Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: -10
Chapter Title: How Do You Respond to the Protagonist's Sudden Burst Forward?
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How should one respond to the protagonist's sudden burst forward?
The comrades dragged around by the hot-blooded hero in an JRPG must have felt exactly like this.
The silver lining, if there is one, is that Hyeok Tae-jun's influence isn't that overwhelming.
At any rate, the leader of our party is the Headquarters Chief.
I just follow when he says to go, and refuse when he says not to.
And judging by the situation, he's a hundred percent going to refuse.
"Hmm..."
For some reason, he had a troubled look on his face.
I couldn't fathom what there was to ponder about Hyeok Tae-jun's proposal, but the answer would be the same regardless.
Yet the deliberation dragged on.
His brain must have frozen from the utterly out-of-left-field remark.
At times like this, I suppose I should step in.
"Tae-jun, sorry, but—"
Is our leader the type who can't tolerate his subordinates speaking first? The Headquarters Chief cut me off and voiced his opinion.
"That... might not be such a bad idea..."
Ah... the Chief must be exhausted lately.
His brain must be clogged with too much toxin.
That's why he couldn't properly grasp what Hyeok Tae-jun meant and ended up spouting such nonsense.
"You're looking at me like I'm some dementia-ridden old man."
The Headquarters Chief seemed to understand the blatant glare I shot his way.
I fired a straightforward stare demanding a proper explanation straight into the Chief's brain.
"Fine, let me explain why I think that."
Hyeok Tae-jun blinked in surprise at the Chief accepting his idea.
"To begin with, I'd already been considering this before you mentioned it, Tae-jun. I just hadn't said anything."
"Chief... you too?"
A way to get rid of that thing in the sky.
Honestly, it's not like no ideas come to mind at all.
The simplest method would be using an angel, but to take down that, who knows how massive the price would be.
I wouldn't survive it, and it might even claim the lives of everyone on Earth.
We're doing this for humanity, so that would make it all pointless.
Angels are off the table, then.
>
A few more difficult methods do come to mind.
But they're difficult in name only—actually difficult, with low feasibility being the problem.
If there was even a 20% chance of success, we'd have tried already, but I'm doubtful it's even 30%.
That might be why the Chief hasn't brought it up until now.
So it doesn't make sense for him to suddenly push this so aggressively.
"Do you have a method in mind, sir?"
"Yes, a few."
"What's the success rate?"
"..."
"I don't understand why you're doing this, Chief. Tae-jun has no ties here, so I can see him suggesting it, but you know everything."
"True enough... But as you know, this life holds no meaning. Don't I need to take a gamble soon?"
At this point in the conversation, there's no turning back.
Look at the Chief's face—he's made up his mind, for whatever reason.
Perhaps the most ideal thing I can do is offer maximum support.
The highest-probability option among those I've considered.
"...There is one method that comes to mind."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ It was a brutally silent night, without even a single chirp from the crickets that usually filled the air.
A good night's sleep is essential before executing a plan.
Unlike yesterday, when we slept in separate rooms, tonight we were sharing one.
Hyeok Tae-jun had quietly sunk into sorrow, falling asleep like he was seeping into the air, while the Chief was still tossing and turning—he seemed awake.
In this eerily quiet night, the occasional monster cries would normally jolt one awake, but that wasn't the case tonight.
"Jin-seong."
The Chief called me in the feeble voice of an old man.
"Yes?"
I replied softly, wary of waking Hyeok Tae-jun.
"You're probably wondering why I made such a reckless decision."
"...Yeah, a bit."
"I didn't want to say this, given how much you trust me."
The Chief let out a deep sigh.
"But I suppose it's time."
He groaned for a long while, as if reluctant, then exhaled deeply.
"I'm tired. Utterly worn out."
At his confession, I felt a sensation like wind blowing directly into my lungs.
It was a feeling I'd never experienced before.
"I'm an old man. At my age, I would've handed over the Chief position and retired in a few years."
The room was dark, and I couldn't see the Chief.
Yet an illusion of him stimulated my optic nerves.
It was the image of a man in a nursing home, not matching the sturdy elderly figure I knew.
"Come to think of it, I never fully told you about my past."
Thinking back, that was true.
It had probably ended with me becoming the leader of the response team.
"Truth is, I never intended to become Chief. But the previous one crushed all my wishes."
"..."
"That bastard didn't treat people like people. Maybe decades at the Bureau dulled his senses. He saw the response team as expendable tools. Even himself."
This backstory, never mentioned in the game, had a bitter ring to it.
"I became Chief to stop that. My goal was the happiness of all humanity, and I even discarded my name for it. But the world changed too much. I wanted to make at least those around me happy... but look at that sky! They're all dead, gone! In this hopeless world, that's our only remaining salvation."
The Chief's voice rose in anger, peaking just as Hyeok Tae-jun stirred with a rustle.
"Hoo... That's the only path left to us now. Even if you bow out, I won't hate you. It's all my deception anyway."
"...How could I back out?"
I have to take responsibility.
From the moment the Chief decided to end things with the sky, I no longer had a say.
"Maybe the first Chief saved me... for this very purpose."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. I suggested the method myself, so I can't back out now."
"I'm truly grateful..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ What on earth are we doing here?
The restaurant exuded an astonishingly peaceful vibe.
Fine Dying Restaurant.
It was a tale I'd visited often in the game, but this was my first time in reality.
The irony was that this place, with headless waiters striding about as if it were the most natural thing, seemed more peaceful than reality.
I was so used to such sights that it didn't faze me, and the Chief, a veteran of decades dealing with tales, showed no particular reaction either.
Even Hyeok Tae-jun not being especially scared or tense was unexpected.
I'd worried he'd be trembling in fear.
Protagonists truly aren't just anyone, it seems.
"You okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I've seen weirder things in reality... than what I experienced."
That sounded a bit bitter.
"...You've been through a lot."
What we'd come for was the 'Fabula Room'.
A blade that severs tales, obtained by killing the owner here—and our reward.
Normally acquired through a special event, so we'd approach it differently from the game.
Killing the owner itself...
Well, the Chief could probably manage somehow.
If not, I could always use an angel.
"Jin-seong. I was too flustered last night to ask, but may I pose a question?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"How do you know so much about tales even I don't?"
"Uh..."
What should I say?
There's no way to prove it anyway, so whatever I say should be fine.
"Customers, what would you like to order?"
Right then, a waiter approached with perfect timing.
"Ah, then... three servings of Once-Boiled Chicken, please."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
The waiter departed into the distance.
"Hey, Jin-seong."
"Yeah?"
"The price here... says right leg. That's okay, right?"
"Yeah, we're not actually planning to eat it."
The sole reason we came was to meet the owner.
And the owner doesn't appear unless something major happens.
"We're going to meet the owner of this place."
The path to the owner's office.
I'd stumbled upon it by chance in the game after trying everything imaginable.
The 'Fabula Room' wasn't particularly useful, so there was no reason to seek the owner first—but today was that day.
"Everyone, follow me."
Waiters generally don't mind customers wandering.
But that's only if it's not a restricted area for outsiders.
[No Outsiders Allowed]
And the place we needed to enter was, naturally, a no-outsiders zone.
No matter how strong the Chief was, he couldn't take on dozens of waiters.
Using an angel? The cost-benefit wouldn't add up.
In times like these.
I pulled a lighter from my pocket that I'd prepared in advance.
A Zippo—once lit, it keeps burning.
And.
"Wait, what are you about to do?!"
The lighter flew toward the kitchen in the distance.
As if thrown by someone.
It landed in an area slightly removed from the kitchen, amid crowded wooden tables.
The flames spread.
All the waiters rushed to extinguish the fire, none watching us.
"Let's go in."
The perfect crime begins.