Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: The Scheme's End
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Rios let out a hollow laugh at Lee Si-woo’s provocation, asking why he was staring at him so unpleasantly.
‘I never thought dealing with him would be easy. So I did my best. I mobilized all available connections and resources and created a snare I was sure he couldn't escape. But… the Faceless One shows up here?’
Rios gritted his teeth.
‘He must have just entered this chapter, so how is he with the Faceless One?’
Rios looked at the boy in the mask standing next to Lee Si-woo with a gaze mixed with love and hate.
‘No matter how much of a fake NPC he is, this is utterly disappointing. He wouldn't budge when I begged for his help, yet he's so easily played by someone like Lee Si-woo? Ha… In the end, a fake is just a fake, I suppose.’
Having organized his thoughts, Rios turned to Luce with a resigned expression and spoke.
“Checkpoint Chief. Regardless of how it happened, since we were the ones who organized the free meal service, we have no intention of evading responsibility. We will do whatever it takes to catch the terrorists and bring them to you, and we will assist with the cleanup.”
Rios had originally intended to designate Lee Si-woo as a terrorist based on the testimony of the club masters of Black Night and Labyrinth, and finish him off immediately.
But when it seemed Lee Si-woo was acquainted with the Faceless One, he abandoned all his plans and decided to handle this mess himself.
It was a painful decision, but also an incredibly astute judgment of the situation.
‘Of course, there's a slim chance that Lee Si-woo and the Faceless One aren't as close as they seem. If so, getting rid of Lee Si-woo right here would be no trouble at all. But… the risk is too great.’
Fake or NPC, the Faceless One was like a god in this virtual world.
Therefore, any ordinary scheme would be seen through if the Faceless One intervened; this was not the time for foolish tricks.
So Rios decided to boldly scrap all the plans he had in motion.
Even if it meant enduring the immense losses and the decline in influence that would result.
However, Lee Si-woo was not one to stand by and watch Rios’s scheme unfold.
“From what I hear, something happened at the free meal station for the refugees.”
Lee Si-woo began lightly, then asked Luce, the Checkpoint Chief.
“There was poison in the food, and as a result, many refugees are dying… Is that correct?”
Luce, though curious about the identity of this sudden intruder, replied in a voice tinged with worry and concern.
“Yes. That is correct.”
“Then I'll have to investigate this matter myself.”
Luce stared at Lee Si-woo with a baffled expression, as if to say, *Who does this guy think he is?*
And where did that insolent tone come from?
At Lee Si-woo's declaration that he would lead the investigation into the refugee incident, as if he were the Checkpoint Chief himself, Luce's words did not come out kindly.
“What right do you, an outsider, have to investigate this case….”
Lee Si-woo cut Luce off lightly.
“I am the one who personally rescued a thousand refugees and brought them to the city.”
“…You did?”
“Yes. You can confirm it with the refugees. So if you're questioning my right, I'm at a loss for words. The very people I personally saved are suffering from poison; how could I possibly stand by and do nothing?”
If one listened closely, his words were just, but from Luce's perspective as the one in charge of the checkpoint, an outsider like Lee Si-woo investigating the refugee poisoning incident was absolutely unacceptable.
What was this if not an infringement on official authority?
However, a single word from the silent Faceless One froze Luce's lips.
“Let him handle it.”
“…Lord Faceless. What do you mean….”
“Look closely at his face. Doesn't he resemble someone?”
At the Faceless One's words, Luce stared intently at Lee Si-woo's face.
A kind impression reminiscent of a warm spring, with thick, dark eyebrows and black hair.
Only then did Luce recall that Lee Si-woo's face resembled someone he knew, and he let out a gasp.
“Lee Si-woo? Wait, but his impression is strangely different….”
Even for the same person, their impression is bound to change depending on their upbringing and life story.
Though their appearances were the same, their temperaments and the lives they had led were different, so their impressions were bound to be different.
So much so that Luce, who already had a connection with the Lee Si-woo of the trial world, couldn't recognize him.
‘Hoo, so it's come to this.’
In exchange for trusting Lee Si-woo, the Faceless One had demanded he go around with his face revealed.
It seemed he was curious about how the Lee Si-woo of the trial world would react.
Or perhaps not.
He might have been hoping that he would awaken, just like the Faceless One himself.
In any case, Lee Si-woo had no choice.
Whether he was dissatisfied or not, as long as the Faceless One wished it, he had no choice but to repeat the ridiculous act of explaining himself to everyone he met.
“My name is Eric. Lee Si-woo and I are brothers who were separated by unavoidable circumstances when we were young.”
Rios, who had been listening quietly, scowled and interjected.
“Brothers? What kind of nonsense is that….”
Rios, about to argue how a user and an NPC could be brothers, couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.
It was because the Faceless One cut him off with a stern voice, as if giving a warning.
“They are brothers. I've confirmed it.”
What could be done when the Faceless One said they were brothers?
Rios gritted his teeth, unsure what to do as the situation spun completely out of his hands and plummeted to an uncontrollable level.
The Checkpoint Chief, Luce, whether he knew of Rios's burning insides or not, nonchalantly changed his tune.
“So you're Lee Si-woo's brother. It's hard to consider you an outsider then. Even more so if you have a connection with Lord Faceless. My apologies for not recognizing you. In that case, I will entrust you with full authority over this investigation and have my subordinates provide support so you face no inconveniences.”
Although the Faceless One had verified it, Luce was no fool; having heard that Lee Si-woo brought the refugees, he couldn't have failed to notice that he was an intruder.
However, for him, a holy knight of the Church of the Faceless, the Faceless One's word was absolute.
If the Faceless One looked at black and said it was white, then it was white.
As things proceeded smoothly, Lee Si-woo opened his mouth with a meaningful smile.
“Thank you. Then, without further delay, I will begin the investigation. First… shall we hear the details of how this all happened?”
In Lee Si-woo's judgment, if he dug into it himself, evidence proving Rios was the culprit would surely pour out.
Rios had certainly come close to cornering Lee Si-woo with a bold and decisive move, but it was obvious he must have overplayed his hand in the process.
‘But dawdling is out of the question. Now that Rios has shrewdly tried to flee… I don't know what kind of tricks he might pull. So, I'll uncover the evidence as quickly and accurately as possible and deal with him.’
As Lee Si-woo's eyes flashed with a sinister glint like a snake eying its prey, a foreboding premonition made Rios's neck grow damp with cold sweat.
‘Damn it, no. If Lee Si-woo leads the investigation, things will surely go wrong. If this happens….’
A sense of crisis that it would be the end if he stayed put made Rios speak in a dry voice.
“My apologies. I must have misjudged the situation. If Lord Faceless says they are brothers, then they are brothers. Ahem, well then, I shall take my leave. I have quite a few things to attend to.”
With those words, Rios tried to leave, but Lee Si-woo shot back as if to say, *Not a chance*.
“What are you doing, Checkpoint Chief? Are you just going to watch as the suspect tries to flee?”
Luce sighed at Lee Si-woo's attitude, treating him like a subordinate despite having just met, but he didn't refuse the order.
“Mr. Rios. I'm sorry. Since things have turned out this way, let's have you undergo questioning for now. I'll help make sure you aren't treated unfairly.”
As he said this, he glanced sideways at Lee Si-woo, as if warning him not to frame an innocent man.
Lee Si-woo scoffed at Luce's strange gesture, but he couldn't help but feel conflicted.
He wanted to deal with Rios right here and now, but even with the Faceless One's authority behind him, he couldn't just kill Rios, a club master, without any evidence.
It was a pity, but he had to bide his time.
Of course, since it was obvious who this refugee poisoning incident was targeting, he had no intention of dragging things out.
‘Rios. I'm sorry… but you have to die here. I can't stand having guys like you getting in my way.’
Did he sense the killing intent seeping from Lee Si-woo's eyes?
Rios let out a ragged, murky breath and, at the same time, operated the smartphone in his pocket.
[The plan failed. Proceeding with the second option.]
Having secretly sent a text to his confidant, Rios took a deep breath as if to soothe his surging anger and glared at Lee Si-woo.
‘I admit it, Lee Si-woo. You're a far more tenacious bastard than I expected. But… this isn't the end.’
Through this incident, Rios realized it once again.
That no matter what means and methods he employed, it would not be easy to do anything to Lee Si-woo with his own power.
And that his own capabilities might not be a match for him.
However, that didn't mean he had any intention of giving up.
From the beginning, his reason for trying to kill Lee Si-woo wasn't for fame or personal gain.
Yes, the driving force behind his actions was a sense of mission.
‘Lee Si-woo. You will surely get your hands on the Red Butterfly. But I won't stand by and watch that happen. For that, my life… no, even if this entire trial world were to be completely shattered and torn to shreds, I wouldn't care.’
Even if all his comrades and family in Dawn were to die in vain because of his actions, Rios wouldn't bat an eye.
He had lived for this day and was prepared to die.
***
Lee Si-woo conducted the investigation so cleanly that it surprised Luce.
Fortunately, perhaps because Rios had rushed things, the investigation that seemed like it would take days was over in just three hours.
Having confirmed that Rios had bribed club members and his own people to poison the refugees, Luce muttered in a hollow, disbelieving voice.
“How could this be, Rios… Why on earth would you do something like this…?”
At Luce's words, Rios remained silent, as if he had no excuses to offer even if he had ten mouths.
Lee Si-woo, who was watching Rios with a calm gaze, spoke.
“He wanted to kill me.”
Luce's eyes widened as he retorted.
“You? Why? What motive could there be….”
“The motive doesn't matter. With this much evidence scattered around, Rios's guilt is as good as proven.”
Luce nodded at Lee Si-woo's words and replied.
“That is true. Very well. Then I will report to my superiors immediately and schedule a trial for Rios….”
A trial?
What a joke.
How could he go through such a troublesome process, not knowing what kind of tricks Rios might pull?
From the start, what Lee Si-woo needed was a way to minimize future trouble; he had no intention whatsoever of entrusting Rios to someone else's hands, be it for a trial or anything else.
Lee Si-woo waved his hand, and a green spear was summoned.
A shaft made of woven plant stems, and a pure white blade reminiscent of ivory.
The spear of death, capable of driving an opponent to their demise with just a scratch.
It was the Spear of Spinus.
Before Luce, seeing the spear, could open his mouth with an urgent expression, Lee Si-woo's spear ruthlessly pierced Rios's abdomen.
*Thwack!*
Rios looked down once at the green spear piercing his abdomen, then raised his head to look up at Lee Si-woo.
Unfocused eyes.
Seeing that gaze, already devoid of life and will, Lee Si-woo asked.
“Why don't you resist? As a club master, and someone with the capabilities of a knight, you should have been able to react.”
“Because I admit everything.”
“Admit? What?”
“That all of this was my scheme to harm you. That's why I didn't resist. Driving a thousand refugees to their deaths is a sin worthy of death.”
It was strange.
Rios so readily admitting his guilt, and his compliance with death—all of it.
Looking back at Rios's persistent schemes, he was definitely not the type to give up like this.
Just then, something occurred to Lee Si-woo, and his eyebrows twitched.
“…Are you trying to protect Dawn? Is that why you're trying to end this with just yourself? To prevent harm from coming to the members of Dawn?”
At Lee Si-woo's words, Rios twisted his rough lips, like a dusty window frame, and coughed.
‘As expected, he's dangerous. This man. So very… dangerous.’
Rios muttered, continuously coughing up blood.
“We chose to fight for our dignity, and resolved to sacrifice today for tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better than today. The day after will be better than tomorrow. Thus, we shall become nourishment, a part of the future that will one day blossom in full.”
Rios's monologue reminded Lee Si-woo of the death of Autoreu, his former master and friend, and he shoved the spearhead deeper as if having a seizure.
“Shut up. How dare you, who committed all sorts of filthy acts for your own personal goals….”
Ignoring Lee Si-woo's enraged words, Rios finished with a faint smile, like a dying candle flame.
“May someone be inspired by my foolishness today and become another firefly….”
With those words, Rios's head fell.
Lee Si-woo's pupils trembled as he looked down at Rios, who had met his end without a single groan, even in the face of the immense pain from the Spear of Spinus.
‘This bastard… No, there's no way Dawn would end things so carelessly. Absolutely not.’
The conviction, born from a sinister feeling that Dawn had some other trick up its sleeve, tickled a corner of Lee Si-woo's chest.