Chapter 97
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Cleaning
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"...What kind of crazy bullshit did I just hear?"
My eyes went wide in shock.
It felt like I'd been smashed in the face with a hammer.
I racked my brain trying to figure out why Elise had just spouted something so bizarre, and... ah.
Yeah, I could see how that might be misunderstood.
Telling me to lend her ten minutes. Telling me to wait in the lounge.
More importantly, wasn't it dangerous to let Elise go out there alone right now?
I rushed to the window and plastered myself against the glass.
Outside Palette Theater, a Mage Tower limousine was already waiting. Knights and mages were visible nearby.
"Escort... it's stacked."
I couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
Of course. With how much the Mage Tower experience costs, it made sense they wouldn't just send her alone—they'd provide an escort too.
So, Berhalshi's kidnapping target wasn't Elise to begin with?
But Noah had definitely said it was a 'big shot close to me.' And something connected to the play.
No matter how I thought about it, it could only be Elise—
"...Wait."
A sudden thought flashed through my mind.
A big shot besides Elise who had left before the play even ended.
There was one.
There was... but...
I stepped out of the lounge.
"You're taking too long, aren't you?"
"Eek!"
Noah was standing in the hallway. I nearly punched him in the face on reflex.
"You scared me... What the hell? Where do you keep popping up from?"
"The play was fun. Almost got a little emotional. I love revenge too, you know?"
Noah said that as he handed me a bouquet. A lush bunch of roses with a card reading [Duke's Fan].
"Are you insane...? No, more importantly, what was the point of that voodoo curse? You nearly caused a huge mess."
I got straight to the point. Noah raised an eyebrow.
"...For fun."
This guy really was nuts.
Still, thanks to Noah showing up here, I now knew exactly who Berhalshi was targeting.
I'd mistakenly thought it was Elise, which led to that weird, annoying hassle.
"Let's never see each other again."
I said as I brushed past him.
"Where are you off to?"
"To see that big shot you mentioned."
Of course, strictly speaking, I didn't have to go. It'd probably resolve itself fine without me.
But opportunities to score points like this don't come often.
Noah asked in a puzzled tone.
"Seems a bit late already. What do you plan to do when you get there?"
"What else? Clean up."
"...By yourself?"
I didn't answer. I left Palette Theater immediately. A delivery rider happened to be nearby.
"Hey, mind lending me your bike?"
"...Pardon?"
I hopped on the bike and floored the accelerator.
"Hey, wait!"
The speed was a little sluggish, but whether I got there late or early probably wouldn't matter much.
"Get off! Hey, you fucking bastard!!!!"
Berhalshi's target was probably that fucking pervert—no.
Jade.
Jade's Theta Black cruised down an empty rural highway. His destination: Libra's Hanging Gardens. The area was quiet and serene, likely because the Mana Reservoir Festival was still in full swing.
In that leisurely drive, Jade reclined against the seatback, listening to classical music. The melody from the top-tier speakers felt wonderfully vintage.
"Lord Jade. We're going in circles."
The driver spoke up at some point. Jade cracked his eyes open slightly and glanced out the window.
It was too quiet.
Too deserted.
Even with the festival, you should see at least a person or two, a car or so.
"I see."
In truth, Jade had noticed long ago. Quite a while back, anomalous mana particles had pinged his senses.
"...Could be an Illusion Barrier—"
As the driver ventured a guess,
───.
Something plummeted from the sky. A massive weight.
Boom—!
It crushed the sedan's hood, sending the vehicle lurching up before slamming back down. Instantly, shadowy figures appeared all around, boxing in the sedan on the roadside.
"What kind of scoundrels are you?!"
The driver leaped out, face flushed with rage. Activating Mana Body, he jabbed a finger at them.
"You damned scum! Which faction dares—?!"
─...Heh. Is the guy in there the Chairperson or something? Or maybe the king?
A gravelly baritone rumbled like an echo from a cave.
The intruder's face was leonine. Nearly 3 meters tall, each step cratered the asphalt.
─What faction? If you're so worried about factions, drive safer next time.
His name: Berhalshi Ranomiel.
An A-rank fiend from the underworld.
"Get lost! Back off now, and I won't hold you accountable."
Even before that ferocious mug, the driver didn't flinch. He drew his sword from his belt and glared at the lion's head.
"You want to make an enemy of Libra?"
─No plans for that. But you're not Libra anyway. Time for the lapdog to heel.
Berhalshi snapped his fingers. Snap— A crescent wave warped the driver's body.
─Some small fry mouthing off.
Grinning, Berhalshi lumbered up to the hood. He beckoned through the shattered windshield at Jade inside.
─Milord. Step out. Before I smash the car.
"...".
Click— Jade silently opened the door. He stepped out onto the pavement.
Still maintaining his dignity.
─...Milord. Let's not make this tiring for either of us.
Berhalshi smirked slyly. Jade glanced at the dead driver and muttered.
"I'll need a replacement."
─Yeah, lesson learned. Maybe bring someone tougher next time.
"I don't need someone tough."
Jade reached into his inner pocket. Berhalshi and his fiends tensed, but he pulled out a pair of gloves.
Black with gold-embossed lines. An unremarkable luxury item.
"Just someone reliable."
Slipping on the gloves, Jade clenched and unclenched his fist, testing the feel. Creak— creak— stiff leather sounds.
─Fine. Just fork over 30 million ren. That's all I want. There's this handy app called the Dark Web these days. Transfer the funds, and we'll leave right away.
Berhalshi held out his palm. Jade looked up at him. The blue eyes of Libra held no emotion.
No anger, no fear, no terror—just calm, utter emptiness.
"You ask for much. For a beast."
His tone dripped arrogance, like scolding a servant.
Berhalshi's face twisted.
─...See, this is the problem with nobles. Pride blinds them to reality.
The lion stretched his neck and arms. Activating Mana Body with his massive frame.
Spectrum: Rapid Acceleration
Body accelerates to near-sonic speeds upon activation. Subjective time slows dramatically.
─No choice. Guess I'll have to kidnap you.
Berhalshi kicked off the pavement. An air blast erupted from his footprint, shattering the asphalt wholesale.
─Kuhuhu...
With beastly grace, Berhalshi charged. Smirking darkly at the noble ahead.
Jade just stood there. Fiddling with his gloves, watching...
Something was off.
The thought hit Berhalshi suddenly.
His subjective time stretched like a thread. His cognition accelerated too.
Yet Jade seemed too relaxed. Blinking at him. Creak— creak— clenching and unclenching those gloves.
All so normal.
As if he were in normal time, and Berhalshi alone warped.
It unnerved him, but he was already in range. Berhalshi swung at Jade. At the end, Jade met his eyes.
Instantly, killing intent exploded. All the malice he'd bottled up until now. Overwhelming mana devoured Berhalshi's will to fight.
─...Huh.
In that split second, Berhalshi's instincts screamed. Thoughts flashed like a life review.
This noble ahead of him was stronger than any fiend he'd met crawling the underworld for over a decade.
Stronger than any knight he'd slaughtered.
Even stronger than those Master Cartel overseers.
No, not even the same level.
They couldn't even stand on the same plane as this man.
Vast superiority.
─Ha...
Berhalshi let out a hollow laugh.
Why had no one noticed this monster until now?
Why did he have to find out?
"—Filthy vermin."
Jade threw a punch. The glove connected with Berhalshi's brow.
Hard.
Or maybe lightly.
In that instant, Berhalshi's consciousness shattered.
The impact spread from his brow through his body. Flesh tore from the head down, organs and bones pulverized to dust.
A single straight punch.
Berhalshi exploded in a spray of blood.
Out in the suburbs, I detected a highly suspicious barrier. A Barrier Mana Ritual: Distortion, cleverly warped inside to prevent escape.
I peered into it with the SZX-9500 Mana Optics Microscope, and sure enough, Jade was there.
"...It'll be over soon."
──Fine. Just fork over 30 million ren. That's all I want. There's this handy app called the Dark Web these days. Transfer the funds, and we'll leave right away.
Berhalshi was threatening Jade.
It wouldn't work. What they were doing was straight-up suicide extortion. Not self-harm—suicide.
Jade was special.
Like I'd said before, if he'd gone full gangster instead of business, he'd have built an insane empire.
We—no, the entire continent—should be grateful Jade obsessed over pointless formalities, ceremonies, and visible noble dignity.
Why?
Because he's strong.
Insanely so.
Among Libra's bloodline—no, in Edshila's five centuries of history, he's one of the all-time greats. The undisputed strongest of the era.
A lone monster who could take on entire clans.
Simply, overwhelmingly supreme.
The reason his freakish strength stayed hidden? Simple.
Libra's tradition of staying out of the public eye, plus Jade's personal fixation on decorum.
He avoids situations where he'd have to throw punches, and if one arises, he always kills the other party.
Thus, until Libra's bloody family feud, most people had no idea Jade was the strongest.
Even I didn't.
But later, when Zia got on track and devoured Libra, the one she feared most—the one who nearly killed her—wasn't the eldest son Jedric or the eldest daughter Zahanna.
It was the second son, Jade.
Jade Shiroi Libra Geden.
Crackle—!
Right on cue, Berhalshi's body burst. Literally exploded from Jade's punch.
Even shoving a mana particle bomb down his throat wouldn't have done that.
───!
Then the barrier shook.
Jade's speed had broken its limits. The 'sonic boom' from supersonic movement battered it wildly.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A sight too fast for my eyes to follow.
Just explosion sounds for exactly three seconds.
The barrier was already shattered. The asphalt held no chunks of flesh—just bloodstains and cellular remnants of whatever had once lived.
"...Impressive."
Just as monstrous as ever. I murmured in awe,
when Jade far off turned this way.
Probably 10 km away.
From there, I looked at him, and he at me.
───Whoosh!
Suddenly, gale-force winds howled. I snapped to, plastered to the ground. Blinking up from flat on my back.
Jade stood there.
"...".
He looked down at me. Not a drop of blood on his clothes.
"Nothing happened."
He removed the gloves and tossed them onto my chest. I knew exactly what he meant.
"...Yes, sir."
He raised an eyebrow once, then whoosh!
Another gale.
"Urk."
This time my shirt tore clean off, and Jade was gone.