Chapter 389: The Unfathomable Abyss (2)

A man was watching his wristwatch with restless eyes. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Today, the second hand seemed to move with an unusually frantic activity.

Damn it. There’s no time.

The man was clearly nervous, anyone could see it. Suddenly, he turned his head sharply, and the coldness in his gaze made his subordinates shiver.

“Damn it! Hurry! Pack quickly!”

Two subordinates were crouched in front of the safe. Beside them were several suitcases filled to the brim, like bowls of rice packed so tightly that not a single grain could fit. Documents stuck out from the edges, as if the suitcases couldn’t hold anything more.

“Uh, boss… We’ve barely packed half.”

They had spent five minutes packing nonstop, but they hadn’t even come close to the quota. The mountain of documents they had to take was immense.

Each sheet of paper was a treasure. They were practically the soul of the organization, and they had to take absolutely everything.

But their boss didn’t agree with their priorities. On the contrary, they were only getting scolded.

“Leave that damn money! Does money matter now?!”

“B-but, boss… at least we should take the ledgers. If there are records of our transactions with the Prime Minister… that could reach the headquarters…”

“Ah—!”

The subordinate was lifted off the floor. In front of him, a pair of blazing eyes, though dominated by fear, stared directly at him.

“Listen carefully to what I’m telling you.”

The man, gripping him by the neck, warned.

“If we don’t get out of here in time, all of us…”

Thud!

A dull noise shook the ears of all three. Their eyes automatically turned to the door. An oppressive stillness filled the room.

Thud…!

Once again, the entire frame trembled. Faces turned pale; in particular, the boss’s face was deathly white, without a drop of blood.

“She… has arrived.”

“W-what has arrived, boss?”

The subordinate barely finished the sentence before his boss released him, and he fell on his rear to the floor, coughing. The boss pulled out a pistol and aimed at the door.

“Her! She has arrived!”

“Damn it, who the hell—”

CRACK!

Something like spikes sprouted from the door—no, they were blades. But how…? It was a steel door!

SCREEEEECH!

“Uuugh!”

The subordinates covered their ears. The metallic screech drilling into their eardrums was worse than nails scraping a chalkboard. With effort, they raised their eyes and saw the blades literally shredding the door.

“Aah! Aaah!”

The boss spat as he fired wildly. Bullets struck the metal, leaving smoldering marks, but outside fell silent again. Little by little, the barrel of the gun lowered.

“D-did… did I kill her?”

One of the subordinates couldn’t help uttering the words.

“Idiot!”

With a bang, the door flew off. In the gap, a cloud of dust rose… and within it, a pair of eyes shone red as blood.

“…In the name of Auditore.”

A woman’s voice proclaimed calmly:

“I eliminate all enemies of the Heavenly Sword.”

“Aaaaaaahhh!”

His bloodcurdling scream mixed with the boom as she lunged through the dust. The light of her sword and the gunfire clashed, but it wasn’t long before the sound of bullets vanished.

She looked at the dying men lying in pools of their own blood. Her eyes, devoid of any light, fixed on the boss, who struggled to turn his neck.

“P-please…”

Slash!

Blood sprayed in a bright arc. A moment later, she stood in the same place, covered in red and motionless.

Slide.

She took out a notebook. Over the name of the organization, four letters, she drew thick strike-through lines.

She.

Chloe.

After staring at the notebook for a few seconds, she turned and walked away.

***

After leaving the hospital, my days were peaceful. At last, I spent a week without any kind of incident.

Well at least for me.

The world, on the other hand, had turned into chaos. For starters, the Prime Minister had been confined. Since he was someone the whole nation cherished, the impact was huge.

The media pounced like fish that had found an entire sea to themselves, relentlessly firing off blind letters. With an attitude of wanting to expose everything to the world, they reduced the Prime Minister to the image of a traitor to the homeland.

There was much resistance. But whenever that happened, the graduate school of Joaquin Academy, led by Ryozo, would present evidence. With each photo that appeared and each ledger added, those who had remained neutral ended up letting go of the reins.

When someone you trust betrays you, it hurts more. That the Prime Minister was expelled from the “Do You Know Club” was only logical.

His face would end up printed in textbooks, and not in a positive sense. What ultimately sank him was the betrayal of one of his allies.

“The Ministry of Planning and Finance expresses its deep regret and, until the situation is completely resolved, we will assume the functions of the Prime Minister’s Office… We sincerely apologize to the people for causing them concern…”

The minister, with his typical vile expression, held a press conference.

He said they were investigating and that, when the facts became clear, he would tell everything without hiding anything. He swore, above all, to prioritize the safety of the people.

He delivered one bureaucratic phrase after another. He finished by bowing his head under the barrage of flashes, saying that he fully accepted responsibility.

Was he crying? I don’t think so; it looked more like his eyes were stinging. I don’t believe in physiognomy, but I do believe a little in first impressions.

Anyway, South Korea was a mess, and the only reason I could keep lying around like a slacker was, of course, thanks to Ryozo’s consideration.

“No.”

Ryozo was determined to keep me completely out of this incident.

I only probed a little, and she reacted sharper than ever.

“Didn’t my mother tell you? Don’t go out and stay put for a while. Patients who don’t follow the doctor’s instructions end up worse. So please, stay still, okay?”

“…”

She treats me like a poor wretch. And from her perspective, I understand.

A few days ago, I accidentally saw Lady Cynthia, Ryozo’s mother, approach her to give advice, wearing a serious expression.

How I found out is a long story, but in short, Choi Seol-Ah told me.

Since I had something to discuss with her, we met after a long time and, after a bit of “education” on my part, she ended up confessing it in tears.

The core was this.

“…I think Kang Geom-Ma is on the verge of a mental breakdown. He needs to be kept away from the front lines.”

Ryozo had already noticed that I was faltering, so she didn’t ignore Cynthia’s words. That’s why I now live a sort of retreat with only the bare minimum of freedom guaranteed.

‘…My weapon itches.’

Sometimes I drop by the graduate school. But only a couple of times at most. Students swarm to me like bees, and I end up interrupting classes.

I couldn’t keep bothering the professors I had invited myself, so lately I avoid going. And of course… I have nothing to do.

“…That’s a luxury problem.”

Speedweapon looked at me with a mix of envy and jealousy in his eyes.

I had recently visited Joaquin Academy because the Heroes Association was investigating the Villain Union’s base, and the institution most closely linked to it was, naturally, Joaquin Academy.

But Ryozo had also warned him not to share information with me. Seems he’s more afraid of Ryozo than of me.

And with good reason. He’d already experienced it indirectly last time.

Since there was no way to know what was going on, I dragged him along to kill time with me. It wasn’t mandatory… I think.

“No idea. I’m a man of action. This is rough.”

I slumped over the café table. Speedweapon set his cup down with a thud.

“President, the employees of our association always live with a resignation letter in our pocket. No, better yet—with the word ‘death’ written on it.”

“Is it because of the frequent trips to the Demon Realm?”

“Well, for that there’s hazard pay.”

“…That doesn’t sound like something to take lightly, Speedweapon.”

“It’s because of work overload. Quite a few die on duty. Some even give up their vacation days voluntarily to keep working. Even if they want to rest, if those above say no, then no.”

“Isn’t that excessive labor exploitation?”

“Of course it is.”

He nodded gravely.

“All of that is because of you, President.”

“…Because of me?”

“They know you’re recovering, so they work harder, even sacrificing their rest. Taking away the sense of duty, we’re the walking dead. We have no money or anything.”

Hmm.

“They live with the pride of contributing to society alongside the Heavenly Sword.”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“What I mean is—rest as much as you can right now.”

“…”

“Ryozo is giving you that time. If you don’t take advantage of it, it’s like spitting in the faces of those employees who work day and night. It would be irresponsible. How would they feel if they saw you complaining because you don’t move around a little?”

Touché. This guy knows how to hit with words.

I thought he would always be on my side, but I don’t see it as a scolding—more like genuine concern.

“Alright, alright. I get it.”

“Phew… Ryozo and Abel already have enough carrying you.”

“As long as they treat me like baggage, that’s enough.”

“Okay.”

He seemed satisfied.

He downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp and stood up.

“Got something to do? Where are you going?”

“To the director’s office. It’s time.”

“Looks like Ryozo’s in high demand lately.”

“Well… no.”

“No? Then?”

He hesitated, then shook his head.

“I can’t say. Ask her yourself. I’m off. Rest, and do it for me too.”

“Yeah.”

We parted ways, and I was left alone in the café, chewing on the straw.

What to do? Take another walk around the academy before leaving? Go outside for a bit?

‘No.’

It’s not like I’m going to die soon. Better stop wasting time.

I straightened my back with resolve and headed to the graduate school’s administrative director’s office. Choi Seol-Ah was surely there loafing around.

That’s when—

Ring.

My pocket vibrated. A call. The sender was Knox Auditore. Strange for this friend, who had been so quiet lately, to call me.

‘Normally these calls are to ask me for money.’

But Knox is richer than me. And I’ll repeat—Imperial Palace money isn’t mine; it’s a shared fund.

I looked at the number on the screen for a moment and answered.

“What’s up?”

— Kang Geom-Ma…

His voice was heavy. Without thinking, I switched the phone to my other ear and replied in a solemn tone.

“What happened?”

— Chloe… Chloe…

Knox just kept repeating his sister’s name.

“Calm down. What is it?”

— …They’ve issued a wanted order for Chloe.

I was speechless. A wanted order? The first thing that came to mind was a “Wanted” poster from a certain pirate manga.

But I had to stay calm.

“Where was it issued?”

— …

A long silence. I thought the call had dropped, but the timer was still ticking.

“Knox.”

— In 38 countries.

“Thirt—”

— In all OECD countries.

Good lord. Chloe, when exactly did you become the Pirate Queen?