Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Out of Pocket
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The unexpected call sent a stir through the crowd.
I was quite surprised myself.
Though, of course, I didn't let it show.
'What's he planning? Why call on me all of a sudden?'
As the Head commanded, I slowly raised my head and looked toward the platform.
My eyes met with the supreme leader of the Rantzverger family, Claude the Black Sand.
*Zap!*
In that very instant.
I felt a crushing pressure, as if my heart had plummeted into my stomach.
It was like facing not a man, but a divine being.
But I feigned indifference and answered calmly.
After all, putting on a brave face and acting shamelessly was my specialty.
"Speak, Head."
My tone was so business-like that a strange silence fell over the hall.
The Head, who was supposed to continue the conversation, said nothing.
Claude was watching my composed figure with interest.
His eyes were like those of someone who had just unexpectedly found money in a winter coat from the previous year.
"A special-grade agent at nineteen… That's even faster than Mitra."
The last document must have been the report of my promotion to special-grade agent.
As the Head's murmur reached the platform, a faint stir went through the people there.
Until now, the family's succession had been focused on Mitra and Wendy.
Even though a non-direct descendant could become the Head, no new talent had shown any promise.
It was a structure where a two-horse race between the first and second children was all but guaranteed.
And into that, an unexpected variable had just appeared.
Me.
'This is getting interesting.'
The top-tier agents who supported Mitra and Wendy respectively were now looking at me with peculiar expressions.
Even the neutral members of the leadership had faces full of curiosity.
But their interest didn't last long.
"It was the Acting Head's decision, so it must be accurate."
The Head nonchalantly flipped the document over.
Unlike with Mitra, there was no word of praise.
That single action solidified the attitudes of the transcendent-grade agents.
They had judged that I wasn't exceptional enough to threaten the line of succession.
Frankly, I couldn't care less what they thought.
My mind was already filled with other concerns.
The regular report came to an end, and there was a short break to reorganize.
"All agents below the rank of elder, please exit."
At the chief elder's voice, the agents from the branch managers down all filed out of the grand hall.
The family's major affairs were handled by the Council of Sages and the Council of Elders.
I mixed in with the other agents and moved outside the building.
I was still lost in deep thought as I passed the diplomatic hall.
'He's… much stronger than I expected.'
The outcome of facing the Head was deeply disappointing.
Of course, I had never expected him to be a pushover.
But I hadn't imagined the gap would be this vast.
Honestly, in my current state, I didn't think I could even touch a hair on his head, even if I went all out.
'You could say it's the difference between the sun and a firefly.'
That was my rough estimation.
At this rate, it would likely be impossible to surpass Claude the Black Sand even after decades.
Perhaps the best I could hope for was that the old monster would die of old age.
No, I might even die sooner.
It was time for something new.
A secret plan to grow stronger, faster than before.
"Hey, what are you thinking about so hard?"
*Slap!*
Suddenly, someone came up and slung an arm over my shoulder.
There was only one person around me who would pull such a strange stunt.
"Let go, will you? Acting all friendly will just get you ostracized."
"What's the big deal? It's not like I'm desperate for an elder position like the other branch managers."
Pushing Dusk's thick arm off, I took a step to the side.
I'd always welcome the embrace of a beautiful woman, but a smelly old widower was a definite no.
'Shoo! Shoo! Don't even come near me.'
Just as he'd said, Dusk wasn't one to obsess over promotions.
He didn't much care if he ended his career at the Eastern Branch.
In fact, he wanted to go back to his old position as the training center director, known as the Master of Trials.
He said he was much better suited to teaching kids than seizing power as a top-tier agent of the family.
At this point, I had to wonder if he just had a penchant for tormenting people.
"Shall we head back now?"
"Might as well, right? Nothing left for us here."
It was still a bit early to return.
Usually, after a summons, we were given a break of about two weeks.
But I wanted to get back as soon as possible.
That way, I could take on more jobs, build my record, and quickly step into the transcendent grade.
Besides, I needed to try out the Demonic Soul in a real fight.
Dusk and I decided to pack our things and leave immediately.
As we passed the corner of the diplomatic hall on our way to the direct-line dorms, my eyes met with someone in the crowd.
It was Faceless, who had been subtly watching me.
The manager of the Central Imperial Branch touched his white half-mask and gave a slight nod.
'Is that his way of saying he kept his promise?'
While I had cleanly resolved a few major requests, it was true that my performance wasn't quite enough to become a special-grade agent.
My promotion owed a great deal to the branch manager's recommendation.
To be precise, it was probably about half and half.
I smirked at Faceless, who was trying to emphasize his contribution.
'He's subtly trying to get in my good graces. That sly bastard.'
The one Dusk had mentioned as being desperate for an elder position was him.
Downfall, the manager of the Western Continental Branch, was also highly ambitious, but not as much as Faceless.
In any case, the Head's summons was over.
Before entering the direct-line dorms, I briefly gazed at the grand hall, already distant.
*'Revenge Was Easy.' Why can't I have a life like that? Ugh, can we get a balance patch, please?*
I blinked slowly, then turned and walked away.
* * *
The journey to the Eastern Branch took about a month, same as the trip here.
We had ridden without rest, so we were probably the first to return.
Geographically, the Ruberick Territory was the closest, but it's always the ones who live nearby who are late.
During the journey, I took every spare moment to master the secret arts I'd learned in the special-grade training hall.
Soul Shadow Evasion was a more advanced stealth technique than the Form-Shifting Invisibility Technique.
Now, I wouldn't be detected by any search artifact of a lower level than my own.
The second technique, Dark Chain Kill, was an advanced assassination art primarily used by agents from the special to transcendent grades.
"You've already mastered that much of Dark Chain Kill? Your speed is insane."
Dusk's eyes went wide when he saw me practicing Soul Shadow Evasion and Dark Chain Kill.
Well, among the recent generation, there was probably no one faster than me.
Except for maybe the Head or the Acting Head.
"Doesn't everyone learn at this pace?"
"Wow, you're so damn smug I almost decked you just now."
When I shrugged and replied, Dusk gave me a look of disbelief.
"What's even more annoying is that I can't find anything to correct."
Seeing me immediately fix any minor flaws, the branch manager just shook his head.
'How's this genius on his second playthrough taste, Mr. Average?'
As soon as we arrived at the branch, Dusk was about to leave on vacation.
A quick check revealed that Deltron had managed the Eastern Branch reasonably well in his absence.
He had planned to tack his vacation onto the two-week break to gain more experience, making it a long-term leave.
But Dusk couldn't leave the branch.
Because I stood squarely in his way.
"What's this? Did a bromance suddenly blossom between us?"
"As if. Branch Manager, aren't you forgetting something?"
"Forgetting what? I checked everything. Deltron didn't cause any trouble."
"No, who said anything about branch affairs? You owe me my special pay. The amount that was too large to refuse, remember?"
I still hadn't seen a dime of the reward for retrieving the Blood—I mean, the Sage's Regalia.
He should have gotten the payment approved when we visited Black Scale Island.
But an unexpected answer came from Dusk's lips.
"Ah... that? You might have to wait a bit."
"Don't tell me it wasn't approved."
"Of course not. It was, but it'll take time for the budget to come through."
"What?"
"This year's budget is closed, so they said it will be paid from next year's. The timing was just off."
"What the..."
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Hadn't I accepted that insanely difficult request for the special pay?
I hadn't even rested after returning from a long-term mission and went straight to work.
And now they weren't paying me!
This is crazy. What kind of bullshit is this?
Then, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
"...Wait a minute!"
"Hey! Complaining won't do any good. It's only a few months until next year, so just wait quietly."
"Are you trying to pull a fast one on me, Branch Manager?"
"What did I do?"
"I heard from the Acting Head that the Sage's Regalia... was a special-grade mission."
"Ahem! Is there a hole in the building? It feels a bit drafty in the branch lately."
Dusk coughed and tried to slip away with a terrible act.
But my hands were already gripping his collar.
"The intelligence agents are watching. Should we put on a real bromance for them right here?"
"Ha, haha! Didn't you just tell me not to act all friendly?"
"No one will think we're friends. Where's that Blood Regalia or whatever? Did you already hand it over?"
"You're not planning on cracking my skull open with it, are you? That's insubordination."
Dusk, sweating profusely, smiled awkwardly and held up his hands.
"Nah, of course not. I was just thinking of doing a little sword dance—no, a pole dance after so long."
"You still can't change the decision. The Council of Elders really did issue that order."
"Then we'll have to find a loophole."
"Huh? What loophole?"
With a sly smile, I replied, enunciating each syllable clearly into the branch manager's ear.
"Pay. Out. Of. Pocket."
That day, I got every last bit of my special pay.