Chapter 348

I decided to spare the Earthling before me in exchange for those conditions. In a way, it was an unavoidable choice. No matter how capable my informant was, tracking down every last one of PIXY's minions scattered across Earth was simply impossible.

Kang Changho had also said that, aside from Andy Oliver and Spectrum, none of the others could be traced.

Realistically speaking, that was only natural.

If I'd already captured Andy, who appeared to occupy the highest position in that particular faction, then that was enough. By binding him with specific conditions through the [Knight's Oath], I could control the entire group beneath him simply by securing its leader.

There was no need for me to hunt down and lecture every remnant hiding across countless countries.

From now on, that foreigner—the one who possessed all the information about his organization—could take responsibility for keeping his friends in line.

"T-that..."

But then, at that very moment, the other party seemed to have a complaint.

"...Everyone, get a grip! I could die here! And you're still thinking about lying around?"

No.

Let me correct that.

To be precise, Andy Oliver had something he wanted to say to the fallen guards.

That must have been why he shouted at them so sharply.

"U-ugh...!"

How strange.

That foreigner's voice seemed to possess some sort of linguistic power.

One of the collapsed Awakened suddenly sprang to his feet like a coiled spring and charged at me.

Of course, his desperate struggle was suppressed in the blink of an eye.

"Huh? What the heck?"

It wasn't as though he was attacking just anyone.

There was no way a surprise attack would work against an SS-rank Hunter who was still under the effects of a physical enhancement spell.

Boom!

I caught the ankle of the enemy attempting a flying kick.

Then, while his leg was still suspended in midair, I tightened my grip with both hands and slammed him straight down.

This body had never learned Earth's martial arts, so naturally, the move that came out was something crude and simple.

"I suppose the damage from the water wasn't enough..."

That last impact must have broken quite a few bones.

Perhaps that was why one of the bodyguards suddenly broke into a cold sweat and began shedding tears.

"Don't kill him!"

No.

Maybe I'd guessed the reason wrong.

"Please don't kill him!"

The foreigner with braided hair suddenly looked strangely desperate.

And the only thing he shouted in that state was a single phrase—one that Kim Giryeo's stored knowledge could interpret without difficulty.

"Don't kill him!"

Andy stared blankly as the bodyguard was subdued in barely three seconds.

Perhaps because of that, he finally abandoned any remaining hope and spoke.

"Among the high-ranking Awakened in this bunker, there are several people bound by contracts that will kill them the moment I die."

How in the world had they ended up agreeing to something like that?

"Everyone's circumstances are different. When it comes to Awakened people in desperate situations—say, someone who needs money to treat a child's incurable disease—they can actually be persuaded far more easily than you'd imagine."

Anyway.

That's quite a talent.

"Oho."

I already knew that many people in this bunker were bound by contracts, but I hadn't expected some of those agreements to contain conditions like this.

Even for an archmage, determining the exact terms of an oath that had already taken effect wasn't an easy task.

But did that really matter?

I hadn't killed Andy Oliver yet.

I'd already sensed that his body was entangled in all kinds of curses, so even if he hadn't told me any of this, I wasn't planning to snap his neck on the spot.

"If a contract like that exists, then I certainly can't mess with you carelessly. An innocent person might end up suffering because of it..."

The PIXY shareholder's gaze drifted upward for a moment.

He didn't even bother concealing the relief on his face.

"But fortunately, I have a good solution."

His happiness didn't last long.

"Fortunately, I happen to know a way to make someone live for a very long time."

"Yes?"

"I'm not joking. I'm practically an expert in this field."

"._."

"Then from now on, Andy Oliver, I'll let you live like a vegetable for roughly a hundred years..."

There was no [Justitia] in this place.

Even so, Andy Oliver seemed to sense something instinctively.

"Wait!"

He shouted the instant I finished speaking.

"I-I only told you that contracts like that exist within this organization! That's all! I have absolutely no intention of using them as a weapon against you. I surrender!"

"Really?"

"We already lost genuinely vital personnel during the last incident, including Enzo Chano. What could I possibly do now?"

"Rebel?"

"With Poseidon—the man who performed a miracle right before our eyes—standing here in front of us? There's no way we could do something like that anymore."

I really don't like the way he talks.

"I accept your terms. I will take responsibility for dealing with the aftermath of the Beast incident somehow. The seeds I sowed, I will make sure to reap myself."

Still, the fairy's promise I'd cast in advance didn't activate.

At the very least, that meant he wasn't lying.

Apparently, the Awakened man I'd just slammed into the wall had been something like Andy Oliver's final line of defense.

The moment that bodyguard became useless, Andy immediately changed his attitude.

He really did seem to value his own life above all else.

"Well, with a mindset like that, I suppose it makes sense that he was so obsessed with the Elixir of Youth."

He's a Westerner, so his facial features still feel unfamiliar to me.

But now that I take another look, his face appears much younger than the information I'd received suggested.

"But in the end, anything that comes out of a gate is still just a cheap potion. Even if he'd gotten his hands on the drug, it probably would've done little more than preserve his outward appearance. His body would've continued aging underneath, and he'd likely have died of old age around the same time anyway."

I spent a brief moment examining Andy Oliver's features.

It didn't last long.

"Please. Give me the oath."

"Alright. Let's do that."

In any case, this man would need to keep working for at least the next three years.

The scroll still contained gate information extending three full years into the future.

I decided to use him to keep the overseas scroll seers under control.

At the very least, that should prevent another group of terrorists from emerging.

"It's not too late to think about his real punishment after some time has passed. For now, I'll just observe him. After what happened with Seonwoo Yeon, I've realized how dangerous it is to undervalue life. So for the time being, I'll try to keep him alive as much as possible."

But what was this?

The foreigner who had been urging me only moments ago to hand over the contract suddenly fell silent.

"Hmm?"

I looked at him, wondering what was wrong.

Then he spoke.

"Wait a moment. Now that I look at it again, I think the contents of this artifact need to be revised slightly."

"What's the problem?"

"I have a hobby of searching for and collecting information. Because of that, I know the backgrounds of nearly everyone involved in this matter—except for one person whose identity I still haven't been able to confirm properly."

"What?"

"I have absolutely no intention of hiding anything. The people who joined hands with me were Spectrum Corporation and the Guild Master of 333 from the Middle East."

The Earthling continued speaking in an urgent tone.

Judging from the fact that no electric shock struck him, this didn't appear to be a lie either.

"The problem is the last one—the operator of the Youth Guild."

"Is that so?"

At least in South Korea, it wasn't a guild name you heard very often.

"But there's something I desperately want to ask you now. Hunter Kim Giryeo, how exactly did you manage to find me?"

And now, all of a sudden, he was asking me a question like that.

What in the world had brought about this sudden change of heart?

I'd already warned Andy Oliver that I would be the one asking the questions.

Yet, strangely enough, the foreigner in front of me refused to back down.

"I'm already your prisoner, waiting to be punished! I have no room left to resist you. So please, show me some mercy. Besides, your answer is necessary if I'm going to provide Mr. Kim Giryeo with further information."

Someone as transparently timid as him had actually rolled his eyes upward and said that much.

Moved by his desperation, I ended up revealing a little information.

It wasn't particularly important.

If necessary, I could always mix in a few lies.

"Well, I just... asked Enzo about you while he was still alive..."

But the instant I said that, the other person snapped back.

"That's impossible! The Hunters I sent to Korea at the time were under contracts that would kill them if they revealed any information about me."

"Is that so? Well, actually, I had footage of you, Andy Oliver, meeting with the male beast."

"Huh."

"So it wasn't difficult to figure out that you were Enzo's boss. As for the location of this bunker and the other details, I only recently hired someone to—"

"That part doesn't make sense either."

"Hmm?"

The leader of that organization spoke with a deep frown creasing his brow.

"Because I've spent the last three years inside this bunker."

I stared at him without changing my expression.

"Fear and caution aren't traits unique to the Youth Guild. I was also extremely careful not to let my actions become known to the outside world. For the past three years, I've lived entirely through a representative. I have never personally acted in public."

"What..."

"I only met Enzo Chiano once, and that was several years ago. The world doesn't know who I am. Both the Youth Guild and I always operated in disguise unless we were in front of someone we trusted completely. That's how much effort all of us put into keeping our identities hidden."

"Is it possible for people to survive without ever seeing daylight?"

"Did your informant happen to rely on the only online records in which I was active?"

Andy Oliver sounded almost indignant.

"If so, doesn't something strike you as strange? How could anyone possibly guess that the person using the nickname 'P' wasn't the current operator of PIXY Company, but me—someone who disappeared from public view a long time ago?"

Those questions were completely sincere.

Not even the slightest trace of deception tainted them.

"If that informant managed to discover the whereabouts of the Youth Guild's leader, then please share that information with me. Only then can I properly carry out the cleanup you've entrusted to me."

"Wait."

"But if your informant claimed to know nothing at all about the Youth Guild, then that would be extremely strange. The leader of that guild left far more traces online than I ever did."

Oh no.

Don't tell me...

What Andy is about to say...

Could it really be?

"So. Do you understand what I'm saying? I-I have a very strong suspicion..."

At last, the mammal standing in front of me finished his sentence in a trembling voice.

"Isn't it possible that the person who gave you that information... was actually Youth himself?"

And with that, he began to advance the whistleblower theory.