It was impossible for us to transport Garm’s giant body ourselves. That was why we had hired Supporters in advance.
The Supporters, who had been waiting outside, came as soon as the Abyss was cleansed. Then, they skillfully dismantled Garm so that it could be loaded onto the many loading platforms that the Supporters had brought.
Garm's blood had solidified due to the poison, but by using a special anticoagulant on the blood, it had returned to its original state for the most part. With this, its value as a material would probably not be reduced significantly.
As they were interested in it, Alma and Kouga had been observing the Supporters dismantle Garm the entire time. It wasn’t due to simple curiosity though. It seemed like their aim was to get a better understanding of the structure of Garm’s body and utilize that knowledge the next time they fought it.
While gazing at the two of them observing studiously, Leon, who had finished paying the Supporters, came over.
「We managed to win somehow」
With a perplexed smile, Leon sat down next to me.
「Noel, you’re amazing after all. I had thought that defeating Garm was a feat that was only possible for me further down the road」
「It’s the team’s victory. We wouldn’t have won if any of us were missing」
「That’s true. Wild Tempest is a good team. It has the potential to rise further. ……But, with today’s battle, I’m certain of it. No matter how outstanding everyone is, I think that it’s impossible to become one of the Regalia in six months after all」
「I see, can you tell me the reason for that?」
At my urging, Leon continued.
「First, our fighting strength is simply too small. Even if everyone becomes A Rank within six months, it’s meaningless with just the four of us. I’ve tried looking for excellent Seekers as well, but there doesn’t seem to be any that we could potentially recruit. Having said that, it’s not like we have the time or energy to spare for nurturing novices」
「That’s not a problem. I have a prospective talent in mind」
「Hugo Coppelius, huh……」
I had already shared the matter of Hugo with Leon. Unlike with Alma, the risk of Leon inadvertently blurting out secrets was low, so I didn’t feel uneasy about sharing information with him. Above all, I couldn’t possibly keep the person that I had entrusted with the role of sub-master in the dark about such an important matter.
「As far as I can tell from the information you’ve gathered, I believe that Hugo has been unjustly accused as well. But will he really become our ally?」
「He will. I’ve a good grasp of his character」
「......I’ll believe those words. Certainly, if he becomes our ally, our problem of lacking sufficient fighting strength will probably be solved. But there are also other problems. It's a matter of money. As a special privilege, the Regalia are given the right to possess an airship, but it conversely means that one of the requirements of becoming one of the Regalia is having the financial power to build that very airship. The minimum amount required for building one is--」
「80 billion Fil, right?」
After I interrupted him and answered first, Leon nodded.
「Yes, at least 80 billion Fil. However, the reward that we’ll receive as a result of our desperate struggle to subjugate Garm is 100 million Fil. And the money we'll get from selling the materials at their current market price is 300 million Fil. Even if all of that money goes into the clan’s funds, using simple calculations, we’ll need to do it 200 times. We obviously don’t have enough days for that. Above all, if we keep on fighting tough battles like the one we had today without taking any breaks, our bodies won’t last」
「How did it go with the bank loans?」
「I went around and sounded them out, but if it’s the current Wild Tempest, it appears that we’ll be able to pull together a total of 8 billion Fil. Therefore, if we work every day without taking a break, there’s a chance that we might just barely reach the 80 billion Fil required. But isn't something like that impossible?」
「No matter how you think about it, it’s impossible, isn’t it?」
I got up and stretched.
「Doing the best we possibly can, our limit is around 30 billion Fil, isn’t it? I’ll do something about the remaining 50 million Fil. I’ve got a plan to raise funds」
「A plan, you say……」
Leon muttered coldly and fixed me with a stare.
「Noel, to be frank, I can’t come to like your methods. I also don’t have the goodwill or loyalty for you like those two do. The reason why I’m following you despite that, is because I’ve determined that aiming for the top together with you is the surest way to leave the name of Sky Winged Knights for posterity. Therefore, I’m only following you purely from a business standpoint. And, speaking from that standpoint, it’s dangerous to rely too much on plans. Even if you can overcome the problems for now, there’s no point if we don’t have the appropriate level of ability」
What Leon said was correct. Eventually, it would all boil down to our real ability. Even if we used tricks and schemes to get an assessment that was above our real ability, we won’t be able to maintain our organization if we didn’t have the substance to back up that standing.
「Your goal is to gain the title of Regalia at the assessment six months later, then earn even more achievements in the fight against the Variant, right? Is that something that you can achieve only using plans?」
I met Leon’s gaze and smiled.
「Leon, why do you think I made you an ally?」
「……You wanted to inherit Sky Winged Knights' achievements, right?」
「There’s also that. But the main reason I wanted you, is because Seekers like you that have both strength and righteousness are rare. Then again, I suppose that righteousness is also the reason you were cast out by the other Seekers」
「What do you mean?」
「I’ve said it before already. The noble path and the immoral path, light and darkness, Wild Tempest will make use of these different attributes as we aim for the top. An organization can only grow if it has diversity. If I surround myself with only yes-men, I’ll eventually hit a wall and be unable to proceed. In order to prevent that from happening, I need a talented individual like you who can think in a way that's opposite to mine」
Not even Alma and Kouga would have the same opinion as me on anything and everything. But the two of them tended to be submissive to me. That would likely lead to abandonment of thought. In other words, should I ever run into a wall, the two of them would probably not be able to come up with an idea to solve the problem. That was why I wanted Leon, whose values were radically different from mine.
「Leon, you should keep on believing in your righteousness. That’s the role you should play. But, so long as you’re the sub-master, believe in me. My plan is not just for overcoming our current situation. That’s why I was able to win against you」
Leon was dumbfounded by my words, but he eventually nodded with a smile.
「……Got it, Master. I don't agree with your methods. But I’ll believe in your brains and continue to support this clan」
「That's right, you’re fine the way you are. By the way--」
I pointed at Alma and Kouga. The two of them had started quarreling again.
「Go stop the fight between the two of them. If you leave them alone, they’ll cause trouble for the Supporters」
「Eehhh…… I’m the one who has to stop them?」
「That's also the job of the sub-master」
I’ll take this opportunity to push all the troublesome things that aren't related to work to Leon. Since he’s a serious person, he’s just the man to take care of all the bothersome stuff.
「W, wait, I get the feeling that’s wrong…… Well, it’s fine, but……」
Even though Leon could actually have refused, he stood up with a sigh. It really helped that he was a convenient person.
「Oh, and tell Alma to come over here. The two of us need to have a talk in private」
「Does that talk have anything to do with your plan?」
「Yes. Do you want to hear it?」
「……I’ll pass. I get the feeling that my stomach will hurt if I do」
I purposely held back from retorting: Even if you don't hear it now, you’ll find out about it eventually.
Showing me his tired back, Leon went to the two of them, and interceded in their dispute. Then, after receiving my message from Leon, Alma came over.
「Noel, Kouga is an idiot after all. Hurry up and fire him」
「Shut up. You're as much of an idiot as he is. Rather than that, stand next to me」
「Huh, what? Even for your big sister, it's really embarrassing to do lewd things in a place like this…… Can't you wait until we’ve returned home?」
「Die. Stop saying silly things, and come here quickly」
「Noel is so cold recently. Even though you were so much nicer when you were little……」
You couldn’t possibly know what I was like when I was little, could you!? Was what I was on the verge of retorting but I swallowed it back in time. This useless-boobies-idiot-woman was incorrigible as she would try to falsify history without batting an eyelid.
When Alma stood next to me, our height difference became clear. I was on the shorter side too, but, measuring by eye, the height difference between me and the even shorter Alma was about 30 centimeters.
「A difference of 10 centimeters would be ideal. But I can’t ask other people, can I…… Well, it’ll probably work out fine if you wear high heels」
「I'll say for the record that I’m still in my growth period. I can still grow taller」
「You're 21 years old, aren’t you? Your growth period has long since passed」
「I mean, why are you concerned about my height in the first place?」
When Alma tilted her head, I laughed.
「Wild Tempest is going to host a party. A grand party where we’ll invite the rich and famous. Alma will be my partner at that party」
「Party? ......I don't quite get it, but it’s one of your usual evil plots, isn’t it? Noel is really evil. You can live your life only thinking about evil things」
「I don’t want to hear that from a person who only thinks about sexually harassing others」
「That's a misunderstanding. I can live my life only thinking about sexually harassing『Noel』」
「That's even worse! Don't pinpoint me as your target!」
All jokes aside, it’ll be the worst if she seriously made a move on me. She really had a bad personality.
「To begin with, as I said before, there isn't a kinder and more sincere man than me, you know? It’s preposterous to call me a villain」
「Noel, such words are passed down by assassins: Plots are about『Sincerity』. In other words, it teaches us that sincerity is indeed the best tool for deceiving people」
After Alma spoke those words with a cynical smile, I burst out into laughter.
Indeed, they were words that encapsulated the true nature of people. Certainly, you couldn’t fool anyone with malice alone. Those words also applied to today's battle. We had been able to deceive the cunning Garm only because we had honestly given it our all.
As Alma had suspected, this party that I was going to throw was a part of my plot. This gambit would probably push Wild Tempest even higher.
I’ll make all the guests that I invite to the party my pawns. But I won’t move them using malice. No one would move if I used malice. Even if they did, it’ll only be because of self-interest. That’s why it’s necessary to move them with sincerity. No matter the times, it was always good, rather than evil, that moved people’s hearts.
Then, I’ll let all the suckers who got completely taken in become the foundation for my path to hegemony.
It was really starting to sound inspiring until that last line, wasn't it lol.
"A convenient person is someone you can take advantage of unfairly without any feelings of guilt or remorse.” Most fitting definition ever! (credits: mykwyner) I guess even a hard worker like Noel wants to foist all the troublesome stuff off onto others. XD
If you’ve forgotten about why Noel is terrified of Alma making a move for real, please refer to his traumatic experience in chapter 18. (^^;)
It’s the second time that a short chapter came when I was incredibly sick, which I’m so grateful for, it gave me a chance to rest for half a day. No, not COVID-19, thankfully. But, as is usual for this author, the next chapter is long to make up for it. Who will make their appearance as Noel starts his preparations? How is he going to raise the money he needs? What is this arc going to be about? Stay tuned to find out!
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login