Chapter 28 – The End Convergence Factor Surveillance and Management Bureau

Rea​d​ on Ka​tR​eadingCafe​

 

Mertzel and Locust are old friends.  

“Long time no see, Mertzel.”  

No, perhaps “frenemies” would be more accurate.  

At least on the surface, the two had never shown any good synergy.  

In fact, every time they met, they ended up fighting, so calling them friends was questionable.  

But then again, there’s a saying, isn’t there?  

People often grow closer through fighting.  

Though that might not apply to political or adult fights, it’s unlikely they had the intelligence for those.  

The leading members of Round Ark, except for Maximilian, are all at the mental level of teenagers.  

“Hey, hey, come on. Play a game with me and listen to my worries.”  

“Oh? Are you challenging me to a fight? And not even a real fight, but a punching machine….”  

“Ah, shut up and get the coins out!! You’re really getting on my nerves!”  

Locust pushed up his glasses with his middle finger and rummaged through his pocket.  

Looking at his overly muscular body, which didn’t match his face, always left Mertzel stunned.  

His suit, too tight for his bulging muscles, stretched to its limits.  

He was almost 1.2 times larger than Mertzel.  

It was obvious that Locust would dominate in a physical fight.  

But Mertzel still wanted to vent her anger somewhere.  

Locust, sensing the mood, glanced at Mertzel.  

“Something bad must have happened.”  

“Things are complicated, and my head feels like it’s splitting. If it were Maximilian, he’d come up with a better plan, but he’s just staying silent. The Vampire Lord isn’t her, and where did that guy go? There are two of the same blood, clones? No, what is it, seriously….”  

“Did you drink?”  

She had opened a can of beer, but how did he know?  

Instead of sniffing her clothes, Mertzel snatched the coin from Locust’s hand.  

“I’ll go first.”  

Click, the coin went in, and the punching machine activated.  

Without giving it a chance to react, Mertzel threw a punch.  

It was a punch far stronger than an average person’s, but weak for a knight.  

Still, Mertzel felt some relief.  

After all, moving her body was better than overthinking.  

Mertzel exhaled and stepped aside.  

Locust adjusted his stance and looked at Mertzel.  

“I read the report you sent a few hours ago….”  

“Yeah, I can’t figure out how to revise the action plan.”  

“Do you really need to revise it? Try to look at it objectively, without the framework of the convergence factor. Just see her as herself.”  

“Well….”  

Whoosh.  

Locust exhaled loudly and threw a punch.  

A loud sound echoed as the score skyrocketed.  

Mertzel instinctively knew the machine was broken.  

But Locust puffed out his chest as if proud.  

“The machine clearly wasn’t ready to handle me. Even with minimal force, it couldn’t withstand my punch. What a weak piece of junk.”  

 

“The finance department will send you the bill, so you’re paying for it.”  

Mertzel punched the already broken machine a few more times.  

Locust watched silently for a while.  

Aside from his tastes and way of speaking, there was nothing to criticize about him.  

Mertzel and Locust had known each other for a long time, so maybe he was just quick to pick up on things.  

Finally, Mertzel exhaled, feeling satisfied.  

Only then did Locust speak.  

“The fact that those two are separate individuals… sounds interesting. But why is that a problem?”  

“So you’re saying it’s not a problem? Another End Convergence Factor, almost equal in strength, has appeared. It’s not that the original one changed forms, but another one popped up out of nowhere?!”  

“Why do you always think in such a negative direction? How about having a cup of coffee and calming down? Just swinging your fists like an idiot won’t solve anything….”  

“Who’s the idiot here? You’re the idiot with nothing but brute strength. Strength isn’t everything.”  

Locust silently moved to the lounge in the corner of the company’s recreation room.  

Since it was the headquarters lounge, it was open until dawn. But there were hardly any people around.  

Locust ordered two caramel macchiatos and sat by the window.  

“But being weak isn’t a virtue either. Let’s calm down first. Venting your anger like this isn’t cool.”  

“….”  

Mertzel irritably pulled out a chair and sat down.  

Then she downed the caramel macchiato in one go.  

“Disgustingly sweet.”  

“Feeling better? You said you’d settle things with a punching machine, but it seems you just couldn’t handle your own frustration. Still not very knight-like.”  

“Cut it out… I’m about to smash your face.”  

Locust crossed his legs and sipped his coffee in an awkward pose.  

Despite the steam fogging up his glasses, he managed to speak.  

“Think ‘coolly,’ like a knight, like a strong person. Always think positively. Even if a new End Convergence Factor has appeared, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, right?”  

“Two walking disasters in the middle of the city, and you think that’s fine? What’s wrong with your head?”  

“Why do you assume they’re disasters? Here, look at these photos. Think about it.”  

Locust pulled out two photos from his pocket.  

One was a photo of “her,” well-known to Round Ark’s leadership.  

The other was a photo of a “Vampire Lord” who looked more cute than scary.  

Mertzel felt her anger subsiding.  

“Well, it’s not really about that. Compared to Maximilian, I feel like I’m getting dumber.”  

Moreover, Mertzel herself wasn’t particularly outstanding in terms of power.  

She preferred fieldwork, but she wasn’t exceptionally better than anyone at anything.  

Locust, who had lived long enough to act like a teenage girl, gave Mertzel a piece of advice.  

“That’s a rich person’s worry. If I were you, I’d worry about how much more beautiful the world could be.”  

“Oh?”  

Mertzel was impressed.  

The slight buzz from the alcohol and the caffeine made her more honest with her emotions.  

Honestly, aside from being a hardcore otaku, Locust had a unique sensibility and was quite eloquent.  

Perhaps it was because he was an otaku that he had been exposed to a lot of media, making him exceptional in that regard.  

His eloquence was probably a natural talent.  

But since he used all that in strange ways, he often clashed with Mertzel.  

It was truly a waste of talent.  

Anyway, Mertzel liked what Locust had just said.  

Right, instead of overthinking with convoluted reasoning, it’s better to think about the beauty of the world.  

But that serene morning mood was shattered by Locust’s next words.  

“Look at these photos. They look similar, but they’re different. We used to think they were the same person. Right?”  

“…Yeah. Why bring that up now?”  

“You really don’t get it, do you? Think about it. They’re similar. That means they can satisfy two tastes at once! Look, their appearances are similar. It’s like a grown-up version and a loli version! One has a voluptuous chest and a slim waist, the classic hourglass figure, while the other is a perfect natural vampire….”  

Crack.  

The coffee cup in Mertzel’s hand shattered.  

“You damn bastard!! I knew it!! I was wrong to expect anything from you!!”  

Crash.  

As always, it ended in chaos.  

The café employee, as if expecting this, watched the scene with a detached expression.  

Their meetings always ended in disaster. It was a fact, beyond fate—a destined outcome.  

The employee quietly put on protective gear.  

Locust dodged the flying tables.  

“Why? Why can’t you understand?! This is the beauty of the world! Haven’t you heard of having your cake and eating it too? Two flavors at once!!”  

“Shut the hell up!! How do you always manage to spout such nonsense?!”  

He’s truly hard to understand.  

Tables flew everywhere, and the bill kept growing.  

But Mertzel felt her anger dissipating as she threw tables around.  

Venting her anger like this was better than bottling it up or taking it out on a wall.  

It felt refreshing.  

In that sense, Locust was Mertzel’s perfect punching bag.  

No wonder they were frenemies.  

About five minutes later.  

Mertzel couldn’t hide her laughter, and both were panting, thoroughly exhausted.  

“…Why are you two like this again?”  

Whether he heard the commotion or saw it on CCTV, Maximilian’s voice came from somewhere.  

It came from the other side of the lounge.  

Locust flew over and hid behind Maximilian.  

Mertzel, catching her breath, looked at Maximilian.  

“So, Maximilian. What are you going to do about the Vampire Lord?”  

“Yes, you already know the answer. I came because of the noise….”  

The lounge was a mess.  

Maximilian tried to avert his eyes from the devastation.  

“Well, anyway, you already know the answer, don’t you?”  

Yeah, she knew.  

It was just hard to accept.  

“Sorry, but I’m not good at thinking. Unlike you. So all I can do is wait and see.”  

“You know it well. I told you, don’t overthink. It’s not efficient.”  

“…The Vampire Lord isn’t her, and she’s not causing us harm right now. Continuously targeting her alone isn’t fair, even if it’s strategic for Round Ark’s leadership. As mercenaries, we should be impartial.”  

“Yes, that’s right. It’s good you’re not overcomplicating things.”  

“There must be a better option.”  

“No one knows what the better option is. You just have to hope that what you think is best turns out to be right.”  

“Smooth talker….”  

Mertzel sighed.  

The situation was complicated, but the conclusion was simple.  

For now, it’s best to wait and see regarding the Vampire Lord and her.  

Now that the Vampire Lord had been evaluated and promoted from rookie to a full-fledged mercenary, she was no longer someone they could control.  

At least not in the current situation. Doing so would violate neutrality.  

Let’s see how things unfold.  

Until we find justification or solid evidence.