Chapter 46

Benedict’s office.

Maria only gave a light knock before naturally stepping inside.

“I came to share some news with you.”

“Alright, come up to the desk.”

Benedict welcomed her just as calmly.

By now, she had visited his office quite a few times. Yet even though she came and went so openly, not a single person suspected her.

That was all because Aaron had delegated a large portion of his work to Benedict.

This time as well, Maria had come ‘personally’ carrying documents Benedict would handle on Aaron’s behalf.

However, since these were things that could have been processed remotely, Benedict knew there was another reason for her visit.

“Looks like you have something to say. By the way, what’s that man doing?”

“He’s training the special scholarship students.”

“Again? He’s putting in quite a lot of affection.”

Benedict shook his head as if he couldn’t comprehend it at all. The Aaron he knew always dealt with scholarship students in a strictly businesslike manner.

No—rather than businesslike,

Mechanical. Emotionless.

And that was how it was supposed to be.

As with most corporate sponsors, Academy students were nothing more than living weapons to them.

‘Occasionally show up to check their condition, fix or discard defective ones, and further train the useful ones.’

That was the job of a corporate sponsorship head like Aaron—ensuring a sufficient supply of valuable human resources for the company.

Yet for some reason, when it came to the two special scholarship students he had personally selected, Aaron had been showing a completely different attitude.

Of course, there was no doubt that Iri Elisbell and Miyu possessed talents unmatched anywhere else.

Especially Miyu—wasn’t she a heaven-sent genius who could take the essence of a low-rank demon and instantly create an Arcane Module?

In that sense, showering them with attention and care could be considered natural. The problem was that the person doing so was Aaron Stingray.

“For a man who saw even the most brilliant genius as nothing more than a rolling pebble… why is it different with those two girls?”

“Would you like to see this?”

Instead of answering his question, Maria placed a chip in front of Benedict.

“Hm…”

Benedict alternated his gaze between Maria’s face and the data chip, then inserted it into the socket at his temple.

Immediately, the information stored in the chip appeared in his augmented-reality view. Among the many files, the most eye-catching one was a video.

He played it right away.

Ssshhhhhh—!

A deafening rain sound filled the air.

“What is this…?”

“It’s footage from the recent Titan incident, edited from our reconnaissance satellite’s recording.”

“I see.”

The video continued.

In the distance, the massive back of a Titan came into view. In its path, a small human figure appeared—Aaron’s treasured scholarship student, Iri Elisbell.

Targeted by the Titan, she was soon rescued by Aaron, who then slaughtered the Titan in just a few minutes.

The footage ended there.

Nothing Benedict hadn’t already known. He looked at Maria with an irritated glare.

“And what of it? Is this why you came?”

“Please watch the very end of the footage. Specifically, zoom in on Young Master Aaron’s hand.”

“Hm.”

Still unconvinced, he replayed the footage, zooming in on Aaron’s hand in one of the clearer frames.

Then he realized it.

“This is…!”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Maria nodded.

“He was injured.”

Blood was slowly trickling from Aaron’s hand in the video.

It wasn’t obvious in the darkness and with his black gloves, and the wound had already healed during the recording, leaving it onscreen for only a fleeting moment.

But Aaron’s fingers were clearly misshapen, and there was blood.

In other words, he had been hurt.

Aaron Stingray himself—injured!

Benedict, unable to hide his surprise, asked,

“Are you sure about this?”

“I’m certain. The wound healed instantly thanks to his Cellular Regeneration Enhancement Module, but the fact remains that he was hurt.”

“Ha…!”

When Maria nodded, a smile formed on Benedict’s lips. That smile soon turned into loud, unrestrained laughter.

“Hahahaha! You’ve grown weak, brother! Weaker than even when you were suffering from that illness!”

Even when bedridden, Aaron’s might had been untouchable.

After all, despite having contracted a terrible terminal illness, his modules had remained intact.

Especially his signature [Cloud Spider] and [Techblade]—both Level 5 Arcane Modules.

With not one but two so-called “game-changer” modules, harming him, even when he was on the verge of death from illness, had been nearly impossible.

But now, things were different.

“Looks like [Cloud Spider] still works, but [Techblade] seems to be unusable.”

If Aaron could have used that monstrous sword, he could have slain the Titan without ever injuring his hand.

“Perhaps in the process of curing his illness, he lost the use of a number of his modules.”

If that was the case—

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Well done. Very well done.”

Benedict smiled in satisfaction.

“So that’s why my brother, who was so obsessed with pedigree, kept you close. Of course, he probably never imagined the knife he trusted would stab him in the foot.”

“…”

Maria didn’t answer.

Seeing her reaction, Benedict waved a hand dismissively and continued.

“Don’t take it the wrong way—it’s praise. You’ve laid the groundwork to save our group.”

“Is that… so?”

“That monster may be called the ‘Crown Prince’ now, but what do you think will happen to this city if he actually becomes the next ‘Emperor’?”

“…Yes.”

He wasn’t wrong, yet Maria’s expression remained far from bright. Not that Benedict, in his good mood, would bother noticing a subordinate’s feelings.

“In any case, good work. You can go now. I’ll contact you later when we have a concrete plan.”

“Benedict.”

“What is it?”

Maria hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously.

“Do you truly plan to eliminate Young Master Aaron?”

“What do you mean by that?”

At her words, Benedict’s expression twisted as if offended.

“Weren’t you the one who suggested it and brought me the information? Now you want to back out?”

“No, it’s not that, but…”

Maria desperately searched for an excuse. He might not be as bad as Aaron, but Benedict also had a strong streak of tyranny.

If she rubbed him the wrong way now, the outcome would not be pleasant.

“…We’re still dealing with the aftermath of the recent Titan attack. I think another major incident in this situation would be bad for our group.”

“I see. You’re right about that.”

Benedict finally eased his anger.

“With one whole colony gone, more incidents would make things look suspicious. So, when do you think would be best?”

“At the very least, it would be better to wait until this week’s G20 is over.”

“That’s no problem. I’ll take that into account when making the plan.”

“Thank you.”

“No, it’s clear you’re the only one who truly puts our group first.”

Maria bowed her head slightly in courtesy. As they spoke, she gathered up the approved electronic documents from Benedict’s desk into her arms.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Alright.”

Leaving behind the satisfied Benedict, Maria stepped out of the office. As she walked, she murmured under her breath so no one could hear.

“…Is this really the right thing to do?”

The opportunity had come.

A chance to hunt the monster.

She had found proof that the monster had grown weak.

But for some reason, doubt had settled in her mind. Was this truly the path for the good of the group?

Was Aaron Stingray truly an irredeemable butcher? Was he truly an unrepentant, blood-soaked monster?

She didn’t know.

She truly didn’t know.

She had worked by Aaron’s side all this time, confident that she had spent more time with him than anyone else.

And just a month ago, she had been certain Aaron was a monster who needed to die.

But something had changed.

Something she hadn’t mentioned to Benedict.

The subtle expression Aaron showed when looking at Iri or Miyu, or the way he treated those around him—

These small changes made her feel, perhaps mistakenly, that he was no longer the same dreadful monster he once was.

If that were truly the case…

‘No, it’s too late to turn back now.’

She had already crossed the line.

Regret would do no good.

She tried to etch that fact deep into her heart again, but her strength left her body once more.

And she asked herself again—

‘Is this really the right thing?’

The G20 Corporate Summit.

Among the various megacorps in New Valhalla City, it was a gathering of those ranked in the top 20 by market capitalization—a grand banquet.

Held from the last day of March for four days at the Grand Regency Convention Center in Sector B,

The so-called “G20 Corporate Summit” was not only a social event for the elite but also a showcase where the top 20 companies unveiled their newest products—a kind of expo.

“It’s already noisy.”

I muttered while looking down from the aerial sedan.

It wasn’t on the scale of Trinity Academy, but the Grand Regency Convention Center still seemed quite large.

Maria replied to my musing.

“They say it’s larger than last year. They even invited prominent figures from the art world to perform grand shows at the outdoor plaza.”

“And besides that?”

“Other than the performances, it’s similar to last year. There’s an academic forum in Hall B, and in Hall C there’s a product fair and exhibitions.”

“I see.”

In the original story, the Titan attacked on the very day the G20 was held.

Because the focus had been on the protagonist and Iri, I hadn’t known much about the G20 itself.

But hearing Maria’s explanation piqued my curiosity.

Come to think of it, since arriving in this world, I’d only been concerned with things like the Stingray Group, the Academy, and the scenario.

Apparently, they even had exhibitions and trials for products civilians could use… I felt like ditching all work and going to enjoy it.

“Young Master, should I arrange your schedule?”

Perhaps reading my mind, Maria asked. But I shook my head.

“No. I’ll leave it for another time. Thinking about meeting Father kills the mood.”

“Understood.”

The Emperor, Drake Stingray.

The head of the group and my father.

And in the original, one of the final-boss-level villains who stood in the protagonist’s way.

‘I didn’t want to meet him this soon.’

During this G20 Corporate Summit, I was to meet—no, be granted an audience with—Chairman Drake Stingray at his summons.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant.

‘I’ve recovered two key Level 5 Arcane Modules, but with my strength still incomplete, this feels risky. And besides…’

I glanced sideways at Maria.

I’d been so focused on spending time with our people lately that I was late to notice, but something about Maria felt… off.

I couldn’t explain exactly what, but it was subtly different from usual.

‘Now that Act 1 is over, I really need to decide what to do about Maria…’

While I was thinking that, my aerial car passed the convention center and headed for a nearby hotel parking lot.

From what I heard, the convention hall was more of a public-facing space, while the real VIPs met here.

For something in Sector B, it was lavishly decorated.

I got out of the car and began walking into the hotel under Maria’s guidance.

Just then, another aerial car pulled into the parking lot slightly after us.

If they were coming here, they must also be important VIPs. I was about to glance at them and head inside when something about them felt familiar, so I paused.

And sure enough—

As the door opened, a woman stepped out surrounded by numerous bodyguards.

“Ah, meeting you here, Brother.”

“Kallia.”

Kallia Stingray.

My younger sister.

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