people at Last Round.
Technically, the gang had been the ones to spill the stew first, but Kael had been the one to throw them out the window.
If so, there was a high chance they would retaliate.
Therefore, rather than vacating the building and leaving, it would be better to use it as a base.
That was Kael's final conclusion.
However.
He knew nothing about how to purchase a building.
After thinking for a moment, he took out Elena's business card.
A thin card with silver circuit patterns engraved on a black background.
[Elena Weiss]
[Chief Secretary of Seraph Industries]
He had only just received it, so he had not expected to use it so soon.
Kael lightly tapped the business card with his fingertip.
“You said to contact you if I needed anything.”
When he pressed the edge of the card, a short signal tone sounded.
A moment later, a small communication window appeared in the air, and Elena's face appeared within it.
-Mr. Kael?
She looked surprised that the connection had come through so quickly, but soon composed her expression.
-Has something happened? Are you in danger?
“No.”
-Then that's a relief. Is there something you need?
Kael looked up at the building.
“I want to buy a building.”
A very brief silence passed through the communication window.
-…A building?
“Yes.”
-Are you referring to a residential building or a commercial one?
Kael looked at the building again.
The first through third floors were vacant, and the fourth housed a bar.
“Both.”
-Could you tell me the location?
Kael looked around and searched for an address plate.
A district number and building identification code were written on an old metal plate.
“Grave Rock Block, East 17th Street. Building identification code G-R17-044.”
Elena's gaze shifted to the side, apparently checking the internal network.
A moment later, she spoke.
-I've confirmed it. The building is currently registered as privately owned, but it has tax arrears and liens against it. The tenant of the commercial facility on the fourth floor is also listed as scheduled for eviction.
“Can I buy it?”
-It is procedurally possible. However, the building is poorly maintained, and the surrounding security risk is high.
“I know.”
-In addition, some of the claims attached to the building may be connected to unofficial local organizations.
“The Black Ring?”
At his words, Elena's expression stiffened.
-Have you already made contact?
“There was a little incident.”
-…To what extent does “a little” mean, exactly?
Kael thought for a moment before continuing.
“I threw a few people out of the fourth-floor window.”
Elena, on the other side of the communication window, slowly closed and opened her eyes.
-Mr. Kael.
“What?”
-It hasn't even been an hour since I gave you my card.
“Things just turned out that way.”
-I see.
Elena's voice remained polite, but she seemed tired as well.
-We can proceed with the building purchase for now. However, it is a matter that will be reported to the CEO.
“All right.”
-Do you really want this building?
“Yes.”
-May I ask why?
“The conditions are good.”
Elena exhaled softly.
-Understood. I'll connect you with Seraph's legal and asset management teams. Will the purchase be made under your name, Mr. Kael?
“No. Have Seraph Industries purchase it.”
Elena paused on the other side of the communication window.
-You mean under Seraph Industries' name?
“Yes.”
-If it is a residence you will be using, purchasing it under your personal name would be more natural. If Seraph purchases it, the building will be classified as a company asset.
“I don't care.”
-Is there a reason?
Kael thought for a moment.
Was there any need to tell her everything?
Few people would dare touch a building bearing Seraph's name.
That applied whether it was the Black Ring, Toph, or any other organization in the district. Attacking an individual and touching corporate property were entirely different matters.
Moreover, if Seraph became the building's owner, the messy issues involving liens, taxes, and local organizations would be sorted out on their own.
Kael had no intention of taking on such troublesome matters.
Besides, the key was securing a safe zone.
“I only need a place to live.”
Kael continued calmly.
“You handle the complicated matters involving ownership and contracts.”
Elena was silent for a moment.
-In other words, you want to use the building while Seraph Industries handles the legal ownership and management, is that correct?
“Yes.”
-Do you plan to use the entire building?
Kael examined the building again.
The first, second, and third floors….
And Last Round on the fourth floor.
“The third floor should be enough.”
-As living space?
“Yes.”
-What do you plan to do with the existing commercial facility on the fourth floor?
“Leave it as it is.”
-You mean Last Round?
“Yes.”
Elena shifted her gaze to the side again, as though checking something.
-The facility is currently registered as scheduled for eviction. The tenant's unpaid debts and the lien issues are entangled.
“Take care of that too.”
-With Seraph Industries covering it?
“Yes.”
-May I ask why?
Kael answered her question without any particular expression.
“The food is good.”
Elena was speechless for a very brief moment.
-…Because the food is good, you want to keep a bar that is scheduled for eviction?
“Yes.”
-Mr. Kael.
“What?”
-Are you joking?
“No.”
On the other side of the communication window, Elena slowly steadied her breathing.
-Understood. I'll handle it, including keeping Last Round in operation. However, if Seraph purchases it, we need a stated purpose.
“A stated purpose?”
-To incorporate it as a company asset, there must be a purpose in the internal documents. We can classify it as a small support outpost in the outer district, a temporary residential facility, or a commercial revitalization project.
“Just take care of that however you see fit.”
-However I see fit…?
“I need somewhere to stay here, and the fourth floor just needs to keep serving food.”
Kael spoke calmly.
“You understand the rest of the complicated stuff better than I do.”
Elena stared at him for a moment.
-Understood. I'll process it as the establishment of a Seraph outer-district support outpost. The first and second floors will be classified as management and reserve spaces, the third floor as Mr. Kael's temporary residence, and the fourth floor as an existing commercial facility that will remain in operation.
“Good.”
Kael felt reasonably satisfied with his newly acquired mage tower.