My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 22

The Dark District.

Currently, it is fully integrated under the Death King Heukcheon and managed by the Seven Deadly Sins, but in the past, before the Death King's emergence, it was a lawless zone, untouched by any rules or control.

The criminal organization "Freddy Dog," based in the Elemental Kingdom, was one of the few groups with a significant history, having survived and persisted since those lawless days in the Dark District.

Kemel, who succeeded the previous boss after he died mysteriously while attempting to kidnap an entertainer he admired.

Though he was by no means a good boss, even generously speaking—mishandling his subordinates over trivial matters and frequently resorting to violence.

Nevertheless, after the previous boss—who had shouldered nearly all of Freddy Dog's military power as a 4th Class Magician—passed away.

His skill in navigating situations and clinging to opportunities kept the crumbling Freddy Dog alive to this day, and that ability was certainly remarkable.

"Hoo."

Recognized for that ability, Kemel had now been granted a certain level of influence by Oman.

Having been assigned a district and provided with troops, he had risen to an administrative role and was now regarded as an economic boss who elevated Freddy Dog to the ranks of major organizations.

At first glance, it might be easy to imagine him as a nouveau riche flaunting wealth and power, but Kemel's daily life was anything but glamorous.

The constant stream of work left him with no time to spend the money he earned.

He barely left his room, unable to grasp just how much his influence had grown.

When reports of subordinates causing trouble came in, he felt envy rather than anger—jealous that they had time for such antics.

Still, he couldn't complain recklessly, knowing that Oman, who had thrust this work onto him, handled a workload several times greater.

At least he got to sleep—Oman, on the other hand, didn't sleep at all.

Honestly, if Oman had dumped all the work on him and then slacked off, Kemel might have lodged a protest, even at the risk of his life.

Reflecting on his life, he couldn't help but sigh, thinking that it might have been better when he just followed orders and barely survived day by day.

'Well, at least I don't have to worry about starving, right?'

In fact, with so little time to spare, he resolved his unused wealth by spending it on food.

An extravagant feast of delicacies that even most nobles could only dream of.

'I wonder what kind of dish will come out today.'

The only time of day he looked forward to—mealtime.

Watching the minute hand race toward 12 o'clock sharp, Kemel's hands unconsciously moved faster in anticipation of today's chef's omakase.

Creak.

Finally, it's here.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Kemel raised his head expectantly.

But at the same time, he suddenly felt something was off.

'The knock?'

There should have been a knock and permission sought.

Skipping that process and opening the door immediately was something unimaginable, considering his position.

Even for an extremely important guest, knocking was essential, wasn't it?

And if it were an emergency so urgent that they skipped knocking, there was no trace of haste in the sound of the opening door.

"Yo, long time no see, Kemel."

As he fully raised his head and looked at the man entering through the door, Kemel's eyes widened to the point they could no longer widen.

"Bo...ss...?"

This couldn't be happening.

The previous boss of Freddy Dog, Freddy, who had died around ten years ago under mysterious circumstances, now stood before him, smiling with the same cocky grin as always.

Startled, Kemel leapt to his feet.

'An Undead?'

Could someone have resurrected the previous boss's corpse?

Or was it a disguise?

Perhaps they used the Infi Mask, a disguise tool said to exist in the Hwan Empire?

Countless possibilities flashed through Kemel's mind in an instant.

"Oh, as expected of a Vice Captain. Unlike the others outside, you're quick-witted."

At that, Freddy slowly approached Kemel, plopping down in the chair Kemel had just vacated.

Then, pushing aside the messy documents on the desk with his foot, Freddy propped his legs up and raised a hand toward Kemel, who stood behind him.

"......."

At the gesture, Kemel silently placed a cigarette between Freddy's fingers.

As Freddy brought it to his lips, Kemel instinctively lit the end with a lighter.

"Hoo."

Just like Kemel had sighed earlier while sitting in the chair, Freddy exhaled deeply, a faint trail of smoke rising.

'He's not an Undead.'

The warmth of his skin when their hands brushed as Kemel handed him the cigarette was far too warm for an Undead.

At the very least, he wasn't the kind of cold, lifeless corpse Kemel had suspected.

And if it were someone in disguise, they had perfectly replicated Freddy's habits, mannerisms, and attitude from the past.

More importantly, was there even a reason for someone to impersonate Freddy, who had died ten years ago, and appear before him now?

The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that the figure before him was truly Freddy.

'Could it be that he didn't die ten years ago?'

No way.

He himself had secretly retrieved Freddy's corpse when the police had been handling it.

There was no mistake.

Though the body had been so mangled that it was unrecognizable, Kemel, who had served under Freddy and waited for his chance for years, knew at a glance.

That corpse had undoubtedly been Freddy.

"There should've been subordinates stationed outside. What did you do to them?"

"......."

At Kemel's question, Freddy, lounging back in the chair and smoking his cigarette, casually turned his head toward Kemel.

Then, with a smirk, he chuckled softly.

"It seems quite some time has passed. For someone like you to dare question me—impressive. You've grown, Kemel."

"......."

"Well, I'll let it slide since it's been a while."

Without even finishing his cigarette, Freddy stubbed it out in the ashtray, his grin twisting into something ominous.

"How dare they, mere dogs, block their master without recognizing him. Insolent."

Freddy Dog—the meaning behind the name was Freddy's dogs.

The organization had been created solely because Freddy needed people to clean up after him.

Not recognizing their master was a grave sin.

Freddy's temper was bad enough that he could have executed them on the spot without issue.

"......."

Kemel felt chills run down his back at those words.

The ones outside weren't ordinary individuals.

While there were regular subordinates, most of them were troops provided by Oman to ensure Kemel's safety.

Among them was even a Martial Artist who had reached the 4th Class Realm, equivalent to Freddy's level in the past.

Yet all of them had been wiped out.

And Kemel hadn't even noticed the fight taking place.

That meant the battle had been so overwhelming that not even a scream had escaped.

Something Freddy, as a 4th Class Magician in the past, could never have accomplished.

It indirectly indicated that Freddy had gone beyond his previous level.

"Heh."

Freddy let out a mocking laugh at Kemel's frozen expression.

It was only then that Kemel noticed the faint smell of blood wafting in from outside the door.

The scent had reached him far too late, overshadowed by Freddy's overwhelming presence.

"By the way, on my way here, I caught a glimpse of her. She seems to be doing well."

No subject was given.

But Kemel, digging through old memories, knew exactly who Freddy was referring to.

Laila Ruby.

She was the only person Freddy, who regarded his subordinates as mere expendables and barely remembered anyone else's name, had ever shown interest in.

"She's gotten even prettier than she was ten years ago."

"......."

"And I hear she even has a concert coming up in a few days."

Freddy reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

A smartphone casually taken from someone and killed on the street on the way here.

Its battery was almost drained, with only 4% remaining, likely from constant use on the way.

The past search history listed below the internet search bar.

It was densely filled with nothing but keywords related to Laila Ruby.

"Perfect. Kidnap her."

The plan from ten years ago, which had failed, would be put into action once more.

With an obsession bordering on madness directed at Laila Ruby, Freddy flung the now-dead smartphone over the back of the chair as its battery finally died.

"And bring me a new smartphone, too."

"The latter is possible, but the former is not."

"......."

Freddy turned his head toward Kemel again.

His cold, sunken eyes spoke volumes.

First, you dared to ask questions without permission, and now you're talking back?

...That's what they seemed to say.

"The situation is very different from when you ruled the organization, Boss."

Freddy's temper was extremely short and violent.

Thus, Kemel hurriedly began to explain before Freddy's anger could explode.

About how, roughly five years ago, an Absolute appeared and completely took over the Dark District.

And how, since then, all the organizations in the Dark District had been operating under the control of the Seven Deadly Sins, subordinates of the Absolute.

"Currently, our Freddy Dog organization is directly managing this sector under the orders of Oman. And Oman recently commanded us to refrain from any activity in the capital, Raymond."

It was no longer the same as the days when Freddy could act as he pleased, treating his subordinates however he wished.

A more terrifying existence, the Absolute, stood firmly above them, supported by the Seven Deadly Sins, all of whom were superhuman.

To defy their will meant instant annihilation.

Freddy was no exception.

"I will promptly inform them that the Boss has returned."

If you wish, I’ll hand over this position right away.

It’s perfect timing. I’ve been wanting to quit everything recently and take a break.

Of course, I need Oman’s approval first, but they likely won’t object to the return of the former Boss.

Although, knowing Freddy, he wouldn’t handle things properly, and Oman would come looking for me again within a few days.

But still, that’s something.

Even a few days of rest would be worth it.

'Most of all, getting involved with this guy only causes trouble.'

He gets what he wants and then vanishes.

Physical confrontation isn’t an option, so that was the only way Kemel could escape from this position.

"Sigh."

And then, a soft sigh escaped from Freddy's mouth, and before Kemel could sense that something was wrong, flames erupted beneath his feet.

"Why has our Kemel grown so bold while I wasn’t looking?"

He didn’t even leave a scream as his dying words.

His corpse, charred black in an instant, collapsed backward.

Freddy clicked his tongue and shook his head as he coldly gazed down at the body.

"In summary, you sold out all my subordinates elsewhere because you were scared of that guy and dared to talk back to me."

Death King? Seven Deadly Sins? Who cares about that?

He had no interest whatsoever in rules established after his death, with no input from him.

Was he supposed to be afraid and mess things up because of people he’d never even seen?

There was a reason he had persistently crawled back up from the underworld to the mortal world through the hole he had pierced.

It was all just to see Laila’s face one more time.

And yet, they dared to spout such nonsense, completely oblivious to his feelings.

Killing him in one go almost felt like a waste for such a heinous offense.

"Useless. This organization is useless."

He had thought it might be somewhat helpful, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Not that there was much to expect from those who couldn’t even properly follow orders to keep intruders out ten years ago.

"I’ll have to rebuild it from scratch."

Freddy wasn’t entirely ignorant of how the current situation in the Dark District had changed.

He had heard various stories during his journey here.

But he couldn’t fully accept those stories.

'Absolute or not, what is there to fear?'

Death King? Seven Deadly Sins? They didn’t matter in the slightest.

After all, could an Absolute truly dominate the entire continent?

That wasn’t something that made any sense.

The Dark District had been called a lawless zone for a reason.

It was vast, deep, and dark, beyond what anyone could properly manage.

Having attained the full realization of the insights he had gained in the underworld and risen to the fifth star while ascending to the mortal world, he was confident that even if he angered them, he could survive by fleeing across the continent.

"Before rebuilding the organization, I need to meet Laila first."

Wait for me, Laila.

As your fan, I’ll appear before you once again.

The flames that had spread from Kemel's body ignited the fallen documents, quickly engulfing the entire building.

Walking out of the blazing room, Freddy’s face, lit by the growing flames, was marked with a shadowed, deranged smile.