Ch.295[Chapter 295] City of Disaster

Sir Dominic suddenly felt as though his field of vision had widened.

Sir Dominic stood up and stepped outside the building for a moment, but at first glance, nothing seemed particularly different from before.

However, as Sir Dominic examined his surroundings more carefully due to a sense of unease, he noticed that the tidal wave had disappeared.

“Good heavens. The tidal wave is gone? How?”

Sir Dominic stared blankly in the direction where the tidal wave had been.

In the empty space where the tidal wave had been, there was a slightly misaligned section as if cut by a knife—a crack that looked as though it might cut you if you placed your hand on it.

Sir Dominic unconsciously raised his finger to point at the crack in the air, and the moment his line of sight, the crack, and his finger formed a straight line, he felt a stinging sensation as his finger was cut.

“…It cuts?”

Sir Dominic stared with surprised eyes at the subtle crack that was slowly beginning to heal.

It was certainly not a natural phenomenon.

Similar occurrences were happening throughout Tycoon City.

In one place, black slimes appeared to repair cracks caused by earthquakes; in another, scientists with fluffy hair wearing lab coats with Black Group logos appeared and instantly subdued hurricanes.

Elsewhere, dragons appeared to clear away heavy rain, and in yet other places, those who introduced themselves as villains appeared to calm people who had fallen into confusion.

It might seem strange, but considering that finding something that wasn’t strange in Tycoon City was no easy task, it was only natural.

Tycoon City gradually began to regain its peace.

And interestingly, all the people who brought this peace were acquaintances of Sir Dominic.

As peace slowly began to settle in people’s hearts, there was one person who couldn’t enjoy it like others…

…

Sir Dominic watched with a dazed expression as the clouds cleared.

All the natural disasters had disappeared, the rain had stopped, even the dark clouds had vanished, and the bright sun had risen.

Sir Dominic took a deep breath.

The air was clean and cool without a speck of dust, as if the city’s pollution had been washed away by the rain, and Sir Dominic’s lungs filled with this fresh air.

And then Sir Dominic exhaled with a sigh.

Perhaps because he had breathed in and out the clear air, Sir Dominic’s mind cleared as it had been before.

He was no longer the Sir Dominic who chased money and was chased by time, but had returned to being Sir Dominic who was like the embodiment of chivalry.

With his mind clear, Sir Dominic immediately sighed again.

Goodness. What have I done?

Sir Dominic thought about everything he had done in Tycoon City.

Although Sir Dominic had resisted with strong willpower, he had committed many dishonorable acts.

Especially, knocking out Don Castello just now was truly the most disgraceful act that tarnished a knight’s honor.

To harm others for one’s own purpose.

Sir Dominic realized this fact and covered his face in shame.

At that moment, someone approached Sir Dominic from behind—it was Mayor.

“Sir Dominic.”

Mayor looked at Sir Dominic, who was covering his face with his hands.

Sir Dominic raised his head at Mayor’s call, and his face showed a mixture of regret, disappointment, and sorrow.

Although Mayor hadn’t known Sir Dominic for long, he knew that he was quite business-savvy and tried to give people appropriate rest rather than just making them work when it came to handling people.

While such rest might have been no different from torture within Tycoon City, Mayor, who knew that outside affairs were the opposite of Tycoon City, thought Sir Dominic had quite a humanitarian character.

That’s why Mayor interpreted the regret, disappointment, and sorrow on Sir Dominic’s face like this:

Regret for not being able to respond more quickly.

Disappointment for not foreseeing the incident.

And sorrow for Tycoon City becoming a mess.

In truth, Sir Dominic regretted acting like a businessman in the past, was disappointed that he couldn’t escape quickly enough, and felt sorry for himself for not letting go of his greed, but there was no way Mayor could know this.

Mayor, with his rose-colored glasses on, decided to test Sir Dominic once more.

“Sir Dominic. As it happens, the only places left intact in Tycoon City are the amusement park, city hall, and your farm. So I was thinking…”

“I’ll give up all my assets. For the reconstruction of Tycoon City.”

Sir Dominic answered Mayor’s proposal immediately.

From Sir Dominic’s position, there was no reason not to follow Mayor’s suggestion.

Sir Dominic was already fed up with Tycoon City and wanted to escape to Gacha Land as soon as possible.

However, to Mayor, those words sounded different.

“You are… truly a man of integrity.”

Mayor sighed as he looked at Sir Dominic.

Sir Dominic was the biggest beneficiary of this incident.

Almost all buildings in Tycoon City had collapsed due to disasters, but city hall and the amusement park near the center, as well as Sir Dominic’s farm, remained intact.

Of course, this was what Mayor thought because he didn’t know the truth, but at least that’s what Mayor believed.

Sir Dominic could have monopolized Tycoon City by simply doing nothing.

He could have gained wealth encompassing the entire ruined Tycoon City with the overwhelming financial power from the remaining buildings, or he could have gained power by running for mayor, using jobs as bait.

But look at Sir Dominic.

Sir Dominic willingly gave up his own gain not for money and power, but for people, for the public good.

Mayor felt as if a halo was shining behind Sir Dominic.

Sir Dominic’s character was truly… something that would only appear in biographies of great people.

To repeat, this was Mayor’s misunderstanding.

But what’s important is not that Mayor misunderstood.

The problem was that Mayor, impressed by Sir Dominic’s character, decided to properly support Sir Dominic.

“…I’m not asking for your money. In fact, it might be something bigger than money.”

“…?”

Sir Dominic tilted his head at Mayor’s words.

What on earth was Mayor trying to ask, starting so elaborately?

As if to answer Sir Dominic’s question, Mayor finally spoke.

…

“Ugh, my head. Where… am I?”

Don Castello grabbed his head and got up.

Don Castello, who had been knocked unconscious by Sir Dominic’s surprise attack, still felt dizzy even though he had been awake for quite some time.

“Strangely, I can’t remember who attacked me… I was going to report it…”

Don Castello somehow had no memory of the person who attacked him.

This was because Sir Dominic had hit his head so hard that part of his memory had been erased, but Don Castello had no way of knowing that.

Instead of trying to recall the attacker’s appearance, Don Castello vowed to report them when caught and headed outside.

“…The weather has cleared up. It must have been a shower?”

Don Castello squinted at the bright sky.

Having been in a dark room for too long, he needed time to adjust to the light.

“Come to think of it, the first wish I made to the monkey’s paw was for it to rain or snow.”

Thinking that his wish had somehow come true, Don Castello started walking.

When he had checked the desk earlier, the documents on it had disappeared, so he was planning to go to the office to make copies again.

“Was the third wish for tomorrow’s completion ceremony and opening ceremony to be successful?”

At this rate, tomorrow and the day after should be fine. Don Castello smiled contentedly as he looked at the pristine rides and buildings.

The natural disasters had ruined other places, but the amusement park had been cleaned spotlessly.

It doesn’t make sense, but that’s Tycoon City for you.

“What was the second wish? For the amusement park to become famous? Haha. Come to think of it, I was so foolish. Thinking about becoming famous before even opening-“

Don Castello, who was reflecting on making a futile wish, was walking and finally almost reached the office.

However, Don Castello had to stop in his tracks.

This was because there were people he had never seen before crowding in front of the office.

“Is there no one in the office…”

“Sir Dominic disappeared to talk with the mayor, so that leaves only Don Castello…”

Don Castello hesitated for a moment as he looked at the people gathered in front of the office.

Their energy was formidable.

But soon, as Sir Dominic’s name and Don Castello’s name came from their mouths, Don Castello felt curiosity rather than fear.

He was curious why his name suddenly came up.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Don Castello eventually moved forward and tapped the shoulder of the person at the very back of the crowd.

“Excuse me-“

“What? I’m very busy waiting for Don Castello right now!”

“What are you all gathered here for?”

“Obviously because of the amusement park issue, isn’t it? Sir Dominic and Mayor Meyer have agreed to hire employees from other companies at the amusement park as part of Tycoon City’s reconstruction until other buildings return. So for an article about that… Wait. You look familiar.”

The man who had answered Don Castello’s question with irritation turned his head to look at Don Castello.

After staring intently at Don Castello, the man thought for a moment and then realized that the person in front of him was Don Castello.

“D-Don Castello!”

“Huh? Where, where!”

“Move aside! I was here first! Mr. Don Castello? You’re the owner of one of only three remaining companies in Tycoon City, how do you feel?”

“Don’t listen to that tabloid journalist! Mr. Don Castello! I heard you willingly offered jobs at the amusement park as part of Tycoon City’s recovery efforts, how did you feel at that time?”

“Such questions are trivial! Listen to my song… I mean, question!”

The journalists gathered in front of the office immediately surrounded Don Castello.

The journalists were demanding the truth from Don Castello, but it was impossible for Don Castello, who had been unconscious until just now, to know this truth.

Nevertheless, the journalists surrounded Don Castello and held out microphones for a full 12 hours, wanting to hear the truth.

Don Castello’s second wish—for the amusement park to become famous—had also come true.