episode_0007

“Yes. Be careful.”

Before entering the temporary quarantine facility, Aegwynn’s last words were heard.

‘This is the save point.’

The only thing worth praising about this game is the save points. At least I wasn’t able to sell my last conscience, but most of the time I saved when I had no idea, and thanks to that, the retry grind was smooth. Of course, it would have been better if I could save/load directly.

Of course, there have been a few times where I completely reset the game. There were times when my save went wrong, and there were times when the route I took was completely wrong. Every time that happened, I had to reset with tears in my eyes, and my mentality was ground to powder.

“Director? Are you not going in?”

“Ah, I have to go in.”

Aegwynn called out to me who was standing there blankly, and I shook off my thoughts and entered the quarantine room.

*

*

“Your name was Leon? Nice to meet you.”

“……”

Although this may be my first time meeting Rion, I have already built up quite a bit of inner intimacy with him.

This is already the 20th retry. People died because they made a mistake, died because they messed up the wrong person, died while playing pranks, and died because they were acting stupid.

Fortunately, Leon always killed me cleanly and instantly, so I didn’t have to feel the pain for a long time.

Among the heroines, the only one who instantly killed me every time was Bir. But Leon doesn’t actively try to kill me like Vir does. Most of the time, I just killed her because I messed with her or because the situation wasn’t right.

Thanks to this, my evaluation of Rion went up, and instead of being a gorilla with great strength, he turned into a good guy despite being overly strong. I don’t know how long this evaluation will last.

Anyway, after several retries, I found out something about Rion’s past history.

She is a victim of the Granat project like Lily. We knew each other with Lily, but we weren’t close. He lives in poverty because he has to pay a lot of money for information to find his only family member, a younger brother named Roddy.

‘nice… You even have a warm heart that cares about your family. It just raises the heroine’s personality average.’

It is unlikely that Roddy is dead. Rody, like Leon and Lily, is a survivor of the Granat Project. If he survived that stupid experiment that artificially strengthened his gift, he would definitely have tremendous power.

If he’s alive, there’s a way to find him somehow. Because there is the management bureau’s information network, it is possible to mobilize banshees in the end.

Anyway, now that we know that she cares deeply for her younger brother, we can take advantage of this and begin our strategy.

“I am Siegfried, the director of the Pixie Management Bureau. Feel free to call me Zeke.”

This is a line that was repeated over 20 times. Of course, she never once called me Zeke.

“Well, as a matter of procedure, we would have to tell them what kind of organization we are, but they probably wouldn’t be that interested. So, let me be blunt. We can help you find your brother.”

“What… ? How… !?”

“The management bureau’s information network is the best in the empire. I also know that you are a victim of the Granat Project, an illegal experiment that took place in the past.”

A variety of emotions were mixed in Leon’s eyes. Wariness, bewilderment, doubt, and hope.

“There are also victims of that experiment among the pixies we are managing. Subject 28, now called Lily. Do you know each other?”

“……I know. Although we weren’t very close.”

“Then the story will be faster.”

I told Leon the whole story about the Granat Project that I heard from Lily.

“This is the information I know. The Granat Project began 16 years ago and has been ongoing for 4 years, and out of over 100 test subjects, only about five survived, and three of them are you, Lily, and Roddy. Is that right?”

“……I don’t know the exact time. But there were a lot of kids my age… It is true that only five of them survived.”

After receiving Leon’s confirmation, I continued.

“After the experiment was over, they tried to use the survivors, but they were unable to control them due to a force that exceeded expectations. As soon as you found out, you escaped and became separated from each other in the process. Is this also correct?”

“……Okay.”

Lily is mentally unstable in many ways, so her memory may be impaired. So, I did a cross-verification using Leon, which seemed to be fine. Fortunately, Lily’s memory turned out to be accurate.

In that case, it would also be true about test subject number 19 who ran away with Lily. At the time, it wasn’t that important, so I just wrote it down in the system notepad and forgot about it, but I never thought I’d use it like this.

“Then you’re lucky.”

“….What is fortunate? no way… ”

“Yes. Lily said she had been with test subject number 19 for quite some time after their escape. And test subject number 19 said he left to find his sister.”

“Number 19… Roddy… !!”

Kang—!

The sound of a restraint being broken. My body reflexively flinched at this sound I had already heard more than twenty times. I’m afraid Leon will try to kill me again.

But Leon didn’t rush at me, he just buried his face in his hands.

“Ugh… at las… at las… !!”

Leon trembled and could not control his tears. Are they tears of joy that they have finally found a clue to their younger brother’s whereabouts?

“Ugh… Wow… Ugh… Aaaa… !”

A childlike crying sound that doesn’t quite match Leon’s previous impression. I’m literally crying out loud. Perhaps, like Lily, who was unable to control her anger as a side effect of the experiment, she may be unable to control her sadness.

‘The team leader and crybaby. What will the next guy do?’

Thinking nonsense, I waited in silence until her tears stopped.

*

*

[Lion’s strategy progress has increased. (0 -> 4%) Acquire 200 strategy points]

As I expected, the key point of Leon’s strategy was his lost younger brother.

‘First, we will have to conduct a search using the management bureau’s independent information network.’

Heroines are capable, but they should not be overly relied on. In particular, it is quite dangerous to rely on a heroine who is still being conquered, especially if it is a heroine who has already been conquered. Therefore, requesting information from the banshee should be postponed for now.

‘First, we need to find out in which region Lily broke up with Roddy.’

While making a step-by-step plan in his head, Leon asked in a quiet voice, perhaps because he had been crying for a while.

“……Why are you helping me?”

“Well, this is my job.”

“….Then what should I do for you?”

For her, who had worked as a mercenary in the underworld for a long time, there would have been no such thing as good deeds without a price. So, they are probably asking me for a price as well.

But I don’t need much in return. I’m just helping her because she’s the heroine we need to attack in the first place.

Still, it would be better to ask for what you can.

“What I want from you, Leon, is for you to obediently respond to our management. That’s it.”

“……Management..? What exactly is it?”

By the way, in this episode, it was not explained to Leon what the Bureau does.

“This is the Pixie Management Bureau. Pixies are beings with the power to disrupt the order of society like yours. We are an organization that manages such beings to prevent them from destroying order.”

Leon still looked like he didn’t understand.

“Hmm… The staff in charge will explain the details. But there’s no need to worry. Because your life will be several times more prosperous than before. So, if possible, I would like you to stay calm and not use any force. To put it simply, just doing nothing helps.”

“……Didn’t you need my strength?”

“I would consider it if you wanted to help, but I don’t plan on making you use my power if you don’t want to. In the first place, we are a management organization, not an organization that uses power.”

Leon did not withdraw his suspicious gaze.

It’s natural that it’s hard to believe. Still, I am glad that the vigilance seems to have decreased a lot compared to before.

“Okay, then, let’s organize it. First, the staff member will lead you to the isolation room. If you follow along, I’ll explain things to you, so listen carefully. There is a notebook and pen in the isolation room, so use it to write down whatever information you know about your brother or the experiment. The staff will also tell you how to submit it.”

“……I understand. But, do you really not have to do anything?”

“Yes. Is that the restraint device you broke earlier? That’s the strongest one in our bureau. The walls of the temporary quarantine center here are of similar strength to the quarantine room you will be staying in, but I think your fist will probably be enough to break through them. Anyway, what I want to say is that the Bureau’s current facilities cannot confine you. So from our perspective, it’s enough for you to just stay quiet.”

In fact, the temporary quarantine center is the most sturdy facility among the management bureau facilities. Leon broke through the steel wall of the isolation center with just the shock wave of his fist. So, in reality, the Bureau has no way to imprison Leon.

All I can do is hope that Leon stays calm.

“So, you can think of this as some kind of transaction. The deal is that you will remain quiet in return for us to search for your younger brother. It’s a win-win, and if you don’t like the deal, you can always walk away. It’s a no-loss deal in many ways, right?”

After thinking for a moment, Leon answered.

“…….Okay, let’s try to believe it. but… If you try to do something weird, I’ll break your head.”

I feel it again, but Leon’s intimidation is considerable. Even though his guard has been considerably lowered, he exudes determination to live, so even I, who has been through all the hardships before birth, cringes a little.

But I’m not the type of person to be scared by things like intimidation.

“Then, if you don’t behave, I will smash your head.”

I said, raising my thin arm and clenching it into a fist.

“Hot… !”

When Leon saw me like that, he burst out laughing as if it was ridiculous.

[Rion’s favor level has increased. (0 -> 1) Acquire 50 strategy points]

I was surprised by the sudden increase in my liking level.

What is this kind of thing you like? Anyway, I don’t know about the heroines.

*

*

After a successful first meeting with Leon, I returned to the director’s office and lay down on the sofa.

smart-

“Director, this is Mariela.”

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Mariela, Deputy Director of the Management Bureau, came in.

“Director, thank you for your hard work today. Vir, you did a great job too.”

Then he sat down on the sofa across from me and spoke to me, who was lazily stretched out, and Bir, who was standing behind the sofa.

“What’s the effort, you must be working harder.”

I answered in a tired voice, and Bir nodded slightly.

Mariela took out the documents she had brought to the table and laid them out neatly. Then he held up a small note and spoke to me.

“Director, I have one message for you. Mr. Leger contacted me today, and he said he had something to talk about regarding compensation.”

“Hmm? Wasn’t it decided to handle compensation as usual?”

“I heard that too, but I changed my mind.”

“Ah… okay. Then, please schedule a time after 5pm tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Why do Veronica and Mr. Leger suddenly want special compensation? Could you please leave me alone? I don’t know if Veronica is still being captured, but Leger has already finished capturing her.

Even if I think about it this way, I actually don’t really dislike meeting Mr. Leger. It’s because he’s always smoking hard, but he’s a person I have a lot to learn from. Of course, it’s best to just leave it alone.

Mariela is looking through the documents and scribbling something intently, as if she has finished what she had to deliver. That figure is so fast, swift, and thorough that you don’t even know what it is doing.

On the other hand, I was just lying on the sofa and giggling. I realize once again that I am incompetent.

Most of the bureau’s work is handled by Mariela. All paperwork, administrative work, personnel work, etc., except for a very small number of top secret materials.

It was Mariela who created the management bureau into its current organizational structure, and it is Mariela who leads the employees.

So what does this guy called the director do? There is nothing to do other than flirting with heroines.

So, in reality, the person in power in the management office is Mariela, and I can be seen as just the boss or an outsider.

‘It would have been nice if Mariela had been the heroine.’

It’s a thought I occasionally have, but I quickly deny it. For Mariela, a more capable and cool man is better suited than a shabby man like me.

When should I at least find a place to sit?

“Isn’t Mariela in a relationship?”

“Phew… yes… ?”

Is it really that surprising that the word ‘love’ came out of my mouth?

“You’re in your mid-20s now, but don’t you think it’s a waste to work too much? If it were you, men would be lining up.”

“……I’m surprised that the director thinks so much of me. But, if you are thinking of me that much, wouldn’t it be better to process at least one document during that time?”

Mariela had a business smile, but there was a hint of irritation hidden underneath it.

“……That’s right. Sorry.”

The reason Mariela works like that is because I am incompetent. Even though I can’t help you, you’re just being lazy and making a fuss about not dating. It’s just annoying.

“Hmm… As expected, I need to appoint a successor to you soon.”

“Yes? A successor?”

“Yes. It’s not a healthy organization to rely too much on just one person. Beyond simply reducing the work burden, I think a successor is needed for when you are away for personal reasons.”

“That’s true. Then, let’s look for employees with more years of experience.”

“Uh… Yes.”

It was an attempt to reduce the work burden, but it seems like the workload has increased. Still, Mariela knows the employees better than I do, and since she is selecting her successor, it would be better for her to do it herself.

It’s definitely not because it’s annoying.

“…So, why did you bring up the story of love?”

“Uh… ? ah… ”

Actually, I only brought this up as a small talk, but is Mariela also interested in that? Well, I’m a human, so how can I not be interested at all?

“No, I just thought I’d introduce you if you’re interested.”

“Introduction… ? To me, a man?”

“Yes. If it were Mariela, good men would be lining up, right?”

She’s talented, has a good personality, and is even pretty, so what kind of man would say he doesn’t like her? Plus, it’s my guess, but it seems like he’ll be devoted to his lover.

“…My requirements are very strict, so I probably won’t be able to find a man I like.”

“Really? hmm… Still, if you look for it, you’ll probably find someone who’s good, right?”

“None.”

Mariela made a straight face and spoke firmly.

How high do you have to be to say something like that? What kind of man do you want?

“Then do you have an ideal type? Oh, it’s not my intention to introduce you or anything, I’m just asking because I’m curious.”

“Handsome, competent, good personality… ”

Mariela paused for a moment, looked at me, and continued.

“A man whose relationship with a woman is not complicated.”

“Hmm… If you have the first three things, but you don’t want your relationship with a woman to be complicated… Wow, that’s definitely tricky.”

Does a man like that exist in this world? Well, it may not be impossible, but I don’t think it will be an easy task.

As I was pondering where I could find such a man, I heard a small laugh. Mariela glanced at me and was laughing under her breath.

Could this be a joke?

“What, why are you smiling?”

“No… Ugh… It’s nothing.”

She cleared her throat for a moment, then quickly returned to her usual stiff self.

“…Director, how long do you plan to do this job?”

“Hmm… ? well… I think I’ll do as much as I can.”

“Are you not planning on doing anything else?”

“Well, maybe after retirement, but I don’t plan on doing anything else.”

“I see.”

Clunk— Mariela tidied up the pile of documents and put them aside.

“……Then I also want to focus on work right now.”

“Really? Well, if you are.”

You say you don’t have any particular ideas, but forcing it is a nuisance and an old thing.

But after asking how long I will be working, I said I wanted to focus on work right now. Am I that ugly?

In fact, since it is something that could determine the survival of the empire, it would be uneasy to leave it to me alone. If the empire falls, what’s the point of dating?

‘Still, the 20s that are past will never come back… ‘It’s a shame.’

All of this is due to my incompetence. For the sake of my poor subordinates, I have to attack all the heroines as quickly as possible.

I don’t know what this world will be like when I return to reality.

“By the way, Mariela. Haven’t you eaten dinner yet?”

“Ah, yes. Not yet.”

“Then let’s go have dinner. I’ll buy it for you.”

“I will not decline it. It will likely be over in about 5 minutes, so please wait a little longer.”

It is meaningless to tell people to cheer up with just words. In times like this, it’s best to buy meat. Of course, Mariela also has a lot of money, so it doesn’t really make sense to buy her something. Because good things are good.

Now, I think I should try that new restaurant that the staff mentioned recently.

*

*

I took Mariela and Bir to the parking lot. The bureau is located away from the city center for security reasons. It’s roughly a 30-minute drive, so it’s not that far.

‘It would be perfect to have a drink, but I have to drive. ‘It’s sad.’

Feeling the driver’s distress, I was about to board the car when Mariela muttered in a surprised voice.

“Lupia?”

ah… The time has come.

I turned my head and looked up at the sky where Mariela’s gaze was directed.

Long silver hair that seems to shine even in the night sky, and golden eyes that contrast with it. A beautiful woman in a spotless pure white uniform came down from the sky.

Since she can be said to be the most beautiful among heroines full of beauties, to other people’s eyes, the scene of her descent would have seemed like the descent of a goddess who would spread love and hope to the world.

But to me, who knew her true nature, it only seemed like the descent of a devil who would scatter blood and flesh on the world.

Hero of the Empire. The empire’s strongest knight. Difficulty level S heroine. The strongest person in the world. Final boss.

Lufia has appeared.