Episode 244 – Opportunity Cost, Sunk Cost (3)

Opportunity Cost, Sunk Cost (3)

I waited in front of Johanna’s waiting room, counting my fingers—one, two, three, four…

Bang─!

At five, the door burst open as if shattered. It was Johanna’s kick.

“Such a fucking bastard…?”

She stepped out and, upon seeing me still standing there, furrowed her brows.

“…Shion Ascal. What is this insolence?”

“Just a moment.”

I leaned close to Johanna’s ear. To her furious face, I whispered softly.

“…”

The eldest daughter’s expression hardened. I took a step back and bowed my head.

“…Is it true?”

“Yes. It seems best not to show any reaction.”

Eavesdropping. And not just that, but internal recording as well.

Beckman’s desire to keep a record of Johanna’s everyday life.

She clenched her eyes shut and pressed her fingers against her temples.

“Should I change his duties?”

“No. That would only make things worse.”

Balancers typically have ‘duties’ assigned to them. Therefore, there is only one balancer who assists the lord most closely.

For Johanna, that is ‘Beckman.’

“Pretend you don’t know.”

Beckman is clearly losing sight of his duty, but I cannot be the one to suggest cutting him off. After all, Beckman has been a loyal servant to Johanna for decades.

Considering the importance of each balancer, it would be overstepping for someone like me to suggest dismissing him.

“…I’ll handle it myself. Take this.”

Johanna extended something to me.

It was a pamphlet for the Terra auction.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“Choose something you want. I’ll win the bid for you.”

“…”

It was an unexpected offer. I just blinked in silence.

Johanna gave a wry smile.

“My life is worth at least that much.”

“No, that’s alright. I’ve already received the prize money from the win-”

“You gave all that to Zia.”

She sounded somewhat displeased.

“You should have something for yourself.”

She pressed the catalog into my hand again.

“…Yes. Thank you.”

I accepted it for now. I skimmed through the list of items up and down.

‘Master!!!’

Suddenly, Grawl’s echo boomed loudly in my head.

That startled me.

‘Are you trying to get killed? Who’s yelling without any manners?’

‘That! That! The R-elix!’

I looked at a certain part of the catalog.

There was an R-elix listed.

[A-grade R-elix]

◆ Assured by the R-elix appraiser Veromo, this is an A-grade R-elix containing vibrant magical energy. A top-quality product that’s hard to come by even once a year, the ‘minimum’ A-grade R-elix is now seeking its owner.

‘Do you understand what this is?’

‘No! But it seems like if it’s analyzed, it would show an incredible amount of magical energy!’

It was a request to graft it onto his ‘root.’ R-elixes can connect with each other, enabling an Embodiment.

“Hmm.”

‘Please!!!!’

I glanced over the other items.

Nothing else really caught my interest.

I already had weapons, didn’t need clothes, and had no desire for jewels or valuables.

‘Master!!!!’

‘Alright, alright.

I pointed out the R-elix to Johanna.

“This R-elix… if it’s possible.”

“……”

Johanna also looked at it. A smile crept across her lips.

“You’ve got a good eye. Wait for it.”

She snatched back the catalog and went back into her room.

‘I love you!!!’

“……Keep it down.”

The sound of Grawl laughing like a happy puppy filled my ears.

* * *

“What’s the plan?”

After setting up the [Terra Auction] lightly, I returned to the Intelligence Agency and was discussing Operation ‘Knock the Bird Down.’

The crew was down to Bell Moore and Riley.

“Senator Syrimus has a lot of scandals.”

Riley pushed up her glasses at my comment.

“Those are easy to bury. Not enough to make him fall.”

“Right. He’s got Vern backing him. To knock him down with a scandal, we’d need something on the level of, you know, that dead team leader bastard? Benedict. We need a scandal as big as that fucker’s.”

Bell Moore chimed in too.

I flipped through several files and then curled my lip slightly.

“……Vern backing him makes it a bit troublesome.”

“Yeah. In terms of single industries, Everett is bigger than Libra. Ranked number one in the corporate world. You thought it would be easy?”

Officially, of course, Libra is number one in the financial world. The family controls so many companies.

But if you’re only looking at single industries, Vern’s ‘Everett’ is at the top.

“Well, there’s no helping it.”

I sighed.

Even for me, or rather, because it’s me, there’s one method I’m a bit reluctant to use.

I’d rather not use it if I can help it, but I’m not in a position to be picky about my methods.

“Are we giving up?”

“No. Senator Syrimus has a child.”

“…What?”

“Huh?”

Bell Moore and Riley were both taken aback. They quickly rifled through the files again.

“Syrimus is unmarried, isn’t he?”

“That’s what’s been announced. He’s hidden the child in another country.”

A fact that would never come to light under normal circumstances.

However, as a regressor, I know everything.

Therefore, in matters like elections and battles of public opinion and information, I have a several hundred-fold advantage.

If I had the proper resources, I could even take down Senators of the Round Table. That’s who I am.

“His son is in a distant foreign land called ‘Elhener.’ The kid’s name is Luke. He’s probably killed a few people too, so if we start poking there, other scandals will gain momentum.”

Create a crack in the wall with the most lethal scandal, then shoot the other gossips through like arrows.

That’s the basics of a negative campaign.

“…Well then, about the business trip. Should Riley and I go together?”

Bell Moore looked at Riley with a sly glance.

“Go by yourself. If Chaser Shion’s information is correct, I need to prepare for the follow-up attack.”

Riley dismissed the idea coldly.

…

In the plaza of Edsilla Sanrama district, where trucks and people had gathered, Syrimus was in the midst of his election campaign, his voice booming through the speakers.

──I am Syrimus, number one on the ballot!

With every word he spoke, cheers and shouts erupted, and firecrackers burst.

──A Senator for you, and the only one for Sanrama=!

Though his election was all but assured, he did not slacken in his campaigning. Watching him…

Ludeniel felt as if his insides were rotting away.

It was supposed to be his seat. But then came the absurd bribery charge.

Framed with evidence for a bribe he never took, his wife committed suicide, and he lost everything.

──Sanrama’s Syrimus! Syrimus’s Sanrama!

Ludeniel turned slowly away. Staggering silently across the plaza, he slumped down onto an empty bench.

“…….”

He pulled out a single business card from his pocket.

[Jean Consulting]

He dialed the phone number on a phone with a shattered screen.

Click.

The call connected.

“…This is Ludeniel.”

The other party didn’t respond, but Ludeniel spoke first.

“What should I do?”

Just then, Syrimus’s proclamation echoed. I will become your mine! His campaign rants filled the air.

Jean Consulting said.

─Let’s start with a contract.

…….

I visited Ludeniel again. He still had a look of distrust as he took the contract.

“Are you still having doubts?”

At my question, he shook his head. He promptly picked up a pen and signed the contract, stamping it with his seal with a thud.

“Is it done?”

“Yes. Mr. Ludeniel, you will now receive our consulting and sponsorship.”

“…So what happens now?”

“What happens? You will become a Senator, Mr. Ludeniel. Once you do, you’ll just need to do us a few favors that we ask for.”

Ludeniel’s complexion stiffened noticeably.

Does he think he’s selling his soul to some devil?

I shook my head with a smile.

“We won’t ask for anything too excessive. After all, you have nothing left to lose at this point, do you? Worry about it after you become a Senator.”

Now, there was only one thing left for me to do for him.

I pulled a cue card from inside my coat.

“Here. Memorize it and then burn it.”

“…?”

Ludeniel took the cue card somewhat bewilderedly. His eyes quickly scanned the text.

[Saturday at midnight.

You are taking a walk at night when you hear a faint sound. The source of the sound is the Belmion Mine. You hear the rumble of a tunnel collapsing during work. To make matters worse, a fire breaks out.

A small mine ablaze. The faint cries for help echoing.

With little time, you decide. You will enter the mine yourself and rescue the miners.]

“It’s a scenario.”

At my words, Ludeniel suddenly looked up.

“But even if this is true, how can I rescue the miners alone?”

“Why do you ask, having graduated from the Magic Academy? Just activate your Magic Body appropriately. Everything is prepared, so you won’t get hurt at all.”

The earth monster─ Grawl will assist him.

“Read a little more.”

I gestured towards the cue card. Ludeniel looked down again.

[…After rescuing about a dozen miners, suddenly. You catch a current of energy beneath the flickering flames.

In an empty space where there should be nothing, you feel the stir of magical energy.]

“There are still many undiscovered mana stones in the Belmion Mine. You, Mr. Ludeniel, will discover them.”

It’s a spot detected by Grawl’s radar.

“Let’s dig a new tunnel there under your leadership. The Belmion Mine is a community mine owned by the residents. So, the profits from there will go straight back to the people.”

Ludeniel looked at me with a blank expression on his face.

“This incident will become your foundation.”

I smiled thinly. Ludeniel licked his parched lips and asked back.

“…And after that? What happens next?”

“Senator Syrimus will fall from grace. There’s still some time before the election. Naturally, the community will nominate you. After all, you are a former Senator, aren’t you?”

For a moment, Ludeniel’s beard bristled.

He breathed heavily, over and over. His eyes were already bloodshot, and his body shook as if he was having a seizure.

“Mr. Ludeniel. I need your answer.”

Ludeniel, clutching the cue card tightly, said,

“…I’ll give it a try.”

* * *

Two days later.

The equipment Jesco had arranged for was completed. The factory had doubled in size and was fully upgraded to the latest technology.

Work is brisk.

“How is it?”

The laborer who transported the equipment, second-in-command Face, approached me.

“It’s good.”

“…Good? I strongly requested this from the boss. To do it this way.”

Face boasted and casually asked me,

“Have you thought about what I told you last time?”

He had left a message that wasn’t quite a threat, asking me to give him a 0.5% cut.

“I’m sorry.”

“…You son of a bitch. You don’t have any other way to use the money, you fucking brat.”

“I have other expenses. I could lend you some if you ask.”

“Then lend me all of it.”

“I don’t have it.”

“This motherfucker. You’ve gone blind with all the pampering because you’re a technician.”

Face’s eyes flared like a beast’s.

I pretended to be scared and stepped back as I spoke.

“But, if I work hard, the overall sales increase. Then naturally, the share that Mr. Face takes will also grow.”

“…”

Then Face’s expression turned as if he was doing some calculations.

If the net profit of ten million turns into twenty million, even with the same percentage, the salary would double.

This guy seems like he’s never thought of that before.

“…Well, that’s true. Give me 0.25% then.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ah, you fucking bastard─”

Just then, the door opened. Face hastily stepped back, and Jesco and his men appeared.

“Oh~ It’s going well~.”

Jesco first looked around the equipment here and there.

Third-in-command Crow approached me with a smile.

“How is it?”

“Ah, it’s good. Everything is state-of-the-art… It looks like we could handle five, no, six times the volume.”

“Oh. That’s very good to hear.”

By the way, Crow has been skimming some of Jesco’s money.

I’ve got all the details sorted out and written in the Diary.

“How fortunate we are to have a technician come in at just the right time. Haha.”

Clap─!

Jesco clapped his hands.

“Hey, Belkman. Shall we test run it now?”

“Yes, that would be great.”

At my words, Jesco pondered for a moment and then shook his head.

“No, let’s just take a break today.”

“Excuse me?”

I blinked in surprise.

“Unfortunately, we have a meeting scheduled. We might not see each other for a few weeks. You can’t come with us.”

“Is that so?”

I deliberately made my voice sound disappointed.

“Don’t feel too bad about it. You’re a technician, so we need to keep you hidden as much as possible. You know that, right?”

“…Yes, that’s fine.”

Jesco grinned.

“Alright then… you guys go ahead and leave first.”

“““Yes!”””

The gangsters’ characteristic booming affirmation.

Crow and Face, along with the other subordinates, all bustled out, and Jesco lingered for a moment.

“…Well then. Is the equipment alright?”

“Yes, it’s exactly what I wanted.”

“That’s good to hear… Start operating from tomorrow. Take it easy today. We have plenty of time to meet the demand anyway.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Alright. I’m off then.”

As Jesco was about to wave his hand and leave, I called out to him.

“Brother.”

He turned to look at me.

“…”

I just looked at him without saying a word.

“What?”

Eventually, he asked back.

I hesitated for no reason and then bowed deeply.

“Thank you.”

“…?”

Jesco wore a puzzled expression at the sudden gratitude.

“For taking in someone with just this little talent.”

But now, the end was near.

Today might very well be our last meeting.

“Leaving the desert was tough, and I missed it, but after meeting you, brother, this place feels like home.”

“Hmm… well-”

“Turns out, it wasn’t home I was missing, but someone.”

Jesco’s nose slowly turned red. It was noticeable even against his naturally ruddy complexion.

“…Lunatic? Did you eat something wrong?”

Even as he said this, he pretended to yawn, trying to hide his emotion.

“Stop talking nonsense. Your talent would have shone even without me.”

Jesco turned his head sharply away, speaking without showing his face.

“You would have had a much better and more ordinary life if you’d gone to college.”

“…No, I wouldn’t have.”

“Whatever. Just take a rest. I’m leaving.”

Jesco hurried out.

I watched the door slam shut and let out a sigh when all signs of life had faded.

“Phew. Finally, it’s over.”

This tedious job would soon be goodbye.

Run the factory equipment four or five times, then disappear. After that, they can scramble and fry without me.

Drring-

A call came in on my Libra phone. It was Bell Moore.

“Yes.”

─Hey, Shion! I found the guy you were talking about! He’s spilling his guts over drinks. This bastard is definitely the son of Senator Syrimus!

I replied dryly.

“Yes. Keep him detained until the story breaks.”

─Will do! Ah, but I like this bastard. Loves women and booze like crazy! Stay there. You should come by later too. Woohoo!

The sound of women laughing, glasses clinking, and the loud club music was dizzying.

“Stop having fun and focus on the job.”

─You’re killing my buzz with that talk. I’ve been a Chaser longer than you, mate! I’m hanging up!

Click-

Bell Moore hung up the phone.

“…Complete moron.”

I cursed under my breath and laughed.