episode_0206

After the battle ended, the Violets cleared the battlefield.

First, they attended to the injured and dealt with the enemy forces.

“They’ll recover quickly with this.”

Thankfully, the people who had been attacked by the monstrous creatures from Laplaquasia did not die.

Daphne, who had been brought to the scene, immediately treated them.

Since they couldn’t die yet, Rigel’s subordinates also received emergency treatment.

“You all…!”

Soon, troops from the search and excavation divisions, who had been waiting outside, entered and reassured the people.

Since contact had been made, they weren’t hostile towards us, but they seemed somewhat wary.

“To think Irene was actually right…”

“How dare they do such a thing!”

There were no unexpected incidents. Most people didn’t know, but a few had been given a heads-up.

While the year-end party hall was being cleaned up, the Violets apprehended Rigel’s faction.

While they were being put in chains and restraints for Awakened Ones, other Violets aimed the heavy machine guns they had just set up.

“If they resist, let’s grind them to dust!”

“We’ll shoot them, bang bang!”

Of course, the subdue process wasn’t entirely smooth.

“Hey! Let go of me! Aren’t you going to let go? I’ll call my lawyer, I’ll sue you!”

An old woman kept chattering, so I struck her head with the butt of a rifle.

The old woman fell silent.

“Tsk tsk, to be a Hunter and talk about suing…”

The people of Helios could be heard whispering.

In Awakened society, strength is ultimately what matters. How ridiculous is it for someone who drew a sword and lost disgracefully to talk about the law like that?

Meanwhile, the Violets put the shattered Laplaquasia creatures into trash bags.

“What is this?”

When I muttered to myself, the scholarship officer next to me explained.

“It’s a Draugr. A Laplaquasia-made bio-weapon, modified from humans.”

It looked sinister at first glance, seeming formidable to deal with.

Fortunately, the scholarship officer siblings personally disguised themselves as troubleshooters and helped; otherwise, many would have died.

As the situation gradually calmed down, the people around began to ask questions.

“Who exactly are you all?”

“…Irene. How on earth did you get here?”

Indeed, the people in the banquet hall seemed to have many questions about the incident.

With everyone’s gaze focused on her, Irene began to speak.

“Everyone, I recently experienced an attempted kidnapping by my uncle, Rigel. In the process, I discovered that Rigel’s faction was planning to stage a coup here today. So, I came to stop it.”

After Irene’s short speech ended, the banquet hall stirred.

People looked at each other’s faces, openly displaying suspicion and wariness.

“Young lady, what exactly are those troops? Are you saying your father left them for you?”

An old executive asked with a suspicious gaze.

Irene then answered firmly.

“That’s right. These are the troops my father left behind in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances. However, now is not the time to explain that. First, we need to discuss how to deal with this situation and in what direction we will lead our clan from now on.”

And she declared.

“Therefore, with the authority granted to me as the acting CEO and my clan shares, I will immediately convene an emergency board meeting.”

“Hahaha!”

Rigel, sprawling on the floor bound, burst into laughter.

He sneered and glared at Irene, saying,

“What? Don’t make me laugh. Shares, you, a child? What without even having shares…!”

Suddenly, Irene’s golden eyes flashed.

“Of course I do.”

“…!”

She pulled a bundle of documents from her pocket and held them high.

“As you can see, I have enough clan shares to convene a general meeting. In addition to that…”

As she unfurled the documents, people gasped.

“Just yesterday, I received the transfer of shares from my father. I currently hold more than half of the clan’s total shares.”

At the unexpected declaration, the banquet hall erupted in chaos.

“What?!”

“Lies! That’s impossible!”

“If you find it hard to believe, see for yourselves.”

Saying so, Irene showed the documents to the surrounding executives.

“My goodness, it’s true. How could this be…”

The mages and experts in the banquet hall nodded.

The document Irene handed over was activated by a magical formula, a document that only its owner could manipulate.

Upon seeing this, Rigel’s faction turned pale and hung their heads in dismay.

Perhaps Roman soldiers who witnessed Jesus return from the dead felt the same way.

Of course, it didn’t end smoothly.

Several conservative Hunters were already reaching for their weapons. It felt like they had misunderstood something.

Sure enough, Department Head Morgan clutched his head and muttered.

“Irene… Surely you didn’t… your father…?”

However, Irene remained silent.

She simply gestured towards the back.

“If you’re curious, ask him yourselves.”

A thud echoed through the floor.

At the banquet hall doors, the Violets appeared with a massive figure.

At the strange sight, question marks appeared on people’s faces.

Some people, wary, raised their weapons.

It couldn’t be helped. The steel giant that appeared with us was a combat weapon itself.

“What is it?”

“What other tricks are they-”

The moment people were whispering, a voice resounded from the machine.

“People of Helios, I have returned. I am Orion.”

Everyone gathered in the banquet hall had their eyes wide open.

**

The people gathered in the banquet hall could not hide their astonishment at the sight of the giant mechanical titan.

The sight was like something out of a science fiction movie.

“What nonsense! That’s just a robot!”

An executive screamed, denying reality.

“Irene, you’ve gone mad! What is this madness?”

Another shouted in a furious voice. His words were mixed with fear and anger.

Watching their reactions, Irene recalled the past.

The fact that she, too, was no different from them when she witnessed the moment her father was brought back to life.

‘I was also like that at first.’

She remembered. The sight of the Violets, along with engineers and researchers brought from Magnabys, borrowing a hospital operating room to revive her father.

The process of separating the brain and spinal cord from his remaining body and implanting them into a mechanical device.

How astonishing it was to see the machine, implanted with her father’s brain, activate and move its arms and legs.

Just like now.

The giant mechanical titan took a step forward.

The floor vibrated slightly with his movement.

“Everyone, I believe it’s natural for you to misunderstand. The person you know and my current appearance are worlds apart.”

The mechanical titan said.

“Nevertheless, I am indeed that person. The CEO of Frontier Service, Orion Solstice.”

At his words, people vehemently poured out their denial and suspicion.

Department Head Morgan stepped forward from the front, shouting.

“Nonsense! We need proof to believe it!”

Stregonix turned its head and looked at Morgan.

“Morgan, do you remember when we first went to the Abyss-Return Dungeon? We talked a lot there when the gate was closed and we were isolated. Didn’t you tell me about your first love? Mina, her name was Mina. Right?”

Department Head Morgan’s eyes widened.

He stood frozen, then replied in a trembling voice.

“Th-that name… I never told anyone… How do you know that?”

Orion continued speaking. His camera lens met the gaze of an executive.

“Elio, just before the third joint expedition, you were late for work. You were drunk. Why was that? Because you confessed to a maid cafe waitress and failed. And the person you met after that, wasn’t it the one next to you?”

“Ugh! Why are you saying that here?”

While the startled man checked his wife’s expression, Stregonix continued to elaborate.

“Rita, I remember when you were a rookie and infiltrated the continent. You tripped over a monster’s egg and made a mess.”

“…My goodness. You’re really the Chairman…”

The cyborg’s body turned towards Department Head Viktor this time.

While the others were agitated, only his demeanor remained unchanged.

“Amazing! Irene. You must have done a lot of research for this show, gathering all that data from where…”

“Viktor.”

“Tin can, what now?”

“Do you remember what happened during the early Argos Mountains expedition? When you went on a solo search and got isolated, I saved you.”

“Oh, I remember. I got caught by a group of Kranos…”

“I understand your suspicion, but don’t test me. That’s just the official record, isn’t it? Didn’t you later tell me yourself that you actually just got lost on the way to the bathroom? And asked me to change the record because you were embarrassed.”

The moment he heard those words, Viktor collapsed onto the floor.

Because what happened then was a secret known only to him and the Captain.

Tears streamed from his eyes as he knelt.

“…Captain-nim. It really was you. I’m sorry, I’ve been all this time…”

Irene and Violet could not hide their surprise.

To think that such a cynical person would break down so easily.

As people slowly began to accept the giant cyborg’s identity as Orion, Rigel shouted in a voice full of rage.

“That’s a fake! You fools, that’s Stregonix! It’s a Magnabys-made combat robot!”

Irene retorted in a cold tone.

“Strictly speaking, it’s not a robot. It’s a cyborg weapon. By the way, Uncle, how do you know so much about it? Magnabys has never publicly revealed it before.”

At Irene’s words, video footage appeared on the screen. The image of Stregonix was clearly captured within it.

“The 13th Street shooting incident. You remember, right? Some of you might have heard about me. That’s Stregonix. But, Uncle, how did you know that? I heard you had several meetings with a Magnabys executive…”

At her sharp remark, Rigel fell silent, unable to say anything.

The people around them began to stir.

“No way, are you saying that attack incident was Rigel’s faction’s doing?”

“No, how is that possible?”

Amidst the stirring crowd, Stregonix spoke again.

“Rigel.”

“Ha, how dare this tin can robot impersonate our elder brother.”

“When you were five, you were playing with a toy airplane and fell out of a tree.”

Rigel ground his teeth and shouted.

“Wow, so you did your research really thoroughly, huh?”

But Orion didn’t stop.

“Also, when you were sixteen, you got a bad grade on a test and were scolded by your parents. You ran out of the house. You hid in an arcade nearby. Do you remember me coming to find you? I bought a hamburger set. A Potato Bacon Double Set, we ate it together.”

“…!”

The color drained from Rigel’s face.

He wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t anymore.

He looked around with terrified eyes, then gritted his teeth and attempted a final resistance.

“Don’t be fooled, everyone! Look, don’t you see those guys? They’re the Ariel Group! The terrorist group that blew up Magnabys!”

Then Irene retorted once again.

“No, Uncle. Those people are part of our clan’s Special Operations Department.”

“Special Operations Department? We don’t have such a department!”

Irene said firmly.

“No. They are part of our clan’s Special Operations Department.”

“You said they were the Ariel Group! Special Operations Department? Did we have such a department?”

Orion’s voice resonated through the speakers.

“I ask for your understanding regarding its classified nature. It was an unavoidable choice to protect my family and clan.”

The look in people’s eyes as they gazed at Irene changed.

They seemed to finally understand the full scope of the situation.

Even if there were parts they couldn’t understand, they had no doubt that the Captain had a valid reason for making such a choice.

“This is impossible…”

Despair hung over Rigel’s faction. With the former leader resurrected and returned, there was no turning back.

It was over.