Chapter 242

Flames.

Everything around me was red.

Flickering firelight, the stench of burning flesh, the smell of heated metal, severed electrical wires spitting sparks, screams and shrieks, fragments scattering in all directions, iron balls rolling across the floor.

It was a blaze worthy of being called hell itself.

The only fortunate thing was that the explosion had occurred just beyond a single office wall separating it from us.

Of course, even if the blast had gone off right in front of me, it would not have been much of a problem—but the two beside me were a different matter.

Thanks to the wall absorbing at least some of the shock, I was able to shield Kim Cheolsu and Salvatore Morone just before the explosion engulfed them.

“……Are you alright, Boss?”

“A, ah, y-yes. I’m fine…….”

Kim Cheolsu cursed me with his eyes, as if saying, ‘Do I really have to keep acting even in a situation like this?’ But with Salvatore watching from the side, there was no helping it.

Sssshhhhhhh—!

Rain began pouring down at just that moment.

Anti-Rain Level 3, and the droplets were thick.

Thanks to this damned city spraying Anti-Rain at the slightest provocation, fire accidents like this were usually suppressed relatively quickly.

The flames that had seemed ready to swallow the world gradually began baring fewer fangs under the relentless downpour. The crimson glow dimmed, and dark bluish puddles mixed with ash formed across the ground.

As if unable to believe the situation, Salvatore stared blankly at the pachinko parlor that had been reduced to ruins.

It looked as though the shop had suffered a full-scale bombardment.

“A, ahhh……!”

Staggering, Salvatore suddenly broke into a frantic run toward somewhere. “W-wait—!” Kim Cheolsu tried to stop him, but I held him back.

Salvatore began rummaging through places like beneath the wreckage of the building, searching for something. I immediately understood what he was looking for and activated my biometric reaction scanner to sweep the surroundings.

Fortunately for Salvatore—and unfortunately for this city—quite a number of his members had survived the explosion.

Of course, their numbers were less than half of what they had been, but I was able to detect several members curled up beneath the debris, barely clinging to life.

I relayed that information to Salvatore, and he rushed over to rescue the survivors. The way his hands moved felt far too pitiful for one of the major powers of the Underworld of New Valhalla City.

I felt no particular sympathy.

Compared to the scale of the Salvatore Family, the members who had died here were no more than a drop in the ocean. And I was not such a philanthropist that I would concern myself with the life or death of criminals who had treated others’ lives lightly.

What bothered me was what exactly had happened. The fact that someone had done this where I was meant they were openly picking a fight.

And what troubled me even more was…….

[Warning]

[High-Concentration Mana Detected.]

This was not an ordinary act of terror.

If it had been a bomb made merely of gunpowder and plastic, such a large amount of mana would not have lingered like this. This was undoubtedly something crafted with Mystic materials, or else the result of some kind of magic.

“Salvatore.”

“A d-doctor. Call a doctor……!”

I had been about to question him, considering the possibility that the target of this attack might have been Salvatore rather than me. But he seemed in no state to answer anything.

Left with no choice, I called for emergency services instead.

Since we were in the very heart of Sector E, there was no telling how long it would take for them to arrive, but that was no longer my concern.

‘Tch. Things are starting to get complicated.’

For all I knew, this might simply be the protagonist’s fate at work. Thinking that way made me feel slightly better.

In any case, since Salvatore Morone was clearly in no condition to hold a proper conversation, I would have to deal with other matters first.

I immediately contacted Kara and Ciel.

[It’s me. Change of plans. Bring the two of them here.]

It was about ten minutes later that Ciel arrived, bringing Evangeline and Guardian with her.

The moment Kara found the two of them, she informed me unilaterally and left. Just before departing, she added, ‘I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t drag me into things unless it’s absolutely necessary from now on.’

She did not seem particularly interested in factional strife within the Stingray Family or in the progression of any episodes.

I had sensed that tendency from her before, but this was the first time she had stated it so directly.

Perhaps she had instinctively realized that this incident was about to spiral into something troublesome on multiple fronts.

And, to be fair, it was a bit much to keep employing someone busy with government work for personal requests. Still, I had paid her handsomely, so it wasn’t as if I owed her anything.

Anyway, after two days, I had found Evangeline and Guardian. Wearing a chick-yellow raincoat, Evangeline spotted me and toddled over with a delighted expression.

“Aaron-!”

As she ran toward me, she spread her arms wide, a clear gesture asking to be picked up. Normally, I would have gladly scooped her into my arms and lifted her up.

But not today.

Flick.

I carefully controlled my strength and flicked Evangeline on the forehead.

She had been about to throw herself into my arms, but instead let out an “Uek!” and stumbled backward.

Barely regaining her balance, Evangeline looked at me with a betrayed expression, as if asking why I would do such a thing. But when I glared at her for a moment, she seemed to realize why.

“Isn’t there something you should say?”

“……I, I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Perhaps because it was not the way she usually spoke, her tone sounded slightly awkward. But judging by how she lowered her reddened, slightly swollen forehead in remorse, it did not seem like an empty apology.

“Is your runaway girl act over?”

“Th-that is…… There was something I absolutely had to tell you…….”

Evangeline spoke haltingly, as if making excuses.

Maybe it was because the forehead flick had hurt—her eyes were brimming with tears. Still, fortunately, there did not seem to be any other problems. She was not injured, and the flow of her mana was the same as usual.

I let out a sigh of relief inwardly and sent Maria a text message.

[I’ve found Evangeline. I’ll bring her back soon, so wait without worrying.]

Then I turned to look at the large young man in monk’s robes standing a few steps behind her.

That must be Guardian.

He was slightly taller than me—easily around two meters—and traces of cyberware and Combat Modules were visible on his face. His Replacement Rate appeared to be quite high.

Although he was a Sect-Breaking Monk, perhaps some vestige of a believer’s mindset still remained, as his head was neatly shaved. In many ways, he had a striking presence.

“So you’re the one who found Evangeline.”

“T-that is correct.”

“Thank you. I’ll repay you later. Ciel, you’ve worked hard as well. You may head back now.”

“Oh, it’s fine~. I owe Aaron far more, after all~. Just give me a little more allowance next time~”

“Alright.”

After that brief exchange, Ciel took a taxi back to her apartment. Personally, I felt a bit disappointed, but she was no longer just a housekeeping android—she was now a college freshman with plenty to do, so I had to understand.

Now only four of us remained: myself, Evangeline, Guardian, and Kim Cheolsu. The Salvatore Family had been taken to the hospital by paramedics who had arrived a few minutes earlier.

From here on, there was much to do.

Since there were no prying eyes, shall I begin in earnest?

“Evangeline, can you sense any mana?”

“Hm? Ah, yes. I can feel it faintly.”

“That’s a relief.”

Because of the relentless Anti-Rain Level 3 that had poured down until their arrival, the mana had dispersed considerably. It had grown so faint that even my mana-detection sensors could barely pick it up, but fortunately, Evangeline—whose sensitivity was high—quickly found the traces.

However……

“I do not know what magic it was. The rain struck it and scattered the entire spell structure. It has shattered into fragments, so I cannot tell what kind of magic it originally was. Whether it was a simple Fire Ball or some other spell…….”

“There’s no way to determine it?”

“If only we could see the moment the magic was activated, that…… you know. That rec…… rec…… what was it? The moving picture……!”

“A recording?”

“Yes, if there is such a thing, I might be able to find out!”

Evangeline said that, but unfortunately, there was no way such a thing existed. At the time of the explosion, all the customers had evacuated the shop, so no one had been inside.

There would be no benefit in watching a fight involving the Mafia, so surely there would not have been any witnesses lingering outside to observe the interior either…….

“Hm?”

In that instant, I sensed a presence.

Turning my gaze toward it, I saw a man loaded down with luggage half-concealed in a distant alley, staring this way.

What is he doing?

The moment our eyes met, the man flinched in fear. But contrary to my expectation that he would flee, he instead hurried toward me and threw himself flat at my feet.

“A-Aaron……!”

“……!?”

He knows me?

Who the hell is this guy?

Raising my guard to the utmost and preparing to crush him at a moment’s notice, I found that he struck first.

“I-if you need a recording, I have one I filmed!”

“……What?”

“Ah, please don’t think it’s suspicious! I’m simply your fan…… or perhaps a believer…… My name is ‘Jeren’…… You may not remember, but we met once before…… Anyway! I’ll hand this over to you, so please make good use of it!”

The man rambled incoherently before suddenly offering a tablet with both hands in utmost politeness. I stared at him suspiciously for a moment.

We met before?

I don’t remember…….

“If you are trying to deceive me, I will not let it slide.”

“N-not at all! Why would I ever do such a thing! I simply wish to be of help!”

“…….”

His excessive deference made him seem even more suspicious, but his identity was not the urgent matter, so I let it pass.

I turned on the tablet and played the video he claimed to have recorded—and there, I witnessed something shocking.

“What in the world is this…….”

A living person suddenly turned into a bomb and blew the entire shop apart. Bizarre—no, grotesque…… I wondered whether it was right to show such a horrific sight to Evangeline, but there was no alternative.

I shared the footage with her. She watched it with a far more serious expression than when she watched her usual girls’ animations, and before long, her face turned pale.

“A-ah……!”

“Evangeline?”

“I remember…… everything……!”

“What’s wrong? What is it?”

At my concerned question, Evangeline staggered before dropping onto the ground.

Startled, I quickly helped her up, and she continued in a trembling voice.

“This…… is Dragon Magic…….”

“Dragon……!”

“Yes, a Dragon (Mythical Being). The reason this body returned was to consult you regarding the ‘Curse of the Dragonkin’ placed upon Guardian. And there is something else I have recalled…… Did this body not once meet your father?”

“……Don’t tell me, you remember?”

At the time, Evangeline had collapsed with a high fever for some reason shortly after meeting the Stingray Chairman. She had not properly remembered that encounter.

Yet now, in this moment, she had recalled it.

Why now of all times? Was it mere coincidence?

No, that could not be.

Sure enough, what came from Evangeline’s lips was—

“There was a ‘Curse of the Dragonkin’ embedded in that man’s heart as well.”

—the worst possible scenario.

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