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A man with a scarred face lined up in front of the head’s residence. A servant guarding the door announced.

“Raven has arrived.”

The middle door opened silently.

Raven entered, his gaze lowered. He placed a picture on the central table.

“I brought it.”

A middle-aged man resting in the corner rose. He walked over and sat in the seat of honor, glancing at the picture.

“This is the one?”

The picture showed a facial composite.

“He’s the most likely.”

“I’ve never seen him.”

A snake-like man examined the picture.

“I think I know him. It’s Bravo Khan.”

The middle-aged man asked.

“What does he do?”

“He acts like the second-in-command at Dark Soul. He lacks skill and schemes from behind the scenes.”

“Could you be mistaken?”

“There’s only one old man who looks like this.”

The middle-aged man frowned, then looked outside.

“Bring Blok here.”

Blok, with a bandaged forehead, entered.

“You called, Father.”

The middle-aged man scolded, “Call me ‘Head’. You useless fool.”

Blok trembled.

“I apologize, Head.”

“If only you were half the man your brother was. Look at this.”

Blok’s eyes turned fierce as he received the picture.

“Is this him?”

“Yes. This old man killed Krak and Ghetto.”

The middle-aged man looked at Snake.

“Didn’t you say he lacked skill?”

Snake replied.

“Killing them doesn’t require skill. As for Blok…”

Blok protested, “This is him. He’s cunning. He hid his strength. I had to use 2-star magic to escape.”

The middle-aged man muttered, “This is strange. Unless he’s crazy.”

“He lied about us attacking first. It was all an act.”

“That’s why it’s strange. You’re saying no one else was involved?”

The middle-aged man tapped his head.

“No wonder I couldn’t find anything, no matter how hard I dug. You’re saying no third party was involved? That makes even less sense. We already had an agreement with the Dark Soul headquarters. We were supposed to hand Samael over to Urgon and then withdraw from Khaoto. But now, why…”

Snake, who had been listening quietly, interjected.

“Could it be that those Dark Soul bastards have changed their minds?”

“That’s a possibility. But if they were planning to betray us, why would they do it this way? They should’ve gathered all their forces and launched a surprise attack. It wasn’t the headquarters that came, just some kids from the branch causing a ruckus. This is just a warning to us, isn’t it?”

“…That is a bit strange.”

“And there’s no benefit to it. There’s no reason for them to betray us. They know Urgon is behind us. It’s in their best interest to just take our money and leave.”

The middle-aged man, who had been pondering with his chin in his hand, suddenly grimaced.

“Call the chief treasurer.”

A short while later, a skinny old man entered the head house’s residence.

“Chief Treasurer, what’s our current financial situation?”

The old treasurer replied with a fearful expression.

“We’re barely scraping by with this month’s tribute to Urgon. Ever since that day, all the outsiders have left, so there’s almost no income, only expenses…”

The middle-aged man threw a decoration on the table, and the old treasurer clutched his head and collapsed. The middle-aged man immediately turned his head and looked at the man who had brought the picture.

“Raven. I clearly told you to keep things quiet around the businesses. How is it that a single problem at one business still hasn’t been resolved? How are you managing the people under you?”

Raven, who had been listening politely, suddenly smirked and changed his posture. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the middle-aged man with a defiant attitude.

“House Head Cyan. I apologize, but they’re all hot-blooded. Even though we’re hired and paid, we can’t just stand by and let people insult us.”

Snake glared at Raven.

“I hear you have quite a mouth in front of the House Head.”

But Raven continued, unfazed.

“Well, we’re the ones who are wronged. This situation wasn’t in the contract. The atmosphere is getting more dangerous by the day, so it looks like you’ll have to increase the final payment.”

“…What?”

Cyan Bayern, the middle-aged man, stared at Raven in disbelief.

Raven had never once been disrespectful to him. But now, he was suddenly acting so brazenly.

‘Those ungrateful bastards don’t know their place.’

He had hired the lowest-ranked mercenaries, and they were rebelling at a crucial time. They were doing this because they knew they had the upper hand.

He couldn’t fire the mercenaries in this situation.

They couldn’t manage the businesses with just the main house’s members, and they hadn’t figured out Dark Soul’s intentions yet.

They were short-handed.

Cyan forced himself to calm down and fell into thought.

‘I’ve been cautious of even falling leaves.’

He had suppressed his temper because they were on the verge of achieving their great goal.

Once they handed Samael over to Urgon as promised, all that was left was to soar.

But now, a variable had arisen.

Perhaps Dark Soul really did have other intentions.

‘There must be no setbacks.’

Cyan made up his mind, slammed the table, and shouted.

“Gather all the executives. Tell Shane to come too.”

The doors of the head house’s residence swung open, and a bell tolled once. People gathered from all directions and lined up in front of the residence.

“Shane.”

A young man who looked exactly like Cyan bowed his head.

“Go to the Dark Soul headquarters and deliver my message. Hold them accountable for their failure to manage the branch. Tell them they broke the agreement first, so we’ll be attacking the branch. Observe their reaction carefully. If they truly intend to betray us, it’ll show.”

“You’ve decided to make the first move. Will you inform Urgon?”

“Not yet. There’s no need to show them our weakness.”

“Wise decision, Father.”

Cyan looked at Shane with a pleased expression.

Blok, unaware, glanced at them with envy, then quickly composed himself when he noticed Cyan’s glare.

“And Blok, as soon as Shane returns, go straight to the Dark Soul branch. Take Raven and the others, and threaten them. Tell them we’ll launch a full-scale attack if they don’t surrender. It doesn’t matter if it was a staged act or not. We need to normalize the business as soon as possible, whether it’s through surrender or force. Understand?”

“Yes, Father… I mean, House Head.”

Cyan gave several orders to organize the situation, then finally called Snake.

“Snake, did you look into what I asked you about before?”

Snake smiled and replied, “I was just waiting for you to ask.”

“Just the conclusion.”

“It’s as we expected. The Vice Tower Master isn’t in Samael right now. It seems all the other Red Mages have left as well.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. They haven’t been seen for days, so they must have returned to the Magic Tower. I even provoked them a few times, just in case, but there was no unusual response. No one’s there except for the Samael kids.”

A cruel smile spread across Cyan’s face.

“Well, even the Red Magic Tower has no reason to get involved in this matter.”

“I agree.”

“Start putting pressure on them. Bring the repayment deadline forward. We need to finish this quickly.”

Snake bowed his head with the same smile as Cyan.

***

Unexpectedly, the back alley was peaceful for a few days.

I lived like a bum with a reversed sleep schedule, lazing around in the inn during the day and secretly wandering around Khaoto at night.

It was fun playing hide-and-seek like a thief.

There was nothing unusual in the western streets of Khaoto, but I sensed some interesting movements in the east.

Of course, the most interesting change was in our back alley behind Donkey’s place.

It felt like the back alley had suddenly become a popular spot among young people. Donkey’s restaurant was packed, mainly with young customers.

The world works in mysterious ways.

“Haaam.”

Today, like a bum with a reversed sleep schedule, I woke up late in the afternoon and went downstairs, only to find the place almost full.

I sat in a corner and looked outside for a while, when the enticing aroma of stew wafted over.

“Here’s your stew. I specifically asked the chef to take extra care with the stew for the two beautiful ladies. Haha. I added plenty of vegetables too. Beautiful ladies love vegetables.”

“Oh my. You’re as charming as they say.”

I glanced in the direction of the voices.

The Samael business manager, who had become a waiter, looked quite happy.

“Now, after you finish your stew, come take a look at the ‘Starlight Meteorite’ that grants wishes. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it because it’s so rare. You can pool your money together to buy it. Haha, enjoy your meal.”

He was quite the character. The waiter’s actions, like dramatically brushing his hair to the side before turning away from the ladies, were clearly calculated.

I tried to suppress my nausea when I suddenly felt gazes directed at me from around the room.

“…Oh, isn’t that the guy?”

“Looks like it. But I heard he fought Carrot. He’s smaller than I expected.”

“They say some Dark Soul guys died here. Two of them. He probably did it.”

I casually swept my hair back, a melancholic look in my eyes. Acknowledging them would be something only a third-rate person would do.

It wasn’t the first time I’d received such attention. Every time I came downstairs, the young guys would stare at me like I was a monkey.

As I gazed outside with a wistful expression, I noticed a few third-rate thugs approaching from a distance.

This was the first time I’d seen thugs on this street since that day. They didn’t seem to have good intentions.

“Waiter.”

I called the waiter and nodded towards the entrance.

“Looks like we have some distinguished guests. Treat them well.”

The waiter’s eyes sparkled as he nodded, and I turned to go back upstairs. I wanted to give him a chance to sell a mana stone directly and earn a commission.

I lay down on the bedding for a while when I heard a knock at the door.

“Guest?”

“What’s up, waiter? Wow, you already sold it? You’re good.”

The door opened, and the waiter entered with the chef.

“No, damn it. He won’t buy it. You need to come out.”

I smacked the waiter’s head. “Are you a waiter or a business manager? Pick one.”

“Sorry, boss. I tried to sell it, but he didn’t believe me. The guy who ran away that day is with him. He knows your face.”

I couldn’t help it then. I sighed, grabbed my precious item, and left the room. The young people who had been eating had apparently fled, leaving the first floor empty.

“It’s not raining today.”

Two thugs stood at the entrance.

I knew both of them.

One was the guy who ran away when his friend died on that rainy day.

The other was my twin brother.

I waved hello, but they backed away, and my twin brother hurriedly introduced himself.

“I’m Garlic of Dark Soul. This is my subordinate, Brandon.”

“Suddenly?”

Garlic and Brandon exchanged glances. Brandon nodded, and Garlic sighed.

“Are you Ruin Samael?”

I tilted my head. I didn’t remember revealing my name.

“Looks like you’ve been investigating me.”

The waiter whispered from behind, “No, I told them, boss.”

I nodded and walked downstairs to face them.

“Are you here for revenge?”

Garlic shook his head calmly. “If we were, we wouldn’t have come just the two of us. We’re here to deliver a message from the person I serve.”

“Who?”

“Our boss wants to see you.”

———