Chapter 217

“How did the Black Dragon Gang matter go?”

“They said they’ll decide after meeting the young lady in person.”

“Then please schedule the meeting.”

After meeting Chairman Drake Stingray, Kallia had barely gotten any sleep. The excessive stress had cast faint shadows beneath her eyes.

Of course, even that flaw on her beautiful face somehow elevated into another form of beauty. But regardless, it was clear that she was suffering mentally.

‘I’m still not enough…’

She wasn’t someone without ambition.

If she could become the next chairperson of the Stingray Group, she wanted it. If she could monopolize her father’s love, she wanted that too.

But life rarely went according to one’s will.

Unfortunately for her, she had two older brothers—both exceptionally capable and monstrously egotistical. She had no choice but to live quietly beneath their shadows.

Aaron Stingray.

The undisputed strongest in New Valhalla City.

He was the kind of man who could turn a line like “he killed three men with just a pencil and walked out proudly”—something you’d hear exaggerated in a movie—into a literal reality.

In short, a One Man Army.

He had enough strength to wipe out an entire unit of Adaptees single-handedly and did so without hesitation.

And then there was Benedict Stingray.

He was often underestimated compared to his eldest brother Aaron, but he too was a genius. In his mere twenties, he had once served as the Head of Module Research in the Stingray Technology Division, one of the highest positions there. Under his guidance, countless new and powerful modules had been created.

If Aaron Stingray was someone who embodied raw strength himself, Benedict possessed the talent to make others strong through his inventions.

Had it not been for his severe personality flaws, he might have even rivaled Aaron.

In the shadows of such brothers, Kallia had long kept herself hidden—not because she wished to, but because she understood people well.

She knew what kind of power Aaron Stingray and Benedict Stingray wielded, and what kind of horrors they could unleash with it.

With her own means, she could never stand against the two madmen head-on. So she had waited in silence.

‘I knew a day like this would come…’

But she hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

She had wanted more time—to set her stage in her own way. She had planned to grow closer to the monster named Aaron Stingray, to tame him, and eventually turn him into her own weapon.

But that was no longer possible.

The Stingray Chairman would not allow her to linger in the shadows, sharpening her dagger forever. He had waited long enough. Now, he expected her to draw that blade and strike at her rivals’ throats.

She had been pushed onto the stage abruptly. With only a short, sharp dagger in hand, she now faced the moment when she had to bring down the monster that was Aaron Stingray.

That was why she had begun meeting people—humans—outside Aaron’s line of sight. She needed allies who would join her in this “monster hunt.”

“And the others?”

“The meeting with the headquarters executives is scheduled for the first of next month. With the Stingray Foundation representatives, on the third. As for the Academy Board…”

“Move all the meetings up as much as possible. And make them face-to-face, if you can.”

“But, ma’am, your current schedule is already packed.”

“I don’t care.”

Even if it meant overworking herself, she had to keep moving.

If she grew complacent and the monster caught wind of her plans, it would be disastrous. She had to gather as many hunters as possible and strike all at once—to minimize damage and secure the monster’s carcass.

Yet even with all this preparation, Kallia remained uneasy.

‘If my brother goes on a rampage, we’re doomed.’

She called it a monster hunt, but in truth, her weapons were only bound by human rules.

Her strategy was to draw people to her side and, under a shared goal, strip Aaron Stingray of his authority and status—to rob him of his claim as the Crown Prince and next Chairman of the Stingray Group.

But if Aaron Stingray were to be cornered and decided to wage an outright war, it would truly be catastrophic. Even if she survived such a disaster and emerged victorious, what she’d inherit would be a burned, desolate New Valhalla City.

If she was lucky, that is.

Otherwise, the other “kingdoms,” like Militech, might swoop in to devour the ashes of her fallen realm. And she, as the princess of a ruined kingdom, would have to quietly admit defeat and retreat.

That was the worst possible outcome.

‘I need to recruit more high-level Adaptees.’

She needed more physical power.

Even if the monster went berserk, she needed the strength to suppress him instantly. To counter a Game-Changer-class Module, she needed other Game-Changer-class Modules—and thus, more high-level Adaptees under her command.

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became, but she couldn’t stop. The moment to face the monster head-on was fast approaching.

The robot vacuum that had been buzzing around the floor suddenly stopped. Oddly enough, a pair of cat ears had been attached to its top, and even a tail hung from its back.

Perhaps because she herself had a robotic body, Ciel immediately sensed something strange in its movement.

Had Vladimir discovered the parts she secretly attached? No, that couldn’t be.

After all, there wasn’t even a full-body mirror in this room—only a smart mirror in the bathroom. There was no way the Vladimir model of robot vacuum could reflect its own body enough to notice such details.

“Why are you stopping, Mr. Vladimir~?”

[An email came to me.]

“You could still receive emails in that body~?”

[A while ago, that Modular kid following Aaron Stingray installed a mail function for me.]

See? I told you I didn’t get caught.

Judging that her secret was still safe, Ciel set down her study sheets—materials she’d been using to prepare for university—and looked straight at Vladimir.

Yup, still adorable.

Ciel nodded to herself in satisfaction.

But why cat ears, you ask?

Let’s just call it revenge.

After returning from Honeycomb City, Vladimir had been staying at Ciel’s home. Of course, she would’ve preferred to tell Aaron Stingray that she wanted to live alone, but in her current body, that was impossible.

Hiring someone to take care of him would’ve been… strange, to say the least. And you could never trust anyone who worked just for money. So until a “new body” could be completed, Ciel had taken it upon herself to look after him.

Naturally, Vladimir was a man who didn’t believe in the rights of Androids—even if that Android happened to be a sentient being and Aaron’s comrade, like Ciel.

So, when he went into “standby mode,” in other words, when he was asleep, Ciel secretly attached a few cat-like parts onto him. With those, even the foul-mouthed, ill-tempered Vladimir cleaning bot looked at least a little cute.

“What kind of email is it~?”

[It’s from Kallia Stingray.]

“Kallia…?”

[The youngest daughter of the Stingray Family. We’ve met a few times… no, quite often, actually. But why me, all of a sudden?]

“Couldn’t it be something related to Lord Aaron~?”

[Hmm…….]

That was probably the most reasonable assumption.

Perhaps it even had something to do with Benedict Stingray’s death in Honeycomb City not too long ago.

Unlike Aaron Stingray, who still had rivals, Vladimir, the sole heir of Militech, didn’t.

That guy must be having quite the headache.

“What will you do~?”

[I’ll ignore it for now.]

He didn’t particularly consider Aaron Stingray a friend, but betraying him at a time like this felt wrong in every possible way. Not to mention, in this current state, he couldn’t even meet anyone properly.

[Let him know about this.]

“Understood~!”

Responding cheerfully, Ciel watched as Vladimir began roaming the floor again.

Vladimir wasn’t the only one who had received a secret email from Kallia. One had also arrived for Kara the Red Fixer.

“Fixer?”

“My apologies. Give me a moment.”

In the middle of negotiations with a client from the City Government, she frowned after checking the message. But only for a moment. Soon, she closed the mail and turned back to the client.

“All right, let’s continue.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

Kara shrugged lightly.

“It’s best not to get involved in monsters’ battles.”

At last.

I met him.

Finally.

That was the only thought that crossed my mind before I realized—this was not the same place as moments ago.

The world had dimmed as if covered in dark clouds, and there wasn’t a single trace of wind.

Everything had stopped.

The flow of air, the motion of the sun.

Even Evangeline, who had been perched on my head, was gone. It felt as if I’d been cut out from reality and brought into this space alone.

And then—someone appeared.

A man with a gentle, good-natured face.

He wore a brown wool turtleneck and jeans.

Black-rimmed glasses. Curly hair.

His back was slightly hunched, perhaps the early stage of a forward neck posture, and he was on the thin side. At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about him.

But the mere fact that he had appeared here, in this way, was enough to tell me he wasn’t an ordinary person.

He was undoubtedly the Author.

If my memory served me right, his pen name was [CRyStaliAn]—pronounced Kristarian.

What should I say?

Here, now.

What… should I say?

My mind went blank, like a clean white sheet of paper. Just as I was about to muster the will to speak, he opened his mouth first.

“Hello.”

“……”

“Ah… Did I startle you? Honestly, I didn’t want to intervene like this either, but…”

Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, the man smiled faintly.

I took a deep breath and carefully spoke up.

“Kristarian?”

“Yes. That’s the pen name I use.”

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped my lips.

I had wanted to meet him someday, yes—but never like this.

Especially not after everything I’d gone through since falling into this world. I couldn’t bring myself to feel joy.

More than anything, I couldn’t understand why, now, and like this—he wanted to meet me. That unease made my tone inevitably sharp.

“What do you want from me?”

At my question, the Author—Kristarian—paused, then replied:

“I came to ask for your opinion.”

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