Chapter 248

The Megacorps of New Valhalla City had an inseparable relationship with the organizations of the Underworld of Sector E.

No matter how much a Megacorp acted as a modern-day aristocracy wielding absolute power, there were always plenty of ‘dirty’ tasks that could not be resolved through their in-house Intelligence Division or Security Division.

Whenever it became necessary to cleverly deceive the eyes of the government (more precisely, politicians or legal professionals backed by rival corps), they would often borrow the strength of the Mafia or various gangs.

And when young gangs who held this city in such “high regard” happened to provoke a corporation’s displeasure—

For example, by ambushing a corporate convoy and swallowing up newly developed corporate weapons being delivered from a colony into the city.

In order to prevent a rain of corporate fire from pouring down upon all of Sector E, the larger organizations would identify the culprits in advance and voluntarily deliver their heads.

Therefore, it was inevitable that ripples would spread among the leaders of each organization. No matter how many past experiences they searched through—times they had cooperated with corporations or stood in opposition—never once had a Princess ‘personally’ paid a visit.

“What is this situation supposed to mean……? Am I dreaming right now?”

The Overseer of the Cyberwatch Gang muttered in bewilderment.

The other leaders, unable to believe it either, subtly signaled for the Overseer to confirm it.

He immediately activated his scanner to check whether Kallia was using any cyberware or module to alter her appearance, and the result showed a 99.9% probability that she was genuine.

“……It is the Princess herself.”

“Huh…….”

At his words, the others let out sighs.

The Cyberwatch Gang he led was famous for having even its lowest-ranking members composed of Techno-Wizards, and the Overseer himself ranked among the top five Wizards in this city.

Even if he was notorious as a severe pedophile, his skill alone was undeniable. His words carried weight.

“If the Overseer says so, then it must be true. To think I would meet royalty in person before I die. What an honor.”

“I am pleased to meet you as well, Marcello. The same goes for the rest of you. I would have liked to see you sooner, but circumstances were not favorable.”

With that, Kallia walked toward the table, her heels clicking sharply.

Her bodyguard pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down with her back straight, as if accustomed to such courtesies.

Silence filled the meeting hall.

With the sudden appearance of the Princess, the leaders of each organization began frantically calculating in their heads.

—The Princess herself appears? I did not expect that. But why is the Stingray Group taking interest in this matter? Is there something I do not know?

—If I kidnapped that woman right here, how much could I sell her for? The story of a noble daughter sold into a brothel and falling into depravity…… No, I should stop. Forget the aftermath—the level of those bodyguards is no joke.

—The Stingray Group……!

Marcello’s Family, Cyberwatch, and Technotology. While the leaders of each group remained tense, only Ryu Takashi of the Black Dragon Gang quietly smiled with her eyes.

Seeing that, the three assumed she had coordinated in advance with the Princess’s side.

And just like the other leaders, Kallia herself could not relax either. More precisely, she was struggling to keep her senses amid the overwhelming stench of blood hanging in the air.

The smell is… horrible…….

It had reeked of blood even when facing only Ryu Takashi, but now that the others were present, it was driving her mad. It felt as though she were rolling around in a pit of corpses with maggots.

The Overseer, a sage-level Techno-Wizard of Cyberwatch whom even the government could not apprehend. Marcello, called the godfather of the underworld. And even BR29, leader of an android terror organization…….

Each and every one of them was a criminal beyond what the word “worst” could adequately describe.

Wanting to live purely in this city might be closer to insanity than idealism, but even so, the thought that she had to join hands with people like them made her feel wretched beyond measure.

You have fallen far, Kallia.

To speak with the scum of society at eye level like this. It meant she was in a desperate situation.

Suppressing the rising nausea with difficulty and maintaining a poker face, she spoke.

“Was it called the ‘Kim Cheolsu Faction’? I heard it is the leader of an organization growing at a frightening pace in Sector E recently.”

“……So it is.”

“Yes. You are wondering what intention I have in inserting myself into this battleground, correct? But as you all know, while operating a corporation in this city, it is impossible not to extend a hand to you. Whether one likes it or not.”

“Extend a hand? It would be more accurate to say you toss us a dog treat and make us wag. Heh heh.”

The Overseer laughed self-deprecatingly.

No matter how much they boasted about ruling the underworld, he knew all too well that compared to the power wielded by supergiant corporations like Stingray and Militech, they were nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

“It seems Her Highness intends to raise the stakes in exchange for something. Spare us the roundabout talk and get to the point.”

“……Since it seems you do not trust me, I shall first show you the goods.”

At Kallia’s gesture, the bodyguard behind her placed a rectangular case on the table.

At first glance it looked like a briefcase, but upon closer inspection it was clear that special security measures had been applied.

Click.

When the bodyguard inserted the key and turned it, the lock released, and from within, brilliant light spilled out along with a burst of icy white vapor.

The moment he saw it, Marcello spoke.

“……Military-grade Arcane Modules.”

Inside the case were combat module chips packed tightly.

All of them were military-grade Arcane Modules of Lv.3 or higher. On the opposite side were ampoules of ‘Adam’, the nanomachines officially produced by Stingray, arranged in a neat row.

Their value alone amounted to at least tens of billions of Credits.

With that quantity, it was enough to create at least a dozen high-level Adaptees with a total output of Lv.80 or higher.

“According to what I investigated, the Kim Cheolsu Faction secured its initial operating funds through the arms business and armed its subordinates that way. The problem is that the exact source and buyers of those weapons are unclear.”

“…….”

Kallia began speaking, yet no one reacted to her words. Every participant had their gaze captured by the contents of the case she had presented.

Regardless, she continued.

“No matter how deeply one digs, no trail can be found. That suggests a high probability that the Kim Cheolsu Faction either has connections with Militech—or gained power through some other method.”

“……Some other method?”

“Why ask? You all know already. I am referring to the ‘Dragon.’”

The expressions of the organization leaders twisted.

The story of the mysterious ‘Dragon’ roaming Sector E was something everyone knew, yet pretended not to.

“Although the Kim Cheolsu Faction now numbers close to two thousand members, it is said that it began with only two. Kim Cheolsu himself, who appeared during the assault on the Salvatore Family, and a masked man.”

“And?”

“Rumors say they armed themselves with weapons diverted from our side at Stingray, but according to my investigation, that is not true. Which leaves only one conclusion.”

That conclusion.

Kim Cheolsu and the masked man.

The two had encountered the Dragon.

“……Hah. An interesting hypothesis.”

“Whether it is merely a hypothesis or not can only be confirmed through verification, but I find it quite plausible. To summarize the situation: what you are facing is not a newly emerged ‘competitor,’ but rather the Dragon’s subordinates.”

“…….”

Silence fell.

Having successfully seized control of the atmosphere, Kallia pressed on with greater confidence.

“To be blunt, in your current state, you will never defeat the Kim Cheolsu Faction empowered by the Dragon. There are two choices. Submit beneath them—or fight and die like Crimson of Beast.”

“[Threats will not work.]”

BR29, who had remained silent until now, spoke.

“[Kallia Stingray. You are subtly steering us toward a conclusion. You know we have no choice but to fight, and you are attempting to shake our emotions to your advantage. But if you believe that will work, you are gravely mistaken.]”

“I merely stated the facts.”

“[Facts and truth are not the same. Even the same words can be received entirely differently depending on tone, expression, and order. Ultimately, you are coercing us into a deal.]”

“Well, let us say that is true. Now that you are aware of it, will you choose a different option?”

“[No. I only pointed out your approach. Everything you have said is a conclusion derived from reasonable grounds and inference. In reality, there is a very high probability that the Kim Cheolsu Faction encountered a Dragon and gained power from it.]”

“Hmph.”

Kallia scoffed.

It displeased her that a mere android dared to critique her words—and worse, that his critique had disrupted the atmosphere she had carefully constructed.

As BR29 implied, saying “This may be dangerous as it is; if you sign a contract with me, I can help” and saying “We are all going to die! If you want to live, sign a contract with me!” carried entirely different impressions, despite conveying the same message.

Kallia had subtly tried to pressure them in order to secure a more advantageous position in the deal, but BR29’s intervention had thwarted her plan. It was regrettable.

Kuhuhu.

A sudden laugh rang out. When she turned, Ryu Takashi was covering her face with a folding fan, laughing softly.

It was as if she were saying, “Child. Did you think such shallow rhetoric would work on us?”

“……!”

Kallia’s cheeks twisted with shame and anger. But she quickly regained control of her expression and shrugged as though unaffected.

“If my tone offended you, I apologize. However, the fact remains that you require my assistance—”

“Enough. The terms.”

The Overseer cut her off.

Kallia blinked in slight confusion.

“Yes?”

“We know everything you said is correct, Princess. And honestly, the equipment you showed us is tempting. But if you are selling something, you need to show the price tag. Tell us what you want in return.”

In short, they would hear the conditions and then decide. The others appeared to agree with the Overseer.

Though there had been minor setbacks, Kallia realized she had ultimately steered the conversation where she wanted. Relaxing slightly, she spoke with renewed confidence.

“What I want is—.”

The meeting ended.

After everyone departed, Kallia spoke privately with her Attendant inside the aerial limousine.

“Lady…….”

“I know.”

“Do you truly believe those bottom-feeding criminals will accept your proposal at face value……?”

“I said I know.”

What Kallia had requested was none other than the assassination of the current ruling party’s leader, Raymond Beresford—the man who had led the opposition against the Special Law for Adaptees last year, and the father of Serena.

The justification presented was this: “By killing him, we can push once more for the enactment of the Special Law for Adaptees, and in doing so weaken the power of our rival and high-level Adaptee, Aaron Stingray.”

With the city council’s General Election just around the corner, the leaders did not seem to doubt her demand. A contract of that magnitude justified offering weapons worth tens of billions.

However……

“Ryu Takashi…… she seemed to be the only one who still doubted my story.”

“She appeared to have sharp instincts.”

“Did I reveal any weakness?”

“Not that I could see…… but I have a bad feeling. I apologize for lacking concrete evidence.”

“No, it is fine. That is understandable. They were all infamous figures in this city—for all the wrong reasons.”

Kallia let out a long sigh.

“It does not matter whether the assassination succeeds or fails. That is merely a surface-level reason. If it happens, good. If not, it changes nothing.”

“The risk is still too great. If this conversation were to leak outside…….”

“Then I would become the madwoman who commissioned the assassination of a politician. But working with criminals is like this. Did you not handle matters this way a few times during your time on the Security Team?”

“Th-That is true, but…….”

“I needed to stake my own face to truly deceive them. If I had sent a proxy for such a discussion, I would not have gained their trust.”

Kallia sighed again.

“What matters is that those criminals wage war among themselves and destroy one another. When Kim Cheolsu is weakened, we intervene. And then—.”

Her true objective was—

“I will claim the Dragon for myself.”

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