Memoirs of the Returnee
chapter-175

City Hunter (2)

Akane’s [Selfless Coffin].

“…How much is all this?”

I cautiously asked about the price.

The outfit reflected in the full-length mirror consisted of a vest, pants, shoes, belt, and bracelet.

A total of five Artifacts.

“Well, let’s see. If I calculate it…”

Firstly, the vest is an armor with various functions like [Environmental Adaptation], [Bulletproof], [Blade Resistance], and [Magic Resistance]. The pants have similar features.

Both have elasticity, adjusting to the wearer’s body, and they adapt to the environment, unaffected by temperature or climate. They are generally black, but the [Camouflage Color] is always activated, so there’s no risk of looking like a ‘spy in all black in the snow’.

The shoes are military-style boots. When you walk in them, they leave no footprints or even a trace.

The belt is practically an inventory. It has an expanded space implanted, which is 2-3 times the capacity of a commercial travel suitcase.

The bracelet is a ‘Mana Shooter’. A luxury artifact that allows you to project magic in any desired shape.

I particularly like this shooter. It seems like it can synergize with my R-elix’s 「Ancient Magic」.

I don’t want to miss any of them, but…

“I’ll do it for 10 million Ren.”

10 million Ren.

This price is probably discounted. Most of Akane’s luxury items trigger a 「Treasure Hunter」 reaction. There would be plenty of people willing to pay 3-4 times the price.

“Is a 300-month installment plan not possible?”

I asked as I started to take off the equipment. Of course, it was a joke.

Akane raised an eyebrow.

“It’s possible.”

“…What? Really?”

“40,000 Ren per month for 300 months. 2 million Ren as interest.”

40,000 Ren per month. It’s expensive, but it’s not an impossible amount like before. I’ve grown too.

But it would be a huge loss for Akane.

“Are you joking?”

“I’m serious. I’m so selective with my customers that there aren’t many who can afford to buy.”

“…”

“Even though 10 million Ren is expensive, your combat power will increase at least twofold. It’s not bad for the price of your life.”

Akane seemed to take it as a given.

I hesitated slightly, but then nodded.

“That’s true.”

Let’s think of it as an investment.

From now on, I’ll be doing quite a lot of side jobs, and there will be more fights.

“Plus, keep supplying these cigarettes.”

Akane pulled out a cigarette from her pouch. It was a tobacco grown in the [Ascal Farm] of Planarium.

The [Ascal Farm] is still there.

“I’ll give you that farm, Akane. Just sow the seeds and manage it, it will grow on its own.”

“I’m already doing that.”

“Really?”

No wonder, I only gave her one pack, but she kept smoking heavily.

“So, since I bought these, can I wear them and go?”

“Go ahead.”

Akane went back into her workshop, and I picked up the file again, fiddling with the equipment that was worth more than most houses.

There were two targets to deal with today.

[Lexton Welton]

– 222 cm. Male.[br][/br] – Numerous crimes including murder, armed robbery, and arson.[br][/br] – Currently seems to be working as a mercenary for the Master Cartel.[br][/br] – Bounty: 150,000 Ren.

[Raphael Bartra]

– 181 cm. Male.[br][/br] – Has been running the Lyol Church in Section D-44 for five years.[br][/br] – His activities before establishing the church are unclear.[br][/br] – No bounty. Has a history of fraud, but not significant.

‘Raphael Bartra’.

He is the only religious person in Section D-44. He has been running the church for quite a while, providing free meals to the homeless and wanderers, and has built a decent reputation.

In reality, he is a dealer for the cartel.

He sells homeless and wanderers, who have no connections and no one to look for them when they’re gone, as human experiment subjects.

‘Lexton Welton’ is the mercenary who backs him up.

If I catch Raphael, Lexton will come as a bonus.

Ring~

Just then, I received a call from Kanya.

– Sir Mage. As you said, I did a background check on that religious man. There are some shady points. He has a history of fraud in other countries. How did you know?

Kanya Wieder. She is willingly cooperating with me. She is trustworthy enough for me.

Not just now, but it was the same before I regressed. Of course, back then, Kanya was the boss giving orders.

Hmm. I changed my voice.

“Where is the target now?”

– Are you going to deal with it right away?

“Yes.”

– …Hmm.

Then Kanya let out a slightly grumpy snort.

– Well. Sir Mage. I’m not helping you out of any expectations, but you’re treating me too casually-

“I’ll give you a 10% commission.”

What Kanya is doing now can be broadly called ‘informer’, and they usually take a 5-7% commission.

10% is quite a steal.

– Alright~ I’ll tell you the location~

Kanya’s voice brightened.

She loves money, just like before.

– Raphael Bartra is at his church~ The Lyol Church in Section D-44. Today is confession day, so it should be easy to approach him. Go late at night~

“Confirmed.”

I nodded and burned the file.

* * *

‘Raphael Bartra’.

He is a pastor running the Lyol Church in the D Section of Trick City.

In Section D-44, where life’s losers, criminals, and looters swarm, he is a rare religious person.

“Confession of sins is the evidence of God.”

– Thank you. Saint Raphael…

Even late at night, the church’s confession continues.

“Take a piece of bread when you leave.”

He doesn’t forget to offer food to the wanderers.

– Saint… Thank you every time…

“The title of saint is too much. Just call me pastor.”

Thanks to his five years in Section D-44, he easily built a reputation as a saint.

“Is the next person here?”

Raphael had hoped for an empty confessional, but –

-Thud.

Footsteps echoed. A figure sat on the other side of the veil.

He swallowed the rising sigh.

Today, of all days, the crowd was unusually large. Exhaustion was gnawing at him.

“What sins have you come to confess, my child?”

-……

The man remained silent. Raphael stole a glance at his wristwatch.

2:33 AM.

Working late is a pain in the ass, why isn’t this guy answering?

“Believer?”

-……Yes. The congregation here says that many vagrants, homeless without ties, come to seek solace in this church.

“That’s correct. The Lord always watches over us all. Even if you have nothing, the Lord loves you. He hopes that his lambs will lean on him.”

-Heh.

The man chuckled softly.

-Most of them are trash, aren’t they? Homeless clinging to the city. Junkies addicted to drugs. Criminals who’ve killed and fled. They scam food like it’s a game… I heard you were even almost robbed of your donations once.

Raphael almost smiled. It had been a while since someone understood him, but he couldn’t show it.

“No, every life holds equal value. Faith blooms most beautifully from the mud. That’s why we’ve established ourselves here.”

-……Value.

The man exhaled a small breath.

-When you think about it, you’re right. Even a person who contributes not a speck to society can have value if used as a subject for human experimentation.

“……Excuse me?”

Raphael was momentarily at a loss for words.

-If you sell off a few hundred of those guys and develop a new technology with the proceeds, that’s a pretty good cost-performance ratio, isn’t it?

What a lunatic.

Raphael pressed the button under his chair.

“……You seem to be in pain.”

-My body hurts. I’m a patient.

“Yes. Let’s end it here for today.”

Raphael tried to stand from his seat, but-

His feet wouldn’t budge.

“……?”

He looked down at his feet.

Spiral-shaped concrete had wrapped around his feet. No matter how much he struggled, it was as if roots had taken hold……

“What is this.”

-How is it? Much sturdier than mud, isn’t it?

The flowing voice turned cold.

Raphael’s face paled.

“You. Who sent-”

-……

A quiet slicing sound echoed. A long curve tore through the air. There was no sound in the process.

Only a compressed gust of wind cut Raphael in two.

* * *

“……It works. The silencer.”

I muttered, looking down at the already dead Raphael.

This time, I combined three formulas. 「Gale」, 「High-Pressure Discharge」, and 「Silence」.

Two level 4s and one level 3, combined into my unique assassination weapon.

Boom──!

Just then, the church door burst open.

I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

The 222 cm tall giant, ‘Lexton Welton’. A cartel mercenary with a bounty of 150,000 Ren, he was the one watching Raphael’s back.

As expected, Raphael had called him for help as soon as he felt threatened.

-…Come out.

‘Lexton began by raising his Magic Body. He must have seen the blood trickling down from the confessional.

I placed my hand on Raphael’s face.

“Memory.”

I muttered softly, then turned my face mask inside out. In that state, I only stuck my face out a bit.

If I went out completely, my physique would give me away.

“Huh. What.”

“?”

At that moment, Lexton released his Magic Body.

“Crazy. Fuck, what have you done?”

“There was a bit of an accident. Some lunatic came by. I called for help to deal with this.”

“Who the fuck does this fucking bastard think he is, treating me like an errand boy?”

The guy, having completely let his guard down, approached, swearing. I naturally moved aside.

“You. I’ll get an extra fee for this later, right…?”

Then, Lexton saw it.

Raphael Bartra, split in two. He asked in a flustered tone.

“…Hey. Did you have a twin?”

“No.”

“Then-”

-…

I discharged the Magic Spell. A high-density air blade emerged from the wand.

The same formula combination that had cut Raphael.

But Lexton managed to withstand it once. The formula had caught on his spine.

“Cough-”

I discharged it once more at the man who was coughing up blood.

-…

“…”

I looked around at the two corpses. It was a bit grotesque, but I wouldn’t bother cleaning it up. Instead, I applied magic to the pool of blood accumulating like a puddle. With it, I engraved red letters on the floor.

[SIN]

Sin.

The cartel guys would probably know best what kind of sin it was.

I immediately texted Kanya.

[Done]

Ding-

As if she had been waiting, the reply came.

[Kanya: Did you cut off his ear and thumb? They’re necessary as proof for personal bounties.]

“Ah.”

I almost forgot. I cut off Lexada’s ear and thumb.

“…Hmm.”

I was about to leave as is, but I hesitated.

The word SIN engraved on the floor seemed too short for a ‘message’.

I added a few more letters.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the mansion in the capital of Edsilla, Layla is ‘spacing out’.

Staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Hey.”

“…”

“Hey.”

Someone keeps calling from the side, but she couldn’t hear them.

“Hey!”

The booming voice was annoying.

Layla turned her head to the side.

“What are you doing? I went to the trouble after you invited me.”

It was Elise. She looked at Layla with a puzzled face.

Layla pouted her lips.

“…I only invited you, I didn’t say we were going to do anything. And the kids kept asking me to invite you. I didn’t even want to have a party in the first place.”

“What-? You didn’t want to have a party? You, Layla?”

Elise distorted her face as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her expression quickly turned suspicious.

“Are you a spirit?”

“What are you talking about, Elly? I’m feeling down, so could you please be quiet?”

“No, it’s just…”

“Ah, I see. Got it.”

Layla raised an eyebrow at Elise.

“Elly, did you think I invited Shion too?”

“……”

Elise’s body shivered.

She had hit the nail on the head.

“What nonsense, sigh. Why would I discuss anything with you?”

“Do you really like Shion, Elly?”

“Are you crazy! You must not be a spirit after all. You can’t distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be said, just like Layla.”

She spat out her words like a machine gun and quickly ran away.

Bang!

She slammed the door shut.

Suddenly!

What, she’s opening the door again?

Layla looked at Elise.

“What?”

“If you spread any rumors, I won’t let it slide. I mean it. Don’t spread false rumors. I might even sue you for defamation.”

She threatened and then,

Bang!

She didn’t wait for a response and shut the door.

“Sigh……”

Finally alone, Layla let out a sigh.

Just as she was about to immerse herself in her thoughts, ring-

Her phone rang.

“Ah, what now.”

─Layla. There’s breaking news from Trick City.

It was her AI assistant ‘Eri’.

Layla asked in a weary voice.

“What’s the news? I’ve already seen plenty of news…”

The reason she was so desolate right now was because of those news.

The death of the operator of the Ren Orphanage, a person who was like a beacon of light.

Of course, there was anger and sadness about the incident, but the sense of emptiness about public opinion was a bit stronger.

All this time, when she claimed to be a hero and saved people, she was cursed as a lawbreaker, but now that a ‘real’ casualty has occurred, they’re looking for me.

─It’s different news. You should see it right away.

The assistant brought up the news.

“What the… huh?!”

At that moment, Layla’s eyes widened. She sprang up from the bed.

[Breaking news. Pastor Raphael Bartra of Section D-44 has been found brutally murdered]

Raphael Bartra.

Layla knew him.

She had helped him before.

In fact, in the lawless Section D, it would be quicker to find someone she hadn’t helped. Especially those running religious and educational facilities.

Anyway.

As Mila, Layla had taken down the thugs who tried to steal the church’s offerings, and Pastor Raphael had given her a cross-shaped bracelet as a gift.

However, the more important issue was.

[According to eyewitnesses, a composite suspected to be ‘Raquel Dra’ was found again.]

A composite that was of no help in finding the suspected culprit, just a fencing mask.

Raquel Dra.

[Also, a sentence sent by Raquel Dra to someone was written on the floor of the church.]

A sentence written in blood filled the screen.

Layla blankly read the red letters.

“……’Mila. Do you know the sins of this man?’.”

Suddenly, her complexion turned frighteningly pale.

─Yes. This dangerous person is calling for you, Master.

“…….”

Layla clenched her teeth. Her tightly balled fists trembled.

[In the midst of what is presumed to be a message from Raquel Dra to the outlaw ‘Mila’, who has been operating like a vigilante in Trick City until now…….]

─It’s the appearance of an archenemy.

Artificial secretary Eri chimed in.

“Eri. This isn’t a comic book.”

Layla retorted.

─Yes, Master. I’ll give you some time to think.

The secretary quietly withdrew, seemingly proud of her demeanor.

“Haah…… what the hell is going on.”

As Layla glared at her smartphone, deep in thought-

Suddenly!

The door opened again.

It was Elise.

“……Ah, Elly, not now!”

Layla burst out in annoyance.

“Make some room.”

Elise hurriedly entered and rummaged through her nightstand.

“Elly. I’m serious right now.”

Layla crossed her arms seriously, but Elise just ignored her and continued fixing her makeup.

“Ah, why are you doing this, really. I’m freaking out, really aaah.”

“…….”

“Aaaah─”

Then, Elly also glanced at her as if she was resentful.

“You said you didn’t invite him.”

“What!”

“……It’s nothing.”

She glared at the mirror and corrected her makeup as gently as possible. Not too forceful, yet not too plain.

Emphasizing her soft freshness the most.

It’s not that it’s not true, but Shion Ascal is outside right now.

“Elly, you’re pretty even without makeup, so get out! Do it in the bathroom!”

“Doing makeup in the bathroom lacks elegance…… Ah. Was it a play on words, ‘makeup’ in the ‘makeup’ room? If so, I’m sorry.”

“Ah, what are you talking about, if you’re sorry then just get out!!!”

Layla shouted, almost crying.