Chapter 23
Buying a new house or even building one from scratch wasn't an issue. I'd received 10 billion, but it wasn't like I was short on cash to begin with. Besides, even though there had been a fire, all the important documents and magic books were protected by additional wards, so there was no risk of damage. Destroying them would require something on the level of 8th Circle Master-grade Hellfire.
We returned to the house after the fire was fully extinguished. As we pushed through the gawking crowd marveling at the skeletal frame and the intact study shielded by barriers, murmurs rippled among the onlookers. One of the lingering firefighters spotted me and approached.
"Is the interior okay?"
"Just focus on the other areas. There's no basement, and it's a two-story above-ground building. If everything's burned to the ground, you're free to go."
The fact that firefighters were still monitoring the site suggested the blaze had been prolonged by magic—likely the cause of this mess. With substantial fire insurance in place, the aftermath would be handled smoothly.
But the real hassle was packing up all this stuff.
Thanks to the barriers, no one but me can access it anyway, so I could leave it... but if I'm rebuilding, better clear it out.
Just the magic books and ancient tomes in the study numbered over 20,000 by rough count. Artifacts from other worlds—some deciphered, others piled like mountains waiting for analysis—made the dilemma all too real.
Can my subspace handle it?
Expanding a subspace was simple: allocate mana as "cost." But for me, mana usage was always doubled. The problem was that this cost multiplier applied to subspaces too.
It allowed for a massive subspace, and I already had a decently large one in use. But expanding further might leave me unable to cast even a single full set of spells.
Four full spell sets... If split into smaller units, that's mana for 200 mid-range casts. But against unknown enemies, is that worth the waste?
And the two suspects behind this mess were no joke.
Choo Myeong-hun can't act openly, so the Magic Tower will be the main foe. But the current Tower Master is a tricky one.
Most 1st-gen mages had been killed or gone into hiding. The survivors formed the Magic Tower as a collective for protection. Now, a dubious figure calling himself—or herself?—the "Sage" lorded over it as Tower Master.
Pi Jin-hyuk is an 8th Circle beginner—below me in practice, but not to be underestimated.
If Han Sang-gil or Jeong Gil-sun stepped in, it'd be ideal, but neither wanted all-out war with the Tower. With the country stabilized and the new government pushing to minimize awakener conflicts, that was off the table.
Even without Choo Myeong-hun, that meddlesome Kim Dae-san might poke his nose in...
Jeong Gil-sun's involvement probably meant Kim Dae-san was already aware. The two were close.
Too many complications. Monsters of power and wealth...
I wanted to sweep them all away, but my strength was limited. I never imagined this body, tiring so quickly, would feel this frustrating.
No, I'd never even noticed the inconvenience until now. But it was time to reinterpret things—and pay attention to what I'd ignored.
Change it step by step. Starting now...
In the end, I poured a massive chunk of mana into the subspace cost and swept the study, vaults, everything into it.
"Whew... When do I rebuild this place? Tsk."
Money would handle it, but the time sink was regrettable.
* * *
"How'd it go?"
It was late when I returned to Go Yu-jin's mansion. I checked the mana flows and confirmed the preparations were intact.
"Smoothly resolved. Though there might be some talk."
"You killed them?"
"Avenged the house."
"And the rest?"
"Just chalk it up to Doomsday Cult thugs running wild."
She looked skeptical. She knew how formidable my house wards were.
"Tell me the truth. Are the enemies... that powerful, to need hiding it?"
"Not at all. There aren't even proper enemies left—any remnants are my personal ties. Nothing for you to worry over, President."
Realizing I wouldn't elaborate, Go Yu-jin pleaded earnestly.
"Call on me anytime. I'm always on your side."
Grateful words. She headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner, telling me to wash up and change first. As I walked to my assigned room in this absurdly grand mansion—still not quite used to it—I sensed a new presence and flared my mana.
That's when it happened.
"I-it's me! Me!"
An So-mi's panicked voice. Curious why she'd come along today, I asked.
"Do you visit often?"
"Gonna crash here a while because of you, Geum Seong-chan."
"...Because of me?"
I tilted my head in confusion, and she shot back with an incredulous look.
"You really don't know?"
"If I did, I wouldn't ask."
"Seriously... men..."
"Not fond of backbiting. Even on the battlefield, it sparked factionalism—claims that men and women are worlds apart wrecked operations too..."
"Stop! That's not what I meant!"
When I asked what she did mean, she stared long and hard before speaking.
"Yu-jin living alone in this huge place bugs me enough. Then those damn Doomsday Cult freaks burn your house—how can I relax? And bringing in some random guy? Who knows what could happen?"
"I'm not that sleazy."
"Men don't hesitate if the situation's right."
Not wrong. Still, the potential criminal label demanded a retort.
"Not every man is like that. And in those situations, women aren't so