Chapter 97

Finding the Exit (4)

No matter what was happening aboveground, there was nothing Kairus and his party underground could do.

All they could do was wander the maze, forgetting night and day, searching for the entrance that led to Pontus.

“By the way, we still haven’t seen one of the teams yet.”

At Tanya’s words, Kairus nodded.

“We already dealt with the teams sent by the Areumdri Pawnshop and Lukas’s Children.”

In truth, only three teams remained, including Kairus’s party.

“Three teams left isn’t a bad situation.”

What Kairus’s group had eliminated for certain was the Areumdri Pawnshop, who had a fair grasp of the underground.

Unless it was the Lunaseeker, the chances of the other remaining team even reaching the Dimensional Maze were slim.

“And why isn’t that a bad situation?”

“It means more than half are still exploring Pontus.”

As he said this, Kairus pointed his index finger toward the ceiling.

“Even if the Canal Operations Committee suddenly tries to change their agreement up there, officially it won’t be possible.”

At those words, Irena let out an ‘ah’.

“So even if the organizations that failed in the search want to do something, they’ll have no choice but to carry it out in secret.”

If they couldn’t act openly and had to move people in the shadows, it would take more time, and the risk of being discovered by other organizations would grow.

“It’d be best if we don’t run into either of the two teams still left besides us.”

They only had to hold out until they found the entrance to Pontus.

Once they confirmed the entrance, they would immediately return, report the discovery, receive the Yucheok Sword, and come back here.

‘That was the minimum payment, after all.’

What remained inside Pontus was one of the things Kairus had been promised by the Rose Garden.

At the very least, there was no way the Rose Garden would go back on its word with Kairus once he completed the mission.

‘Cecilia isn’t that kind of psycho.’

Kairus’s judgment came from his experience in the Labor Correctional Facility, where he had seen more than enough psychos to grant an honorary doctorate if there were ever a degree in insanity.

The odds of his judgment being wrong were extremely low.

“…”

Once again, a strange discomfort spread down Kairus’s spine.

It felt as if they were moving with someone’s permission.

In truth, without knowing it, Kairus’s group was moving under the permission of Nora Galatea.

Because she had chosen not to attack, they were able to advance without battle.

‘What should I do.’

Yet even Nora Galatea, who was allowing them to pass, was deep in thought.

Kairus’s intuition was sharper than she had expected.

‘Not exposed now, but…’

Just as Kairus suffered from that strange sense of unease, Nora Galatea also sensed it instinctively, in the realm of pure intuition.

The moment Nora decided to attack, Kairus would notice.

In that strange tension, the pursuer and the explorers advanced, keeping a fixed distance between them.

Unlike the tense atmosphere underground, the surface carried a slightly more peculiar mood.

“Sir. About that facility called Pontus…”

Donovan Bonaparte was dining with the executives of the Pawnshop.

“I’m listening.”

Granted permission to speak, one of the executives swallowed before continuing.

“Things have gone wrong. We have no way of securing the underground shelter…”

Donovan Bonaparte spoke in a gentle tone.

“Worrying for nothing, aren’t you.”

Once again, Donovan sliced into his steak with a knife.

“Sir, I say this out of loyalty to the organization.”

“I’ve never once doubted your loyalty. No need to bring it up.”

The men they had hired were all eliminated. It meant that the Areumdri Pawnshop had been disqualified from the competition for Pontus, just like Lukas’s Children.

“Well now, at least we can take comfort in not coming in dead last, can’t we?”

Donovan chuckled as he chewed his steak. But to the executives listening, it was no joke worth laughing at.

Avoiding last place meant nothing.

“The underground belongs to you, sir.”

“And that fact isn’t going to change. Thank you for the reminder.”

Donovan remained calm. In truth, he was the only calm one among those gathered here.

The executives trembled with unease and worry.

“You pitiful things.”

At Donovan’s words, the executives turned their eyes to him.

“The Areumdri Pawnshop does not collapse.”

Donovan had not run the organization so loosely that the mere appearance of another group’s base underground could cause its downfall.

That was why he could remain so composed now. And every person here, as an executive, was well aware of the Pawnshop’s situation.

But unlike Donovan, they could not stay calm. Why was that?

‘They’re afraid of losing their current positions to someone else.’

The Areumdri Pawnshop, with its base underground, had never yet clashed directly with another group.

It was a very different picture from other organizations that fought one another aboveground over spheres of interest.

“But sir.”

“No need to say more. I understand your concerns well enough.”

It meant he had no interest in listening further, and though the executives had much more they wanted to say, they had to swallow it all.

Securing Pontus had become difficult. That meant it was time to prepare for the next step.

“Cecilia. That little brat of a girl.”

Donovan’s expression darkened.

“Do you believe that woman will end up with Pontus underground?”

At one executive’s question, Donovan replied.

“That depends on the scale of that ancient subterranean facility.”

If it was small enough for the Rose Garden to monopolize, then they would keep it to themselves.

But if it was larger than expected, the Rose Garden would abandon the idea of holding it alone.

“They’ll divide it up, taking payment from other groups.”

That would give each organization a reason to send people underground, and assets to protect below.

As a result, the underground of the city would also become a battlefield, just like the surface, with everyone fighting to devour one another.

‘When winter passes and spring comes, the brazier is put away.’

Up until now, what the Areumdri Pawnshop needed were administrators. But from now on, what they needed were soldiers.

The executives dining with Donovan were excellent administrators. But now they would have to become soldiers.

Those who could not abandon their old ways and adapt to this new phase could no longer be entrusted with senior positions.

“Not just the Rose Garden, but other organizations will be thinking the same thing.”

This was Donovan’s thought, Cecilia’s thought.

There was no way the heads of other groups weren’t thinking it too.

“Then… what if we make some concessions? It’s not an unreasonable request, is it?”

It was simply a matter of placing personnel and supplying resources to manage the area they now had underground.

There was no reason it couldn’t be accepted. One executive said this, and several others agreed.

‘That kid needs to be given a break soon.’

This wasn’t the answer Donovan wanted, and it was a far too soft way of thinking.

“Bullshit. That’s nonsense.”

As the discussion went on, one man slammed the table and rose to his feet.

“If we concede bit by bit like that, then where does it end? Huh? Should we even hand over the old man too?”

“Are you insane, you bastard?!”

At that remark, everyone’s faces went pale as they looked at Donovan.

“Speak, Charlie.”

The one who had uttered such a terrifying remark, Charlie, bowed to Donovan.

“We must not yield. Even if we give them whatever they want, nothing changes.”

If the other side intended to fight, negotiation was meaningless.

“Let us through your path. Return the runaways. Give us back just this much, since it was ours in the first place!—”

Charlie’s voice grew more heated as he spoke.

“None of that shit’s worth anything. Even if we give them everything they demand, in the end there’ll be blood. And why? Because those other bastards aboveground planned for it from the very start!”

Charlie’s gaze shifted toward one of the executives at the table—the very one who had just made the suggestion.

“If we give them what they demand, they won’t hit us? That’s the kind of pathetic thinking you’d expect from some loser being shaken down by street punks. And you, a proud executive of the Areumdri Pawnshop, say such things? You ought to be ashamed!”

No one could stay seated after being provoked that far. The insulted executive leapt to his feet.

Before he could say anything, Donovan raised his hand.

“Enough.”

The fiery atmosphere froze in an instant.

“Charles, apologize politely to him for what you just said. Seems there’s nothing you won’t say to your own family.”

At Donovan’s command, Charles flinched slightly. Then he bowed his head to the executive he had insulted moments earlier.

“My words were reckless. I sincerely regret them. If there’s any way I can ease your anger, please tell me.”

“…It’s fine. Let’s call it a slip of the tongue and leave it at that.”

Once the two finished speaking, Donovan pointed his fork at Charles.

“A slip of the tongue is a slip of the tongue. But your thinking wasn’t wrong.”

There was no yielding. If something was handed over, it could always be taken back.

“Either we seize, or we get seized from. I’m certain no one here is unaware of how things go aboveground.”

It had been a relentless string of dirty, brutal fights where no means or methods were spared—so much so that even the word ‘cutthroat’ fell short.

At its worst, a single gambling den could change owners four times in a week.

Now things had quieted somewhat, and an uneasy peace was holding…

But once something had happened, there was no telling when it might erupt again.

“There’s no avoiding it, so let’s prepare.”

If they wanted to avoid it, the men they had hired would have had to reach Pontus, or kill every last man hired by the other groups.

“And what was his name again? Was it Kairus?”

The teams hired by Lukas’s Children and the Areumdri Pawnshop had all been dealt with by Kairus’s party.

“They say he slipped the pursuit of the Captain of the Scarlet Leaf Order. Seems his talent wasn’t just in being light on his feet.”

“Shall we dig a bit deeper?”

Donovan gave a slight nod.

“But it’s not the top priority. You all know what matters most right now.”

They had to gather more people and prepare enough resources.

They had to defend their business sites, and make sure those paying protection within their territory clearly understood who their master was.

They had to reaffirm the loyalty of the subordinate groups operating within the Pawnshop’s domain, and reassess their exact profits and memberships.

Other organizations were eyeing the underground. If things went well and they defended successfully, they might even counterattack aboveground.

“First, look into Kairus’s connection with the Rose Garden.”

“Understood.”

If he was just a mercenary moving for money, then there was no reason the Areumdri Pawnshop couldn’t hire Kairus next time.

His skills were confirmed, so there was no reason not to guarantee him ample pay.

“And what about the only daughter of the Kellogg family?”

“Don’t investigate her. If we get caught tailing the only daughter of the Imperial Treasury Chief, we’ll draw suspicion we don’t deserve.”

Unless forced into it, Donovan had no intention of drawing the ire of the Treasury Chief over something this trivial.

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