Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 226
>Chapter Title: Remember That?
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The ripples that the Decullan wizard, Nyullus, had cast into Aster's mind were not insignificant.
But that didn't mean Aster suddenly pitied all the stray outcasts or developed some humanistic compassion for humanity.
Of course, Aster was just one individual, and he couldn't take responsibility for everyone.
Still, this was the sentiment that lingered.
‘The Magic Tower would be best suited for the Black-White Slums, after all.’
In the end, it aligned perfectly with his initial resolve to establish the Magic Tower.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Aster headed back to the room where Evelyn and Timur were waiting.
“You're back? I've passed along what you mentioned to Collin. But before that, I'd like to hear what happened.”
The question was everyday casual, belying any waves in Aster's inner thoughts, and Aster responded in kind.
“Ah, right, I should fill you in on that.”
It was right then that Evelyn's voice echoed in his ear.
[……You okay?]
[What do you mean?]
[No, just… you looked pretty serious earlier. You could take it easy today. Collin said it was a bit……]
[What, is there anything not okay?]
He meant it sincerely.
Both the Hormei incident and the Nyullus one.
If anything, they were par for the course compared to the countless Troubleshooter escapades he'd seen and heard.
But Evelyn didn't seem able to take it that lightly.
[The auction runs for four weeks anyway. The real action starts in the fourth…… You could rest today.]
For reference, the auction lasted four weeks, held every weekend.
Saturday and Sunday, twice a week.
They'd stretched it out because weekdays clashed with academy schedules, and as Evelyn said, this first week was the most leisurely.
But Aster shook his head firmly.
[I'm fine, it's nothing.]
[Still……]
Evelyn expressed her concern with evident worry.
Aster gazed at her anew, struck by the sight.
‘Is this really Evelyn?’
Thinking back to the days when she'd sacrifice scapegoats for money made his chest swell with pride.
‘Truly, the foremost reeducator on the Eastern Continent.’
For the record, he was still far from catching up to the top reeducator, Henji—that was his honest assessment.
He still had no clue how Henji had reformed that wastrel young master.
‘Well, it's a marked improvement, at least.’
Having someone fussing over him from the side somehow eased his mind.
Like getting some fresh air in his mood?
Anyway.
[Honestly, I'm more worried about you.]
[Pardon? Why me……]
[You'll see once you hear.]
And he truly was worried about Evelyn.
This wasn't just some cartel skirmish in the Second Black-White Slums.
The finer details would come from interrogating the captured freelance wizard, but Goldrin's Basilin and Decullan's involvement was undeniable.
Aster's concern boiled down to this.
‘How will Evelyn take this?’
Goldrin and Decullan.
Even one was too much for an ordinary person to handle, let alone both entangled.
Precisely, it was ‘Goldrin's Basilin’ involved, not Goldrin proper, but to Evelyn, it amounted to the same.
‘Tangled up with her blood kin who dragged her to ruin……’
It might be a bit much for Evelyn, who'd just shaken off the shock.
But that was that.
‘In the end, it's her burden to bear.’
With that thought, Aster switched back to ‘Knight,’ bowed politely to the two, and spoke.
“For now, allow me to report what I've uncovered.”
And so began the briefing.
Aster laid out who was behind Hormei and who that backer had allied with.
He'd debated mentioning Decullan's involvement but ultimately relayed every fact objectively, without omission or embellishment.
When the tale concluded.
A heavy silence blanketed the room.
The shock must have been immense.
“……Mm.”
Timur let out a rare groan.
“…….”
And Evelyn……
She feigned composure, but the blow had clearly landed hard on her too.
Watching them, Aster turned to Timur.
“But, Boss Timur.”
“……Speak.”
“It seems you were keeping something from us.”
“…….”
Timur clamped his mouth shut.
He silently pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, his face overshadowed by deep creases of worry.
What Timur had concealed was this.
‘Hormei's ultimatum.’
Timur exhaled a couple puffs of smoke before finally speaking.
“……I wasn't deliberately hiding it.”
So he did know.
Truth be told, Aster had been half-probing.
Hormei's ultimatum had targeted the godfather.
Lately, he'd noticed godfather's men visiting frequently, so he'd taken a shot in the dark.
“If you have something to say, by all means.”
Whether feigning calm or having regained it, Evelyn swiftly interjected, seizing the reins.
Timur glanced at her, then bowed his head courteously.
“First, my apologies, Duke. But I assure you, I had no intent to deceive you.”
“Please, go on.”
“So…….”
Timur recounted his exchange with the godfather in detail.
It amounted to this.
“So, since it's Black-White Slums business, you'll handle it within the Slums?”
“……Yes.”
“And you pushed up the auction date for that reason too?”
“If the auction ends before the ultimatum, there won't be any issues.”
“I see…….”
Evelyn nodded as if it all made sense.
It had struck her as odd.
‘We aimed for the holidays as much as possible, but they insisted on advancing the schedule.’
Evidently, they planned to wage war right after the auction wrapped.
It was then that Aster, who had listened quietly, spoke up.
“Boss Timur, may I ask something?”
“……Go ahead.”
“What's your plan now? With Goldrin and Decullan in the mix, it seems beyond what the Black-White Slums can handle alone.”
At Aster's question, Timur leaned back against the sofa and tilted his head. Soon, pale smoke billowed from his mouth.
After a moment.
Straightening up, Timur spoke calmly.
“For now, we focus on successfully concluding the auction. Whatever comes after, don't worry about it. This is, after all…….”
“Black-White Slums business?”
At Evelyn's query, Timur nodded.
Truth be told, it wasn't an easy answer for him.
‘……If only I could ask for help.’
The duke's aid would undoubtedly be a tremendous boon.
From what he'd seen directly and indirectly, Knight's prowess rivaled that of prestigious house knights……
And who knew how many more like him served under the duke.
Even if no one matched Knight, his subordinates would surely form a formidable force.
But.
‘This is cleaner.’
If there were even a sliver of a chance, he'd swallow his pride and beg.
Yet the foes were Goldrin and Decullan.
Was there need to drag others into a hopeless fight?
As Timur pondered that far.
“Boss Timur, mind if we talk privately for a moment?”
“……I'll step out.”
“No, a guest doesn't chase away the host. We'll move.”
Evelyn said as much, then flicked her gaze to Aster.
He nodded and stepped away.
And so……
Thud.
With the door closed, Timur alone sank deeper into the sofa, running a hand through his hair with the one not holding a cigarette.
“Fuu…….”
A deep, heavy sigh filled the space.
It was a moment when brutally strong liquor called to him.
* * *
Evelyn and I returned to that earlier room.
Creak, click.
I shut the door and adjusted my mana to block out sound, then turned to Evelyn.
“You okay?”
“Somehow…… our positions flipped fast.”
“That's why you should live nicely.”
“……Pardon? Suddenly?”
“You never know what life throws at you.”
“……Ah.”
Evelyn let out a sigh, as if newly realizing an obvious truth.
I watched her a moment, then flopped onto the sofa and looked up.
“So, you wanted to talk alone. What about?”
“W-Well…… honestly, I don't know. I just needed time to think right now.”
The shock must have hit her hard.
Enough to shed the mask she never dropped in the Black-White Slums.
“I never imagined my brother…… no, Basilin, allying with Decullan. There were so many odd signs, though.”
“Like what?”
“For instance, me getting ousted. Basilin had snagged massive business rights, earned merit, and pressured me…… But no one lands deals that big overnight. Yet we had zero intel coming in.”
“So no chance to prepare?”
“But if he'd allied with Decullan…… it all fits. Right. Decullan. Come to think of it, all those businesses…… they were in Decullan's territory.”
Was she mulling over past regrets?
A bitter smile tugged at Evelyn's lips.
But it didn't take her long to regain her composure.
“Anyway, um…… sorry. It was so unexpected, I got flustered for a bit.”
She shook her head vigorously, slapped her cheeks lightly, and fixed her sparkling eyes on me.
“So, shall we talk business now? Honestly, the situation looks very bad.”
“Yeah. And we weren't planning to stop at just this once anyway.”
Timur didn't know this yet, but we had no intention of ending the auction after one round.
Why else call it the ‘First’ auction?
Yet amid that, Goldrin? Decullan?
For us, aiming to expand not just the auction but various ventures in the Black-White Slums through this, it was a massive wrench.
“What should we do? With Decullan involved…… best to pull out, right?”
“Yeah. Pulling out would be smart.”
Honestly, we could bail even now if we wanted.
I'd spared the four Troubleshooters…… well, meaningless to Decullan, so set that aside.
The one I took down was just a single freelance grunt at best.
The other merely fainted, fully intact.
‘This much won't have them chasing us to the death.’
And we'd poked around knowing?
Well, sure, I knew and poked.
But if they're making an issue of it, they might as well stamp a Decullan seal on our foreheads like slave marks.
Not like that.
……But still.
I thought that far, then casually glanced up at Evelyn.
She was anxiously nibbling her upper lip, clearly reluctant to let go of the Black-White Slums.
‘Yeah, it'd be a shame.’
But pulling out was right.
It was right……
Looking at Evelyn, I found myself asking offhandedly.
“Remember that?”
“What?”
“Anyone's head cracks, they die.”
“Well, sure……”
Her expression said, *Why bring that up now?*
Nothing major.
“I figure Decullan's head cracks, they die too.”
Probably.
I reckoned they would.
‘And……’
It was the perfect stage to announce the Magic Tower's official debut.