A Brewing Storm

"Why are you curious about that?" 

"For a level 4 wizard, your magic pattern is very clean. Usually, guys like you who have solid basics skills quickly rise to the top." 

She smiled faintly as she said that. 

"Well, I might see you somewhere later. It would be good to know your name, right?" 

The smile she gave, despite her almost expressionless face, was surprisingly refreshing. 

Of course, it didn't make any sense to Leo, who knew where her real workplace was. 

How could Leo know whether the words "see you later" meant seeing each other as colleagues or as the agent's prey? 

When Leo's response was lukewarm, Evelyn crossed her arms and made a worried expression. 

"Um… This is actually information I shouldn't tell you, but I'll tell you in advance." 

"I don't really know what you mean." 

"There will soon be a large-scale inspection of the lawless areas outside. In particular, they plan to focus on the sorcerers who spread out mats and rip off taxes in the 40th district." 

"… … … ." 

It was an absurd and ridiculous statement, but Leo couldn't help but laugh at that jokey topic. 

From Leo's perspective, knowing where Evelyn was working, that wasn't a joke at all. 

Evelyn smiled faintly, unaware of Leo's speed. 

"If you've got connections there, you might want to hide out for a while. If your names on the deep web, that's another story… but you're not doing that, are you?" 

"What does deep web mean?" 

Leo accepted the remark as if he didn't know, and Evelyn also ignored it as if it was nothing. 

"I'm telling you this because I like you. It would be embarrassing if we ran into each other in a random place." 

Of course, if you really get stopped by an agent-led search, it won't end with something as embarrassing as that… but there was no need to say that here. 

Evelyn thought this was enough and slyly changed the subject. 

"I am Evelyn. Evelyn Marcia." 

"My name is Ed James." 

Leo also lied calmly without blinking an eye. 

There was no need to mention Evan Bylan's name here, knowing that the other party was an agent of the city government. 

The last thing I want is for her to trace Evan Bylan's name and discover the loopholes in his flimsy fake identity. 

Evelyn smiled even more when she heard Leo call her Dan. 

"Ad James? Okay, I'll remember." 

"I will try not to forget it too." 

"If I can't give you the same name next time we meet, then you'll have to be prepared. Got it?" 

"… … … ." 

Did you realize the moment I gave you my name that it was a pseudonym? 

But Evelyn, who said such things even after realizing that it was a fake name, was not an ordinary strange person. 

Leo nodded his head sheepishly and left the market. 

He felt like her eyes were glued to his back, but pretending to be calm was one of the easiest things for him to do. 

After a while of leaving the market, Leo let out a small sigh and started walking towards the studio apartment. 

"Should I look for another market…." 

I never thought I'd see you again here, even though we've already moved markets once. 

At this point, one could almost suspect that she was traveling around the city's markets to open a vegetable shop. 

'I don't need to get close to people who know I'm a wizard.' 

Even though it was our second meeting, he still sends chills down my spine. 

Whether friend or foe, I never wanted to be involved with her in the future. 

I don't know yet how good she is, and I don't want to find out. 

We should at least prepare for the worst, but we can only hope that the city government's agents will live up to their reputation and go after Pandemonium's big-time criminals. 

Leo walked as he received Jenny's call floating over the screen of his cell phone. 

# 

Tu-tu-to- 

As soon as he saw the call from another unknown number, Leo hung up without hesitation. 

The phone rang dozens of times. It was all from Dyke. 

My body was burning because Leo was not responding at all to the reward offered from the other side. 

First of all, an amount more than double the previously promised success fee was deposited into my account, but I had no intention of being satisfied with just that. 

If we can't give you trust like this from the beginning, how can we guarantee that this won't happen again in the future? 

It doesn't add up unless Panoa gets a lot more than he promised. 

If Dyke thought of rinsing his mouth with this, Leo was ready to give up his collaboration with them without hesitation. 

In the end, it was Panoa who raised the white flag first. 

[I got a call from Dyke. They asked me to come to the headquarters in a week. In the meantime, we're trying to decide what kind of Maginot Line I should accept from you. If you have time, come see me in person.] 

I figured it would take some time to decide on an incentive to give Leo, but I never thought he'd ask for a week's grace period. 

Panoa also fully recognizes that time is not an issue. 

By now she must have realized that she had to give Leo something more than just money. 

If that was certain, waiting a week or so wasn't a big deal. 

The moment he opened the door to the bar with that thought in mind, Leo realized that the atmosphere inside was extremely strange. 

"… … … ." 

Jenny's bar wasn't always that noisy, but it wasn't like that time when the noise of drunken patrons was constant. 

In the middle of the bar in an oddly quiet pub, someone was sitting with his back to the door, quietly pouring a drink. 

Sebastian 

Jenny is watching him with an annoyed expression next to her, and Jordan has a blank expression on his face. 

But what's more noteworthy is the attitude of the other customers in this bar. 

Until now, the customers who had not paid any attention to anyone visiting were now secretly wary of the person sitting at the bar. 

A tall and skinny figure with legs sticking out from the side of the bar space. 

Although he is wearing a suit, his arms and legs are quite wrinkled, and a strong smell of perfume emanates from nearby. 

The man, noticing Leo's approach, slowly turned his head. 

"Oh, you finally found me. I've been waiting for you." 

"… … … " 

A cold and blunt impression. His neck, visible under his shirt, is covered in all sorts of unknown tattoos. 

He was so tall that his hands made the glass he was holding look small, and he grinned at Leo. 

"Do you know who I am?" 

"no." 

"I see. But from now on, you need to know." 

Phew! 

As soon as the man finished speaking, a powerful momentum washed over Leo. 

A sharp, sharp shot fired with clear will and magical power. 

It was so ferocious that it would take a normal person's breath away, but it couldn't even penetrate Leo's shield and just hovered in the air before disappearing. 

The man looked down at Leo, whose expression had not changed at all and smiled with interest. 

"This time, I'm the one who suffered a lot because of what you did." 

Knock, knock. 

Leo replied, pushing his magical power away as if brushing away the dust from his shoulders. 

"Are you someone who worked with Paul Ackerman?" 

"He was a businessman who received investment from that friend." 

"So, you're talking about a merchant who sells weapons." 

"… … … " 

The man narrows his eyes and glares at Leo. 

Now there was only dead silence in the bar. 

"So, are you here to get revenge for that?" 

It's faster than I thought, but it's not like I hadn't thought about this situation. 

It was inevitable that enemies would be created the moment the closely formed profit relationship in the 40s was touched. 

Up until now, he had tried to avoid unnecessary conflict, but Leo had given up on pretending to be clean alone in this dirty alley. 

You have to take away what they are holding in order to move up. 

The collision was inevitable. 

Did he read something in Leo's expression? 

The man stared at her face silently, then slowly shook his head. 

"… … At least not today." 

As he slowly rose from the bar, his head almost touched the ceiling of the bar. 

He looked easily over 2m tall. I could tell from the moment he sat down that he was a strangely tall person. 

"I just came to give you a warning." 

"… … .." 

"Kid. We don't let our opponents be brats. The first time around, we can pretend we didn't know what we were talking about and let it slide, but if they try to interfere with our business one more time, you'll have to be prepared." 

Phew!! 

Once again, the magical power surging from the man's centre violently crushes Leo's shoulders. 

I guess I'm the type of person who can't be satisfied without destroying the other person's spirit. 

Leo had no intention of just enduring it. 

Phew!! 

He shoots a shock magic that shrinks him down to the size of a fist and fires it straight at the man's abdomen. 

A single blow that instantly broke Eriksen's back in the undeveloped area. 

But surprisingly, the man only shook his body, then quickly regained his colour and looked down at him with a look of surprise. 

Leo met the gaze and responded calmly. 

"Don't misunderstand. I'm telling you in advance." 

"…. what?" 

"If you try to solve the problem in such a messy way, this client won't stay still either. You don't think Paul Ackerman is stupid enough to not even leave a proper body behind, do you?" 

The man's two eyebrows twitched significantly at Leo's words, which were difficult to ignore. 

I guessed that there would be a backer, but I never thought that Leo would turn around and threaten me like this. 

Leo stared up at the man calmly. 

Even now, the calculator was busily turning in his head. 

You're prepared to take risks, but that doesn't mean you have to foolishly shoulder the burden all by yourself. 

If necessary, he was willing to divert attention from Leo by selling Dyke's name. 

For a moment, he seemed to realize the meaning of those words, and a dirty murderous intent seemed to flow from his eyes, but he quickly calmed down. 

I realized that I was not in a position to act violently at this point. 

"… Okay. Let's pretend this never happened. Got it?" 

He didn't forget to glance at Jenny and let out a stern look. 

"Jenny. You too. You should know that I won't touch your bar because of Kais's name. If you do anything stupid like go around fighting this guy or something…" 

"Beck. You talk too much." 

"… … " 

"Get the hell out of my bar." 

In response to Jenny's sharp reply, the man called Beck made no further response. 

He glanced at Leo one last time and then left the bar. 

Only after the long shadow has completely disappeared does the taut tension disappear. 

"ha…." 

Leo let out a small sigh and sat down on the bar with his chin resting on it. 

Jenny poured him a glass of whiskey without saying a word and handed it to him. 

"So, who are you?" 

"Chief of the Cigar Bank. Beck Clinton." 

Jenny answered nonchalantly. 

"This is the most active gang in the 48th District recently." 

"So that's what it was." 

A gang that deals directly with Paul Ackerman and operates in District 48. 

It is only natural that they are furious, as he died in a port under their control. 

I never thought Leo would be waiting for him when he got to the bar. 

"The number of members in the organization is close to a thousand, and the scale of the business they are engaged in is not small, so it is an organization that is at the top of the financial ranks among gangs."