Chapter 189

The cliché of a fly in the ointment is one that Kavek knows firsthand. He’s just leaving work from overtime. He was on his way home from work when the news came out of the blue.
“In Shiran?”
“I don’t have proof, but I’m sure it’s true.”
“Huh. No, how did you do that.”
The head of Dustborn has been attacked. Not in a deserted back alley, but in an open park. It was, by all accounts, a very organized and professional ambush.
“If I’m mistaken, this much is certain: there is a group out there that is after me, and by extension, Dustborn. They don’t like us, of course, and there’s plenty of rot in the city.”
Kavek pondered for a moment. After organizing the information in his head, he weighed it heavily.
“I’m sure it’s an outside actor, and we’ve had our share of incidents, and you’ve taken down terrorists yourself in the recent past.”
“What is that?”
“Mr. Hyun is a celebrity in the underworld, which means they see him as some kind of monster, if I may exaggerate a bit, and the domestic powers that be don’t want to mess with him now.”
The problem is that there are many outside forces. It’s entirely possible that they’re remnants of a legion that hasn’t been eradicated. It’s also possible that they’re agents of the wrong country.
The number of shirans, Kim said, was the worst of the worst.
“…… is too much for me to judge.”
Shran Empire.
I have no contact with the present-day Kilikia, unless you count the days of the Kilikia Federation. Even when I attended the summit, it was just a ceremonial conversation between the leaders. There was no exchange.
That said, you can’t ignore the empire.
The power of Shiran is not diminished by the rest of the world. Kilikia is a mere minor power in Xuran’s eyes. Be disrespectful, and you may find yourself in trouble.
Kavek glanced at Kim across from him.
‘Maybe….’
Maybe, just maybe, Congress will try to take down the dustbunnies.
It’s a lot cheaper than getting into a conflict with a superpower.
That accident was not lost on Kim.
“You don’t have to worry about anything weird.”
“Yes?”
“You’d think they’d put national pressure on Shiran, but call me crazy, but this is the time of year, and nothing good comes from stirring up trouble.”
Diseases, monsters, and natural disasters.
There are no shortage of public enemies.
Doubt and fear are like a plague. If Shiran touches Kilikia here, he’ll only give her reason to bite him. Not exactly the picture the Emperor wants to paint.
“The dustbones would be a bonus anyway, and given the circumstances, the main target would be the Celbrox Labs. If you’re trying to cut off a limb, well, it’s kind of a wash.”
“…Hmm. I see.”
Kavek looked half-fed up.
“It’s a new thought, but you’re so calm.”
It had only been a few hours since the attack. He could have died in the street. But he’s not shaking, and he’s maintaining his composure. In fact, he seems more calm than usual.
As if it’s been waiting for today.
“Not really, I’m just a little tired.”
When he said he was tired, he meant it, and it showed on his face. When he described the raid, he sounded as if it was no one’s business, but the battle must have been harder than he thought.
“We need to get the CCTV footage.
It happened so quickly that we don’t even have the video yet. The parliament and the security forces are working simultaneously on multiple tasks.
“They’ve recovered the body, so we’ll be able to run an ID soon. I don’t know what they’ll find, but if they do an autopsy on the guy who took his own life, they might be able to analyze the drugs he used.”
“I’ll leave that to you, but when you have the results, please let the branch manager know.”
“……Well, wouldn’t you be better off staying in the city in many ways?”
“I wish I could, but I’ve got work to do.”
When Kim had finished explaining everything, he stood up.
“Well, I’ll see you next time.”
It’s time to get back to Kilikia.
* * *
It’s barely daylight, and it’s a slow dawn.
A dozen people gathered in response to Kim’s call. Dustborn, the main combatants, two trainees, and the entire ops team that had traveled to the city from Cellbrox Labs. The room was buzzing with activity.
“Let’s start with headcount.”
He called out to the two of them.
“Ghost, Edwin. You follow me.”
“I don’t have a problem with following, but are there only three of you?”
“The more the merrier. Do detailed briefings as you go.”
Next, he turned to the professor and Ekidna.
“All the rest, go to Bastitera.”
“Us? Are you sure that’s okay?”
Ekidna crossed her arms and looked at the noodles.
“I think it could get dangerous in here if we all go down.”
“Nope. They’d have to hit the company before they’d touch us again, and they’re not going to make a big enough move to do that, not to mention that the Ops team here and the Kilikia branch are different personalities.”
The only other Dustborn with any connection to the Labs is the external operations team, including Kim. As far as the Kilikia branch is concerned, it has virtually no ties to the Labs.
I have deliberately remained independent. To gain both influence in Kilikia and influence outside of it. Shiran’s intelligence network would know this.
In other words, it’s a far cry from the goal of cutting off Rap’s limbs.
There is no return on risking criminal activity in another country.
“You can’t be completely sure, but you can trust the police with that.”
I’m sure he’s been embarrassed lately, but he’s shown himself to be incompetent at times. If he’s determined and vigilant, Dustborn will be safe.
“Hmmm, yeah?”
Ekidna didn’t seem to like it. To her, it looked like I was splashing poop on a cruising Dustborne.
Leila’s face was dark, as if she felt slighted. In Kim’s view, it was more about using the rap to exclude Shiran, a misconception that didn’t need to be corrected.
“Anyway, we’ll be joining them soon enough. Ekidna, you go ahead and make your acquaintance with Princess Ainoa and Crown Prince Adrian. We’ll need their help with some things.”
“I’m going to meet Pekatum royalty in my lifetime.”
It’s definitely an unusual experience.
“Don’t let your guard down in case there are any pursuers. We’re on our way.”
* * *
This does not take into account the war with Shiran. The Empire is powerful. It cannot and must not be defeated, and the future is clear: a great war in which millions will die.
That’s why you need to do small “ops”.
“You need to be clear about your purpose.
You don’t have to wipe out Shiran. It is not an entire nation that is currently attacking the labs. It is only the Emperor’s will. Remove the Emperor and the situation will be resolved.
This is where the difficulty level drops dramatically.
It’s still a ridiculous challenge, but it’s not impossible.
Kim envisioned a few steps.
“We’ll have to bring Kushan in first.”
“You mean with this many people?”
“At least one head. I told you, more is more annoying.”
Ghost nodded as the car sped by, belching smoke.
“You were planning to infiltrate Shiran after all.”
It was easy to tell just by looking at the makeup of the ops team. Ghost is an expert in covert action. Edwin, while terrible at operations like this, has a separate role.
“At the risk of beating a dead horse, Hyun. It won’t be as simple as you think. The checkpoints in Xuran aren’t lax enough to let a crude fake identity slip through.”
“I don’t think so. I’d be stuck in quarantine, not status.”
Now it’s the pollution level, which has risen to 266p. I had to get special accommodations to enter Kilikia. We had to go through a lot of checks to make sure we weren’t harming the city.
I’ve become a difficult body to infiltrate with a simple disguise.
“Then the only option is smuggling.”
“Do you have a root in mind?”
“Just out of curiosity, have you ever been to Shiran?”
“I’ve been here before on official business, but I don’t know if that helps.”
“I never have.”
I was looking forward to it, but apparently you can’t eat it raw.
“Well, there are two things….”
What’s comfortable and what has room to be a bit of a pain.
The former is disposable, so you don’t want to use it right away.
It needs to be more lethal, more timely, and more effective.
So I’m going to go with the latter, but oh well.
It’s not much different than what we’ve seen so far.
“I know a thing or two about Shiran.”
Episode 11, featuring Snowfield.
None other than the Legion’s rampage on Shiran.
But in the real world, it’s an episode that fell apart.
This means that the path used by the legion in the game is not yet blocked.
“If this is raw food, it’s raw food.
I’ll admit, sometimes I was grateful for them.
* * *
Glareta, on the outskirts of Bastitera.
As is the case everywhere in Bastitera, this neighborhood is unusually rainy. As you enter the building, which has run out of signage, you’re greeted by creaking boards and a field mouse.
Half-broken bricks, a wooden door that leaks cold air. You could almost call it an abandoned house. But after living in Glareta for a week, you won’t care about the shabbiness of the building.
“Bullshit!”
In a room filled with cold air, a man yelled at me.
“Three thousand credits? Are you blacking out or going senile?”
“You’re deafening me, screaming at me.”
“You don’t look like you’re going to make me cry!”
Bam!
The man set the object he was holding down roughly on the reception desk.
“Open your eyes and look again.”
“Oh dear. Don’t you dare get all excited about catching an Ashwolf.”
“That’s not normal, what kind of ashwolf has fangs like that?”
The man’s bite was loot. The fangs were said to be two or three times larger than the average Ashwolf’s. They were hard enough to be worth something.
But the old man’s attitude remained stoic.
“I said three thousand, if you don’t like it, get lost.”
“You goddamned old man…!”
The man’s face turned grim. The atmosphere was tense enough that it wouldn’t be surprising if violence broke out. It would seem so to a stranger who knew nothing.
The reality is a little different.
“You’re talking dirty.”
“Boss, do you want me to kick him out? I can do it for free.”
“I thought I’d caught the big one, pooh-pooh!”
Mockery came from all directions. For a moment, anger flared up inside him, but he couldn’t bring himself to express it. He gritted his teeth to keep his anger in check.
Ever since I came to Glareta, men have always been treated the way they are now. Because he’s an outsider? That’s part of it. In rural areas with a strong sense of community, there is a tendency to ostracize people from other countries.
But there was a more decisive reason.
“Tsk. Minos assholes.”
Horns. Because he has no horns.
In the cities, discrimination against Minos is slowly waning, but that’s only in the cities. It has nothing to do with the outdoors, where monsters are plentiful and hunters abound.
This is a hunter’s shelter.
A place to buy and sell loot and arrange for various commissions.
And more than 9% of hunters are Pekatum.
Overcoming deeply ingrained discrimination is a challenge.
My determination to get paid today was dulled.
“…… Okay, I’ll take it for 3,000.”
The old man threw the three bills as if they were red lines. He had to swallow his pride. The man scooped up the bills and staggered out of the building.
I looked up at the sky and it was fucking clear again. I sighed, and my white breath dispersed into the air. Even though it was summer, my flesh felt cold through my fur.
A gust of wind blew my hair out of my face.
“It’s hard enough to make ends meet.”
Catching and red-eyed. It was a typical pure-blooded Xuranian trait.