Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Reallocation and Remorse
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Isabelle, who had rushed to the ruined city to discuss the reallocation, cursed Lee Si-woo the moment she saw him.
“Hey, you son of a bitch. You… think I’m a pushover?”
Lee Si-woo, sitting on a worn-out sofa with his legs crossed, spoke in a relaxed tone.
“By the way, is the security here decent? As much as I enjoy the attention of others, it would be quite troublesome for the other VIPs to witness me whispering sweet nothings to you, Isabelle.”
Without even thinking of answering her question, Lee Si-woo's shameless remark about love and whatnot made Isabelle's temper flare. She scratched the back of her head irritably and shot back.
“You're really fucking pissing me off, you bastard. That's right, asshole, there are no spirits here, so no one would know if you dropped dead without a trace. Got it? Huh?”
Ignoring the curse and filtering only the confirmation of security, Lee Si-woo shrugged his shoulders and said.
“Isn't this a great opportunity?”
Isabelle was dumbfounded by Lee Si-woo's attitude, giving such an outlandish response to her threat.
As Isabelle stared at him with an expression that said, *Should I kill him or not?*, Lee Si-woo smiled brightly and continued.
“To break free from Sir Kenyon's grasp and build your own power base, Isabelle.”
“Build... my own power base?”
“I know I took a rude approach. Well, you must have been quite offended. But... if I hadn't done this, would you have had any room to intervene in deciding the shares of this selection's interests?”
Pondering this, Isabelle's emerald eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“I wouldn't have. Father would have decided everything.”
“But things are different now. The authority to reallocate belongs solely to you, Isabelle. This means Sir Kenyon can only offer advice from the side; he has no actual power.”
Her interest piqued, Isabelle tapped her violet lips with her index finger and asked.
“Explain in detail.”
“Sir Kenyon probably doesn't think he can monopolize the interests either. Just look at Medusa's case in the past. All the Top 10 died, and only Medusa survived to win, but she couldn't monopolize the interests and had to negotiate with other factions to divide them. So, he'll likely follow that precedent this time as well.”
“So what you're saying is... since the one in charge this time is me, not my father, I should use that?”
“Exactly. I'm sure Sir Kenyon has already come up with a plan on how to divide the interests. So, you, Isabelle, can act as the middleman, delivering this plan to other factions and leading the negotiation process. You'll be playing the role of a negotiator, of sorts.”
“A negotiator...”
Lee Si-woo gave a meaningful smile.
“Do you know what the best part of being a middleman is? It's that you can take a commission from both sides. Instead of just carrying out Sir Kenyon's plan, make your own appropriate demands. For example, the authority to form your own private organization within the Magic Tower.”
As if the idea was tempting, Isabelle let out a nasal hum.
“Hmm...”
“That's not all. When you present Sir Kenyon's plan to the other factions, give them a downgraded version. And then...”
Grasping Lee Si-woo's intention, Isabelle's eyes glittered as she said.
“I should make it look like I negotiated better terms with my father for them, right?”
“Correct. And of course, you should pocket the profits that arise in the process.”
Perhaps it was because the more she chewed on it, the more she liked Lee Si-woo's proposal.
Her mood significantly improved, Isabelle sat next to Lee Si-woo, crossed her legs, and said.
“Not bad. I like it.”
“You like it? Then I suppose I won't get scolded for trying to have a nice, relaxing time with you now, will I?”
At Lee Si-woo's playful remark, Isabelle gave him the middle finger and snapped.
“Bullshit. You keep that up, and you'll get the shit beaten out of you. Watch it.”
Lee Si-woo feigned a sorrowful expression.
“After all the trouble I went through, you're being so harsh over a little love.”
“Forget love. Do you have a detailed plan prepared? Honestly, I'm not good at this stuff. But you are.”
“It's prepared, of course. Right here.”
As Lee Si-woo tapped his head with his index finger, Isabelle narrowed her eyes sullenly and said.
“Fine. Prepare it and give it to me as soon as we leave.”
“That won't be difficult. But I have a few favors to ask in return.”
“Favors? Hmph, you mean conditions. Well, fine. The fact that there are 'a few' is a bit annoying... but spit it out. As long as it's not unreasonable, I'll grant it.”
It was true that Isabelle was foul-mouthed and had many flaws, but she treated Lee Si-woo quite generously.
Though it was likely less out of personal favor and more because of her expectations of him.
“If things go well, I'd like you to provide all the resources for my training up to the 2nd Circle.”
“Up to the 2nd Circle? Hmm, it'll cost a bit, but it's not an unreasonable demand. Fine.”
“Next...”
After hearing Lee Si-woo's second request, Isabelle's expression turned peculiar.
“What? You really want something like that?”
“Yes.”
“Snap out of it, asshole. This isn't an everyday opportunity. My temper might be shit, but I'm not so petty that I'd be stingy with you after you've done something huge. Besides... this is just a lot of work with no real benefit for you.”
“It's fine. I would appreciate it if you could handle it that way.”
Lee Si-woo, his face expressionless, took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.
“Because that is what I want.”
***
The selection tournament ended with Lee Si-woo's victory.
Normally, they should have moved on to the next phase as soon as the survival round—which could be called the preliminaries—was over, but it couldn't be helped.
The gap between Lee Si-woo and the Top 10 was so vast that any further progression was meaningless.
Of course, just because a winner had been decided didn't mean the aftermath was simple.
As it was a season full of talk and trouble, the process of distributing the interests was quite complicated.
“So? Are you satisfied?”
Kenyon's voice was laced with ill temper, as if he were thoroughly displeased, but Isabelle beamed, savoring her feeling of relief.
“Why wouldn't I be? Things went so well.”
“Yes, I'm sure they did. From your perspective, at least.”
“Oh, come on, are you still sulking over something so petty? In any case, your daughter's affairs went well, so why don't you lighten up?”
“A daughter who spouts curses at her own father at the drop of a hat... Ahem. Try acting like a proper daughter before you run your mouth.”
“And you should try acting like a proper parent. You're always testing the waters, threatening to make Allen the heir. That's why your child is going astray.”
“...This child truly has no filter. Tsk, enough. It's already over. Arguing about it further will only hurt me. More importantly, where did that fellow go?”
“Who?”
“Who do you think? I'm talking about that insolent bastard who acted as an advisor behind my foolish daughter's back and controlled the negotiations.”
Now, a fortnight after the selection tournament had ended.
Only today had the arduous negotiations finally concluded.
The process was not easy.
They may not have wielded swords and guns, but it was no different from a war.
But in the end, Isabelle had won this war.
It was thanks to her faithfully following Lee Si-woo's bottom lines and advice.
Isabelle pouted her violet lips sullenly and said.
“He's part of our Magic Tower now, how can you call him an insolent bastard? And you're the Tower Master.”
“In a situation where my so-called daughter is lecturing her father, is there anything I can't say to a mere newcomer?”
“Still, he rendered a great service to the Magic Tower. He deserves proper treatment.”
“A service to the Magic Tower? More like a service to you. Tsk, if you're not going to talk, I won't pry. However... no matter how useful that fellow seems, keep your distance for now. Understood?”
Isabelle tilted her head and asked.
“Keep my distance? Why?”
“I can't be certain yet, but it seems that fellow, Lee Si-woo... is connected to the summoner, Elim.”
Fortunately, she didn't let it show on her face, but Isabelle was inwardly startled.
Having already heard from Lee Si-woo about his connection to the summoner Elim, she couldn't help but react sensitively to any mention of the summoner's whereabouts.
“Elim and Lee Si-woo? Really?”
“Didn't I say? I can't be certain yet. However, circumstantially, the possibility is high. No matter how much I investigated, I couldn't find any trace of Lee Si-woo's past. Besides, even though Granada is a large city, it's incomprehensible that a conspicuous person like him wouldn't have generated any rumors until now. Therefore...”
“He might be a being summoned by a ticket. Is that it?”
“Precisely.”
“...If the summoner and Lee Si-woo are connected, what will you do? Either way, Lee Si-woo is already a member of our Magic Tower.”
“Hmm, the best-case scenario would be for the summoner to lose interest in Lee Si-woo, but...”
“That seems unlikely. Once this selection season is released, they're bound to recognize Lee Si-woo's value. They'll probably approach us in some way.”
“Then we'll have to pay an appropriate price and take over ownership of Lee Si-woo. He's too valuable to discard just because he's connected to the summoner.”
“But what if the summoner doesn't give up?”
Kenyon spoke resolutely, leaving no room for doubt.
“If it comes to that, we'll have to be the ones to give up. We can't afford to antagonize a summoner over a single 1st Circle magician.”
A dark shadow fell over Isabelle's face.
Summoners, granted by the gods the right to use tickets and command those summoned by them as their own limbs, were threatening by their very existence.
Backed by five carefully chosen summoned beings called the 'Selectors,' a summoner's power was equivalent to a one-man army.
For this reason, some referred to summoners as the divine knighthood, holding them in awe and keeping them at a distance.
As protectors of the gods and executioners of their enemies, summoners were the very embodiment of divine might.
***
The Main Dimension was endlessly vast, home to countless nomadic races who wandered without a set destination, and the Seo tribe was one of them.
However, their circumstances had recently taken a turn for the worse.
The strength of a nomadic race was their ability to wander in search of places with ownerless, scattered resources, but a genetic disease had forced them to settle on the outskirts of Granada to procure medicine.
“Truly... are you saying you will donate all this medicine to us?”
Seeing the large box before him filled with over a thousand doses of treatment for the genetic disease, the Seo tribe's chief trembled, his long beard showing the passage of time.
Three hundred million per dose. Even smuggled through a broker, each dose cost a hundred million. And he was donating thousands of them?
The human before him, Lee Si-woo, seemed less like a benefactor and more like a madman.
“Yes. But there are conditions.”
*Of course, there are,* the Seo chief thought, swallowing dryly.
“Conditions...?”
“The entire Seo tribe must leave this place and go far away.”
“What? Is that truly the only condition?”
“Yes. That is all I want.”
Had it been before they secured the medicine, it might have been different, but now that they had enough to save a significant number of their children, meeting Lee Si-woo's condition was not difficult.
No, it was something they should welcome with open arms.
For the future of their tribe, they needed to resume their nomadic life and travel to a region rich in resources anyway.
But that was the problem.
Lee Si-woo's offer was too advantageous for them to accept without a second thought.
“...It is not my place to say this as the one receiving, but I honestly do not understand. This medicine is extremely expensive. Looking at the quantity, it must be worth at least hundreds of billions, no, perhaps over a trillion points. Yet that is the only condition... I cannot help but suspect your true intentions, benefactor.”
“It is quite expensive, but it didn't cost as much as you might think. I received it at cost with support from a Granada pharmaceutical company.”
The cost price of the genetic disease treatment was 30 million points.
Although it was only a tenth of the market price, it was still a considerable sum.
Securing over a thousand doses required a massive sum of over one hundred billion points.
That was why Isabelle had arranged to receive the genetic disease treatment as a donation from the pharmaceutical company during her negotiations with the Dongbanhoe.
In reality, Isabelle hadn't spent a single point to acquire the medicine, but the other party was likely satisfied as well.
After all, they had been able to receive a portion of the interests because of it.
“Even so...”
“Yes. You must be uneasy. It's natural. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. So, of course, I have my reasons. The problem is... I'd rather you didn't know them.”
“You... would rather I didn't know the reason?”
“Correct. So, Chief, you must choose. Either take the medicine and leave this place to wander as you did in the past, or remain here... and be annihilated by the Senior Magic Tower.”
Startled by Lee Si-woo's sudden words, the Seo chief asked again.
“The Senior Magic Tower? Annihilated? What are you suddenly talking about?”
Lee Si-woo informed the Seo chief that Dimdim, who had participated in the selection tournament, had accepted a request from a hostile faction to frame a magician from the Senior Magic Tower, and had failed.
And also the fact that this magician had won the selection tournament.
Naturally, the Seo chief was unwilling to believe the story, but after examining the pieces of evidence Lee Si-woo presented, his face turned deathly pale.
There was no room for doubt.
“This can't be...”
“What will you do? Will you leave? Or will you all die here?”
At Lee Si-woo's urging, the Seo chief hurriedly nodded his head.
Having clearly seen the evidence Lee Si-woo presented with his own two eyes, the chief had no leisure to doubt his intentions.
To put it bluntly, if they didn't leave, they would die.
“We must leave. Otherwise, we will all die.”
“An excellent choice.”
As Lee Si-woo stood up as if his business was done, the Seo chief grabbed his hand and knelt.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. This kindness, we will somehow...”
Lee Si-woo shook off the chief's hand and gripped his shoulders firmly.
“Don't be grateful, don't even think about repaying this kindness, just leave. And forget me and Granada. That is for my own good.”
“Then at least your name, benefactor...”
“It's better for both of us if you don't know.”
Lee Si-woo cut him off coldly and stepped out of the tent.
Outside, Lee Si-woo's steps faltered for a moment.
A young Seo child was squatting in front of the tent, drawing pictures in the dirt.
Spotting Lee Si-woo, the Seo child dusted off his dirt-covered hands, twitched his cute pink nose, and his eyes widened.
Then he scurried over and bowed politely at the waist.
“Hello.”
Not wanting to speak with anyone else here, Lee Si-woo walked past the Seo child without a word.
But a question from the child's lips stopped him in his tracks.
“Aren't you the one who brought news of my father? My father's name is Dimdim, and he's one of the few outstanding magicians in our tribe.”
When mentioning his father was a magician, the child couldn't hide his overflowing pride.
Lee Si-woo stared at the Seo child for a moment with black eyes that seemed clouded, as if by a faint mist.
A moment of silence.
Soon after, Lee Si-woo answered by shaking his head and left the spot.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but his pace seemed to have quickened slightly.
The Seo child sniffled, gazing blankly at Lee Si-woo's retreating back, then, as if remembering he'd forgotten to say goodbye, waved his hand cheerfully.
“Goodbye, sir! And if you hear any news about my daddy later, please take good care of him!”
In truth, he had wanted to tell the chief the reason.
That he was giving them the medicine to discard the emotions left inside him like dregs.
That because that damned Dimdim had run his mouth before dying, he wanted to shove all those things left inside him into the trash can that was their tribe, just to feel at ease.
So don't be grateful for this dirty act of charity.
He had wanted to say it, so many times.
*But I couldn't say it.*
He was afraid that if they knew the whole story, they might hold a grudge and come looking for him later.
Knowing what revenge was, he didn't want to leave behind its seed, so he wanted them to leave this place before they learned the full circumstances.
If that didn't happen, given his nature of not tolerating future trouble, he didn't know what he might do.
Lee Si-woo recalled that day.
The day he had mercilessly taken the life of Dimdim, who had begged to be spared.
-I really can't die. I'm the hope of my tribe. If I die, the children of my tribe will have no future. Right, f-fine. Cripple me. If you don't believe me, go ahead. Just please, don't kill me...
Suddenly, the face of the Seo child overlapped with the memory of Dimdim's last, unusually desperate face.
The two looked so much alike.
Yes, disgustingly so.