Chapter 31: Don't Rest for More Than Five Minutes (1)
Chapter 31: Don't Rest for More Than Five Minutes (1)
A dark room.
The lighting was so dim that the silhouettes of the desk and chair were barely visible. Faint light bled from the monitor on the desk, but it didn't help much.
It was a typical meeting room for a Villain Society. The designs were all so similar it felt as if the layout had been imprinted into everyone’s memories.
I pulled one of the thirteen chairs toward the center and sat down.
Click.
The door opened, and two Mutants entered.
One was a rat Mutant clutching a staff and draped in a gray robe.
The other had a human shape, but was actually made of a constantly flowing, shifting liquid.
"Long duration elapsed. Joy in reunion. Seeker Crimson★Hammer."
"Call me Lee Ha-ram."
"Seeker Lee Ha-ram. Reason for executive convocation: unknown. Requesting answer."
Has this guy lost it? Why is he talking like that? The last time I saw him, his voice had a bit of a rasp, but he didn't have this bizarre speech pattern.
I turned to the other Mutant and pointed a finger at the rat.
"His brain was injured during the last raid. Please understand."
"Ah. Then it doesn't matter."
It wasn't like he was trying to mock me.
I pulled a White Rod from my pocket, put it in my mouth, and answered the rat Mutant’s question.
Crunch.
"I'll tell you once everyone is here."
"Let us proceed."
"Affirmative."
The humanoid Mutant helped the limping rat Mutant into a seat.
As two of the thirteen executive seats were filled, a mechanical hum filled the room.
Whirrrr. Static. Crackle.
The sound of computer fans spinning and white noise leaking from the speakers followed.
As the monitors for the remaining eleven seats flickered to life, the faces of the Mutants appeared on the screens.
"What is this sudden summons? Has something urgent happened?"
"Let me sleep, you lot."
"We don't see each other often anyway, so let's keep it quiet for once."
"This isn't a regular meeting; it's a summons from Lady Linshua. It's only natural for there to be a stir."
Shut up, you idiots.
"I'm the one who called this meeting, you lunatics."
Crackle. Static.
The commotion cut off instantly. Only a faint hiss of static remained from the speakers where their voices had been coming from.
A heavy silence followed.
"...Did you have a good reunion with your daughter?"
The one who cut through the silence was the Great Octopus Head himself.
"Al’shel. I'll deal with you when I get back."
The seafood head's attempt to end the silence vanished in vain. The Mutants on the monitors shifted their eyes, glancing at one another.
Just as their heads were likely filling with a thousand thoughts, I spoke.
"When I entrusted Linshua to you, what did I ask of you?"
It was a very simple request.
"To ensure she could live freely in a safe place. And to provide her with a basic education."
Their contract played back through the speakers.
"Right. That was all. I told you I didn't care if you survived off Linshua’s seeds, sat her at the head of your organization, or used her power."
"We have never gone against The Savior's words..."
"You son of a bitch. Is a building right next to the Management Bureau a 'safe place'? Why the hell did you set up a branch in a place like this? Go back to digging holes, which is the only thing you're actually good at."
I barked the words and sat back quietly, waiting for an excuse, but silence fell again as if they had nothing to say.
I expected some kind of protest, so their lack of response actually made me the flustered one.
Did they set up the branch here knowing how dangerous the area was?
What were they thinking?
"Lee Ha-ram. In Korea, isn't there a saying? It's darkest under the lamp..."
Does this guy get thorns on his tentacles if he doesn't act like a nuisance?
"Al’shel. If you don't want to see me use your tentacles as a jump rope, shut your mouth."
Perhaps because of my violent outburst, an endless silence stretched on.
Just as the thought of traveling the world to beat every single one of them senseless crossed my mind...
"May I say a word?"
A Mutant who looked like a human in a black suit asked for my permission.
"Speak."
"I am Enclu, in charge of finances. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"A new executive?"
The one in charge of finances should have been that rat Mutant. Was this a new recruit? Or a promotion?
"Yes. Since the previous finance manager, Quilp, ended up in that state..."
"This one... still functional... for active duty!"
The rat Mutant brandished his staff and thrashed about in his chair in an angry tone, but he couldn't even do that properly, and another Mutant had to hold him down.
He's a goner.
"In any case, we, the executive board, judged that there would be no major issues with Lady Linshua residing in that location."
"You know what will happen if your reason isn't valid, right? Let's hear it."
It was a de facto threat that I would blow this place sky-high if they weren't convincing.
"How much do you know about The Society's current situation?"
"I know you got the hell beaten out of you by the Management Bureau, got kicked out again, and are now doing some weird volunteer work."
To be honest, their skewed perspective was exactly why I had helped them in the first place.
Even excluding Linshua, they were the world's largest Society, boasting ten A-Ranks and two O-Ranks. Yet, the worst thing they ever did was act like neighborhood thugs.
They called themselves a World Conquest Secret Society, but I knew that even if they betrayed humanity, they wouldn't actually be able to cause much harm.
"Seeing you say that, Lee Ha-ram, it seems we've done a good job. That is only a small part of our company."
"What company? Are you doing something weird again? Are you trying to get bombed?"
These idiots were the type to get bombed while handing out flyers for a "Rapid Painkiller Delivery Service" in the middle of a battlefield.
Just do what you're best at. Stay quiet, do civil engineering, and be thugs.
"This business is doing very well. You've probably heard of it at least once, Lee Ha-ram."
I can remember over ten of your failed projects.
"Let's hear it then."
"Arejes Security Service."
"..."
Look at these guys.
I rested my chin on my palm and recalled what kind of company that was.
A mega-corporation that had grown explosively over the past few years, providing goods, technology, and knowledge related to the Otherworld. Thanks to their technical contributions, the Management Bureau had reaped enormous benefits.
Because of them, the development of Otherworldly Technology had accelerated rapidly, giving the Management Bureau—which was always struggling with manpower shortages—some much-needed breathing room.
And that was just one example; the benefits Otherworldly Technology had brought to humanity were staggering.
To think it was all thanks to these guys.
"I see. It was you lot."
"Thanks to the company's success, we no longer need to hide, so we've come out into the open."
It wasn't just being "dark under the lamp."
They had dressed themselves in legitimacy from the very beginning.
"Then what's the Purification Volunteer Corps beyond the Great Barrier? That seems more like your style."
"It's a front organization to divert attention from the headquarters. It's been doing well lately, which makes me happy."
This guy is quite capable.
He's different from The Society executives I've known until now.
"Where are you from?"
I felt the need to remove him from the executive board.
He was too realistic. Unlike the airheaded Mutants full of dreams and romance, he was someone who knew how to set a realistic stage. If I had to compare, he was the same type as Al’shel.
However, unlike the Chief of Staff Al’shel, who intentionally walked in the shadows, The Society had stepped into the forefront of human society under this guy's leadership. And through that, they gained the power and funds to walk in the world of light.
If they were to run wild now that they had funds, these people—whom I had spared because they were low-risk and human-like—would become targets for elimination.
"I was given life by Lady Linshua."
"...Your rank?"
"B."
"What is your goal?"
"The maintenance of The Society. And above all else, the safety of Lady Linshua."
"What do you think about world conquest?"
"If we must do it, it would be through control via capital and technology."
Not a bad answer.
I didn't know if that was his true intention, but at the very least, I didn't feel the need to eliminate him right this second.
"Don't cross the line. I'll be watching."
"I will keep that in mind. Grandfather."
Grandfather?
Startled by the sudden term, I searched my brain to see if the word had some other meaning.
I kept racking my brain, but only one answer came up.
Grandfather?
"You rotten bastard."
Beep.
I cut the communication and fled.
Right, he's even got a sense of humor. Is that it?
"Al’shel!"
"Yes!"
Al’shel had been shriveled up from my constant scolding, but he responded vigorously the moment I called.
"Tell that arrogant brat that if he hasn't received etiquette lessons by the next time I see him, he won't be able to open his mouth for the rest of his life."
'If you feel that way, why don't you tell him yourself instead of making me do it again?'
I heard a faint mumbling through the speaker.
Even though the speaker quality wasn't great, I could hear everything. I began to suspect he was saying it loud enough for me to hear on purpose.
"You're going to deliver the message, right?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Good.
I looked around at the faces of the other executives.
Most of their faces showed a hint of fear as they looked at me, but it wasn't a strong emotion.
Mostly, it was respect and gratitude.
It had been over ten years since I helped them settle down, yet they still hadn't forgotten their gratitude toward me.
Aside from Al’shel, whom I saw often, these were faces I hadn't seen in a very long time.
"Well, that's enough shouting for now."
I relaxed my expression.
"How have you all been?"
At my softened tone, the meeting room became noisy again.
Each of them began to share their recent news without restraint, and some even discussed my actions as the Black Marauder.
The rat, who had been sitting quietly, also started spouting unintelligible words, and Al’shel joined in the atmosphere, albeit grumblingly.
The Mutants happily shared stories that had piled up over the long years.
Listening to their many tales, a slow smile spread across my face.
Even now, I don't think saving them back then was a mistake.
They were more pure than anyone else.
Bizarre entities who had rebelled against the invasion of the Otherworld, building their own convictions even while being killed by those they sought to protect.
In their final moment, I had reached out to them. And these beings, abandoned by everyone, were now able to laugh like this.
As I thought, it wasn't a bad choice.
* * *
"Daddy, you're late!"
Perhaps to hide the fact that she was a Mutant, Linshua greeted me wearing sunglasses and a small beret.
"I'm sorry. I had a lot to talk about since it's been a while."
The Mutants had so much to say that the conversation lasted longer than expected.
Perhaps tired of waiting, Linshua’s expression turned sour as she grabbed my sleeve and led me away.
In the dark hallway, I let myself be guided by her, honoring the promise to my daughter whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
It was a restraint I could easily break, but I knew instinctively and rationally that I shouldn't.
Because I could feel The Child's anxiety through the sleeve she held so tightly.
It was likely because anxiety had sprouted in Linshua’s heart during the short time I was in the meeting.
The fear that I might leave again for a long time.
Committing such a mistake again was something that must never happen.
And so, I let my daughter have her way.
Passing through the dark hallway, we arrived at a cafeteria led by Linshua’s hand, where a few Mutants were sitting at tables eating.
It was clean and had a somewhat high-end atmosphere, but it was small for a cafeteria of a mega-corporation.
Is this a Mutant-only cafeteria? Where do I get the food?
As I looked around, Linshua led me somewhere.
It was a small microphone with a button.
And next to it was a small dumbwaiter intended to send things up.
"If you say what food you want here, it comes up from below!"
Is this a device to separate Mutant employees from human employees? I guess the Mutants weren't completely thoughtless.
As if to show me how it's done, Linshua pressed the button next to the microphone and spoke.
"Chicken salad and a sandwich, please!"
As if she had accomplished something great, Linshua puffed out her chest proudly and stepped aside after finishing her order.
"You try it too, Daddy!"
Does anything work?
"A beer and some borscht. No cabbage, lots of meat."
Linshua tilted her head with a puzzled expression, not knowing what borscht was.
It's hard to explain... Well, she'll see for herself.
After waiting a moment, the dumbwaiter moved and the food appeared. We took it and sat at a table.
While I drank my beer with the borscht as a side dish, Linshua happily ate her salad.
By the time the borscht and beer were half gone and the salad in Linshua’s bowl had vanished...
"Are the Mutant misters your friends, Daddy?"
Linshua asked innocently.
Friends.
Could a relationship based solely on give-and-take be called friendship? They were merely expressing their gratitude to me. "Business partners" would be more accurate.
"Why do you think so?"
"When the Mutant misters talk about you, they look happy for some reason."
"What did they say?"
"They said there aren't many Heroes who run around like that to protect their world."
Linshua made booming sounds with her mouth and reenacted the battles the Mutants had described with her hands.
Bizarre stories of me swinging a hammer, defeating evil, and saving the world.
I had no idea which specific battle she was describing, but it was likely one of the battlefields I had shared with the Mutants.
So they told her those kinds of stories.
Because of the sins I had committed, I hadn't said a single word to Linshua about what I had done.
Because the blood of Linshua’s parents was on my hammer.
I wanted to tell her, but the actions I couldn't bring myself to speak of were being conveyed through the mouths of the Mutants.
Al’shel. I forgive you.
I'll forgive you for trapping me with this.
"Oh, but the octopus mister grumbled. He said you always made him do the hard stuff."
I take it back. You damn seafood.