Chapter 172
Chapter 172
Pie Division (2)
Saying she would accept the cultivation sites of the Aylan Republic, which were certain to be subjected to a full-scale narcotics crackdown, sounded at first like she was making quite a large concession.
But.
‘It’s not a concession at all.’
I could roughly guess what Cecilia was thinking.
It looked like she intended to make use of me a little. I had ties with the Lunaseeker Agency, and the Lunaseeker Agency exerted influence over the Republic.
First, she would receive the Aylan Republic’s cultivation sites and businesses, then speak with the Lunaseeker Agency to minimize the damage as much as possible. That was her calculation.
The only person who could pull that off was Cecilia, who at least maintained a minimal friendly relationship with me.
Even though I knew her intentions, I did not say anything in particular.
‘We can talk separately later about the price of my cooperation.’
Cecilia had already decided to take over the Aylan Republic’s businesses. In order to minimize her losses, she had ended up in a position where she needed my cooperation.
“The coffee’s good.”
As I drank my coffee, I watched the Operations Committee members grow heated over the distribution of the businesses.
They all had complaints, but it took a little over two hours to reach an agreement that was at least acceptable.
“Next are the remnants of Tapas.”
At Lukas’s words, everyone’s gaze turned toward me.
“I already said I’d do it. Why are you looking at me like that now?”
After Tapas’s death, I had said that I would deal with the remaining remnants.
I was not in a position where I could go back on my word.
“Just tell me where and what I’m supposed to do.”
At my words, Cecilia smiled.
“You really do have a lot of weak points when it comes to information. You know that, right?”
I nodded obediently. This was what it meant to move on a small scale.
To gather and compile information, you needed manpower, and to mobilize manpower, you needed maintenance funds. I had neither.
“But once you find them, you move several times faster than anyone else sitting here.”
If I packed up and left in a flash, I could wrap things up within a few days. That was what set me apart from the other Operations Committee members, who had to weigh various factors—internal conflicts, rank among members, schedules, and so on.
“The estimated number of remnants is about 5,600. They scattered after Tapas’s death.”
After speaking briefly, Donovan looked at me.
“Handling targets based on information provided to you is how contractors work. It’s not how an Operations Committee member works.”
I let out a small sigh.
“You want me to track them down?”
“What, did you think we’d hand over all their locations and forces and you’d just go swing your sword?”
Lumis Barenza shot back at me with an incredulous expression. Donovan’s words had a point, and Lumis’s weren’t wrong either.
“Track them down, deal with them cleanly, and dismantle them. If Tapas’s remnants cause trouble later, it’ll be your responsibility.”
The Operations Committee members were not on friendly terms, cooperating in harmony. Now that I had become an Operations Committee member, to them I was simply another force that needed to be kept in check.
Dealing with Tapas’s remnants benefited everyone, so they would not interfere—but it was obvious they had no intention of actively helping either.
‘If the remnants cause problems, it’ll give them something to slander me with.’
Rather than worrying about the ruined underlings of Tapas, their priority was to keep the newly appointed Operations Committee member, me, in check.
“Fucking bastards. You’re really experts at making things hard for the rookie.”
I spat that out briefly, then glanced at Cecilia. Without saying anything, she merely curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
I could roughly guess what she would offer me in exchange for minimizing her losses.
I had become an Operations Committee member, and the discussion about how to divide up Tapas’s businesses had ended.
The matter of handling the remnants had been placed entirely in my hands. There was nothing more to discuss in this temporary meeting.
“Can I see you for a moment?”
When the meeting adjourned and everyone rose from their seats, Cecilia spoke to me. I had been standing up, but at her words, I sat back down.
Now, the only ones left in the conference room were Cecilia and me.
“I think I know what kind of proposal you’re going to make.”
“That proposal is exactly right.”
She intended to provide me with the information I needed, and in return, I would minimize the damage she would suffer in the Aylan Republic.
I stared at the ceiling for a moment before answering.
“Up until a few days ago, I was being dragged around by you.”
“Dragged around? Our interests just happened to align by coincidence. If you put it that way, I’ll be hurt.”
Listening to her coaxing tone, I kept my gaze fixed on the ceiling as I spoke.
“I’ll take care of Tapas’s remnants on my own. Prepare a different proposal.”
At my firm declaration, Cecilia let out a soft “Oh my.” Only then did I shift my gaze toward her.
“I’ve come this far and become an Operations Committee member. Did you really think I’d still remain some lackey gnawing on the scraps of commissions tossed by the Rose Garden?”
We maintained a certain level of courtesy, using semi-formal speech with one another, but that did not mean Cecilia and I shared unconditional goodwill.
“I’m no longer a pet dog happily gobbling up the feed Representative Cecilia throws at me.”
“How sad.”
Cecilia reached out and lightly brushed her fingers across my cheek. Her dull red eyes met mine.
“The mongrel I’d been raising so well on a leash suddenly became a person and turned into a neighbor.”
It was shocking enough that a dog had become a person, but on top of that, he had completely shed the habits from when he had been a dog. From Cecilia’s perspective, it was truly absurd.
And all of this had happened in less than a single season.
“Isn’t it just a fucked-up world where nothing goes the way you want? You must’ve experienced plenty of that while managing the Rose Garden.”
I rose from my seat and gave Cecilia a slight nod.
“I’ll take my leave as well.”
After stepping out of the conference room, I let out a long breath and looked up at the night sky, organizing my thoughts.
“Whether he intended it or not, Donovan did throw me a hint.”
I had to handle it myself. As Donovan had said, I was no longer a contractor working under someone else.
‘I said I’d take this on. I’ll have to resolve it without the cooperation of the Operations Committee members.’
The three members of the Nest would have to move to deal with it. In Nora’s case, although she belonged to the Lunaseeker Agency, her assigned duty was to monitor me.
As long as I did not create conflict with the Republic, it was safe to consider her an ally.
As for Irena, there was no need to even mention it. In truth, she was the person I could trust the most in the current situation.
“Looks like the meeting ended well. The prediction that you’d become an Operations Committee member turned into reality.”
As soon as I returned to the office—our Nest—Irena greeted me and spoke.
“Has that already spread?”
“There’s probably no one who doesn’t know by now.”
It hadn’t been long, but the news that I had become an Operations Committee member spread throughout Bennett City.
No one was particularly surprised. It was simply something that had been expected.
For me, who had work to do, it was very good news.
“So, you’re supposed to track down and eliminate over five thousand of Tapas’s remnants one by one, even though you don’t know where they are?”
Irena looked at me with an incredulous expression.
“They won’t be too widely scattered. The only thing those bastards can rely on is their headcount.”
“But even so, they won’t all be gathered in one place.”
Nora immediately countered my words. Not only were there few places that could accommodate five thousand people at once, but if they were gathered like that and got wiped out in a single blow, the damage would be enormous.
“That’s true. Oh, Cecilia offered to give me information, but I refused.”
At my words, Nora let out a small “Hm?”
“The Rose Garden’s intelligence network is quite good. There’s no reason to refuse…”
While listening to Nora, Irena shook her head.
“No, this is a matter of prestige. If an Operations Committee member receives information from another member of equal standing to handle a job, the rumors will spread in an ugly way.”
Perhaps because she was a noble, Irena was far more familiar than Nora with how things operated in that sphere.
Of course, there was internal politics within the Lunaseeker Agency as well, but Nora was field personnel, not administrative staff, and she operated alone.
“So, what are oppa and unni going to do?”
At Nora’s question, I answered simply.
“In cases like this, there was always someone I used to knock on.”
If I tapped him a few times and asked, Got anything?, he would spill all sorts of useful information like rice grains pouring out when you thresh a bundle of stalks.
“…What brings you here like this, Survivor?”
That person’s name was Spring Parsley, and he was sitting in a chair with an expression as if his spinal cord were drying up, watching me carefully.
“Why are you acting like this? We’re not the kind of people who need to be this damn tense around each other.”
As I said that, I casually reached out toward a nearby chair.
With a whiiing sound of wind, the chair dragged itself across the floor toward me.
After sitting down, I beamed at Spring Parsley.
Faced with me like that, he had no choice but to let out an awkward “Ahaha.”
‘We are exactly the kind of people who need to be this damn tense around each other?!’
But Spring Parsley had a strong desire to live longer, so he did not dare voice what was on his mind.
“Is there perhaps something I can help you with?”
“I’m not asking for much. Spill the names of every halfway-decent architect you know.”
What I was doing now could not be accomplished by squeezing Spring Parsley alone. I needed to gather a lot of information.
“Architects? Do you perhaps need blueprints?”
“I’m not in a position anymore where I call architects to draw up blueprints for me.”
“Th-that’s… true.”
If I did not need blueprints but still wanted architects, that meant I intended to hang them upside down and shake them for information.
‘Preferably someone I’ve never liked. And someone with competitors.’
After thinking quickly, Spring Parsley recommended several architects.
“They’ve got trash personalities, but they’re good at their work. They’ll probably be able to bring you the kind of information you want, Survivor.”
I wrote down the information Spring Parsley gave me in my notebook, then stood up and spoke.
“I’ll need you to help me as well. Gather every bit of information on Tapas’s remnants—don’t filter anything.”
He understood the request. After hesitating for a moment, Spring Parsley carefully asked,
“Um, may I ask how the compensation will be handled?”
“I’ll make sure it’s worth your while, so stop worrying and get to work. You’ve got three days.”
After finishing, I stood up again. I already had my next destination in mind.
‘The information the architects gather is one thing.’
I intended to move personally as well and squeeze out information myself.
“Organizations that had been under the protection of the Lantern Gang.”
If I knocked on them, something would definitely come out. And even if nothing came out, it did not matter.
‘When the head changes, the underlings can’t help but watch the new head’s mood.’
Right now, the thing everyone in this city was most sensitive about was my next move.
What kind of personality I had. How I dealt with those who offended me.
Whether I chased women. Whether I had favorite foods or liquor. They were probably investigating everything.
“I’ll show them.”
What kind of bastard I was—the one who cut off Tapas’s head and took his place.