Chapter 122

Since the Bastitera incident, Celbrox Labs has maintained a peaceful atmosphere. The Legion’s behavior has become overtly passive. There have been no emergencies for several months already.
Inside, Arya was a bit of a jerk, but the agents quickly got used to it. Whether it was the effectiveness of the training or the frequency itself, it was diminishing. The lab was generally quiet and stable.
Then came mid-April.
Suddenly, the lab is in an uproar.
“Gee, are you serious!?”
Asterike jerked out of her chair.
Arya, who was sitting on her lap, threw a bean and hit his head on the desk. Arya shot her an angry glare, but it didn’t work.
Chelsea nods at the news.
“Is that so?”
“When? When will they arrive?”
“Right now.”
She clucked her tongue.
“He’s so weird. He’s always gone when he leaves, and he’s always gone when he comes back. It’s like they don’t have the sense to give you a heads up.”
“The strings aren’t exactly… faceless, but just a little bit, just a little bit!”
It was hard for anyone to defend. Chelsea’s jaw dropped as even Astericke shakily agreed.
“Wow. Mr. Asterike is saying all the bossy things. I’ve never heard that before.”
“Moo, I didn’t say anything, Chelsea said it, I was just talking back.”
“Who said anything? I swear a lot, even in front of my boss.”
Asterique was confused: what could he possibly be so proud of? And, despite himself, he was secretly envious of Chelsea.
It’s like you’re best friends with the strings.
“What I mean is that Mr. Asterique has grown a lot.”
“He had grown up.”
“So, you’re not throwing plates anymore? Very handicapped.”
“You’re an adult. You can cut.”
Chelsea scowled at Arya’s bullshit.
“Truncation? Ah, excision.”
“What the hell…?”
“Arya. You look stupid when you use hard words, so if you’re not sure, just use the easy ones from the beginning. From now on, I’ll say, “Arya is a good patient.””
“Arya is a good patient….”
Chelsea nodded in satisfaction.
“You’re smart.”
“Hehe. Chelsea is smart.”
Over the course of their time together, they’ve grown close. When Chelsea makes a vaguely correct point, Arya agrees.
It was the same old repertoire.
‘You guys are playing well.
It didn’t matter to Asterike. If anything, she hoped it would diminish Arya’s interest in her. It must be annoying to have her clinging to you at every turn.
I’m thinking ……, but I’m like, what the heck. This fuzzy feeling.
It was a similar, yet subtly different, feeling than when Hyun had brought Princess Ainoa to him. He glanced uncomfortably at the pair of them, then shook his head.
“Oh, no, you’re right, this is not the time.”
Asterique stood in front of the mirror and began to carefully comb her hair. He checked his nose hairs and eyebrows. It was so fast that Chelsea watched in disbelief.
“Is that the same guy who walked around with his hair unwashed because it bothered him?”
“There’s no way I would do that.”
“Really? Just from what I’ve seen….”
“Only once.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Twice! Don’t tell Hyun!”
“Oh, yeah.”
Chelsea responded in kind, and it was a bit of a punchline. Kim is probably the most familiar with Asterique’s flaws, but it’s been a long time since they’ve been reunited, so the fuss is understandable.
“Why is he doing that?”
“Sure. Shall we go first?”
“No, wait, it’ll be quick!”
Needless to say, “quickly” was not a very reliable word in this situation. After nearly 20 minutes of back-and-forth, they were ready to go. Even then, Chelsea forced the issue.
I got out of the lap and onto the ground.
Several agents had already taken up positions near the doorway. Turkam awkwardly waves at you. Keita, who had spoken to Asterike in the dining hall earlier. The elite agents…….
“There’s a lab director.
The lab director had a look on his face that said he was very worried about something. Does he want to poop?
And many others. The professors would be here, too, if they weren’t out of town. It was strangely heartening to think that so many people would welcome her back.
“There he comes. Damn, where did that car come from….”
The lab director’s words fell on deaf ears.
A tiny dot racing in the distance, and the moment she spotted it, Asterike’s attention was riveted.
The words piled up to the point of overflowing.
Complaints about why he didn’t take me with him. Blame for the difficulty of caring for Aria. I apologized for the way I’d blamed her for things I should have taken responsibility for. A promise to do things differently in the future.
“What, what should I say first…?
I don’t know. My thoughts are tangled like a thread.
I had simulated it a few times in my head, but the return of the strings was too sudden. I’ll give it a day or two in advance!
It was a numbing sensation that grew more and more brain-numbing as the distance grew closer. I almost envied Arya’s nerves as he scratched his stomach and yawned.
I quickly realized it was a waste of time.
“What are they doing out here, a festival or something-”
Wow!
My body moved before my mouth. It wasn’t like I couldn’t control my emotions or anything like that. It was more like a reflexive reaction, as if it was natural.
Asterike looked up from her embrace.
Dark-colored eyes that seem emotionless at first glance. But somehow, she saw her own reflection in those tired eyes.
“Surprise.”
After a moment of panic, Hyun’s eyes softened.
“You didn’t just get into trouble, did you?”
“Don’t say that. Just ask me how I’m doing.”
“…Hmm. How are you?”
“Uh-huh. And the strings?”
“Meh. I did what I was supposed to do.”
“Don’t fudge.”
He scratched his cheek absently.
“I’m kind of exhausted.”
“It looks like it.”
I gave him a quick squeeze as if to energize him.
“Nice work, Hyun.”
That’s it.
I let go of my disappointment and fell obediently. I guess he had a lot of eyes. He said he didn’t care what others thought of him, but the strings would be bothering him.
She now understands that the actions of others can make her feel ashamed of herself. Asterique has definitely grown up, just as Kim intended.
This is good, I thought to myself.
“Huh?
When Kim got out of the car, he saw people he hadn’t seen before.
A whopping five.
There are two children who are physically as young as Arya, if not mentally older. And two adult men. I’m curious about the situation, but it’s not important right now.
The last one was an adult woman. A very pretty woman.
‘What the hell is that…….’
* * *
Asterike wasn’t alone in her thinking.
There was a man with a similar, but obviously different, preoccupation in his mind. As soon as they reached the lab director’s office, Kushan’s whole body dropped.
“Did you bring the whole family this time…!”
“I have a family.”
“What did you say, ‘family’, and then the rest!”
Kim searched for the right words. After a brief struggle, she settled on a head-on charge.
“She’s a mafia boss, he’s a legion.”
“?”
The expression on Kushan’s face is gone. His thinking had come to a complete standstill. It was a rare sight, one I’d never seen before in a game.
Shake.
He staggers, sways, and then slumps back in his chair as if exhausted. He covers his face with both hands and lets out a small “grrrr”.
He was very confused.
“Da, da, da, da, cigarettes are….”
“Are you a smoker? I’ve never seen you smoke before.”
“Once upon a time I hung up. But today, cow, cow, my hands are shaking….”
He pulls a pack of cigarettes out of the drawer, stares at them for a moment, and then puts them back when he decides not to smoke. As usual, he has great self-control.
I’ve been a non-smoker my whole life, so I’m not sure.
“…I’d like an explanation. In as much detail as possible.”
It did what I wanted it to do.
It’s a long story with a lot going on. Timorta, Cavaratti, Naraka. The Mafia and the Legion. It was a surprisingly dense trip, even for me.
By the time the report was over, Kushan had regained his composure.
“Haha. Why is it that everywhere you go there’s a major incident?”
Or, more accurately, I gave up halfway through.
In Kushan’s eyes, Kim was that kind of person. A human born under a very tired star, dragging trouble with her whether she wanted to or not, but dragging it anyway.
I found it easier to take a step back and think. Getting too involved would only make his head hurt. He was just now finding the right way to deal with Kim.
Apart from that.
“It’s not a bad situation. No, it’s a great accomplishment.”
“That’s why I’m so confident.”
“…I want to say something, but I can’t.”
Killing Mithril, that was enough to fill me up, but then to have the man at the center of the Legion’s center of gravity… it still didn’t seem real to me as a listener.
“Edwin Berenice…. Do you trust him?”
“Well, I don’t know. I can’t really say yet.”
“Of course.”
Kushan took a deep breath.
“As I understand it, the legion is divided into three camps. One side doubts the organization’s capabilities and identity. They’re like Mithril, they could break away at any moment.”
He explains that it’s not a big deal.
“Next up are the good guys, who are probably going to do whatever. A madman who’s happy to put a gun and a bomb in my hands, tell me who to slaughter, and call it a day. They’re evil, but they’re better.”
Kim nodded, a bit like a godmother, in a way. In fact, it was a class that had proliferated during the time when Godmothers were more influential within the Legion.
“And the third?”
“Fanatical would be an apt description.”
The voice was blatant in its displeasure.
“They worship the heads of the Legion as if they were gods. They are the most dangerous of all, and I have no hesitation in laying down my life for them. They are calculated.”
“You mean Edwin could be one of them.”
“Yes. We need to keep a close eye on them.”
It was a natural wariness.
Without his knowledge of the game, Kim would have tried to exclude Edwin somehow. Kushan didn’t point it out, but it was a bombshell.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll keep an eye on both of you.”
“What about the twins and their adoptive father?”
“Well. I’d like you guys to take care of him.”
“It was a no-brainer, I just happened to be in need of some extra hands.”
“Why, are you building a facility?”
“An extension is an extension is an extension, and there’s a lot to prepare inside and out.”
Is that what happened.
As the main episode progresses, the gang gains fame. Connections are made here and there, and more characters join the lab. The business expands.
It would be much more accelerated than in the game, so it was time for him to start growing rapidly. The laps would get closer and closer to the progression Kim remembers.
“I’m going to have to go to Atlanta soon. I’ll ask you in advance, are you coming?”
“No. I think I’ll skip this one.”
Atlanta.
The day of reckoning is slowly approaching with the arrival of dangerous beasts. But it’s not something Kim can do anything about right now. This has nothing to do with the Legion.
Playing the prophet and evacuating your citizens is unrealistic. It’s better to react quickly and limit the damage as much as possible.
“When Ismail goes back to Atlanta, he’s not going to abandon his relationship with Rap.
Like Bastitera, you need to have a good network of contacts. The labs can always lend a helping hand. Kushan will be able to rip you off in return, so it’s a win-win.
“Do as you please. It doesn’t hurt to take a break when you can, like now.”
Kushan chuckled softly. Then his gaze landed on Kim’s neck.
“You didn’t write that again, did you?”
“No, I didn’t. You think I suck pills at every opportunity.”
“…Hmm. Let’s just schedule a checkup.”
This was not something I would have turned down. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten the message, but the mutation would have happened anyway.
“Okay, that’s it for the report. I’m sorry to have kept you so long, I know there’s a lot of people waiting.”
“I wasn’t even making small talk.”
When the conversation was wrapped up, Kim stood up. Before she left, she asked a few questions.
“Yeah, I didn’t see the professor, where did he go again?”
“If you’re a professor, you’re in Albania. Nothing to do with the Legion.”
Albania is the setting for the main Episode 5.
“It’s definitely thrown the whole sequence off.
Future enemies have died early. The civil war in Pekatum doesn’t have to break out. My mind is almost to Episode 10, but it’s still early in the timeframe.
“That’s how busy you’ve been.
For a while, it felt like I could really rest. I’d left Edwin’s information for Kushan to dig up on his own, and now that I’d been gone for months, it was time to focus on my relationships.
Suddenly, a face popped into my head.
“……With a warning.