Chapter 23
A few days passed after that.
A small rumor began to circulate in Grave Rock Block.
A man in a black mask, his face hidden, roamed the alleys every night, cleaning up the trash.
What puzzled people was that he did not seem to be after money or trying to claim the territory.
But one thing was certain: the number of criminals in Grave Rock Block had dropped sharply.
Lower-ranking members of the Black Ring disappeared one by one, only to be found the next morning dumped somewhere.
Most of them were not dead.
Instead, they had been left unconscious in front of garbage dumps or abandoned warehouses, with broken bones or their ACUs torn out.
Kael paid no attention to such rumors.
What mattered now was obtaining as many ACUs as possible in preparation for emergencies.
Most were of poor quality.
Cheap implants, illegal modifications, and poorly maintained circuits.
Every one of them bore traces of overload caused by overclocking.
Still, they were usable, so he had to be satisfied with that alone.
..
..
That day, too, it was after he had finished work.
Kael took off the black mask and tucked it inside his pocket.
He brushed the dust from his outer clothing, left the alley, and headed toward a familiar building.
Last Round.
The old sign was still flickering, but it was slightly different from a few days ago.
Kael climbed the stairs and opened the door to the fourth floor.
Jingle.
When the bell rang, Mira raised her head from behind the bar.
“You’re here?”
She greeted him as though she had grown quite accustomed to him by now.
Kael likewise sat in his usual seat.
“The usual.”
One of Mira’s eyebrows rose in protest.
“This is a bar, not a restaurant.”
“I know.”
“A place that sells alcohol.”
“I know that too.”
“Then why do you order food every time you walk in?”
Kael’s answer was simple.
“Because it’s delicious.”
She eventually sighed.
“You really are a strange customer.”
“I hear that often.”
“I imagine you do.”
Mira turned her head toward the kitchen.
“Get one ready!”
It seemed as though a very faint reply came from inside.
Mira muttered as she wiped the glasses.
“Still, I guess it was a good thing we didn’t close.”
Kael turned his gaze toward her.
“Why?”
“Because we got incredibly lucky.”
Mira looked around the bar as though she still could not believe it.
“Just a few days ago, this place was on the verge of closing, and then suddenly a megacorp like Seraph Industries bought the building.”
“Really?”
Mira looked displeased by his nonchalant response.
“On top of that, the old debts were settled, the overdue fees were mysteriously waived, and the rent was absurdly low. The terms are good, too. They told us to keep operating as before for the time being.”
“That’s good.”
“It is. So good it’s suspicious.”
Mira’s eyes narrowed.
“Do you know something?”
Kael picked up his glass of water.
“No.”
“….”
Kael naturally looked away while drinking his water, but Mira did not press him further.
After a while, food was placed in front of Kael.
Today, it was not stew.
Crispy seared meat, vegetables stir-fried in a salty sauce, and thinly sliced bread were arranged beside it.
The scent of spices rose gently from the dish.
When Kael emptied the bowl in an instant, Mira looked oddly satisfied.
“I guess this one was good too?”
Kael nodded.
“It’s delicious.”
“You say ‘delicious’ so seriously.”
“It’s important to be grateful for each and every one of these things.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it now. Food is important in your life.”
Kael looked at the empty plate, then asked,
“Could I perhaps meet the person who made the food?”
Mira seemed to consider it for a moment, then raised her voice toward the kitchen.
“Nia! Come out for a moment!”
Someone’s face peeked just slightly out from near the kitchen entrance.
Yellow hair and perky fox ears.
“…!”
Kael’s eyes flickered faintly at her appearance.
A beastkin.
This was the first time he had learned that beastkin existed in this world as well.
Beastkin had existed in Kael’s original world too.
The wolf tribes of the western jungles and the leopard warriors of the southern plains.
Like the white fox priestess he had met in the northern snowfields….
He had encountered various beastkin races even during the war against the Demon King’s army.
But this was his first time seeing one since coming to Magitera.
The magic system of this world, the way its cities operated, and the appearance of its humans were all different.
He had not expected beastkin to exist here too.
When the girl at the kitchen entrance met Kael’s eyes, she quickly lowered her gaze.
Then she slowly came outside.
She looked to be around Kael’s age.
Her yellow hair fell below her shoulders, and the fox ears atop her head stood straight with tension.
She approached Mira’s side with her head bowed in silence.
Perhaps embarrassed, she tightly gripped the edge of her apron with her fingertips.
Mira introduced her gently.
“Let me introduce you. This is Nia Goldentail.”
Mira lightly patted Nia’s shoulder.
“She’s very shy. And she doesn’t talk much.”
Nia lowered her head even further.
“Thanks for the meal.”
At his words, Nia’s ears twitched.
Kael pointed at the empty plate and praised her cooking.
“It was delicious.”
“….”
Nia did not answer. She merely bowed her head very slightly.
Then she glanced at Mira once and quickly went back into the kitchen.
Seeing Kael watch her for a moment, Mira crossed her arms and asked,
“Why are you so surprised?”
Kael turned his gaze away.
“Because there’s a beastkin here.”
“What? Is this your first time seeing one?”
“In this world.”
“…In this world?”
Kael lifted his glass of water and avoided her gaze again, so Mira did not pry any further.
***
Night deepened.
As usual, Kael stood atop the building with his face covered by a black mask.
He looked down from the edge of the roof.
The alleys, the areas behind warehouses, and places where street stalls had packed up all had one thing in common.
They were narrow routes frequently used by Black Ring members.
After roaming around for several days, he had grasped their general routes.
They were simple.
If he traced the lines connecting drugs and money, their bases and transaction sites naturally became visible.
Kael quietly crossed the roof.
As he did, he naturally felt strange not to have an enhanced body.
In the past, he could have easily leaped over several buildings in a single breath, but….
Even so, his body had been trained through considerable battlefield experience.
Just because he had no magic did not mean his body was incapable of anything.
Kael jumped to the next roof.
Someone below looked up, but Kael had already hidden himself behind a shadow.
It was then.
His gaze stopped at an alley.
He saw a familiar color.
Yellow hair and perky fox ears.
Nia Goldentail.
She was the fox beastkin girl he had seen at Last Round during the day.
She was pushing a wheelchair with a young boy sitting in it.
He looked about ten years old. His hair was the same yellow as Nia’s, though somewhat lighter. Small fox ears sat atop his head, and a thin blanket covered his knees.
Taken together, he appeared to be her younger brother.
The problem was the men surrounding them.
Four unsavory men.
No, seeing one in the shadows deeper in the alley, perhaps one more?
Then there were five in total.
Kael’s eyes flashed as he assessed the situation in an instant.
Two in front.
One by the left wall.
One blocking the wheelchair from behind.
One watching from deeper inside the alley.
All of them appeared to have, at most, ordinary cyberware augmentations.
Taken together, their threat level was low.
But there was no doubt that it was a sufficiently dangerous situation for Nia and the child in the wheelchair.
One of the men below spoke.
“So, you don’t understand what I’m saying?”
He was blocking the front of the wheelchair.
“I’m telling you it’s dangerous to be out walking at night. We said we’d take you home.”
Nia kept her head bowed and gripped the wheelchair handles tightly.
Her ears lay flat against her head, perhaps because the unexpected situation had badly startled her.
“I-I’m fine….”
Her voice was so soft it was nearly inaudible.
“What do you mean, fine?”
Another man laughed.
“We big brothers are offering to help, so what’s your problem?”
The child in the wheelchair bit his lip, then shouted,
“Don’t come near my sister.”
The men burst into laughter at those words.
“Well, well. The little brat’s got some spirit.”
“Can’t even stand up.”
Having roughly grasped the entire situation, Kael did not watch any longer.
He dropped from the edge of the roof.
Before his opponent could look up, Kael’s elbow struck the back of one man’s neck.
Thud.
The man crumpled without even making a sound.
Kael caught the falling body and lowered him against the alley wall as if propping him up.
At the unexpected sound, the remaining four belatedly turned around.
“What the hell?”
One of them cursed at Kael, who gave no answer.
“What the fuck is that guy?”
As the man on the left charged first, Kael grabbed his wrist and twisted it.
Crack.
He bent the opponent’s arm behind his back, then drove him into the ground by pressing his knee against his waist.
Another man drew a knife and charged.
Kael lowered his body to evade the blade and kicked the opponent’s ankle.
As the man’s stance collapsed, Kael thrust his palm upward into his chin.
Thud.
The man’s eyes went blank as he fell backward.
The eyes of the last remaining man shook.
“You—you’re that guy, aren’t you?”
His voice trembled with fear.
“The one who’s been roaming around every night lately….”
Kael approached quickly without a word and subdued him.
..
..
Nia stood frozen, still gripping the wheelchair handles.
The child stared at Kael with his eyes wide.
Kael did not approach them. Instead, as usual, he checked the condition of the fallen men’s ACUs.
One Tier 1 ACU.
He took out a small cutting tool, quickly separated only the necessary parts, then wrapped the devices in cloth and put them in his pocket.
It was then.
“Big brother?”
When the boy in the wheelchair spoke, Kael’s movement stopped for an instant.
“You are him, right?”
The boy’s eyes were shining.
“The hero from that rumor that started appearing recently!”
Hero.
It was a word he could not understand at all in the context of the current situation.
Nia grabbed the boy’s shoulder, seeming flustered.
“Rio….”
Despite her attempt to stop him, the boy did not stop.
“You’re the one who wears a black mask, punishes bad guys, and saves people, right?”
Kael was silent for a moment, then denied what the boy had said.
“No.”
“You are!”
“I’m not.”
“Then why are you wearing a mask?”
Kael answered immediately.
“To hide my face.”
“Then you are a hero!”
“…?”
The boy’s face grew brighter, and Nia did not know what to do.
She looked at Kael, then back at the boy.
“Rio, be quiet….”
But her voice was too soft.
Rio gripped the wheelchair handles and leaned forward.
“I-I’m your fan!”
Kael looked at him without a word, but Rio continued talking without pause.
“Could you come to our house and talk to me just once?”
Nia’s ears stood straight up.
She shook her head, looking close to tears.
“Rio… you shouldn’t do that… We mustn’t cause trouble….”
“Just once! Really, just for a little while!”
Kael did not answer and was about to turn and leave.
Then.
Thump.
A dull sound came from something hitting the floor.
Kael stopped and turned back, and saw that Rio had fallen from the wheelchair.
Even lying face down on the floor, he was looking at Kael.
His legs below the knees did not seem to move properly.
Nia bent down in shock.
“Rio!”
She hurried to lift her brother, but Rio propped himself up with his arms and raised his head toward Kael.
“Big brother….”
His breathing was somewhat rough, but his eyes alone were shining.
“Just once.”
Nia lowered her head and spoke in a trembling voice.
“I-I’m sorry… I’ll take him away right now….”
Kael watched them silently.
After a long while, he let out a very short breath.
“Ha.”
It was a sigh close to resignation.
Kael walked back to them and stopped in front of Rio, who was lying face down.
“Is your house nearby?”
Rio’s face lit up at his words.
“Yes!”
Nia said quietly,
“I-I’m really fine. We can’t impose….”
Kael looked at her.
“I asked if it was nearby.”
Nia moved her lips, then nodded very slightly.
“…It’s close.”
“Then guide me.”
Kael carefully lifted Rio and set him back in the wheelchair.
Rio looked up at Kael with a moved expression.
“Just like a hero….”
“I’m not.”
“You’re saying that because of your secret identity, right?”
“I said I’m not.”
“That’s so cool….”
Kael looked up at the sky for a moment and sighed.
He wondered how he had somehow become such a softhearted person.