My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 20

"It's been a while."

An unexpected and sudden encounter.

When Cain opened the door to the sound of the doorbell, he froze at the sight of Huren Grant's face and blinked a few times.

'Am I still half-asleep?'

Why is this guy standing in front of my house ringing the doorbell?

Cain scratched the back of his head for a moment, trying to wake up his still groggy mind.

"Oh, come in."

Deciding it didn't matter much, he opened the door wide.

Cain entered the house, yawning and adjusting his slightly slipping glasses.

"A nicer house than I expected."

Huren Grant followed him in, carefully looking around the house.

"But how did you find me? I don't remember telling you my new address."

"Arina told me. She said if you needed to send anything, to use this address."

"That little brat, always doing unnecessary things."

At Hughes Grant's funeral, Hemon Grant had suggested abandoning Arina, but Cain had decided to take her in and raise her.

Perhaps out of guilt from that conversation or to maintain the reputation of the Grant Association, Huren Grant had sent gifts to their home every holiday.

'To prevent any gossip or potential weaknesses from being exposed to reporters.'

Not that Cain had any intention of spreading rumors anyway.

From Huren Grant's perspective, Cain was an enigma, impossible to control, which must have been a source of concern.

Different from the affectionate Hughes Grant or the emotionally driven Hemon Grant.

Huren Grant, being extremely rational and calculating, was the head of the Grant Association for that reason.

"The kid says coffee isn't good for her health, so she's not allowed to have it at home. If you're thirsty, there's plain water in the fridge, so help yourself."

Saying that, Cain sat down at the table with a thud.

Was he in the middle of lunch?

A simple meal of egg soup made with beaten eggs, kimchi, seaweed, and rice.

Huren Grant quietly sat across from him, watching as Cain continued eating without paying him any mind.

"Nothing has changed from before to now."

His rude nature, completely ignoring his guest.

Yet, Huren Grant didn't feel particularly offended by it.

No, he couldn't feel offended.

Huren Grant was fully aware that Cain was no ordinary person.

'What exactly is his identity?'

After Cain declared he would take Arina away and left the funeral home.

Huren naturally investigated his background.

Information was crucial to running a business.

To uncover everything about him from A to Z.

"Sir, I'm saying this out of concern because you're a good person and a valuable source of income, but it's best if you stay out of this matter."

However, the response he received after giving that order was beyond his comprehension.

He had personally contacted a well-known informant from the Dark District.

But as soon as the informant received the request, he shook his head and refused.

And left him with a sincere piece of advice.

"If you're still curious about this person, make sure to leave evidence that I had no part in this. I don't want to die."

If you're going to die, die alone.

The informant, who had seen it all in the Dark District, left Huren with such a warning, trembling with fear.

It was the first time Huren Grant had seen him so nervous, even in front of the head of the Grant Association.

Upon hearing those words, Huren Grant immediately ceased his investigation into Cain.

For a merchant, information is important, but more crucial is the discernment to know where to tread and where not to.

That's what he felt at that moment.

That going any further would be truly dangerous.

And it was from that moment on.

That Huren Grant began to tread carefully around Cain, adopting a more subordinate attitude.

Slurp.

And it was the same now.

Normally, Huren Grant wouldn't have tolerated such rudeness in front of him, but he quietly waited for Cain to finish his meal.

"So, what brings you here without any notice?"

After finishing his meal and placing the empty bowl on the sink.

Cain returned to the table with a water bottle from the refrigerator and asked.

"I did contact you, though?"

"Huh?"

"I called last night, but you didn't answer, so I sent a text saying I'd come today."

"......."

Hearing that, Cain pulled his smartphone out of his pocket.

Seeing it wouldn't turn on, he shook his head and tossed it onto the table.

"When did it die? This thing."

"Well, at least we know it was off before last night."

"......."

This is why I should get into the habit of charging it while I sleep.

Tsk, Cain clicked his tongue and gulped down some cold water.

"Anyway, that's settled. So, what do you need? You must be busy."

The Grant Department Store, which Huren had ambitiously prepared to expand into the capital, had grandly failed.

Though it wasn't his fault, Huren Grant was busy dealing with the aftermath.

So why would he take time out of his busy schedule to visit such a modest place?

"It's nothing special. I've nearly finished cleaning up, and since I was in the capital, I thought I'd stop by."

"You didn't have to come all the way here."

"So, where's Arina?"

"She's at the Academy. She started attending this year."

"Is that so."

Look at that.

A simple inquiry or a single call to Arina would have revealed this.

If he had just asked how she was doing when she sent the address, her talkative nature would have led her to mention the Academy first.

The fact that he asked such a question showed he had little real interest in Arina.

"That's a shame."

"It is a shame. It would have been easier for her to talk to you than me."

"More than that, I wanted to apologize. I heard that you two were at the department store when the incident happened."

"......How did you find that out?"

He was sure he had erased everyone's memories at the time.

The princess might have guessed Arina's presence from inconsistent memories.

But for Huren Grant, who wasn't there, to know that fact was highly unlikely.

"Tsk, was that the reason?"

But soon, Cain clicked his tongue as if he had figured out the answer.

The black card Huren Grant had given him.

It must have had a ritual that sent an alert when entering a Grant Association store.

There was no other way Huren could have known Cain was there.

'I should have checked it more closely instead of just shoving it into my wallet because I was too lazy. I wish I had looked at it at least once.'

Though he considered erasing it now, since it wouldn't cause him any harm and it was too bothersome, Cain decided to leave it be.

Watching him, Huren answered with a calm face.

"No one knows you were there. It's only known within the Association, and only to me."

"......."

"I'd like to tell you to use it freely without any burden, but judging by your expression, that's not going to happen."

Of course not.

Would you use it if you were me?

No matter how much I love money.

Cain propped his chin up with a discontented look and stared up at him rebelliously.

Swish.

Something being held out in front of him.

An envelope? Since I'm not using the card, are they going to give me money now?

"It's a sign of apology."

"I don't really need money."

"Why don't you open it and then talk?"

Despite Cain's words, his expression remained unchanged.

Did he give a large sum of money to speak so confidently?

Or was it not money?

Cain opened the envelope to check its contents, curious about what the correct answer might be.

"A ticket?"

He tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the concert ticket of some singer inside.

Laila Ruby, a renowned singer famous enough that even Cain, who only watched news on the internet and had no interest in the entertainment industry, had heard of her name and songs.

Naturally, her concert tickets were extremely rare items to obtain.

The question was why they gave it to him.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"Go see it with Arina. She's a fan of that singer, right?"

"Huh?"

Was she a fan?

Come to think of it, he realized that he had heard the name and songs from Arina listening to them nearby.

Moreover, the fact that Huren knew this meant that Arina had been a fan of the singer since at least two years ago when Hughes was alive.

'Was it not me but Huren who wasn't interested in the kid?'

Looking at Huren, who seemed oddly triumphant in his expression, Cain could only frown with an indescribable feeling.

***

"Wow!"

She really likes it.

That evening, as Cain relayed the events with Huren and handed over the concert ticket for Laila Ruby, Arina accepted it with a bright smile.

It was the brightest smile she had shown in recent times.

"I should send a text message to thank Uncle."

"Why send a text when he's right here? Just tell him in person."

"...I meant Uncle Huren."

Arina's eyes narrowed as if she had heard an unfunny joke.

"I'm the one who received the apology, so there's no need to thank him."

"I'll handle it my way."

"Do as you please."

There was no reason to stop her if she wanted to do something unnecessary.

"I really wanted to go anyway. It's her first national tour concert in years. But unfortunately, I failed to get the tickets..."

Was she such a fan that she tried to get tickets?

And it was only now that he found out about it.

He felt a mix of not bad and bad emotions.

"That ticket must have been part of the reason for the failure."

"Oh, really!"

Thus, a blunt remark slipped out of Cain's mouth.

And it was certainly true.

He wouldn't have tried to get tickets online or on his smartphone, being busy handling incidents.

He probably bought the ticket at a premium from the black market.

That's why black market dealers thrive.

Arina sighed deeply as she watched Cain turn his head, reminded of a social issue he had briefly seen in the news.

'Does he hate Uncle Huren that much?'

Cain usually acted like this, but he was especially blunt when the topic of the Grant Association came up.

"But it's nice that I can go out with Uncle again. The last time at the department store didn't end well."

Arina tried to change the subject with a smile.

"Huh?"

But Cain looked at her again with a puzzled look, as if it was news to him.

"Am I going too?"

"Of course. There are two tickets."

"Won't you go with that princess?"

"Come on, how can kids go to such a place alone? An adult needs to be there."

"......."

"And I'm sure Uncle Huren gave us two tickets so you could go with Uncle."

"......."

Don't say such obvious things here.

Cain couldn't find words to counter her valid point and closed his mouth tightly.

Things were getting complicated, something he hadn't anticipated.

"I'm looking forward to it. It's the weekend, so no academy. Since it's come to this, shall we go out for lunch?"

"......."

But he couldn't throw a tantrum and say he didn't want to go now.

Not with that dazzling smile on her face.

Cain lowered his head onto the table as he watched Arina, already immersed in the joy of planning.

'Damn Huren. I've never seen him do anything I like.'

Silently cursing Huren Grant for causing such trouble by giving the ticket, Cain thought to himself.