Chapter 29
….
Cold water poured over his head.
Kael remained motionless for a while, one hand braced against the wall.
The stream of water ran down his shoulders.
Every time the water touched the places Toph had struck yesterday, they throbbed painfully.
“Hoo….”
His shoulder, side, the back of his hand, even his elbow… It would have been faster to find an uninjured part of him.
Still, being able to move was enough. He had experienced more severe injuries than this more times than he could count.
Kael turned off the water and swept his wet hair back.
His face, heavy with fatigue, was reflected in the shower room mirror.
Kael stared at his reflection for a moment, then picked up a towel.
When he finished showering and stepped outside, a familiar voice was coming from the old radio in the room.
-Good morning, citizens of Magitera!
Kael looked toward the radio while drying his hair with the towel.
-Last night, an unidentified large-scale flash phenomenon was witnessed in the eastern outer-ring district, also known as Grave Rock Block! According to citizen reports, blue flames bloomed in the sky, and some witnesses testified that it ‘looked like fireworks straight out of a storybook.’
The anchor’s voice grew even brighter.
-A storybook, you say! Isn’t it moving news that such an expression came out of Grave Rock, proving that the city’s literary scene is not yet dead?!
At that moment, a beeping sound effect came from the radio.
The anchor lowered his voice.
-Yes…? A hero wearing a black mask appeared in Grave Rock Block and set off fireworks in the night sky after defeating the villains….
Silence fell for a moment.
Then the anchor burst out laughing.
-Citizens, I respect your imagination as much as anyone. But a hero? If this city had such a thing, they would have signed an advertising contract first thing….
Kael hung the towel over a chair and turned off the radio.
The room fell quiet.
He sat on the floor, closed his eyes, and sank his awareness inward.
The mana circuit that had remained completely closed since he had fallen into Magitera had changed.
This morning, a very faint flow of mana had appeared in that circuit.
It was barely more than the moisture left on dry ground after rain, but it was definitely flowing.
Kael focused his awareness on the tip of his index finger.
Lumen
[Light]
After a moment, a small light bloomed above his fingertip.
Kael stared quietly at the light.
He had already tested this several times, and the conclusion he had drawn from those tests was clear.
His mana circuit had not yet recovered to a usable level.
All he could use were basic spells.
More precisely, it was about as much as the spark obtained from crushing a single Tier 1 ACU.
The difference was that this time, he did not need an external catalyst.
However, its duration was short, and more than anything, the mana was quickly depleted.
It was not a satisfactory level, but progress was still progress.
Kael decided to be satisfied with that.
“Hmm.”
The other question was ‘why.’
Why had his recovery begun?
Simply because he had used high-output magic?
Or because of some specific substance released when he destroyed Pale’s Tier 6 ACU?
The latter was the most likely possibility.
No matter how many low-tier ACUs he crushed, he had never seen a reaction like this.
‘A Tier 6 or higher ACU.’
Kael slowly folded his fingers.
‘The answer must lie there.’
The problem was how to acquire one.
It was not as though Tier 6 users like Pale were lying around on the roadside.
It was then.
His communication terminal rang.
Beep.
He picked up the terminal card. More precisely, the business card.
The name displayed on the screen was familiar.
[Elena Weiss]
Seraph Industries’ chief of staff.
Kael stared at the card for a moment, then connected the call.
-Mr. Kael.
Elena’s composed voice came through.
As always, it was a voice that revealed little emotion.
-Are you feeling all right?
“Why all of a sudden?”
-I heard something serious happened near there yesterday.
Elena paused for a moment.
-Judging by your voice, it seems you were fortunately not caught up in it.
Kael looked down at the bandages around the back of his hand.
“Seems that way.”
-
I’m glad to hear that
.
Elena’s reply was brief.
-For the time being, it would be best if you stayed home as much as possible.
“Why?”
-The situation outside is somewhat complicated.
“How complicated?”
When Elena did not answer, Kael waited with the terminal held to his ear.
Several seconds passed.
She was hesitating to say something.
Then Elena finally let out a small sigh and spoke.
-Seraph Industries and Archeon Genetics are currently facing off near Grave Rock Block.
Kael repeated the name he had never heard before.
“Archeon?”
-Archeon Genetics.
“Why are they in this neighborhood?”
-It appears they also detected the abnormal magical discharge that occurred last night.
Kael silently looked out the window, but the street appeared quiet.
“What about Seraph?”
-We’ve deployed an outer security team to confirm your safety and that of the building.
“What does Archeon want?”
-They claim it is for a field investigation. But we do not know their true purpose.
“You sound like you know but are pretending not to.”
-….
This time, Elena fell silent for a very brief moment.
-There is a report that Archeon’s CEO moved personally.
“The CEO?”
-Lea ValenCroft. Among corporate leaders, she is known to be quite capable.
“Is it serious enough for the CEO to come personally?”
-It seems they judged it to be. So I would appreciate it if you could remain indoors as much as possible for a while.
“All right.”
-…?
“Why?”
-Are you serious?
Elena was looking at Kael suspiciously from beyond the screen, but he had intended to devote the day to recovering anyway, so he had no plans to go anywhere.
“Yeah.”
***
The morning air was cold.
Grave Rock Block was always filthy at night, but it looked even more wretched after sunrise.
Soot and debris remained scattered throughout the alleys, evidence of the commotion from the previous night.
In the middle of it all, the forces of two corporations faced each other.
The Seraph Industries security team wore black armored suits, while the Archeon Genetics response team on the opposite side wore armor combining white and green.
However, the site was not occupied solely by security forces.
Researchers carrying equipment to measure residual mana and investigators carrying cases of biological contamination samples were also present.
Mercenaries tasked with protecting them were interspersed among the others.
The two groups were not pointing their guns at each other, but they were locked in an even more exhausting kind of standoff.
They refused to yield even a single step, while sending reports to their superiors through encrypted communications without pause.
The tension was so taut that a clash could erupt at any moment, yet neither side appeared willing to fire first.
Lea ValenCroft slowly walked between them.
She did not appear particularly interested in the tension.
Wearing a black coat over her white coat, Lea walked across the broken road. Several Archeon agents surrounded her while keeping watch over the area.
“What’s the progress?”
At Lea’s question, the investigation team leader approached her immediately.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, proof that he had searched the site throughout the night.
“There have been no significant findings.”
“Even after working through the night?”
“Yes.”
The investigation team leader continued immediately.
“The residual mana concentration at the site is abnormal. There are definite traces of a high-output spell having been used. However, the waveform dispersed too quickly. Ordinary ACU output should leave behind a specific mana afterimage, but there is almost no trace of one.”
“Almost none.”
“Yes. It is also difficult to pinpoint the central discharge point.”
“The report said the location had been narrowed down.”
“Only to an approximate area. We have not identified the precise source of the discharge. There was a logistics center on-site that appears to have been the headquarters of a gang called the Black Ring, led by Toph, and we found evidence of a large-scale battle there. However, Seraph is currently restricting access.”
Lea turned her gaze and saw the Seraph security team standing at the entrance to the road.
A temporary barricade had been erected behind them.
Lea watched them for a moment, then asked,
“Does it look as though Seraph is trying to cover up the site?”
The investigation team leader was silent for a moment, as though choosing his answer, then continued.
“It is difficult to interpret it that way.”
“Why?”
“Seraph has not sealed off the entire logistics center. They are only restricting access to their own assets and the surrounding passageways. They are avoiding intervention around Toph’s headquarters because doing so would conflict with records placing it under Gardin’s jurisdiction.”
“That’s unusually cautious for Seraph.”
“Yes.”
Lea flipped through the holographic report with her fingertip.
Her eyes moved rapidly.
“Then Seraph does not appear to be connected to this incident, even indirectly.”
At Lea’s words, the investigation team leader nodded cautiously.
“We have reached the same conclusion. At least, there are no indications that Seraph planned the high-output magical discharge itself.”
“Then that’s strange.”
Lea looked back toward the Seraph security team.
“Why are they here?”
“We have confirmed that.”
The investigation team leader manipulated his wrist terminal, and information on the ownership of the surrounding buildings appeared.
“There is a building nearby owned by Seraph Industries.”
Lea’s finger stopped.
“Here?”
“Yes.”
“In Grave Rock Block?”
“That is correct.”
Lea turned her head very slowly, taking in the surrounding scenery.
Her gaze swept over the old streets, collapsed signs, and walls still bearing traces of illegal modifications.
Grave Rock Block.
Though technically a ground-level district, it was effectively an abandoned outer district.
Its security rating was low, its rental income unstable, and it offered no benefit to a corporation’s brand value.
For that reason, there were few reasons for a corporation like Seraph to deliberately own a building in a place like this.
Of course, that did not mean there were none.
An outer-ring outpost, a hidden warehouse, or a temporary facility for field experiments.
Or a place suitable for hiding someone.
The corners of Lea’s lips rose.
“Interesting.”
A subordinate standing beside her spoke cautiously.
“We confirmed that the building was recently transferred into Seraph’s name.”
“Recently?”
“Yes. The previous ownership was complicated. Multiple parties held claims against it, some floors were vacant, and the fourth floor was registered as an operating bar. After the transfer, the first and second floors appear to have been designated as Seraph-managed spaces, while the third floor was classified for temporary residential use.”
“Temporary residential use….”
Lea repeated the words.
“Who lives there?”
“The registered resident information has been classified as private.”
“Seraph hid someone on the third floor of an old building in Grave Rock?”
Lea fell into thought for a moment.
Seraph did not appear to have caused the high-output magical discharge itself. No, they did not seem to be connected to it even indirectly.
But there was a Seraph-owned building near the discharge site, and it had been transferred relatively recently.
The third floor had been designated as a temporary residence, and the resident information was private.
And the Seraph security team was focusing more on defending the area around that building than on the logistics center.
‘It would be difficult to call this a coincidence.’
After thinking it over, Lea began to walk.
“Let’s go.”
The investigation team leader immediately followed her.
“CEO, the building is currently under the control of Seraph Industries’ security team.”
“I know.”
“Approaching directly could lead to a confrontation.”
“That’s why we’re going directly.”
The investigation team leader was at a loss for words and stood there silently, but Lea spoke without even looking at him.
“If we approach covertly, Seraph Industries can treat it as a unilateral intrusion on our part. If we go openly, at least we can have a conversation.”
She walked on with a quiet smile.