“What? You missed it?”
“Y-yes.”
Gross furrowed his brow at the unexpected news.
‘Escaped?’
“Don’t be ridiculous! I hired the best assassins around here for a hefty price, and they failed?”
“Th-that’s… Sir Quartz took Dern’s boss and escaped.”
“Sir Quartz?”
Gross’s fleshy face twisted in an ugly grimace. His subordinate, kneeling before him, started to sweat coldly.
‘How am I supposed to stop someone escaping in such an absurd way!’
It’s just so unfair.
But he couldn’t voice his grievances. His superior certainly wouldn’t entertain that nonsense.
“How did Sir Quartz find out Dern’s location?”
“Um… It seems he received help from some information network.”
“Damn it…”
He slammed his hand down on the table, causing the teacup to float in the air. With a clang, an expensive two-gold-coin teacup shattered, but he was too preoccupied to care.
‘If Dern comes back alive, I’m done for!’
He couldn’t let years of efforts crumble so easily. He at least needed to buy some time to escape in case things went south. As he blankly looked down at the scarlet liquid staining the floor, his mind raced.
‘I can’t touch Sir Quartz… But if I don’t stop him, Dern’s return is a done deal. I was trying to deal with Bedin and Adam subtly, and now this…’
Veins popped on Gross’s smooth forehead. He thought about turning the table over in a fit of rage, but he knew it wasn’t the time for that, so he settled for slamming his hand down again.
“Gibson. You need to let Adam know about this. Since he and I are in this together, we need to cooperate. After all, it was that guy who brought the drug…”
Gross stared blankly at the shattered teacup, recalling the past.
“What? You’re telling me you want to kick Dern out of his position?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted, Gross?”
“True, but…”
“The Angel’s summon. With just two of these pills, the position will be vacant.”
“Isn’t that your father? What’s the reason for going this far?”
“Have you forgotten whose son I am?”
“… I don’t want to say this, but he raised you like his own son, didn’t he?”
“… Well, I guess?”
“… I’ll need to prepare to escape if things go wrong.”
If he siphoned off just 30% of the wealth he built up over the years, he could live in leisure for the rest of his life. He fiddled with the ring on his finger. The finger that was touching the ring was sweaty and slippery.
How long had it been?
The door opened, and a tall young man appeared. He grimaced at the liquid staining the floor.
“Looks like you’re quite angry.”
“…Doesn’t it look like I am?”
“Hmm. It seems my bribe wasn’t good enough.”
“Any good ideas?”
Instead of answering Gross’s question, Adam shrugged.
“Just need to buy some time.”
“How? You’re not planning to touch Sir Quartz, are you?”
“Besides Sir Quartz, we have other targets.”
Adam’s gaze turned right. Gross followed his line of sight naturally.
“Ha. If it gets out that we did this, it will be a real hassle.”
“Think simply. As long as there’s no evidence we did it, it’s fine. Besides, we have gangs ready to help us…”
A twisted smile crept onto Adam’s face. Without realizing it, Gross rubbed his forearm, feeling the bumpy texture of his skin.
“Merciless, aren’t you?”
“Once we start, we need to see it through. So, Gross, take care of Bedin for me.”
“… If I fail, I’ll be dead anyway; might as well go all in.”
‘That guy should be dealt with at the right time too.’
The two people who were on the same wavelength shook hands.
——————–
“This place… ugh…”
“Are you coming to your senses?”
“Johann…?”
“I don’t know if you remember, but I brought you here.”
At my words, Dern’s boss squinted his eyes. Whether it was due to his broken body or trying to recall memories in his weakened state, it was hard to tell.
“… What date is it today?”
“Today is April 17th.”
“You mean two weeks have passed?”
He stared at me with a surprised expression.
Well, of course, if you realize two weeks have gone by, you’d react like that.
For a while, he couldn’t find the words and hung his head.
His mind must be a mess. From the looks of it, most of his memory seemed to have slipped away. I quietly stared out the window until he broke his trance.
How long had passed? He seemed to have mostly sorted it out and started to speak.
“Johann, can you tell me exactly what happened?”
“Of course.”
I explained the situation to Dern’s boss, from how he had become a wreck due to drugs, to Adam and the two executives scheming against the position, and how I rescued him from a black market hospital and brought him to Yeomyeong-gwan.
Dern’s boss listened to my explanation and looked shocked.
“So that’s how it was…”
Was Adam’s betrayal too shocking for him? He stared blankly at the window for a while, unable to speak. To think he would have been drugged and nearly murdered by his own son.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he felt regret about his life.
I silently waited for him to speak. It took quite some time before he finally did.
“What do you want me to do, Johann?”
His voice trembled as he struggled to break free from the shock.
Is he trying to gauge my intentions? I answered without hesitating.
“Do what you want.”
“… I have to return to the position.”
“Are you planning to settle things?”
“That’s right.”
“First, recover your body. You’d just be laughed at if you went back looking like that.”
“Haha, true…”
He laughed weakly and stared blankly at the ceiling.
“I never thought I’d be hit from behind like this.”
“Didn’t you see the signs?”
“Not at all. No, perhaps I didn’t want to notice. That Adam would drug me… I still can’t believe it.”
He truly seemed to love his adopted son. But why did Adam betray him?
“Dern, do you have any idea why Adam betrayed you?”
“… I can’t pinpoint anything. I adopted him from the orphanage and treated him like my own son. But… why…”
Unless I directly ask Adam, I doubt I’ll find an answer to this question. I stood up from my seat.
“Get some good rest. To reclaim your position, you’ll need to move diligently.”
“Thank you. I will surely repay this favor.”
“Take care of your body. If you don’t reclaim your position, things will get messier.”
I wouldn’t lose out from a change in leadership… but still, there’s a bond you develop with people. I need to help as much as I can.
“Haha, despite this, I’ve been in charge for decades. You don’t need to worry.”
“In a few hours, Karina, no, the Saint will come check on you, so I recommend you get a good nap until then.”
“I’ve already slept quite a bit, though.”
“Sleep some more. It’s vital for recovery.”
“Haha. I’ll try.”
I quietly opened the door and went outside.
——————–
“Lulu? Terry? Where are you!”
‘Where could they be during lunch time?’
Sif had just returned to the lodging to eat lunch with her siblings, but she soon realized they were missing. Usually, they would have been playing in the lodging.
“… They must have forgotten while playing somewhere?”
Hope was burning within her.
Sif, imprinted with hope, roamed around the guild. Staff members looked at her curiously as she appeared desperate, but she had no time to care about that.
“Lulu! Terry! If you hear me, respond!”
‘Did they go outside?’
Suddenly struck by that thought, Sif turned and headed for the office. If her siblings were outside regardless of mealtime, searching the guild would be pointless.
“I hope they didn’t go to the slums…”
If they went to the slums and got kidnapped, their lives would be in jeopardy. If a ransom couldn’t be paid, they could literally be sold off or killed.
Upon arriving at the office, she quickly grabbed her outerwear and a small amount of money and headed for the front door. She was determined to find her siblings, even if it meant scouring the town all day.
‘I’ll give them a good scolding when they come back! I told them not to go out like that!’
Just as she arrived at the front door, she heard…
“Sis!”
A voice tinged with tears drew Sif’s attention to the other side of the front door. Shocked at the sight of Lulu through the door, she quickly opened it and pulled her sister into a tight hug.
Lulu was sobbing with a puffy face, soaking Sif’s clothes without care.
“Lulu, what happened? How did you get outside?”
Through her tears, Lulu finally managed to spill out the words she had been so desperate to say.
“T-Terry was taken away!”
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