Ch.252Chapter 10. Manufactured Hero (4)

I had anticipated this situation even before receiving the call from the Chairman.

This situation.

She wouldn’t deliberately keep it from me.

Similarly, she hadn’t told Qiongqi either.

If none of Qiongqi’s subordinates had been informed and such an incident occurred, it meant that a team other than those under Qiongqi was in action.

“I suppose Taowu is moving now.”

[That’s right. Taowu is personally leading her subordinates. Everything is under control, so you and Qiongqi can rest easy.]

“Even if it’s Thailand, Phuket, I can’t just sit back while civilians are suffering like that. I’ll work overtime.”

[Get some rest. Not just Qiongqi, but you must be exhausted after killing those succubi.]

“……”

I appreciate the Chairman’s consideration.

In truth, I am mentally fatigued in many ways after returning from the underground of Coral Island.

The fatigue from taking lives.

The fatigue from consuming mana.

And the fatigue from not being able to “preemptively” deal with the riot situation in Phuket.

All these various fatigues are continuously building stress, and now my head aches just knowing that people are terrified because of villains caught up in strange incitement.

However, if something is causing a headache, the obvious solution is to remove the source.

“Madam Chairwoman. Neither I nor Qiongqi are that fragile.”

[I know. But…]

“Do you not trust us, Chairwoman?”

“Do.”

Qiongqi pokes me repeatedly with her finger from beside me.

I realize I might have spoken too harshly, but once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back.

“We are prepared. …Of course, if you order us to stand by, we’ll stay cooped up in our room. Perhaps something might happen in Bangkok that you haven’t told us about.”

“Do Ji-hwan.”

Qiongqi’s voice turns cold.

I understand why she’s angry, but this needs to be said clearly.

“Please tell us the truth, Chairwoman.”

[……]

“Is there something I’ve done wrong? Because Qiongqi couldn’t possibly have made a mistake.”

[You’ve done nothing wrong. Neither has Qiongqi. It’s just, well, how should I put it… I genuinely wanted you both to rest while serving your country. I can handle things on this end. I’m sorry for not telling you about the situation here.]

“…Pardon?”

What did she just say?

“Ch-Chairwoman? No, wait. You have nothing to apologize for. I must have lost my mind momentarily. How could I dare speak such nonsense when you trust us so much—”

[I trust you and at the same time…you.]

“…?”

Huh?

I think I misheard something just now.

[What did you just say…?]

“…Wow, look at you transforming without even realizing it.”

[Be quiet, Qiongqi. The Chairwoman is still speaking.]

I reached out and covered Qiongqi’s mouth.

[Chairwoman. Just once. Could you please say that one more time?]

* * *

30 minutes earlier.

Rat-tat-tat-tat.

Bullets instantly shattered the wall.

Inside the room, a middle-aged man was trembling while tightly embracing a child who appeared to be about 10 years old.

BANG!

The door broke down, and someone wearing military boots entered.

“Hehehe, long time no see?”

“Y-you…!”

The man with the gun pointed his muzzle at the middle-aged man.

The man held his daughter tightly so she couldn’t see the gun barrel, while simultaneously positioning his body toward the gun and shouted.

“W-why are you doing this?!”

“Why? There’s no reason. I’m just going to kill everyone who put me away before I leave.”

Click.

“Kneel. Then I’ll spare your daughter.”

“…!”

“Not going to do it right away? Then I have no choice. Farewell, detective.”

“S-stop—”

BANG!

A gunshot rang out.

Simultaneously, red blood splattered throughout the room.

“…Huh?”

In front of the middle-aged man, the uniformed man with the gun began to collapse sideways.

Something like a long needle was stuck in the man’s back, and soon there was a feeling like a cool breeze entering.

Thud.

The father and daughter fainted.

They lost consciousness as if drugged, and the green wind that entered the room began to take human form beside the soldier.

“Hmm, hmm-hmm.”

Humming a tune, the woman who formed from the wind—Taowu—pushed the magical needle deeper into the soldier’s nape.

Though no blood flowed, the vitality that had filled the soldier’s body disappeared.

“Honestly. Getting caught up in strange incitement. As if someone would plant bombs in them too.”

Taowu sighed and nudged the soldier with her foot.

There were still many villains to subdue, but she wasn’t the only one here.

“Let’s see… Clear, clear, clear. As expected. Everyone’s doing well. Nnngh!”

Taowu stretched her body.

Outside was still chaotic with uproar and screams, but Taowu wasn’t worried about the commotion at all.

Everything was already going according to plan.

They knew the unrest would occur, riots would break out, and chaos would spread throughout Phuket.

The reason they limited this information and even allowed the incident to happen was to use this chaos.

“A military coup isn’t a threat to humanity, but a coup by powered individuals is a major threat to humanity. Right.”

Taowu fiddled with her Taegeuk Watch and smiled bitterly.

Indeed, the people of Phuket were currently more afraid of powered individuals—villains—running wild than tanks roaming the streets or criminals on the loose.

“The Chairwoman has such twisted tastes. Using chaos for gain is one thing, but isn’t this going too far? Keeping it secret even from her husband.”

[What did you just say?]

“…Meow?”

[Stop talking nonsense.]

Beep.

A message appeared on the Taegeuk Watch.

[Taowu. You don’t actually think I kept this situation secret because I dislike the Goblin, do you?]

“No, no. How could I possibly misunderstand like that?”

Instead of the Taegeuk flag, the black and white yin-yang of the eight trigrams appeared, and soon the octagonal pattern began to flash continuously.

[The Goblin probably knew about this situation too. He just wouldn’t have thought the riot would be this large-scale, especially in such a short time. That man is surprisingly conventional.]

“…Well, the manager is more like an extreme hero than a villain, isn’t he?”

[That’s true, but if I had told him, he would have flown with Qiongqi from Bangkok to Phuket and prevented the incident altogether. That’s the kind of person he is.]

“…You’ve changed a lot, Chairwoman?”

Taowu brushed her forehead with one hand.

“In the past, you wouldn’t have called us here and would have let people die.”

[……]

“Are you really following your husband’s tendencies now?”

[Stop talking nonsense. Want me to make you reach enlightenment right now?]

“It’s a joke, a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously? Haha. You’re not uncomfortable with me calling him your husband, are you?”

[It’s not about calling him my husband, it’s that I’m not following him. He’s following me.]

“…Ah, yes.”

So it was a matter of direction.

Taowu barely managed to suppress a laugh that was about to escape.

[If he wasn’t following me, he would have rushed to Phuket as soon as he heard the news. The fact that he’s currently on standby in Phuket with Qiongqi is because he trusts me.]

“Still, why didn’t you tell him in advance?”

[Even now when I tell him, he’s preparing to go to Phuket, so what could I say? It’s overwork, overwork. What woman in the world could treat her husband so harshly? Flying all the way to Thailand, burning down two islands, and above all, erasing the memories of nearly 70 people, leaving him exhausted.]

“…I understand your consideration, but perhaps the manager is the type of person who overcomes such things more easily by being immersed in work?”

Taowu carefully opened her mouth.

“If you acted this way out of consideration for Manager Do’s mental fatigue, I think it would be better to just tell the truth next time. Manager Do prefers straightforward communication over surprises.”

[…But he must be tired.]

The Chairwoman’s voice lowered slightly.

“Chairwoman.”

Taowu almost burst into laughter again, but she composed her voice as much as possible and continued.

“Both Manager Do and the other executives are doing their best to help you. Your consideration is good, but sometimes consideration can become poison, you know?”

[Then, what should I do? He’s trying to teleport to Phuket with Qiongqi right now.]

“Hmm… First, tell him why you didn’t mention it, and then just casually drop this one phrase, and his fatigue will instantly disappear.”

Taowu whispered very softly.

* * *

[I’m sorry again for not telling you in advance. And.]

[And?]

[…You know I love you very much, right?]

[……]

Wait.

The world stopped.

[I’ll, make sure you get your overtime pay later too… Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?]

[…I love you very much too, Chairwoman.]

[…I know. Don’t go causing accidents when you’re tired! Understood?!]

[Of course.]

Click.

The Chairwoman hung up unilaterally.

I covered the Taegeuk Watch with one hand and took a light breath.

[Qiongqi. What should I do.]

This is serious.

[All my mana has recovered.]

“…Wow, we’re in trouble. Look at how bright your eyes are. Are you that happy?”

[Yes. My mind is so clear now that I could work continuously for the rest of the time.]

The Chairwoman didn’t tell me about the riot?

Because she loves me.

Because she loves me and was worried, afraid I might be exhausted.

When she says she didn’t tell me because she was worried about her beloved man collapsing, how could I possibly complain about lack of trust!

‘I accept it unconditionally.’

There’s no reason to be angry when she sent another team because she wanted her man to rest more.

[Qiongqi.]

“Yes?”

[Full deployment. I’m going to unite with you immediately. Not as the Goblin, but as a Sephirot Knight.]

“…Uniting is fine, but going as far as a Sephirot Knight will really exhaust you, brother?”

[It’s fine. Don’t you smell something burning?]

There is no fatigue.

[My heart is currently burning with love.]

“Ugh.”

[……]