Chapter 389: The Unfathomable Abyss (2)
9VoDxzvA man was watching his wristwatch with restless eyes. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Today, the second hand seemed to move with an unusually frantic activity.1dy
u68ZQGbDamn it. There’s no time.WSNynq
X4DThe man was clearly nervous, anyone could see it. Suddenly, he turned his head sharply, and the coldness in his gaze made his subordinates shiver.a5Q5
HHTp“Damn it! Hurry! Pack quickly!”hPbNlMe
NUK94tTwo 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.HptI
wfY“Uh, boss… We’ve barely packed half.”x3NJYM
ZyGThey 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.BsXR
iWNEach sheet of paper was a treasure. They were practically the soul of the organization, and they had to take absolutely everything.ok2Cab
iw3But their boss didn’t agree with their priorities. On the contrary, they were only getting scolded.wlSD656
Hmh“Leave that damn money! Does money matter now?!”ptnUgK9
UsrF“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…”grr
TXNZl“Ah—!”zh1
w5UThe subordinate was lifted off the floor. In front of him, a pair of blazing eyes, though dominated by fear, stared directly at him.pcn
rgp“Listen carefully to what I’m telling you.”FYm
rpT9S7The man, gripping him by the neck, warned.vplEZL
FdTt4C“If we don’t get out of here in time, all of us…”zHtC
PtLQpKKThud!Pe4
FeeeA dull noise shook the ears of all three. Their eyes automatically turned to the door. An oppressive stillness filled the room.zeYlxsA
uBxTtk1Thud…!ftC
JJsPtnOnce again, the entire frame trembled. Faces turned pale; in particular, the boss’s face was deathly white, without a drop of blood.gTH
mbx“She… has arrived.”oVAU
CRumnO“W-what has arrived, boss?”sTb
YFrSsEThe 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.fdSUkA
tM58G2S“Her! She has arrived!”g8ajiJ
UYSVuJ“Damn it, who the hell—”m87a5rY
BAcKCRACK!B2aTAO
ABtDSomething like spikes sprouted from the door—no, they were blades. But how…? It was a steel door!jnOg
nOV3GWSCREEEEECH!sKJg
v9jEyap“Uuugh!”F6IW
VPnFThe 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.uWy9loB
30ZS“Aah! Aaah!”ZDjMR
q88H0MtThe 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.9Ig87cO
4U9“D-did… did I kill her?”ujHJz
zA5One of the subordinates couldn’t help uttering the words.NXA6
nErq“Idiot!”xkeNV
EfpnWith 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.6zJ
liIcq“…In the name of Auditore.”qEjU4Eh
jP879A woman’s voice proclaimed calmly:sybB
PKVyVV“I eliminate all enemies of the Heavenly Sword.”eZQbOM
xJAwplU“Aaaaaaahhh!”kdbY
P9UMM8His 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.O7tzm4
ZoppcShe 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.kmj2
vcjFg4“P-please…”aGVkg
euIISlash!srRgUBn
NYVBlood sprayed in a bright arc. A moment later, she stood in the same place, covered in red and motionless.8KIFF
kDyACgrSlide.dtbOm
RloEShe took out a notebook. Over the name of the organization, four letters, she drew thick strike-through lines.QlMVRDr
aKHtn3She.hpmr7X
dO2R7nChloe.JQK
7d2iHUiAfter staring at the notebook for a few seconds, she turned and walked away.dfHR
3cx***mMZwd
YGheAfter leaving the hospital, my days were peaceful. At last, I spent a week without any kind of incident.mBDFxL
hpyH5Well at least for me.ETWM
vcmuThe 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.mZx
XAvxThe 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.QPIT
XnbThere 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.75svE
RnTLPM4When someone you trust betrays you, it hurts more. That the Prime Minister was expelled from the “Do You Know Club” was only logical.S2Q
d6LHis 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.bXsuRgZ
BdAo“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…”MbGKse
Ckl7iThe minister, with his typical vile expression, held a press conference.5orhlhk
nRK2nlHe 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.E0ez
Is5G4JHe delivered one bureaucratic phrase after another. He finished by bowing his head under the barrage of flashes, saying that he fully accepted responsibility.gDVrIkc
juSxFWas 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.9Z8kj
ok5NMAnyway, 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.B0e7
aAK9ZW“No.”LJx9Dy
1WcyRyozo was determined to keep me completely out of this incident.bBH
Ex8ffI only probed a little, and she reacted sharper than ever.RwgLa
RrC2fez“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?”NefqRD
wug2N“…”2dH
PwEvfgShe treats me like a poor wretch. And from her perspective, I understand.8mFYK
czl2A few days ago, I accidentally saw Lady Cynthia, Ryozo’s mother, approach her to give advice, wearing a serious expression.vkmcSZg
bloiqHow I found out is a long story, but in short, Choi Seol-Ah told me.Ixjga
HCQOFSince 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.5JkO2C8
BkeThe core was this.HzwObtX
51bI“…I think Kang Geom-Ma is on the verge of a mental breakdown. He needs to be kept away from the front lines.”VO4i
lKl7IU6Ryozo 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.2lP
7RkIX‘…My weapon itches.’jPtT
BJ1Sometimes 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.v8Xeq
lArwHI couldn’t keep bothering the professors I had invited myself, so lately I avoid going. And of course… I have nothing to do.NKt7y
EgWaFI“…That’s a luxury problem.”nPKdf
9cfnOpSpeedweapon looked at me with a mix of envy and jealousy in his eyes.rDo3rae
v26GMoI 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.wYAe5s
5Xb7ueVBut Ryozo had also warned him not to share information with me. Seems he’s more afraid of Ryozo than of me.kJew
ckjNAnd with good reason. He’d already experienced it indirectly last time.3iE
tZzSince 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.93kSF
00YY2“No idea. I’m a man of action. This is rough.”oPNJouu
3RbHI slumped over the café table. Speedweapon set his cup down with a thud.L2jvyjh
kVv4M7“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.”rY4IW
ZEaa9“Is it because of the frequent trips to the Demon Realm?”dN9ziQ
X1R“Well, for that there’s hazard pay.”jJnyG5X
EzF4S“…That doesn’t sound like something to take lightly, Speedweapon.”fXrGb
ZdKz533“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.”Mn7pc
dG47S“Isn’t that excessive labor exploitation?”bbUqQ
b7Puln“Of course it is.”glyh
1Q3lHtHe nodded gravely.kTEmaG
jozzs“All of that is because of you, President.”zZQS
hpy“…Because of me?”souQy3
0lvlsBc“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.”JGZD
mSecHmm.cZpR
CGN“They live with the pride of contributing to society alongside the Heavenly Sword.”DVzjFo
S5iVOn“I’m embarrassed.”Ktrl6i4
Z9Udox“What I mean is—rest as much as you can right now.”T4UwB
dCdIL“…”422
6ddooNT“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?”3A21
FpgysSTouché. This guy knows how to hit with words.EoMVC
o7d2I thought he would always be on my side, but I don’t see it as a scolding—more like genuine concern.vzsN2d
QG4m“Alright, alright. I get it.”VyEG
7j7TVwC“Phew… Ryozo and Abel already have enough carrying you.”5dCL9
B6e2J“As long as they treat me like baggage, that’s enough.”6lN
A8U“Okay.”mMrJSw
mPOBHe seemed satisfied.oxeRE0
vs6vnYkHe downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp and stood up.w1s
RXSG7ZJ“Got something to do? Where are you going?”9gg
PEJ“To the director’s office. It’s time.”2YLh
k9dNkqO“Looks like Ryozo’s in high demand lately.”pR5dO5K
1aKS“Well… no.”0bPx
dPmEDo“No? Then?”TUiyAb
XLLHe hesitated, then shook his head.DVZvnf
p3rx“I can’t say. Ask her yourself. I’m off. Rest, and do it for me too.”uClCn
Vjg8k5“Yeah.”GlNn
EKVfWe parted ways, and I was left alone in the café, chewing on the straw.MKw
06Qt15What to do? Take another walk around the academy before leaving? Go outside for a bit?W7E
anz2‘No.’ceROi
77ZIt’s not like I’m going to die soon. Better stop wasting time.SMs
uvhI straightened my back with resolve and headed to the graduate school’s administrative director’s office. Choi Seol-Ah was surely there loafing around.8nItQ
oBlThat’s when—lwQ3
T3zv7Ring.Dp4
YoNV33My pocket vibrated. A call. The sender was Knox Auditore. Strange for this friend, who had been so quiet lately, to call me.bXOAK
2p1pA0‘Normally these calls are to ask me for money.’l44U
l5AFK8But Knox is richer than me. And I’ll repeat—Imperial Palace money isn’t mine; it’s a shared fund.uNI
0T1UI looked at the number on the screen for a moment and answered.ANN
SRY“What’s up?”RzafB
Bsa4DB— Kang Geom-Ma…vUIu
tcYt8His voice was heavy. Without thinking, I switched the phone to my other ear and replied in a solemn tone.qzFOJ
WhxX“What happened?”Ior
YJpGAH— Chloe… Chloe…0WpW
3vSNJKnox just kept repeating his sister’s name.lxC
RLumbF“Calm down. What is it?”GPPa0J
fLLn— …They’ve issued a wanted order for Chloe.rPxR
diNtI was speechless. A wanted order? The first thing that came to mind was a “Wanted” poster from a certain pirate manga.m5LuyB
WQeBut I had to stay calm.OXh
M0jo“Where was it issued?”Lj238W
DwJcLU— …WePr
4pcA long silence. I thought the call had dropped, but the timer was still ticking.RWbPLN
ChDVoRi“Knox.”I8Ws2
c8hY— In 38 countries.STLAGvV
oLyMZM7“Thirt—”cHB
ozLUm— In all OECD countries.ywP
MalGood lord. Chloe, when exactly did you become the Pirate Queen?ZkJW
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Shadow Monarch
Mortal🤣🤣🤣Chloe found one piece and became pirate queen 🤣🤣