章 97: Cleanup (1)
"...What the hell did I just hear?"
I was dumbfounded.
It felt like I had been hit with a hammer.
I thought about why Elise had just spouted such bizarre words, and ah.
It could be misunderstood.
Borrowing ten minutes. Waiting in the dressing room.
More than that, isn't it dangerous to let Elise go now?
I hastily stuck to the window.
Outside the Palette Theater, there was already a waiting magic carriage limousine. Near it, I could see a knight and a wizard.
"The escort... is solid."
I was slightly dumbfounded.
After all, how much does a magic carriage experience cost? Naturally, it's not just Elise going alone, so it's normal for the magic carriage to provide an escort.
Then, was Elise not the original target of Berhalsi's kidnapping?
But Noah definitely said 'a big shot close to me'. He also added that it was related to the play.
No matter how much I think about it, other than Elise-
"...Wait a minute."
A thought that suddenly crossed my mind.
Other than Elise, a big shot who left before the play ended.
There is one.
There is, but...
I came out of the dressing room.
"Isn't it too late?"
"Ugh!"
Noah was standing in the corridor. I almost punched him in the face.
"Surprise... What the hell? Where do you keep appearing from?"
"The play was fun. I was almost moved. I love revenge too, don't I?"
Noah said that and handed over a bouquet of flowers. A note saying [Duke's Fan] was stuck in the lush roses.
"Are you crazy... No, more than that, you. What was your intention in casting voodoo? It could have been a big deal."
I asked that first. Noah raised an eyebrow.
"...For your entertainment."
Is he really crazy?
Anyway. Thanks to Noah coming here, I definitely know who the big-shot Berhalsi is targeting.
I mistakenly thought it was Elise and something strange and annoying happened, but.
"Let's not see each other again."
I said as I passed Noah.
"Where are you going?"
"I have to go to the big shot you mentioned."
Strictly speaking, there's no 'need' to go. Even if I don't go, it will be resolved on its own.
But opportunities to score points are rare.
Noah asked in a tone of surprise.
"It seems a bit late already. What are you going to do when you get there?"
"What to do. I have to clean up."
"...Alone?"
I didn't answer. I just left the Palette Theater. There happened to be a delivery rider nearby.
"Excuse me. Can I borrow your bike?"
"...Yes?"
I got on the bike. I immediately stepped on the accelerator.
"No, excuse me!"
The speed seemed slow, but whether I arrived late or early won't matter much.
"Hey, come back! Hey, you son of a bitch!!!!!"
The big shot Berhalsi is aiming for is probably that son of a bitch, no.
It's probably 'Jade'.
* * *
Jade's Setablex was moving along the deserted highway. The destination was Libra's Aerial Garden. Perhaps because the magic festival was in full swing, the area was quiet and calm.
On that leisurely journey, Jade leaned back in his seat, listening to classical music. The melody from the high-end speakers was quite elegant.
"Sir Jade, we've been going in circles."
At some point, the chauffeur spoke up. Jade slightly opened his eyes and looked at the scenery outside the window.
It was too silent.
And too deserted.
Even if it was due to the festival, it would be normal to see at least a person or a car.
"I see."
In fact, Jade had already noticed. Quite some time ago, he had detected unknown magic particles.
"…It could be a Mirage Barrier-"
The chauffeur was in the middle of speculating when suddenly…
A massive object fell from the sky. It was a considerable weight.
Boom——!
It crushed the sedan's bonnet, causing the car to bounce up and then settle back down. Immediately after, numerous new models appeared on the roadside surrounding the sedan.
"These damned ruffians!"
The chauffeur got out of the car with a furious expression. Activating his Magic Body, he began to swing his staff at them.
"You damned bastards! What about safety!"
─…Oh dear. Is the person in there a Chairman or a King?
A deep voice, echoing as if spoken in a cave, casually deflected the chauffeur's words.
The man was a bounty hunter. He was nearly 3m tall, and with each step he took, the asphalt sunk beneath his feet.
─What safety? If you're going to prattle about safety, you should drive safely.
His name was Berhalsi Lanominel.
An A-class monster of the underworld.
"Get lost! If you back off now, I won't hold you accountable."
Despite the monstrous appearance of the man, the chauffeur didn't back down. Instead, he drew the sword from his waist and glared at the monster's head.
"Do you want to make Libra your enemy?"
─I don't plan on making enemies. But you're not from Libra. Your pet should step down.
Berhalsi flicked his finger. A crescent wave formed and distorted the chauffeur's body.
─What a nuisance.
Berhalsi, chuckling, slowly walked up to the front of the bonnet. He waved at Jade, who was visible through the broken windshield.
─Master, please get out. Before I smash your car to pieces.
"..."
Without a word, Jade opened the door. He slowly stood on the pavement.
Still, without losing his dignity.
─…Master, let's not make this harder than it needs to be.
Berhalsi raised an eyebrow suggestively. Jade looked at the dead chauffeur and muttered.
"I need a replacement."
─That's right. Consider this a lesson, and next time, how about you bring someone stronger?
"I don't need someone stronger."
Jade put his hand in his pocket. Berhalsi and his gang of monsters tensed up slightly, but all Jade pulled out was a pair of gloves.
A pair of gloves with a black background and gold lines embossed on them. They didn't look particularly special, just a luxury item.
"I just need someone who can take a hit."
Jade, donning gloves, clenched and unclenched his fists, seemingly trying to familiarize himself with the sensation. The stiff leather made a sound: *squeak-squeak*.
"Fine. Just give me 30 million Ren. I don't ask for more. There's a very useful app called Darkweb these days. Once you deposit the money, I'll step aside."
Berhalsi extended his palm towards him. Jade lifted his gaze to meet his. There was no emotion in Libra's blue eyes.
No anger, no fear, no terror, just a calm void of meaning.
"You're asking for a lot. For a mere pawn."
The words that sprang from his mouth were supremely arrogant and haughty, as if scolding a servant.
Berhalsi's face twisted.
"…Indeed. This is the problem with nobles. Their pride prevents them from objectively assessing their situation."
The lion stretched his neck and arms, activating his Magic Body with his massive physique.
"No choice then. I'll have to resort to kidnapping."
Berhalsi stomped his foot. A shockwave radiated from his footstep, crumbling the asphalt beneath.
It was a Spectrum called 「Rapid Acceleration」. The moment the Magic Body is activated, the physical body accelerates to near sonic speed, while perceived time slows down immensely.
"Heh heh heh…"
Berhalsi charged with the agility of a cheetah, a dark smile on his face, towards the nobleman on the other side.
Meanwhile, Jade stood still, merely fiddling with his gloves as he watched him…
Strange.
That's what Berhalsi thought.
His perceived time had stretched out like a thread. His thought process had also accelerated.
But now, Jade was too relaxed. His eyes blinking as he watched him. The *squeak-squeak* of his gloves as he clenched and unclenched them.
Everything was ordinary.
As if he alone was in normal time.
Berhalsi found it unsettling, but he was already within striking distance. The lion's fist reached out towards Jade. At the end of it, Jade was looking into his eyes.
Suddenly, an explosion of murderous intent. The killing intent he had been holding back all this time. An overwhelming amount of magic swallowed Berhalsi's attack.
"…Huh."
For a moment, Berhalsi's intuition screamed. A series of thoughts flashed by like a carousel.
The nobleman standing before him was stronger than any monster he had encountered in the underworld for over a decade.
Stronger than any knight he had killed countless times.
Even stronger than those who control the Master Cartel.
No, they're not even on the same level.
They can't even stand on the same plane as this man.
A towering superiority.
"Ha…"
Berhalsi let out a hollow laugh.
Why was such a monster unknown until now?
Why did I have to find out?
"──You vermin."
Jade threw a punch. The surface of the glove made contact with Berhalsi's forehead.
Hard.
Or perhaps, just a touch.
In that instant, Berhalsi's consciousness disintegrated.
The shock at his forehead spread throughout his body. The skin closest to his head tore apart, and his internal organs and bones crumbled to dust.
Just one punch.
Berhalsi exploded, scattering a spray of purple blood.
______________________________________________________________________
I detected a very suspicious barrier in the suburbs. A 「Barrier Magic Spell: Distortion」 that cunningly twists the inside to prevent escape.
I peered into it with the SZX-9500, and sure enough, Jade was inside.
"...It will be over soon."
──Fine. Just give me 30 million Ren. I don't ask for more. There's a very useful app called Darkweb these days. Once you deposit the money, I'll step aside.
Berhalsi was threatening Jade.
It wouldn't work. What they're doing is a suicide robbery. Not self-harm, but suicide robbery.
Jade is a unique human.
As I've said before, if he had been involved in gangster activities rather than business, he would have become an enormous force, wouldn't he?
We, no, the continent, should consider it fortunate that Jade is obsessed with unnecessary formalities and ceremonies and the ostentatious nobility.
Why?
Because he's strong.
Extremely so.
Among the Libra clan, no, in the half-millennium history of Edsilla, he is one of the few, dare I say, the greatest of the current era.
A monster capable of taking on an entire family lineage single-handedly.
Simply put a truly overwhelming force.
The reason his strength, which is beyond normal standards, has not been revealed so far is simple.
Due to the Libra tradition of not revealing oneself to the outside world, and more than anything, because Jade himself is obsessed with dignity.
He doesn't create situations where he has to use his fists. If such a situation arises, he 'definitely' kills the other party.
Therefore, until the internal strife of Libra, half of the people didn't know that Jade was the strongest.
Even I was one of them.
However, the person Zia, who later rose to power and swallowed up Libra, had the most trouble with, and the person who almost killed her was not the eldest son Derek, nor was it the eldest daughter Johanna.
It was the second son, Jade.
Jade, Siloi Libra Geden.
Crack─!
Just then, Berhalsi's body burst. He was literally blown up by Jade's fist.
Even if you stuffed a magic particle bomb into his mouth, it wouldn't explode like that.
───!
Soon after, the barrier vibrated.
It was due to Jade's speed, which had broken the limit. The 'sonic boom' caused by his movement, surpassing Mach speed, was shaking the barrier haphazardly.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A spectacle beyond my ability to follow with my eyes.
Just the sound of something bursting for precisely 3 seconds.
The barrier was already broken, and on the asphalt, not even a piece of flesh was left, only cells of what had once been living beings remained.
"...Impressive."
As always, he's tremendous. I murmured quietly, capturing the spectacle.
Jade, far away, looked back at me.
Probably a distance of about 10 kilometers.
I looked at him from there, and he looked at me.
───Whooosh!
Immediately, a gale swept through. When I came to my senses, my body was glued to the ground. I blinked up, stunned.
Jade was standing there.
"...."
He looked down at me. Not a drop of blood was on his clothes.
"Nothing happened."
He took off his glove and threw it at my chest. I immediately understood what he meant.
"...Yes."
Then he raised an eyebrow, and whooosh──!
Another gust of wind blew.
"Ugh."
This time, my upper clothes were completely torn, and Jade was gone.
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