Episode 216 – Setup (3)

Setup (3)

Layla and I advanced through the monster-infested area. As the sign labeled “Beginner” suggested, it wasn’t too dangerous.

It was more like a walking trail, with the chatter of various students who had come out for teaming filling the air.

“Do you have any experience hunting monsters, Shion?”

Layla asked. She had a relaxed expression on her face, exuding confidence.

“Yeah.”

“Really? I thought you wouldn’t have- What? You do?”

I had caught quite a few monsters in my past life. Back then, it was all about the gear.

Living day to day, earning money by hunting monsters, investing 70% of it in equipment and consumables, and the remaining 20% in medicine.

“Not in dungeons. Real monsters.”

“I said I have.”

I drew the sword from my waist. Ahead of us was a red wolf, growling fiercely with bared teeth.

A Blood Wolf.

A beast affected by cross-talk, it’s surprisingly tricky to deal with. Like rabies, if it bites even once, it’s a fatal wound.

I asked Layla.

“What should we do?”

“Okay.”

“No, not okay. I mean, what’s the plan?”

“What?”

“I mean, shouldn’t we come up with a strategy?”

“…Oh, right?”

Layla pondered for a moment.

“You go first, Shion. I’ll support from behind.”

She’s used to operating solo as a hero, so teaming might be awkward for her.

“How will you support? Do you have any formulas or magic you can use?”

“…Wait.”

Layla narrowed her eyes in thought, then snapped her fingers decisively.

“I’ll cast a buff on you.”

“A buff?”

It’s highly likely that buffs won’t work on me. My magical immunity is too strong.

“Yeah. Look!”

Layla expelled magic.

Swoosh── It transformed into bumpy particles and clung to my body.

“‘Magic Armor’! How’s that─?”

“…It’s good.”

Fortunately, it’s an armor that works on the outside of my body, so it’s useful for me too.

“Here I go.”

I took a step forward. In an instant, the Blood Wolf leaped with a push from its hind legs, but I deflected it with 「Eight Swords」.

Clang──!

A similar sound rang out from the teeth and the sword. The wolf, repelled, crouched down and tried to sink its teeth into my ankle.

Crack─!

Layla’s ‘Magic Armor’ instead shattered its teeth. I thrust my sword into the gaping mouth of the beast as it staggered back.

──!

“Oh. That’s good.”

I turned to look at Layla. Layla laughed out loud, “Hahaha!”

“Hahaha!”

“…Why are you laughing?”

“Hahaha! Shion, you might not know, but that ‘Magic Armor’ is still connected to me. I’m supplying the magic. As long as my magic lasts, you’re invincible.”

“Is that so? Then let’s keep going.”

“Hahaha! Sure thing.”

* * *

We hunted monsters, and the mafia’s tailing was still persistent.

However, they wouldn’t dare to attack rashly. Even the mafia would know who Layla Hilton by my side is.

“Wow, we’ve already caught nine? Isn’t it time to head back?”

Disposing of the carcasses from monster hunting is simple. Send the GPS location to the cleaners, and they take care of it.

Yes, that’s what I used to do before my regression.

“Then let’s head back.”

“Okay. Let’s bet on who can get there first!”

“…Ugh, no thanks. I’m tired. You’ve just been standing around.”

“Fine! Let’s go!”

She dashed off first.

“Sigh…”

With no choice, I followed her. At first, we threaded on a ground covered with bushes.

But at some point, it turned into a dirt path.

The trees had disappeared, and the surroundings looked like a desolate wasteland.

“…”

It had suddenly become like this.

I stood still and looked around.

It wasn’t an illusion. My body would resist any enchantment.

So, it must be a trap.

Ssssshhhh───!

A sword flew out of thin air towards me. I quickly deflected it, but that was just the beginning.

Whooooosh…

To the right. Like a flock of birds being swept away by the wind, countless polearms were hurtling towards me.

──! ─! ─! ─! ─!

I swung my sword and knocked them all away. It wasn’t particularly difficult.

Just like playing the piano.

─! ──! ─! ───!

Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone grinding their teeth in my ear. It must be the mafia.

They had separated Layla from me and trapped me alone…

The worst choice they could make.

────!

All I had to do was buy time. Swing my sword, stay alive. There was no need to deal with them directly.

Because.

Kwazzzzzzzzzz───!

A rift appeared in the air. Someone from the outside had broken the trap.

I must have held out for about 30 minutes.

A bit cliché and boring, but as expected, a woman dressed in a suit, whom I had anticipated would surely appear, was walking through the rift in the trap.

─Are you okay?

She asked me. I pretended to be dazed and answered.

“…Ah, yes.”

─There are criminals here attacking people.

That’s when I belatedly realized.

She had been aware of the tailing from the start.

─Then, I’ll patrol here. Be careful.

In the place where Layla had disappeared, it was Mila who appeared.

I could be suspicious, but it’s better not to be.

Kwaaaa──!

She kicked off the ground and leaped up. Clang──! She broke the core of the trap with a headbutt.

The scenery changed back to an ordinary forest, and the presence of the mafia scattered in an instant.

“…Doesn’t this stand out a bit?”

A small smile tugged on my lips.

Just then, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming from behind.

“Hey! Shi, Shion!”

She spoke as if she had just remembered to come back to me.

“Where were you?! I’ve been looking for you!”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?! I’ve been searching for you!”

“Really?”

I deliberately put on a clueless expression.

“…Shion. Huh? What happened?”

With an innocent face, she asked naively, and I shrugged my shoulders.

“Uh… Mila just came and went.”

* * *

Back in the car on the way home.

Layla mumbled as she turned on the radio.

“…Shion. Do you owe someone these days?”

“No.”

I answered calmly. Layla tilted her head in confusion.

“That’s strange.”

“Why.”

“…It’s nothing~”

She must have noticed the tailing and deliberately helped me. She knew that if she wasn’t there, the mafia would attack me, so she stepped aside to lure the attack and then drove them off as Mila.

─The next news. The convenience store robbers arrested by ‘Mila’ last night in Trick City…

Just as the radio mentioned Mila, I glanced at Layla.

“Hey. You know Mila, don’t you?”

“…Huh? I mean, I know of her. But~ I’m not really into her~”

Layla said nonchalantly.

“Aren’t you both from Trick City?”

“I don’t know~ What kind of woman she is. Always causing a commotion.”

“Oh. Mila is a woman?”

“…”

At my words, Layla’s face suddenly hardened. Her fingertips and toes noticeably stiffened. Even her breathing became inaudible.

I spoke nonchalantly.

“Her voice did sound feminine.”

“…”

Layla clamped her mouth shut. She ran her tongue over the inside of her lips and then sneakily glanced at me.

“What do you think of this Mila person then?”

“She’s obviously a good person.”

That was all I replied.

“…Really?”

“Yeah. She helped me when you weren’t there, didn’t she? Why wouldn’t I believe that?”

“No, not that. I mean, just her character, you know.”

I pondered what else to say, but I simply conveyed the truth.

“I can only think of her as a good person. Sacrificing herself to help others, I can’t even imagine doing that.”

“…”

Then Layla turned her face slightly towards the window, trying to hide her expression.

─With Mila’s continued heroic actions, the public is now urging for the enactment of related laws, saying that it’s time for Trick City to change.

“Mila could certainly call for the heavily armed villains.

“…Is that what you mean?”

Layla asked.

“It’s a well-known story. If citizens carry self-defense knives, criminals will carry guns, and if citizens carry guns, criminals will come with submachine guns.”

“…”

Quite a famous hero’s dilemma.

Layla seemed to fall into thought for a moment, too.

“But somehow.”

I turned to look at Layla. She met my eyes at an angle.

“It feels like Mila could overcome all of that.”

“…”

Layla’s expression wavered slightly, but she said nothing.

The more I thought about it, the less this guy seemed like someone who should talk too much.

“Mila seems like she could really become a true hero.”

“…You’re quite favorable towards her, huh? Did you actually meet her today or something?”

“She came and went. She helped me out and left.”

“What happened?”

“That’s a secret.”

“…bullshit. What did she help you with? Were you being chased by debt collectors or something?”

Layla made a sardonic face and then pressed her cheek against the car window. Her cheeks were already flushed.

I smirked and stepped on the accelerator.

* * *

At the Intelligence Agency of Libra.

As soon as I parted with Layla, I met with Sonya again. She looked even more haggard, as if she had lost all hope.

“Get a grip.”

“…”

She looked up at me in response to my words.

“It’s not over yet.”

“…Ha.”

A twisted smile formed at the corner of her mouth.

“Do you have any suspects?”

“Suspects.”

“Yes.”

“What’s the use? No matter whom I suspect, I’ll end up being the criminal.”

“You need to tell me so that I have a reason to investigate him.”

I had already given her the hint about the Intelligence Agency.

“…People from the Intelligence Agency came and went. They said if it ends here, they’ll at least spare my life.”

Sonya bowed her head. I frowned.

“Are you planning to give up like this?”

“I might.”

“You have the blood of Libra in you.”

At those words, Sonya’s shoulders twitched. She quietly raised her eyes.

“Are you, a descendant of Libra, planning to give up your life to be torn apart by mere hunting dogs?”

“…”

Sonya clenched her teeth.

“So.”

She glared at me with dry eyes and asked.

“Do you think someone like you can clear my name? You want me to believe that? You, who are nothing but the youngest’s sole follower.”

I met her gaze.

“Yes. I am trying. Because I believe in you.”

“…”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t show her the fabricated evidence. There were too many watching eyes.

I smiled faintly and scribbled a small name with my finger.

[Benedict]

“Do as you please now.”

“Yes.”

I stood up. I had received a firm answer, and now it was time to move.

“Hey.”

Sonya called out to me. She looked up at me with eyes that had become moist.

“Can I also trust you?”

“…I always act in the best interest of Libra.”

I simply responded that way.

Sonya seemed inwardly satisfied, as she quietly smiled.

…

The next morning at dawn.

I received information from Grawl. It was about Benedict’s secret accounts and deposit records.

They were meticulously hidden, but Grawl’s tracking skills were exceptional. It seemed he spent all his time cooped up in the lab studying this stuff.

“It’s certain! He has connections with the mafia! The money laundering methods are all mafia-style! And there’s more, there’s evidence that he’s been selling off Libra’s interests for money!”

Thanks to this, I had gathered a whole pile of dirt that could bury Benedict.

However, I couldn’t be the one to submit this. It’s not an action befitting an internal investigator.

From the beginning, my mission was only to determine the truth behind ‘Sonya’s betrayal.’

Benedict’s corruption was not my concern.

“Right.”

But…

I had someone who could move on my behalf.

There was no need to deliver it to him directly.

Beep-

I unlocked the car door with my key.

A mid-size SUV. A filthy car filled with bugs and wiretaps, a gift from Bell Moore.

I called Grawl on his cell phone.

“Is that information accurate?”

─Yes.

From now on, Grawl would act as if he were my personal informant.

─Team Leader Benedict of the Intelligence Agency.

Grawl spoke loudly enough for his voice to leak out of the phone.

All our conversations now were being leaked to ‘Bell Moore.’

─He’s selling Libra’s internal information to the mafia.

I pretended to be troubled and pressed my temples.

─Furthermore… There’s evidence that he has sold the business rights of the eldest son, lord Derek’s business. He took kickbacks and allowed entry.

“It’s a clear overstep of authority. However, I’ll cover it up.”

─What? You’re covering it up?

I almost laughed at Grawl’s acting, but I clenched my teeth and continued.

“Yes. It’s not related to the corruption involving Sonnet Revil. I am only committed to my duty as an internal investigator…”

…

─I am only committed to my duty as an internal investigator…

“Holy fuck!”

Bell Moore slammed his fists on the desk. He abruptly stood up and paced around his private office.

“Why the hell bury it. Ah, fuck.”

Bell Moore’s blood pressure rose as he listened to Shion’s words.

This guy is too unnecessarily loyal, stubborn, and principled.

It’s corruption that shouldn’t be buried.

“…This is definitely a setup by that bastard Benedict.”

Benedict’s setup.

Bell Moore was already convinced.

With each passing day, his conviction grew, and now it was 100% certain.

Team Leader Benedict of the Intelligence Agency, that son of a bitch, had concocted a scheme to screw over Sonya and used him in the process.

“That piece of trash.”

“…So.”

A faint voice returned. Benedict looked in that direction.

“What are you going to do now?”

It was Riley.

He had disclosed the inside story about Benedict to her before anyone else.

Bell Moore told her.

“It’s certain that Benedict is acting unilaterally. Lord Derek doesn’t know about this.”

“…Then?”

“Then what! We have to strike first.”

Bell Moore spoke while eavesdropping on Shion Ascal.

“Shion Ascal has a personal informant. Seems like a capable guy… I’ll get the information from him first. You feed it through.”

Riley frowned slightly with a reluctant face.

“But it’s a bit… I don’t know about getting involved too.”

“You were there with me when we arrested Sonya! You’ve been deceived by that bastard Benedict too. If this goes wrong, we could be accomplices. You think that bastard Benedict isn’t going to cut off his tail?”

“…”

Riley, too, had no desire to argue. Benedict’s character was that contemptible, and as a member of 「Vancheon」, she wanted to get rid of Benedict more than anyone else.

“Alright. I’ll help you this time. But remember, you owe me one.”

“Yeah. I owe you one. Now keep it down. We need to keep listening.”

Bell Moore focused on the voice of Shion Ascal flowing from the earphones.