Chapter 196
Chapter 196
Preparation Complete (3)
The story between Nora and Simid had roughly come to a close. After returning by train, Kairus immediately contacted the members of the Operations Committee.
“I think we need to hold an extraordinary meeting.”
The matter itself was simple. With a rebellion in the Empire drawing near, they should gather and consolidate their thoughts on what stance Bennett City ought to take.
No member of the Operations Committee refused. Since this issue involved both the Empire and the Republic, Bennett City’s Security Captain and the Chief of Police were excluded from the meeting.
As Kairus had called the assembly, he would preside over and conduct the meeting this time.
“Looks like everyone’s here.”
As Kairus opened the door and stepped into the conference room, Wesson Barenza immediately spoke.
“What’s the point if the bastard who called the meeting shows up last?”
“I had something to take care of. Besides, I’m not late.”
Kairus gave a brief reply, then took his seat and casually scanned the five people present, excluding himself.
“There’s going to be chaos in the Empire soon. You all know why.”
Kairus explained everything he knew.
“So you specialize in taking care of knight captains, huh? Damn, you’re having all the fun by yourself.”
Lukas grinned as he spoke to Kairus. The job of going around beheading knight captains was certainly something that piqued Lukas’s interest.
“The incident will break out soon. What can we do?”
They had already been warned about this matter beforehand. Naturally, each of them had prepared their own countermeasures.
Donovan was the first to speak. Tapping the city map spread out on the table with his finger, he said,
“Logistics control. Once things begin, we’ll regulate all imports and exports passing through Bennett City to the Republic.”
Although he called it controlling logistics through Bennett City, in reality, it meant blocking the Antaria Grand Canal.
No goods produced in the Aylan Republic would be exported through the Antaria Grand Canal, and no goods coming from elsewhere would be imported into the Republic through it either.
The Antaria Grand Canal was not a facility that could be replaced. Both the Empire and the Republic depended heavily on it for a large portion of their imports and exports.
“Will the Daeyeon Kingdom just sit still?”
Lumis Barenza, who had been listening quietly, asked the question.
If all imports and exports of the Republic were prohibited, it would also cause damage to the Daeyeon Kingdom, which occupied the opposite side of the Antaria Grand Canal.
Donovan jerked his chin toward Lukas.
“That orphan will have to put in some effort.”
“You bastards. I don’t even have citizenship there!”
But he still had ties to the place. And the Daeyeon Kingdom was, in truth, a nation where everything could be resolved through such ties.
It was a concept somewhat different from the noble houses of the Valorn Empire.
Academic ties. Regional ties. Blood ties. Because they were one family, they were never strangers, and if they shared a sense of belonging, they helped one another.
No, they had to help. It was not a matter of recommendation but of obligation.
Something represented by what was commonly called a sense of community, or affection. This was the basis that allowed Lukas to make use of the Daeyeon Kingdom.
From the moment he had participated in the hunters’ ancestral rites, he could already be considered an honorary citizen of the kingdom.
However, if he were to make use of such ties in this way, the Daeyeon Kingdom would one day demand something significant from him in return.
“If you lot slack off while I’m working, I’ll personally come after you and kill every last one of you.”
Lukas glared fiercely at the others.
“To mix personal feelings into a matter meant for the public good.”
“Hey, old man. Are you farming right now?”
At Donovan’s remark, Lukas scowled. Donovan, who had been listening to him, replied calmly.
“If we shut down the logistics passing through the canal, who do you think will manage it?”
Donovan would have to do it. Areumdri Pawnshop was not known as a specialist in trading stolen goods for nothing. The trade of stolen goods was ultimately directly or indirectly tied to logistics.
To block the flow of supplies into the Aylan Republic, Donovan’s Areumdri Pawnshop would have to pour in an enormous amount of manpower, time, and resources.
It was no easy task. They would have to control all logistics entering the nation and root out every individual attempting to siphon goods off in the process.
This would truly serve as a touchstone to test Areumdri Pawnshop’s command over logistics.
“Good. The fence passes. What about the rest of you bastards?”
Lukas fully understood the situation and accepted Donovan’s rebuttal.
“In the Republic, we will stop everyone we are capable of stopping.”
Cecilia answered. The countless guarantees exchanged during transactions with Bennett City were the weapons of the Rose Garden. The thousands of documents of every conceivable type contained all manner of details.
They were evidence that all sorts of acts—things that would draw condemnation even from those with power and authority—had been carried out on behalf of the Republic’s influential figures by the vermin of Bennett City in exchange for payment.
Originally, these were documents that should never be used for blackmail.
Without the promise that all exchanged guarantees would remain confidential, the powerful figures of the Republic would never have accepted the guarantees of the Rose Garden.
And yet, she intended to use that card. That alone would severely damage the Rose Garden’s external credibility.
A guarantee was a rose that bloomed upon trust. For the sake of this endeavor, Cecilia had effectively declared that she would pour herbicide over the Rose Garden she had nurtured.
‘Because it is worth that much.’
No matter how beautifully the roses she had cultivated had blossomed, it meant nothing. She had to gamble—one that could either expand the size of the garden or cause the garden itself to disappear with a single mistake.
In a situation like this, choosing to shrink back and simply tend to the roses already in hand was not an option for Cecilia, a businesswoman and a leader.
“And what about you two?”
The next in line were the Barenza siblings. Lukas’s Children, Areumdri Pawnshop, and the Rose Garden were all prepared to shake the Aylan Republic, even at the cost of heavy losses.
Lumis spoke first.
“What do you think we’re best at? Kidnapping.”
The Barenza siblings’ primary business was human trafficking. Naturally, their method of procurement could only be kidnapping.
After all, they couldn’t exactly gather people to sell by saying, “We’re going to strip you of all your rights and turn you into a slave—would you please sign here?”
“Kidnapping, huh. Specifically?”
“We’ll do it in a multifaceted way. We’ll kidnap key figures of the Republic and their associates, and in addition, civilians traveling by ship or train.”
As he listened, Kairus swallowed a bitter smile.
‘Logistics control will cause severe economic disruption. The Republic’s key figures will be threatened through their contracts with Bennett City. And people will be kidnapped.’
It would be stranger if social chaos did not erupt.
“Lastly, Kairus, what will you do?”
At Cecilia’s prompt, Kairus replied,
“Representative, I’ll be stirring things up in the Valorn Empire. And now you want me to cause trouble in the Republic as well?”
Why not just blow up the Daeyeon Kingdom’s royal palace while we’re at it and become enemies of all three nations?
Kairus glanced over the other members of the Operations Committee and continued,
“I’m the one bearing the greatest risk right now. At the very least, none of you are likely to die.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. As long as they were alive, they could endure and find some way to survive. But if Kairus failed, he could lose his life.
“Anyway, it’s good to see that everyone is so enthusiastic. But all of this—”
Before Kairus could finish, Lukas leaned back in his chair with both legs propped up on the table and said,
“We’ll have to wait and see how Simid Kellogg’s rebellion unfolds before deciding what to do.”
The discussion they had just held was a plan for the worst-case scenario. It would mean burning away everything they had built in the past for the sake of the future.
“If Simid Kellogg fails, or even if he succeeds but the situation is resolved more quickly than expected…”
There would be no reason to go to such extremes. In that case, the criminal lords of Bennett City would have no need to shoulder enormous risks by carrying out such actions.
“I’d rather see something big happen—whether it’s success or failure.”
At Cecilia’s words, Lukas nodded in agreement. Great risks brought great rewards upon success.
If both the Empire and the Republic were shaken, the criminal organizations of Bennett City would be able to expand their influence significantly.
“I guarantee it.”
Kairus already knew Simid Kellogg’s plan. That was why he could say it with such certainty.
“Regardless of whether he succeeds or fails, the Empire will be shaken to its core. So be prepared to shake the Republic just as much.”
If Simid Kellogg succeeded, the Empire’s spring would become a season of administrative paralysis.
If he failed, not only the Minister of Finance’s family but everything connected to him would be utterly destroyed.
Either way, the Empire would be thrown into turmoil. If a comparable level of chaos were not stirred within the Republic, the imbalance between the two collapsing nations would become a catastrophic flood that would engulf Bennett City.
“If that lunatic Minister of Finance hadn’t started this mess in the first place…”
At Wesson Barenza’s remark, Kairus let out a scoff.
“Was this ever something we could have stopped in the first place?”
Simid Kellogg’s preparations for rebellion were beyond their control. If a man was determined to do something, what could they possibly do to stop him?
Bennett City had only two choices: assist him by shaking the Aylan Republic, or interfere and sabotage his plans.
They had chosen to shake the Aylan Republic. All that remained now was to execute their plans to the fullest.
“I suppose this concludes our meeting for now.”
If they committed themselves fully, what kinds of deeds could the people gathered here accomplish?
Simply confirming that was already a satisfactory outcome.
‘Nora would be deeply saddened if she found out.’
The subject of this meeting had been how Bennett City would undermine the Republic. For Nora, a former intelligence agent of the Aylan Republic, it would be a thoroughly unpleasant topic.
Naturally, Kairus had no intention of sharing the details with her.
After returning to his office, Kairus immediately summoned Nora and headed to an open field.
“I know how skilled Irena is.”
But he was less familiar with Nora’s abilities. At Kairus’s words, Nora grinned and pointed at the Flicker he was holding.
“Not that!”
“My, I think you’re going to regret this.”
At Kairus’s remark, Nora’s eyes gleamed as they shifted into odd-colored pupils.
“I want to see how much those hellish years will work against you, oppa.”
“Well, I’m a bit worried.”
They said that effort never betrayed you, but honestly, that was childish nonsense. Effort could betray you, and so could study. Parents, siblings—even oneself—could betray themselves.
There was nothing in this world that could not betray you.
“Alright. Try facing me once with Flicker. If you feel like you can’t manage it, stop for a moment and draw your sword again.”
Kairus agreed with that. Immediately, Nora drew No. 563, spun it lightly, and took her stance.
“Your stance has changed a bit.”
Nora did not respond. She had mentioned adjusting the procedures applied to her body, and it seemed her movements had changed accordingly.
Her muscles, filled with strength, contracted. Like a spring released, Nora charged toward Kairus.
She looked like a wedge being fired forward. Kairus raised his sword to meet her attack.
A thunderous roar.
Along with a cloud of dust spreading outward in concentric circles, Kairus was pushed back several steps. Two lines were carved into the ground, marking the distance he had been driven back.
A shockwave spread in a cone behind Kairus as he successfully defended. The attacks continued three times in succession.
After crossing blades once, Kairus reached a conclusion.
“I’ll switch.”
“Yes!”
Nora immediately retreated, waiting for Kairus to draw Veil of Plumed Mist.