Chapter 10 — Old Enemies
One afternoon, while strolling through the streets, Ren noticed someone following him.
He didn't need to turn around.
From the corner of his vision, he caught sight of three familiar figures.
Kael Veyron.
Daren.
Milo.
The three red-haired bullies from his childhood.
It had been two years since the incident that had ruined their families, yet the three of them were still together.
Still following behind Kael.
'What true friendship.'
A faint smile appeared on Ren's face.
Instead of confronting them on the busy street, Ren deliberately turned into a quieter road.
Then, after walking for a while, he entered an alley.
He continued until he reached the dead end.
Only then did he turn around.
As expected, the three boys were standing at the entrance.
Kael stepped forward, his expression filled with hatred.
"Well, well. Look who it is. The mighty crybaby. Did you really think we'd let you get away after what you did to our lives?"
"Oh? What did I do?" Ren asked, putting on a confused expression.
His tone was clearly mocking them.
"You bastard! You know exactly what you did!" Kael roared. "You ruined our lives! Because of your stunt, our parents can't find decent jobs anymore. They can only get the dirtiest and lowest-paying jobs!"
His fists clenched tightly.
"Because of you, we're barely scraping by!"
"Boss, why are you wasting so much time talking to him?" Daren said impatiently. "Let's just beat him up. We should break a few of his limbs."
"No."
Kael's expression became vicious.
"We're going to kill him."
Daren and Milo both hesitated.
They hadn't expected Kael to go that far.
But after exchanging a glance, neither of them said anything.
Kael stared at Ren.
"Last time, you only managed to beat us because of your dirty tricks. But let's see how you handle us now."
"You sure know how to talk big," Ren said calmly.
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"Ahhh! I'll kill you!"
Kael charged forward.
He raised his fist and swung it toward Ren's face.
Ren calmly stepped forward and struck the forearm of Kael's punching arm, redirecting the punch to the side.
Before Kael could react, Ren kicked him in the stomach.
The force sent Kael flying backward and crashing into Daren and Milo.
All three fell to the ground.
Before they could even get back up, Ren grabbed Kael by the ankle.
He swung him around in a circle before releasing him.
Kael crashed into the other two boys once again.
Daren and Milo cried out as the impact knocked the air from their lungs.
"You really don't learn, huh?"
Ren walked toward them.
He grabbed the nearest boy and punched him in the face.
Then another punch.
And another.
The three boys desperately tried to fight back, but their strength was nowhere near Ren's.
After two years of continuous training, Ren's physical abilities had long since surpassed what ordinary children his age could achieve.
His punches landed heavily against their faces, leaving them bloody and swollen.
When they tried to crawl away, Ren caught them and continued beating them.
Then he broke a few limbs from each of them.
Their screams echoed through the alley.
Eventually, their resistance disappeared.
One by one, all three fell unconscious.
Ren stood over them and looked down at their battered bodies.
"I hope you three don't die."
He wiped the blood from his knuckles against Kael's clothes.
"It's better for you three to suffer for the rest of your lives."
With that, Ren turned around and left the alley.
He didn't look back.
---
Three Days Later
Knock. Knock.
Ren was reading in his apartment when he heard someone knocking on the door.
He put down his book and walked over.
When he opened the door, several police officers stood outside.
Behind them were Kael, Daren, and Milo's parents.
Their eyes were red from crying.
The moment one of the mothers saw Ren, she pointed at him.
"Officer, that's him! I believe he's the one who harmed our children!"
"Madam, please calm down," the lead officer said. "We're conducting an investigation."
He turned toward Ren.
"Ren Aster, do you know Kael Veyron, Daren, and Milo?"
"Yes, I know them."
Ren kept his expression neutral.
"They're the three who used to bully me when I was young."
"I see."
The officer nodded.
"We're sorry about that."
He paused before continuing.
"You see, a few days ago, Kael, Daren, and Milo were assaulted and left badly injured. They're currently in a coma, and according to the healers, it's unlikely that they're going to wake up."
Ren's eyes widened.
"Huh? What happened to them?"
"We know it's shocking news."
The officer's expression remained serious.
"But why are you here, officers?" Ren asked.
"Kael, Daren, and Milo's parents came to the police station and filed a case. They believe you're the most likely person to have harmed them."
The officer looked at Ren carefully.
"So we've come to ask you a few questions."
Ren frowned.
"You all... do you take me for a fool?"
The parents immediately became agitated.
Ren continued before they could speak.
"They're clearly trying to use this incident to take revenge because of what happened in the past."
The lead officer paused.
"What happened in the past?"
It had been several years since that incident.
People tended to forget things, especially when they had dealt with countless cases since then.
Ren calmly explained what had happened.
He told them about the bullying, the beating, the incident that had caused the public uproar, and how the entire situation had affected the three families.
"Oh."
One of the officers suddenly looked surprised.
"I remember that incident."
"I see," another officer said.
The officers exchanged glances.
Now that they knew the history between Ren and the three boys, the parents' accusations looked considerably less convincing.
It seemed more likely that they were simply trying to use their children's injuries as an excuse to get revenge on Ren.
"We're sorry for troubling you," the lead officer said.
He continued asking a few routine questions.
"Where were you on the day they were attacked?"
Ren thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"I don't remember."
"What about earlier that day? Did you see them?"
"No."
The officers asked a few more questions, but Ren answered each one calmly.
Eventually, the lead officer closed his notes.
"That's all for now."
The parents immediately protested.
"But officer—"
"Madam, we've heard your accusation," the officer interrupted. "We'll investigate if we find sufficient evidence. For now, there's nothing more we can do here."
The officers left with the three parents.
Ren closed the door.
He stood there for a moment before returning to reading on his magic phone.
'It seems that really is the end of it.'
Ren had deliberately stopped short of killing the three.
In this world, serious injuries weren't treated nearly as severely as death.
As long as the victims weren't dead, the matter generally wouldn't trigger the same level of investigation or punishment.
Of course, the three boys could still be treated.
With sufficiently powerful healing potions and healing magic, their injuries could potentially be repaired.
But those treatments were expensive.
And their families had no money.
'That's why I didn't kill them.'
If Ren had killed the three, the situation would have been completely different.
The police would have had far more reason to investigate thoroughly, and the families would have been able to demand a much more serious response.
But leaving them alive and severely injured was different.
Their parents couldn't afford the treatment necessary to restore them.
So unless something unexpected happened, Kael, Daren, and Milo would remain in their current condition for years.
Perhaps they would eventually recover.
Perhaps they wouldn't.
Either way, Ren had avoided creating a situation that would bring serious consequences upon himself.
There were expensive spell talismans capable of investigating traces left behind at a crime scene.
With enough money, they could potentially determine what had happened and even identify the culprit.
But such talismans were expensive even for mages, much less ordinary people.
The three families had already lost their previous sources of income.
They had neither money nor influence.
They couldn't afford an expensive investigation, nor did they have the connections necessary to pressure the police into pursuing the matter aggressively.
In the end, they lacked both money and power.
'If nothing else happens, this is probably the end of the matter.'
The parents probably didn't have enough money to pursue the matter any further.
They likely couldn't even afford the expensive healing potions needed to treat their children.
With neither money nor influence, there wasn't much they could do.
Ren picked up his magic phone and continued reading.
'If they know what's good for them, they'll leave me alone.'
A faint smile appeared on his face.
'But if they don't...'
'Well, they'll regret it.'