Black Badger

Chapter 83

I missed Ami and Ye-hyeon terribly.

I took a step back from my mentor.

Prepared to flee from him at any moment, I responded.

"If I play the game, won't I end up on the operating table?"

"Then we'll just postpone the schedule a bit."

Was canceling it outright not an option?

It was ridiculous, but not surprising, which made me sad. It had been nearly three months of grueling training under Choi Yoon's guidance from Monday through Friday. By now, I was used to the kind of person Yoon was.

Without lowering my guard, I replied.

"I'll play it."

"When." "But I have a dinner appointment with Aide Ska Owen tomorrow."

Ska Owen was my savior.

Yoon raised one eyebrow. I clung to the appointment like a lifeline—the one that was supposed to happen last week but got pushed to tomorrow due to the aide's schedule.

"I'm meeting Aide Ska at 6:30 on the 45th floor of G Tower."

"Just the two of you?"

"Yes. He said he'd treat me."

For some reason I didn't know.

Anyway, this was a perfect excuse. As long as that appointment was alive, Yoon couldn't use the operating table on me tomorrow. My mentor respected Ska Owen, in his own way.

As expected, Yoon thought for a moment before saying,

"Then clear the game over the weekend."

"Yes, sir."

If I delayed any further, I'd really be in trouble.

Well, I had to play it eventually. Since things had come to this, I might as well muster some courage thanks to my mentor's threat.

After answering crisply, I narrowed my eyes and stared at my mentor's blank face.

"You're canceling the operating table reservation, right?"

"Well, no choice."

Yoon shrugged, replying in a nonchalant tone.

"Have to reschedule."

Don't.

I knew he was serious, but I hadn't realized he was this serious.

I shuddered anew, feeling an unusual fear toward my mentor.

But even if I begged him not to reschedule, he'd probably let it go in one ear and out the other. He did the same with Ye-hyeon's nagging.

Now, before the danger hit, all I could do was tell Ami or Ye-hyeon.

When would the two of them come home?

Thinking that, I quickly fled from in front of my mentor.

*

Friday evening.

As soon as training ended, I dashed to the showers and quickly changed into the suit I'd worn to the salon. Then I escaped as fast as possible from Yoon, who was lamenting how hard it was to book the operating table.

G Tower wasn't far from headquarters.

Its exterior was so flashy that I'd never even considered going in.

I entered the sleek building and headed to the 45th floor.

"You're early."

I ran into Ska standing in front of the elevator.

He was impeccably dressed as always. The silver piercing in one ear reflected the light. The supreme commander's right-hand man. The one who would take Lee Ye-hyeon's place.

Ska greeted me with a bright smile.

"Let's go. You must be hungry."

Of course, he led me to a private room.

As I sat in the chair, I glanced out the window. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass, the evening Center Core sprawled out. In the endless city nightscape, the Black Badger headquarters stood tall, drawing my eye.

The nights were falling faster now.

Ska's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine."

I answered sincerely.

"You're my savior."

"What?"

The aide blinked, not understanding.

When I briefly explained what had happened yesterday, the puzzlement on Ska's face turned to incredulity.

He wiped his hands with a wet towel, his expression seeming to say that the guy was still the same.

"You have it rough under Yoon."

"Actually, aside from trying to cut me open, he's a good mentor."

Especially considering my unique traits.

As if he'd understood even what I hadn't said aloud, Ska nodded silently.

The man, lost in thought for a moment, set the wet towel down on the table.

He then pointed to the set dishes with his palm.

"Eat up. I didn't know what you like, so I ordered safe choices."

After thanking him, I started on dinner.

Salmon salad, grilled scallops in butter, cubed steak—the dishes didn't have a clear national origin, but they were all delicious as they came out one after another. We ate them while exchanging small talk for a while. Stories about my training, the cabin and dormitory, my cohort.

After beating around the bush like that, Ska finally got to the point once the waiter brought the main course.

"You're going on a mission with Ricardo at the end of the month, right?"

I had a feeling this was coming.

He wouldn't bring up my past without Ye-hyeon here. The reason he'd called me out separately was probably because of his close friend.

I set down my utensils and nodded.

"Yes."

"Did you hear what kind of mission?"

"No, nothing at all."

Ska leaned back in his chair. His expressionless face revealed no particular emotion.

The man's following voice was cautious.

"Capturing or killing creatures is all under Black Badger's jurisdiction. No matter the form."

"Yes."

"There are people illegally raising creatures inside the Core."

It wasn't entirely surprising.

In fact, it'd be more shocking if there weren't any. I took a sip of red wine, letting it slide down my throat as I listened to the aide.

"Some are criminal organizations breeding creatures, others are individuals doing it illegally. The problem is mostly the former. The latter don't scale up much. They usually end up as corpses trying to."

"Are the criminal organizations breeding creatures for illegal colosseums?"

The aide nodded, affirming my question.

"Illegal augmentees versus illegally bred creatures. They wander the Core fringes like a wandering carnival, holding matches. Just buying a ticket is a felony that lands you in jail. And yet, tickets always sell out. Huge bets on the outcomes, and some illegal augmentees even gain fame there."

"So we're going to take them down."

"Right. Joint op with the police."

"Police handle the criminals, and we neutralize the creatures in the colosseum?"

"You catch on quick."

Ska gave me a satisfied smile.

I thanked him and waited for him to continue.

He wouldn't have called me out just to explain a simple mission like this.

The tall aide took a sip of wine, then gazed down at the red liquid.

The man idly swirled the glass, making the liquid slosh, before breaking the silence.

"Ric might act a bit sensitive throughout the mission."

Here it came.

The real point.

I straightened my back and looked straight at the man across from me.

"He hates that kind of criminal organization."

It sounded like he'd gotten tangled up badly in the past.

I nodded to show I understood.

Then, to clear up the question that arose, I asked,

"But why is Ricardo assigned to this mission?"

"Oh, he's always on it. Every time."

Huh?

I widened my eyes, and Ska gave a wry smile.

"There aren't many badgers who handle this mission as well as he does."

A small realization flashed through my mind.

It was a resurfacing memory that revealed it. The first day, when I'd asked those around me about the country. The moment I asked which country I was in, the badgers' puzzled faces came clearly to mind.

And what Ricardo and Ro had said then.

"Mafia?"

Ska froze.

My guess turned to certainty. Tom and Hesi didn't grasp the concept of nations well, but I knew pre-war Earth and its many countries.

And the common knowledge that Sicily was infamous for organized crime.

I watched the aide let out a quiet sigh.

"It'd be overstepping to ask if he was a member or a victim, right."

"Yeah. I can't answer that far. Just knowing I told you this much would make Ric explode."

"Does the elder take tribute from the organization?"

Ska's eyes widened at my quiet question.

He clearly hadn't expected it. The man stared at me with wide eyes like a rabbit.

Seeing the pure surprise in his eyes, I quietly added,

"That's why I thought you brought it up. To warn me to be careful since the other side might get sensitive. You wouldn't mention something that could anger your friend just for that."

"You're really an enviable junior."

Ska suddenly burst out laughing.

What an odd thing to say. What was there to envy? I was already his subordinate.

The neat aide saw my puzzled expression and laughed even longer.

He collected himself, straightened his posture, and then explained.

"You'd do great in high command."

"Ah."

To think he'd poke at my trauma like this.

I let my true feelings show on my face.

"I don't want to sit above anyone anymore."

"That's not something you can decide."

Ska said something chilling in a different way from Yoon.

The man, with a satisfied smile on his lips, picked up his wine glass. Seeing his relaxed demeanor only deepened my unease.

Why were there so many scary people around me?

My heart couldn't take it!

"This match is especially so."

The aide continued brightly, ignoring my fear.

"One elder got ousted. That unlucky one will end up in the arena soon."

I stared at Ska Owen.

It wouldn't be Eric Airheart or Yekaterina. If they'd lost a power struggle, Ska wouldn't be here leisurely having dinner with me. So it must be someone without their level of influence, kicked from one of the limited elder seats.

I didn't know how many elders there were.

As if reading my thoughts, Ska said quietly,

"There are about ten, but below fourth, the names change constantly."

"Fourth must be solid."

"There's one old raccoon dog type. Only interested in survival."

The kind who put all effort into maintaining rank.

That wasn't easy either. Especially among those people.

As I thought about the elders I'd met and their retainers, Ska's next words jolted me awake.

He said something that couldn't help but wake me.

"The one ousted from the elder seat this time wanted checkmate."

Wow, the all-or-nothing type.

"And he failed."

"Oh dear."

"He'll be in the arena end of November."

Merciful for Colton.

Maybe he'd gone soft with age. Or perhaps he didn't land a significant enough blow to warrant a cruel death. Either way, it wasn't surprising.

Probably the latter, much more likely.

Anyway, this clarified why Ska had called me here.

"Don't get involved with him."

The aide commanded in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Even if you save every other player."

"Understood."

It was a pretty reasonable order.

I couldn't tell this to Ricardo. No matter how I spun it, no plausible explanation came to mind. Even twisted around, he wouldn't fully get it. Especially in a sensitive state, he wouldn't listen to such a weird command.

I understood Ska's concern. He feared that a worked-up Ricardo might accidentally touch Colton's prey.

And that was something truly worth fearing.

I slowly set down my wine glass.

"I'll try to leave him be. As naturally as possible."

"Yeah, thanks. Sorry. For dumping this tricky thing on you."

A bitter smile spread across Ska's face as he finished speaking.

"No one will even know."

I watched the smile, a mix of complex emotions. It didn't have Ye-hyeon's resignation to life or heavy sorrow, but it carried the weariness of facing an unyielding life and the pain of knowing too much.

The kind of smile those who didn't turn from harsh reality wore.

Ska Owen, with that wry expression, lamented,

"But I suppose I can enjoy this much privilege."

Protecting a comrade from danger he didn't even realize.

Guessing the unspoken words, I kept a long silence.