< Chapter 117: Turning Point (2) >
The hide-out of the Unknown, Saviors of Truth.
Unknown was receiving a report from Maestro.
“Vagabond’s empty spot is being covered by other executives. There may be a slight delay compared to the plan, but we think it won’t be a hindrance to the grand scheme.”
Unknown nodded his head impassively. It’s a very satisfactory outcome, given that no major variables have occurred.
“Um, boss. May I ask a question?”
“Ask away.”
Maestro, who had been sitting on one knee, only lifted his head to meet Unknown’s gaze.
“…Do you really intend to leave Lust as is?”
Lust, who was acting alone during this busy period, continued to weigh on his mind. No, it was unsettling.
‘If only Lust had joined the operation, there would have been no delay in the plan.’
Lust, who had inserted a discordant note into his perfect score, could not be to his liking.
“It’s regrettable, but it’s unavoidable. That’s the ‘contract,’ after all.”
Rules of the Unknown.
Stick to the words you utter.
He has never broken a promise in his life so far.
The same goes for contracts.
If the Unknown nods his head, the contract must be followed unconditionally.
“I apologize. I misspoke.”
Maestro lowered his head.
“No matter. I can fully understand why you would say that from your perspective.”
You must be disappointed.
The versatility of Lust is limitless. Of course, disappointment is not the only reason.
“David, do you find the child suspicious?”
“…To be honest, yes.”
Maestro doesn’t trust Lust. No, he can’t.
And why would he? Lust has too many secrets.
Maestro is not naive enough to trust someone with many secrets.
The suspicion is not just that.
‘Right to refuse missions. Right to refuse murder. Right to refuse participation in terrorist activities…’
And so on.
Lust has never committed what could be considered an evil deed. At most, things like identity manipulation, infiltration, and seduction.
Still, the reason she holds a high-ranking position is that her information-gathering ability is unparalleled.
‘…Her information-gathering ability is better than Hermit’s, provided the subject is male.’
As long as the gender is male, there is no way to escape from her clutches.
At some point during continued contact, one becomes utterly enamored with Lust, becoming a slave who gives his body and soul.
What follows is needless to say.
The birth of an information dispenser that spills all the information.
‘Here, in addition to the enhancement skill that shares absorbed energy with others, she has decent combat abilities as well. It’s clear she’s fit for an executive position. However…’
I can’t trust her.
If it wasn’t Unknown who had brought Lust in, then I would’ve never given her an executive position
“At least we should put her under surveillance, I think.”
“David, there’s no need to worry about that.”
The Unknown asserted.
“The child cannot betray me.”
Unknown raised one corner of his mouth as he rested his chin on his hand.
“Absolutely.”
He had invested 10 years in this. Remembering those times, he found himself smiling involuntarily.
‘It was quite enjoyable, to say the least.’
Ravaging everything around a person named Shirakawa Ai and making her rely on him had been a rather sweet experience.
“Anyway, David, how do you think the stealing of America’s relic will go this time?”
“It seems like it’ll be easier than expected. Thanks to the Gray Out, security has been reduced quite a bit. We should be able to proceed with the operation by tomorrow.”
* * *
“…So, you believed you were with a high-ranking official of the ‘Saviors of Truth,’ only to find out you weren’t? Is this what you gathered all these busy people for?”
Maiden looked at me with a menacing smile.
“Yes…”
“Do you want to die?”
“…Please spare me.”
I failed to lure Lust. To be more precise, I didn’t even attempt to lure her.
The reason doesn’t need to be stated, but it’s because Lust’s soul was emitting a pure light.
“…Sigh. Fine, it could happen.”
Maiden let out a sigh.
“Yes, it’s rather fortunate. At least you didn’t try to handle it alone.”
Yu Hwa was smiling contentedly.
“…”
“…”
And both Jia and Si-yeon are still just observing the situation. I understand Si-yeon doing so, but why is Jia behaving like that?
“Ah, Jia, is this your first time meeting with Maiden?”
“Yes, yep. No, uh-huh!”
Seeing that she used formal language, it seems she’s quite nervous.
Well, even for the Shinwa Group, the name Maiden Critinus must carry some weight.
Maiden smiled slyly as she looked at Jia’s stern expression.
“What, did you forget? Miss Heiress of the Shinwa Group. This is our second meeting.”
“Ye, yes?”
“Quite disappointing. I didn’t expect you to forget.”
“Uh, well…”
Jia’s pupils wavered.
“I’m, so… sorry.”
She promptly bowed her head. It seemed as though she was worried that her mistake might disrupt her relationship with VIP Maiden Critinus.
However, it would be unlikely that Jia could forget having met someone as important as Maiden.
At that moment, Maiden chuckled.
“It’s a joke, a joke! Why so serious?”
Everyone was stunned.
“Was that a lie?”
I asked on behalf of everyone.
“It’s not a lie. I attended her doljanchi (first birthday celebration) and even shook her hand.”
“Ah…”
Jia let out a long sigh.
“So, is your Chairman doing well?”
“Yes, he’s still very robust.”
“Still overprotective as ever?”
“…Yes, a little.”
“Hehe.”
Maiden and Jia started to catch up with old stories.
“By the way, how’s the brother of Cadet Ha Si-yeon?”
“My brother?”
“Yes, I saw him occasionally when I was on business trips in the U.S. He seemed like a notable figure.”
“…Hehe, yes, isn’t he?”
She quickly became friends with Si-yeon as well.
Indeed, Maiden Critinus.
An incredible social skill.
“Is there anyone you don’t know, Unni? Seems like anyone you meet, you either know them or know someone who knows them.”
Soon enough, Yu Hwa joined the conversation.
“Exactly. It’s all about connections, isn’t it?”
The atmosphere quickly warmed up, which was a relief. Gathering these four people in one room had been a concern.
Jia and Yu Hwa seemed to be avoiding any display of hostility, mindful of Maiden’s cues.
As for Si-yeon… well, she was her usual self.
Thanks to Maiden, this was going smoothly.
“So, kiddo. These two are also part of the task force for dealing with the Gate’s rampage this time?”
Maiden asked directly.
“Yes, that’s correct. The four of us here are the only people I can trust.”
“I see.”
Maiden stroked her chin with an enigmatic expression, seemingly speculating on what sort of relationship I had with Jia and Si-yeon. Well, she must have heard a lot from Yu Hwa, so she’ll probably draw her own conclusions.
“Understood.”
A quick glance revealed that Jia seemed to be pondering the same thing—what the relationship between me and Maiden could be. Jia would probably reach a conclusion on her own as well.
Given the current situation, there’s little chance of my lies being exposed.
To Yu Hwa and Maiden, I’ve said, ‘Jia and Si-yeon don’t know that I’m a survivor of biological experiments.’
To Jia and Si-yeon, I’ve said, ‘Maiden and Yu Hwa don’t know that I’m a half Angel and half-elf.’
Each should keep their mouths shut about the respective matters.
As long as these two facts aren’t shared, the probability of my secret being exposed is very low.
Still, if this awkward silence continues, who knows what could be said?
“Should we go ahead and brief the operation now that we’re all gathered?”
I quickly shifted the topic.
* * *
That night.
I sat alone at my desk, stretching.
Looking over the notes in front of me, I smiled in satisfaction.
“The operation is perfect.”
The first large-scale Gate.
Thanks to minimal casualties in the Emission Gate that opened in Gangnam, the number of superhumans able to respond to the Gate’s rampage has increased compared to the original work.
With the help of Maiden, Yu Hwa, and Jia, we’ve even received more international superhuman support than in the original.
The main Erosion Gate that the protagonist of the original had to handle was the only problem, but that’s no issue now.
“Who cares, when Master is around?”
Ranked 1st among superhumans worldwide.
The guild leader of “The One,” ‘Master.’
Maiden succeeded in bringing him to Korea.
“Damn. I had saved that favor for a good skinning later on. Now I have to use it here.”
Maiden’s grumbling voice still rings in my ears.
I do feel a little sorry.
I originally planned to personally handle the main Gate, but that became impossible.
“What can you do when you can’t enter the Gate?”
The day I realized I couldn’t physically enter a real Erosion Gate, I was truly flustered.
Anyway, ‘Master’ will personally go into the main Gate and handle it.
There’s no way he, who is a fanatic for justice, would just sit back and watch a country’s crisis unfold.
“Sigh.”
Of course, variables still remain.
“…Lust.”
An executive of the Saviors of Truth.
Lust.
Her very existence is a significant variable.
I tried to deal with that variable today, but I failed.
To be precise, I stopped myself.
“Why is it white?”
Lust’s soul was strikingly pure, quite incongruent with the codename representing the “sin of lust.”
It’s the soul of someone who has hardly committed any sins.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
The world’s worst villain organization, the Saviors of Truth. Among them, one of the seven executives under Unknown. That one hadn’t committed a single murder. Can this be real?
“True, the original work never explicitly mentioned Lust killing someone or participating in terrorist-like villainy.”
At least, not at this point.
Eventually, Lust does participate in a nationwide terrorism operation.
I kept mulling over scenes involving Lust.
“On rethinking it, the scenes either involve conversations with other executives or depict infiltrating somewhere to gather intelligence.”
She’s a woman who embodies ‘lust,’ seductive in words and action. But that’s it.
“Her appearances are minimal too.”
So, she is the only one of the seven executives whose power is not well-known.
There should be something.
Even how she died wasn’t detailed in the novel.
Suddenly, during the final battle with Unknown, Unknown himself mentioned that Lust had already died. That was the end of Lust.
It was very anticlimactic.
“It’s driving me crazy.”
What is she, exactly?
Frankly, I could’ve dealt with her earlier if I had tried.
Whether her soul was white or whatever, it was clear that she was Lust.
Although it would have been a little uncomfortable, it would’ve been completely possible.
But for some reason, it felt like I shouldn’t.
It was just an instinct.
A strange but strong sense of unease, that if I dealt with Lust now, I would deeply regret it later.
Even though there was no evidence or anything, it was just an ambiguous anxiety, but I trusted my instinct.
“I can ignore it.”
As long as ‘Master’ is entering Korea today, the chances of the Saviors of Truth taking any action are less than 1%.
Even Unknown wouldn’t want to fight against ‘Master.’
“It’s fine. No problem.”
I completely closed the notebook where I had been organizing the plan.
* * *
The next day at lunch.
I was training at the Golden Sanctuary for the first time in a while.
To be more precise, it would be more accurate to call it flight practice rather than training.
The goal is the complete assimilation of the Angelic Trait ‘Heavenly Wings’.
There are two main reasons.
The first reason is that it feels like I’m getting closer to assimilating Heavenly Wings.
The second reason is that the angelic tattoo is red.
One of the ancient relics I’m currently holding is an angel-exclusive relic, and to use it, I have no choice but to completely assimilate either Heavenly Wings or ‘Thunderbolt’.
I’ve already been flying for about two hours; I wonder when I’ll assimilate it.
Just when I was starting to get bored.
“Oh?”
I felt a strange sense of incongruity in my chest. I immediately descended to the ground and lifted my shirt.
“Okay!”
The angelic tattoo had turned green.
In other words, I had succeeded in completely assimilating Heavenly Wings.
“Finally, this flight grind is over.”
By the way, what could be the full assimilation effect of the angel race? Since divine power is already one of the traits, it wouldn’t be that.
If it’s not divine power, then nothing comes to mind.
“Hmm.”
There seems to be no discomfort in my body. And my magical power is also the same.
There’s also no other noticeable change.
I pondered for a long time, but I couldn’t find an answer.
“Oh well.”
Let’s just go home for now.
I can think about it later, it’s not too late.
“Goldie, let’s go.”
“Meow!”
I held the mini-sized Goldie in my arms and quietly headed home.
…In the end, I never found out the effect of the complete assimilation of the angelic trait.
* * *
Time quickly passed, and it became the 4th day of the Gray Out.
On the 2nd day of the Gray Out, gates opened every 10 hours. By the 3rd day, they started to open every 5 hours.
Gates with magical power levels of around 10,000 to 20,000 were easily closed, so there was no significant damage.
Just like in the original work, we successfully created a magical formula that allows for smooth communication even when magic is distorted, so concerns about communication disruption have disappeared.
The issue of not being able to detect the appearance of gates in advance was solved by sheer numbers. We covered it by deploying all the superhumans in Korea and international superhumans who came to help at key points.
Thanks to this, the total number of casualties so far is less than 1,000.
Considering that at this point in the original work, nearly a million people had already died, this is significant progress.
And today is the 4th day.
“Ancestor, they say today there are fewer casualties than yesterday.”
“That’s fortunate. What’s the interval between the gate openings?”
“This time, it’s about 1 hour and 5 minutes.”
“Not much time left, then.”
The gates started to open at intervals of one hour instead of two hours.
In exactly 8 hours, the time lag between gate openings will become zero, and gates will begin to open simultaneously.
“Gate outbreaks will start at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning.”
That will be the prologue to the massive gate explosion.
“…Yes.”
Jia’s expression turned serious.
“Are you nervous?”
“Yes. A little.”
As she said this and smiled faintly, Jia’s face looked considerably anxious.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”
I patted Jia’s head.
“Don’t worry too much. If things go south, I’ll figure it out.”
“…Yes.”
With that, she returned a somewhat relieved, somewhat bright smile.
Woo wooong—
It was then that my phone vibrated.
[Maiden Critines]
It was a call from Maiden.
“Excuse me, I need to take this call.”
“Sure.”
I answered the call.
—Kiddo!
Maiden’s voice resounded loudly as soon as I picked up. It was a strangely flustered voice.
—There’s been a terrorist attack near the dragon ruins in Washington, U.S.!
“A dragon’s… ruins?”
Could it be?
“By any chance, did a relic stored at the ruins disappear?”
—Correct! It’s a relic called ‘Dragon’s Visage’…
At that moment, my heart sank.
‘Dragon’s Visage’ is one of the ancient relics that the Saviors of Truth need for their plan.
In the original work, it was stolen by ‘Vagabond.’
And right now, Vagabond is gone.
‘…Maestro must’ve acted hastily.’
In an effort to quickly fill the void left by Vagabond, it seems Maestro decided to preemptively handle Vagabond’s tasks.
Also, since I used my connections to bring in more superhumans from other countries, the security in the U.S. might have been somewhat lax, giving Maestro another reason to act.
‘…I’ve been had.’
I didn’t see this coming.
However, this is not necessarily a bad outcome. The fact that Maestro just pulled a stunt in the U.S. means he’s not interested in Korea, which suggests that the Saviors of Truth won’t interfere with the massive gate explosion.
—Ah, damn it! How did things get this complicated?!
However, Maiden’s reaction was not normal. Something’s up.
—Sigh. Kiddo, listen carefully.
Her voice lowered.
—Master. That gentleman. He turned around at the airport.
“…Excuse me?”
—Says he needs to catch that damn relic thief first.
The butterfly effect from prematurely eliminating Vagabond and bringing in more superhumans from other countries.
“What is… this…”
A massive typhoon started with the flap of a butterfly’s wings,
shattering my well-laid plans like a fortress.
< Chapter 117: Turning Point (2) > End
