Ch.437Targeted NPC. (1)

“So, what exactly happened? That terrorist in the video. It’s you, isn’t it, Jack?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Of course you’d deny it, but I remember how you acted from Neity to the train—Wait, what? You’re admitting it?”

I never thought I’d witness someone being genuinely surprised after setting up their own conclusion, but Career Orwell, the chairman’s secretary, made her eyes as wide as saucers at my answer. When I shrugged my shoulders and confirmed again, she furrowed her brow and spoke.

“What were you thinking doing something like that? Without any consultation with us, to commit such an a—”

“It was because of the guns. You can’t kill monsters with those—they’re weapons that only kill people. And those weapons were aimed at your husband, the chairman, and our party, who are currently the most popular. Once I got that information, I dealt with the threat before it became a danger.”

Her eyes grew even wider at my words than when I had admitted to the crime. Well, I suppose anyone would be shocked to hear that their husband was nearly shot to death.

“…Ahem, I’m curious how you obtained such information?”

“I have my methods. It’s an industry secret, so I have no intention of sharing.”

“Are you aware? Right now, Jack, you’re a criminal who would face summary execution if caught in Haiti…”

“And I’ve been publicly declared a dead criminal to our strong, cute, and pretty party members. Isn’t that right?”

“You realize that was a courtesy from our side, don’t you? If you continue to be this uncooperative, we’ll have no choice. If you get kicked out of here and can’t receive Golem’s body, you’ll be the one who regr—”

“Go ahead and kick me out. I know you’re not telling us everything either. I’m aware that the views and donations our kids are generating with their popularity are already enough to pay off the fines and then some. And I, the criminal who blew up a building, have been declared dead. But I wonder if you’ll be able to gather money quickly enough at your current pace to push back the opposition? Oh, and if that happens, we’ll forcibly take back the core and the ‘half-completed’ Golem body we’ve entrusted to you. The chairman would be quite disappointed not to see the completed Golem.”

“…How do you know about that too?”

“Industry secret, as I said.”

Seeing the secretary finally close her mouth at my prepared responses, I inwardly rejoice.

My girlfriend is truly insane. Absolutely insane. Ragni’s predictions based on the information Gorg gathered might as well be fortune-telling at this point. She said Ms. Orwell would come here and try to pressure us with threats, but if I responded as instructed, they wouldn’t be able to do anything. And she was right. With the secretary now speechless and just glaring at me, I raised the corner of my mouth and continued.

“Let’s keep things amicable. You continue to rake in money from our party’s popularity as the ones who killed a terrible criminal after the Dungeon Sports, and I’ll keep eliminating threats since I don’t want our party members to be in danger. Or will you capture Senator Bereta on my behalf, since I can’t move openly? Even my excellent informants haven’t been able to find him yet.”

“…Senator Bereta hasn’t publicly committed any crimes yet. His unauthorized illegal weapons development was only just discovered, but legally, after punishment is handed down…”

“And if he uses the guns he’s been secretly making to shoot the chairman, you, or your children? Then you’ll say we need to catch him because he committed a crime?”

Unfortunately, I’m not some righteous man with such outstanding ethics that I need to take a bullet to my head before acknowledging someone as a criminal. If he—and they—are sharpening their knives against us, I’m selfish enough to choose to split their arms and heads first before they can use those knives.

Moreover, what they’re sharpening isn’t a knife but a gun. I got shot and it only stung because I’ve reached level 1600, but if someone in our party had been hit, they would have been seriously injured. What’s more, if they saw that guns didn’t work on me and go into hiding to improve their performance? Things could really get out of control then.

I have absolutely no desire to die from modern weapons after coming to a medieval fantasy world. Of course, I don’t want to die from cold weapons either.

“We’re all just trying to make a living. You continue to sponsor our party and make money to do what you want, and I’ll handle dungeon reconnaissance and eliminate ‘our’ enemies until our Gorg is completed. I apologize for only revealing the truth now, but honestly, I didn’t know if you were aware of the gun development or even cooperating with it, so I acted independently. From now on, I’ll report as much as possible before acting, so can we let this incident go? The kids’ popularity and atmosphere are good right now.”

“…Haa, I feel like I’m talking to the acting dean of Neity. Don’t tell me you prepared all this after hearing everything from him?”

I almost flinched, but fortunately, since I couldn’t move in my current state, I was able to hide it and just responded with a slight smile. Hmm, with this…

“If we’re done talking, please leave now. Jack still needs to be punished more.”

“…Was that punishment posture? I thought you were showing off to me…”

Is she crazy? Why would I pretend to be a chair king (without a chair) surrounded by women for someone else’s benefit? I wondered why she wasn’t reacting at all, thinking she was just pretending not to see, but she had such a ridiculous misunderstanding…

“Yes! Oppa acted without telling any of us either! And…!!”

“Miss Ira. There’s no need to explain that far. Anyway, from now on, if we sense anything strange, we’ll act like Jack did. Please understand that as well.”

Ms. Orwell looked at me with disbelief as I remained surrounded by our party members in my transparent chair state throughout the conversation. This time I really did flinch. What, never seen someone being punished before? Shoo, shoo!

“…Sigh, I understand. Let’s consider this incident closed. However, due to the collapse of the parliament building, we need that much more money. Please be clearly aware that your party will need to work even harder in the Dungeon Sports than you are now.”

“Don’t worry about that! The unnies may have reached the 25th floor first, but we’ll descend faster from there too!”

“Fufu. Ira, it’s better to just follow behind the unnies, okay? Jack would feel more at ease if you come down safely.”

“That’s right. It’s better for the young lady to take it slow.”

“Hmph! I’ll make oppa regret saying ‘we’ are weak!!”

“”Ah.””

“Ugh…!!”

Under the cold glares of our female members, I, who had just been controlling the conversation and shaking the other party, couldn’t extend my dominance even for one more minute and returned to being a pushover.

*

“Hmm, what could have happened? Did someone leak information, or perhaps a traitor?”

Unlike before, Senator Bereta, whose research lab beneath the parliament had been destroyed just before the mass production of weapons—the newly reborn gun—was about to begin, was walking calmly through the darkness despite suffering considerable damage. And then.

“Well. I don’t think Haiti’s corrupt elders or senators would have betrayed us. After all, the brainwashing placed on all of them should still be in effect.”

The old man walking beside him—one of Haiti’s elders who had assisted when Bereta introduced the gun—simply shrugged his shoulders, suggesting it might have been coincidence.

“That’s true. There was no sense that the brainwashing had been broken. Hmm, this is truly baffling. It’s already disconcerting that Behemoth died so absurdly, but now even our weapon development is being restricted. It feels like the world is deliberately interfering with us.”

“Well, the mass production factory we prepared outside the city is still intact. The redevelopment of the weapon is in your head… no, in ‘His’ head, so we can remake it anytime.”

“Yes, that’s how it will be.”

The two men, speaking as calmly as if this were merely a passing shower, reached the edge of the darkness and slowly extended their hands.

“Ha. I thought we’d come here to report that Haiti was starting a war, but somehow we’ve ended up coming to make pathetic excuses.”

“Well, what does it matter? Anyway, He is someone who can erase insignificant beings like us in an instant, regardless of where we are.”

Continuing a conversation that seemed impossible for old men supposedly obsessed with wealth and honor, the two pushed open a black door and stepped into darkness so absolute that the dim space they had just walked through seemed bright in comparison. After a few minutes, or perhaps seconds…

[…You’ve come.]

“”Yes. Our master.””

The two men naturally knelt down and looked at the ground in respect as a massive voice that seemed to emanate from the entire pitch-black space spoke. However.

[The one who twists the world, who repeats, has finally come here.]

The massive voice was not addressing the two men. And the two who had been acting calmly until just now flinched at the voice’s reaction—not because the owner of the voice wasn’t paying attention to them, but because it sounded as if the being they served was concerned about some “insignificant being.”

– Guwoong⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯…

With a sound like the entire space was being twisted, the pitch-black space gradually returned to the same darkness as outside. And the two men, still kneeling and looking at the ground, unable to directly witness the scene, slowly raised their heads at the smaller voice from in front telling them to look up, and gazed upon their master.

“You have roles to play. Soon, he will come here. Bring here what I told you to prepare before.”

“”Understood.””

A boy with a slightly smaller build than an average person, with long black hair. Yet the two elderly men immediately realized the futility of the report they were about to make and obeyed this being who clearly dominated the entire space.

“The one who breaks the world, who has already broken it many times. This time, it ends here.”

“”All according to ‘the Great Dragon’s will.'””

Golden eyes with vertical, reptilian pupils—that was how the boy was known to the elders of Haiti.