Chapter 99: Randall Rodrigo Randall sat in a half-reclined posture that would have surely earned him a lecture had his subordinates seen him, his eyes fixed on a report.
The document, held with an air of profound boredom, detailed how Akito and Yeon-woo had survived the monster attack and led their teams. Since the accounts had already been cross-referenced with the team members and the agents they rescued, the report was likely accurate.
Seo Yeon-woo's team did everything…
Akito had led his team well, certainly. He hadn't wasted time trying to save the injured or searching for the missing Seo Yeon-woo. As Akito had judged, heading to Adrian to dispatch a rescue team offered a much higher probability of saving the split-up group.
As the name suggested, rescue teams included mages specialized in tracking and healing; they were dozens of times more efficient than a few individuals wandering around. Akito deserved high praise simply for avoiding the common mistakes made by green fledglings—especially the hot-headed idiots who acted as if they were something special.
However, he hadn't actually achieved any distinguished military merit. His only contribution was leading the team well and rescuing the survivors.
This was because Seo Yeon-woo had claimed all the glory for himself.
Yeon-woo had moved as if he knew exactly how Akito would act. Without venturing too deep into the forest, he had taken a path toward Adrian from a position where the road to the city was visible—a route that perfectly overlapped with Akito's.
They had no way of knowing if the other was alive or dead, so intentional luring would have been difficult… Does he really know Akito that well?
Having set out first, Seo Yeon-woo had cleared every threat along the path as if escorting Akito. He eliminated monsters, disposed of the carcasses perfectly to avoid attracting others, and even cleared away dangerous plants, paving the way for Akito's journey.
Is he serving a lord or something? It would've been perfect if he'd laid out a red carpet.
That was how much Seo Yeon-woo had done for Akito. It was as if he were certain Akito was right behind them.
This was where the objectives of Seo Yeon-woo's team and Akito's team diverged. While Akito's goal was to reach Adrian as quickly as possible despite being slowed by the injured, the evidence suggested Yeon-woo had moved with the sole intention of neutralizing all threats for the following group.
It's not just 'as if' he were certain; his actions were driven by certainty. If he was that sure, why didn't he just regroup?
Randall furrowed his brows.
There was nothing wrong with Seo Yeon-woo's official statement. Yet, this final point—why he didn't regroup despite his certainty—continued to bother him.
Randall let his arm, still holding the report, dangle lazily. He clicked his tongue out of habit, lost in thought.
But he had more to worry about than just that.
Lilia Vid Norbert.
As someone who collaborated with demons, Randall knew exactly who she was. In fact, his frequent business trips to Adrian under various pretexts were actually to ensure her barrier remained intact.
Though he called it "checking," he knew enough about barriers to believe that not even the 12 Zodiacs combined could break it, so he hadn't been particularly concerned.
And yet, it had been broken.
The others might not know because Akito's team had hidden the details of the rescue, but Lilia couldn't have been brought out unless the barrier was shattered. What was even more absurd was that Akito, who surely knew she was a demon, was trying to protect and hide her.
Should I try to make contact…? No, it's too dangerous. It's better to let him use the Daihara family's prestige to protect her. At the very least, it'll draw far less suspicion than if I took her in.
As if by design, the agents had all been unconscious when Lilia was rescued, leaving them completely in the dark. If Randall provided a little help by simplifying the investigation and granting some favors, Akito could take Lilia away without her demonic nature being discovered.
By design…?
The image of Seo Yeon-woo's face flashed through Randall's mind.
Being on the side of the demons, Randall knew Yeon-woo wasn't involved with them. However, Randall's reason for siding with demons was to achieve coexistence and peace between them and humanity. Ultimately, his foundation was for the sake of mankind, and he did not forgive those who threatened humanity.
Recent reports trickling in from intelligence agencies suggested there was someone capable of controlling monsters. While the agencies suspected a demon, Randall, who knew the demons' circumstances, was certain it was a human.
There is a human threatening mankind.
He didn't know the motive. Overthrowing the state? Money? There was too little information to confirm anything. He only knew that such a person—or perhaps an entire organization—existed, and that was when Seo Yeon-woo had caught his eye.
That was why Randall had been suspicious during Haruna's kidnapping, and why he suspected Yeon-woo was involved this time as well.
An attack on the road was a grave matter that could not be overlooked. The moment a road was cut off, cities became isolated. This wasn't just a problem for cities in the Unsecured Zones.
The Central City within the Barrier acted like a massive logistics hub. It gathered resources produced by cities in the Unsecured Zones, sorted them, and distributed them to other cities. If one city was cut off, its resources became unavailable everywhere, leading to a collective disadvantage.
Consequently, the Government spent astronomical amounts of resources and manpower to ensure the safety of the roads connecting to the Unsecured Zones. They mapped monster habitats, built roads through safe areas even if it meant taking long detours, and constantly monitored the ecosystem for changes. If a threat appeared, they exterminated the monsters and meticulously applied numerous spells along the long stretches of road to keep them at bay.
Despite using every possible means for safety, attacks happened occasionally. However, this one was far too timely, and with Lilia involved, Randall's concerns only deepened.
Deciding to leave Lilia to Akito, Randall stood up.
I'd better see for myself what kind of person Seo Yeon-woo is.
Suspicious circumstances had already cropped up several times. Yet, Erin Blair, the principal of Yggdrasil and the one who should be most suspicious, trusted him. Even Derek, Randall's former superior who was notoriously prickly and rigid, placed his faith in Yeon-woo.
Having been involved with demons since before joining the Government, Randall had been terrified of Derek more than once. Derek relied on principles, which allowed him to easily spot even the most trivial contradictions. And yet, Derek seemed inclined to trust and even support Yeon-woo.
And he was always so hard on me.
Randall decided to see firsthand how Yeon-woo had managed to butter up Erin and Derek.
A promising talent alongside Daihara Akito and Amagi Shizuka. His unusual exam content and excellent results demonstrated his intelligence and capability. He was a brilliant asset, but he could also become a formidable enemy, so Randall had to remain vigilant.
Just what was he doing in Adrian…?
And then, he found Yeon-woo rummaging through a trash can.
"… …"
"What?"
Randall stared blankly at Yeon-woo, who held a piece of trash and wore a sullen expression. Randall let out a sigh.
"You have a license, don't you? If you're hungry, you can eat for free at the cafeteria over there."
"Who are you calling a beggar? I have plenty of money, you know."
Randall knew that for a fact. His 4th Division had looked into Yeon-woo's assets several times; they knew he had amassed a fortune through the auction house and the casino, and that he was a major shareholder in several companies, including Moai Technology. His wealth, which was difficult to achieve at his age, was one of the reasons for suspicion.
"If you're not hungry, then what are you doing? For your information, you know it's illegal to rummage through trash cans without permission, right?"
"…I'm sorting recyclables. Man, people these days just throw away plastic however they want."
"What an excellent excuse."
When Yeon-woo spoke while glancing around warily at the mention of illegality, Randall replied with disbelief. Seeing him like this, the boy seemed almost slow-witted. This was exactly why Randall suspected him, and also why he couldn't easily decide to treat him as an enemy.
Yeon-woo was digging through a random trash can for no apparent reason. Usually, people who collaborated with others would leave things in ordinary places that weren't easily checked to make contact. Yes, it was definitely suspicious behavior.
But would he do it so openly…?
If he were a spy communicating with someone, he was an idiot. If he wasn't a spy, he was a strange madman.
Either way, he's not going to be helpful.
An incompetent madman was one thing, but a competent madman was a major threat.
Randall, who had no way of knowing Yeon-woo was looking for an in-game item, could only see this as a bizarre act. Even with his game knowledge, Yeon-woo couldn't remember the exact location of every hidden item. He remembered that something appeared in this park, but he couldn't recall which specific trash can it was, so he had to check them one by one.
Randall waved a hand in front of his nose as if the smell bothered him and sat on a bench next to the trash can Yeon-woo was searching.
"Did you lose something?"
"Yeah, my Bracelet of Weathering."
"…That's a magical tool that's hard to lose even by mistake."
"Right?"
"Exactly what kind of process leads to that being thrown in a trash can—a park trash can, no less? Besides, didn't you just get here yesterday?"
Yeon-woo had offered an excuse, but when pressed relentlessly, he found himself at a loss for words. He thought for a moment before speaking.
"But why are you sitting there? Are you just watching me?"
"Yes, I enjoy people-watching. Especially people who are more frustrated and in worse situations than I am. Seeing them makes me feel relieved, like, 'Ah, I'm still doing okay.'"
"…You have a wonderful hobby. But I'm not in a worse position than you, Agent."
"Says the man rummaging through a smelly trash can."
Once again at a loss for words, Yeon-woo clicked his tongue and went back to searching the trash in silence. In the game, he could just click near a trash can and find something, but in reality, he had to check everything manually like this.
As Yeon-woo moved from one trash can to another, Randall followed him around, watching. Eventually, he even bought a coffee and sat on a bench, sipping it while he observed.
Annoyed by the man's gaze and the fact that the Bracelet of Weathering was nowhere to be found, Yeon-woo glared at Randall.
"Do you have something to say?"
"You seem to have found plenty of relief, so can I ask you something?"
"Sure. You've improved my mood, so ask away."
Randall's response, where every single word was grating, made Yeon-woo hesitate before asking.
"Didn't you say you were sending an investigator? I haven't heard anything."
"Ah, that."
Randall smirked and leaned back against the bench.
"It turns out a lot of people like you."
"Well, that's obvious. I am handsome, after all."
"…Your looks… sure, being handsome probably plays a part. But the problem is the positions those people hold."
When Yeon-woo stopped rummaging through the trash and looked at him with interest, Randall gave a mocking smile.
"Erin Blair, one of the 12 Zodiacs, and Derek Skolson, a Rank 2 Agent. Those two said they wouldn't allow an agent into Yggdrasil to investigate you, so what choice did I have?"
Yeon-woo was moved by this revelation. The fact that he was being helped in places he didn't know about made him happy, and he vowed to look at Erin's chest just a little bit less.
"Is it just Yggdrasil? How on earth did you charm Lynette? Even within our department, there's opposition, so there's nothing I can do."
"Ms. Lynette?"
Yeon-woo had once collaborated with her through Derek to find evidence of the drugs Bluebird was distributing. Randall spoke as if he were complaining, but Yeon-woo, who hadn't known Lynette was helping him too, felt a strange sensation.
Because this was a game world he knew, he couldn't help but view it through a gaming lens, but he was reminded once again that they weren't NPCs, but living humans with free will.
"Oh, Ms. Lynette said she was going to send me something. Why haven't I gotten it?"
"That? I blocked it."
"… …"
"Don't look at me like that. At the time, the 4th Division had just started investigating you, so I had to stop any rewards from being given. Besides, with your abilities, that reward is nothing special anyway."
"Oh—so you've been watching me for that long? You're not even hiding it anymore."
Yeon-woo grumbled, feeling more regretful about losing his "slave" Lynette than the reward itself. Back then, he had been swept up in the moment and indulged in the slave play, but now that time had passed and he'd regained his reason, he wasn't sure how things would go.
Recalling how Lynette had held his semen in her mouth, Yeon-woo went back to rummaging through the trash.
Yeon-woo continued his fruitless search while Randall watched to see how far this bizarre behavior would go. All the while, they continued their needle-sharp banter, appearing to dislike each other while actually being strangely on the same wavelength.
"Oh, found it."
"…It was actually there…"
"I told you I lost it."
"Is that really yours?"
"Would I be digging through trash if it wasn't? How else would I know it was here?"
"… …"
Randall watched Yeon-woo as he shook off the liquid clinging to the Bracelet of Weathering and tucked it away.
He really is an incomprehensible man… but I can see why Erin and Derek are so taken with him.
He was fundamentally affable and a good conversationalist. His strong self-love was a flaw, but he kept it to a point where it wasn't offensive, and above all, he easily brushed off constant provocations.
Randall, who had found the conversation with Yeon-woo strangely enjoyable, looked around after the boy left. After confirming no one was nearby, Randall left a small mark under the lid of the trash can Yeon-woo had been searching.
It was a message only a demon could recognize.
Now the demons would also become aware of Seo Yeon-woo and begin to observe him.
Though he wasn't sure if they would pay much attention to him with Lilia's appearance.
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