Chapter 153

Grigori Silvereyes.

A middle-aged wizard with mismatched golden and silver eyes, he visited the Militech Foundation office at Vladimir’s request.

‘How in the world am I supposed to make an excuse…….’

I had too many worries.

How could I possibly appease Vladimir Kharitonov, one of the most powerful figures in this city?

‘I should never have gotten involved in the first place…….’

Regret struck me too late.

How had I ended up facing a giant like Vladimir directly? In terms of ability, I was nothing more than an old, washed-up wizard.

‘Teacher, hah…… what teacher.’

Vladimir often called me “teacher,” revering me like some cult leader, but every time he did, my heart trembled so violently I could barely endure it.

I was just a mere wizard.

Yes, in the original work, I had been a villain big enough to push the protagonist into a corner—but that was only thanks to the match-up.

If Shade Wells hadn’t been just a young student, and if he hadn’t been a necromancer using hacking magic, I never would have shone so brightly.

Coldly speaking, I was out of my league.

I was fully aware that I was nowhere near the level of a monster like Aaron Stingray, let alone someone who could sit at the same table as Vladimir.

It was no exaggeration to say Vladimir was a true giant.

He was the heir to Militech, one of the city’s most prominent megacorps, a high-level Adaptee who wielded a Game Changer-class module, and the chairman of the Militech Foundation itself.

If he so wished, crushing someone like me would take no effort at all. And yet, here he was, addressing me as “teacher” with not just respect but genuine reverence. It was like an elephant bowing its head to a mouse.

But that situation had come to an end.

‘Since Militech lost in the [Showcase], Vladimir’s trust in me must have plummeted to the ground.’

I had boasted to Vladimir that I would bring down Aaron Stingray.

In return, he trusted me, pouring both students and money into my hands.

Thanks to that, the Transmigrator Alliance gained cards with which to exert influence over the Academy.

But with this [Showcase] ending in Militech’s defeat, the promise was broken. Vladimir was probably past disappointment, already consumed with rage toward me.

Thinking that, I found my steps heavy, unwilling to move.

Heading toward Vladimir’s office at the Militech Foundation, I felt like a prisoner walking to the gallows.

‘Should I run away…….’

The thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head.

Motherboard, which could have protected me, had been destroyed by Aaron Stingray. And running away here would only pour fuel onto Vladimir’s fury.

‘I must find some excuse, no matter what…….’

With that desperate resolve, I opened the office door—only to be met with an unbelievable sight.

First, the master of the office.

Chairman Vladimir lay collapsed on the floor, vomiting a yellow mess. His face was swollen on one side, as if slapped by a giant hand.

And across from him stood the main heroine of the original story, ‘Iri Elisbell.’ Beside her was the true culprit behind all of this, ‘Aaron Stingray.’

The office was a wreck, stinking of vomit and liquor. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what had happened here.

But one thing I knew for certain.

I should never have come.

“……I’ve come to the wrong place.”

Creeeeak.

There’s nothing in here.

I haven’t seen a thing.

Trying to hypnotize myself into believing that, I naturally tried to close the door……

Whoosh.

Something invisible wrapped around my wrist. Before I could even recognize what it was……

“Ah.”

I instinctively realized.

I’m screwed.

And just like that, I was dragged inside the office, swallowed whole.

Slaaaap—!

The sharp crack that rang across the office was so intense it almost sounded cheerful rather than menacing. Just how loud was it, to pierce through the Noise Canceler? Iri found herself oddly impressed.

‘Wh-who even is that man……?’

The moment Aaron saw the middle-aged man’s face, he frowned, snared him with the [Cloud Spider]’s thread, and dragged him inside.

Then he gave him a couple of hard slaps, asserting dominance before starting some kind of conversation. But thanks to the ‘Noise Canceler’ set up beside them, their talk was muted and inaudible to Iri.

She didn’t know what was going on, but she couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for the middle-aged man.

After all, his face was swollen like a blowfish even before the conversation began, already battered by Aaron’s fists.

‘It seems like they’re talking about something important…….’

Part of her wanted to stop Aaron and tell him he’d hit enough, but the atmosphere was so tense she didn’t dare interrupt.

The very reason for the Noise Canceler must have been to keep her from meddling.

“Sigh…….”

How had it come to this?

She had only tagged along with Aaron because she thought she might hear something about Donovan. But before she realized it, Aaron was beating up some unknown middle-aged man while she was left tending to a drunk and battered chairman of the Militech Foundation.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have followed him…….’

It felt like her being here wasn’t of any real help. But leaving on her own now would be strange, so she had no choice but to keep tending to Vladimir, who lay collapsed on the sofa.

For reference, the first-aid kit she was using had been brought in by Vladimir’s secretaries from outside.

What she couldn’t understand, though, was why those secretaries didn’t seem particularly concerned about their boss, despite the state he was in.

Finding it odd, Iri asked,

“Excuse me. Shouldn’t you take this man to a hospital? He’s your boss.”

—to which they replied,

“Ah, it’s fine. If we did that, he’d only get angry. ‘I didn’t lose to that bastard! Going to the hospital for this would be admitting I lost!’ he’d say. So it’s best to just leave him.”

A baffling answer, indeed.

……She didn’t know for sure, but it seemed Militech had some strange cultural quirks. Truly, Militech was a den of lunatics…… or so Iri thought, in a very Stingray-like way.

Anyway.

As Iri clumsily treated Vladimir’s face, swollen like a balloon, it happened.

“Ugh…….”

Having vomited heavily before collapsing, Vladimir stirred, his body trembling. Then, tears trickled down his cheeks.

Had she pressed too hard on his wound?

Startled, Iri quickly pulled her hand back. At the same time, Vladimir murmured faintly into the air.

“I’m…… sorry…… I’m sorry…….”

That apology—who in the world was it meant for?

And what kind of dream was he seeing?

I couldn’t know the exact content, but the moment I heard that mutter, anger I had locked deep inside my chest suddenly exploded.

“You—how dare you, with what conscience—!”

“……”

But only for a moment.

My voice faded before I could finish. What use was it to hold someone accountable when they were asleep? I only chewed on my lip.

Forget it.

I tossed the gauze I had been about to press onto Vladimir’s face right onto him, then slumped into the least messy corner I could find.

I just wanted to go home.

“So in short, you bastards only followed Motherboard’s orders? That you bear no fault?”

“Y-yes! We were only—!”

Slaaap!

I struck Grigori’s cheek once more.

His face was already so swollen that he couldn’t even speak properly, but I felt no pity. They had done enough to deserve this.

“You think that counts as an excuse? Turning a mere twenty-year-old brat into an Over-Augmented, nearly killing our kids in the [Showcase]—is that your excuse?”

“……I-I didn’t do it on my own!”

“Silence. Even if you really were only being manipulated by that AI, you’re my enemy now. I told you that clearly, didn’t I?”

I had given them the chance.

The choice to be on my side or against me. And aside from Serena Beresford and Kara the Red Fixer, every single one of them had turned their backs on me.

“P-please, give me just one more chance!”

“Why should I? Wouldn’t that be unfair to the two who chose me from the start? Why should I keep you alive?”

“In the original, we were also imp-portant characters……!”

“Ah, forget it.”

I snorted and waved my hand dismissively.

“The original’s already shattered beyond repair.”

“W-what are you saying?”

“You didn’t know? The Motherboard you served has twisted countless original characters.”

It had warped their personalities and identities completely, or else killed off those it couldn’t change—ensuring they would have no effect on the main story.

“Kara is currently investigating that, but even I found it difficult to intervene. It’s already like a butterfly’s wings turning into a hurricane that’s swept everything away.”

Many supporting roles and extras who should have filled their places had been wiped out. It was like a play where more than half the actors suddenly called in sick.

Even if the handful of characters in the Transmigrator Alliance tried to step up, they could never realign this distorted story back on track.

That was why I remained so unsettled. I had cut down every enemy in my way so far, yet this was the first time I was still so vexed even after they were dead.

‘I won, but it doesn’t feel like a victory.’

By destroying Motherboard, the scenario had jumped straight to Part 2, Act 2. As a result, I gained 15,000 points and obtained both a [Green Hunting Ground Ticket] and a [Yellow Hunting Ground Ticket].

And yet I couldn’t simply be happy.

Because of the aftermath caused by Motherboard, I wasn’t sure whether it was safe to proceed to the next scenario.

‘Part 2, Act 3 was Miyu’s episode.’

The incident where the devices Miyu created went berserk, pulling her back into the spotlight after she had lingered outside the frame for a while.

It was an episode where Miyu’s slowly growing spirit would finally awaken and solidify.

‘If I skip that, Miyu will remain the same timid, withdrawn girl she is now.’

So for Miyu’s future, it was an event that must not be skipped.

The problem was, the “pieces” needed to run it were now missing.

Of course, I could forcibly set the stage, but that risked causing complications or even backfiring.

‘This was Motherboard’s plan too…….’

To prevent the scenario from progressing, to stop the world from ever reaching its ending.

She had truly believed in the hypothesis of “Scenario Ending = End of the World.”

Of course, I had no definitive proof to claim the hypothesis was false. But cowering and doing nothing out of fear would get me nowhere, nor reveal the true intentions of that damned Author.

‘Even if I later have to drag out Part 3’s story forcibly, I’ll at least complete Part 2 first.’

Only that way could I gain more clues—through Achievement Points, the shop, and Hunting Ground Tickets—to uncover the secrets of this world.

‘The question is how to fill the holes in this puzzle board torn apart by Motherboard…….’

Hoo.

Rubbing my throbbing temple, I opened my mouth.

“Summon all Transmigrators immediately.”

“……What?”

“I won’t repeat myself. If you can’t even manage that, I’ll have no choice but to reevaluate your worth.”

Originally, I had planned to contact them through Serena or Kara. But compared to those two who had defected to my side, Grigori, who remained till the end, was the better option.

“Understand? Not a single one missing.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Grigori bowed repeatedly with his swollen face, then began contacting someone.

Meanwhile.

“Iri.”

I turned off the Noise Canceler and called out to Iri. Startled, she scrambled up from the floor where she had been sitting.

“Y-yes!? You called me?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded, glancing between Iri and Vladimir, still asleep on the sofa.

The picture wasn’t yet complete, so I couldn’t say for sure, but……

‘As expected, the two of them will be the core.’

With these two, I believed no matter what picture I painted, the story would be completed well.

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