104. Snake Creepers (7)
“Hold your hand, Zervia. I will put you in a position where you can hold and shake the police force.”
What the hell did I hear?
Zervia doubted her ears for a moment.
As if reading her embarrassment, Cain continued.
“Zervia, become the police chief.”
I didn’t hear it wrong either.
It seemed like he was going to mock himself to the end.
“gibberish. don’t beg for life Don’t waste your time and kill me.”
“Do you think I am joking?”
She looked at Cain.
And when I saw his most serious face, I immediately realized it.
‘… Seriously, are you saying that?’
If you think about it, he was far from a joke in the first place.
Confused emotions rose like dust.
The next moment, a round ring of black mana appeared around her neck, like a collar.
“It is certainly not difficult to end your life here. But one of my principles of action is efficiency. I hate ineffective behavior, and I always choose the best way to be effective without getting caught up in my personal feelings.”
With those words, the ring turned into smoke and disappeared.
“There are many people who have a firm belief, but it is difficult to find someone who has the ability to support it. Killing such a person is the pinnacle of inefficiency for me. Your goal is to eradicate crime and create a world where ‘safety’ is no one’s prerogative. I will help you achieve that goal.”
“… … .”
What the hell are you talking about?
What kind of cunning tactic is he trying to deceive himself?
“Are you thinking of turning me into a puppet?”
His lips, which had been quiet until now, rose. It was an obvious laugh.
“What I am proposing is cooperation. If you think of yourself as a puppet, you can only stay like that.”
A momentary calculation went through her mind.
This guy is a heinous criminal.
There is absolutely no reason to help in the cause of eradication of crime.
‘That’s right.’
“Is revenge against the organization the purpose?”
“okay. We have a common enemy. You want to wipe out the Blue Serpents, and I want their ruin.”
The ruin of the Blue Serpent.
Revenge for the organization.
It didn’t come as much of a surprise because it was a predicted fact.
Anyway, the intention behind his suggestion seemed clear.
He wants to get revenge by manipulating the police without having to use his own hands.
‘Revenge itself is not the end, but the ancillary benefits obtained in the process are the end.’
It was a very boyish way.
But even so, there were still things that I couldn’t understand.
“If you bring me in, you can only move one task force. To say that I’m going to make you the chief of the police is such an absurd thing to say… .”
“No, it is possible. I will make you like that.”
“… … .”
She stared intently at Cain.
He still had an expressionless face with eyes that couldn’t be understood.
Because he spit those words out,
that such a thing would actually happen,
It was just that kind of fight.
As a woman who believes that humans are imperfect beings, she could not understand how a mere individual could have such an attitude.
And what’s even more incomprehensible is that the moment I heard those words, I really thought that such a future might come.
‘hypnosis? suggestion? No, it’s not like that… .’
The exact reason was not known.
If we had to look for the reason, it was speculated that it might be because of the character’s natural aura, which can only be possessed by people like Cain.
“If you don’t kill me right here, you will regret it. Even if you accept cooperation, I will always aim for your neck again.”
“Hatred. It’s one of the few good feelings in life that you don’t need to exclude. It motivates me to run towards my goals.”
Cain gestured like a painting in the air.
The magic circle of geometric patterns completed in an instant lit up vividly.
“But let’s put it off for a while until we achieve our common goal. After that, if you point a sword at my neck, I will accept it.”
She knew what the magic circle meant.
“Wait, I haven’t… .”
“You have only two options. Either accept my offer or die here.”
“I… .”
Many thoughts ran through her head.
If you accept the offer, you can definitely leave this place alive.
It would be unreasonable during cooperation, but after the contract is completed, you can aim the sword at him again.
On the contrary, you may be able to know more about him than you did during the period of chasing him.
‘But he’s a criminal.’
I wasn’t worried about the risk of being caught by others.
If it was him, he would have thoroughly prepared an arrangement for him.
However, the very fact that he was holding hands with a criminal aroused extreme reluctance.
Then Cain’s voice woke her from her thoughts.
“Zervia, throw away your personal things. Emotions, relationships, wealth, everything else. Think only of the tasks of your life.”
pounding.
Her heart was pounding hard.
“I will change the world with such a humble attitude.”
The words the guy spit in the ossuary.
It wasn’t wrong.
Because in the past, I was a clumsy person who thought that I could achieve my goals by keeping the good things I wanted.
But now it wasn’t.
Today, he chose to chase the criminal rather than save his comrades, and he broke the ashes of blood and blood that interfered with his movement.
If you don’t accept the offer, you die.
If you accept, your life will be spared and you will be able to aim for the next opportunity.
‘There is no reason to push away a given opportunity. I don’t like holding hands with him, though.’
If he was his former self, he would certainly have taken care of himself until the end.
However, the present self was well aware of how much such personal feelings interfered with the achievement of the purpose.
The confusion up until now had subsided in an instant.
It was a face that even looked peaceful at first glance.
“I will accept the offer.”
“You are wise. Cain River and Zerbia Kalta actively cooperate with each other in the eradication of the Blue Serpent, and while the pact is signed, any action that may harm each other is prohibited. Do you agree?”
“To agree. But as soon as the contract ends, my sword will be directed at you.”
“However much.”
The magic circle that resonated in the air was split in half and passed through the clothes of the two people and soaked into their chests.
I felt a burning pain like an earthquake in my throat, but it went away soon.
Cain said as he looked at her frowned.
“Go back to the restaurant. We will send someone to deliver the instructions for post-processing.”
The movement magic circle engraved at Cain’s feet was activated.
The appearance of the three people, including Cain, disappeared, leaving only Zerbia inside the room.
“… … .”
She stared at the place where the three had disappeared for a long time with her somewhat dazed eyes.
What the hell happened?
It was like having a noisy and huge dream once.
She got up, brushed the dust off her body, and walked over to the window.
The scenery on the ground was still peaceful, and the cold wind hitting my skin was telling me that this was not a dream but a reality.
‘Cain, what is the big picture you are drawing?’
He must have had other intentions besides the outward one in suggesting cooperation.
With an unpredictable number and unimaginable content.
And he didn’t know what those hidden intentions were.
‘Humans to whom common sense and prediction do not apply.’
I suddenly had a thought.
Perhaps even for the rest of his life, he may not be able to fully understand even a single aspect of the human being called Cain.
She turned and looked at her body.
I checked the condition of the circuit to check for injuries and see if I could move right away.
wow.
I thought it would be possible to manage mana equivalent to running.
She turned her back from the window to retrieve the sword that had been stuck on the floor and walked up the stairs to the ground.
Where she disappeared, only the wind remained.
* * *
Of the 30 personnel, 3 were killed and 13 were seriously injured.
As soon as they woke up from their waking state, those who wielded water on their comrades suffered from extreme self-loathing and self-loathing along with a great psychological shock.
“This is a CCTV record of the dining room kitchen. Lieutenant Paula, Lieutenant Vicious, do you have anything to say?”
The two couldn’t raise their heads in shame at Zervia’s sullen voice.
“… I have nothing to say.”
“sorry. I will return to headquarters and receive the punishment sweetly.”
In fact, I knew it wouldn’t end with disciplinary action.
If all their atrocities were reported, their careers as a police officer would be completely over.
He might be asked not only to take off his clothes, but also to compensate for the serious damage suffered by the task force.
That’s why they were surprised.
“I want to ask this question as quietly as possible.”
Because it was said that they would rescue them from the other person’s mouth.
Zervia’s explanation followed.
In any case, as someone who participated in the same operation, he will not be able to avoid punishment.
Even a minor discipline cannot be tolerated as it is a flaw in a career.
It did not happen at the restaurant, and in the case of casualties, it is treated as the attack of the Red Skull.
“And Cain did not appear at the meeting point. The meeting itself was true, but it seemed like he had a clue and didn’t show up.”
Covering up the case itself wouldn’t be too difficult.
In the beginning, there were no ordinary people in the restaurant except for the police, and all the crew members had a strong desire for honor, and there was no need to speak of their own shame.
Representative Jason was at the meeting place at the time, so he did not know what was going on at the site.
Since CCTV records were already secured, the truth of the incident would not be known if everyone at the scene kept their mouths shut.
Inspector Paula asked in an urgent voice.
“Well, then, are you planning on making a false report to headquarters?”
“Yes. It is presumed that he has already left Area 47 without any clues to Cain, and I intend to report that there was a battle with the Red Skull. It is necessary to prepare a minimum of physical evidence to avoid suspicion.”
The troubles between the two didn’t last long.
They nodded their heads in agreement, and after two days of follow-up, the task force left Area 47 completely.
* * *
“I am going now. Damn people.”
Outside the window, a task force vehicle was moving away toward the outskirts of the city.
Estelle turned and looked at Milsian and Cain, who were playing chess, and said.
“Will other investigators be dispatched again? After all, you’re leaving without finding any clues about you, right?”
Without looking away, Cain said as he picked up the phone and moved it.
“The police force is effectively a task force. Since a small number of people are incapable of combat, it can be said that there is no room for further investigation for a while.”
widely.
“Great.”
Facing Cain’s next move, Milsian swallowed a sigh.
He was deeply immersed in the game, but the overall situation was pushed back and he looked anguished.
“At least three months. In the meantime, the city is safe.”
“I don’t really understand the organization of the police. If there are not enough combat personnel, more people should be recruited or trained. Is it because we don’t have enough budget?”
widely. widely.
Milsian, who had been thinking for a while, moved the king to avoid the phone.
However, he was again in danger by Cain’s knight, who moved immediately as expected.
“It’s not that I don’t have enough money. It’s closer to the one who doesn’t intend to hire people.”
“to?”
“If we increase the number of combatants, we have to put them somewhere, and then the crime rate will go down. Paradoxically, the survival value of the police organization will decrease.”
She looked blank for a moment.
Soon after, he understood the meaning of the words and organized his thoughts.
“You mean you are deliberately neglecting the crime? When the world is at peace, will there be no reason for the police to exist?”
“okay.”
She said in a slightly excited voice.
“No matter how peaceful the world is, we need police. Without the police acting as a deterrent, it is certain that crime will begin to seep in again.”
“It’s a pity that the police officers don’t think so. Obviously, the size of the police organization will be smaller than it is now.”
“… … .”
She had an uncomfortable expression on her face, but it seemed she couldn’t find any words to refute.
“I think you are right. Looking back, the police in the capital also had a stronger image of a civil servant who was busy protecting their own bowls rather than a sword protecting citizens.”
She approached the gun and sat on the sofa between the two men, watching chess.
“Who is winning?”
“Cain is winning. It’s out of breath.”
Cain’s eyes glared at Estelle.
She held a brand new silver mace in her arms.
“You seem to like your new gear.”
It was a mace made of 100% pure mithril, made by her own blueprint and commissioned by a blacksmith.
As if she had made a gloomy face, she said with a happy smile.
“Absolutely. When I sleep, I do not leave it alone. If it had been the weapon I had used before, it would have been broken sooner when I was fighting her.”
Although it is actually expensive, the material was in a state where the blade fell out and broke right after the return of the ordinary Milcian sword.
widely.
“The next ore will be used to make your sword.”
widely.
“no. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on someone like me… . Cain-sama, can you please take a step back?”
“I do. no need to burden Being strong means the same as getting a stronger hand that I can use.”
“thank you. Take care of someone like me… Hmm.”
Milsian retreated and placed another piece in a different position, but this time he was blocked by Cain’s move and the escape route was blocked.
“Did you have any recent communications with Bama?”
“We had a conversation this morning. The boss said, as expected, that there have been no attack orders yet.”
Cain took it for granted.
‘You must have thought that moving the task force would be enough to catch me.’
The most important thing for a boss is money.
Losing the battle was equivalent to saying that the entire facility in the area was taken away.
In fact, there were only two executives left.
Bama and Leica.
If even they lose the battle, all the profits sucked in the area would stop.
“There was an order to put up a list of guys who could fill the executive vacancy.”
The attack on Area 47 will take place after organizational reorganization.
Even if the war is lost, a certain amount of profit can be maintained.
‘I’m not going to attack first.’
Area 33, which Leica is taking as a base, has a higher level of difficulty than Area 47, so there was no intention of moving troops into it first.
The first thing we need to do is to continuously expand our troops.
Creating a complete garrison, where the enemy could not easily enter, was a priority.
‘It’s impossible to sit still and watch the enemy do maintenance.’
As if fighting a number of battles, Cain was going to follow every move of the boss and destroy them all.
widely.
“Oh, I moved too hastily. Giving away a bishop just to grab a phone… .”
So that he can’t overcome the frustration, and in the end he has no choice but to take the loss and come this way first.
Of course, there must have been some time until the first instructions from the boss came.
During that time, he had work to do.
smart.
Then an employee came in with Knock.
He nodded and left a file folder on the desk.
Cain picked it up and read it through quickly.
“… … .”
It was a report from the Information Guild.
Cain, who understood all the contents, made a fire with magic and burned the documents.
widely.
And by moving the queen, the game was over in an instant.
“Get ready to go right away. Milsian, please take care of the area while you are away.”
“All right. It’s a pity that we didn’t win even one of the three games today.”
“Are you going to the place I said back then?”
Cain got up and put on his coat, and Estelle got ready to go outside.
‘The time has come to pass by slowly.’
Cain recalled the contents of the report.
It was a report about the school trip of the new students in the tower.
I went around the magic-related attractions on the continent sequentially, and I arrived at Clarkfield today.
Laxen.
It was time to go meet the real hero of this world.