Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 122 : The Values of the Era (2)

The Values of the Era (2)

"I'm at the scene where the SS-rank Over Monster, the Titan, has vanished. Only traces of what must have been an intense battle remain here..."

The day after the Titan disappeared from the world.

Literally, all of America was in an uproar.

No, it wasn't just America.

It was an event that drew the attention of the entire world.

So many reporters stationed in the U. S. flocked to Colorado, focusing on 'why' and 'how' the Titan appeared and then disappeared.

"It was a sudden blackout, right? It didn't last long, maybe just a few seconds?"

"And then, there was the sound of thunder from the sky."

"My friend said they saw light shooting up from near the Polaris Research Institute."

Citizens from Denver and nearby cities shared their accounts of the situation at that time, and reporters noted their stories.

On top of that, there were even those who witnessed 'the being who defeated the Titan' with their own eyes.

Those were the hunters and soldiers who had directly fought the Titan.

"Titan's huge hand came right up to my nose. But it was right then."

B-rank hunter, Zelvin, vividly described the scene to the reporters.

"Kwa-ang! With that sound, lightning struck from the sky."

It was such a dramatic story that one might suspect fabrication, but not a single person spoke out to contradict Zelvin.

There were simply too many eyewitnesses for anyone to do so.

"Was that magic?"

"No, it wasn't magic. It was a human."

To that firm declaration, the reporters all raised their hands and shouted.

"A human? Is that really true?"

"Did you see their face, by any chance?"

At the reporters' barrage of questions, Zelvin recalled what had happened.

The face.

Of course he had seen it.

"It's someone you would know if I say her name."

Because 'she' who saved him had looked back at him, if only for a moment.

Remembering the beautiful face he saw then, Zelvin spoke.

"Alencia Walker."

The daughter of 'returnee' James Walker, who had been mocked by the entire nation.

"She's the one who defeated the Titan."

The moment that name was mentioned, a sea of camera flashes and shouts from the reporters erupted.

Accompanied by a barrage of questions, asking if what was just said was true.

The TV stations hurried to break the news as an urgent story.

Such was the enormous impact of the name Alencia Walker.

"... Hiccup."

But.

"Where is this place?"

The actual protagonist of the incident, Alencia, was frozen with a half-dazed look on her face.

* * *

After defeating the Titan, Alencia had, quite literally, collapsed from exhaustion.

Not only had she used up all her power, but her mind couldn't withstand handling such immense strength for the first time in her life.

Luckily, Eugene, who was nearby, carried Alencia to a safe place. But that was not the end of it.

In fact, it was just the beginning.

From then on, America began to keep a close eye on Alencia.

"It's an honor to meet you like this, miss Alencia."

"Ah, y-yes, yes."

Alencia glanced nervously at the middle-aged man sitting across from her.

'W-who is this?'

He was obviously not an ordinary man.

If he were, there would be no way she'd be having a private meeting like this with him.

The interior of a stark white room.

The floor and walls made of reinforced plastic.

She wasn't physically restrained, but it wasn't much different.

All the facilities around her were designed to block Alencia's power.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Enoch Lindbergh, director of the Bureau of Paranormal Phenomena."

At the word 'Director', Alencia felt her hiccups threatening to return.

The Bureau of Paranormal Phenomena oversaw all the new phenomena that had emerged over the past century, from Awakener beings to magic engineering.

The fact that someone from such an agency had sought her out was hard to believe.

"Your battle with the Titan was very impressive."

Alencia didn't know how she should reply to the man's words.

Should she thank him? Or...?

"The power you possess is extremely attractive, but also dangerous. Are you aware of that?"

"Y-yes, yes."

Enoch quietly observed Alencia as she bowed her head timidly.

James Walker's daughter.

Until very recently, that was all anyone knew about Alencia.

No one imagined she possessed such extraordinary power, let alone the kind capable of subjugating an SS-rank Over Monster single-handedly.

"So then, what would you like to do, miss Alencia?"

"... Me?"

"Yes."

The Alencia Enoch looked at was an ordinary woman in her early twenties.

A girl who had just outgrown her girlhood and become an adult.

A person who seemed infinitely immature in his eyes, yet was essentially holding the switch to a nuclear bomb.

He thought that maybe it would be better to confine her somewhere out of everyone's sight, but if that power could be controlled, it could have an enormous influence on the world.

Just like how the 'Eyes of Odin' wielded tremendous power over the world with the strength of great mages.

He might even be able to wrest back the leadership that had been conceded to Europe.

"Because Miss Alencia is dangerous, we have no choice but to take appropriate measures. But before that, could you share your own opinion?"

"......."

It sounded like he was asking for Alencia's opinion, but it was almost a threat.

If she uttered even a hint of anything harmful, it would be the same as saying she would never see the light of day again.

For an average person, those words would have been enough to freeze their body.

At that—

The trembling that had been in Alencia's body suddenly ceased.

'Hmm?'

It wasn't because she was paralyzed with fear.

Her eyes, which a moment ago had been watching him with fear, narrowed sharply.

"... My manager."

"Hm?"

Enoch, not understanding what she was talking about, asked again.

Alencia then let out a wail.

"Bring me my manager!! Until then, I won't say anything!!"

Seeing Alencia, shouting as if throwing a tantrum, Enoch was bewildered.

He couldn't understand why she was suddenly saying such unreasonable things.

'Manager?'

Why would she mention her manager here?

Then suddenly, the name of the man mentioned alongside Alencia in this incident flashed through his mind.

'Park Jung-woo, could she mean that man?'

He had forgotten that he was referred to as a 'manager'.

Because that detail hadn't seemed particularly important.

What really mattered was that he was a returnee and possessed something that far surpassed the Prometheus Heart.

He also now remembered that Alencia had only been able to absorb electricity from across the entire United States with his help.

Leon Baldwin, who had been there at the time, had told Enoch this:

"Do not judge that man carelessly."

The Leon Baldwin Enoch knew was wise and never spoke lightly.

If he said that, then Park Jung-woo had to be considered at least equal to, if not greater than, Alencia.

Therefore, Enoch had intended to approach this cautiously...

Kwa-jik!!

A sound of reinforced plastic being ripped off came from behind.

Cutting-edge reinforced plastic possessed the strength of steel.

"How commendable."

A man who had simply destroyed such a door strode in with a smile into the plastic-walled room.

"This kind of thing is originally the manager's job, after all."

* * *

"For someone who made such a ruckus coming in, it's surprisingly quiet around here."

As I approached Alencia's back, director Enoch narrowed his eyes, watching me closely.

He must've been trying to gauge my intentions.

He also seemed concerned that there was no particular response from the surroundings, even though I had just ripped open the door.

"That's because Hunter Eugene guided me here. The door wouldn't open, so I had to force it."

I spoke as if it were nothing, and Enoch let out a sigh, looking exasperated.

"I see...so it was Eugene."

"How else would I have made it this far?"

"Well..."

He looked like he had a lot he wanted to say, but fell silent.

He must have thought I had pulled some kind of trick as a 'returnee'.

"In any case, let's get to the point."

How I came here wasn't what mattered now.

What mattered now was what would be done with Alencia.

"Director, you see Alencia as a great threat to America, don't you?"

"......"

"Uncontrollable power could turn its sights on America next, rather than some other enemy."

There were many reasons.

Alencia's father, James Walker, was branded a fraud and imprisoned, and Alencia herself had grown up enduring countless insults.

If Alencia bore any resentment because of that, there was a chance of an irreversible disaster.

"It's hard to deny that."

"If that's what you think, may I offer a suggestion?"

I felt his silent gaze sweeping over me.

Taking his silence as assent, I continued.

"If Alencia is a potential threat, how about separating her from the conditions that could make her dangerous?"

It was inevitable that things would turn out this way the moment Alencia revealed her power.

There aren't many ways people react to overwhelming strength.

Uncontrolled power is what the ruling class fears most.

'S-rank' beings, who exist in the world, are a prime example of this.

"If Alencia is taken to Korea, there will be no need for your concerns. She couldn't even display power like this without the facilities here."

"So you're saying we should just give such a powerful being to Korea?"

"Alencia cannot fully control her power. She needs someone to teach her how."

I was the only one in this world with real knowledge of a 'Saintess'.

"And you also know, don't you? The ones behind all of this."

"You mean UnderStellar."

"Not just UnderStellar. The real problem is who's behind them."

I was also the only one who possessed information about demons.

They'd never truly been active in this world before, so to these people, they would be unfamiliar to the extreme.

Since these beings said such things to me, we needed to fully prepare from now on.

"... It's just hard to believe. If you weren't a returnee, I'd have dismissed this as nonsense."

"The proof is the girl with me—Hwang Yeon-ji."

Yeon-ji was half-demon.

Of course, her genetic traits had been altered to be completely different from a human's.

When I showed him that too, Enoch looked deeply troubled.

He hadn't even resolved the issue with Alencia, and now he had to deal with information about demons as well—it was understandable.

"The demons will certainly target Alencia, and I know them better than anyone. I also have two S-rank Awakener around me."

"......"

Alencia's power was undoubtedly strong, but she was extremely weak without the proper conditions.

Without Sarah Walker's equipment, the most she could bring out was the initial stage of S-rank power.

Even that was only possible because the device dramatically boosted the electricity storage and absorption rate this time.

Until just before, her limit had been around B-rank.

"Don't the people at the top want Alencia as far from the Polaris Research Institute as possible? Honestly, I don't think there's even a need to debate this."

"There's a difference between something dangerous, and that power becoming another nation's asset."

"It won't become another country's asset. Didn't I say so? It's strictly a cooperative relationship."

When I emphasized the word 'cooperation,' Enoch let out a short laugh.

"Ridiculous. And if we refuse that offer?"

"Then there's no helping it. I'll just have to find another way."

"... Another way?"

At the strange nuance in my words, Enoch's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, there are plenty of ways."

When I replied with a soft smile, Enoch's face hardened.

He wasn't so foolish as to miss the implication behind my words.

If they felt threatened by Alencia—

"So I sincerely hope you'll make the right decision, director."

No doubt, the same judgment applied to me.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Jung-woo helped, but he's still a supporting character.

Also, this is the case of OP character, but when you get it, it becomes weaker.

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】