novelraw Chapter 203: New Slave?
Chapter 203: New Slave?
"He removed the Soul Parasite from you after this," Lyra said.
There was no pity in her eyes as she looked at him.
Given her past—especially what had happened to Jasmine at the hands of other mechanics—it wasn’t surprising.
Directors like him were exactly the kind she despised.
"It’s surprising P Corp lost. How much damage did we take again?" I asked.
"We exhausted almost our entire combat force. L Corp is more or less finished for now. However, with Severity Level Reduction Technology, rebuilding won’t be difficult. Once the patent situation settles, the revenue will allow us to swiftly restore L Corp," she said.
I nodded.
"What about the treated cyborgs who participated in the war?" I asked.
Lyra looked at me with faint surprise, as if she hadn’t expected me to care about them.
She hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Most of them are badly injured, but they’re alive. We’ll have to rebuild almost their entire bodies. That’s going to take a lot of money."
"How are so many still alive after a war on this scale?" I asked.
"I allied with D Corp, and promised them cheaper access to Severity Level Reduction Technology in the future. They were more than happy to help," Lyra replied.
She paused, her gaze drifting slightly.
"They used their displacement technology to ’rescue’ injured cyborgs before they crossed the line into death. Even then..."
Her lips pressed together.
"People still died."
She said people.
Not cyborgs.
Her expression darkened, and I could see the weight settling on her shoulders.
When she noticed me watching her, she gave a bitter smile.
"You don’t need to worry about their lives. I was the one who sent them into that war. I’ll take responsibility," she said quietly.
"Responsibility?" I repeated.
"Yes," she said. "I’ll build graves for them. I’ll track down their families and provide compensation. It won’t be enough, but I’ll do what I can."
Building graves was a luxury in the City.
Here, everything was repurposed.
Especially human bodies.
If someone died, their remains were resources, stripped and reused without ceremony.
Only those with high authority could afford graves that wouldn’t be robbed or dismantled.
Lyra was planning to treat everyone like an important figure, by building graves them.
Before I could respond, a weak sound came from behind us.
A wet and painful cough.
The P Corp Director’s eyes had shifted toward me.
His lips curled into a twisted smile, blood staining his teeth.
"Heh, are you here to kill me?" he rasped.
He coughed again, his body trembling against the restraints.
"Go on. Kill me. Let’s see how you handle the wrath of the Head Corporations."
Lyra’s expression became serious.
Wars between Corporations were forbidden.
For now, L Corp could justify the conflict by pointing to my kidnapping.
As Rune Sage and the creator of Severity Level Reduction Technology, my capture had given them a valid excuse.
That excuse would soften the punishment.
But only to a point.
Destroying a Corporation entirely was a different crime altogether.
If P Corp ceased to exist, the Head Corporations would see it as L Corp attempting to expand its influence by swallowing an entire Sector.
That would mark us as a direct threat to their authority.
The punishment would be brutal.
Increased taxes. Restrictions on Saint services. Limits on recruiting new personnel. Even temporary revocation of our patent.
Anything among them would be a brutal punishment.
Fortunately, the P Corp Director was still alive.
Which meant P Corp, technically, still existed.
The situation could still be salvaged.
’Even if the Head Corporations did not forbade us, I would not kill him.’
’Killing a Rank 4 Mechanic like this would be a complete waste.’
"I won’t kill you," I said.
His smile widened slightly.
"Of course you won’t—" he coughed blood, his face pale from the torture. "—because you can’t afford to offend Head Corporations."
"Nu-huh."
I shook my finger slowly, a sneer forming on my face.
"That’s not why I’m letting you live."
I spoke calmly, letting each word settle.
"I’m letting you live because I want you to see how worthless your life has become."
His expression faltered.
"...What?" he muttered.
"P Corp is finished. Even if you’re alive, what exactly do you think happens next?"
I leaned closer.
"Enemy Corporations will tear into what’s left of you. They’ll want to profit from this situation. Some will try to control your mind. Others will torture you into giving up whatever hidden technologies you’ve been hoarding."
His breathing grew uneven.
"The Head Corporations won’t save you. You know how this works. Your combat forces are gone. The illegal authorities in Sector P will move in soon. They’ll kill you, take your place, and build a new P Corp under their control."
He tried to speak, but no words came out.
"The Head Corporations won’t stop them. They only interfere when other Corporations gain too much power. A non-Corporate group overthrowing you and forming a new Corporation is perfectly acceptable."
His eyes widened.
He knew it was true.
Once a new P Corp was formed, the Head Corporations would no longer care about him.
In fact, enemy Corporations would likely support the illegal authorities behind the scenes.
That way, everyone won.
One illegal authority would rise to power. Enemy Corporations would gain access to P Corp’s Director.
Because that was the real prize.
Parasite Technology had been patented. Everyone knew the basics of that technology.
But like every Director, he had hidden technologies that he never patented or revealed.
Those were worth their weight in gold.
I watched the realization sink in.
"Looks like you understand what’s coming," I said, grinning as I lightly patted his forehead. "Still, I’m a kind person. So I’ll give you an offer."
"...What offer?"
"Become my slave, and I’ll save you. And P Corp."
Lyra looked at me with a strange expression.
She was probably remembering how she herself had been half-scammed into becoming my slave.
I ignored her reaction and continued.
"You’ve seen the Cyborgs regaining their sanity. That’s our latest technology. With it, we can generate enormous revenue in a short time.
"We’ll help you rebuild P Corp. Until it’s restored, L Corp will protect you," I said.
Lyra’s smile twitched.
I had just decided how L Corp’s finances would be used without discussing it with her even once.
Still, she didn’t object. Not in front of P Corp’s director.
He let out a weak laugh that turned into a cough.
"You’ll protect me? L Corp is on its last leg. You can’t even protect yourselves. How exactly do you plan to protect me?" he said.
’He didn’t refuse immediately.’
That alone told me enough.
As expected of someone who had climbed to the position of Director, a rank built on backstabbing and political maneuvering, he was a staunch believer in one simple rule:
Yesterday’s enemy is today’s ally, and tomorrow’s sacrifice.
"You don’t need to worry about the details. Just know that I will protect you," I said calmly.
Before he could interrupt, I continued, my tone unchanged.
"And it’s not like you have another option."
At the same time, I spoke in my mind.
’Yuna, give me a slave contract.’
’...’
’Yuna?’
’...Okay.’
Her response was delayed, and when I glanced at her, her expression was still stiff.
But despite that, the familiar sensation came through, and a contract manifested in my hand.
I took it and stepped closer to the table.
The P Corp Director’s eyes narrowed slightly as I waved the paper in front of him.
"This is a contract. It states that you’ll become my slave and that you won’t reveal this information to anyone. In exchange, I’ll protect you and help rebuild P Corp," I said.
He tried to move, then winced as pain shot through his body.
Since he couldn’t sit up on his own, I used my ’hands’ to lift him slightly and hold the contract at a readable angle.
"Read it carefully," I added.
His eyes scanned the paper.
From his expression alone, I could tell what he was thinking.
To him, it was just a written agreement. Ink on paper. Something he could agree to now and tear apart later once he regained his footing.
He was already planning how to use me.
And how to betray me.
Lyra noticed it too.
She watched him with a strange, complicated look.
Unlike him, she knew better.
She knew this contract wasn’t just words.
She had learned that lesson the hard way.
Back then, she had believed there was no way a Rank 1 Exorcist could possess a supernatural power capable of binding a Rank 4 Mechanic like her.
She had underestimated it, dismissed it, and paid the price.
The same mistake stood right in front of me now.
The P Corp Director finished reading and looked up.
"...If I refuse?" he asked quietly.
"Then you will wish I killed you here today. The enemy Corporations will make sure of it."