Chapter 55: Holy Blood (9)

In a corner of a clean and spacious café.

The man sitting across the table was passionately addressing us.

“I can already see it! The image of a superstar shining on a grand stage, piercing through countless camera flashes! I stake my reputation as a head producer who has successfully debuted numerous idols, and I assure you, in less than three years, no, not even a year, you will become an idol everyone in Omega Detroit adores! You have truly innate talent. Your eyes, your smile, even the way you walk, it’s an aura that draws people’s attention! That’s not something that can be learned through skill! It’s a quality only possessed by those born to be stars! So how could I just pass by! My company is always desperately searching for rough diamonds, and to find a gem on the street that might appear only once in a thousand years…!”

Could he really speak like that at once without even getting out of breath?

It was a torrent of praise, flowing so smoothly that such a question arose.

It wasn’t mere lip service; it felt like he was speaking with genuine sincerity and passion, which made it even more troublesome.

My face burned throughout, making it hard to bear.

‘Haa…..’

Though I kept smiling awkwardly at the continuous compliments, my answer was already decided, no matter how much he tried to persuade me.

Naturally, it was a refusal.

‘Asking me to become an idol….’

What kind of profession was an entertainer?

It was a position that received the public’s interest and attention all at once.

But my current situation demanded that I absolutely avoid such attention.

Wasn’t the Church established precisely to desperately hide the existence of miracles in the first place?

To now step into the entertainment industry to become famous was truly absurd.

On the contrary, even getting involved with people in that field was a risk factor that had to be avoided at all costs.

And even before considering the risks, I simply had no desire to do something like become an idol.

So why on earth were we still here, listening to these embarrassing praises?

“Yes, that’s right! That’s Eve Unni’s charm! You know your stuff, don’t you?”

It was because of Yoanna, who was enthusiastically agreeing beside me right now.

“A successful producer really does have a different eye for talent!”

When that man had asked if we could just listen to him for a moment, I had intended to refuse him outright from the beginning.

But Yoanna had quickly intercepted and readily accepted, which is how we ended up in this situation.

Honestly, no matter what conditions he offered, there was no way I would accept his proposal.

Yoanna, being a smart kid, surely knew that.

Then why on earth did she want to listen to this man’s story?

Could this also be just part of a mischievous prank?

Whatever it was, thanks to Yoanna’s instigation, I was in a terribly awkward position.

I had to keep listening to embarrassing praises about the ‘immense talent as an idol’ that I supposedly possessed.

“It’s truly rare to find someone who shows such star potential at first glance. We have trainees with various charms in our company, but this visual is unparalleled! So, why don’t you join me in honing that beauty and showing it to the world? Are you perhaps thinking, ‘But I’m not good at singing or dancing…’? Of course, skills are important. But don’t you already possess a powerful weapon that overwhelmingly surpasses all other conditions? So, we can build up the rest together, step by step. You already have the most important foundation.”

Yoanna chimed in excitedly.

“That’s right! My Unni is the prettiest in the world!”

The man, who had been passionately persuading me for a long while, finally paused when an alert sounded from the terminal on his hip.

The man said, “Oh, excuse me,” and was about to casually ignore the terminal, but then his eyes widened as he looked at the screen.

“Ah… I am terribly sorry. This is a call I absolutely must take.”

Then, after asking for our understanding, he went to a corner of the store to start the call.

Only after he left his seat could I finally let out the long sigh I had been holding back.

“Haa-, Yoanna…. Why on earth did you do that?”

To my question, Yoanna giggled and answered a bit brazenly.

“Ah, that’s… I felt like I met a kindred spirit who recognized Eve Unni’s charm. I got so excited that I just… hehe.”

Yoanna smiled sheepishly.

It was hard to say anything more to a smiling face, so I decided to wrap things up.

“Hoo- Alright, are you satisfied now? Let’s politely refuse him and go back.”

As I spoke with a sigh in my voice, the girl finally nodded.

Yoanna hadn’t taken this scouting offer seriously from the beginning either.

She had simply gotten excited like a child at an unexpectedly interesting situation.

But now, she was getting tired, and since there was no intention of accepting in the first place, she thought it would be wrong to waste any more of his time here.

So, just as I had decided to politely convey our refusal and leave as soon as the man returned.

An unexpected variable suddenly intervened.

The man who had gone to take a call a moment ago spoke, his expression somewhat confused and utterly bewildered.

“Would you two be so kind as to wait just a little longer? Our company’s Vice President will be arriving here shortly.”

“What? Are you joking?”

I asked back in a completely dumbfounded voice.

Well, it was too absurd a story.

‘Starlit Entertainment’ might not be the absolute best in the industry, but it was a respectable company, ranking within the top ten entertainment agencies in this city.

For the vice president of such a corporation to come all the way to this suburban area just to see a single rookie candidate found on the street.

No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

A seed of doubt quietly raised its head in my mind.

‘Don’t tell me, was he just a scammer?’

Perhaps seeing the wariness flash across my face, the man also became flustered and hastily added.

“I-I’ve truly never experienced a situation like this in my life! I would be grateful if you could wait just a little longer….”

I narrowed my eyes and fell into thought for a moment.

How should I interpret this situation?

At that moment, a low humming sound came from somewhere.

Wheeeen-

It was different from the flight sound of a drone.

A clear, transparent vibration, like the motor noise of an electric car, began to resonate.

Soon, a streamlined black object could be seen slowly approaching, cutting across the sky between the shadows of the buildings.

A sleek black aircraft reminiscent of a luxury sports car.

It was an urban aerial vehicle (AV).

In truth, though its name and appearance were that of a vehicle, its function, price, and maintenance costs were closer to those of an airplane.

Therefore, only one type of person in this city could casually drive around in such a passenger aircraft.

High-ranking corporate executives.

“…….”

At that moment, I knew intuitively.

The man’s words from a moment ago were not false.

But at the same time, I still couldn’t believe it.

‘No way.’

To suddenly encounter one of the most dangerous beings I absolutely had to avoid right now, a high-ranking corporate official, like this?

I didn’t understand.

I was just bewildered.

At the same time, the wariness in my heart also soared.

‘….Shouldn’t I leave this place right now?’

Just then, a Church bodyguard, who had been standing like a shadow behind me, quietly whispered in my ear.

“Excluding that vehicle, no movement of external forces approaching the vicinity has been detected. Furthermore, 30 members of ‘Los Salvados’ are currently on standby at a location reachable within 2 minutes.”

At that low voice, I felt my agitated heart calm down considerably.

That’s right, although this was 1st Street, closest to the city, it was still strictly the eastern suburban area.

It was a zone already under our Church’s control.

So, even if I met a high-ranking corporate official here for a moment, it didn’t seem like there would be any immediate danger to my personal safety.

‘Rather, if I run away hastily now, I might just arouse unnecessary suspicion.’

Whatever their scheme was, they had come here looking for me for a reason.

So, it might be better to docilely resolve whatever they wanted and send them on their way quickly.

Therefore, I calmed my mind and decided to wait for a while.

Woooong-

The AV had already arrived directly above the café.

A clear blue hologram indicating a landing spot appeared on the small plaza floor in front ofthe building, and the aircraft silently lowered its altitude onto it, landing softly.

Pshhhk-

Eventually, the side door of the vehicle opened smoothly upwards.

The first to emerge from within were two bodyguards equipped with light gray reinforced exoskeletons.

They scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes for a moment, then gestured respectfully towards the AV’s door again.

Then, finally, a middle-aged man emerged from the shadows.

“…….”

A gentlemanly man with neatly combed, graying hair.

He lightly adjusted his high-end suit, then strode confidently into the café.

As his heavy footsteps drew closer, an indescribable aura could be felt.

It wasn’t an overtly intimidating impression, but rather, his tall stature, close to 190 centimeters, and the perfectly tailored high-end suit on his large frame, exuded a strange atmosphere that seemed to press down on people from above.

Eventually, our gazes met directly.

He strode towards me without hesitation and extended his hand as if to shake mine.

“Ah, so this is the young lady. A pleasure to meet you.”

His voice, echoing like a cave, was a low and gentle bass.

“Benjamin Hayes.”

I looked down at his thick hand for a moment, then awkwardly took it and shook it lightly.

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Eve.”

I was extremely tense inside.

Then, the man smiled kindly and offered a business card.

“Oh, my apologies. I forgot a proper introduction.”

[STARLIT Entertainment – CFO, Benjamin Hayes]

It was distinctly different from the cheap plastic business card that the ‘manager’ person had handed over earlier.

It was a high-end digital business card with a built-in electronic key, an item whose authenticity could be instantly verified online by connecting to the company server when the tag was scanned.

The bodyguard beside me silently scanned it with his own cybernetics, then nodded at me.

It meant it was undoubtedly genuine.

‘Then this man right in front of me really is….’

I grew even more tense and cautiously added.

“I apologize in advance, but I was planning to politely decline the scouting offer from just now. I have no intention of becoming an entertainer.”

At my words, he looked bewildered for a moment, then burst out laughing heartily, “Puhaha!”

After laughing for a good while, he said.

“Well, I’ve been thoroughly rejected, haven’t I? If you don’t want to, then there’s nothing to be done.”

His nonchalant reaction made me feel rather puzzled.

“Weren’t you… here to persuade me to sign a contract?”

“Hmm, in a way, you could say that. But it’s a little different. Would you mind flipping over that card?”

At his words, I flipped the card over, and completely different letters were clearly engraved on the other side.

[LUMINA Holdings – Director, Benjamin Hayes]

The man calmly began to explain.

“Although I hold the title of Vice President of the entertainment agency nominally, I actually have very little involvement in its management. My main focus is my directorship at the parent company. Have you perhaps heard of the Lumina Group?”

My shoulders twitched involuntarily at the sudden mention of a familiar name.

In Omega Detroit, there was a list of legally established large corporations defined by capital scale, commonly known as the ‘Top 100 Corporations.’

And the Lumina Group was definitely one of them.

A conglomerate primarily involved in fashion, distribution, food service, hotels, leisure, and entertainment businesses.

Starlit Entertainment was merely one of the many affiliates of the Lumina Group.

And the entity that oversaw the entire group was the holding company, LUMINA Holdings.

And now, the man before me had introduced himself as an executive of that conglomerate.

“Do you understand? In fact, I came to find you, Miss Eve, on business for that side.”

The more I talked with the person in front of me, the colder the back of my neck became.

“…….”

Of course, the Lumina Group ranked 98th, almost at the bottom of the Top 100 Corporations, and was relatively small compared to other corporations.

It was also true that it paled in comparison to the truly ‘megacorps’ in the top 10, the super-giant powers.

But nevertheless, a conglomerate was a conglomerate.

One of the apex predators reigning at the top of this city, and precisely the kind of opponent I had been so wary of until now….

My expression naturally hardened.

At that point, Benjamin Hayes turned his gaze to the producer who was still frozen stiff in a corner and said curtly.

“Good work. You may leave now.”

The producer hastily bowed and fled the café as if escaping.

When I came to my senses, there wasn’t a single customer left in the spacious café besides our party.

They must have arranged it all beforehand.

“……”

With all chatter gone, a subtle tension hung in the now profoundly silent space.

Benjamin Hayes casually sat down on the empty chair opposite me, where the producer had been sitting just moments before.

Then he spoke, still in a lighthearted manner.

“Let me be blunt. Our company, you see….”

However, the content within that soft voice was something that could by no means be ignored.

“We wish to purchase the exclusive supply rights for the wine, ‘Sanctus Sanguis,’ that you recently released into the city. Surely you wouldn’t tell me you don’t have the authority to decide, Saintess of the Church of Radiance?”

Clang! I instinctively shot up from my chair.

Simultaneously, the Church guardians who had been lingering like shadows around us instantly surrounded me protectively, assuming a defensive posture.

“…….”

In response, the two bodyguards standing beside their client also took a step forward, confronting each other.

In the middle of the empty shop.

A taut tension filled the silence as they glared at each other.