Chapter 44: The Mastermind, and the Back Alleys – 4

Chapter 44: The Mastermind, and the Back Alleys – 4

How much time had passed?

There was no way to tell in this underground prison cell where not even light entered… but still, one thing was certain: it was about time for them to come looking for me.

How did I know? …Because the System was telling me in real-time that people were coming this way.

“I’ve already given Christie all the information I could, including the location… now I just need to buy some time, right?”

*I suppose so. No matter how good the Defense Force is, the way here is incredibly complicated.*

As I finished talking to the System, I could now hear someone approaching.

Along with the jingle of keys.

“…What, you’re awake?”

“Who are you? No, why am I even in a place like this?”

“Shut up and follow me. Unless you want to get roughed up.”

As he said that and subtly pulled out a knife, several thoughts flashed through my mind.

Honestly, the person who just showed up? I could subdue him on my own.

Pretending to follow and then subduing him wouldn’t be difficult with this enhanced body.

However… I wondered if acting so recklessly would be beneficial.

Instead, I thought it would be more advantageous to simply play the role of a frail girl to gather more information or operate.

And… if I played my cards right, I might even be able to use the ‘organization’ for my own purposes.

“……”

“Yes, yes. Just follow obediently. Don’t be too scared. We… are similar to you.”

“I sell drugs, but I don’t kidnap people like this.”

“This one’s a bold bitch. You still have the guts to talk back?”

“Well, if the ‘organization’ wanted to bury me, they would have done it long ago. There’s no way they’d go through such a troublesome process as kidnapping.”

Information I had received beforehand from Elena and Christie.

They said that the ‘organization’ easily and habitually erased people from the world, except for those they liked or offered to join.

…When they say ‘erase,’ they just mean ‘disappear.’

The Defense Force had also talked about eradicating the ‘organization’ for a long time, but after their elite Defense Force members went missing, they didn’t dare to try and solve it.

‘……Huh. Thinking about it this way, didn’t I volunteer for something really big?’

I just went along with the situation because I had no other choice, but when I think about it, I’ve infiltrated an organization that even the Defense Force can’t handle on their own.

……As expected, when you get involved with the main characters, nothing goes smoothly or safely.

Come to think of it, I’ve been kidnapped to the emergency room in my life, but this is the first time I’ve been kidnapped to an underground dungeon like this.

However, unfortunately, my thoughts didn’t last long.

…It was because of the organization member who had somehow gotten behind me and was holding a knife to the back of my head.

“You’d do well to know your place. Just because the higher-ups are watching you doesn’t mean they’ll let you live.”

“You too, you’d do well to know your place, wouldn’t you? If I just tilt my head in that direction a little, it wouldn’t be hard to ruin your life.”

“…Tsk. Her face is pretty and cute, but inside, she’s a complete psycho bitch. Well, I guess if she were normal, she wouldn’t be doing this kind of work.”

Saying that, the organization member slowly lowered his weapon.

Then he went in front of me again and gestured for me to follow quietly.

“If you don’t want to get lost in this underground dungeon and become an underground stray, follow closely. The ‘higher-ups’ want to meet you personally.”

“That’s surprising. They want to meet me personally.”

“Consider it an honor. It means they highly value your skill.”

‘Honor, my ass. The dried yellow corvina I had at home would be more honorable.’

*Wow. How does a joke like that come out of someone’s head?*

……Ignoring the System that popped up without a hint, I quietly followed for now.

I also obediently put on the restraints he put on my hands. …For now.

It was still a little too early to cause a ruckus.

***

The place I followed the organization member to had three people who clearly looked high-ranking and clearly looked ill-tempered.

…Of course, the facility was so damn big that it felt like we walked for about 30 minutes.

If it were a normal person’s stamina, it was so damn big and the path so complicated that they would have had to rest once in the middle.

And, the three guys I met that way. So, the old guy, the sneaky-looking guy, and the greedy-looking guy, standing in that order, were like……

Dressed in luxurious suits and coats, they really looked like bosses from a mafia movie.

…Unfortunately, their words and actions didn’t quite match their rather stylish attire.

“So, it’s you. The bitch who made and sold a drug that even we don’t possess.”

“Hey, don’t be too harsh? To the person who will become our excellent ‘researcher.’ Oh, of course… there’s no right of refusal.”

The sneaky-looking guy and the greedy-looking guy were chattering among themselves, so I completely ignored them.

Anyway, I had already thought of pretty much everything I wanted to say.

“…What was all that for? Are these pathetic people really the ‘higher-ups’?”

“Pathetic?! You, how dare you…!!”

Saying that, the sneaky-looking guy tried to lunge at me, but the old guy raised his hand and stopped him.

More precisely…… when the old guy raised his hand, the sneaky-looking guy flinched and stopped on his own.

“Then, what did you expect?”

“Well. At least… I expected executives from the ‘headquarters,’ not just ‘branch managers’ of a small ‘branch,’ right?”

When I first arrived, I thought this was the ‘organization’s’ headquarters.

The facility was that massive, and the path to it was that complicated.

However, a part of the original novel suddenly came to mind, and I realized that this place was merely a ‘branch.’

– The ‘organization’ meticulously hid the location of its headquarters more thoroughly than anyone else. Even for the ‘branches,’ it was nearly impossible for outsiders to find their way,

 as the path to the headquarters existed hidden only within some of those branches. Regular organization members, not executives, wouldn’t even know that their branch had a path to the headquarters. –

However, on the path I took, there was nothing that could be called a ‘branch’ except for this place.

In other words…… this massive facility, whose depth underground was unknown, was merely a ‘branch.’

Well… it would be strange to enter the headquarters of the largest and most dangerous villain organization in the capital (excluding Elena) so easily and sloppily like this.

*If that were the case, we would have stopped you. It wouldn’t be balanced.*

‘True, the ‘organization’ wasn’t so insignificant as to be used as a one-time event.’

*They cause various incidents in the capital in the novel, after all. At this point, they’re too significant and strong to be eliminated by someone like you.*

‘Someone like me, huh? That stings a bit.’

*In terms of combat power, you are indeed ‘someone like me’ right now.*

As if confirming my thoughts, the old man remained silent even while I was looking at the System’s message that briefly appeared at an opportune moment.

I didn’t know if he had no intention of answering, or if he was expecting a different reaction from me.

“…Branch Manager-nim. This bitch… is dangerous. Let’s just cut her here.”

“No, this person?! What are you saying to the researcher who will greatly boost our branch’s performance!”

“This dumbass…! Has this greedy bastard, whose eyes are blinded by greed, finally lost his brain too?!”

……Instead, the other two people were making a fuss.

The one called ‘Branch Manager’ merely watched me with solemnity.

No, to be precise… judging by the slight headache and dizziness that came over me from his gaze, it seemed he was using some kind of detection magic while pretending to watch.

*Correct. Detection magic activation detected, blocking for now.*

‘Good. I don’t know how much that guy can detect, but I’d rather not have my information leaked.’

Oh, and as a bonus, I needed to provoke that guy.

“What is this? Are you trying to pry into me by borrowing the power of magic in such a petty way because you’re not confident enough to speak?”

“Hoo… Magic doesn’t work, huh? You seem to have some kind of hidden trick up your sleeve.”

“Anyway, the reason you called me here? I know it all. You want the drug I developed, don’t you? So the ‘organization’ can distribute it.”

“Keep talking. I want to see how much you know.”

His words were benevolent, but I could tell instinctively, and through the mana vibrating around me.

If I gave the wrong answer here, I would suffer quite a bit.

Whatever that magic was, it definitely wouldn’t be some mediocre magic that could just be blocked or avoided.

If I was judged to be worthless here… well.

I might have to visit a hospital again, or rather, a temple in this world, after a long time.

Therefore, I needed to choose my words carefully.

Actually, I originally planned to just buy time and leave… but my objective had changed a little.

If I played my cards right, I might be able to use the ‘organization,’ if not immediately, then later.

……Well, I’d be acting shamelessly as always, though.

***

The Branch Manager sat in a luxurious chair, awaiting the girl’s answer, and the two Vice Branch Managers stood beside him, watching the girl.

Yet, there was no tension on the girl’s face.

As if she had forgotten that she was the one who had been captured, her expression was rather arrogant.

“How much I know is for me to know. Rather… shouldn’t you be asking why I came all the way here and am so confident?”

“…We are aware that the drug you made is a completely new form, and that you are the creator. Do I still need to state the reason?”

“There’s nothing more ridiculous than hearing a half-baked answer and still asking if it’s correct. All those things are just preliminary work to create you, or more precisely, the executives of the headquarters.”

Despite the Vice Branch Managers’ deeply furrowed brows at her words, the Branch Manager merely waited for the girl’s next words.

……The mana fluctuating in the air was, in any case, a separate matter.

“You see, I intend to make a deal with the ‘organization.'”

“A deal? Don’t you know that deals are only possible between equals?”

“Well, I think we’re already equals.”

The girl’s eyes curved mischievously.

The Branch Manager showed no particular reaction, but the two Vice Branch Managers flinched for a moment at the destructive power of her eye-smile.

The girl herself didn’t seem to have intended it, but… that was something no one but the girl could know.

“I didn’t originally intend to do this, but now that I know this isn’t the headquarters, it doesn’t really matter.”

“I don’t know what you’re plotting, but… you need a little more awareness of your situation. The fact that you can speak so freely comes from my mercy……”

“Not at all. Thanks to my mercy, for letting myself be caught and purposely coming all the way here, you are speaking with me.”

Not only the Vice Branch Managers, but even the Branch Manager was dumbfounded and momentarily speechless.

However, the girl didn’t stop.

“You see, I have many talents. What I made just now was merely a potion with the ‘effect of showing pleasant hallucinations’ to attract the ‘organization’s’ attention.”

“You purposely tried to attract the ‘organization’s’ attention?”

“A competitor suddenly appearing in a market you hold exclusively. The ‘organization’ wouldn’t be interested in this? That’s ridiculous.”

“What do you gain from that? Isn’t it lucky if you don’t just die a dog’s death?”

“Well? Should I tell someone like you? It’s too precious to tell the Branch Manager. Maybe if you promise something, I’ll tell you?”

Saying that, the girl once again showed her unique eye-smile.

Normally, the girl’s face and appearance emphasize her fragility and cuteness a bit more……

But when she made that eye-smile, a peculiar mischievousness was strongly revealed.

Like…… a fox enchanting people.

“This one’s truly a crazy bitch.”

“So, you’re not going to listen? No, that can’t be. You have no choice but to promise me something and listen to my story. You’re curious, aren’t you?”

“I could just beat the shit out of you and listen.”

“Well? Can you?”

And, at that moment, a faint mist spread out, freezing the facility of the branch.

Not only the organization members guarding the room, but also the Vice Branch Managers and the Branch Manager were all agitated by the magic that occurred without any warning.

The magic itself was low-grade, but it manifested immediately without any gestures or mana gathering process.

The only one smiling in that place was… the girl, who had somehow broken her restraints and was moving her hands freely.

“I told you, didn’t I? I have many talents.”

In the girl’s hand, as she spoke, was a small glass bottle with its lid open.

…A glass bottle from which a mist exactly identical to the one spreading now was flowing out.