Chapter 569 – Best Friend (2)
—
– Iktus (ἸΧΘΥΣ)
In friendship, there’s no “yours” and “mine.”
This means that my assets are also the parrot’s assets.
It’s also “logically” correct to say that the parrot’s assets are my assets.
In context, the former definitely seems to hold true.
But does the latter “actually” hold true?
An indescribable sense of unease soon materialized into a tangible threat.
— Bam! Bang! Open up!
A threatening shout echoed from outside.
Just as my “friend” advised, the Administration Bureau sent in a suppression squad.
Soon, a crackling voice rushed from my sleeve.
– Director Johan! Armed soldiers have barged in!
– They belong to the Administration Bureau. Wh-what should we do?
– Aaaah! There are eight of them!
As I listened in silence, the parrot began clicking its beak.
“What’s up?”
“…”
“Hey, the outsiders are freaking out! Isn’t it time for our great Director Johan to step up?”
“…”
“Numbers are accurate, right? One agent, seven soldiers. I bet our Director Johan can handle it easily?”
Well, saying seven soldiers are easy to deal with is one thing, but that one agent is a monster in itself, so I can’t guarantee anything.
Even if I could win, it’s another problem altogether. For me, this clash is a matter of life and death, but to the Administration Bureau, it’s just a routine patrol.
Killing those eight would only lead to a “real” response involving combat helicopters, hundreds of soldiers, and demigod-level powerhouses next time.
Even that’s just a minor inconvenience to the Bureau.
This endless supply of threats is truly the Bureau’s real strength.
— Bam!
— Aaargh! This is just an innocent private enterprise!
— Whether you’re guilty or not, I decide that. Flip everything upside down!
Fierce shouts echoed from outside the personal room.
Looks like the soldiers are openly resorting to violence against the directors and major shareholders.
If you’re a Sunrise director or major shareholder, you’d be busy holding your head high outside.
But their social standing is utterly useless in the face of the Bureau’s tyranny.
Directors and shareholders—myself included—were at a loss, gasping for air at this point.
There were, however, two who seemed completely unfazed: a calm woman and a parrot.
“So, what do you think, buddy? Should we collaborate on this?”
“…”
— You bastard! Speak properly!
A thunderous voice boomed from outside.
Eventually, a foolish individual, unable to quell their fear, stepped forward.
— H-He’s in that private room over there, next to the left pillar!
It was bound to happen, but now they’d revealed my position.
— Thud! Thud!
The heavy footsteps of the agent resonated through the space.
I might have heightened sensitivity, but it honestly felt like this agent was a massive juggernaut.
— Thud! Thud!
With each step this giant took, my heart shrank, and cold sweat poured down.
The human heart is like thin sheet metal; once folded, it leaves a crease even when unfolded later.
That day, the day I realized my lifelong patron Apollyon was not invincible, a ‘fear’ mark was forever imprinted upon my heart.
Could I win if I fought?
Even if I did, could I survive the subsequent pursuit from the Administration Bureau?
— Wow! Is that the door? Hey, it could be dangerous, so I’ll go in alone. Cover me!
— Cover you!
Suddenly, the personal room door was ripped off its hinges as the intruder burst in.
— Thunderous boom!
“Hey! What kind of shady plot were you hatching in this cramped place?”
The agent was a giant.
I couldn’t think of a better word than “giant” to describe him.
What would happen If a human’s body was inflated in every direction? Would it look like this?
It must’ve been over 2 meters tall, looking less like a person and more like a muscle mountain.
The combined weight of me, the blonde lady, and my parrot friend probably wouldn’t even come close to this behemoth.
“Can’t you hear me? Oh? You must be that famous lady?”
“Oh yes, the Administration Bureau seized my ship not too long ago?”
“Haha! I’m sure they’ll return it in due time. Am I right?”
“Let’s hope so.”
I had been captured by the Administration Bureau in the past.
What does that mean, you ask?
It means the Bureau knows exactly what I look like!
I may have shaved and tidied up, so I could be hard to recognize from a distance, but up close? No way they wouldn’t recognize me!
“Uugh!”
Just as I steeled myself for an unavoidable showdown, the giant agent glared at me with bulging eyes.
His next words sounded like a whisper that contrasted oddly with his massive form.
“J-Just stay still.”
What?
“Geez, what a clueless fool.”
Aren’t we supposed to be fighting?
“Hey, buddy! How do you expect to survive in this dangerous world looking like a mess?”
What in the world is this guy talking about?
Out of nowhere, the agent started lecturing me, then suddenly turned around and walked out.
— Iktus isn’t here!
— Huh? No, intelligence says—
— I said he’s not here. You don’t trust what I say?
— That’s not it…
— The intel must be wrong. Let’s go back. I should report this again.
“…”
The agent left without recognizing me.
Didn’t recognize me, huh?
No, that can’t be true!
He definitely came to find ‘Iktus’, and in the end, glanced at me and called me a clueless fool.
So he recognized me but chose to ignore it?
What in the world…?
As I froze up in confusion over this incomprehensible situation, my “friend” casually preened its feathers.
“How about that? Pretty interesting, huh?”
“…”
“By the way, why’s your response so slow? Is it really that hard to understand my offer to collaborate?”
“…”
“I thought you were in danger and came to help… but it looks like you don’t need any help? If that’s the case, then we can’t do anything about it. Elena, let’s just go.”
“Huh? What? We’re leaving just like that?”
The blonde lady looked bewildered.
I too was taken aback, not expecting my companion to back off so easily.
“Bweee—! Agent Cha Jinchul! Here for suspicious—”
“Aaaah!”
With a desperation I’d never felt before in my life, I exclaimed.
“Don’t do that!”
“What?”
“Friend, please don’t abandon me. A true friend always stays together!”
The parrot’s beak twisted slightly.
I felt that was its way of expressing emotion.
*
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 48
Current Location: 281 Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Sage’s Advice: 3
– Han Kain
After wrapping up my reunion with Iktus, I sat down with Elena, my precious companion, at a nearby secret café.
As soon as she sat down, Elena burst out laughing.
“Pfft! Hahaha! Hehe!”
“Feel free to laugh as much as you want.”
“I can’t! Even if you don’t know, I’m famous, you know?”
“Right, I’d forgotten that part.”
Once her laughter subsided, Elena recounted what had just happened.
“You were great, Jincheol!”
“Well, if I couldn’t manage it, that would be even weirder.”
“I got chills when I heard you say, ‘Whether you’re guilty or innocent, I decide.’”
“Haha! Sounds like something a movie villain would say.”
“If you had acted even better, my blessing might have responded.”
“…”
That genuinely sent chills down my spine.
Please don’t tell me Jincheol is so far gone that he’d end up fighting with Elena over the Bureau’s ideology?
Better to prevent that scenario.
“Haha, Elena. That was obviously acting. You know my brother’s personality, right?”
“True. I was just joking.”
Just a joke, right?
Maybe I was being too sensitive about it.
“How do you feel about meeting Iktus?”
“He’s changed more than I expected.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“He used to be just another common demon worshiper—”
“… Isn’t it already weird that demon worshipers are common?”
“Now he’s turned into quite the businessman. From what I can see, it seems that besides a few close Directors, no one knows about Iktus’s power.”
“That could be problematic.”
The assessment of the Sacred Sun’s charging is generous, but even that has its limits.
To give a simple example, it’s more favorable for Elena and Seunghyun.
Both of them are considered reliable companions, but there’s a key difference.
Elena nearly got absorbed by the ‘Sacred Sun’ during one instance, whereas Seunghyun has never had that happen.
Is it the perception that the other is “above” me?
Or perhaps the experience of having succumbed to supernatural charisma?
I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but there’s definitely a line between ‘worship’ and ‘trust’, and we must understand that difference.
“Minimum….”
“Minimum?”
“Just a touch, at the very least, I think he should exhibit a more religious attitude than he does now.”
It’s time to shift the company culture at Sunrise a bit.
Right now, it’s too corporate; we need a slight religious tilt.
I slowly explained my plan for this.
…
Suddenly, I noticed Elena was smiling brightly, only gazing at me.
“Are you listening well?”
“Of course. You wanted to establish symbols instead of taking direct action, right?”
Glad she’s paying attention.
“Ha ha, I was just worried because you’ve been grinning so much.”
Elena suddenly laughed again and brought up an old topic.
“By the way, the Bureau seized the entire Esper recently.”
“Ari mentioned that, right? They’ll return it after searching through everything.”
“I wonder how long it’ll take? At least six months?”
“…”
“When they seized the Esper, I was really sad, and I felt a bit let down that Ari couldn’t stop it.”
“Well, that’s understandable from Ari’s perspective—”
“I get it, but I’m saying it just felt disappointing. But I’m alright now.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Honestly, it’s more fun now than having parties on the Esper every day.”
Is this really that fun?
I tilted my head when Elena suddenly poked at me.
“The whole ordeal feels like I’m working with some mysterious secret agent, so it’s interesting. But more importantly, it’s the company I keep.”
“…”
A slightly delicate atmosphere.
Now would be a good time to splash cold water.
“Hmm, I think this work is quite risky for you, Elena.”
“Risky?”
“The mere fact that you’re close to receiving faith is concerning.”
“… That’s true.”
In the past, the Sacred Sun attempted to swallow Elena whole.
“That’s why I’ve been consciously reminding myself that you are a ‘companion’ whenever I think of you.”
A mental note to prevent the ‘malfunction’ of the Sacred Sun.
However, the most crucial factor isn’t my mindset.
“Ultimately, you need to take care of yourself—”
“Mr. Kain, I believe—”
Elena interjected firmly, smiling brightly.
“I believe there won’t be issues like before.”
From the look in her eyes, she seemed to have gained some conviction.
I just hope that conviction is correct.
Continuing to wrap up the work discussion.
“This is the symbol I’ve prepared. It’ll transform Sunrise’s greed into sincere hearts—”
“By the way, I just got curious while listening.”
“Feel free to ask.”
“Is there a complicated process for this? Can’t you just gather the Sunrise employees and use the Sacred Sun yourself?”
Is it really that simple to just summon the sun in front of the employees?
That’s a thought that could definitely blossom!
“If I start using it to awe the employees, I’ll have to keep using the Sacred Sun afterward.”
“Huh?”
“And I’ll need to be continuously involved with that company. I’ll have to periodically stimulate their faith.”
“Is that so?”
The plan I’ve set up this time is so much more advanced!
“They won’t serve me directly; instead, they’ll worship the relic that symbolizes me.”
“So, was that why you mentioned the symbol? Like the Christian cross?”
“If it works out well, I could even step back from Sunrise. In other words….”
I said to Elena, whose eyes had gone wide.
“In other words, it becomes an automatic farming factory for faith.”
“…”
Elena looked utterly flabbergasted.
“So, what’s the symbol?”
“This right here.”
“A golden toad?”
“It’s a relic with history and tradition.”
In that moment, Elena’s expression turned strange.
“Why pick a toad shape for the symbol?”
Does she not know about the golden toad?
“It seems you’re not well-versed in Eastern culture; traditionally, a golden toad means—”
“No, culture aside, this just doesn’t fit! Let’s write it off.”
“…”
“It’s too materialistic! You need something divine that reflects your holiness!”
Is the golden toad really that bad?
[Advice: 3 -> 2]
“How’s a golden toad for symbolizing the accumulation of faith at Sunrise?”
[A golden owl would be better than some base amphibian.]
“…”
[Mix diamond powder into the feathers and contain the wise emerald’s glow in its eyes—]
That’s a request filled with the sponsor’s personal desires!
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