Chapter 240

I search for a Dragon.

I had a feeling that this would probably become the main quest of this episode. It would likely be the method to resolve all these tangled incidents in one stroke.

The first thing to decide was the means.

The key issue was how I was going to find that damn ‘Dragon’.

But obviously, there was no way that I—who had absolutely no connection to the Underworld—could find a being that even the Mafia, frantically searching, had failed to locate.

If I borrowed the power of the Stingray Intelligence Division, it might be possible, but if I had intended to rely on them, I would have found Evangeline and Guardian in the first place.

And even if I were lucky enough to find it, that would create another problem in itself.

I didn’t particularly want the power of a Dragon. The Dragon wandering around the Underworld was a being that didn’t exist in the original work, and I was only trying to find it because there was a high possibility it would become an obstacle to my future plans.

So ideally, I would demand that it ‘leave this city’, and if it complied, I could even allow it to ‘live in the city like a human without drawing any attention’.

But if it began rampaging however it pleased, then that was when the real problem would start. And the most troublesome possibility was……

‘If the Dragon’s true identity is a Transmigrator. And if it bears hostility toward me.’

If a race that was already difficult to deal with also possessed the knowledge of a Transmigrator, it would become even more troublesome.

No, would it even be fortunate if it were merely troublesome?

I had cured my illness, obtained two Lv.6 Modules, and accepted Omega’s power into my body. My combat strength was now incomparable to what it used to be.

Even so, I couldn’t guarantee victory in a fight against a Dragon.

I no longer felt fear merely by imagining the existence of a ‘Dragon’ like before, but that didn’t mean my odds of winning were high.

Even if I could defeat it, the problem remained the same. If I ended up fighting it in this city, humanity’s destruction would be as certain as fire being hot. The Academy and everything else would be reduced to a handful of ashes and disappear.

‘So if possible, I want to resolve this peacefully. But I should prepare for the possibility that it won’t end that way.’

As I slowly organized my thoughts, there was one part I couldn’t figure out no matter how much I thought about it. It was the ‘purpose’ of that Dragon.

‘What is it thinking?’

Why here of all places? And why grant such power only to low-ranking Mafia thugs? If it wanted to throw the city into chaos, there were far better methods.

As I was deep in thought—

Riiing!

A call came in, cutting off my train of thought.

The number belonged to Ciel. When I accepted the call, her slightly flustered voice came through.

[H, hello~? Aaron~?]

“What is it?”

[W, well…… We found Evangeline~?]

“……!!”

It was welcome news at a moment when things were about to become a headache. When I asked where they had found her, Ciel answered with a slightly awkward tone.

[S, should I say we found her~ Evangeline actually found us first~. And Guardian came with her~.]

“Ah.”

The greatest of my worries had been lifted, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips without me realizing it. If that was the case, there was no need to be excessively concerned about Dragons or anything like that.

As for the matter of Kallia targeting me, I could take a step back and move with more composure. I wouldn’t need to exhaust myself unnecessarily against the Mafia either.

If anything, the only ones who ended up pitiful were the members of the Salvatore Family.

But I didn’t feel sorry for them.

Who told them to become Mafia in the first place? I had merely beaten up criminals, so I felt no particular guilt.

Just as I let out a quiet sigh of relief and was about to reorganize my plans—

[Hm~? What is it, Evangeline~? Uh…… what do you mean by that~?]

Over the phone, I could hear Ciel having some sort of conversation with Evangeline.

[A, Aaron~? I think you should meet the two of them in person as soon as possible~.]

“Why?”

[It’s something about a Dragon, but I don’t really understand…… It seems to be something very urgent…….]

“……!”

I had expected it, but still.

Even though Evangeline had returned, not everything had been resolved at once. It only reaffirmed that all of this revolved around the ‘Dragon’.

‘Just what is happening?’

I still needed more information.

Something…… some kind of clue……

Just as I was thinking that—

KWA-AAAAAANG—!

A deafening roar rang out as the ground trembled.

Weapons Dealer Jeren had been watching the entire process.

He had observed the scene where Aaron and Kim Cheolsu—no, more precisely Aaron alone—completely crushed the Salvatore Family, and he inwardly cheered.

‘As expected of Aaron……!!’

If something like a Martial God existed in this world, it would undoubtedly be Aaron Stingray.

Perhaps Aaron was the only one who could treat a renowned powerhouse like Salvatore Morone as nothing more than a one-punch joke. When Aaron sent him flying like a Living Home-Run Ball with a single blow, it felt as exhilarating as watching my favorite baseball team hit a walk-off grand slam.

But that was all.

He had followed Aaron in the first place because he smelled ‘money’. He believed that by staying near the Aaron Stingray he revered, his business would flourish even more.

However, contrary to his expectations, there was no opportunity for him to intervene. He had thought that if the situation turned critical, he might jump into the battlefield and lend Aaron his secret collection, thereby placing Aaron in his debt—but unfortunately, that never happened.

It had been thrilling, sure, but there were no real gains. In other words, it was like watching a scene from an action movie and calling it a day.

‘Closing the shop early today was a loss at this rate…….’

Wasn’t there some way to get closer to Aaron?

Jeren busily racked his brain and replayed the footage he had recorded earlier. It was a distant shot of Aaron demolishing the Salvatore Family.

Even upon rewatching it, Aaron’s movements were undeniably cool.

But aside from being pleasing to the eyes, it wasn’t particularly useful. At best, maybe he could upload it to a video streaming site and earn some pocket money.

“Haah…….”

Even as he felt disappointed, Jeren did not leave his spot. He continued secretly filming the interior from a suitable distance away from the Royal Ball Pachinko parlor.

And then—

While the Salvatore subordinates were collecting their comrades who had been beaten unconscious by Aaron, one of the unconscious men suddenly sprang to his feet.

The movement was so unnaturally abrupt that it couldn’t help but draw attention. It wasn’t just Jeren who found the gang member strange; the gazes of the other Salvatore Family members naturally turned toward him as well.

The man who had suddenly stood up.

With stiff, awkward movements, he walked step by step toward the center of the shop. It was like watching a marionette.

And in the next moment—

“W, what the……!?”

The man’s body suddenly began to swell.

As if the gas inside his body had suddenly expanded at a terrifying rate, the man’s abdomen swelled grotesquely. His skin did not merely split—it began to tear apart.

What was even more shocking was the bright light shining through the cracks in his ruptured skin. As if he had swallowed molten steel straight from a furnace, his entire body began to glow brighter and brighter.

Eyes, nose, mouth, ears.

From every opening in his body, a blinding light poured out—so bright it was difficult to look at directly.

“W, what is this!”

“Get back!”

At the incomprehensible sight, the other members of the Salvatore Family hurriedly began to distance themselves from the man.

And in the next moment.

The man’s body exploded,

and a Fire Demon swept through the area.

“I apologize, Managing Director Kallia. That cannot be done.”

“What do you mean? Why?”

“It is the Chairman’s order.”

“F, Father gave that order?”

She had personally visited the Stingray Group headquarters, specifically the Intelligence Division office, to request a direct investigation. Naturally, the content of her request was to locate the ‘Dragon’ said to be in Sector E.

And Kallia had been refused.

No matter how many times she asked why, the Head of the Intelligence Division merely bowed ninety degrees and repeated the same answer—‘the Chairman’s order.’

“I am sorry, Managing Director.”

“I’m asking why Father gave you such an order! You can at least tell me that much!”

“I do not know either. My apologies.”

“What in the world is this……!”

She could not understand what was going on. Not once had something like this ever happened before.

The Stingray Intelligence Division was not some private military force directly under the Chairman. Any executive could use the Intelligence Division whenever necessary.

In other words, they were the company’s in-house fixers.

As long as manpower and scheduling allowed it, they would relentlessly dig into even the dirtiest and most dangerous incidents and quietly bring back the information.

Sometimes, executives would even request private investigations.

For example, asking them to find out when a certain luxury brand bag would be released, or to track down a culprit who had swindled money from a distant relative.

Of course, in ‘principle,’ such things were not allowed. But since only company executives had the authority to issue such instructions to the Intelligence Division in the first place, everyone usually let it slide.

Even if the Stingray Group was called an evil empire or whatnot, it was still a company—a collective of people—so minor deviations were inevitable.

As long as the matter did not excessively consume the Intelligence Division’s resources, the Stingray Chairman knowingly overlooked it.

Which meant this situation could only be described as truly exceptional.

The Stingray Chairman personally forbidding his own daughter from using the Intelligence Division? And specifically singling out a ‘certain’ matter?

‘What in the world is going on?’

It was not as if Kallia lacked the qualifications. Her rank was Managing Director, and she oversaw Stingray Entertainment.

Just what did the Stingray Chairman know? She was dying of curiosity, but Kallia, who feared him, did not dare to meet him directly.

Daughters of other Megacorp Chairmen were doted on by indulgent fathers and could obtain whatever they wanted with a bit of whining. But such a scene was unimaginable within the Stingray Family.

“Ha…….”

With no other choice, Kallia turned to leave. But then she changed her mind and decided to use her specialty—mind reading—on the Head of the Intelligence Division.

“What exactly are you thinking? What specific instructions did Father give you?”

“I cannot disclose that.”

Though the Head of the Intelligence Division said those words, Kallia saw his inner thoughts in the form of an image. It showed the Stingray Chairman’s Attendant speaking directly with him.

—It is the Chairman’s order that if Young Master Aaron or Lady Kallia ask for information about the ‘Dragon’, you are to absolutely refuse. Do not ask for the reason.

—Understood.

“Ugh…….”

“Is something wrong, Managing Director?”

“N, no. It’s nothing.”

She had merely felt a slight wave of dizziness.

As befitting the highest authority of the Stingray Intelligence Division, reading his mind required an enormous amount of mental strength.

“Hmph…….”

Kallia let out a scoff and turned her back.

She acted as though she was offended by the Head of the Intelligence Division’s refusal to obey her, but inside she was filled with fear.

‘What is really happening?’

The fact that the Stingray Chairman had issued a restriction on access to information about the ‘Dragon’ meant, conversely, that the ‘Dragon’ rumored to appear in Sector E truly existed.

And the Chairman knew it.

He knew something.

Just what did he know?

And why was he hiding it?

‘If I cannot use the Intelligence Division, how am I supposed to handle this…….’

As Kallia weakly turned away, the Head of the Stingray Intelligence Division, wearing an impassive expression, contacted someone.

When the call connected, he conveyed only a few concise words.

[This is the Head of the Intelligence Division.]

[Lady Kallia has come.]

[I believe the time has come.]

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