Chapter 173
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Bribe
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Ding-a-ling-
Two foreigners entered the cafe and glanced around the interior.
It was a cafe with just the right number of people, perfect for a conversation.
"Jeffrey, where's the Prophet?"
"Who knows. Since we don't see him, he probably hasn't arrived yet."
"Well, we've still got thirty minutes until the appointed time."
Nathan and Jeffrey had headed straight to the cafe the Prophet mentioned as soon as they arrived in Korea.
Nathan couldn't drink coffee, but he didn't mind taking a seat in the cafe.
Today, of all days, as they came to apologize to the Prophet, he planned to accommodate him.
"Let's sit here."
"Yes. Shall I order some drinks?"
"I'm good. Go order your coffee."
"No, sir. I don't want any if you aren't having something."
Nathan flashed a satisfied smile, but it was short-lived.
'For such a polite guy to get so worked up and screw things up this badly.'
Just thinking about the recording where Jeffrey had threatened the Prophet made his lips twitch downward.
"Why did you do it?"
"Pardon? Do what...?"
"I thought of you as an assassin with a cool head. But you lost it with the Prophet in a way that was completely out of character. Why?"
"Well, didn't I tell you? It was to help Christine..."
"Even so, did you have to resort to such a crude method? And your voice—it wasn't cool-headed at all. You sounded like a beast that had lost all reason in its rage."
"......"
"Could it be that you were harboring feelings for my daughter?"
Jeffrey's heart sank, but he tried to stay composed.
"...No way."
"Then why did you lose your reason like that? Like some lovesick fool."
"I have no excuses..."
Jeffrey could only bow his head.
He knew any explanation would just sound like an excuse.
Ding-a-ling-
Jeffrey looked up indifferently at the sound of the door, then his mouth fell open.
"He's here."
Nathan turned to see a petite Asian man walking toward them.
'Not much of a first impression.'
Short stature, no visible muscle—a completely ordinary-looking Asian who appeared weak to anyone.
That was Nathan's assessment, but it didn't matter.
What did looks matter?
He was this era's Nostradamus, a seer of the future.
"Hello, Prophet."
Nathan greeted him first with a kindly face, and Ryu Min nodded slightly in response.
"You're Nathan Craig, right? Christine's father."
"That's right. Please, have a seat here."
"Nice to meet you, Prophet."
Ryu Min glanced at Jeffrey and replied curtly.
"Not so nice for me."
"I'm sorry about what happened. We've committed a grave sin against you, Prophet."
To soothe the Prophet's mood, Jeffrey apologized first.
He bowed deeply enough to convey sincerity.
'In Korea, you have to bow like this to calm someone down.'
It was knowledge gleaned from K-dramas.
It wouldn't work on Ryu Min, who could read minds, though.
"Then die."
"Pardon?"
"You said it was a sin worthy of death. Go die outside."
"No, Prophet, that's too harsh..."
"Too harsh? That's funny. It's only been a few days—did you forget already? It seems less harsh than when you held a knife to my throat and threatened to kill me. Don't you remember? If not, should I play the recording nice and loud right here?"
"......"
Jeffrey's face stiffened at the unexpectedly rough response.
He'd thought a deep bow would earn a 'It's fine, haha. Water under the bridge' and forgiveness with a smile.
Even Nathan seemed surprised by the Prophet raising his voice despite his mild appearance.
"Ahem, I-I'm sorry... I was utterly in the wrong, a hundred—no, a thousand times over."
"Why keep apologizing? I don't sense any real remorse."
"......"
That had been a provocation, a test.
To easily read Jeffrey's true feelings.
And sure enough.
-This pint-sized Prophet is being a pain. Can't just kill him, though.
There wasn't a hint of regret from Jeffrey.
Of course, with Nathan right there, he was only pretending to be calm on the surface.
'Tsk, this is why you can't trust those blond beasts easily.'
It wasn't surprising at all.
Ryu Min had expected lingering resentment.
'You can't leave a wildcard like this who might bolt anywhere.'
He'd already decided to eliminate the variable.
An apology had never been on his mind to begin with.
Oblivious to that, Nathan forced a smile and tried to lighten the mood.
"Haha... It seems the Prophet is quite upset. And rightfully so. Even I was furious listening to that recording... But how about we call it here and forgive generously? It'd be good for both sides. I've already scolded him harshly and made him swear never to do it again. You may not know, but for those who serve God, the weight of an oath is different from that of ordinary—"
The long-winded speech went in one ear and out the other.
Ryu Min, knowing a bribe was coming, just wanted him to get to it.
Fortunately, reading his disinterested expression, Nathan realized with an 'oh' and pulled something from his bag.
"It's a 5-carat diamond. Worth about 300 million won. Please accept it."
"Why give this to me?"
"As a token of apology."
"But the wrongdoing wasn't yours, Nathan."
"No, it's my fault. Jeffrey is like a child to me, raised from a young age. Almost like my own son. Isn't a child's poor upbringing the parent's failing? So it's as good as my fault."
Ryu Min silently examined the diamond.
It wasn't a huge bribe for him, overflowing with money as he was, but for others, it would be excessively generous.
'If he's offering, no reason to refuse. Useless to me, so I'll give it to Min Ju-ri.'
Handing it to her would make her feel indebted, binding her loyalty even more.
Buying a buffer's allegiance for a mere 300 million? No loss.
"Fine. I accept your apology."
Ryu Min smiled and took the diamond.
He might look materialistic, but it didn't matter.
Nathan's gift wasn't just apology—it included a plea to look after his daughter well.
'A transaction for both of us.'
He'd taken the bribe, but one more thing remained.
"I'll step out to the restroom."
As soon as Ryu Min left the table, Jeffrey's face twisted into dissatisfaction.
"What a pain that Prophet is. Hard to appease."
"Watch your mouth. It's because of the Prophet that Christine can survive."
"He's holding back crucial info, though. Survive my ass..."
"Jeffrey."
Nathan glared with frightening eyes.
"I don't care if you harbor grudges. Just keep your mouth shut in front of the Prophet. Don't ruin the relationship we've barely mended. Got it?"
"Yes, sir. Don't worry."
He said not to worry, but Jeffrey still harbored resentment inside.
Until Yamtti appeared before his eyes.
"Hello."
"What is it?"
"Sorry to interrupt your chat, but you're being a bit loud. Please keep it down. Pleeease."
She appeared and vanished quickly, but that was enough.
Enough to place Jeffrey under Yamtti's dominion.
"What the? Who was that woman? Do you know her?"
At Nathan's question, Jeffrey looked at Yamtti.
She shook her head slightly, and Jeffrey turned back.
"No idea. Never seen her."
"You'd have to understand what she's saying for that to matter."
Just then, Ryu Min returned from the restroom.
Their eyes met, but the previous hostility was gone from Jeffrey.
'Yamtti's got him under control.'
The wildcard was neutralized.
Detailed orders could come via phone.
Ryu Min flashed a grin and spoke cheerfully.
"Well then, shall we have some coffee as a sign of reconciliation? On me."
"S-Sure."
Only Nathan, who couldn't drink coffee, wore a bitter expression.
* * *
After the 10th round ended, the celestial realm was in an uproar.
All because of the disappearance of Remiel, one of the seven Archangels.
"Tell me true. Is that what happened?"
"Yes. I witnessed with my own eyes you entering and exiting the Akashic Records."
"And that was the last sighting of the Archangel you saw?"
"Yes."
After hearing the soldier's testimony, Michael, another of the seven Archangels, furrowed his fine brow slightly.
"Understood. Dismissed."
"Yes!"
Michael folded his wings and stood lost in thought.
He had gathered all the information from the soldiers' testimonies worth collecting.
'I'd heard a player was summoning angels via the Oracle Altar and killing them. But.'
Coincidentally, Remiel had vanished around that time.
The soldiers' last sighting was him exiting the Akashic Records and heading somewhere.
'Did he follow the player to the Oracle Altar?'
If so, why hadn't he returned to the celestial realm after several days?
Why ignore contact from him, who held absolute power among the seven Archangels?
Only one hypothesis remained at the end of those questions.
'Dead? Is Remiel dead?'
Did he die fighting that player who killed angels?
'It strains belief. For one of the seven Archangels to die at the hands of a player who'd only cleared 10 rounds?'
But no other plausible hypothesis fit.
'In the end, I have no choice but to check the Akashic Records myself?'
He already knew Remiel frequented the Akashic Records.
He'd habitually say he was bored and wanted to hear stories from other dimensions.
'He left there and went straight down to the Oracle Altar. As if he'd heard in advance that angels were being murdered.'
In the Akashic Records, severed from outside connections, there was only one way to hear prior news.
'He must have heard something from Rubahi.'
That thought entity loved to chatter, so it might have told Remiel about the surface world.
Flash-
Michael teleported instantly to the front of the Akashic Records and opened the door.
Rumble—clang!
As he entered, the door shut, and he saw Rubahi standing there as if waiting.
"I greet the Archangel above Archangels, Michael."
"Did you know I was coming?"
"Yes. The Akashic Records, the unparalleled super-dimensional repository of cosmic information, reveals truly much."
"Then you know why I'm here."
"For Remiel, I presume."
"Indeed. As you know, he's missing. I'd appreciate your honest account of what happened."
"Have you heard of Black Scythe?"
The abrupt statement arched Michael's brow.
"What is that?"
"You haven't, then. He's the player currently holding the number one rank."
"Is he the one massacring our soldiers?"
"Yes."
"What an insolent fool, daring to think he can kill angels."
"Not just soldiers. Remiel fell to him as well."
"......"
He'd suspected as much, but hearing it directly was still shocking.
"For one of the seven Archangels, able to face a hundred first-rank angels, to die to a mere human? Is that possible?"
"Whether possible or not, it's already happened."
"......"
Rubahi had no reason to lie.
'Black Scythe, huh... No ordinary human.'
Only 10 rounds in, yet already capable of slaying an Archangel.
'An impressive human. But that's only until today.'
Not just soldiers—an Archangel dead. As leader, Michael couldn't stand by.
'I must kill him before he grows further.'
"Black Scythe is still on Earth. In a few days, the 11th round begins."
"Then I'll target him when the 11th round starts. Forcing open a dimensional gate to manifest carries too heavy a penalty."
"That would be wise. But I recommend waiting a bit longer, past the 11th round."
"Why?"
Rubahi paused briefly before speaking.
"Because it would far better serve your great cause, Michael."