After receiving Naga's reply and confirming that she would not compete for the land surrounding the abandoned subway station attached to Fenrir's Nibelungen, Amon left her residence.
The air outside was crisp and clear. Sunlight filtered through sparse clouds, falling on the melting remnants of snow and reflecting into scattered glimmers.
Amon walked slowly along the path. The damp, dark stone slabs reflected his blurred, quiet shadow, while his footsteps made faint splashing sounds in the snowmelt.
Only after leaving the orderly residential area and reaching a street where traffic was beginning to pick up did he stop, take out his phone, and dial Rigerif's number.
"It's me—the matter with that plot of land has been settled." Amon kept it brief, his gaze sweeping over the sparse traffic on the street. "You can proceed according to the usual process. Scarlet Group will withdraw from the competition."
"They withdrew?" Rigerif's voice held undisguised surprise, which quickly turned into relieved lightness. "
"I understand. I'll make arrangements immediately."
During the brief silence, a trace of doubt quietly crept into Rigerif's mind. Amon had no enormous organization backing him. He always operated alone.
Where had he gotten the influence to make a behemoth like Scarlet Group voluntarily withdraw from a competition?
Wait, she had heard that the most straightforward business wars were never financial attacks or battles over public opinion, but simply taking out the competition—
Rigerif's thoughts wandered somewhat wildly.
In her understanding, simplifying a complicated problem by dealing with the people creating it was absolutely something Amon would do. It suited his style perfectly.
"What are you thinking about?" Amon's voice continued through the phone.
Rigerif did not hide it. She directly voiced the question circling in her head. "How did you make Scarlet Group back down? You didn't go threaten