The Returned Magician Prevents the End

Chapter 10

“It seems you weren’t bluffing after all. Still, try to give me a heads-up next time.”

“If a similar opportunity comes up again, I’ll consider it.”

After that, nothing else happened.

Without any interruptions, Rough’s group smoothly exited the alleyway and stepped onto the main street of the Grand Market.

The sun, now beginning to rise, was thinning the darkness that had settled over Scrap City.

As merchants began setting up their stalls one by one to greet the new day, Kain finally realized the suffocating chase was over.

“The money sacks are safe, and we successfully drew out the Iron Jackal guys. I’d say that’s a pretty impressive achievement.”

Kain, still caught in the afterglow of their escape, snapped back to reality at Rough’s words.

Perhaps because they were now among the crowds passing by, Rough had pulled his hood low, carefully ensuring no strands of hair peeked out.

Kain glared at Rough with a murderous intensity.

“Impressive achievement? We nearly died, you damned brat. If you can’t explain right now why you pulled that stunt, you’d better brace yourself.”

“Sorry, but that’s going to be difficult.”

Kain’s eyebrows twitched sharply.

Fuming, Kain looked ready to swing a fist at Rough any moment.

Rough quickly raised both hands to calm him.

“Whoa, I think I caused a misunderstanding. What I meant was that someone else, not me, should explain this situation to you.”

“Someone else?”

As if answering Kain’s question, a strange metallic sound echoed from the far end of the alley.

Recognizing the familiar sound, Kain looked toward the alley’s interior.

As expected, Junk appeared.

“Big Brother!”

Accompanied by a large entourage of guards, Junk approached them directly.

From a distance, Junk’s gaze was fixed solely on Rough, who was still wearing his hood.

Ignoring Kain’s welcoming expression, Junk walked past him without a glance and grabbed Rough’s hand.

“You worked hard, my boy. Were there any problems?”

“Yes, Master! The deal went off without a hitch. We sold all the prepared items, and the plan is proceeding smoothly.”

“Oh! Hearing you say that makes me feel so reassured. Truly, picking you up from Scrap Mountain was the greatest stroke of luck for our Junk Family!”

Junk’s demeanor toward Rough was as affectionate as if he were addressing his own son.

Smiling broadly, his thick cheeks trembling, Junk looked utterly smitten with Rough.

Kain was shocked by the sight.

‘That damned brat is corrupting Big Brother!’

Kain hadn’t forgotten that Rough had deceived him and deliberately drawn in the Iron Jackal.

Just then, Rough, having finished his warm exchange with Junk, stepped away as if to take a break.

Having ordered the guards to keep a close eye on Rough, Kain quickly approached Junk.

“Big Brother, do you have a moment?”

“Hm? Oh, sure. You worked hard too, Kain. You followed my orders and supported Rough flawlessly, didn’t you?”

Still tracking Rough’s retreating figure with his eyes, Junk responded to Kain halfheartedly.

Suppressing his anguish, Kain spoke to Junk.

“That’s not what’s important. I have something urgent to tell you about that brat… Rough. Please, just give me a moment.”

Visibly annoyed, Junk reluctantly turned to face Kain at his repeated insistence.

Seeing Junk’s peculiar expression, Kain felt a glimmer of hope.

“You have something to say about Rough?”

“Yes. It seems to me that brat is up to something suspicious. I know you trust him, Big Brother, but this time, I think you should be more cautious.”

“Something suspicious… like what, for example?”

Caught off guard by Junk’s unexpected reaction, Kain faltered.

He had expected Junk to pull him aside and ask for details about the incident.

But now, Junk was listening to him with an almost flippant attitude, far from serious.

Hesitating, Kain lowered his voice even further to ensure Rough wouldn’t hear.

“Rough’s claim that the job went off without a hitch is a lie. During the process of settling the Credits after the deal, our position was exposed to the Iron Jackal guys.”

“Oh, my! That’s quite a problem. So, how did that happen?”

“It was because of Rough. That brat used an Artifact to shoot a red light into the sky. It was like he was signaling someone. If we hadn’t escaped in time, we could’ve been caught by the Iron Jackal guys and lost all the Credits.”

“Rough did that? Hmm, and he didn’t mention anything about it?”

“He said exposing our position was part of the plan… but that’s nonsense. We’re planning to ambush the Tower of Domination, aren’t we? Who in their right mind would deliberately reveal their position while preparing such a plan?”

As he spoke, Kain felt a surge of confidence.

Yes, it was absurd from the start.

Rough’s reckless actions, dragging Junk’s name into it to confuse him, were clearly ridiculous.

Junk’s reaction now only confirmed how nonsensical it was.

Concluding his thoughts, Kain spoke with conviction.

“It’s clear that brat is planning to betray us. We should discuss the details somewhere else…”

“Hahahahaha!”

Junk, who had been listening to Kain with a serious expression, burst into loud laughter.

Unable to grasp the meaning of the laughter, Kain showed his bewilderment. When Junk finally stopped laughing, he said cheerfully.

“So, Kain, what you’re saying is that you think Rough is betraying us and siding with the Iron Jackal?”

“Y-Yes, that’s what I think.”

“That’s a very amusing thought! For such an interesting claim, we should hear the opinion of the person in question. Rough! Come over here for a moment.”

The moment Rough’s name left Junk’s lips, Kain realized something had gone terribly wrong, but the situation was already out of his control.

“Rough! It seems Kain has something to say to you.”

“Kain? I’m curious. What does he want to say to me?”

“Yes, Kain seems to think you’re planning to betray us and join the Iron Jackal. What do you think of that opinion?”

* * *

“Me, betraying the Junk Family… That’s an interesting opinion. May I ask why you think that?”

“…”

Confronted with Rough, Kain seemed at a loss for words.

Whether out of fleeting pity or a sense of crisis, Rough clicked his tongue as he watched Kain hesitate beside Junk.

‘What an idiot. Who makes such a serious accusation so carelessly?’

If left alone, Kain might end up with his head bashed in by an enraged Junk.

Rough decided to help him.

“Kain looks pretty confused. Mind if I step in to help?”

“Is that alright? This guy was trying to slander you.”

“If we’re being technical, it’s partly my fault for acting in a way that could cause a misunderstanding. Besides, Captain Kain is an important asset to us. For the sake of the plan, we should clear up any misunderstandings.”

“If you say so, Rough…”

Junk trailed off and took a step back.

Seeing the anger in Junk’s eyes subside, Rough felt relieved.

“Kain, I think I understand why you’re suspicious of me. You probably thought it was odd that I deliberately exposed our position to the Iron Jackal guys.”

“Y-Yeah! No matter how I think about it, that made no sense. We’re planning to attack the Tower of Domination. There’s no need to reveal our identity on purpose. That’s why I suspected you!”

“If this were a typical war, you’d be right. But this isn’t a typical war, is it?”

Rough held up two fingers in front of Kain’s eyes.

“Shall we finish the explanation? The reasons we posed as Artifact peddlers, as I mentioned, are two. The first, as everyone knows, is to raise funds for the war. Thanks to selling Artifacts, we’ve made a decent amount of money over the past month. But if it was just about raising funds, there were probably better methods. Like you said, dealing with other underground markets instead of the Black Market would’ve been a good option.”

Even in his confusion, Kain could follow Rough’s words.

After all, they were the same points he had raised with Rough.

“But that wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t fulfill the second reason. The second reason we posed as Artifact peddlers was to draw the Iron Jackal’s attention without raising their guard. This is all for a successful ambush.”

“Drawing attention for a successful ambush? What kind of nonsense is that?!”

“Kain, let Rough explain.”

“B-Big Brother!”

“Quiet! If you weren’t so slow to catch on, we would’ve told you the plan by now. Pathetic.”

The fact that Junk, whom he had trusted unwaveringly, was siding with Rough was a shock beyond imagination for Kain.

Seeing Kain’s dejected look, like someone who had lost everything, Rough felt a pang of sympathy.

“Let’s continue. If this were a normal situation, Kain would be right about keeping our identity hidden. But this time is different. We’re targeting that massive tower, aren’t we? The tower’s structure itself is a formidable weapon. Its spiral staircase gives an absurd advantage to the defenders. On top of that, the Junk Family’s forces are laughably outnumbered compared to the Iron Jackal. In a situation like this, a regular ambush would be useless. So, I threw out bait—bait so tempting that the hounds hiding in the tower can’t resist sticking their heads out.”

As Rough spoke of the plan, his eyes burned with a blue light.

Meeting those eyes, Kain felt an eerie unease, coupled with a chill that even the rising sun couldn’t dispel.