Justin Borg, the Executive Secretary of Monolith, stared blankly out the window, sigh.
His normally tidy hairstyle was in disarray, strands sticking out everywhere as proof of the stress he was under.
Between the swiftly passing air vehicles, the city’s holographic billboards shimmered.
A translucent female hologram swam naked between the skyscrapers, while on the opposite side, an Asian-style dragon twisted into the air with its long whiskers fluttering.
Being the Executive Secretary of Monolith was a position beyond the normal corporate hierarchy.
He directly reported to the leader of the Megacorp, often referred to as “Chairman,” who was known by the nickname “Emperor.”
This allowed him to wield more power than most executives.
However, one look at Justin Borg right now showed none of those usual signs of authority.
Only the sad reality of a worker reflected back.
Justin placed a hand on his abdomen.
“…”
He felt nauseous. It hadn’t been long since his gastric perforation surgery.
Despite the urge to rush to the hospital, Justin knew he couldn’t allow himself to do that.
He had a mountain of work ahead of him.
He had to devise a plan for the “issue” that was causing his stress.
Justin swallowed a quick-acting antacid he had gotten from the doctor.
‘…I can’t just keep doing this.’
It was about time to start working.
Justin turned around and checked the electronic documents on his work desk.
[Wedding Planning Document]
Still, he couldn’t help but complain.
‘If only they had given me more time….’
Of course, it was the subordinates who always suffered the most.
He calmed his aching stomach and focused on his tasks.
—
Wedding (結婚式, Wedding, Man’s Grave).
A societal event recognized officially by the nation or city to mark lovers’ marriage.
(Normally) a rare and precious event that happens just once in a lifetime.
Therefore, it typically involves a long preparation period.
But,
“…Why am I only hearing about this now?”
It didn’t concern me directly.
And the wedding was just next week.
Even though I had stopped working as a mercenary and was now just a home security guard, I knew well enough what day it was.
In other words, there was barely ‘a week’ left until the wedding.
With my tired voice, the Chairman smiled slyly and asked,
“So, you don’t like it?”
“No, that’s not it.”
The Chairman had relaxed a lot since our first meeting. As it was mealtime, he munched away at his food.
Cutting into a pallid steak, he shook his fork.
“Anyway, since Catherine is pregnant, there’s no need to delay the timing. It’s not like we have to worry about staying in shape.”
That wasn’t incorrect.
I knew that fact, and all I could do was mumble softly.
“…But I thought you could have at least told me ahead of time.”
“Hmm? Isn’t this early enough?”
The Chairman tilted his head and added,
“We’re not calling people like on the day of our engagement.”
“Oh.”
That was true.
Perhaps it was just his playful attitude, as the Chairman chuckled softly.
I respected that kind of momentum needed to run a Megacorp.
I swirled my chopsticks around my empty rice bowl.
Maybe because of my garbage-like physical attributes, I was always a picky eater. But I hadn’t set down the utensils yet, considering the lovers still finishing their meals.
Even the Chairman in front of me seemed to have a small mouth, chewing like a squirrel with his cheeks puffed out.
Anyway,
I was getting married…
I couldn’t shake off the feeling of nostalgia no matter how many times I thought about it.
Having already proposed, it felt strange to dwell on such thoughts, but it also felt a bit surreal.
Honestly, I still didn’t get it.
What exactly did I do to be sharing a meal with her here?
Ultimately, it was a lifelong inferiority complex.
There was no help for it now that I was in a game. Would I ever uncover the truth someday?
…Who knows.
As I sank into thought and fell into silence, the Chairman took a gulp of his food and spoke up.
“Anyway, the wedding is planned for the Upper-Class Area.”
He was using his small hands, skillfully maneuvering the chopsticks.
“Of course, it’s going to be secret.”
Hmm…
It made sense, considering there would be eight of us at the wedding (including me). If reporters showed up, it would be a disaster.
It was best to only invite people we knew.
“Let me know the list of people you want to invite later. A message would be fine.”
The Chairman’s golden eyes were fixed on me.
“Don’t worry about the location. We’re planning to send a separate invite vehicle anyway.”
“…Whoa.”
I let out a low exclamation.
The scale was certainly different.
“If it’s the Upper-Class Area, where’s the venue?”
“The hotel we went to before.”
…What was it again?
“The Casa del Russo Gracium has a wedding venue, and we’re planning to rent the whole facility.”
Right, that was the name.
It was where the high-ranking party was held.
It was also the place I visited while looking for Pete Mc.
Hearing what the Chairman said, I reflexively asked,
“But there are people staying at the hotel, right? Is that possible—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
That was a really dumb question.
Nothing was impossible for the top corporate heavyweight.
But my question had already slipped out of my mouth, and the Chairman calmly nodded.
“That part is for the Executive Secretary to deal with a ‘bit’ of hardship.”
“…….”
I offered a brief moment of silence for Justin Borg, as a hole seemed to grow larger above him.
…Good luck!
The Casa del Russo Gracium had incredibly high-quality facilities, as I had seen the last time.
I didn’t know much about the Upper-Class area, but there couldn’t be many places with better equipment than that.
At the dining table, Maya observed us with curious eyes while leisurely chewing on a fish.
Ah, Maya wouldn’t know.
She wouldn’t know that I got dragged to the Upper-Class area by Pete Mc and then ended up visiting the landfill as a follow-up.
I’d have to tell her later.
The Chairman finished his meal, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“Anyway, that’s the plan. If you want to add anything, let me know.”
Hmm…
I contemplated the Chairman’s words.
Should I ask Drake for a wedding song?
I wondered who would officiate.
We could consider Rex Nova again for the MC, as he had some connection with us.
I shook my head lightly to clear my thoughts. After all, even if I didn’t organize it, there were plenty of wonderful people around.
Honestly, I didn’t care how the wedding went. What mattered was the satisfaction of ‘other lovers.’
I looked around the dining table—
…
Natasha was missing.
I hadn’t seen her around lately.
Was she really busy with something?
She had vanished quickly after we kissed right after my proposal today.
“Speaking of which, what’s keeping Natasha so busy these days? Did something happen?”
It was true that the boss of No Answer had a busy schedule, but if she wasn’t even showing up during mealtime, there was obviously something wrong.
I was a little worried. She wasn’t the type to share her troubles with others.
At my words, the Chairman and Eve exchanged glances.
“Didn’t you hear yet?”
“Exactly.”
What’s happening?
Both turned their heads toward me.
“Well, it’s good timing.”
“……?”
Just as I tilted my head, a large hologram screen appeared on one side of the dining table.
Seeing the text in the corner, it was the main channel of NCB24.
Suddenly, why the news…?
《─It has been announced that ‘Alexander Harding,’ who was in charge of the city, has gone missing, and with the deputy mayor resigning, a vote is currently underway to elect a new mayor.》
I had heard something like this in passing.
The city mayor went missing for ‘unknown reasons.’
But I thought the deputy mayor would take over the position. Instead, there’s a vote?
I focused on the information on the screen.
《While everyone expected a tight race between the ‘Federalist Party’ and the ‘Decentralization Party,’ a businessman running as an ‘Independent’ currently leads in the mock voting held on the net.》
I gasped as I recognized the face of the woman who appeared on the screen.
“Oh.”
The voice of the female caster was tinged with a hint of excitement. It was that extraordinary.
《She’s well-known because of the strong support from the ‘Black Monolith Corporation,’ which never leaned toward any party.》
With her black bob haircut, cold blue eyes, and slim, toned figure dressed in a suit.
The subtitle below announced a name I recognized.
[Natasha Petrova]
On screen, Natasha waved briefly, and the cheers from citizens gathered at the scene echoed through.
What campaign promise could she have made to gain such popularity…? No, why the heck is she running for mayor in the first place?
Fortunately, it seemed I wasn’t the only one who was out of the loop.
“…….”
“…….”
Every woman except the Chairman and Eve had their eyes wide in shock.
I jerked my head towards the Chairman and Eve, creak.
I demanded an explanation about what was going on.
Seeing my shocked expression, the Chairman shrugged, as if it were no big deal. His purple hair flowed over his shoulders.
“If we’re going to continue living in Neon City, it makes sense to have ties with the city. Plus, Natasha herself mentioned she wanted to do it.”
…So that’s why she’s been absent lately.
By the way, this kind of event wasn’t even in the game.
I turned my head back to the hologram screen, staring blankly, my mouth agape.
I truly didn’t expect this….
It was a day not too far away, the day of the wedding.
—
Neon City, Landfill.
“Four Eyes” stared at the hologram screen with a shocked expression.
“…How on earth did you make that call?”
The rough breaths came from between his aged fangs, confirming he was indeed an Orc.
Basically, the landfill was completely disconnected from the city’s infrastructure.
Of course, Four Eyes had a Neural Computer Chip implanted in his body, but the signals necessary for calls were all cut off.
He squinted at the recently arrived wizard, who had suddenly appeared like the wind and was now grinning awkwardly from the screen.
“I can’t say it was due to any help from a certain Doraemon ,” the wizard chuckled, quickly turning the conversation.
“Anyway, to cut to the chase, I’m contacting you because it looks like I’m getting married soon.”
With those words, Four Eyes’ little eyes bulged.
The cracks in his glasses let the light hit the black pupils, making them gleam.
“…Is the partner Gyeomjok?”
“[…Uhm, yes.]”
His strange answer made Four Eyes’ face scrunch up.
But the wizard rapidly continued.
“[After all, who was the one looking out for us over there? It’s none other than ‘Dad’… Uh, no, that sounds weird. Anyway, it’s you, Four Eyes.]”
The wizard tried to think of a better way to address him, recalling Teddy, but it turned out to be more challenging than he thought.
“[Of course, Four Eyes has to attend.]”
“…Ha, saying that is easy.”
Four Eyes sat down on a sofa that had holes in it, a new item found in the landfill.
“How am I supposed to get there from here?”
He was not recognized as a “city citizen.” Most people living in the landfill weren’t.
He understood that feeling too well.
Four Eyes waved his hands over the wizard, checking to ensure he had no injuries.
“Just hearing about it is enough. Just stay healthy, and don’t eat anything weird.”
“[…I don’t even have that many Credits.]”
“Ugh, well, then make sure to treat me right when you get the chance.”
The wizard scratched his head awkwardly.
It was a part he found difficult to explain; it was one thing to have Gyeomjok as his partner.
But including AIs, the corporate senator, famous singers, the prospective mayor of the city, top players from the game, and a former worker at a Japanese restaurant (though not anymore) made things complicated.
“[So, you’ll show up if you can, right?]”
“Of course. That goes without saying.”
“[Then that’ll be great. It’s next week, so prepare in advance.]”
Four Eyes chuckled softly, his voice low.
It was likely a joke.
He responded nonchalantly.
“Sure, if I can make it.”
If he had known that on the wedding day, a flying vessel engraved with the Monolith emblem would be dispatched to pick him up, he might have worried about it a bit more.
