It was a luxurious office.
The room is large and decorated with precious works of art, taken from every country, East and West, ancient and present. For this reason, it was even as interesting as an exhibition room rather than an office.
The middle-aged man, the lord of the room, also wears an expensive tuxedo to see. The watches and rings worn are so first-class that they slightly exceed the average citizen's annual income.
Everyone's enviable wealth, and the name of the man who held fame, is called Andreas Hooger. At the head of the Hooger Chamber of Commerce, he is also a millionaire in this empire.
But Andreas, who is supposed to be singing the spring of our world, is still walking around the room with his face so bright blue that he is likely to graduate. It's like a bear trapped in a cage.
The truth, Andreas, was in a mood like being trapped in a dark, narrow cage.
"Damn...... How could you do this..."
How many times has that dialogue been repeated?
"All of you... snakes... Noel Stolen..."
Nor do I know how many times I've spoken of his curse on snakes.
The beginning in the first place was the party to which Andreas was invited. I thought it was just a social circle and I joined in, but there was a hell of a ending ahead of me.
Two years ago, Andreas murdered one of his commercial enemies. The man had sniffed that Andreas was smuggling demonic (beast) material into another country and plotted to take over the Hooger Chamber of Commerce for the story. So I had to kill him.
And the person who rubbed that sin is Hugo Coppelius. The Justice Department determined Hugo was the killer, and Andreas never had a suspicious eye.
It was all supposed to work out.
"Fuck wow!!!
An exasperated Andreas punches his desk with that anger. After beating him many times until his fist ripped, he slammed him against his desk and shook his shoulder and cried out.
"It's over... I'm done..."
At the end of that party, Noel Stolen, master of Storm-Winged Snakes (Wild Tempest), pleaded guilty to Hugo Coppelius. Not only that, it also revealed the injustice of the Ministry of Justice, and even summoned Count Lester Graham, a former and deputy attorney general.
The truth, published in the place where the heavy towns of all walks of life gathered, spread throughout the empire through newspapers. Public opinion sympathizes with poor Hugo and also harshly condemns the Justice Ministry for committing injustice.
It is not the name of the real killer that has been named, but if a re-investigation is conducted with the backing of public opinion, it is likely that we will reach Andreas. No, not until a re-investigation is carried out, and Andreas' sins have already been uncovered.
Noel, who pleaded guilty to Hugo's wrongdoing, saw Andreas at the end. It's not a mistake. I did see eye to eye. And that cunning boy, he laughed. He smiled at Andreas, with his cold eyes as if he were a serpent who identified his prey.
"He definitely realizes I'm a mastermind..."
I can deduce that you didn't expose Andreas' sins on that occasion because you intend to use that story. No contact yet, but now it's up to Noel to keep Andreas alive or kill him.
What if I change my mind and publish Andreas' sins? In the first place, what if I already told someone? Thinking about it, I didn't feel very comfortable living.
"Oh, no, it's not easy for a man to cry, is it?
I heard an unexpected voice. It's like a man and a woman, a strange voice.
When Andreas looked back to his surprise, something stood there wrapped around a pitch-black robe. The door to the room remains locked. Normally, you can't let them in. Moreover, its face was unnaturally hidden in the shadow of a dark hood, unable to ascertain its face.
Andreas is breathtaking to an intruder who doesn't know what to do. But after a while, someone came to mind.
"Ki, you, the King of Chi?"
When Andreas inquires, the faceless intruder bows respectfully.
"Dear Left, Dear Andreas. I am the King of the Horse."
"Again, it's you..."
I know who you are, but I can't relieve Andreas of his tension. Rather, it makes me even more alert. Andreas knows about the King of the Hood, but therefore he also knew that this Phantom was something he should never trust.
In the first place, it was when I decided to murder a merchant enemy.
Originally, it should have been left to the Luciano group (family) in the honeymoon relationship, but they turned it down when it was too risky to kill a large number of influential commercial enemies.
He was also taught, for similar reasons, that the Assassins (Assassins) Order would say no. Regardless of the Assassin Church, the current head of the Church will never get a dangerous job.
But if you can't kill a commercial enemy, Andreas has no future. When he was on the verge of giving up, the chairman of the Luciano group (family) said he knew someone who might be able to solve the problem. - That's the King of the Horse.
The King said that he would solve any problem if only he had money in his back society. In the industry of anything, a dangerous case expert that no decent person would want to receive is called a corpse meat eater (scavenger). And the most famous of the dead meat eaters (scavengers) is the King of the Beast.
In other words, he is the king of corpse meat eaters (scavengers).
The chairman of the Luciano group (the family) introduced the King of Chi, while also saying never trust him. At that time, I didn't know what words meant. More importantly, at the time, Andreas couldn't even afford to think, as he was cornered enough to grab the straw as well.
It was not until a few days after I hired the King of Chi via the Luciano group (family) that I found out how the merchant enemy had been killed.
Indeed, Andreas wanted the death of a commercial enemy. But I didn't want such a miserable way to kill him. Even a young child was murdered if that's all. Andreas sincerely regretted that he had hired the King of Tsubaki.
After everything had been done, Andreas had only met with the King of Tsubaki once. We met unintentionally, not exactly. When I was visiting the museum with my family, someone accidentally rubbed it off and whispered in my ear.
- I look forward to hearing from you again.
Even then, I couldn't see my face, but just like now, I had a strange voice, like a man and a woman.
"... what have you come to do, King of Tsubaki?
"What? Isn't it cold, Master Andreas? If you're in trouble, why aren't you calling me?
"Don't be ridiculous! I didn't ask for your help!
Andreas shouted out loud.
"Speaking of the original, this situation must be your fault! You rubbed your sins on Hugo Coppelius, so the case was torn back!
To Andreas, who reproaches him, but the king shakes his head.
"That's a theory of results, isn't it? If you didn't rub it against someone, the Justice Department would have found out you were behind this. No, even if we don't find out, a background check should have revealed that you were smuggling demonic (beast) material into another country."
"Duh, why, about smuggling?
Only the Luciano group (family) knows about smuggling. Regardless of the moving Andreas, the King of the Horse continues pale.
"At the time, the Department of Justice determined that Hugo was the killer without much investigation, with the aim of improving the image of the Department of Justice by resolving the case early. To do that, a more sensational case would have been more convenient there."
"Is that why you killed him that way?
"Exactly. I chose Hugo Coppelius, an up-and-coming doll writer who was the subject of alleys, to perform the hunting murders and rub their sins against. Andreas knows very well that the plan worked."
True, if only the snake hadn't shown up, everything would have gone well. It is only with consequential condemnation that I blame the King of the Horse here.
"... ok. Enough of that. But what more can you do?
"It's easy. You can kill Hugo Coppelius in prison."
"You think I'm gonna kill Hugo? So what's the solution?
"If Hugo dies in prison, the criticism goes to the Justice Department - and then to the administration. National sentiment will explode and develop into a massive demonstration that the government can't even stop. No, we just have to work to make sure the demonstration happens. Then I won't be able to afford to hold you accountable."
"Sure, you may not be guilty during the demonstration, but what if it's over?
"Why don't we take action by the end? Once turned into a mob, the anger of the people is not so easy to quell."
In the first place, the king said to laughter.
"Snakes seem to find you a mastermind, but they shouldn't have any specific physical evidence. I mean, without Hugo, the person in the vortex, it's hard to pursue that case any further. Snakes will also give up on their own. It's not our enemy."
"I see... But does it work that well?
"Of course."
The King of Chi affirms with a confident voice. And I added:
"If you don't choose the means, anything is possible."
Andreas lay his eyes down and worried. If we rely on this Phantom, we might be able to solve the problem again. But as long as I continued to rely on this Phantom, I had a feeling that a great disaster would come.
And when Andreas lifted his gaze, the king of the oxen stood right in front of him. Standing at a very close distance, the shape of its face is uncertain.
No, you're not.
Andreas finally realized. From the beginning, the King of Tsubaki did not have a face. The part that I thought was my face was filled with innumerable pieces. This Phantom has massive swarms and human shapes.
"Ha, the King of Tsubaki, what the hell are you..."
To Andreas, who chills his spine, the king of the jaws tells him slowly.
"Come on, make your decision."
Andreas couldn't move because of fear. Because if I refused, I instinctively assumed they would kill me on this occasion. There was only one path to choose from from the beginning.
"... okay. I don't mind the money in words. I'll leave everything to you..."
†
†
The plug arrived at Hugo's that day.
The sender is Noel. Delivered was a leather trunk with clothes inside. At first glance, it's just a swallow tail suit, but Hugo quickly figured out that it was a combat suit made of demonic (beast) material.
Because it's the exact same combat suit you wore when you were a Seeker.
Braided from the yarn of the Devil (Beast) and Prison Flame Spider (Atlanat) belonging to Depth 10, this battle suit is equipped with all kinds of attack resistance, as well as magic restoration boosting effects. It is a very compatible piece of equipment for puppet masters with heavy magic consumption.
In addition to his clothes, he also included glasses for combat aids. This one is made from the cornea of the Devil of Depth 8 (Beast) and the Bamboo King of the Devil's Eye (Dantalion). I can't peek into the minds of others like the devil-eyed baboon king (Dantalion), but I had the ability to expand my horizons.
Having checked the contents, Hugo smiles bitterly and sees the guard who brought this.
"I don't think you can give it to a prisoner, though?
The guard looked troubled but shook his head.
"You are a prisoner, not a prisoner"
"So you don't mind if I have it?
To the nodding guard, Hugo smiled bitterly again.
As the guard said, Hugo now is a prisoner, not a prisoner. Not only has treatment improved, but collars have also been removed that interfere with the activation of skills.
Nominally, he's been captured waiting for a retrial, but now it's because no one thinks Hugo is the killer. The guards also understand that Hugo will be released soon, so there is no reason to flee.
After the guard left, Hugo tried putting his sleeves through his combat clothes. I bump because my body is thin, but if I go back to my original shape, it will fit perfectly. However, it was still difficult to move, so I took off my jacket. If it's just a shirt and sleeveless vest (waistcoat), it's not so bad in its current shape.
"... Hmm"
Hugo moves his hand in white gloves, gripping and opening it. It's been quite a while since I retired, but when I wore this battle suit, I found myself naturally stirred up and willing to fight.
"Even with blanks, your body is what you remember..."
Noel wants Hugo to be one of them. Hugo was also beginning to be interested in the clan led by Noel - the Stormwing Snake (Wild Tempest).
But the answer is still to be decided. I decided cheaply and just wanted to avoid regretting it. That would be something you wouldn't want, even for Noel seeking Hugo.
"Yeah?"
Hugo, who was confirming his battle suit, found a piece of paper in his sleeveless vest (waistcoat) chest pocket. Apparently, it's something Noel could have snuck up on.
When I took it in my hand, the paper said:
"We'll do it flashy."
"... yeah?
Hugo tilts his neck without knowing what it means.
It was then...
"Become!?
Unexpectedly, my body melts. Consciousness begins to blur. A strange sweet scent tickles my nasal cavity. This anomaly was experienced two years ago.
"... no way, is he coming?
An abominable true killer who put Hugo to sleep and tailored him to the killer. In exactly the same situation as then, sweat blows out of Hugo's entire body.
"Goddamn it..."
Hugo tried to bite his tongue to awaken consciousness, but even that power did not work satisfactorily. I can't even move one finger and fall to the floor.
When I noticed, on Hugo's side, there was someone standing in a black robe.
Hugo squeezes his last force and tries to activate his skills, but it was still impossible too. My consciousness is blurred and I can't control my magic.
Never again - so when I was ready to die, something incredible happened.
An ear-busting explosion rocked the whole prison.
It was obvious that something exploded. And a sudden, awesome blast blasted the door of Hugo's room, knocking an unprotected raider against the wall.
However, Hugo, who was wearing a jailfire spider (Atlanat) battle suit, did not have to take the blast damage. Moreover, the consciousness that was about to be sucked into Nara becomes clear. Apparently, the blast diffused the sleeping air.
Hugo stood up instantly as the smoke stood. To the smell of gunpowder poking your nose, guess what happened. I had to be stunned because I guessed.
"Then you say it's a bomb? ……
I mean, there was a bomb planted in this prison. And that exploded at the perfect time, which gave Hugo his whole life to nine deaths.
The raider slammed against the wall seems to have done a lot of damage, falling but fluttering feet. He was also weak as he laid out his sword.
Given the circumstances, it was not the raiders who planted the bomb. It's just pointless, like a trick that puts me at a disadvantage. Then there's one killer...
"Noel Stolen...... You read this far...... Are you going to get this far..."
Hugo was going to understand Noel's heterogeneity. But that was an understatement. Though to save Hugo, there is so much out of common sense, such as blowing up a prison.
That snake - it's just a storm incarnation - so that disaster doesn't look at people.
"... kukukukukuku, ahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
Hugo laughed. I laughed out loud, without laughing at anyone.
"... I understand, Noel. You're definitely the strongest and the fiercest."
Gently whine and activate the puppet master's skills.
Puppet Skill: Spear Soldier created "Servant Lancer".
It was the doll soldier in armor with the spear who broke down and rebuilt the surrounding matter and appeared.
Hugo, who could follow the doll soldier beside him, raises his chin and stares at the raider.
"I hate violence. It's not beautiful. But..."
A magically knitted thread stretched out of Hugo's finger, connecting him to a doll soldier.
Puppet (Kutsu) Skill: Magic Yarn Exercise Puppet (etherlink).
Skill that multiplies its performance tenfold by connecting with doll soldiers with a magic thread.
"Once in a lifetime or so, it's not bad to entrust yourself to vengeance"
†
†
Andreas' attempt to assassinate Hugo was readable from the beginning.
If Hugo dies in prison, national sentiment could explode and develop into a demonstration so massive that no one can control it. If that happens, it's not where Andreas is going to be guilty.
In the first place, because there is no physical evidence to prove that Andreas is a mastermind, it is very difficult to steam it back again when a demonstration occurs and the situation goes aye.
In the meantime, Andreas will take measures, too, and where Lester, with my breath hanging, has become Attorney General, it will still not turn out to be difficult.
Using Truth Breaking (Confess) can make you confess, but it is practically impossible to get a confession with psychiatric interferometric skills on someone with a social status because it involves considerable risks. If we're bad, we can hang ourselves as criminals.
Flipping an inconvenient board surface for you is a rambling but most effective measure. If you were in the opposite position, I would have aimed for it, too.
But that's why I figured I'd use it the other way around. That's why I deliberately kept Andreas swimming.
The other side of the story must be about assassinating Hugo, tailoring it as a task by the administration, and demonstrating it by directing public opinion further.
On the contrary, unless Hugo's assassination succeeds, that prospect will be frustrated. And if we can capture that executor, it will be clear evidence.
In order to do so, there is no point in preventing it. If we don't hold down the crime scene, it's not gonna be evidence of the real killer.
Over the past few days, we have rented a house near the prison so that we can respond whenever an assailant shows up in the prison, where he sleeps.
On a night when the full moon shines, from the roof of the house, there is a good view of the prison surrounded by water moats.
"Noel, I'm here."
Alma, who was on watch, captured the raider. Me, Kouga and Leon, who were taking a nap, rise to the report.
"How many?
"Uh-huh, about five, more or less? Some guys are pretty strong."
"I see. Again, you were right to have this ready"
I removed a box the size of which would fit flat in my hand from my nose. The box has a red button and if you push this hard, the bomb you planted in jail will explode.
I mean, it's a remote detonator.
"Even if we challenge our enemies to kill A-rank Hugo from the front right now, our wins are thin. So stir up with the bomb you planted and sweep that gap"
That was my interception plan.
It was Loki who planted the bomb in jail. The more Loki I tried to change to any appearance, the easier it seemed to be for the stretch to come out.
Of course, the blame for the bombing rubs on the raiders. You just tried to assassinate Hugo, the very bad guy who blew up a state-owned facility. It is a myth that we, the Stormwing Snake (Wild Tempest), were near the scene by chance.
If this succeeds, we will be the heroes of the Empire. For example, even if someone appears suspicious of a do-it-yourself (match pump), there are actually raiders, so you can escape any amount. Damn, thank you to Andreas for being our puller, if you can't cut it.
There's a wiretap in Hugo's room. The bug was connected to the earring-shaped machine attached to the left ear, and the audio transmitted bored the look inside.
"Well, it fits. - Let's go."
"Ma, wait!
Leon hung up on me when I tried to press the detonation button.
"Are you sure you want to blow up that prison?
"Oh, I'm gonna blow it up."
"It's not too late now, so why don't you stop? I knew the bombing was too much."
I sighed at Leon, who was completely scared.
"You've explained it many times, haven't you? It does blow up, but it's not that powerful. A Melee Function (Job) is a level that can withstand even a C-rank. That prison staff has no problem because they are all melee based functions (jobs) to capture prisoners. Even if you are unluckily seriously injured, immediate treatment will help. And to Hugo at the moment, we give him combat clothes with excellent defensive performance"
I'll explain the plan again, but Leon doesn't seem convinced.
"Yes, but the other prisoners will die, won't they?
"Die. But what happened to it? The prisoners in there are all villains except Hugo. What's the inconvenience of dying? Or are you still tied to your thoughts when you were the Heavenly Wings Knights? Don't disappoint me, Leon Frederick."
"It's not like that..."
Leon crippled himself, wrinkling between his eyebrows.
"I'll follow your instructions more than I chose you as my master. Even if it's against analogism, right? But it's also true that it's too much. Didn't you?"
"No, you're not."
I can also understand the mood Leon disagrees with. Regardless of how much it takes to ensure that raiders are swept away, there is a great danger of exploiting the bomb. Even for me, that was best if I didn't have to use it.
"... okay, Leon. Stop the bombing plan."
"What, is that true!?
"Oh, it's true. It's just that when I have it, I'm going to push it by accident, so you keep it. - Look, it's a detonator!
"Hey, suddenly!?
Leon rushed to receive it as he threw the detonator over without waiting for a response. I managed to catch it, but I get too much momentum and grip it hard with every detonation button.
"Ah."
It was the moment Leon raised his dumb voice.
There is a roaring roar that rocks the ground from the prison and a blast of flames blows up.
Just when the Raiders were trying to kill Hugo.
"Awwwwwwww!!!
Leon screams, but it's too late. Everything is calculated.
"Eh..." "Noel doesn't have a human heart..."
Kouga and Alma are flabbergasted, but I screamed anyway.
"Begin combat action now!
Tactical Skills: Morale (Battle Voice), Activated.
As per my decree, Kouga and Alma increase their fighting spirit. Leon, who was pounding his knee and weeping, also rose with his stomach bracketed face.
"Orders! Clear those who stand still!
Tactical Skills: Tactician Deployment, Activated.
"This is more justice than fighting evil! Shake the blade fully eh!!!