novelraw Chapter 11 : Chapter 11
Chapter 11 : Chapter 11
Chapter 11:
It had been two days since Ered was incorporated into Obsidian.
Obsidian did not give him any missions.
It was probably to give him time to adjust.
It was a succession of idle days.
'It is rather for the best.'
Jinfre was suspected of being a traitor.
Verifying that fact was my real mission.
The fact that I had plenty of time meant that I could focus that much more on Jinfre.
'The problem is that Jinfre's behavior pattern is seriously simple.'
He was continuously sipping an amber liquid from a glass.
It was whiskey.
Sometimes he also smoked a cigarette as a snack.
Let's overlook the smoking.
To engage in drinking.
And in broad daylight?
It was a lack of self-management.
Jinfre squandered most of his time consuming alcohol and tobacco.
Throughout all three days.
Is there really nothing else for him to do?
And he is supposed to be in Obsidian.
From the position of someone monitoring him, I couldn't help but lose energy.
As someone who had looked at Jinfre with eyes of admiration at our first meeting, I couldn't help but be disappointed in him.
It was to the point of being surprising that he maintained such outstanding skills despite destroying his body so diligently.
And how strong was his alcohol tolerance?
Even though he inhaled alcohol all day long, he did not show a single sign of being disheveled.
By the time the observation was becoming tedious.
Jinfre, who had just emptied his glass, stood up.
He put on his coat.
He was preparing to go out.
My nerves, which had loosened in the monotonous scene, sharpened.
It was the first time in two days.
That he, who had been stuck in the headquarters, was going out.
“This is Alpha. Situation A has occurred.”
I finished a brief report as if whispering into the portable communicator.
Alpha.
That was the codename given to me for this mission.
I watched Jinfre's back as he stepped out into the hallway.
I did not follow Jinfre right away.
It is a foolish thing to carelessly tail a professional in tailing.
I waited for a sufficient amount of time.
1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes… 10 minutes.
This should be enough.
I wouldn't be suspected of digging into Jinfre's back.
I slowly stepped out of the headquarters.
A bustling street.
Jinfre was nowhere to be seen.
It was an obvious thing.
Since 10 minutes had elapsed.
Closely monitoring Jinfre within the Obsidian headquarters was solely my responsibility.
However, the story changed once the target moved outside the agency.
“Alpha is ready to transmit. Requesting confirmation of the target's location.”
As I requested, an answer came immediately from the communicator.
-This is Bravo. Informing that the target has just left Sector 15 and entered Sector 16.
-This is Charlie. He has passed Hayden Square in Sector 16 and entered 9th Avenue.
-This is Delta….
Reports from the watchers followed one after another as if they had been waiting.
The tailing was being carried out with extreme caution.
The watchers changed frequently as if passing a baton.
It was to prevent a situation where a watcher was continuously exposed.
There were more than ten tails attached to Jinfre.
Even I, who participated in the mission, did not know the exact number.
The opponent was the captain of Obsidian.
Even excessive caution would not be enough.
-This is Epsilon. Target discovered at the western entrance of Sector 30.
I pricked up my ears.
Sector 30.
It was the land of the poor.
‘Why is a Prominence there?’
There was no reason to visit unless one was from the slums.
‘Is it a meeting place?’
As my thoughts reached that point, the speed of my steps naturally quickened.
A sector abandoned by the Empire.
It was optimal for plotting a secret meeting.
-Informing that he has just entered ‘Old Toad’ in Sector 37.
Old Toad.
It was a tavern.
I grasped that fact just by hearing the name.
I spent most of my life in the slums.
As far as the sectors in the 30s were concerned, I knew them as clearly as my own front yard.
I had just entered Sector 37.
It was still far to the Old Toad, but I stopped my steps for now.
‘It would be troublesome to approach hastily.’
I intended to start moving after gaining a bit more information.
-He just ordered a glass of Goblin Whiskey.
The watcher even specifically mentioned the brand name of the whiskey.
Even that could be a secret signal Jinfre was sending to the Rebels.
‘Goblin Whiskey.’
I frowned.
I had never drunk it myself, but I heard its taste was as rotten as a goblin's face.
In other words, it was cheap alcohol.
‘Alcohol again.’
A sigh came out naturally.
‘Well. If he promised a meeting at a tavern but didn't order anything, he would be frowned upon by the owner.’
…Two hours passed like that.
-He ordered again…. It's Goblin Whiskey this time too.
The watcher let out a groaning sound.
During those two hours, the watchers had been replaced eight times.
The Goblin Whiskey Jinfre emptied had exceeded thirteen glasses.
In fact, maybe there was no such thing as a meeting, and he just wanted to drink alcohol outside.
If that were the case, a dozen personnel had wasted their time.
-Jinfre. This damn bastard.
A familiar voice cut in abruptly.
It was Verdo.
It was the first time he had spoken through the communicator.
It seemed even his patience had reached its limit.
-Alpha. Make contact with the target.
Finally, Verdo made a decision.
“Understood.”
I arrived at the Old Toad.
A tacky green sign.
Even that had its paint peeling off in places.
Even such a wretched bar belonged to the category of being in good condition in the sectors in the 30s.
My eyes narrowed thinly.
I spotted Jinfre.
He was sitting hunched over at an outdoor table on the terrace, drinking alcohol.
“Hmm? What brings you here?”
He discovered me and spoke.
It was according to plan.
An encounter feigning coincidence.
I had walked so that I would intentionally be caught in his sight.
I had no intention of secretly approaching Jinfre.
It is impossible to hide one's presence against him.
Knowing that, Verdo had also given the instruction to ‘contact’ the target.
“Captain?”
I approached him while intentionally acting surprised.
“You were here.”
“Were you looking for me?”
Jinfre narrowed his eyes.
‘Is he suspicious?’
Still, there was nothing to be flustered about.
“Of course not. I didn't even know the Captain was here. I was on my way back after finishing my business.”
“I see.”
Fortunately, Jinfre nodded his head without much suspicion.
He would know my personal details inside out.
‘He would know that I am from the slums too.’
It is not a strange thing for someone from the slums to linger around the slums.
That was likely why Jinfre did not press further.
I didn't know that my miserable background would be helpful in this way.
“If you aren't busy, why don't you stay and keep me company for a bit?”
Jinfre suggested casually.
‘To ask me to sit with him. Was he not promising a meeting with the Rebels?’
A sense of disappointment flashed across my face.
Anyway, for now, sitting with Jinfre was the best course of action.
“You seem to like alcohol very much.”
I sat across from Jinfre while naturally throwing out a remark.
“Because there is no better refuge than alcohol.”
It sounded like an excuse flavored with the philosophy of a heavy drinker.
On the other hand, it also felt significant.
Why would someone with a decent position and honor long for a refuge?
“Why are you drinking alcohol in such a dirty place? High-end bars are everywhere.”
Perhaps offended by my words, the shop owner's uncomfortable coughing sound was heard.
But only that much.
The owner did not openly show dissatisfaction to me.
It must have been because of the uniform I was wearing.
The owner was the possessor of sagging facial flesh and bumpy skin.
It was a moment when it was fully understood why the name of the tavern was the Old Toad.
I knew the old owner.
I had never exchanged words with him, just passed by him in passing.
On the other hand, the owner did not seem to recognize me at all.
The appearance of a growing boy changes day by day.
Since the age of 15, I had stayed at the Redstone Academy all along.
Due to the harsh training, my frame had widened beyond recognition, and my height had grown by more than 20 centimeters.
It was thanks to Redstone's balanced diet.
For an orphan from the slums to return in glory as a Prominence.
It was something unimaginable.
“A high-end bar.”
Jinfre slowly chewed over my words.
“There are many customers who buy alcohol there even if it isn't me.”
His eyes scanned parts of the slums.
Passing the dirty streets littered with trash, even to the slum-dwellers in shabby appearances.
“Do you pity them?”
I was certain of it.
The emotion Jinfre displayed was definitely pity.
‘I can't understand.’
If Jinfre were from the slums, I would rather understand.
But he was a member of a noble family.
Why would a noble person care about the likes of commoners?
‘It is a contemptible sympathy.’
I concluded as such.
Since he grew up without lack, he likely had the leisure to hold such luxurious emotions.
***
After the meeting at the Old Toad, I was often called by Jinfre.
‘Did he think I was suitable as a conversation partner?’
It meant I could make contact with him without having to arduously follow his tail.
Even so, Jinfre's behavior was not much different from usual.
He would just drink alcohol without fail.
Eventually, a week passed and we entered the second week.
Then one day.
“Do you think the Empire is walking on the right path?”
For a moment, I almost lost my composure.
A dangerous statement that popped out all of a sudden.
‘He finally revealed his true colors.’
My eyes gleamed.
There was more than one watcher listening in on this conversation through the communicator.
Verdo was included among them as well.
If he tripped even one step here, Jinfre would fall into the abyss.
‘Of course. Since it gave a lowly person like me the chance to become a Prominence.’
I wanted to say it flatly like that.
That was my honest feeling.
However….
‘Hide the opposition.’
I calmed my mind.
It was to win Jinfre's favor.
‘He is testing my intentions.’
The reason?
‘To recruit me?’
It was an important point.
“…Well.”
I just glossed over it for now.
Jinfre was expressing animosity toward the Empire.
To reveal opposition to the Empire's system.
This was a serious crime.
To agree with him from the start to win his favor?
It was not a wise choice.
On the contrary, it might arouse Jinfre's suspicion.
“I think the Empire's policies are wrong.”
Jinfre's decisive word.
Finally, he failed in his tightrope walking.
It was the moment his sinister intentions were revealed.
“Ered. If it's you, who lived a life of deficiency, shouldn't you have felt it poignantly? The absurdity prevalent in the Empire.”
His questions became increasingly blatant.
‘The reason Jinfre brought me into Obsidian was because I am from the slums?’
Was that all?
Because he thought it would be easy to inject his ideology against the Empire?
‘Did I look easy?’
Irritation welled up.
‘How do you think I climbed up to this point.’
He had the wrong person.
‘I have no intention of going along with your childish rebellion.’
I exercised patience with effort.
I am on a mission right now.
It was not the time to reveal private emotions.
“I did live a life that wasn't smooth. I might have been affected by the Empire's absurd policies.”
I gave the most standard answer possible.
‘My life was humble. That is an unmistakable truth. However, I have no complaints against the Empire.’
I mix a little lie with the truth.
Diluting it so that the lie is not easily revealed.
“I thought so.”
Jinfre smiled contentedly.
In fact, the statements so far were enough of a justification to arrest him.
‘I shouldn't be satisfied with this.’
There are forces that plot treason along with him.
I had to uproot those as well.
“I think we might have something in common. I do have an eye for people.”
Jinfre started talking alone for a while in an excited mood.
What the problems of the Empire were, and what should be overhauled first.
Was it because of the alcohol?
His voice gradually became louder.
“Let's part ways for today. There will be many times to share beneficial conversations in the future.”
Ultimately, I could only leave the seat after the night had grown deep.
“Thank you for enlightening me in many ways.”
“Don't mention it.”
As I bowed my head in greeting, he snickered with a reddened face.
“I will take you home.”
“Do you think I'm drunk? Not at all.”
Jinfre flatly refused the offer.
“Get home safely.”
I saw him off while wearing a smile.
He gradually moves further away.
By the time the sound of his song, which he hummed happily while drunk, faded.
My expression instantly turned cold.
-…Good work. Alpha.
Verdo's voice was heard lowly in the darkness.
***
Third week.
The monitoring continued.
During that time, I put in a lot of effort to cater to Jinfre's whims.
To play along with words I didn't want to hear and to babble things I didn't mean.
It was truly an ordeal.
Still, I must endure.
Jinfre had only laid out complaints about the Empire.
He had not yet started any decisive action.
He has that many complaints, but he doesn't actually attempt reform.
In the end, it meant he was a man of only words.
‘Does he still have no intention of bringing me onto the board? It must mean I haven't gained his complete trust.’
A time of endurance.
Waiting and waiting again.
By the time a month had passed.
“There are people I want to introduce to you.”
Finally, Jinfre took the bait.