[120]
“I think I paid you not to ask that.”
“I haven’t received it yet.”
Chris shrugged. It was nothing more than wordplay.
But in this situation, Obl was the one at a disadvantage.
“Ha. Even so, there’s no record connecting him to me.”
His dejected voice was filled with self-mockery.
“Was it erased?”
Obl narrowed his brow at the rude question.
But he didn’t deny it.
“So you really are blood relatives.”
Chris clicked his tongue.
Record manipulation happens fairly often.
Given the times, proper birth and death records are rather rare.
‘That’s why no one noticed when a child from Neulbom Orphanage disappeared without a trace.’
Recalling the ongoing search that was facing difficulties, Chris composed his expression.
“I have nothing more to say. Take the gold if you want. Or don’t.”
Obl’s eyes looked directly at Chris as he spoke with disgust.
“But if any threat comes to her life… I’ll make sure you never sleep peacefully again.”
“Yet you lost to me.”
“That was in the arena.”
Obl made his hand transparent.
“But if I approach secretly in this state, do you think you would notice?”
Chris was about to affirm but remembered his role and narrowed his eyes instead.
Obl seemed to gain some confidence from that reaction and glared fiercely.
“Either agree to the deal, or be prepared to have an invisible enemy following you for life.”
“Couldn’t I just kill you now?”
“If that was your intention, you would have already torn out my claws.”
Obl gestured with his chin toward Chris’s hand.
He seemed quite perceptive.
Chris spoke, “I’ll take something other than gold.”
Obl raised one eyebrow at the proposal.
His face showed he couldn’t guess what Chris might want.
“I’ll notify you when the time comes, so wait.”
He turned and left the room.
Though Obl could have targeted his back, Chris showed an attitude of indifference.
Once in the corridor, Chris checked through the closing door.
He saw Obl slowly slumping onto the sofa, clutching his guitar case.
‘Got out well.’
To be honest, Chris couldn’t immediately think of what to demand from Obl.
So he planned to pass this on to Yuri.
‘Yuri will have a plan. He always does.’
Starting something and handing the response over to Yuri was something he always did, even on the Winter Continent.
The important thing was to not be underestimated.
Chris crossed the corridor, eager to relay this news to Yuri quickly.
***
“Abigail Chung?”
Yuri showed surprise at a name he never expected to hear again.
“Yes. She seems to be blood-related to Obl, an Esper with invisibility abilities.”
Yuri frowned as he tried to recall who Obl was, then nodded.
“Unexpected. One sibling is a city official, the other a player in an illegal arena…”
“Could there be a connection between the mayor and the Colosseum?”
“There must be some connection, but I doubt it’s entangled with the siblings’ issues.”
It was too trivial for the mayor of Babel City to look after. Besides, such people typically remove problems rather than nurture them when issues arise below.
That’s much simpler.
“It seems worth using, but I’m not sure where to apply it immediately.”
Yuri frowned.
As a player who had been in the Colosseum for a long time, Obl likely possessed considerable information.
But questioning him here could risk being discovered by watchful eyes.
“Did you say Abigail was clinging to Obl?”
“I didn’t overhear their entire conversation, but… from the context, it seemed so.”
“It might be an opportunity to reach inside Babel City Hall through Abigail Chung.”
Yuri muttered as if talking to himself.
It was somewhat accepted as fact that Abigail Chung was the mayor’s underling. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been tasked with supplying people to the “construction site,” which was practically evidence of the mayor’s alliance with the Thorns Order.
So if they could turn Abigail Chung, they might find a more direct way to bring down the mayor of Babel.
However, this comes with the constraint of having to use Obl.
With so many watchful eyes in the Colosseum, it wouldn’t be easy to extract him alone.
“Obl is bound to the Colosseum and is gathering his ransom. The gold was substantial, but since he hasn’t been released after paying it… he must be short on money.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yuri responded concisely, engraving the information Chris shared in his mind.
He paused momentarily to recall each piece on the board.
Broker Edgar. Player Obl and Abigail Chung who introduced herself as a Babel City investigator, the mayor of Babel City, and the “commander” of the Thorns Order.
It seemed worthwhile to connect them all, but something was still missing.
And that remaining puzzle piece could likely be obtained from this Colosseum.
Just then, the terminal on the table lit up.
“Seems the broker wants to make a new deal.”
Just as he was about to take a breath and sink into thought, things were rushing in from all around.
As if it wasn’t time to rest yet.
Yuri slightly furrowed his brow.
Chris asked, “How should we proceed with the next match?”
“Comeback victory.”
Yuri answered concisely. He was operating the terminal to send a reply to the broker.
“What are you doing?”
“Investment recommendation.”
He pulled up the corners of his mouth. Though not a proper explanation and with a rather suspicious expression, Chris accepted it.
“If we’re going to make money, we should do it properly.”
Though they came here for a good cause, he seemed to have no hesitation in pursuing self-interest.
“Are you thinking of expanding the game?”
Yuri’s fingers paused at Chris’s question, and he smiled faintly.
“Well…”
It was essentially an affirmation.
By manipulating “Wolf” in the game they entered through Edgar, they would expand their influence and draw in more people.
Neither more nor less than something Yuri would typically do.
Chris knew well that he just needed to trust and follow Yuri.
BANG!
A loud noise came from the door.
Without showing any sign of surprise, Chris immediately turned to shield Yuri.
He expected someone to open the door and enter, but surprisingly, there was no such indication.
Yuri, who had retreated behind Chris, operated the terminal to check who was at the door.
But instead of a person’s shadow, there were only heavy-looking boxes stacked up.
“The doorknob…”
Chris, who had glanced sideways and noticed something, murmured.
The external doorknob was completely twisted. Chris clicked his tongue at the metal that had been crushed as if by tremendous force.
“It seems they’re not trying to get in but to prevent me from getting out.”
Yuri didn’t deny the speculation.
“There’s no match today, so isn’t this wasted effort?”
“Not really. In my opinion…”
Yuri narrowed his eyes, paused for a moment, then muttered.
“It seems like we’re being checked.”
“…Checked, you say.”
Until now, Chris had focused on maintaining a decent win rate and raising his rank. He had demonstrated the maximum capabilities that an Esper with animalization abilities could show.
‘Plus, I’ve now risen to Platinum.’
The difference between Gold and Platinum isn’t just the rank but also the scale of betting amounts.
“Those who bet against you are making a move. Even if you can participate in matches right away, they want to shake you mentally.”
“…They really have nothing better to do.”
Chris muttered.
“If you knew how much money is involved, it would be hard to say it’s just because they have nothing better to do.”
Even the broker who contacted Yuri didn’t jump into this field for fun.
He had a very clear goal: money.
“Should I open the door?”
Chris carefully suggested.
Although animalization is his main ability, Espers generally have stronger physical strength than ordinary people, so it wouldn’t raise much suspicion if Chris opened and went out.
“I’ve put in a request to the management office, so they’ll come and clear it up soon.”
Why volunteer for such a troublesome task?
Yuri paused briefly before adding.
“And they’ll replace the doorknob too.”
“Come to think of it… the person who damaged the doorknob concerns me.”
Chris frowned.
“An ordinary person couldn’t crush a metal doorknob like that without tools.”
“Who do you think left that on a floor where only players and officials can enter in the first place?”
Yuri replied in a not-so-surprised tone. Chris, who had been thinking “no way,” swallowed.
“Then… are you saying that a regular player was paid to do this?”
“Their rank isn’t high enough to expect significant prize money. But there must be many Espers who want to make money. Plus, guiding drugs circulate here…”
It’s a structure where players have to spend a lot as they earn a lot.
An environment that only lines the pockets of the Colosseum.
‘I thought the money creating chaos across continents was all thanks to drugs.’
When leaving the arena, there would be a need to completely tear it down.
He had confirmed while making rounds in the gambling scene that some were from the Summer or Autumn Continents.
Now they were gathering money from regions beyond the Spring Continent.
“It would be good if we could check the camera records by asking the management office.”
Chris muttered.
They should prevent recurrence, shouldn’t they?
“The culprit probably isn’t new to this kind of thing, so it might not be very useful. But there’s no harm in asking.”
Both were relatively calm.
This didn’t even qualify as a threat.
But soon, they would come to realize that irritation that gnaws at the nerves is more unpleasant than threats.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
