Chapter 213: Characters Do Not Recognize the Protagonist
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 213: Characters Do Not Recognize the Protagonist
"You're back, sir."
As Randall entered the office, the subordinates busy with their work greeted him.
However, Randall ignored them, walking toward his desk with hollow eyes as if he had half-lost his mind.
He was a boss who rarely showed his emotions, no matter how foul his mood or how dire the situation. Seeing him in such an unfamiliar state, the subordinates exchanged uneasy glances.
When Randall did nothing but lean back deeply into his chair and stare at the ceiling for a long time, the subordinates began nudging each other, whispering for someone to step up.
In the end, Sophia, the youngest and least powerful, was pushed forward by her seniors. She approached Randall hesitantly.
"Um... Team Leader...? Uh, the... the weather is quite nice today, isn't it?"
"..."
"...I'll get back to work now."
Unable to bear the heavy silence, Sophia shifted her eyes and lost her nerve, turning to retreat.
The frustrated faces of her seniors were scary, but the unresponsive Randall was even more terrifying.
Just as Sophia was practically fleeing, Randall finally spoke.
"How many personnel are available for deployment right now?"
"Ye-yes?!"
"Ah! Including everyone except the Blue Agents... there are about forty people."
While Sophia stammered in surprise, Kosuke jumped up and provided the status report.
Another heavy silence filled the 4th Division. While everyone walked on eggshells, the sound of a chair creaking broke the tension as Randall adjusted his posture and looked at his subordinates.
"Assign every available person to Rank 2 Blue Agent Anton."
"...Rank 2 Blue... Anton? Do you mean... the Director of the Investigation Bureau?"
"Is there any other Anton?"
Even if they belonged to the Security Bureau, the target was still the Investigation Bureau.
Furthermore, investigating a Director who commanded the entire bureau—not just a regular agent—was no small matter. Kosuke knew his superior was a prick, but he also knew he was thorough. Still, this case felt too big for the 4th Division to handle alone.
"Is this... an order from above?"
"...No, forget it. Everyone, get up. Let's go. Call in all available personnel and have them armed at Security Level 3."
As if he had no intention of waiting, Randall stood up and strode out. His subordinates scrambled to follow him.
The rest of the 4th Division, including Melissa, who had been out on field duty, gathered. Along with forty reinforced Black Agents, they surrounded Director Anton’s residence.
"Team Leader, I trust you, but if we're barking up the wrong tree here, all our heads are going to roll..."
"Do you want to be cut loose now? Or later?"
"..."
Since "cut loose now" sounded like a physical threat, Kosuke shut his mouth.
There was a minor scuffle with the guards protecting the estate, but because Randall had issued firm suppression orders from the start, the Black Agents neutralized them in an instant. They stormed into the mansion.
"Who do you people think you are?! You're government agents, aren't you?"
The wife of the Investigation Bureau Director carried herself with great arrogance, making Sophia flinch, but Randall merely trudged past her as if she were a nuisance.
"State your rank and name this instant! Do you know where you are?"
"Randall Rodrigo, Team Leader of the Security Bureau's 4th Division."
"A mere Team Leader dares to cause a riot in this house?!"
Randall had only answered out of procedural habit. He ignored the woman entirely and stood before the fireplace.
Leaving behind the wife who was screaming about how rude he was and how she would tell her husband everything, Randall crouched down. He inspected the inside of the fireplace, reaching up to grope the inner ceiling.
Click—
With the sound of a mechanism engaging, the back of the fireplace slid inward, revealing a hidden passage.
"Wh-what is... this...?"
As a passage even the wife hadn't known existed appeared, Randall brushed the dust off his hands. He stood up and gave a slight nod to his subordinates.
"What are you waiting for? Go in and bag the evidence."
The subordinates snapped out of their shock and rushed inside. Randall walked past the stunned wife and sat on the sofa as if he owned the place.
While the agents moved busily, Randall sat with his arms crossed, tilting his head repeatedly as if deep in thought.
He poked through the items on the table, found the remote, and turned on the TV.
It was the news of a death that he had already seen on his way here.
Because the deceased was a famous mage, the broadcasting stations were competing to cover it.
He had been bedridden with an incurable disease for a long time, so his death was expected sooner or later.
But why today?
‘It’s the exact day that brat predicted.’
Seo Yeon-woo’s words had been precise, but Randall scowled.
The word "prediction" didn't fit.
It wasn't a prophecy; it was the testimony of someone who had already experienced the future once.
‘I’ve regressed.’
When Randall first heard those words from Seo Yeon-woo, his first thought was: Is this crazy bastard for real?
Yeon-woo claimed he had lived for about another year before dying and returning to the past.
It sounded too idiotic to be a lie, and if he truly believed it himself, then he really was an idiot.
Regression. No matter how vast the mysteries of magic were, reversing time was something out of a fairy tale.
It was an absurd claim, but looking at Seo Yeon-woo’s excessive achievements and incomprehensible actions, it became somewhat believable.
His numerous feats—such as conquering a Mage's Grave that even the government had given up on in less than a day—were difficult to attribute to mere individual talent.
"This incurable disease, which the medical community has named the Whitening Phenomenon..."
And then, the Whitening Phenomenon.
Randall focused on the announcer's explanation.
He hadn't known exactly what disease the mage who died today was suffering from.
But he knew about the Whitening Phenomenon.
Because he was cooperating with the beings humans called demons—the Zboni.
The incurable plague that was ruining the Zboni world had spread to humans as well.
‘Humans aren't safe either. The Whitening Phenomenon will sweep through and destroy the world. Just as it did to the Zboni.’
The death of the mage, the Whitening Phenomenon, and the fact that Director Anton was collaborating with the Zboni.
The things Seo Yeon-woo had said so calmly were manifesting in reality.
Director Anton had no connection to Logard.
He had been holding secret meetings with the radicals, so disposing of him was more beneficial for both Logard and humanity as a whole.
Reaching this point, Randall found himself placing more and more trust in Seo Yeon-woo’s ridiculous claim of regression.
"Team Leader, you need to read this! These are Director Anton’s plans with the demons..."
Sophia ran over and held out some documents, but Randall tossed them aside the moment he took them, showing no interest.
He didn't need to read them to know.
He had already heard it all from Seo Yeon-woo.
As Sophia stood there awkwardly, Randall clicked his tongue and asked, "What do you think about regression?"
"Pardon?"
"Regression. I mean, not just turning around, but regressing to the past."
What a stupid thing to say.
Randall let out a hollow laugh, finding himself ridiculous for even asking.
"Ah~ Regression stories! So you like regression webnovels, Team Leader~ I used to like them too, but I got bored because the tropes are all the same. Personally, I prefer possession stories over regression..."
"..."
"...Oh, you weren't talking about webnovels... Aha, ahahaha."
Wincing under Randall’s pathetic gaze, Sophia fanned herself with her hand in embarrassment before scurrying away, claiming she had more evidence to collect.
Left alone again, Randall recalled his conversation with Seo Yeon-woo.
“Even if that’s true, I don’t have the authority to save Shibarata.”
“That’s not my problem. Isn’t that something you should figure out on your own, Agent?”
Recalling Seo Yeon-woo’s cocky expression, Randall’s lips curled into a distorted smile.
Whether he had regressed or simply knew the future didn't matter to him.
He had a face that begged to be punched, but Randall was forced to stop at the thought of the medicine Yeon-woo had insolently slid across the table.
The cure for the Whitening Phenomenon that the Zboni were so desperately searching for.
Because he knew about the Whitening Phenomenon through Logard, Randall knew it wasn't a disease that could be cured by simple medicine.
If a Secret Medicine could have solved it, the Zboni would have found a way long ago.
Yet, Seo Yeon-woo had casually handed over the solution that an entire race had staked their existence on finding.
If his claim of regression was true, then this Secret Medicine must be the real deal as well.
This medicine, currently tucked away in his coat, might one day save his life if the Whitening Phenomenon ever struck him.
Apparently, Seo Yeon-woo currently had fewer than a hundred doses of this Secret Medicine.
The ingredients were impossible to mass-produce and so rare that production couldn't keep up with demand.
Randall, who kept track of all of Yeon-woo’s asset flows, could now understand why the boy was relentlessly buying up ingredients whose prices had skyrocketed.
"The 7th Division is going to be a pain."
The operation to seize the land of Shibarata.
It was annoying to interfere with a colleague's work, but it couldn't be compared to the upcoming events and the merit he would gain by resolving them.
As soon as Director Anton was arrested, Randall persuaded his superiors to grant him full authority over the Shibarata operation.
Since it was a project years in the making, the Team Leader of the 7th Division was furious, but Randall managed to appease him by handing over the entire Director Anton case.
The case of collusion with demons—especially involving a high-ranking official—was a massive affair. With solid evidence and guaranteed results, the 7th Division leader took it while pretending to be begrudging, allowing Randall to proceed with his deal with Seo Yeon-woo.
‘Next is meeting that so-called savior.’
Seo Yeon-woo had said that Akito was the key to solving the Whitening Phenomenon.
He said that he had to make Akito pull out of Shibarata by any means necessary and clear away everything blocking his path.
The Daihara family was impressive, sure, but the key to saving the world?
To Randall, who had no taste for heroic epics, it was a tedious and irritating task, but since he had agreed to the deal, he intended to do the job properly.
"Hello. I am Randall Rodrigo, Team Leader of the Security Bureau's 4th Division."
Akito’s first impression piqued Randall’s curiosity.
There was an aura and atmosphere about him that couldn't be captured in a written report—something you had to see in person to feel. Randall could understand why he was called the "key."
However, that very atmosphere of inexplicable power made Randall feel even more repulsed.
Beings that existed outside the norm triggered a sense of dissonance, and Randall despised unpredictable situations.
Since he was only here for the deal with Seo Yeon-woo, he spoke without hesitation.
Akito was shocked to learn that the government knew Shibarata was targeting the Source.
‘He can’t even control his facial expressions. He really is a greenhorn. Nothing like that little prick.’
Strangely enough, Randall found himself liking the arrogant brat who ranted about regression more than this "key."
Aside from the sense of dissonance, Akito was simply not his type.
A frustrating man who ignored reality and preached idealism, thinking he was the only one who was right.
That was Randall’s assessment of Akito.
And Akito’s reaction was exactly as he expected.
"Please, give me a little more time. I can persuade them. Having Shibarata realize their mistake and give up on the Source of their own accord is the way to minimize chaos."
At first, it sounded like a request, but by the end, he was stating it as a fact.
Randall smirked at the words of a man trapped in his own delusions.
Even at the mocking smile, Akito’s expression didn't change. He merely stared back calmly with eyes full of power and will.
"The government should also prefer a direction that minimizes damage..."
"I think you're mistaken about something."
"..."
Randall cut Akito off, leaning forward with a slouch as if looking for a fight.
"I didn't come here to negotiate with you."
"It's not a negotiation, it's a reque—"
"No, no. That's not it. You've got it all wrong."
Randall shrugged with exaggerated gestures, but his eyes remained cold. Akito watched him in silence.
"This is a small gesture of goodwill to pull you out before we deal with the treasonous Shibarata."
"..."
"Must be nice to have so many people looking out for you. Anyone else would have been hauled away by now. Live your life being grateful that you're the Ke—no, that you're a member of the Daihara family."
Since he couldn't explicitly call him the "key," Randall sneered, substituting it with the Daihara name.
Seeing Akito’s eyes turn cold, Randall stood up, satisfied that the boy finally had a face worth looking at.
"I've seen many people like you. I know that if I leave like this, you'll act out, thinking you're special and that you can solve everything yourself. Don't. I'm giving you a clear warning."
"Is it Seo Yeon-woo?"
"..."
Randall, who had turned to leave, stopped in his tracks at Akito’s cold voice.
"This is amusing. I may not look like much, but I'm a Rank 3 Black Agent. I'm the Team Leader of the Security Bureau's 4th Division. And you? What are you, besides being a Daihara?"
"..."
"Listen, you brats. You're nothing, so don't take the government lightly. 'Is it Seo Yeon-woo?' You think the world revolves around the two of you? Do you even have that kind of influence?"
When Akito couldn't answer, Randall gave a satisfied grin and walked away.