“Ah.”
Lucas let out a soft exclamation as he heard Iberis’s plan. He seemed to understand her intention.
“Combining the information you’ve given me, former Lieutenant General Logan is running out of time. If he can’t return to the military before the enemy’s term ends, everything he’s worked for will be for nothing. He’s probably quite anxious. That’s probably why he’s been making reckless moves one after another.”
Iberis easily guessed Livio’s inner thoughts. Both using a villain organization for terrorism and hypnotizing Carlos to attack Lucas were things he would do, but there were oddly sloppy aspects to them.
It felt like he had made mistakes while rushing something. Iberis attributed the failure of Livio’s plots to his impatience. Thinking from his perspective, the answer became clear.
“If I were former Lieutenant General Logan, I would have gone through verification procedures until I got 100% certain information, even if it took a long time. Above all, I would have found a way to keep you far away before executing the operation. But he didn’t do that.”
An esper with rumored health issues getting an exclusive guide could mean their condition might improve. In fact, Iberis’s condition noticeably improved after meeting Lucas. Livio failed to notice what he should have if he had carefully compared and examined Iberis’s combat footage before and after Luke Illum’s assignment.
He even rushed to execute the operation. While he might have been confident of success, his desire to return as soon as possible left him no time to consider various factors.
“When people become impatient, they tend to think shallowly and their vision narrows. That man is probably in such a state right now.”
“I think you’re right, Major.”
Lucas was impressed by Iberis’s ability to point out aspects he hadn’t caught. He had been tracking Livio Logan for a long time, but until coming to N-zone, he hadn’t had the opportunity to directly confront him. Even Winfried hadn’t met with Livio separately except at official events since their relationship soured.
While intelligence agents under her orders had infiltrated Mars Guild to closely monitor Livio, it was difficult to obtain information beyond what was visible. For this reason, they had some difficulty in understanding his psychology until now.
But Iberis was different. Although they became enemies after the death of her team members, until then, she had experienced Livio up close. Thanks to her years of face-to-face work experience, she could easily infer what kind of situation he was in.
“…Didn’t Lieutenant General Bismarck say I might have a card I haven’t played yet?”
“Yes.”
Lucas, who had hesitated for a moment, nodded. When he first came to N-0 unit, Winfried had told him that if he became close to Iberis, he might be able to obtain additional information about Livio. It meant to gain Iberis’s trust and extract useful information.
But unlike her, Lucas had no intention of using Iberis, and after becoming close to him, he directly expressed this intention to Winfried. Even so, the fact that he had received Winfried’s orders remained as a sense of guilt.
“Three years ago, when I saw the scandal trial going strangely, I didn’t reveal some of the evidence I had. It was to save it for later. And Livio is probably anticipating that to some extent.”
That’s why he’s trying to kill her. Not only did she get him kicked out of the military, but she might also stand in his way again when he returns. Iberis clenched her fist resting on her thigh.
“Assuming the person who killed your parents is indeed former Lieutenant General Logan, knowing him as I do, he’s surely keeping a constant eye on Viscount Blake’s movements even now. He must be constantly worried that you might suspect him or know something.”
“Lieutenant General Bismarck had the same opinion. That’s why I’ve been living under the identity of Luke Illum.”
“Yes. So if I make contact with Viscount Blake, and furthermore, if I show a close relationship with him, former Lieutenant General Logan will certainly take interest. He doesn’t know what kind of weapon I might have.”
Iberis grinned. Livio was cautious at best and timid at worst. For someone like him who greatly dislikes taking risks, a report of her meeting with Viscount Blake would inevitably be concerning.
“He’d be anxious that you might say something strange to Viscount Blake about his parents’ death or pass on related materials.”
“That’s right. I learned while working in the special team that most people who have committed many crimes are always on edge, not knowing when which crime might be revealed. That’s why they’re terribly afraid of victims meeting each other. They fear their other crimes might be revealed or their punishment might be increased.”
“I see.”
“Former Lieutenant General Logan is human too, so he can’t be free from psychological pressure. What if, after my meeting with Viscount Blake, articles about past incidents he was involved in start surfacing one by one?”
“He’d be under even more pressure, I suppose?”
“That’s right. And it’s not just former Lieutenant General Logan. His accomplices who helped him back then would be extremely anxious about the fallout reaching them too, wouldn’t they? What do you think would happen then?”
“Internal division would occur!”
Lucas raised his voice without realizing it. A thrilling sense of elation surged through him, making his spine tingle.
“Correct.”
Iberis’s eyes curved in a smile. Accomplices are in a relationship where if one betrays, they all risk getting caught. They hold each other’s weaknesses, so while they’re closer than anyone when their crimes are hidden, they easily crumble like a sandcastle in one wave when the situation gets even slightly difficult.
“The reason his accomplices helped the ousted former Lieutenant General Logan make a comeback… it’s more likely they were blackmailed with past events rather than out of fondness for him.”
“Since they’re in the same boat as former Lieutenant General Logan… they must have thought they’d be in danger if he sinks.”
“But that’s only when his situation is good. If controversies keep breaking out and previously unknown corruptions are revealed one after another, they’ll surely try to cut ties.”
“Conversely, former Lieutenant General Logan would try to hold onto them somehow. He wouldn’t want to die alone.”
“You’re right. So we need to approach this with the mindset of stimulating the sense of crisis in everyone involved with Logan, not just him.”
“Hmm.”
“Therefore, to execute this plan, we first need to stage a meeting between me and Viscount Blake. We also need to find media outlets that will act as our speakers. The more, the better.”
“You don’t need to worry about that part. There are several media outlets that have favorable relationships with Blake Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals. We can provide sources through them.”
Lucas spoke confidently. He already had experience using the media to heroize Iberis during the N-zone terrorist incident.
“Really?”
“Yes. And if we ask Lieutenant General Bismarck, we should be able to get support. The recent raising of suspicions about Mars Guild’s involvement was also an intelligence operation.”
“Ah, right. You did mention that.”
Iberis nodded, remembering the fact she had momentarily forgotten.
“I’ll contact Viscount Blake, who’s acting as my stand-in, and set a date as soon as possible. Since I’m an external advisor to their pharmaceutical company, we can make it look like I’ve bridged the connection between you two.”
Lucas actively offered his opinion. In truth, he had been secretly worn out all this time. It had been 10 years of having suspicions but no physical evidence, living with a changed identity to avenge his parents, but spending too long without results.
As a result, Lucas had grown accustomed to living as Luke Illum. The more he did, the more distant the path to returning as Lucas Lowell Blake became.
He could barely meet his only remaining family, his younger sister, once every few months, and who would enjoy a life of isolating themselves by coldly pushing away people who approached with goodwill?
Although he pretended to be fine in front of Winfried and Caleb, Lucas, being human, couldn’t help but get tired. He often felt trapped in a maze with no visible exit.
But now, with the strategy Iberis proposed, he felt like he had finally found an exit. That’s why Lucas showed a more enthusiastic attitude than usual. Not stopping there, he immediately took action.
“Just a moment. I’m going to call Thomas. I’ll also contact Lieutenant General Bismarck to inform her of your operation.”
Lucas stood up, took out his phone, and called Thomas, who was acting as his stand-in. Then he also asked Winfried for help. In the blink of an eye, their trip to England was decided.
“Former Lieutenant General Logan is human too, so he can’t be free from psychological pressure. What if, after my meeting with Viscount Blake, articles about past incidents he was involved in start surfacing one by one?”
“He’d be under even more pressure, I suppose?”
“That’s right. And it’s not just former Lieutenant General Logan. His accomplices who helped him back then would be extremely anxious about the fallout reaching them too, wouldn’t they? What do you think would happen then?”
“Internal division would occur!”
Lucas raised his voice without realizing it. A thrilling sense of elation surged through him, making his spine tingle.
“Correct.”
Iberis’s eyes curved in a smile. Accomplices are in a relationship where if one betrays, they all risk getting caught. They hold each other’s weaknesses, so while they’re closer than anyone when their crimes are hidden, they easily crumble like a sandcastle in one wave when the situation gets even slightly difficult.
“The reason his accomplices helped the ousted former Lieutenant General Logan make a comeback… it’s more likely they were blackmailed with past events rather than out of fondness for him.”
“Since they’re in the same boat as former Lieutenant General Logan… they must have thought they’d be in danger if he sinks.”
“But that’s only when his situation is good. If controversies keep breaking out and previously unknown corruptions are revealed one after another, they’ll surely try to cut ties.”
“Conversely, former Lieutenant General Logan would try to hold onto them somehow. He wouldn’t want to die alone.”
“You’re right. So we need to approach this with the mindset of stimulating the sense of crisis in everyone involved with Logan, not just him.”
“Hmm.”
“Therefore, to execute this plan, we first need to stage a meeting between me and Viscount Blake. We also need to find media outlets that will act as our speakers. The more, the better.”
“You don’t need to worry about that part. There are several media outlets that have favorable relationships with Blake Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals. We can provide sources through them.”
Lucas spoke confidently. He already had experience using the media to heroize Iberis during the N-zone terrorist incident.
“Really?”
“Yes. And if we ask Lieutenant General Bismarck, we should be able to get support. The recent raising of suspicions about Mars Guild’s involvement was also an intelligence operation.”
“Ah, right. You did mention that.”
Iberis nodded, remembering the fact she had momentarily forgotten.
“I’ll contact Viscount Blake, who’s acting as my stand-in, and set a date as soon as possible. Since I’m an external advisor to their pharmaceutical company, we can make it look like I’ve bridged the connection between you two.”
Lucas actively offered his opinion. In truth, he had been secretly worn out all this time. It had been 10 years of having suspicions but no physical evidence, living with a changed identity to avenge his parents, but spending too long without results.
As a result, Lucas had grown accustomed to living as Luke Illum. The more he did, the more distant the path to returning as Lucas Lowell Blake became.
He could barely meet his only remaining family, his younger sister, once every few months, and who would enjoy a life of isolating themselves by coldly pushing away people who approached with goodwill?
Although he pretended to be fine in front of Winfried and Caleb, Lucas, being human, couldn’t help but get tired. He often felt trapped in a maze with no visible exit.
But now, with the strategy Iberis proposed, he felt like he had finally found an exit. That’s why Lucas showed a more enthusiastic attitude than usual. Not stopping there, he immediately took action.
“Just a moment. I’m going to call Thomas. I’ll also contact Lieutenant General Bismarck to inform him of your operation.”
Lucas stood up, took out his phone, and called Thomas, who was acting as his stand-in. Then he also asked Winfried for help. In the blink of an eye, their trip to England was decided.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
