"Is there no reward?"
When Kael asked that, a momentary silence settled over the room.
The tearful Rin, the old man embracing her, and the bodyguards aiming their guns all turned their gazes toward him as well.
For a moment, everyone was left speechless.
Kael remained standing with both hands still raised in the air.
The old man, seemingly Rin's grandfather, slowly released his granddaughter. Then, after stroking her shoulders once more as if reassuring himself, he turned his head to look at Kael.
"A reward?"
The sight of the trembling old man who had been tightly embracing Rin just moments ago was already gone.
He quickly scanned Kael up and down.
At the same time, the bodyguards braced their firearms even more firmly against their shoulders, ratcheting up the tension in the room.
Beside him, Harun kept his mouth shut tight, merely rolling his eyes.
'Damn bastard. A reward at a time like this? This crazy bastard.'
His expression practically screamed it.
Right then, Rin quickly stepped in front of the two and shouted urgently.
"Grandfather!"
As Adrian's gaze snapped straight to Rin, she pointed back and forth between Kael and Harun.
"They're the ones who saved me. This is Kael, and this is Grandpa Harun."
"Saved you?"
Adrian's eyes turned back toward Kael.
"Here, in this Underground Level?"
Doubt and disbelief tinged his voice.
Although Adrian had only seen the Underground Level for a few short minutes, what met his eyes was horrific enough. Yet his granddaughter had endured days here, claiming that an unknown young man and an old man had protected her.
Rin nodded.
"Yeah. When I fell down the drainpipe... Kael caught me. He hid me and helped me avoid the people Pale sent."
Pale.
At the mention of that name, Adrian's eyes turned cold.
Catching her breath for a moment, Rin began explaining everything that had happened.
"Grandpa Harun helped too. He gave me a place to hide and gave me food."
Harun gave an awkward cough for no reason.
"Calling that food is a stretch; it wasn't anything proper."
"Still, you gave it to me."
Feeling sheepish at Rin's words, he merely cleared his throat and said nothing more.
Adrian stared at Rin for a long while.
He wanted to make sure his granddaughter was not being coerced into lying.
"...."
Her eyes held no deceit.
Certain of that, Adrian made a gesture with his hand.
Only then did the bodyguards lower the gun muzzles pointed at Kael and Harun.
Kael slowly lowered his arms.
Harun also finally lowered his stiffened arms, grumbling quietly.
"Felt like this old man's shoulders were going to pop right off."
Adrian looked at Rin once more, lightly straightened his clothes, and walked over to Kael.
The Bodyguard Team Leader reflexively moved to follow, but Adrian stopped him with a hand gesture.
Adrian stopped in front of Kael and held out his hand to him.
"I am Adrian Arkwright."
"Kael."
"Thank you very much for saving my only granddaughter."
Adrian drew a short breath, then added.
"I mean this with all sincerity."
Kael took the old man's hand in response to his heartfelt words.
"Don't mention it."
Adrian released his hand and nodded.
Then, he turned his gaze back to the bodyguards and gestured once more.
"Wait outside."
The Bodyguard Team Leader replied immediately.
"Representative, your safety has not been confirmed."
"It has been."
"But...."
Under Adrian's sharp gaze, the Bodyguard Team Leader backed down.
"Wait outside."
"Understood."
And then Adrian added one more word.
"Soundproofing."
At that order, one of the bodyguards immediately popped open an equipment case.
Countless magitech devices came into view. The bodyguards attached them to the four corners of the walls and near the doorway. The thin circuitry on the devices' surfaces lit up with blue light, forming a thin membrane that kept sounds inside the room from leaking out.
Kael watched the devices.
The flow of mana was being obstructed through the equipment. It absorbed vibrations traveling through walls and trapped the acoustic wavelengths of air within a set perimeter.
It was an apparatus etched with an intricate mix of sigils for soundproofing, vibration suppression, and magical detection jamming.
'Convenient.'
Kael unconsciously traced the circuit structure with his eyes.
'The input is over there, and amplification happens here. Any reverberations that might leak out are blocked by this....'
Perhaps his gaze had lingered for too long, as Adrian asked.
"Find it interesting?"
Kael turned his head.
"Just an occupational habit."
"What kind of profession makes you look at it with such interest?"
"Magician."
Adrian looked at Kael for a moment, appearing confused as to whether the remark was a joke or in earnest.
He chose not to press further on the true intent behind those words.
As all the bodyguards filed out and the door clicked shut.
Only Kael, Harun, Rin, and Adrian remained in the room.
"There aren't any floor cushions; will you be all right?"
Hearing Kael's words, Adrian hesitated for a second before bursting into hearty laughter.
"Then we can just sit on the floor, can't we?"
Harun blinked.
"Thought highborn lords from upstairs couldn't sit on the floor."
"Back in my youth, I sat in far rougher places."
Adrian sat right down on the floor. His black coat touched the grimy, worn-down floor, but Adrian did not seem to care in the slightest.
That easygoing, hearty demeanor suited Kael's taste quite well.
At least it seemed possible to have a reasonable conversation with him.
He looked at Kael.
"Now then."
He shifted into a serious mood, entirely different from moments ago.
"Shall we begin discussing the reward?"
***
Adrian looked at Kael.
A black-haired, black-eyed young man who did not appear very old—barely an adult.
Yet his composure was unnervingly steady. He hadn't even blinked when gun muzzles from Seraph Industry bodyguards were aimed at him, nor did he shrink back in Adrian's presence.
'He is used to situations like this.'
Adrian concluded as much.
That was precisely why he was genuinely curious about what kind of demand would come from the young man's mouth.
He had kept a corporate Representative's granddaughter alive in the Underground Level.
That deed alone was more than enough justification to demand something.
Kael seemed to ponder for a moment before parting his lips.
"Upper-level citizenship."
Adrian listened quietly.
"And provision of food, clothing, and shelter."
"...."
A momentary silence settled over the room.
Taken aback, Adrian blinked involuntarily in bewilderment.
"...Are you serious?"
It was an uncharacteristic reaction from him, but Kael asked back as if puzzled instead.
"Is that difficult?"
"Ha."
Dumbfounded by his words, Adrian let out a dry laugh.
Until just moments ago, he had been anticipating quite a substantial demand—access to Seraph's research facilities, a massive monetary reward, permanent residency rights in the upper residential sector, or even a corporate contract using Rin's rescue as leverage.
Yet all that came out was mere citizenship and basic necessities.
Merely that.
While it might be something a person from the Underground Level couldn't achieve in a lifetime, for Adrian Arkwright, it was a matter he could resolve with a single wave of his hand.
"No, it is not that."
Adrian shook his head.
"I already intended to provide that much as a baseline. Legal status, residence, living expenses, even medical examinations—all of it."
Harun, who had been listening quietly, widened his eyes in keen interest.
"Even medical checkups?"
Yet Kael still showed little reaction.
Watching him, Adrian continued.
"So I ask you. Is there nothing else you want?"
"Nothing."
An immediate response.
Adrian studied Kael once more.
Did he lack greed?
Or did he simply not know how to calculate compensation?
If pressed, he seemed closer to the latter.
Right then, Kael raised his head as if something had just occurred to him.
"Ah."
Since his expression turned slightly more serious, Adrian naturally straightened his posture as well.
'Is this the real business?'
Kael rummaged inside his inner pocket.
"Strictly speaking, this seems to be Seraph's property as well."
He pulled out a small object wrapped in cloth.
"Can I keep it?"
Adrian narrowed his eyes and looked at the object he held out.
"What in the world is...."
Unwrapping the cloth, Kael revealed an ACU and continued.
"It belonged to a guy named Pale."
"...."
"I can keep it, right?"
Shocked by his words, Adrian was left speechless for quite some time.
The air in the room sank heavily.
Adrian stared at the ACU resting on Kael's palm, then slowly looked up at Kael's face.
"You... killed Pale?"
He asked again in a cautious tone.
"You did?"
Kael answered him.
"Yeah."
An exceedingly calm reply.
His tone sounded as though he had merely dealt with some street punk who picked a fight.
Adrian caught his breath for a moment.
Pale was of the 6th Tier, a formidable combatant counted among the elite even within Seraph Industry.
Even as a traitor who deserved to die, he was hardly a man someone could kill easily.
Yet this young man had killed him and was now showing his ACU to Adrian as proof.
"...You."
Adrian looked at Kael anew.
"Just who on earth are you?"
Kael replied as if accustomed to it.
"Magician."
Adrian briefly lowered his gaze, his perception of Kael shifting entirely.
He could no longer view him merely as the young man who had saved his granddaughter.
He was an unidentified combat power and a variable Seraph had to grasp at all costs—no, an asset they needed to bring over to their side by any means necessary.
Above all, nothing would be more foolish than turning him into an enemy right here and now.
Kael asked, seemingly interpreting Adrian's silence in a different way.
"Was I not supposed to kill him?"
Those words snapped Adrian back to his senses.
"No, that's not it."
His voice steadied.
"That man tried to kill my granddaughter. Had he lived, I would have dealt with him personally."
"Then it's fine."
Seeing Kael wrap the ACU back up in the cloth, Adrian watched it for a moment before speaking.
"You may keep it."
Kael replied as nonchalantly as ever.
"Is that so?"
With a slight nod, he wrapped up the negotiation.
"Then that concludes the negotiation."
"...."
Adrian pulled out a small metal seal from inside his coat.
A silver surface bearing the insignia of Seraph Industry.
"Take this."
Kael took the seal.
"What is it?"
"It is a small token showing you are an acquaintance of mine. If you run into any trouble, showing it will settle most matters."
Adrian then pulled out a small Terminal Card.
"And this is my personal contact information. Contact me if a problem arises. Of course, do not use it for trivial matters."
Seeing Kael inspect the seal and the card, Adrian stood up.
"Let us head up now."
At that, Rin looked at Kael and Harun with a wavering expression.
"...What about them?"
Fearing Rin might worry, Adrian replied immediately.
"We will take them along too. However, procedures are required—things like citizenship, identity registration, and residential assignment. Bringing them straight up to the upper level without preparation would actually be dangerous."
Kael nodded.
"I agree with that as well."
Biting her lip, Rin hesitated for a moment before stepping up to Kael.
"Kael."
"What."
"Thank you."
"It was merely a transaction."
"Still."
Lifting her head, Rin offered her parting words with a smile.
"See you again."
"Yeah."