Chapter 53
"Oh, young lady, you're so bright and pretty, it's a joy to see."
"Aww, what are you saying? But still, thank you for the compliment, hehe."
"You said these were for your disciple, right? He's certainly chosen his subordinates well, that disciple of yours."
"It's all because our young master has such good standing! Our young master is incredibly amazing! He's a 3rd Circle mage, no less..."
"Alright, alright, I get it. I've heard that twice already while making this. Here, this is for you, young lady, eat it on your way."
"Oh, really? Can I actually have this? Thank you!"
Alice bowed respectfully to the proprietress and left the store.
"Heh heh, hum. Going to give the yummy treats to the young master..."
Alice hummed a tune, a large bag clutched in her arms.
She'd gone around so many shops, buying anything Kain might like the moment she saw it, that her hands were full.
A shop owner, seeing her struggle, had simply given her a large bag.
Alice carefully organized the snacks inside, making sure they wouldn't get crushed, and hugged the bag gently.
"Our young master will definitely be hard at work, training or whatever, when everyone else is asleep. So he'll be craving something sweet."
As it was, the snacks she'd bought in the Hyperen region had rapidly dwindled during their journey across the swamp, and by a day or two before arriving in Ashbone, they were all gone.
"I need to hurry and give him the warm, freshly baked bread first."
Alice's lips curved into a smile as she recalled Kain's expression when he saw snacks – his eyes widening slightly, and his voice subtly rising by half a tone, even though he tried not to show it.
"Should I take that shortcut I saw earlier? Hehe."
On the way there, she'd had to browse the shops, so she took the crowded and complicated main road, but there was no need for that on the way back.
Alice headed down a less crowded alley to reach the inn before the bread cooled.
And, unfortunately, she got lost.
"Uh... I'm sure this way was supposed to lead to a main road..."
Ashbone's alleys were more complex than she'd thought, and Alice realized she had no choice but to turn back before getting even more lost.
"Phew... Trying to go fast for nothing..."
Feeling a bit disheartened, Alice paused for a moment and pulled out a piece of bread the proprietress had given her separately.
The moment she took a bite.
"What?! The old woman was hit?!"
Someone's rough shout echoed, followed by the sound of footsteps nearby.
Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap.
"Yes. She was just discovered."
Alice instinctively held her breath, bread still in her mouth, and pressed her back flat against the wall, hiding herself.
"Damn it! It couldn't be those Silver Fang bastards after the goods, could it? The transaction is tomorrow..."
"I don't know either. We need to go check immediately."
"Alright. Let's run."
"Yes, sir!"
Tap-tap-tap.
Fortunately, the footsteps quickly passed by where Alice was hiding.
Alice, her eyes wide as she quietly chewed her bread, swallowed what was in her mouth only after the footsteps completely faded.
"...What was that?"
The old woman was hit? After the goods? Transaction day?
It sounded like something an underworld organization would say.
'Is this what they call an underworld organization? I almost got into serious trouble...!'
Alice realized she had taken a very wrong turn and immediately started retracing her steps.
Fortunately, she had mostly walked in a straight line so far, so going back wasn't difficult.
'I should have listened to Nefty!'
—Sis, you're bad with directions, so when you're in an unfamiliar place, you should always take the most crowded paths. Got it?
—Don't worry! I'm too scared to go down narrow, dark paths!
It had been a mistake to forget her fear and choose a narrow alley, all because she was eager to bring snacks to Kain quickly.
'Still, I was lucky. I really need to be careful from now on.'
Alice quickly emerged onto the main road.
The bustling sounds of people felt especially welcoming.
'The sun hasn't even set yet, and they're already fighting. Ashbone is scarier than I thought. Just in case, I should tell the young master to be careful too.'
Alice mumbled as she finished the remaining bread, quickening her pace towards the inn.
"Th-this way."
The man guided Kain with a trembling voice.
'What kind of monster is this?'
He was clearly shorter and smaller than himself, looking no older than eighteen.
Yet, he was doing his best to avoid displeasing Kain, carefully watching his every move.
'Damn it, I can't believe what I'm seeing.'
When he first heard that a young kid had come alone to investigate the Silver Fang, he scoffed.
So he'd come with two comrades, just to see what kind of greenhorn this kid was...
But when they arrived, this monstrous kid was annihilating the old woman and her subordinates all by himself.
Finally, after the battle ended and silence fell.
He was debating whether to flee now, or to try a surprise attack when the kid thought it was all over.
But then, when Kain said he knew they were hiding and told them to come out, he found himself instinctively answering in polite speech.
'Still, it was a wise choice.'
One of his comrades, who had come with him, had tried to escape when he saw an opportunity and was pierced through by a Fire Arrow, dying instantly.
The other had tried to lead Kain on, then attempted a surprise attack at close range, failed, and died.
Only he remained, surviving by dutifully guiding Kain to the Silver Fang's hideout.
'Even so, if I just reach their headquarters...'
Although Kain possessed mysterious combat power, the fact that the highest level of magic he used was Fire Wall clearly indicated he was a 3rd Circle mage.
And whatever a 3rd Circle mage intended to do at the Silver Fang headquarters, the outcome was predetermined.
"This is it."
The building Kain arrived at appeared to be a converted large, abandoned warehouse.
"Yes, that's right. Hahaha. Come on in."
The man who brought Kain quickly opened the door first and slipped inside the building.
Kain slowly followed him in.
Unlike outside, the inside of the building was quite bright.
Thanks to the large luminous stones hanging from the high ceiling.
On the second-floor railing, Silver Fang syndicate members stood positioned around the perimeter.
And in the middle of the spacious first floor, a single large man stood.
Contrary to expectations, they didn't immediately rush at Kain or hurl throwing weapons.
Instead, the large man standing in the center of the first floor looked at Kain and spoke.
"So it's you. The one who came alone to investigate us."
A deep, resonant bass voice echoed through the warehouse.
"That's right, boss! I brought him! Hahahaha!"
As soon as the syndicate member who guided Kain was a safe distance away from him, he hastily scurried over to the large man.
"Yes, you brought him."
"That's righ—"
But he couldn't finish his sentence.
Grip.
"Gak."
The massive man grabbed his head with a large, gauntleted hand.
And squeezed.
Crack. Crackle.
"Kuaaaak!"
A scream rang out, accompanied by the sound of a skull crushing.
"You should speak properly. Not 'brought him,' but 'bowed and escorted him in.'"
As if he couldn't even bear to hear the scream, the massive man flung the syndicate member backward, still holding his head.
Thud.
The syndicate member's body hit a steel structure and fell, grotesquely twisted.
His screams were no longer heard.
The massive man looked at Kain.
Throughout the unfolding situation, Kain had maintained a blank expression, not even a twitch of an eyebrow.
The massive man grinned for the first time.
"I like your guts. So, you're the one who caught Regwin and handed him over to the peacekeepers?"
Only then did Kain show a look of surprise.
"Word travels fast."
He had asked the telegraph office and the peacekeepers to delay leaking the information about catching the bandits as much as possible, but it seemed it hadn't been very effective.
"Because we have a quite capable informant."
At that, one of the syndicate members on the second floor puffed out his chest and spoke cheerfully.
"You flatter me, boss. Hah hah!"
"Shut up. I told you not to butt in."
"Yes, sorry!"
"If it weren't for your information gathering, I would have ripped your mouth off and killed you already..."
The syndicate member quietly shut his mouth as the massive man sent a murderous glare his way.
"Anyway, you'll either be sold off or die soon, so before that, let me ask. Why are you investigating us?"
"I want to know about the client who arranged for Regwin to be dispatched to the swamp."
"That's none of your business."
"So a client does exist, then."
With that last answer, Kain could confirm that the dispatch to the swamp was not an arbitrary decision by the Silver Fang.
The man, realizing he had been tricked, scowled.
"...I've just decided. I'll break your limbs and sell you off with just your life clinging on."
The massive man clenched his fist.
"The process will be extremely painful. I'll break each one of them myself."
Kain subtly surveyed the inside of the building with his eyes.
The syndicate members positioned on the second floor didn't seem to intend to move.
Presumably, the massive man in front of him had told them not to interfere, stating he would handle Kain personally.
However.
"Fire Needle. Divide."
Kain knew.
His opponent, he knew, would inevitably scream, "Damn it! What are you doing?! Kill this bastard!" once cornered.
He'd experienced it countless times in his previous life.
Rather than reacting then, a preemptive strike while the opponent was still was far more efficient.
"Spread."
With Kain's incantation, three of the divided Fire Needles shot towards the massive man, while the rest instantly scattered and flew towards the syndicate members on the second floor.
And with a slight adjustment of coordinates, aiming more precisely at the syndicate members' vital points...
"You insolent brat!"
Thud.
The huge man pushed off the ground, charging towards the Fire Needles instead.
He swung his mana-infused gauntlet, shattering all three Fire Needles simultaneously.
This was to prevent Kain from having the time to individually control the Fire Needles and target his vital points.
He didn't stop, immediately pushing off the ground once more.
"…!"
The distance closed instantly.
A massive fist flew towards Kain's left shoulder.
Crack.
Mana swiftly swirled around Kain's legs.
The next moment, the fist sliced through the air.
"Oh ho. So he's not just a magic-user after all."
Undeterred by the missed attack, the man immediately twisted his body, thrusting his other hand out and cornering Kain.
Then, watching for the moment Kain, trapped in the corner, would try to slip past him, he aimed a punch at his torso.
"Gotcha."
"Fireball."
Unable to fully escape, Kain summoned and condensed a dense Fireball where the punch was coming.
"Just a mere fireball!"
No matter how dense it was or how much its physical force was maximized, there was no way it could completely stop the heavy gauntlet.
And then.
"Explode."
Kwaaaang!
The condensed Fireball exploded, sending Kain's body flying backward.
Cha-aaak.
Kain balanced himself in mid-air, landed on his feet, and slid backward.
"You're quite good at these petty tricks!"
Thud!
The massive man charged at Kain without a moment's rest.
"Fire Wall."
A barrier of fire rose between Kain and the large man.
Even if its inherent physical force was lacking, it would be difficult to break through a continuously rising Fire Wall in one go when he had mana wrapped around his entire body and fists...
"…!"
The moment he thought that, the massive figure burst through the fire barrier and charged.
"He's insane."
The massive man, to minimize the resistance between their mana, withdrew the mana wrapped around his body the moment he plunged into the Fire Wall.
In other words, he had broken through the flames in one go with his bare body.
The distance they had painstakingly created was closed again, but there were also side effects to going through the flames bare.
'His vision.'
He covered his eyes with his arm to protect them as he burst through the flames.
Kain didn't miss that blind spot, approached, and drew a dagger from his waist, thrusting it forward.
Puk.
The dagger dug into flesh.
If he were to just slice it open while it was still enchanted with mana...
'...It's not moving.'
The muscles near the pierced area tightened, and mana gathered, hindering movement.
As the dagger wouldn't budge, Kain immediately threw himself backward.
Whoosh.
The gauntlet passed through the spot where Kain had been.
"Kukuku. This is fun. So much fun!"
The massive man pulled out the dagger embedded in his body and threw it to the ground.
'This won't be easy.'
He was certain after fighting him.
His opponent was a 5-star martial artist.
Kain had deliberately avoided using ice magic, both when fighting the old woman's subordinates and in the current battle.
'Unlike the swamp, there are other factions related to the black market here, and some of the Silver Fang members are likely still outside.'
Even if all witnesses here were eliminated, traces would remain.
While pulverizing him into tiny pieces and burning them to erase all traces was a method, the very scene where everything was incinerated would itself become an unnatural sign.
But.
"This is how you get to enjoy breaking something!"
Thud.
The massive man's movements became even faster.
The distance closed relentlessly.
And his immense physique allowed him to directly confront fire magic.
In contrast, the burden on Kain's body, which had been continuously reinforcing itself throughout the fight, was steadily increasing.
"It's over!"
The man's eyes gleamed wildly.
A fist flew towards him, an unavoidable angle and speed.
The moment Kain decided to freeze his punch and eliminate all witnesses here.
Whoosh.
"What?!"
The fist sliced through the air.
It wasn't because Kain used ice magic, nor because the massive man misfired his punch.
'That just now...'
Mana gathered around the man's forearm at the last moment.
And a small shockwave that altered the direction of the punch.
Condensation and expansion of air.
'It was wind magic.'
Kain immediately extended his senses, scanning the second floor.
About half of the syndicate members lay collapsed on the second floor, while the other half looked down at them.
And among those looking down was the informant who had interfered earlier.
'Surely...'
At the start of the battle, Kain had scattered Fire Needles.
Because the massive man charged immediately, he couldn't fire any more, nor could he confirm who was hit properly by the scattered attack and who wasn't.
But he distinctly remembered aiming quite precisely at that informant, believing it necessary to subdue him at least.
Yet, the informant looking down at them now was completely unharmed.
The informant sighed deeply, looking at Kain.
"Haa... If only you'd come two days later. Well, I guess it can't be helped."
Then, he snapped his fingers in the air.
"Wind Ripper."
The necks of everyone inside the building, except Kain and him, shot up into the sky.
