My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 2

The heart of Emulin County, the metropolis of Emulin.

Unlike Koshik Village, which is located far to the south within Emulin County, this city is slightly shifted to the north, bordering the coastal city of Revellin.

Because of this, merchants could travel relatively freely, and despite being on the outskirts of the Elemental Kingdom, the city had a thriving commercial district compared to other nearby territories.

Rumble, rumble.

In one of Emulin’s upscale restaurants.

Inside a high-end fine dining restaurant, known as the most expensive in the area, a man clenched his trembling fist tightly, unable to control his shaking hands.

The sweat dripping from his clenched fist, resting on his thigh, soaked through his pants.

Even though he had taken a calming pill beforehand, his heart pounded relentlessly, and his pupils shook uncontrollably.

It felt even more nerve-wracking than when he had first asked her out on a date.

And for good reason—today was the first time he would meet her younger brother, who would soon become his brother-in-law.

“It’s okay.”

Was it because his excessive trembling had caused concern?

The woman gently placed her hand on the back of his and met his eyes.

Her slightly wavy black hair shimmered below her shoulders, and her calm black eyes, matching the color of her hair, soothed him.

“Here, drink some water and relax.”

“Phew.”

Her soft voice seemed to calm his pounding heart, if only a little.

Following her suggestion, the man picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip.

“If you’re this nervous, how do you think Arina feels?”

Her next words jolted him back to his senses.

He turned his head to the left and looked in the opposite direction.

“I-I’m fine.”

Her reddish-brown hair, almost crimson, closely resembled his.

Her emerald eyes, a mix of yellow and green, trembled visibly as she forced a smile, trying to appear okay.

It was obvious that she was even more nervous than the man had been earlier.

The reason for her nervousness was similar to his.

She was the daughter born from the man, Hughes Grant, and his ex-wife.

Of course, the fact that her mother had run off after having an affair was more than enough reason to justify the divorce.

But public perception of a divorced man was rarely kind.

Especially when that divorced man appeared, intending to marry a woman roughly ten years his senior—what younger brother would view that favorably?

Even without the divorce, the age difference alone was enough to raise eyebrows.

“It’s okay.”

Just as Cayenne had held his hand earlier,

This time, he firmly held his daughter’s hand, offering a reassuring smile.

He felt deeply sorry toward Cayenne, who had always supported him and treated his ten-year-old daughter as if she were her own.

No matter how much he loved and cherished her, Arina would always be his top priority.

He planned to do his best to persuade her brother to approve the marriage, but if Arina ended up struggling because of it, he was prepared to call it off.

“Don’t worry too much, both of you. No matter how curt or unpleasant Cain may seem, deep down he’s a kind and good person. I’m sure he’ll give his approval.”

“Who are you calling unpleasant?”

His breath caught abruptly.

At the sound of the voice, both father and daughter shot up from their seats simultaneously.

When they turned their heads, there he was—a man with a face full of curt indifference, pulling out the chair opposite them.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late. Something came up unexpectedly.”

According to what Cayenne had told him, he was about 18 years old, eight years younger than her.

His short black hair and dark eyes gave him a sharp and fierce look.

His slanted eyes added to his intimidating and sharp impression, though the thick horn-rimmed glasses he wore softened it slightly.

However, his every move—like propping his chin on the table as soon as he sat down—was filled with an air of defiance.

“So, you invite me out for a meal after ages, and suddenly it’s some kind of formal meeting?”

Was it around the age of 13?

He had left home, saying he didn’t want to burden his sister anymore.

How shocked she had been back then.

Who would have thought he’d run away in the middle of the night just because he couldn’t be convinced otherwise?

Yet, whenever she called to complain, he would always answer the phone.

No matter how much she begged him to come back, he never listened.

Since then, they’d only exchanged occasional calls or texts, and seeing him in person had become a rare occurrence—only once or twice a year at most.

As for what he did for a living, he was shrouded in mystery, occasionally sending her large sums of money that she couldn’t even fathom, while refusing to reveal anything about his work.

‘He’s definitely not in a good mood.’

Even so, one thing was certain—he cherished her more than anyone else.

Perhaps it was because he had been raised by her after their parents passed away.

Cain practically thought of her as a parent.

And now, the person she brought home, claiming to love, was a man ten years her senior.

A former divorcee, no less, with a daughter.

‘Arina and Cain are eight years apart in age, right?’

The same age gap as between herself and Cain.

To Cain, it would feel less like gaining a niece and more like getting a new younger sibling.

As if to confirm that sentiment, Cain hadn’t spared Hughes a single glance since arriving.

Seeing this, she let out a faint, wry smile, only to hear a sudden loud voice beside her.

“N-Nice to meet you! I’m Hughes Grant! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

It might seem presumptuous.

After all, a child nearly twenty years younger than him was blatantly ignoring him.

But true to his usual mild-mannered nature, Hughes didn’t get angry.

Instead, he raised his voice in an attempt to catch Cain’s attention.

It was a tactic honed through his years as a merchant.

Whether the emotions were good or bad, the first step to a conversation was capturing the other person’s interest.

“What’s with the sudden outburst?”

Perhaps his strategy had worked.

For the first time, Cain’s gaze shifted toward him, breaking his streak of indifference.

“You’re disturbing the other guests.”

In the quiet atmosphere of the upscale restaurant, the commotion had drawn frowns and attention from everyone around them.

Pointing this out, Cain caused Hughes to scratch the back of his head apologetically.

“I’m sorry.”

He had succeeded in drawing Cain’s attention, as planned.

If it meant achieving that, a little inconvenience to others was a small price to pay.

Normally, such behavior was unthinkable for someone like him, but for Arina and Cayenne, he was willing to do it as many times as necessary.

“…And stop with the formal speech.”

Perhaps his submissive and humble demeanor had softened Cain’s stance.

Clicking his tongue, Cain raised his head.

“Ah, yes, I mean, okay.”

But being told to drop formalities so abruptly didn’t mean he could actually do it.

Especially in a situation where the power dynamics were so clear.

Awkwardly responding, Hughes hesitantly sat back down.

Watching her father’s behavior, Arina also cautiously returned to her seat.

‘What should I do?’

She had missed the opportunity to introduce herself.

Was it because of Cain’s stern gaze from the very beginning?

Lowering her head slightly, Arina quietly stared at the table.

“We’ll begin serving your meal now.”

After a brief moment of silence, the amuse-bouche and the first course of the meal began to appear on the table one by one.

Hughes Grant, who held a fairly high position in the Grant Association, which was a well-known mid-tier trading company in the Elemental Kingdom,

Even he rarely had the chance to enjoy such luxurious cuisine as what was now laid out before him.

However, despite all that, he couldn’t taste a thing.

Because of the boy’s sharp gaze, which seemed to observe him as if dissecting him from head to toe.

Under the relentless scrutiny that sliced through him mercilessly, he couldn’t tell whether the food was going down his throat or up his nose.

Even the medium-rare tenderloin steak, renowned for its melt-in-your-mouth softness, felt as tough as rubber.

“You’re going to get indigestion eating like that.”

“Mind your own business.”

“Your personality is really awful, you know that? So, how have you been these days?”

“I’ve been doing fine. Same as usual.”

“Try reaching out more often. Why do I always have to be the one to contact you first?”

“I’m busy. But I do reach out first on your birthday, don’t I?”

“Only on my birthday. And busy with what, exactly? What on earth are you so busy with?”

“It’s almost wrapping up. Once this is over, I’ll settle down in one place, so I’ll contact you more often then.”

“There you go again, dodging the question. What kind of work are you even doing?”

“……”

“Sigh.”

Noticing Hughes’ situation, she tried to lighten the mood with conversation.

But the more they talked, the more it felt like her insides were burning up.

As a child, he used to hide his feelings, but he wasn’t this strange back then.

To be precise, it seemed like his personality started twisting around the age of ten.

Cain, who had been watching her let out a deep sigh, took a bite of the last dessert that had been served.

Was this truly a high-end restaurant?

The balance of sweetness and tartness was quite decent.

Even Cain, who wasn’t particularly fond of sweet things, found it pleasantly manageable.

‘Not bad. This place.’

Since it was just a restaurant in a remote count’s territory, he hadn’t expected much.

He thought it might be worth bringing one of his subordinates here next time.

Ring-ring-ring!

While he was momentarily lost in thought, a loud sound erupted from his pocket.

Taking out his smartphone, he saw a familiar name on the screen.

What’s this about now?

He was sure he had taken care of all urgent matters before coming here.

Maybe because he had warned them not to call unless it was something important.

Frowning, Cain rose from his seat and excused himself to Cayenne.

“I’ll step out to take this call.”

Cain disappeared in an instant.

Perhaps because the tension had eased as they watched him leave,

Hughes and Arina both slumped against their chairs as if all the strength had left their bodies.

“Sigh.”

As expected, the result was disastrous.

They hadn’t expected him to like it, but they hadn’t thought it would be this bad.

The bigger problem was that even with his experience as a merchant, Hughes had no idea how to change Cain’s mind.

‘It feels like dealing with a major player.’

It was the kind of tension one might feel when encountering a true big shot during a trade journey.

Was this tension merely a figment of his imagination?

Or was there some other reason behind it?

“……!”

While Hughes was lost in thought, Arina suddenly opened her half-closed eyes wide.

Perhaps because her body had relaxed all at once,

she suddenly felt an urgent need to go to the restroom.

Carefully whispering to her father, she rose from her seat.

Whoosh.

After using the restroom and washing her hands under the flowing water,

she looked at her reflection in the mirror and let out a deep sigh.

‘Uncle…?’

If Cayenne—no, if her mom and dad got married, that man would become her uncle.

Calling such a scary person “Uncle” seemed unthinkable.

She was already worried about whether she could manage it.

Drying her hands with a handkerchief, she slowly stepped out of the restroom.

“So, the ‘Empress’ is still throwing a fit, refusing to admit defeat until the very end?”

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind a potted plant, making her flinch.

Peeking cautiously from behind the plant, she saw her uncle.

“It’s true that this is something I need to handle personally, but…”

He was holding his smartphone to his ear, frowning as if annoyed.

‘What do I do? He looks even more upset than before.’

She shuffled nervously, glancing at him to gauge his mood.

Meanwhile, his phone call seemed to be wrapping up.

“Got it. I’ll finish up soon and head over. Just hang in there until then.”

“……”

“Damn it. First, I had to deal with the ‘Twin Ghosts,’ and now it’s that crazy woman?”

“……”

“Sigh, so? Why are you still hiding and spying on me?”

Flinch.

When did he notice?

Arina’s eyes quivered slightly.

“Ah!?”

Startled, she stumbled backward and tripped over her own feet.

“Ahh.”

Did she twist her ankle?

The throbbing pain in her ankle almost brought tears to her eyes.

“……”

Cain stared at her silently, his expression clearly saying, “What’s wrong with this idiot?”

Then, with a deep sigh, he approached her.

Kneeling down, he gently examined her ankle.

“There, it’s fine now, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

What did he do?

In an instant, her ankle felt completely fine.

Amazed, she momentarily forgot her fear of Cain and rotated her ankle experimentally.

“Be careful. If you get hurt, you’re the one who suffers.”

He lightly patted her head before standing up and walking back into the restaurant without another word.

“……”

Arina stood frozen, staring at his retreating figure.

‘A scary person. But… a good person?’

Maybe he wasn’t entirely terrifying after all.

The image of him treating her injury lingered vividly in her mind.

It felt like some of her fear had been diluted, if only a little.

Rising slowly, she followed the path he had taken back into the restaurant.

“Is that true?”

Then, her father’s voice rang out loudly.

Just like when Cain had first arrived, the loud voice drew everyone’s attention to that side of the room.

“I told you to speak quietly. Are you ready to take responsibility if you end up on the blacklist here?”

Just like before, Cain sat with a delinquent air, resting his chin on his hand, and scanned Hughes up and down as if he found him utterly displeasing.

“To be honest, I don’t like you.”

Whether or not you have a daughter.

Whether or not you’ve been divorced.

Regardless of whether you’re old or young.

It was simply the fact that my sister had brought someone along.

That fact alone was something he couldn’t stand.

“But that’s that, and this is this.”

Even so, he had given his approval for this marriage.

For one reason only.

Because it was someone his sister had brought.

She was the one who, in her youth, had given up her dreams because of him and started learning the trade early.

She had endured work that even most grown men found difficult, climbing to her current position.

She had sacrificed everything for him.

And now, she was finally seeking her own happiness, asking for his permission.

‘How could I refuse in that situation?’

He had no choice but to give his approval.

Thinking that, he gulped down the cold water in front of him.

“Let me make this clear. If I ever hear my sister crying, complaining, or calling me because of you, I’ll do whatever it takes to destroy you.”

He had the power to do so.

Even if Hughes held a high position in a major trading company.

No, even if he were the king or a grand noble of this country.

He had the power to overturn it all.

“Yes! Of course!”

“I told you not to use formal speech.”

Whether Hughes dismissed it as childish bravado or genuinely believed it, Cain didn’t care.

It didn’t matter either way.

If such a situation arose, he would simply prove it through his actions.

“Well then, if we’re done here, I’ll take my leave. Something urgent just came up.”

With those words, he rose from his seat just as abruptly as he had when he arrived.

And as he passed by Arina.

“See you around, kid.”

He lightly tapped her on the head.

Yes, the only person he disliked was Hughes Grant.

He bore no particular ill will toward Hughes’s daughter.

“…….”

Watching his retreating figure.

And hearing her father’s jubilant voice and her stepmother’s attempts to calm him down from behind.

At some point, a faint smile had formed on Arina’s face.

A smile whose reason even she couldn’t quite understand.