Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Trailer
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I sat down on the sofa and spoke to Jeong Hyeon-ah.
"Anyway, you're not here to ask about the mask, are you? What's up?"
Jeong Hyeon-ah hesitated for a moment, letting out a soft "Hmm...", before opening her mouth.
"I'm here to say thank you."
"Thank you?"
"Other people told me. They said you did it on purpose."
Now it was my turn to let out a "Hmm...".
It seemed like there was some misunderstanding about the part where I beat up Goo Jin-cheol. Probably Chae Tae-won had spoken well of me.
What was the best response in a situation like this?
"No need to thank me. I just—"
Goo Jin-cheol's sleazy smile was pissing me off.
"—did it to honor my loyalty to the chairman."
This was what Jeong Hyeon-ah had asked of me earlier. She'd begged me to help, even if just for the sake of my loyalty to the chairman. Sure enough, she remembered it, and her response came back in a meek, subdued voice.
"Is that so...?"
"Yes."
And if I were being honest, there were other reasons too.
It annoyed me that the uncles who strutted around with their inflated salaries had stepped back, leaving a girl with no real ability to handle a negotiation she couldn't possibly manage.
This was modern society, not some medieval monarchy.
And honestly, weren't all these guys posturing here just a bunch of thugs at the end of the day?
In an era where bloodlines didn't dictate inheritance, why put a kid like her at the head of a conference room lined with men three times her age?
'Well, that was all part of Goo Jin-cheol's plan, I suppose.'
Including calling me in and putting on that pointless charade.
He must have planned to completely erase Cheongho's influence once and for all.
Force the nominal leadership onto Jeong Hyeon-ah, then wipe out the executives clinging to her in one go.
I'd tried to stay out of it, but their antics were so obnoxious that I'd ended up interfering.
Of course, there was no need to tell Jeong Hyeon-ah any of that.
"I'll find the chairman—no, your father—so don't worry."
"No. I want to thank you properly."
"Huh?"
Jeong Hyeon-ah stood up from her seat and bowed deeply in a formal posture.
"Thank you for helping us."
Ugh, it was embarrassing to receive such a bow from a high school girl half my age.
"As I said earlier, it's a bit early for thanks."
Besides, I wasn't entirely blameless for Cheongho's disappearance.
I hadn't told him to get possessed by the grimoire, but if I hadn't specifically asked for it, he wouldn't have vanished in the first place.
"Please, you have to find my dad."
"Got it. I will."
Jeong Hyeon-ah repeated similar pleas a few more times, but eventually ran out of words and just mumbled without finishing her sentences.
Alright, was the late-night event over now?
But Jeong Hyeon-ah, true to her fearless high school girl spirit, pushed herself to bring up a new topic.
"By the way, aren't you going to need a place to sleep?"
This room was more like a reception area, furnished only with a few shelves, vases, and sofas.
It wasn't ideal for sleeping, but it was sufficient enough. Besides, it wasn't bedtime yet.
"No. I can't sleep yet. I'll rest during the day, so don't worry."
"You can't sleep?"
"You'll see why soon. Oh, and speaking of which, this works out perfectly. I was actually planning to come find you first. Hold onto this for a bit."
"This is...?"
The item I handed to Jeong Hyeon-ah was a large, round orb.
"Take it for now. Ah—"
Considering the bodyguard tensely waiting beyond the door, I added more.
"Ah, it might feel a bit strange, but whatever you do, don't scream."
"Y-Yes... Kyaa!?"
Even with the warning, the stimulus must have been too strong.
The moment she took the orb from me, she yelped in surprise.
Bang!!
"Miss!!"
Ugh, I should have just used a spell to silence her.
"No, it's a misunderstanding. Put the gun down."
But the bodyguard had no intention of lowering his weapon.
"You shameless criminal, how dare you act so shamelessly in such a shameless way!"
I could guess what the misunderstanding was, but seriously, how many times was he going to say "shameless"?
Despite the young bodyguard's impassioned threats, Jeong Hyeon-ah stared at the item I'd given her and said something off-topic.
"This... it's an egg, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. Now, could you calm down that excited gunman over there first?"
"Ah! Sorry. Um... it was nothing. I just got startled over something trivial. The wizard didn't do anything weird..."
"Hmm... Is that so?"
The bodyguard lowered his gun but didn't fully drop his suspicious gaze.
He fidgeted as if hesitating for a moment. Why wasn't he leaving?
In the end, he didn't exit the room and instead stood diagonally behind Jeong Hyeon-ah, watching me. Ah, fine. Stay there then. It's actually more comfortable for me that way.
It wasn't pleasant, but I could give him points for properly fulfilling his bodyguard duties. Good job, nameless bodyguard NPC.
"As you instinctively sensed, miss, it's an egg."
I hadn't called it an egg, and honestly, it looked more like an oversized orb than a typical egg.
Even so, the moment Jeong Hyeon-ah touched it, she intuitively knew it was an egg. Just like I had when I first held it.
It was an egg created by feeding flesh from a monster made from the bodily fluids of the [Black Goat that Births Madness], chunks of cosmic parasite flesh, and mana from the [Blind and Stupid One] to it.
'It was something I got from saving Jeong Hyeon-ah, too.'
I'd been leaving it alone since I didn't know its purpose, but recently I'd figured out how to use it.
"I'll lend it to you for a while. It's not a gift. Tomorrow—no, it's past midnight now, so technically today. Anyway, return it once its role is done."
"Its role? What does this egg do?"
"When the time comes, it'll beat up some obnoxious uncle for you."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, something like that. Think of it as a self-defense item for emergencies. I'll do my best to ensure that situation never arises, so it might end up doing nothing at all."
Quietly resolving everything would be ideal.
[System: The 'Enhanced Vigilance' trait activates.]
'Hm?'
Independent of my will, my senses sharpened, and my detection range expanded dramatically.
Vast amounts of mana detected far away, along with absurd vibrations.
"Ah, they're really coming."
"Huh?"
I'd thought maybe they wouldn't show, but they were actually on their way.
They were still quite a distance off, but closing in at tremendous speed.
No more time for leisure now.
I glanced at my watch, then cast a few auxiliary spells on Jeong Hyeon-ah's body.
"Huh? Mr. Wizard?"
"Go to that conference room from earlier with that bodyguard right now. And call Branch Chief Chae Tae-won."
"Right now?"
"Yes. You too."
"Huh?"
"No magic allergies or anything, right?"
"Allergies?"
"Most people don't. I've only seen one person like that, so don't worry."
[Eagle's Glory]
[Lion's Valor]
[Fox's Cunning]
"Wh-what is this?"
The typical reaction. Her face said it all: 'Power is surging through me!' Yeah, that's normal.
In total, four on Jeong Hyeon-ah, three on the bodyguard, and one on the egg.
That's pushing it.
Wonder if I can maintain full condition?
A few buffs weren't the issue anyway.
The real problem was the mana and mental strain from sustaining the widespread spells I'd laid out around the property.
"Fixer!!"
Someone burst into the room.
"Ah, no, why is the miss here?!"
It was the grizzled executive who'd vigorously taken my side earlier.
"Take the miss and run!"
At the same moment, a massive flash erupted outside the window.
KABOOOOOM!!!!
A colossal shockwave hit a beat later. The windows rattled in unison.
"Eeeeek!!"
"Uwaaaah!"
"Get it together! What did I say?"
"T-take the miss and..."
"Argh, seriously!"
I flicked a small spark at the dazed bodyguard's shin.
Crackle!
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Oops, hit him a bit too hard? Whatever, that wasn't the point.
"Run!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Finally snapping to, the bodyguard scooped up Jeong Hyeon-ah and bolted.
A belated shout followed from the older man.
"Fixer, outside! Outside!"
"Calm down, sir. That explosion outside was my magic."
"Wh-what?"
Looking out the window revealed a ridiculous spectacle.
Cheongho's mansion was built in a remote open field, devoid of people.
Wide-open view. No obstacles, completely exposed space.
Massive trailers ignoring roads and charging straight in from all directions.
Dozens of them barreling toward Cheongho's mansion.
'I thought this place was paranoid enough, but these guys are on another level.'
This wasn't some gang skirmish; it was a full-on siege.
Cheongho's mansion buzzed to life like a kicked beehive.
"Over there! Those crazy bastards!"
"What was that explosion just now!?"
The explosion site was right there—exactly there.
Cheongho's underlings were frantically searching in the wrong places for the blast origin.
"Go tell them the explosion was mine and prepare defenses."
"Huh?"
Jeez, dense.
"See that overturned trailer by the fence? That was it."
In the direction I pointed, one trailer was burning, belching thick black smoke.
KABOOOOOM!!
Another earth-shaking roar, and a trailer launched into the sky.
Vroooom!! Rumble rumble!!
Like a slow-motion scene, the airborne trailer crashed back down with its massive bulk.
Boom!!
And another—KABOOOOOM!!
Ah, satisfying.
"Woooaaah!!"
"It's that wizard from before!"
"Woooaaaah!!"
Cheers erupted everywhere.
The Cheongho executive gaped, jaw slack at the sight.
"Magic? Magic? Those massive explosions... really magic? Not bombs?"
"Bombs...? No, magic."
"You sustained magic that causes explosions that size for this long? How many?"
"Generously, about 50. It only triggers on heavy objects, so no one can approach on foot."
"F-f-fifty?"
"More importantly! Remember? The special clause."
If such-and-such incidents occur, Party A will exert best efforts to protect the mansion's safety and Party B's members—etc., omitted.
In return, Party B will pay Party A such-and-such amounts under such-and-such conditions if such-and-such occurs—etc., omitted.
Tudor handled most of the fine print.
I'd skimmed it; there were devilishly favorable clauses galore.
'At this scale of attack, I might squeeze out Cheongho's entire annual budget.'
"Th-the special clause! Of course! Money? We'll pay any amount!"
Talking like it was his own money. Well, he was the one managing Cheongho's finances.
"Good."
[You have accepted a sudden quest!
[Stronghold Defense Quest: Guardian of the Tiger's Den] One of the Triad's three heads, Cheongho's stronghold, is under attack.
Slaughter the assailants and defend the stronghold.
Rewards: 1,450,000 XP + bonus based on mission performance
Failure: The Triad's balance will be destroyed.]
'Whether I fail or succeed, the Triad's balance is already screwed, isn't it?'
But that...?
Something weird was visible far off.
Were my eyes playing tricks?
It looked like someone was standing on top of one of the charging trailers?