Chapter 88 - House of the Lost (1)

I pocketed my phone, piled high with missed calls.

Whoosh-!

And stared blankly up at the burning building again.

I had survived the people trying to kill me.

".........."

...But I couldn't exactly call this a case closed.

I had literally just survived the day. To be precise, the day wasn't even fully over yet.

And then.

Creeeak....

Behind me, standing where firelight and the dark night street bled together in front of the burning building, a black limousine pulled to a stop.

No way it was a coincidence given the current situation. I glanced back casually.

The limousine's black window rolled down, revealing an aged, wrinkled face.

A face I'd seen before, if only briefly. It was Chairman Kim.

He must have changed clothes, because he was wearing a sharp, expensive suit.

"...Care to talk for a moment?"

"Did you do that?"

When I gestured with my eyes toward my burning little studio apartment.

"...Yes, I did. But I'm not hostile toward you anymore."

Chairman Kim spoke nonchalantly, trying not to lose control of the conversation.

"How about we move somewhere else first?"

Chairman Kim opened the limousine door and slid over to make room.

"Have you eaten dinner? Well, with all that chaos, I suppose not."

He flashed his sharp fangs and smiled at me.

"Come now, shouldn't you rest comfortably and have a meal? I promise this won't be a bad conversation for you."

".........."

I shrugged and climbed into the limousine.

"...Sure, let's hear what you have to say."

Chairman Kim was momentarily surprised by my unexpectedly easy acceptance, but soon wore a pleased smile.

"Haha! That's the spirit! Pragmatic as expected!"

Kim Yo-han, the bastard must be exhausted from today's fight, and with his base gone, he's mentally cornered.

That made it the perfect time to offer "a deal" as an option.

"You might think it's ridiculous coming from me, but... fighting among ourselves any further is pointless."

I half-listened to Chairman Kim's rambling.

Right, I was just here to listen.

I gazed at the small studio apartment with flames surging out of it through the light-blocking black window.

".........."

I turned my eyes away and leaned back into the limousine seat.

The engine started, and the limousine moved forward, leaving the burning building behind.

***

There's a saying about how the rich stay rich for three generations even after going broke.

The underground restaurant Chairman Kim brought me to wasn't large.

But precisely because of that, it had the upscale atmosphere of a sushi place that only took small-party reservations. Omakase might be the right word for it.

I'd never been to an omakase place, so I couldn't say for sure.

Personally, the interior felt more oppressive than comfortable.

Chairman Kim sat down at the long, unified counter where you could watch the chef prepare the food directly, and spoke.

"This is one of the restaurants I own. Do you like sashimi or sushi? Do you eat it often?"

I settled into the seat next to Chairman Kim.

"Sometimes when I'm craving it, the lunch special at a chain place."

"Hahaha! From now on, whenever you feel like it, come here. There's no comparison."

I subtly turned my head to glance at Chairman Kim's subordinates stationed at the tables behind us.

"Ah, that's just a precaution against a possible attack. All sorts of strange characters have come into Seoul, haven't they?"

Chairman Kim said with a smile, and I turned my head back.

It wasn't important anyway.

A chef whose face radiated the stubbornness of an expensive craftsman was preparing some unidentifiable ingredient with his knife.

Tak- tak-.

Chairman Kim got to the point.

"We got off on a bad foot. You killed my daughter Kim Mi-ryeo..."

"Your cannibal daughter tried to eat my brain."

"...Yeah, she was a complete idiot. She should have picked her targets more carefully. Like I do."

Chairman Kim shifted in his chair to make eye contact with me.

"There's been all kinds of things between us, but... as I said earlier, I'm no longer hostile toward you."

His words slithered like a crawling snake.

"Originally, I wanted to kill you, what with your grimoire being tempting and my anger. But today made me realize... that you're a stronger wizard than I expected, and that fighting you would only bring losses."

Chairman Kim gauged my reaction.

"Remember the leader of the vampire group you fought? The handsome one swinging the greatsword?"

"...Yoannis."

"That's right! Yoannis doesn't know about this yet, but if I explain things to him, he'll understand. No, he'd welcome you with open arms."

Chairman Kim worked his silver tongue to persuade me.

"Taking on the Special Operations Division or other wizards alone, with no safe shelter and no money, is insane. You're smart enough to know that, right?"

Of course, Chairman Kim had never truly forgiven Yo-han for blowing away everything he'd built in one fell swoop.

But he now fully acknowledged his ability.

On top of that, fighting any further was too costly.

With Shin Do-ryong having marked him, foreign wizards of all stripes converging on Seoul, and even a girl wielding angelic power showing up.

That was why Chairman Kim planned to lure Yo-han into his faction and slowly tighten the leash around his neck.

"The reason I set fire to your place was to destroy evidence beforehand, since the Special Operations Division might have raided it later."

...And also to psychologically corner Yo-han.

Yo-han was strong, but alone.

A ceasefire proposal received when both body and mind were worn out after a near-death battle would be tempting.

"I've been rambling on, but...."

They had been trying to kill each other just moments ago, but....

"In short, I'd like us to become partners."

It was common enough among wizards.

"Isn't there a saying about yesterday's enemy being today's friend?"

Chairman Kim bared his teeth in a grin, eyeing <De Vermis Mysteriis> that Yo-han had set on the counter with greedy eyes.

"It's a rational deal. All you have to do is use some magic for us in exchange for gaining a powerful backer."

The chef presented a wooden plate of sashimi, timed perfectly to the end of Chairman Kim's speech.

It was yukhoe, with blood seeping out. [TL: Yukhoe is Korean-style raw beef tartare.]

"It's human meat."

Chairman Kim's eyes curved into crescent moons.

"Ah, proper sushi is of course prepared as well. Think of this as an appetizer."

In the current situation, Yo-han had no choice but to take the extended hand.

"As a gesture of our shared purpose going forward, don't we share animal blood together? That kind of ritual."

"...Are you done talking?"

At the emotionless, calm voice that came from Yo-han, who had been silently listening until now, Chairman Kim flinched briefly and nodded.

"I'm done. ...You must be hungry; I went on too long. Here, eat."

The chef said with a smile.

"Normally I display the corpse and let you watch the slicing, but I apologize for the rushed preparation."

I looked down at the raw meat oozing blood, let out a quiet breath.

"Haah...."

Then raised my head and looked at the chef.

"Sushi chef, put out the hand you use most."

Both the chef and Chairman Kim were bewildered by the random request.

But Chairman Kim signaled with his eyes to do as told, and the chef extended his left hand.

".........?"

CRUNCH-!

The chef's left hand vanished up to the forearm, revealing a cross-section of bone and red flesh.

"Ah, AAAAAGHHH!"

Blood sprayed everywhere along with the chef's scream.

"Wha- GURGH!?"

Chairman Kim's startled body was slammed into the wall.

CRASH-! BANG! BA-BA-BANG!

Then, in an instant, as if a typhoon had swept through the restaurant, the bodies of Chairman Kim's subordinates burst apart like insects.

The once-upscale restaurant was demolished and fouled with human blood and chunks of flesh.

The only untouched spot was the counter where Yo-han sat.

The Invisible Vampire that had wrought this scene.

"Gaaah...."

Grizzly was exhausted and hungry, growling low, but waited for its master's command.

And sure enough, being sturdier than an ordinary human, Chairman Kim wasn't dead. He coughed up blood and spoke.

"Kh, kghhh... Why?"

"How you think of me doesn't matter."

Amid the blood-soaked restaurant, I spoke while still seated in my chair.

"What matters is how I think of you."

Cold, dark eyes looked down at Chairman Kim.

"You're just someone I tried to kill and, unluckily, failed to finish off."

I was just finishing what was left undone.

A guy who sucker-punched someone minding their own business, then offers "protection" and proposes an alliance? What is this, catching Pokemon? Absolute lunatic.

Chairman Kim scrunched his face and gasped for breath.

"Haah! Kghhh! Th-this is insane... Don't let your emotions take over, think rationally!"

Maybe because he was truly on the verge of death, the words came out rapidly even as he coughed up blood.

I thought about Yoannis and the vampire horde.

I thought about the mercenary groups that had chased me from every direction, raining bullets.

I thought about Elsea, who had blown both Grizzly and me away in a single strike.

And then I thought of Si-on... the Special Operations Division.

Well, sure. At this point, setting my emotions aside and siding with Chairman Kim...

...effectively placing myself under Yoannis, would be a fairly smart and rational choice.

It would at least cross the vampire faction off the list of enemies.

I didn't even have a place to stay tonight, after all.

But....

"If I were truly smart and rational,"

As I always said, time and time again.

"I wouldn't have gone into philosophy."

And while safety was important, there was something more important than that.

My master is always me.

I despised having someone else's leash around my neck.

I didn't even want to imagine it... even if it meant getting swept up in the chaos and dying.

Besides, you should live life with a positive outlook.

No good plan came to mind at the moment, but a chaotic situation meant the enemies were just as confused.

Why else would Chairman Kim have come to propose an alliance?

I'd find a way forward in the disorder.

Crack-.

Grizzly's arm, pinning Chairman Kim down, tightened with force.

"Ah, AAAAGHH-."

What Chairman Kim hadn't known was that just before escaping the shopping mall, Grizzly had devoured Hard, who had attacked Yo-han and gotten deep-fried, and was already somewhat recovered.

Having never expected Yo-han to react this way, Chairman Kim screamed desperately, saying anything he could to survive.

"W-wait! ...Re- Revenge! Even if you get your revenge, it'll only feel good for a moment! What good does this do!? Your situation won't improve! Revenge accomplishes nothing!"

"...Revenge accomplishes nothing. I don't know why you'd bother stating the obvious."

I looked down at Chairman Kim with an indifferent expression.

"Revenge isn't about producing something. It's about settling a debt."

I said in a calm voice.

"Think of it like a receipt. You pay for what you got."

Chairman Kim's eyes went wide.

"W-wait! Wait!"

I ignored him and spoke.

"Eat."

"Gyaah~."

With its master's permission, Grizzly cried out happily and began its dinner.

CRUNCH! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK! CRUNCH!

"AAAAAAAAGHHH!"

Perhaps because of his powerful life force, Chairman Kim didn't die immediately and was torn apart alive.

"GKKHAAAAAAGH!"

I continued speaking to Chairman Kim as Grizzly devoured him.

"Oh, and don't worry about the change. I'm a generous person."

After saying that, I couldn't help but quietly laugh at the absurdity of it all.

"...Haha."