Episode 238 – Expansion (3)

Expansion (3)

Edsilla National University, Theia Esil’s office.

“I see.”

She had received some information through her spy. It was about Derek from Libra.

“……Moving as expected.”

This month, Theia had been invited to the ‘Parliament House.’

Derek would be there too. After all, the ultimate goal of those with significant power is the parliament.

The reason was a hearing. An event to summon and question influential business people, Senators, before the assembly. Nobles aspiring to be Senators like Derek must pass through this gateway. Theia, as a professor at the national university, would be a witness and consultant at that hearing.

Derek probably got his hands on his preparatory materials in advance.

Derek’s anti-human rights employment history. The reality of workplace environmental pollution, the never-acknowledged industrial accident treatments, and the countless workers laid off under the guise of cost-cutting.

These were the evidence that Derek should not set foot in the parliament.

Beep-

Just then, the blood pressure monitor beeped.

“Hmm.”

Fortunately, it’s normal. Ever since she got sick, she’s been diligent about self-diagnosis, but it’s still a hassle.

“…….”

With her arms crossed, she pondered what Derek might be up to. Since bribery and persuasion wouldn’t work on her, as he would have realized long ago, he would probably attack her, the ‘messenger.’

However, Theia had never done anything socially reprehensible.

Would he then resort to framing her with fabricated evidence, or in the worst-case scenario, attempt to kill her in an attack? Such unorthodox tactics were possible.

It was still hard to tell, but Theia’s defenses were solid.

Derek would be disgraced at this hearing.

* * *

I’m sitting on a bench at the national university, synthesizing vitamin D in the sunlight, indulging in laziness for the first time in a while.

“Ughhh…”

As sleepiness poured over me, my mouth opened, and my eyes began to close.

Rustle-

Someone took a seat next to me.

I immediately opened my eyes, trying to look as alert as possible.

“Take this.”

I glanced sideways. There was a man in casual clothes. Definitely a balancer, but he looked like a college student.

I know his name.

A very familiar face.

Balancer Smith.

“……Take it.”

He spoke again. I looked at the paper envelope placed on the bench between us.

I picked it up.

“It’s simple. Inside the envelope, there’s a recorder and a phone. Install the recorder in Theia Esil’s car and report back.”

“Yes.”

Of course, I’ll do as I’m told, but in the end, they will lose, and Theia Esil will win.

From Derek’s perspective, it was a defeat that exposed his flaws; from Theia’s, a victory that came with many wounds.

“Here’s your invitation.”

Smith handed me a small card.

“…?”

I took it without a word.

“It’s for the Parliament House.”

“…I’m to enter the Parliament House?”

The Parliament House. Literally, a place where those who pull the strings of society gather.

However, the Parliament House is not the ‘Parliament.’ It’s a hall somewhat removed from the Parliament itself.

“You’ll be under the guise of a university student journalist. Don’t be disappointed, but the Parliament House isn’t as sacred as one might think. It’s more of a hotbed for politics.”

He was right.

I just pretended to be surprised.

“Lord Jade will be attending the hearing. Theia Esil has prepared a disrespectful inquiry.”

Their plan, most likely, is to prevent Theia Esil from attending at all.

Before my regression, they even went to the extreme of planting a bomb in Theia’s car.

“Is installing this recorder all I need to do? Is there anything else you need?”

I asked. Balancer Smith’s expression twitched slightly.

“…Just do what you’re told. We’ll take care of the rest.”

The balancer stood up, indicating he didn’t want to hear any more. Watching him leave, I shrugged my shoulders.

If they say do it, I do it.

…

National University parking lot.

I stood there. Installing the recorder wasn’t difficult.

“…Didn’t even lock it.”

The car door was wide open.

It’s not that Theia Esil is particularly careless in this regard, rather.

She’s leading me on.

To know in advance what’s being done to her and to deal with it.

I reached into the envelope. Inside were a recorder and a phone for contact.

First, I hid the recorder deep inside the car. Then I made a call to someone.

“The task is complete.”

─…

No response.

“However, I find it suspicious. The car door was open. It doesn’t seem like mere carelessness, rather like we’re being lured in—”

─I didn’t ask for your opinion. Just do what you’re told.

“…”

I raised an eyebrow.

Of course, that’s what you would say.

“Yes. My apologies.”

─I’ll contact you later.

Click-

The call ended. I pocketed the phone and turned around.

Just then, Theia Esil appeared in the distance.

She seemed to have just left her office and glanced at me as she walked to her car. I nodded naturally and passed by.

* * *

Soliette still resides deep within the Bottle of Souls, perhaps akin to the abyssal depths of the sea.

A place devoid of light, where for dozens of days one must rely solely on the flickering of mana to forge a path.

It’s the worst environment for a human, but Soliette’s heart is fuller than ever before. It feels truly alive.

By her side, moving in tandem with her, is Jared Arkne.

It’s thanks to her brother, with whom she shares a purpose.

“It will be tough, but let’s push a bit further today.”

Jared Arkne said.

He still seemed unaware of his true identity, but it didn’t matter.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

Soliette once had a dream. To embark on such adventures with her brother. Like heroes protecting the world, together they would defeat monsters and save people…

It was a simple childhood wish.

“Enemies! Death Knights!”

“Yes!”

In the darkness, with the appearance of the Death Knights, they quickly assumed battle stances.

Kwaaaa───!

The Death Knight swung its greatsword. The rough sword wind swirled like a whirlwind, but they dodged it with practiced ease. Jared charged in a straight line, piercing the Death Knight’s neck, while Soliette severed its lower half.

“…Phew. Are you alright, Jared?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Death Knights are no longer a big deal.

Soliette looked at Jared. Jared looked back at her. He smiled faintly, and Soliette puffed her cheeks unnecessarily.

“But really, when does this end? There seems to be no end in sight.”

A question about the end, while hoping there isn’t one.

Jared scratched the back of his neck.

“The compass says we’re not far off now.”

He took out the compass.

As if indicating they were nearing the bottom of the bottle, the N and S poles no longer moved.

“…That’s a relief.”

At Soliette’s words, Jared chuckled. He then floated a sphere of mana again. Gradually, the dark space brightened.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The two of them trudged on, step by step.

The end was not far off.

Soliette felt a twinge of regret at the thought, but for a good ending, it was necessary. After all, there comes a time to wake up even the best of dreams.

She watched Jared’s back and smiled softly.

* * *

For a week, Jesco had been busy setting up a new factory. He provided Belkman with state-of-the-art synthetic mana stone equipment, sourced the best raw materials possible, and placed mercenary-level security guards.

The cost was roughly 50 million Ren.

It was a significant expenditure for a first investment, but Jesco was quite satisfied.

The humming of the fully operational factory only added to his satisfaction.

“Looks like things are going well, Belke?”

Jesco called out to Belkman, who was engrossed in his work in the middle of the factory.

For your information, ‘Belke’ is a nickname, a common way of shortening names in the desert. For men, it ends with ‘-e’, and for women, ‘-i’.

Belkman turned to look at him.

“It’s all thanks to you, Brother Jesco.”

Jesco raised his eyebrows and sat down on the sofa.

“Take a seat.”

“Yes.”

Belkman sat down in the seat in front of him. Jesco leaned towards him.

“Belke, when you first went to see Lockhard.”

“Yes.”

“Did you just swallow everything they said?”

“Ah, yes. They talked about opening a new world… I didn’t even understand what that meant.”

Shion—Belkman lied naturally.

After all, no matter how he twisted the story, there was no risk of being caught. The dead tell no tales.

Jesco smirked.

“Idiot bastards. Because those fucks died, there’s now a gap in the Section. These Lithium guys are becoming a nuisance.”

Lithium Corporation. Jesco’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Belkman cautiously interjected.

“In my opinion, I don’t think we need to worry about them.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Any company using natural mana stones can’t compete with those supplied with synthetic mana stones.”

“That’s true.”

It’s a different level of price competitiveness.

“So right now, it seems important to expand our mana stone supply routes. With more mana stones to be produced in the future, we can’t waste time on a small enterprise.”

“…Right. You have a point there.”

Jesco nodded in agreement.

Belkman asked another question.

“But, Brother Jesco. Is it okay if the pattern of the synthetic mana stones suddenly changes?”

“It’s fine. We’ll just shrug it off by saying the formula has changed. After some time, they might suspect that a new technician has come on board, but it’s better if you don’t show your face too much.”

Technicians are always a target.

At Jesco’s words, tinged with a hint of concern, Shion put on a deliberately worried expression.

Shion displayed a look of worry, like a plea of help.

Jesco noticed it.

“Something on your mind?”

“Eh? Oh, no, it’s not that there’s a problem, but… I’m just a little concerned that Mr. Face might not be too happy with me.”

“Face?”

“Yes. I’ve heard some talk, and they say that a 3% net profit is too much…”

“Don’t worry about it. A technician like you deserves that 3%. Even if Face looks vicious on the outside, he’s fair when it comes to business.”

“That’s a relief, but…”

That was enough. Relationships between people change gradually, like grains of sand accumulating.

“By the way, brother. This is some homemade liquor.”

Belkman brought out a bottle of scorpion-infused liquor he had prepared earlier.

“Homemade liquor?”

“Yes. I saw some Sonof scorpions being sold on the roadside. It reminded me of the old days, so I decided to infuse some. It should taste great in about 2 to 3 months.”

“Hmm. I’ll enjoy it, but don’t wander around outside carelessly.”

As Jesco spoke, he ran his fingers over the surface of the bottle of homemade liquor.

“Deciding to work in this business means you’re making enemies on the surface.”

Belkman nodded as if taking the advice to heart.

“You can live just as lavishly underground, maybe even more so than on the surface. So try not to go around alone if you can help it.”

“Ah, yes.”

“…”

Jesco looked at Belkman in silence for a moment.

A guy from the desert is trustworthy. There’s a sense of kinship that only desert people can feel.

Probably, this guy felt something similar to what he did.

“Ah, and also, brother. This.”

Belkman reached into his pocket again. Jesco flinched. If it had been someone else, he might have shot them with a gun on the spot.

Reaching into a pocket in front of him meant the same as pulling out a weapon.

“Will you accept this?”

Instead of a weapon, it was a small orange stone fragment.

Jesco’s eyebrows twitched.

“A tombstone?”

“Yes. I brought it with me when I left the desert. It comes in a pair.”

It was a desert stone that had once been whole but was now split in two.

When you run your fingers over it, sand sticks to them like salt.

“Why go to the trouble for something like this?”

“To not forget my homeland. To remember where our roots are, where and how we came from.”

Jesco made a nonchalant face, but Belkman continued with a slight smile.

“There’s a saying, isn’t there? Even if one day you fail completely─”

“─the desert will be waiting for you.”

A faint smile spread across Jesco’s lips again.

He fiddled with the piece of desert stone before slipping it into his pocket.

Nostalgia, it seems, can be more addictive than opium.

Back when he was trapped in the sandstorms of his youth, he despised everything about his homeland.

“Well, go rest now. You can start with the mana stone delivery right away.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jesco rose from his seat and walked out. Belkman gave a desert-style silent salute to his retreating figure.

“……”

Whirring──

With Quantum Mechanic gone, the machinery of the factory began to operate with a rough noise. Occasionally, cigarette smoke from the guards outside wafted through the windows that never saw sunlight.

The space seemed empty.

Left alone in that place, Belkman chuckled softly to himself and muttered.

“It should only take a month or two, at most.”