Episode 247 – Scheme (2)

Scheme (2)

Johanna terminated the spatial sharing.

The 43 square meters dorm room of Shion Ascal expanded into a vast bedroom.

“……”

Silently, she scratched the area around her eyebrows and sank into the sofa.

This sofa costs three million ren. A masterpiece embroidered stitch by stitch by a craftsman, with inherent cleanliness magic.

Moreover, the velvet gown she was wearing was worth five million ren. It would never get soiled without ever needing to touch water, or being washed. Probably cleaner than most sterile rooms.

Thus, everything in this residence starts at a million ren.

Clothes, watches, bags, brooches, rings, jewels, necklaces… Things that commoners may never touch in their lifetime were as plentiful as stones here, yet there were no windows.

The ‘sky’ permitted for everyone to see was not visible.

It was because of her obsessive-compulsive nature.

“……It’s because she’s lonely.”

Johanna frowned.

It was a presumptuous remark from Shion Ascal.

A condescending comment sympathizing with her, a direct descendant.

“Hmm……”

That’s why now, she was in doubt.

It was both a concern and a simple deduction.

If── if Shion Ascal was framing Beckman?

Although Beckman’s loyalty remained unchanged, if that bastard Shion was engaging in collusion?

No matter if Chaser had risked his life to save her in the casino, Johanna did not trust a greenhorn who hadn’t even been around for a year.

Instead, she breathed distrust as easily as air.

─My lord, it’s Vitro.

A voice came from the handset in the corner of the bedroom.

“Speak.”

Vitro was another one of her balancers.

─Yes. The informant ‘Jake’ who spoke with Ascal does exist.

“……Who exactly is he?”

This too was part of Johanna’s suspicions.

Could it be that Shion Ascal had noticed the ‘spatial mediation’ in advance and was trying to play a farce with some random guy?

─His identity has not been determined, but he has quite a reputation on the dark web. There’s talk that he could be a ‘Black Scale’ level informer after a long time.

“That guy is Shion Ascal’s personal informant?”

─Yes. I received confirmation from Bell Moore that Ascal’s informant is certain.

“And who the hell is Bell Moore?”

Johanna furrowed her brow.

─Ascal’s current marksman.

“……Which side is he on? Derek?”

─He seems to be wavering at the moment.

“Hmmmm……”

Johanna exhaled a breath for a moment.

The artifact known as ‘spatial mediation’ meant that once Shion left the vicinity of the documents, his whereabouts could no longer be tracked.

Surveillance for work purposes was impossible.

“Is he trustworthy?”

─He’s my junior by five years. He listens to me well.

“Then let’s assign him a task.”

─You mean surveillance?

“……Yes.”

Having a marksman watch over his own spotter.

It’s a complete mess, but it’s bound to be efficient.

─I will proceed.

“Go.”

Johanna ended the communication with a gesture.

Then, suddenly, she remembered something Ascal had said just before.

‘……Perhaps. I don’t trust people either.’

The words about not trusting people.

Indeed, there are no trustworthy people by his side.

Johanna is similar.

She doesn’t fully trust even Vitro. She always doubts her own balancers.

They might pretend to be loyal to her while actually serving Derek, Jade, Sherlock, and though the likelihood is significantly low, even ‘Zia’ could be a spy.

That’s why… she is just as lonely.

“It’s not funny”

Johanna sank into the sofa.

A trophy on the table caught her eye.

[FINAL WINNER]

The ultimate trophy from the World Series of Poker.

She stared at it.

Somehow, stress was spreading.

Every time she looked at it, every time she remembered that day, an inexplicable stress surged within her.

She still didn’t understand why.

Thanks to that, she had gained a stake in the Golden Casino and had won the coveted trophy.

In the past, when she was younger, she relieved such stress by killing people. She frolicked on the battlefield herself.

Now, she can’t indulge so recklessly.

Just…

Johanna quietly closed her eyes.

And fell into a death-like sleep.

* * *

Swoosh── swoosh──.

An empty clearing wrapped in bushes.

Summer rain falls from the dark sky.

Soaked by the rain, Elise is lost in thought.

There’s no contact from her father.

Her father, who prides himself on being a strong warrior, might dismiss this as a mere trifle, a non-event that will pass.

But Elise is scared.

“Of what?”

Of drifting apart.

“……From whom?”

From Shion Ascal.

“……Right.”

That’s all Elise’s fear amounts to.

The selfish desire not to drift away from him is far greater than the feeling of regret, than the duty to atone as a member of the family.

She doesn’t want to become his enemy.

“How foolish.”

Elise let out a hollow laugh.

Her father would never allow for negotiations. Neither would Elise herself.

Negotiations are just a drug that makes things easier for the moment.

They will eventually become a weakness, a shameful secret.

But without negotiation, Shion will come to hate her. He will despise the entire Petra family.

It’s the tax Elise has been putting off for a year.

A disaster that she has been foolishly postponing without any plan, that now threatens to sweep in all at once.

“……”

The mere thought tears at her heart.

Imagining Shion looking at her with contempt, his sword pointed at her, becoming someone she could never be with again…

Elise clasped her face in her hands.

Her tears mixed with the rain.

She cried quietly, and eventually picked up her phone. A name caught her eye in the contacts.

[At Your Service]

Should she ask for advice?

No.

She no longer wants to receive vague consultations.

She wants to speak honestly about what’s on her mind.

Elise called someone else.

Dial tone—

The person picked up quickly.

“……Hello?”

─Hey! Elly, why the call?!

Layla.

This person has no gloom about her.

She might seem down for a moment, but soon she’s back to her usual self, Layla.

Elise envied that.

“……Want to grab some food? I have something to talk about.”

─Sounds great~ Elly, where are you?

The person responded with an even brighter tone, probably having noticed the darkness in my voice.

“Well, I’m here… in some weird forest. I don’t know where exactly.”

Just a place she ended up at after walking aimlessly.

─Then share your GPS with me.

“Yeah, sure.”

─Technology these days is amazing~ When we were young, we didn’t have stuff like this.

Elise shared her GPS location.

─Wait for me, Elly~ I’ll bring some food and come right over~ Let’s make a hideout like old times~ Hehehe.

Thanks to that cheerful voice, Elise managed a weak smile.

* * *

Libra Intelligence Agency. Bell Moore’s private office.

“How do you like it? Pretty spacious, huh?”

Bell Moore swirled the whiskey in his glass as he spoke. I looked around the interior.

“It’s definitely spacious.”

This guy seems to grow every time I see him, his office getting bigger by the day.

It’s not a bad thing.

Bell Moore himself seems to think he’s using me, but in reality, it’s the other way around.

This guy is going to become a bridge for leaking information from the upper echelons of the Intelligence Agency to me.

“So, Shion. You should also try to live your Chaser Life, man. Don’t just focus on work. Schmooze with the seniors a bit.”

“What about the business trip?”

“…Shit. Here.”

Bell Moore handed over some documents.

“We’ve identified the new recruit Luke, and I’ve even found his surgery records in the underworld you mentioned.”

I checked them out.

Sure enough, he’s handled the tasks I gave him efficiently.

“Syrimus is out of the game now.”

“That’s right. But, do you have a separate informant?”

Bell Moore glanced at me slyly.

“I can understand knowing about Syrimus’s hidden son. That the bastard received Chimera Surgery in the underworld? I can even understand knowing that. But how did you find out which clinic performed it?”

“I have a personal informant.”

“Who is it?”

“…”

This guy knows ‘Jake’ but pretends not to.

He’s acting suspicious today.

“If it’s a monster, then it’s game over.”

Right on cue, Riley changed the subject. She sipped her coffee while reading the documents.

“Since he’s a murderer who killed people in a Chimera Rage.”

It’s a side effect of the Chimera procedure. Addiction, or an uncontrollable rage that erupts when drunk or high, leaving the person unable to control themselves.

“Where will the information be delivered?”

“…To the Edsilla Post. I have a reporter prepared.”

“Good, good~”

Clap, clap, clap──

Bell Moore applauded. Then he slung an arm around Riley’s shoulder, grinning.

“Another success for our item?”

“It’s not ours, it was Shion Ascal’s item, wasn’t it?”

Riley shrugged off his hand.

“Yeah, I know, I know. But if we only put it under Shion’s name, the team leaders will cut it. You know they fucking hate him for killing Benedict.”

“I’m aware.”

There are six team leaders in the Intelligence Agency. Excluding the already dead Benedict, that leaves five.

So there’s still one spot vacant… and it’s clear that Bell Moore is eyeing it.

“Please report back.”

“Okay.”

I don’t really care either way.

If Bell Moore gets promoted, it’ll actually be much more convenient for me.

“So… man.”

Bell Moore looked at me.

“How about a drink to celebrate the operation’s success?”

“…”

A drink.

A phrase I’d never expect to be offered in my lifetime.

At that moment, I suspected Bell Moore.

“Drink?”

Bell Moore mimicked the shape of a glass with his hand and tilted it back as if taking a shot.

…

Of course, I declined the offer.

It would be strange for someone who never goes to suddenly start attending.

I’m not even sure whose bidding he’s doing yet.

“Hey.”

Bell Moore followed me down the Intelligence Agency hallway.

“That personal informant of yours, how’d you come across them?”

“You seem very interested. Intelligence is the lifeblood of a Chaser.”

“It’s fucking impressive, that’s why.”

“…I happened to come across them.”

“What do you mean ‘happened to’? I’m not asking who it is, just tell me how you happened to come across them. I’m curious.”

He’s prying too much.

Clearly, he’s been approached by someone.

Someone from the direct line?

“We met on the line of death.”

“…Line of death? Like a life-or-death situation?”

“Yes.”

It’s actually true.

When Grawl was a stone monster, during the fierce battle with Akane, I absorbed part of Grawl into my R-elix.

“Hmm.”

Bell Moore scratched his chin.

We reached the parking lot.

“Oh right, I didn’t bring my car today, can you give me a lift? It used to be mine anyway.”

Bell Moore grinned slyly in front of the SUV.

“Where to?”

“Just drop me off at Edsilla Station.”

“Get in.”

I climbed into the driver’s seat. Bell Moore got into the passenger seat.

“Still, I feel good as the person who gifted this car to you since you use it often.”

I started the car without a word.

We exited the Intelligence Agency through the tunnel.

“…Still. I’m envious of you.”

Bell Moore was particularly motor-mouthed today.

“Is there something to envy?”

“You’ve got money. Won that gambling tournament, too. 60 million Ren.”

“…”

“Why don’t you retire? Did Johanna take all the credit?”

“No.”

Bell Moore glanced at the rearview mirror. He was gauging my reaction.

“Heard you got a gift from Johanna too.”

“Yes.”

“…Did she take a liking to you?”

That’s when I had the intuition.

It’s Johanna’s bidding.

Bell Moore was clearly sounding me out.

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’? Why would she give a gift if she didn’t like you?”

“I cannot presume to measure the thoughts of Johanna.”

“You’re no fun… But anyway. Be careful, will you? If you get too close to the direct line for no reason, you’ll be checked.”

I pondered what kind of conversation Johanna would favor, what sentences she would deeply consider.

I reflected on her personality and inclinations.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“How can it not matter, man? Do you know what could happen? You’re basically one of the juniors’ people.”

But Johanna is, once again, simple in her desires.

Ultimately, she seeks ‘loyalty that expects nothing in return.’

“You might not realize it, but the dynamics of power aren’t that simple, man. You could end up butting heads with a Balancer.”

In any situation, in any danger, she wants ‘someone who can be unconditionally trusted.’

“There’s a widespread rumor that Beckman is gunning for you. So just step back a bit. If Johanna’s crew calls you, just lie and say you’re busy.”

“No.”

Just then, the SUV stopped at a traffic signal.

There were many people crossing the crosswalk.

“It’s my responsibility to handle.”

I watched them as I conveyed my words to Johanna.

“Sometimes, even someone like me might be necessary to her.”

“…”

Bell Moore made a strange expression. He seemed to mumble something like ‘What makes you think you’re so special?’ and then leaned back in his seat.

After that, there was no more conversation.

Bell Moore waited quietly and got off at Edsilla Station.

* * *

[Exclusive! Sanrama District Senator, Syrimus’s Son Caught in Scandal……]

“Ha ha.”

Derek smiled. A scandal had erupted for a district Senator, someone who was no more significant than Vern’s finger.

“Taking down a bird… quite the bold move. Ascal again?”

“It was led by Ascal himself, along with Bell Moore and Riley as a team,” answered Balancer Smith.

Derek folded the newspaper with satisfaction.

“Now Vern must have an inkling of who he’s messed with.”

But this was just the beginning. He wouldn’t stop until Vern was on his knees before him, licking his boots.

“But how about the other teams’ results? Aside from Shion, there seems to be no results.”

“…It seems they are unfolding their plans. We will report the outcomes soon.”

Derek turned his chair around, looking out the high window as he spoke.

“In a way, it’s fortunate that bastard is Zia’s.”

Starting with Benedict, then Theia Esil, and now Syrimus, Ascal proved to be as competent as any other Balancer.

“There are rumors lately that Johanna has been in contact with Ascal.”

“…Johanna. That woman?”

“Yes. She personally offered a high-priced gift.”

Derek’s brow furrowed slightly, but he soon sneered.

“No need to worry. That crazy woman doesn’t trust what belongs to others.”

If there was even one instance of loyalty to someone else in their past, Johanna would never trust them. She doesn’t give the slightest emotion to anything that isn’t money.

She was born that way from the start.

“Then, we shall prepare for Vern’s counterattack.”

“Dismissed.”

“Yes.”

Smith backed out of Derek’s office.

Alone, Derek smiled contentedly and gazed casually at the clouds in the sky.