Chapter 152

Chapter 152

“Whew!”

Zeon brushed the dust from his shoulders and hair and let out a faint sigh.

He had only intended to watch Alexandro’s group’s backs for a short while, but seeing them through until they left the dangerous region had taken a full fifteen days.

The journey had grown longer than expected.

He wanted to hurry home, wash, and rest.

Before entering the slums, Zeon looked toward the place where the White Bear Caravan’s fortress had once stood.

No trace of the fortress remained.

The piled-up sand had erased every trace.

Wind mixed with sand buried everything in this way.

Even the traces of someone’s tearful, bloody efforts.

‘Fleeting.’

Zeon shook his head slightly and began walking.

Even so, perhaps because it had been so long since he had returned, the filthy slums felt welcoming.

“Zeon!”

“Brother!”

As soon as Zeon entered the slums, there were people who greeted him warmly.

They were Briel and Levin.

Zeon smiled and said,

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Mm!”

“Phew! Don’t even ask. This little kid sat here and waited every single day.”

At their answers, Zeon’s smile deepened.

It was the first time he had realized that having someone wait for him could feel this good.

“That’s nice. Let’s go home now.”

“It’d be better to go home later.”

“Why?”

“A lot of flies have gathered.”

“Really?”

At Briel’s sullen expression, Zeon looked slightly apologetic.

He had expected as much.

While facing the Balrog, Zeon had revealed his ability.

His ability as a Sandmancer.

It was only a matter of time before the rumor spread through the mouths of the few remaining survivors.

By now, many people must have learned that Zeon was a Sandmancer.

In this world that had turned into a desert, the uses of a Sandmancer were limitless. Many people who had finished their calculations were already moving to draw Zeon in.

Briel looked at Zeon with a resentful expression.

“Why did you do that? If you were going to reveal your ability, you should’ve just killed everyone inside the barrier. Then the secret would’ve stayed hidden.”

“I can’t live like that forever. And it was a secret that would have been revealed eventually anyway. If I couldn’t keep it until the end, I thought it would be better to reveal it when it had the most value.”

Moreover, his opponent had been the Balrog.

It was not an opponent he could fight while hiding his ability. It was a monster powerful enough that Zeon had to face it seriously, so he had no choice but to open the authority of the Sandmancer.

If he had revealed his ability against a small monster or some insignificant creature, the upper ranks of each district would have viewed Zeon as nothing more than something to be used. But since he had shown himself crushing a mighty monster like the Balrog, their minds must have become complicated as well.

Zeon placed a hand on Briel’s and Levin’s shoulders and said,

“Let’s go to Old Man Kleksi’s shop.”

“To eat?”

“Yeah. I’ve been eating nothing but jerky, so I want some proper food.”

“Mm!”

The three of them headed toward the street where Old Man Kleksi’s stall was located.

The moment Old Man Kleksi saw Zeon, he glared at him sharply.

“So you’re back, you sly bastard. To think you tricked me so completely.”

“About what?”

“Your ability. To think you weren’t controlling flame, but sand.”

“Why does that matter?”

“How could you hide it even from me? How could you, when we’re so close......”

“Stop pretending to be upset and just give me food.”

“Hmph! Was it that obvious?”

“Very.”

“You boring bastard. Wait a little.”

Old Man Kleksi wrinkled his nose and began making food.

Zeon sat down and watched him.

As Old Man Kleksi busily moved his hands, he opened his mouth.

“You probably already know this, but because of you, every district is in an uproar. Each district sent people into the slums to recruit you. Those bastards are turning the place upside down trying to get information about you.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, even so, the information they can get about you is limited. Hehe!”

Old Man Kleksi smiled slyly.

He held the slums’ information firmly in his grasp.

As long as he kept hold of information about Zeon, outsiders could only obtain a very small portion of it.

Zeon gave a faint laugh.

“Should I say thank you?”

“No need. I’m not doing this to receive your thanks. Thanks to you, people who should have died did not die. That is enough.”

If the Balrog had been released, the first place it would have devastated was the slums.

That was also the reason Neo Seoul left the slums alone.

When an unexpected disaster like this occurred, they used the slums as a shield to buy time.

With Neo Seoul’s military power, they would have fully prepared a response before the Balrog reached them.

In the meantime, how many people in the slums died was none of Neo Seoul’s concern.

Knowing that, Old Man Kleksi was thanking Zeon.

Zeon said,

“My house is in the slums. I couldn’t exactly stand by and watch my own home be destroyed. So you don’t need to thank me.”

“You really aren’t honest.”

“Where would you find someone as honest as me?”

“Fine. Let’s say that is true. Eat this.”

Thud!

Old Man Kleksi placed a rice bowl in front of Zeon.

The portion was larger than usual, and it was generously filled.

“Thank you for the food.”

Zeon picked up his spoon.

Perhaps because it had been so long since he had eaten it, it tasted even better.

Old Man Kleksi also gave Levin and Briel a bowl each.

The two also thanked Old Man Kleksi and began eating.

Watching the three of them eat the food he had made with such relish, Old Man Kleksi smiled warmly.

Just looking at the three made him feel good.

Because he had seen them so often, the three now felt like his actual grandchildren.

‘Haa! I must not have many days left to live. To think I’d feel this sort of emotion.’

Click, clack! Click, clack!

At that moment, someone’s footsteps suddenly rang out.

It was the sound of high heels, something rarely heard in the slums.

Old Man Kleksi frowned and looked in the direction of the sound.

A woman was walking toward them, her hair neatly brushed back without a single strand out of place.

She wore a red suit that clung tightly to her body from top to bottom, and red high heels with tall heels.

At a glance, it was not clothing that suited the slums.

Even in Neo Seoul, only a very small number of people dressed like that. And Old Man Kleksi knew the representative figure among them.

“Haa!”

Old Man Kleksi sighed as he looked at the woman.

The woman sat down beside Zeon without hesitation.

She stared quietly at the rice bowl Zeon was eating, then opened her mouth.

“That looks delicious. Give me the same thing.”

“I’m out of ingredients.”

“It’s been so long since we last met. Are you really going to be this stingy?”

“We’re not close enough for me to go through the trouble of finding ingredients I don’t have and making food for you.”

“Then make it with whatever ingredients you do have. You can do that much, can’t you?”

“You leech.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The woman smiled coldly.

With an expression of disgust, Old Man Kleksi began making a rice bowl.

Having achieved her purpose, the woman looked at Zeon.

At her sharp gaze, Zeon opened his mouth.

“What is it?”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Zeon!”

“I’m not that pleased.”

“I apologize for disturbing your precious mealtime. But I felt that if not now, I would have no way to meet you, so I forced matters a little.”

“Hmm!”

Only then did Zeon put down his spoon and look at the woman’s face.

If not for her cold eyes and chilly atmosphere, her face was beautiful enough for anyone to fall for.

She said,

“My name is Seo Tae-ran. I belong to City Hall.”

“City Hall?”

“To be precise, I am the mayor’s direct secretary. I came here because I would like to invite Lord Zeon to City Hall.”

“The mayor is looking for me?”

“Yes! He has taken great interest in Lord Zeon’s ability. That is why he wishes to meet you personally. It has truly been a long time since the mayor showed this much interest in another person.”

“That’s an honor. But what should I do? I find it a little burdensome.”

“There is no need to feel so burdened. He is not trying to make any special proposal. He merely wishes to share a dinner with you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

She said there was no need to feel burdened, but it was a situation that would make anyone feel pressure.

After all, this was none other than a summons from Mayor Jin Geum-ho.

The highest authority in Neo Seoul, and a monster who had lived since before the Great Cataclysm, was Jin Geum-ho.

No matter who it was, they would have no choice but to feel tense before Jin Geum-ho’s summons. But no such sign could be found on Zeon’s face.

He was so calm that Seo Tae-ran was the one who felt flustered.

‘Does this man not know what it means to meet the mayor?’

Jin Geum-ho was someone who looked down on even the rulers of each district from beneath his feet. To face him one-on-one was a perfect opportunity to enter Neo Seoul, and its very core, in a single stroke.

Even the Numbers, called the execution unit, had been recruited or raised by Jin Geum-ho in that way.

Zeon said,

“Understood. I’ll stop by City Hall sometime soon.”

“If you show this, you will be able to enter City Hall immediately.”

As if she had been waiting, Seo Tae-ran held out an access pass.

It was an access pass that had undergone magical treatment, making forgery impossible.

“Thank you.”

“If you encounter any troublesome matter inside Neo Seoul, show that access pass. Then most problems will be resolved.”

“That sounds like there are some problems it cannot resolve.”

“Neo Seoul is also a place where people live. There are foolish people who resist authority.”

“I see.”

“I trust Lord Zeon is not such a person.”

A cold smile hung on Seo Tae-ran’s lips.

It was an intimidating smile, one that would make most people feel as if they could not breathe just by looking at it. But it did not work on Zeon.

Zeon slipped a hand into his coat and said,

“Well, I’m human too.”

“Humans differ from one another.”

“That is burdensome. Then I’ll leave first.”

Zeon placed money on the table and stood.

Briel and Levin also stood with him.

Zeon bowed his head slightly to Seo Tae-ran and said,

“Then I’ll see you again in a few days.”

“Yes!”

Zeon, Levin, and Briel left immediately.

Seo Tae-ran silently watched them grow distant.

Thud!

At that moment, Old Man Kleksi placed a rice bowl in front of Seo Tae-ran.

“Your food is ready.”

“No need.”

“What?”

“Now that I think about it, food missing ingredients probably won’t taste good. I’ll just consider myself as having eaten.”

“You rude little......”

“I’ll pay for the meal with this.”

What she took from her coat was a small mana stone.

It was far too much for the price of a single meal.

It was worth more than a month’s revenue for this small restaurant.

Old Man Kleksi quickly tucked the mana stone into his coat and said,

“Come by anytime you’re hungry. I’ll make it with care.”

“I wonder if I’ll ever come here on my own two feet again.”

“No one knows the future. I never knew I’d be running a business in the slums either.”

“That is true. In any case, I achieved my purpose, so I’ll be going now.”

“Please do hurry up and leave.”

“I’ll send the mayor your regards.”

“No need. I don’t want to be involved with that man ever again.”

“But you do share an old bond.”

“Since when did your tongue get so long? I don’t want to listen to idle chatter, so please remove that face from in front of me.”

“Contact us anytime if you change your mind.”

“I’d die before that ever happens.”

“We shall see.”

Seo Tae-ran snorted and left.

Watching Seo Tae-ran’s back as she walked away, her sensual hips swaying, Old Man Kleksi muttered,

“I’ve seen a woman more vicious than a monster, so I’ll have bad luck for months.”