Carving Out the Rotten Flesh - 5
A brief silence fell.
Hum...
If they were dead set on hiding this incident, I'd have to pour a ton of effort into resolving it myself. And honestly, that wasn't a great outcome.
Given Seohee's personality, she must have made plenty of enemies even within Seven Seed. Plus, she was one of mine now. If word got out that I was pressuring Seven Seed over my subordinate's honor—and if it dragged on—it would plant the wrong impression about me and my people. Letting time slip by like this would only solidify that misconception.
Hum...
It was dragging on too long; I might have to let it slide. Even for me, investigating an old case without witnesses was impossible.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I spotted a woman timidly lifting her head.
"Well... I'm not entirely sure, but to some extent..."
"Go ahead and speak."
She met my eyes and hesitantly raised her head higher.
"If what I know is correct, even if you track down the current person in charge for an apology... you probably won't get a proper one."
Before I could react, the other council members jumped in.
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying the real culprit behind that explosion wasn't who we thought?"
"I-I'm not certain. I didn't order anything, and I certainly didn't tell anyone to cover it up—"
"Then who was it?"
The woman, trembling before my eyes, pointed toward the door.
"Ah."
I nodded slowly, understanding the situation. The Responsibility Council members weren't the type to change out lightly. There were no fixed terms, so those who were on it back then were likely still on it. Seohee's position hadn't been low, so whoever could force her into information control had to be from the council too.
And the only one not here was...
...She sure built up a lot of karma.
"I-I heard someone saw her around there... but that person is already..."
"Dead, right?"
"Yes."
Even if it was half self-inflicted, it was still surprising. People she'd driven out had come begging for food, yet she'd stooped to that level of humiliation.
The others seemed to piece it together too, letting out gasps but saying nothing more.
"Yeah, that bitch would..."
"She's caused trouble before. Wait, how did you know about that?"
"J-just! I'd seen the woman blamed for it elsewhere, and someone was spotted wandering near the ammo depot... uh..."
"...Fine. I get it."
This wasn't a bad resolution. Seohee's subordinates had apologized, and the one who'd pay the price was gone.
"We'll revisit this when the person in question returns. At the very least, her subordinates need to be reinstated."
"Of course."
"Then let's wrap this up and disband for now."
"Already?"
"I don't know enough to point fingers right now."
I had a rough idea of how Seven Seed operated.
"I'll investigate thoroughly and meet again."
I could show them hell if I wanted.
...
The girl squeezed her eyes shut as she opened the door.
"Come on in. No need to be so scared."
"Y-yes..."
His voice was warm, but she couldn't relax. His very presence was dangerous. As the leader of another settlement, he was leagues above her—important, untouchable. One slip of the tongue, one rude gesture, and her head could roll.
Plus, he was the man who'd stormed into Seven Seed alone and left it in ruins. No one blabbed openly about that day, but it had been so chaotic she knew what he'd done. Even if they later spun it as "just signing a few agreements," the fact remained: one man had crushed them all and forced them to their knees.
"I'm not here to eat you, so relax. Make yourself comfortable."
"Ugh..."
And there was the sexual tension she couldn't ignore. She'd never been with a real man. She was just an ordinary girl; even in this harsh, dangerous world, chances to meet men were nil. To her, humans defaulted to women—their bodies, muscles, voices were all she knew.
But the man before her was different. His build was bigger, exuding an aura of overwhelming strength and presence, like he was declaring his superiority just by existing. His voice was remarkably low too—not unusually deep for a man, but the contrast hit her hard.
Just looking at him made her heart race, filling her with a sense of her own weakness, her inferiority next to him.
Then he spoke calmly.
"If there's anything uncomfortable or unfair you've dealt with... tell me now."
It was intoxicating. Even if nothing came to mind, she felt compelled to speak.
Ugh...
And it wasn't like nothing came to mind. Women tormented her daily. Others on the same shifts slacked off, just watching idly. She'd fantasized about growing so strong she'd put them in their place, or her smarts and skills earning her respect and fair treatment.
Like most fantasies, they never happened. They never could. Not when her stuff was stolen, not when she was saddled with brutally hard tasks for absurd reasons.
"Um..."
No matter how she stalled, he showed no sign of ending the talk. Fear gripped her; she had to think.
None of her daydreams had ever featured a man. It was as unreal as a dragon appearing to burn everyone but her. Dragons were mythical, and to her, so were men.
"If you need time to sort your thoughts, take it slow."
His words were so kind, she wondered if she even deserved them.
"Let me be clear: whatever you say, there'll be no retaliation."
"..."
"Doesn't matter who messed up. I'll be stronger anyway."
She looked at him. His eyes held trust in her—immense, unshakable trust her fragile mind couldn't resist.
"There's something, right?"
"It's just... people get into stuff like this living day to day, and it's not just me suffering..."
"That's not for you to decide."
He shook his head with a firm, almost intimidating smile.
"Did you face injustice?"
She bit her lip hard. Even among Seven Seed survivors, she hated some—not out of petty grudge, but because they'd truly done wrong.
"Just say a word or two."
"It's not... that bad. Just, um..."
"Obviously, I'll decide the punishment level if issues come up. You're the victim here."
He comforted her warmly, as if he knew exactly her fears. She wanted to report the wrongs but dreaded being labeled a snitch.
She agonized over it.
"There's a problem."
He looked at her with certainty. She said nothing.
"If you stay silent here... what do you think happens?"
"...Nothing, right?"
"On the surface, yeah. But you'll suffer more."
"Why...?"
"You got a chance and threw it away. No next time."
She bit her lip again. He was right. It was just speaking truth about her tormentors—not framing anyone. Before her stood a man who could defeat all of Seven Seed without killing a soul—a perfect, benevolent powerhouse. No better chance to expose her injustices, to escape her life so far.
So he was right. Pass it up, and no other opportunities would come. She'd live out her days exploited, never resisting.
Having rejected the "perfect chance," she'd never muster the will again.
"It's..."
She opened her mouth. The man smiled and listened.