Chapter 52
Bastian Crowd.
Few people knew that name.
It was a name an ordinary citizen of Magitera could never know.
That was because they remembered the names of wanted criminals appearing on the news or the faces of celebrities featured in corporate advertisements.
But even if that weren't the case, they still would not know the name Bastian Crowd.
To begin with, he was never someone who operated on the front lines.
Bastian was that kind of man.
Officially, the only information available was that he belonged to the Valenkroft family's direct security division.
However.
Formerly of Tradd.
That single line was more than enough explanation in the security industry.
The fact that he had passed through that place.
It meant personnel verified as the best in every field, from guns and cyberware to magic.
When given an order, he moved accordingly.
If told to bring someone back alive, he brought them back alive; if told not to kill, he did not kill.
Nothing more, nothing less.
That was why Bastian Crowd stood at Orelian Valenkroft's side.
There were many strong people, and many loyal ones as well.
But at the same time, people who did not insert their own thoughts into an order were rare.
Orelian trusted such people.
..
..
Bastian was in a private maintenance room.
In the upper levels of Archeon Holdings' main building, deep inside a secured area ordinary guests could not enter.
Bastian sat in a chair with his upper body bare.
He was now in his mid-forties, but he still looked younger than his age.
His gray hair was cut short, and a thin scar ran beneath his left eye.
His body also bore traces of long years of battle in various places.
Gunshot wounds, burns, and the marks left by reattaching severed limbs.
Yet what stood out more than all those scars was the circuitry embedded just below the nape of his neck.
Tier 7 ACU.
For most people, those words alone were intimidating enough. No, for ordinary citizens, it was practically the stuff of urban legends.
A maintenance arm moved slowly behind him.
….
At the same time, his condition began to appear on the panel.
[ACU Stability: 97.4%]
[Neural Synchronization Rate: Normal]
Bastian raised his right hand and slowly spread his fingers.
It was simply time for his usual maintenance routine.
But then, a brief signal came through on the wall panel.
[Call]
Bastian's hand stopped.
The screen opened, and Orelian Valenkroft's face appeared.
-
Bastian
.
“Yes, Head of the Family.”
Bastian rose from his seat.
-Come to my office now.
There was no reason or explanation in his words, but Bastian did not ask.
“I’ll come immediately.”
***
“Come to my office now.”
After ending the call, Orelian tapped his fingers on the desk for a moment.
Tap.
Tap.
Then he stopped.
He looked at the man standing silently before him.
Kael.
The man Rea had introduced tonight as her lover.
Orelian wondered as he looked at him.
What on earth was this man?
Up until a moment ago, everything had been proceeding according to his plan, as it always did.
He had known Rea would resist.
She had always been that way.
So this time as well, he had given her a choice.
It appeared to be two choices, but in reality, they were one.
One condition that was absolutely impossible.
Failing that, she could acknowledge her limits and go into confinement.
In the end, Rea had tripped over her own feet.
That, too, had been the expected result.
But.
Now Kael was standing before him.
His bored attitude piqued Orelian's interest slightly.
“I see.”
Orelian leaned back in his chair.
“Do you have something to say?”
Kael answered immediately.
“The proposal you made earlier.”
“Proposal?”
“You said I should prove my worth.”
Orelian's eyes narrowed.
But Kael spoke without changing his expression even slightly.
“I’ll do it.”
A short, derisive laugh escaped Orelian's lips.
“Huh.”
He laughed sincerely.
“Do you know what you’re saying?”
“I know.”
“No. It seems you don’t.”
Orelian slowly leaned forward.
“Kael. I know you’ve achieved some noteworthy results recently. The Seraph transport escort operation, Raul Kesk’s capture, and the other unofficial reports. I’ve also confirmed the assessment that your freelancer rank doesn’t match your actual ability.”
Kael listened quietly.
“I’ll admit you’re a dark horse. But that doesn’t mean you can leap over every gap.”
Orelian swiped a small information window floating above the desk with his fingertip.
Kael’s registration information appeared in the air, and Orelian’s gaze stopped on one line.
“Tier 5.”
he said.
“Well, it’s not something I’d call paltry. Tier 5 is quite useful, after all. For cleaning up the usual trash.”
He looked at Kael again.
“But Tier 7 is different.”
Kael did not answer.
“The difference between Tier 5 and Tier 7 isn’t simply a matter of output. Everything is different. No matter how sharp your senses are, how much combat experience you have, or how unorthodox your movements are, that gap cannot be easily closed.”
Orelian's voice was calm.
He was not threatening Kael; he was simply stating the facts as he knew them.
“There is a chain binding the strong and weak, determined from birth. It may be an unpleasant thing to say. But this city was built upon that unpleasantness. Hierarchy isn’t decoration. There’s a reason the White Society, HCAB, and the corporations deploy personnel and calculate their forces according to that hierarchy.”
He erased the information window with his fingertip.
“And yet you’re saying that, as a Tier 5 mage, you’ll put up a good fight against a Tier 7 mage.”
Orelian looked at Kael for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
“Do you think that makes sense?”
He placed a hand on the armrest.
“I can understand Rea hiring you. She needed to shake things up tonight, and you suited that purpose. You’re not a bad card to play to ruin the marriage arrangement prepared by the family.”
Orelian's gaze settled calmly.
“But that’s Rea’s situation.”
Kael still did not move.
“That alone doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
Orelian was silent for a moment, then asked,
“Why?”
Kael asked back,
“What?”
“Why are you stepping forward?”
Orelian said,
“I already know the two of you aren’t lovers. I have no interest in playing along with such childish antics. Rea simply put you forward for her own purposes, and you accepted that role as a job, didn’t you?”
He looked straight at Kael.
“Then why do you care?”
As he waited for Kael’s reaction, Orelian considered several possibilities, but none of them satisfied him.
Kael looked at Orelian for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“I don’t like eyes like that.”
Kael said.
Orelian asked back, looking puzzled,
“Eyes like what?”
“The eyes your daughter had just now.”
Kael continued.
“I’m not the sort of person who wants to think about the past unless I have to. But you made me think about it again, so I’m just taking it out on you.”
Orelian was rendered speechless, then slowly laughed.
“Taking it out on me.”
Leaning back in his chair, he said,
“Against a Tier 7?”
“Yes.”
Orelian propped his chin on one hand.
“Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll give you the opportunity.”
He continued slowly.
“But this isn’t a game. Bastian will no longer treat you as a guest, and the test will continue until you retreat, fall, or he determines that you can no longer continue fighting.”
“And if I win?”
“Then I’ll acknowledge your worth. At the very least, I’ll acknowledge that Rea putting you forward as her choice tonight wasn’t driven by mere rebelliousness.”
“That’s vague.”
“…?”
Kael looked at Orelian and said,
“That means I’ll have to get more out of you.”
Orelian's eyes narrowed.
“What do you want?”
“Rea’s confinement revoked.”
“And?”
“Her continued position as head of Archeon Genetics.”
“What else?”
“A position that gives me access to meetings related to the White Society or HCAB.”
The trace of amusement vanished from Orelian's face.
Even so, Kael did not stop speaking.
“I don’t care whether it’s an honorary observer’s seat or a position under the pretext of providing security. As long as it lets me reach matters related to Tier 6 or higher ACUs.”
Orelian looked at him silently.
“You’re greedy.”
“This is about right. You think I’m at a serious disadvantage right now too, don’t you?”
“Huh.”
When Kael brazenly pressed his demands, Orelian clicked his tongue.
He did not like that side of Kael.
“You.”
Orelian continued, leaning back in his chair,
“Do you know whose presence you’re in, and what conditions you’re making?”
“I know.”
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
Orelian's voice turned cold.
“If you can’t withstand a Tier 7, your name ends here tonight. Rea will be confined, and Archeon Genetics will come under Holdings’ control. Even if Seraph takes offense, it won’t have grounds to make an official issue of it. You walked in here of your own accord.”
“So if I win, will you accept the conditions?”
“Then I’ll consider some of your demands.”
“Some?”
“Yes.”
Orelian laughed briefly.
“If you thought I would accept all your conditions exactly as stated, that isn’t confidence. It’s just insolence, brat.”
Kael looked at Orelian for a moment.
That was when it happened.
When he heard someone outside the door, Orelian said,
“Come in.”
As the door opened, the air in the room turned icy.
Kael narrowed his eyes as he looked at him.
Bastian stopped before Orelian.
“Did you call for me, Head of the Family?”
“Yes.”
Orelian pointed at Kael.
“He’s your opponent.”
Bastian's gaze turned toward Kael.
Eyes that swept over everything at once.
Bastian was silent for a moment, then asked Orelian,
“What rules have you set?”
Orelian slowly rose from his chair.
“Just take it lightly. It’s only a bet, after all.”
“Is that so?”
Bastian looked at Kael again.
“Then I have one question.”
“Ask.”
Bastian's gaze remained fixed on Kael.
“Do I have to keep him alive?”
The moment that question fell.
It seemed that one corner of Kael’s mouth lifted slightly.