twojebook Chapter 159 : Greenwhistle (3)
Chapter 159 : Greenwhistle (3)
Chapter 159: Greenwhistle (3)
Because Kali Arta kept derailing the discussion throughout the questioning session, no meaningful debate was ultimately accomplished.
But in truth, that outcome wasn’t particularly bad for Edgar either.
The supervisor system would become little more than a hollow shell anyway, and thanks to that, they had avoided mentioning clauses that could later become problematic.
‘Though we already had more than enough manuals prepared to gloss over things….’
At first, his anger had reached the top of his head.
But after thinking about it calmly, nothing in their original plan had actually gone wrong.
All Kali had really done was ruin his mood.
As Edgar rode back after the questioning session concluded, a single possibility surfaced in his mind.
‘…Could this have been because of Edel Ribenia?’
Even if Edel’s support base among the nobles was weak, it wasn’t as though she had no allies at all.
In fact, there had been over ten nobles present at the council hall who belonged neither to the pro-Bernhardt nor anti-Bernhardt factions.
They were observers.
If the first and second factions ever united, that would become the worst possible scenario for the third faction—Edel.
So they had probably intended to observe how the questioning progressed before reporting back.
If they had maintained the non-aggression stance they discussed beforehand, Edel might have learned about their plans.
‘You’re telling me that unruly bastard deliberately picked fights because he anticipated even that?’
Probably not.
Unless someone else had given him separate instructions.
‘Though he’s not exactly the type to listen even if someone did.’
Either way, the result had turned out perfectly.
Edgar himself had failed to contain his anger and openly revealed his fury.
And Kali had seemed utterly satisfied watching that happen.
Anyone observing the scene would naturally conclude:
‘It doesn’t look like the two factions will unite. At least not for now.’
“Though I doubt Edel Ribenia would completely believe that….”
The debates beginning Monday would likely follow the same flow.
By Wednesday, the motion would pass.
By Thursday, it would officially be proclaimed.
Karbenna and the Special Task Force might resist, but they were unlikely to file formal complaints.
And even if they did so merely to buy time, they could simply pressure them again through the media.
After boarding the returning carriage, Edgar immediately contacted Robert.
There had been some complaints about why Robert hadn’t reported first, but fortunately the contents of the report were extremely satisfying.
The transfer process had completed safely, and the laboratory had been fully shut down.
Forget the humiliating insults from earlier.
Think only about the future.
“It was quite the desperate struggle… but this is where it ends, Eugene Carter.”
If you truly are people who know the future, then overcome this trial and drive a dagger into us.
When that time comes—
We too will have no choice but to mobilize everything we possess and fight with our full strength.
Edgar slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a brief sleep.
Outside the carriage window, the sun gradually tilted downward and sank beyond the horizon.
---
April 10th, Sunday.
As soon as we finished lunch, we boarded a carriage and headed toward our destination.
I volunteered to handle the driving myself.
During the ride, I continued thinking about the Platinum Dawn Society’s stance.
Because they were a secret organization, they were constantly surrounded by countless conspiracy theories.
But they weren’t human-haters or anarchists.
They simply disliked the current ruling class.
Their desire to overturn the state and destroy the Empire didn’t mean they wished to scatter the nation into pieces.
It meant they wanted to destroy the current Imperial Family– and nobility-centered system.
Since the organization itself had originally formed from resentment toward the Imperial Family, they would likely reject any option involving preservation of the Imperial Family with desperate intensity.
But—
A system centered around the nobility alone might still fall within acceptable limits for them.
‘That’s the far more reasonable assumption.’
There was no such thing as a secret that could remain hidden forever.
Not information. Not identities.
No matter how tightly concealed something was, once over a hundred years passed, the original reason for its creation would inevitably become secondary.
The Platinum Dawn Society wouldn’t be any different.
There was a high chance they had already compromised to some degree while preserving only portions of their original objective.
The question was—
What compromise had they made?
Had they abandoned their desire for the Imperial Family’s destruction?
Or had they chosen to preserve the noble factions instead?
The details would become clearer once we met them directly.
…But lowering our guard would be foolish.
Perhaps they had merely been waiting patiently until the moment they could finally enact their true objective.
Rattle, rattle.
As we neared our destination, I reflexively pulled out Lukesax first.
Because I sensed a strangely familiar killing intent.
Looking around the area, I spoke inwardly toward the carriage.
“We’re almost there, right?”
“…Yes.”
After Michel confirmed it while checking the map, I halted the carriage.
I calmed the horses and tied them to a nearby tree before answering the faint hostility coming from ahead with a slash.
KWA-A-A-ANG!
Crackkk…!
The thinly spread barrier shattered absurdly easily.
“…Seems they weren’t really trying to hide themselves.”
Right then—
“Because this used to be our residence.”
Alongside a vaguely familiar voice, a blade flew toward my vitals.
Tiiing!
Before I could even block it with my sword, a Barrier spread out in front of me.
Turning around, I saw Rubiana already holding her Wand.
“Who are you?!”
“Making such a fuss over a simple greeting….”
“It might’ve been a greeting for us, but for them that was practically a declaration of battle.”
“Shut it, Brown.”
The moment the two figures emerged between the trees, Rubiana and I reacted in completely opposite ways.
“Y-You people!”
“…….”
“It’s been a while, Eugene Carter.”
The male assassin who attacked Rubiana and me at Karbenna.
And the female assassin from Abatua who attacked me, Rubiana, and Walter near the Benamauer operation zone.
Michel looked between us and them before quietly asking,
“And who exactly are they?”
“People who once tried to kill us.”
“Once… meaning?”
“Yes. It seems they have no intention of opposing us now.”
“…….”
“…At least for now.”
“As expected of Eugene Carter. You judge situations quickly.”
The tone sounded oddly teasing.
I stabbed my sword into the ground and crossed my arms.
“Well, if you want to become enemies, feel free to try. Assuming you’re confident enough for that.”
At those words, the female assassin glared at me fiercely.
“…I still have a debt to repay you. But I’ll endure it for now.”
“A debt, huh…? You sure you’re strong enough for that?”
“……Hmph.”
The woman turned sharply and headed inside, while the man waved toward us exaggeratedly.
“Come on, hurry up. The leader’s waiting.”
---
After walking for around five minutes, a massive wooden mansion came into view.
According to the female assassin, it had once served as Abatua’s headquarters.
“After you killed the boss, it became an ownerless property.”
We followed them inside.
Michel and Rubiana still wore expressions full of caution.
I, however, remained fairly calm.
“But seriously, how exactly did you kill our boss?”
When I glanced at her, both hostility and curiosity were visible on her face.
“Across the entire Empire, there were only five people who ever held the upper hand against him.”
“Aren’t you overestimating your leader? Or maybe your perspective’s just too narrow.”
“The Abatua you destroyed wasn’t some neighborhood thug group. We were the strongest force in the Empire’s underworld, and our boss stood above all of us.”
“He was troublesome, sure. But….”
That was all.
Even with Blood Magic as a cheat-level ability, his actual combat power barely scraped into S-Rank territory.
“There are at least thirty people in the Empire stronger than that.”
I had already encountered countless assassins and ancient mages who surpassed his killing arts and secret techniques.
That was the kind of battlefield Eugene Carter had faced as a war hero.
Not to mention as an in-game player.
As I continued walking casually, the woman sighed softly and replied,
“Haa… fine. Unlike you, we rarely had chances to cross paths with those monsters. Abatua was supposed to remain an organization that didn’t exist.”
But you know, Eugene Carter—
“Even organizations from the underworld have things like loyalty and camaraderie.”
She glared at me and grinned.
“Someday, you’ll pay the price for scattering us to the winds.”
“…I’ll look forward to it.”
Inside the spacious room once used as the executive conference hall, only a single man sat with his back turned toward us.
“I’ve brought the three of them, Leader.”
The man rose and immediately gave instructions to his two subordinates.
“Maintain surveillance positions until the conversation ends. And check whether anyone tailed them here.”
“Okay.”
The two exited the room, and the door shut behind them.
Only then did the man turn around and face us directly.
“…….”
The man wore a formal suit, but every part of his body besides his face was tightly covered.
He wore gloves over his hands, and even his ankles were hidden beneath long socks.
The reason became obvious the moment we saw his face.
“…How?”
His face was covered in burn scars.
“It’s been a long time, Master.”
The man bowed his head politely and gave an awkward smile.
“Have you been well all this time?”
“…….”
“You look as though you’re wondering how I managed to survive until now.”
Taking his seat, he gestured toward us.
“Please, sit. This will be a long conversation.”
---
Michel Bernhardt.
One of the Empire of Ribenia’s representative heroines.
Ironically, the lack of information surrounding her only amplified her mystique further.
Among the countless choices involved in saving her, most were connected to severing ties with Bernhardt.
As long as she remained a Bernhardt, the likelihood of her death increased dramatically.
Which was why the standard strategy usually involved placing her under the protection of an organization capable of standing against Bernhardt.
But this time was different.
If Bernhardt intended to kill her, then all we needed to do was eliminate the cause itself.
That was how this whole “destroy Bernhardt” plan began.
Though the detailed circumstances would differ.
Depending on who exactly the greatest enemy trying to kill her was, our next strategy would naturally change as well.
Keeping my mouth shut, I silently observed the reunion between Michel and the man.
“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I currently serve as the leader of Greenwhistle. My name is Maximilian. Master Michel used to call me Maxy. You may do the same.”
“…You used to serve as a Bernhardt servant?”
At Rubiana’s question, Maximilian shook his head.
“I served Master Michel. I was never loyal to Bernhardt.”
Now it was my turn to ask.
“The Chairwoman remembers you as dead. What exactly happened?”
“…That’s understandable. You’d naturally be curious.”
It’s true that I intended to appear dead.
“Otherwise, I would never have escaped beyond their sphere of influence.”
“So there was a reason you absolutely had to escape.”
“That’s correct.”
He raised a single finger.
“Have you ever heard of Armas Elixir?”
At once, Rubiana reflexively recited her knowledge.
“A medicine that drastically reduces mana circulation, heartbeat, and breathing… isn’t it?”
“It’s a secret method used to hide oneself from Beasts that possess exceptional ability to detect humans.”
I used that—
To escape from Bernhardt.
“To expose the countless pieces of evidence I gathered during twenty-three years living there.”
Clenching both fists tightly, he smiled toward us.
“At last… I can finally save you, Michel.”