Chapter 148 : It Was Just Luck
“This body… will reach heaven… a new man.”
The leader’s voice was thin, as if it would break.
“The fruit of the holy spirit… the will of heaven to reach transcendence was with me… in a place like this…”
His unfocused pupils rested on the edge of the collapsed stone statue. He stretched out his remaining arm. It was a gesture filled with a lingering attachment.
And the saw blade split the leader in half. It didn’t stop there, but dismembered the corpse. The dismembered corpse was more graphic than a piece of meat hanging in a butcher shop.
A grand goal, a sublime will. Whatever the leader had pursued, no value could be felt from that hideous appearance.
“Haaa, it’s refreshing.”
In that sense, Elliot’s revenge was a complete success. It didn’t just end with taking his life, but also shattered the leader’s dignity. I could understand the feelings of the guy who was smiling more purely than anyone else with such a heinous act, splattered with blood.
His past, where he had been kidnapped and forcibly injected with the holy blood against his will, overlapped with me, who had been dropped into this world without any connection. If I had a target for revenge, I might have been obsessed like that.
「The World Tree is disgusted and pulls my arm to stay away!」
…It seems I’ve completely ruined my image with the World Tree.
“Thank you, brother. Thanks to you, I have fulfilled my wish. May I offer a prayer of thanks to the great one for connecting me with a blessed fate?”
“……Isn’t it about time you stopped the believer cosplay?”
“It’s already become a habit to fix.”
They say that even a professional actor can’t get out of a role for a while if they get too into method acting. Elliot was more than that. Although it was a cosplay, he had lived as a believer for more than a day or two. It would be difficult to change his lifestyle at once just because he had finished his revenge.
“Come to think of it, I had to pay the price. The personal details of the Greenwood member, and even paving the way in the middle. Since you brought it up, I’ll fulfill it all. Hmm, so…”
“!”
Suddenly, Elliot collapsed. People are often compared to candles. When the candle has burned all the way, the wick goes out, and when the goal is achieved, it becomes ashes.
Elliot had devoted more than half of his life to revenge. His body had been beaten to a pulp by the leader, so if his tension had been released…
“Phew.”
Fortunately, his life was not in danger. It was a faint due to excessive bleeding and a concussion. He wouldn’t die even if I left him alone, but I placed a healing totem on his chest. All this hardship was to receive a reward from Elliot.
「The World Tree pokes my side, saying, ‘Look at this!’」
The World Tree, indifferent to whether Elliot lived or died, had been searching the hall in the meantime. Finding the spoils of war is an important task. It was also a small pleasure that a contractor who worked with his life on the line could enjoy.
The World Tree retrieved a stem from the edge of the stone statue. The spirits were spinning around as if dancing. I was filled with anticipation.
The leader’s residence, the holy blood. I had a guess as to what the spoils of war that the World Tree had brought would be.
「You have discovered a mystery that has been passed down as a legend of the continent!」
「Your affinity with nature increases!」
「The knowledge of the World Tree analyzes it!」
It was a message I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was the first time since the unwithering spring I had found in District 16.
「Target: Fruit of the Holy Spirit」
“The Fruit of the Holy Spirit.”
I didn’t know it would be this close. Well, there was probably no safer place for the leader to keep it than here. It was an artifact that was considered a byproduct of the holy blood, which helped awaken psychic powers.
Such an item had come into my hands. By renewing my contract with Sylvester, I had even monopolized the ownership. Depending on how I used it, I could make a fortune, form my own personal guard, or pray for my personal growth.
But what I wanted from the Fruit of the Holy Spirit was something else.
The Fruit of the Holy Spirit, as its name suggests, had a shape that resembled a fruit. A red, sap-like substance was constantly flowing from its smooth surface. It must be the raw material for the holy blood.
I put strength into my hand and split it in half like an apple.
Inside, instead of a seed, a textured halo of light was gathered.
「You have absorbed a fragment of divinity!」
「The World Tree has regained its forgotten faith!」
「The completeness of the World Tree is mostly restored!」
「The World Tree has met all the conditions to grow into a sacred tree!」
It was a fragment of divinity.
***
Sylvester had swallowed up District 17 and had finally expanded its business to the weapons industry. While Centream, which had been the undisputed top company, was faltering, Sylvester’s rapid advance stood out.
A megacorp is not an ordinary company. Their business is closely connected to the lives of the city’s residents, and their power even affects the political world. Sylvester’s recent moves had risen to the center of attention in all walks of life.
When it was revealed that Claire, who had established herself as the next chairman, was involved in all those moves, the reaction was that the future was promising. There were even rumors that Sylvester’s long-held ambition of overthrowing Centream might be realized.
Of course, it was public opinion guided by Sylvester’s public relations department. Externally, it was to improve their image by announcing that Sylvester had improved its constitution, and internally, it was to declare that the long internal competition had ended.
However, contrary to the public’s attention being focused on Claire, the attention of the underworld, including the contractor industry, was focused on one contractor.
“How many times has this been, collaborating with Sylvester?”
“It’s not the number of times, but the meaning of each of those requests is enormous.”
“In reality, he played the role of a kingmaker. A mere contractor.”
A single contractor was involved in all the achievements that Claire had made as she came to the fore. Allen, the rising star of the industry. He was a mysterious figure.
He had appeared in the industry as if he had fallen from the sky. At first, he didn’t seem to be carrying out any great requests, but at some point, he had achieved great results.
An achievement made in just over a year. It was a growth rate that was absurd by common sense. It would have made more sense to say that he was a completed talent from the beginning.
And even such a person had the protection of the city’s highest power. It was impossible to even guess how far he could go.
“But has he completely turned his back on the Mad House?”
“The pride of the monsters, whom even the city government is reluctant to intervene with, is not a joke.”
The notoriety of the Mad House was close to a legend. The fact that even the powerful secretly watched them was a fact that was not exaggerated at all. In the contractor industry, it was considered a wise move to give up a request, even if it meant paying a penalty, the moment their name came up.
Allen did not follow this. He had clashed head-on with the Mad House. Buggy Vile, the mad dog, Bianca Melbrick, the shadow empress, and this time, although it was just a rumor, even Isaac, the leader whom the Mad House had offered to recruit.
“There might be retaliation.”
“No matter how strong their individualistic tendencies are, they have been humiliated several times by just one person.”
It was the first time. That’s why a situation where the Mad House responded at the organizational level might occur. A tense and strained atmosphere spread throughout the industry.
“Will Sylvester just stand by?”
“They said there was a city councilor who looked favorably on him. And that he was also close to a Public Security Bureau security officer.”
“The city will be in an uproar.”
Since when had it been? A wind of change was blowing in the quiet city. The negotiations between the cities, the crackdown by the Public Security Bureau, the internal strife of the Brotherhood, the competition between Centream and Sylvester, the confrontation between the Mad House and the contractor…
It was a fire that no one knew how far it would spread or how it would end.
***
The outside world was bustling. Everywhere I went, they were talking about the same topic and sharing the same atmosphere. Although they were bound by one name, it was a very rare thing in this city where there was little exchange between the districts.
That’s how great the aftereffects of my success in Sylvester’s request were. There were even talks that there would be a tectonic shift in the power structure of this city. At the center of it was Claire, and I was there.
“You should hide for a while.”
It was to the extent that Cromwell had advised me. He said the window was about to explode. With the ominous rumors related to the Mad House circulating, he said I should stay away from the downpour for a while, as I didn’t know what might happen.
I took Cromwell’s advice and hid myself for a while. But that didn’t mean I was cooped up at home.
“……”
The nameplate in the office was glittering. Sylvester Plant Growth Research Team Leader. Arman Hessen.
This identity was also prepared for such a time. Although I had made a name for myself as a contractor, it was essentially a means, not a goal. I had no grand ambition of becoming a legend of this city.
What was important to me was to uncover the secrets of the druid profession and the World Tree, and furthermore, to improve the natural environment of this world and revive Mother Nature. That’s why the importance of this identity, Arman Hessen, which had no foundation or anything, was by no means inferior to that of a contractor to me.
Based on the results of this research team, I might be able to pioneer another path to reach the revival of Mother Nature. I would inevitably pay less attention to it, but I was planning to do my best when I had the time.
“Chief Researcher Harry Wist.”
I broke the silence and said. He was the second-in-command who had practically led the team while I was away. He was a capable person. It was a fact that anyone would acknowledge if they had checked his personal information.
He was more suitable for the team leader position than me, who was a parachute, both in terms of ability and justification. A bizarre situation where the head of a project team personally created by the heir of a company was frequently absent.
It would be strange if a problem did not arise in either the direction of the team or its cohesion. The fact that there had been no trouble so far was all thanks to him.
Of course, a capable subordinate was not a very welcome type of person. Especially if it was a wolf-like guy who was polite on the outside but burned with ambition on the inside. For a parachute, it was a threat that had to be eliminated, even if it meant finding fault.
It wouldn’t have been strange if I, who had come to the office after a long time, had been kicked out, having lost all my real power.
“There have been auspicious events in the company recently. I’m sure you’re aware of the news that Director Claire, the person in charge and sponsor who formed our team, has finally become the top executive of the head office.”
“……Yes.”
Although she hadn’t become the chairman, Claire was the top executive of Sylvester, whom no one could deny. As long as the plant growth research team was a project team she had created, our future was bright.
I had heard that our department was the first to cheer when the news was announced. In fact, from what I saw, the atmosphere in our department was noticeably cheerful. To the point where the people who had openly expressed their dissatisfaction with me at the first meeting were smiling brightly and welcoming me.
“You said you would take care of the results, so you asked me to trust you and leave it to you.”
Harry, who was the second-in-command and had been acting as the de facto leader, would have been on cloud nine.
“Is this the result?”
But Harry, who was standing in front of me, had a miserable expression, as if he were about to jump out the window.
“……”
“I’m not trying to assign blame. I’m just asking how things ended up like this.”
It was a question uttered in a flat tone. I didn’t get angry, I didn’t laugh, I didn’t mock. In fact, my heart was the same. I had entrusted it to him, knowing that it would fail. Since the result was as expected, it was not something to be angry about.
But Harry seemed to feel differently.
“……I’m sorry.”
His voice trembled. Shame, humiliation, disgrace… it was a gaze that was a mixture of complicated emotions that could not be described.
“What is there to be sorry about? If it had been an easy research project that could be successful at once, we wouldn’t have formed a project team.”
Originally, this kind of project had to repeat the process of gradually moving in the right direction, even while failing dozens or hundreds of times, rather than a miraculous success. Since the top executive of the company was supporting us both materially and spiritually, there was no need to be impatient.
Since the deadline was approaching, it was the right direction to produce a definite result rather than just submitting a result with doctored figures to the higher-ups. Harry, who was a self-proclaimed and recognized elite, would not have been unaware of this principle.
Then why was Harry making a long face in front of me just because there were no results?
“I was just lucky.”
Because I had succeeded. I had produced results. I had found the right direction for our department to move forward from the beginning.
“……”
The elite, who had been pushed aside by a parachute, had an expression as if he were about to go crazy with frustration.
(End of Chapter)