My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 59

Raymond National Park.

This park, which shares its name with the capital of the Elemental Kingdom and borrows directly from the royal family’s surname, Raymond, was undeniably one of the most iconic landmarks representing Capital Raymond.

Spanning an area of 314 square kilometers, this massive park was formed by encircling a large lake with dense trees. Its sheer size was comparable to that of a provincial city, and it stood out as a rare place within the capital, filled with towering buildings, where one could experience nature.

"Haa."

A bench prepared within Raymond National Park.

Laila, who was attending the church’s charity event held at Raymond National Park, let out a deep sigh as she stared blankly at the innocent smartphone screen.

Once again, there was no reply today.

A continuous stream of deliberate neglect.

At first, she had been grateful just to be able to send messages, regardless of whether they were ignored, but as time went on, it became harder to suppress the growing desires that came naturally to being human.

She wished she could at least receive a reply, even if it was a single-word response.

She wanted to have even a little conversation.

She wasn’t asking for much.

Even exchanging texts for just one minute would have been enough.

She didn’t expect them to become lovers or even friends, but at the very least, she hoped their relationship could evolve to the level of mere acquaintances.

'Could they really have zero interest in me?'

Though Laila was both loved by her fans as an entertainer and loved them back, perhaps it was because this was the first time, as a woman, that she had taken an interest in someone.

The melancholy weighing on her shoulders made her seem as though she had been drenched by rain.

"Noona, are you okay?"

Seeing Laila in such a state, Kyon approached her with a worried expression and asked.

"If you’re not feeling well, should we take a break? It’s not like this is an event you absolutely have to attend anyway."

"I’m fine. It’s a good cause, after all."

An event organized to spread hope among citizens living in fear due to the sudden rise in crime.

Hosted by "Kindness," one of the seven denominations comprising the church, the event featured free performances by entertainers and activities like cooking and sharing meals together.

Having once experienced a crime firsthand, Laila had readily agreed to participate in such a meaningful cause.

But skipping the event just because she hadn’t received a single reply wasn’t an option.

'Get it together, Laila.'

There’s an old saying that even a tree will fall after being chopped ten times.

Even if the other person kept pushing her away, wouldn’t there eventually be some form of progress if she kept approaching?

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things; it was time to focus on the event.

With that thought in mind, Laila forced herself to regain her composure and eagerly moved her fingers.

-I’m about to participate in a charity event at Raymond National Park. If you have time, feel free to come by.

The "1" next to the message disappeared almost immediately, indicating it had been read.

Yet, even after a long while, no reply came.

Her expression almost faltered, but she barely managed to hold it together as she abruptly stood up.

And Laila, forcing herself to walk briskly, moved forward.

Watching her frail figure from behind, Kyon quietly shook his head.

"Never thought I’d see the day when Noona struggles over a guy."

Was it true what they said—that in love, the one who loves first is the one who loses?

As far as Kyon could see, she was already the most spectacular loser in the world.

* * *

Nestled between an apartment and a shopping complex, an ordinary smartphone store, no different from any other.

A plain white short-sleeved T-shirt and black sweatpants.

Wearing the same clothes he had on at home, Cain entered the store, carrying only a broken smartphone and a wallet, and spoke abruptly to the clerk in front of him.

"Smartphone. Latest model. The most expensive one."

"Excuse me?"

The clerk, flustered by the blunt and abrupt statement that lacked even a single greeting.

If given just three seconds, they might have recovered and displayed the demeanor of a professional salesperson, but Cain didn’t even allow that much time, continuing to pressure the clerk.

"I don’t care about government subsidies or contract discounts—whatever. Just set me up with the most expensive plan. Feel free to take as much commission as you want."

"Um, excuse me..."

"In return, you only have one job: don’t bother me and activate the smartphone as quickly as possible."

With that, he placed the broken smartphone and wallet in front of the clerk.

"The ID card and credit card are all inside the wallet, so fill in whatever information you need."

"......."

"And if you do your job right, I’ll throw in an extra tip."

A storm swept through the room.

The clerk, unable to gather their thoughts, alternated between looking at Cain’s face and the wallet he had handed over.

They checked the contents.

Could this possibly be connected to a crime?

Was this one of those infamous burner phones?

Filled with concern, the clerk repeatedly compared the photo on the ID card with Cain’s face.

"Are you really the owner?"

The face did match, at least for now.

But the clerk couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility that the ID card might be a fake, so they held onto their suspicions.

"You’re full of unnecessary doubts."

Cain frowned, immediately realizing what they were suspicious about.

If he wanted to make a burner phone, why would he come here in person instead of asking Oman to handle it directly?

Still, understanding their situation, Cain responded curtly.

"Yes, I’m the owner. My smartphone broke, and I’m here to replace it. So stop talking and just do what I told you."

The words he had been spouting since earlier were incredibly rude.

No matter how much of a "phone clerk" someone might be, they still had their pride as a man.

No matter how much money was offered, they wouldn’t sell to someone so disrespectful.

"Would a million shillings as a tip suffice? If you ask me another annoying question, I’ll cut it in half."

"I’ll have it activated right away! Just five minutes, no, three minutes—please wait!"

But the amount of money Cain offered was far too great to scold him for his rudeness.

The clerk, who had been about to snap at him, suddenly perked up, eyes sparkling, as Cain’s subsequent words struck a chord.

A million shillings—how many bonuses would that equate to?

And on top of that, the tip was separate from the commission fee.

In other words, the amount Cain offered was a million shillings plus extra.

'He’s a VIP!'

Smiling brightly, the clerk began typing furiously on the keyboard.

Watching the clerk with a dissatisfied expression, Cain clicked his tongue and sat down in a chair visible behind him.

'If the previous clerk were here, there wouldn’t have been any unnecessary questions.'

That clerk had still been around when Arina’s smartphone was activated.

Could they have moved to another store?

Two years ago and more recently.

Cain, unaware that the clerk had been promoted to headquarters after two successful transactions with him, could only lament their absence.

"......."

Arina, who had been observing the entire situation from the back, sighed and shook her head.

No matter how many times she nagged him not to talk to others like that, he never seemed to listen.

Instead, he always made excuses like, "In their mind, they’ll remember me as a really great customer, not a nuisance."

What made it even worse was that she couldn’t outright deny his claim.

While not everything in this world could be bought with money, Cain had consistently proven through his actions that at least a good impression could be.

If a kind word could settle a thousand debts, then a thousand shillings could easily buy a kind word.

Having witnessed such results countless times, Arina had reached the point where she felt resignation rather than the urge to stop him.

"Once the smartphone is activated, where are you going?"

"Home."

Cain answered Arina’s question without a moment of hesitation.

After all, the sole reason he had stepped out was to activate a new smartphone.

Since there was no other reason, heading straight home was only natural.

"Still, it’s been a while since you’ve gone out. Why not take a detour and stroll through the park on the way back?"

"......."

Cain turned his head toward Arina at her words.

Her eyes, filled with a desperate look, were fixed on him.

A white open-shoulder T-shirt with frills paired with blue jeans.

It was one of the outfits Cain had picked up from the Grant Department Store before Arina entered Benedict Academy.

Despite the limited time for preparation, it seemed she had dressed up as much as she could.

"Do as you like."

If he suggested going straight home, she would follow, but she would likely stay gloomy until the evening.

Although Cain had shown no tolerance for the clerk’s single question earlier and acted indifferent and curt with others, he strangely displayed a softer side only toward Arina.

"Really?"

"Let’s grab lunch while we’re at it. If we go for a walk afterward, it might get too late."

At Cain’s words, Arina beamed as though she had the whole world in her hands.

Was it really something to be so happy about, just to have lunch out and take a short walk?

'Raising a child is tough.'

Unable to comprehend her reaction, Cain adjusted his slipping glasses again.

He was providing everything she needed without lacking anything, yet she seemed to prefer spending time together more.

It wasn’t as though they had particularly deep conversations or anything while spending time together.

Cain, who was inherently lacking in social skills, couldn’t understand Arina’s preference for emotional connection over material things.

'If everything could be solved with money, like with that clerk, the world would be so much easier.'

"Take care of my daughter."

His sister’s final words continued to echo in Cain’s mind like a curse.

Was he truly fulfilling those words properly?

Was this really okay?

Knowing himself objectively well, Cain’s distrust in himself weighed heavily on his shoulders.

At the same time, he let out a faint chuckle at the turmoil in his heart.

Who else in the world could make him feel such a sense of responsibility?

'Even in death, she’s such a troublesome woman.'

If his sister were alive, she would undoubtedly criticize his current self.

With that thought, Cain turned to Arina, who was still delighted, and asked.

"Vacation is coming up soon, right? Should we go somewhere then?"

Maybe somewhere like the sea or a valley?

According to the internet, when it’s summer, people tend to go to those places.

Honestly, he couldn’t understand why anyone would leave the comfort of air conditioning to go to places scorching under the blazing sun.

"......!"

Seeing Arina’s wide-eyed, astonished reaction, Cain thought it didn’t really matter whether he understood or not.

Well, it’s probably just about creating memories, he figured.

Like that kid.

"For now, think about where you’d like to go. I don’t have any particular place in mind."

He would fully accommodate wherever she wanted to go.

Hearing such an unbelievable statement coming from Cain, Arina absentmindedly pinched her cheek.

And upon realizing it wasn’t a dream, she suddenly leapt up from her seat and shouted.

"Really?! You’re not lying, right?!"

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Last time, you said you’d sleep in your room but slept in the study instead."

"That wasn’t a lie; I just broke a promise."

Those are two completely different things.

Doesn’t it feel unfair when you nitpick like that?

"Still, you haven’t suggested going anywhere in the past two years."

"That’s why I’m suggesting it now."

Hearing her mention "two years" made him feel even more guilty.

His sister would surely nag him a lot in the afterlife.

She’d probably say, "I told you to take good care of her, not just watch her with your eyes."

"Well, it’s something to talk about after vacation starts, anyway."

"Okay."

"For now, focus on your studies. With your personality, if your grades aren’t good, it’ll bother you, and you won’t be able to enjoy the trip."

Cain knew Arina wasn’t the type to forget about bad grades and have carefree fun.

She’d likely worry about the second semester even during the trip.

"Yes, of course."

Cain’s words served as clear motivation for Arina.

If she got good grades, she could go on a trip with Cain during vacation.

Just imagining it made her clench her fists with excitement.

"All done!"

At that moment, the clerk’s voice rang out, and Cain, glancing at Arina who was brimming with determination, stood up and walked toward the clerk.

"Let me explain about the device and the plan......."

"No need. I’m sure you handled it well. Just send it via text later."

Reading it in text was more convenient than hearing it.

It was also easier to handle any issues that might arise later.

After all, in this world, the bigger the return, the greater the risk.

If there had been even the slightest mistake in handling things, this phone clerk’s future wouldn’t have been smooth.

Cain wouldn’t even need to step in; his fanatic Oman would handle it personally.

"Understood."

The clerk responded energetically, completely unaware of the dangerous future that might await him.

Cain, turning on the smartphone and launching the banking app among the transferred apps, addressed the clerk.

"What are you waiting for? Give me your account number."

At Cain’s words, the clerk hurriedly recited his account number.

Soon, with a "ding" sound signaling a message, the clerk grinned brightly.

"Thank you for the cool transaction! May you be blessed, sir!"

"Who’s your 'sir'?"

Cain had never had a younger brother like this.

Raising a niece was already overwhelming enough—what younger brother?

As he left the store, receiving a 120-degree bow from the clerk who saw him out, Cain turned to Arina, who still couldn’t contain her excitement, and asked.

"What do you want to eat?"

"How about banquet noodles? There’s a place over there."

"Close and convenient. Sounds good."

Without much thought, the two decided on their lunch menu and stepped inside the restaurant.