Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Taste of Power
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“Yo… u… wil… pay…”
Schizo, his beak shattered, couldn't form proper words, but the malice and resentment radiating from him was palpable enough to make one's skin crawl.
Perhaps sensing the ominous aura in Lee Si-woo's gaze as he looked at Schizo, a nearby Avian mage rushed forward and shouted.
“Sir Lee Si-woo! I know Sir Schizo misspoke, but isn't this going too far…!”
*Crack!*
The Avian mage, his face a bloody mess from the back of Lee Si-woo's hand, was sent flying backward faster than he had come forward.
After tumbling and crashing through several tables, he lay sprawled on the floor. Lee Si-woo glanced at him and spoke.
“Can you really dismiss him branding me a vile, corrupt mage as just 'mispeaking'? I don't know. I think you're the one crossing the line by defending him just because you're both Avians. Just like this bastard's slander crossed the line.”
Lee Si-woo stomped on Schizo's head as if crushing a worm crawling on the ground.
*Squelch.*
With a sound like a watermelon bursting, Schizo's head was so gruesomely shattered it would have required censoring. The mages who witnessed it let out horrified gasps, their faces pale with shock.
Not a single person present had thought Lee Si-woo would actually kill Schizo.
The Falcon clan, a group so powerful among the Avians that they would be offended to be called second-best.
They couldn't have imagined that he would kill a member of the Falcon clan—a clan that boasted considerable influence even in the Senior Magic Tower—as if squashing a bug.
Lee Si-woo walked near the mages who were watching him, circled around him as if observing a tiger in a cage.
*Step, step.*
Every time Lee Si-woo passed by, those who had spoken ill of him, consciously or not, flinched.
Lee Si-woo stopped in front of an elven mage and grabbed him by the hair.
“H-Hieeek! Wh-Why are you doing this? Wh-What did I do wro—”
“Was it you who said humans are treated like vermin because of corrupt mages like me? Hmm, and that it would reduce the number of trash who get by with dirty tricks.”
“Th-That… I-I just got caught up in the moment and…”
Lee Si-woo smiled faintly and patted the elf's chin with his palm.
“No need to be so scared. Surely you don't think I'd kill you, do you? A fellow mage from the same tower.”
“…R-Right?”
“Of course. I'm not that horrible. Ah, but I hope you'll understand that some form of punishment is necessary. If I just laugh off such nonsense… vermin like you will start to look down on me, won't they? Just like today.”
Frightened by the word "punishment," the elf tried to step back instinctively, but it was useless. Lee Si-woo had already grabbed the back of his head with a firm grip and pressed their foreheads together.
With his forehead against the elf's, Lee Si-woo whispered.
“You're unlucky. In cases of making an example of someone… the first one always gets the worst of it.”
“What? What does that m— Aaargh—!”
Lee Si-woo's left hand clenched over the elf's left breast. As mana sharp as an awl poured into him through Lee Si-woo's hand, the elf screamed for his life.
He had realized what Lee Si-woo was about to do.
“Please! Please, not my Circle…!”
Lee Si-woo brought his right index finger to his lips and spoke in a soft voice.
“Shhh. Don't worry. It'll be over soon.”
“N-No…”
Harman, residing in Lee Si-woo's mind, manipulated the mana and shattered the single Circle surrounding the elf's heart.
A control technique tacitly forbidden due to its excessively cruel results.
It was the Heart Breaker.
The elven mage, having lost his Circle in an instant, collapsed to the floor, vomiting the entire contents of his stomach.
Lee Si-woo looked down at the elf with emotionless eyes.
The young beast who, just a few months ago, had rubbed his head against the legs of the strong to survive, had now grown considerably larger.
He no longer needed to wag his tail at the powerful to stave off hunger, nor did he need to expose his belly to beg for attention.
When hungry, he could simply tear the flesh and bone from the weak; when displeased, he could bare his fangs without a second thought.
*Swoosh.*
Following Lee Si-woo's gaze, the mages averted their eyes as if doing the wave.
Seeing them unable to even leave their seats for fear of displeasing him, Lee Si-woo twisted his lips into a smirk.
He was on par with a 4th-Circle mage—of which there were barely twenty in the entire tower—the tower's only Ranker, and he was backed by the tower's treasured jewel, Isabelle, and Yahalong of the Ya Clan.
Convinced that he had become both the undisputed core of the Magic Tower and the eye of the storm, Lee Si-woo arrogantly clasped his hands behind his back.
It was to greet the guests who would soon arrive for him.
“Stop! Lee Si-woo, you are under arrest for disturbing the peace within the Magic Tower and for the assault and murder of a fellow mage!”
Seeing the security mages who had swarmed in wearing stylish uniforms, Lee Si-woo pulled an ID from his pocket and thrust it at them.
“Lee Si-woo, Budget Department. I invoke my right to immunity from arrest as a high-ranking official mage.”
At Lee Si-woo's demand, the security mages froze like statues.
Most high-ranking official positions in the Magic Tower were filled by election, but some positions with complex interests, like those in the budget, were appointed.
This was to prevent certain populous factions from packing the Budget Department with their own people.
Of course, just because it was an appointed position didn't mean anyone could join the Budget Department.
The Budget Department, a hotbed of power and authority, was a prestigious office reserved only for the core elite and legitimate-blooded mages who formed the backbone of the tower's power.
Yet, Lee Si-woo—a former wandering mage and a human at that—had gotten in?
It was truly unprecedented.
Perhaps because they were facing such an unexpected situation, their brains seemed to have short-circuited. To the security mages, who were at a loss, Lee Si-woo smiled and said.
“Ah, I may have resisted arrest, but don't worry. I'll stop by the security department soon to give my statement. After all, I can only refuse immediate detainment. I still have to report within the designated time, don't I?”
Finding no fault in Lee Si-woo's response, the security mages replied with reluctant faces.
“…Very well.”
As the security mages—a symbol of fear for the tower's mages—retreated helplessly, everyone in the cafeteria realized the change in Lee Si-woo's status.
Consequently, whatever Schizo had said would be judged as baseless speculation and slander, regardless of the facts.
It was a natural phenomenon, if you thought about it.
Sometimes, truth became the exclusive property of the powerful.
Lee Si-woo approached Milo, who was kneeling on the floor with a dazed expression.
“Get up.”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
Despite his broken ribs, Milo managed to get up, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
His face was flushed with excitement, as if he had just met his favorite celebrity.
It was understandable.
It would be stranger for a human in the Senior Magic Tower *not* to admire Lee Si-woo.
Lee Si-woo dusted off Milo's shoulders and said.
“Don't do stupid things like this again.”
“…Huh?”
“Nothing you say will change how these mages see me. Back on Earth, people fought for ages over something as trivial as skin color to no avail. What makes you think it would be any different here?”
“B-But still, I couldn't just stand by and watch them insult you…”
“Stop it. You'd be helping me more by doing nothing. I won't be grateful for you acting out like this, and if you get yourself killed, it will only leave a bad taste in my mouth.”
Milo had expected at least some encouragement, if not praise, but Lee Si-woo's unexpectedly cold attitude made him unable to hide his dejection.
“……”
Even for Lee Si-woo, speaking so harshly to Milo wasn't easy.
For better or worse, they were both human, weren't they?
The harsher one's life in the Main Dimension, the more natural it was to feel a sense of kinship with one's own kind.
But showing him sympathy or looking out for him would be foolish.
He would make many enemies in the future, and he had already made some.
And he was going to show such a human weakness to those enemies?
It was no different from inviting trouble.
“Stop this foolishness that will only lead to a dog's death. Use that time to train instead. In this world, the only thing you can trust isn't some compatriot who seems a little successful, but your own strength.”
With those frigid words, Lee Si-woo left the cafeteria, leaving Milo to stare blankly at his retreating back.
* * *
Before going to the security department to give his statement, Lee Si-woo sought out the head of the Falcon Association.
Zen, the head of the association—a gathering of Falcon mages and local dignitaries—spoke.
“To think the enemy of my clan would pay a visit before I even came looking for you. Should I be so grateful I don't know what to do?”
Lee Si-woo let out a short laugh, as if finding Zen's unconcealed hostility pathetic.
“I hear things haven't been going so well for you lately.”
“…What kind of nonsense is that to come here and spout out of the blue?”
“Well, it's not like birdbrains being bad at business is anything new, is it? You call yourselves local dignitaries, but all you know is how to hold your heads high. Your business sense and abilities are rather lacking.”
As Lee Si-woo deliberately provoked him, Zen, so enraged that words failed him, clenched his beak and ground it audibly.
Lee Si-woo stared at Zen with cold eyes and said.
“I'd like you to stop by the security department soon and give a statement that Schizo deserved to die. Hmm… Something along the lines of him not only slandering me first but also trying to assassinate me, and in my rage, I accidentally sent him to the next world. That should do.”
Realizing Lee Si-woo's ploy to turn intentional murder into manslaughter through the victim's clan's testimony, Zen pointed a finger and cursed.
“You crazy human bastard. You must have lost your mind after getting a taste of the rankings to make such a demand of me…”
“If you don't give the statement, there will be no funding for the association this year.”
Zen's pupils trembled precariously. Finally understanding Lee Si-woo's true intentions for visiting him, he shot back.
“You cunning bastard… Do you think I'll yield to such a ridiculous threat?”
“Ah, now that I think about it, the Magic Tower has been providing the Falcon Association with a rather large apartment complex for free, right? Hmm… While I'm at it, how about I revoke that benefit as well?”
At Lee Si-woo's successive threats, Zen shot up from his seat and yelled.
“That apartment complex is a benefit and a privilege provided by the previous Tower Master for our honorable Falcon clan! It's not something a human piece of trash like you should touch!”
“Well, it may be unfair and infuriating, but what can you do? That human piece of trash unfortunately belongs to the Budget Department. And that's me, Lee Si-woo—the lover of the tower's treasured jewel, Lady Isabelle, and a friend to the legitimate heir of the prestigious Ya Clan.”
As Lee Si-woo shamelessly sang his own praises, Zen was struck anew by just how formidable the human standing before him was.
A rookie from the selection tournament had reached such a position in just a few months?
It was impossible without being chosen by a god.
Zen struggled to remain calm as he spoke.
“I… I can't believe you have that kind of authority. You just joined the Budget Department. Unless the other staff members are scarecrows, how could they stand by and watch a newcomer like you overstep your bounds like that?”
He was right. Just as Zen said, Lee Si-woo didn't have that kind of authority.
At least, not yet.
However, this was Lee Si-woo, a man who had led a triad on Earth.
How easy could it have been for a Korean to live in China, let alone as the head of a triad?
For Lee Si-woo, who had lived a life filled with all sorts of schemes and machinations, dealing with an old man from the Falcon clan was child's play.
“Zen. You foolish old man. Listen here. Even without the title from the Budget Department, I'm someone who can turn the benefits given to the Falcon clan into scraps of paper overnight through Lady Isabelle. Do you really think someone like me would have paltry authority just because I'm a newcomer? Seriously?”
In reality, the most Isabelle could do to interfere with the Budget Department—an organization directly under Kenyon—was to plant one of her own people like Lee Si-woo. But Zen, unaware of these inner workings, had no way of knowing if Lee Si-woo was telling the truth or lying.
“……”
Convinced by Zen's silence that his bluff had worked, Lee Si-woo continued.
“If you want to bet your clan's fate on your unverified judgment… well, I won't stop you. But don't expect any mercy from me. Maybe it's because my first impression of Schizo was so poor… but I'm not particularly fond of birdbrains.”
Zen lowered his head and muttered.
“This matter… I will report it to the Tower Master myself.”
“Mr. Chairman. You don't seem to be getting the message.”
Shaking his head, Lee Si-woo grabbed Zen by his head feathers and pulled him close.
“I'm not negotiating with you; I'm threatening you. So if you don't want to see ten thousand Falcons thrown out onto the streets overnight, you'll shut up and do as I say. Don't try any petty tricks like going through the Tower Master. And don't forget. If by some chance this doesn't go smoothly…”
Lee Si-woo savagely plucked a feather from Zen's head.
As Zen groaned in pain from having the feather torn out by the root, Lee Si-woo spoke.
“The Falcons in the Magic Tower will start to disappear one by one due to 'unfortunate accidents,' and gradually, through policy changes, the Falcons in Granada will be driven into the slums. Or… they might have to return to the homeland they miss so dearly.”
Zen glared at Lee Si-woo with bloodshot eyes and said.
“You… you're completely different from the rumors that said you were gentle. You were said to be sociable and easygoing… It was all a lie.”
Letting go of Zen's head, Lee Si-woo shrugged.
“I'm just good at navigating social situations.”
Zen sighed.
He realized he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
That was how much influence the three words "Budget Department" held over those living in the shadow of the Senior Magic Tower—it was nearly absolute.
Resigned, Zen squeezed his eyes shut and said.
“I will go to the security department and give the statement you want.”
“A wise decision. Who knows? This might be the start of a solid relationship between me and the Falcon clan.”
“Schizo was the pride and hope of our Falcon clan. And you are the one who killed him.”
As Zen indirectly stated that he had no intention of ever having a good relationship with him, Lee Si-woo clicked his tongue with a blank expression.
“Tsk, tsk, for the head of an organization, you're quite clumsy. Mr. Chairman. You should hide your resentment behind a smile. If you bare your fangs so openly… how can I possibly look upon you favorably?”
With Zen standing before him, head bowed in silence and soaked in a bitter sense of defeat, Lee Si-woo took out his smartphone, put it on speaker, and called someone.
A moment later, someone answered the phone with a gruff voice.
-When was it that I suggested we have a meal? You certainly took your sweet time calling.
“My apologies. I've been unusually busy lately. As a token of my apology, I'll take you somewhere nice. I know a good restaurant.”
-Hmph, you've got a silver tongue. Fine, I'll look forward to it. But you'd better prepare well. As you know, I'm quite picky.
“I'm well aware, so don't worry. I'll come to pick you up one of these days then, Elder Allen.”
By the time Lee Si-woo hung up, Zen's face had already turned as pale as a corpse.
He had never imagined that Lee Si-woo had connections not only with Isabelle but also with Elder Allen.
To Zen, who was despairing as if caught in an inescapable snare, Lee Si-woo said.
“Mr. Chairman. What happened today stays between us.”
“It… will be.”
Seeing Zen, who had become much more submissive, as if his thorny demeanor had never existed, Lee Si-woo smiled with satisfaction.
The taste of power, savored after a long time, was still sweet.
Sweet enough to understand why humans obsess over power, wealth, and glory, even knowing how fleeting they are.