Chapter 228: Executive General Meeting (3)

After handing the invitation to the guards at the stadium and stepping inside, a splendidly decorated corridor immediately welcomed Lennok.

An Executive General Meeting held for the first time in decades.

There was no need to explain how meticulously the secretariat, assisting the Chairman, had prepared for this day.

With no traces indicating it was a sports venue, it felt as if one stood in the middle of a grand palace.

Chandeliers hung from the dome-covered ceiling, their soft lights illuminating the ground.

Thud!

“……”

The moment he stepped into the main hall, Lennok felt countless gazes converging on him from all directions.

Each emotion contained within those gazes felt incredibly vivid to Lennok.

Rage, exhaustion, disappointment and frustration, curiosity and interest… intense emotions that transcended boundaries or limits.

It was an ode of praise directed at the adversary who, for nearly a month, had been cutting off the Cartel’s limbs more efficiently than anyone else.

Lennok, not bothering to pay them any mind, sat in the seat marked with his name and directed his gaze towards the platform.

Above the platform, as vast as a soccer field, figures stood, each occupying one of the four cardinal directions, looking down on the surroundings.

Four monsters, openly revealing their boundless magical power.

A bald giant with bronze skin densely covered in tattoos.

A muscular young man with slicked-back hair.

A fluorescent-haired girl glaring at people with a swaggering posture.

And a middle-aged woman in a dress, with a nervous demeanor.

The four highest-ranking executives commanding the leviathan known as the Cartel.

‘From left to right, McQueen, Virgil, Merlida, Kansoa… The entire board of directors is present.’

Virgil was already familiar, and he could roughly guess who Merlida was.

The dagger Avid Yonsen had used in his final attempt to kill Lennok.

According to information circulating on the deep web, it was called Merilda’s Fang, possessing powerful magic resistance.

Given that the fluorescent-haired girl’s fang couldn’t possibly be this large, Merlida was highly likely not of an ordinary human species.

As for Kansoa, there was no information beyond her being an excellent ice-type spellcaster… but that probably wasn’t important.

Lennok’s sharp gaze turned towards the bald giant standing at the forefront of the board.

He had the appearance of an ascetic, clad in a worn long robe, holding up a faded stone staff.

The tattoos covering his body had shriveled with his wrinkled skin, and ornaments designed to conceal his age now took their place.

Parden McQueen, Cartel’s CEO.

Olivera Ron Maize’s longest-serving confidant, a loyalist among loyalists who, in emergencies, even possessed the authority of a Vice Chairman.

Originally a high monk dedicated to ascetic practices in the Evatra Mountains, he reportedly broke his vows upon meeting Olivera, becoming a fallen monk and descending the mountain.

The spellcasting and ancient martial arts he developed through continuous training became his absolute power, and thereafter, as Olivera’s right-hand man, he made the greatest contributions to sustaining the business.

His conservative approach to business management, despite the Cartel’s characteristic weak cohesion, was one of the biggest contributors to bringing it this far,

However, his unique self-preservation tendencies paradoxically led him to betray the organization he had helped build.

‘It’s ironic…’

His personal information, painstakingly gathered through Evelyn and Jenny.

Considering the traces that indicated he was Girard Ozette’s direct superior and secretly controlled the Cartel’s execution squad, there was no doubt.

Parden McQueen was precisely the traitor who had first interfered with Jenny’s bar and instigated internal strife within the Cartel.

The question was when Virgil had discovered this fact…

[Everyone has arrived on time.]

Before he could fully delve into his thoughts, a low female voice resonated.

A tone neither high nor low. A voice so calm it bordered on emotionless.

As everyone gathered there raised their heads to find its source, seven streams of warm wind swept through, instantly illuminating a single figure.

Whoosh!!

A natural movement, as if she had been standing there from the very beginning.

A vibrant, colorful robe trailed on the floor, fluttering, and a hazy veil covered her pure white hair.

But putting all of that aside, what first caught the eye was the intensely colored radiance shimmering beyond the veil.

Those whose heads throbbed upon meeting that light and gaze averted their eyes simultaneously, but others silently endured her brilliant gaze.

‘Is that The Seven Debts Jewels Mystic Eye I’ve heard rumors about…?’

Lennok’s eyes involuntarily deepened.

Not only did it possess the highest output among all Mystic Eyes, but it was also one of the unique, top-tier Mystic Eyes in terms of rank.

It was said to hold the strange power to read everything about an opponent simply by meeting their gaze… but the magical power emanating from her now was not of that level.

Even if she was wearing a veil and obscuring her gaze, the radiance of the Mystic Eye couldn’t possibly be this weak.

‘As expected, she doesn’t seem to intend to reveal her true form.’

Lennok thought so, then glanced outside.

There was no need to guess how massive the public authority gathered around this stadium truly was.

In a situation where all eyes were focused, it would inevitably be a burden for the Cartel if the Chairman were to reveal her true body.

At the same time, it also meant that the Chairman had truly intended to invite Lennok to this place for a conversation.

Olivera, without concealing the eye-light emanating from beyond her veil, looked around and spoke in a low voice.

[I thank you all for joining me here today.]

As her magic trembled, the Six Harmony Resonance that flowed out passionately filled the vast hall.

[I am overjoyed that all the connections I have forged over the years have not been in vain. Decades have passed, yet our friendship remains unchanged.]

“……”

[There was a time when merely confirming that was enough.]

‘I can’t quite read it…’

Olivera’s calm continuation of her speech was clearly visible to everyone seated, yet Lennok, realizing her inscrutable method of existence, subtly frowned.

It was clear that she had appeared using a method akin to a doppelgänger, but it was difficult to discern how she was manipulating her magic.

Could she conceal her magical flow to such an extent, even from Lennok’s eyes, because she had reached a certain level of mastery?

Had Lennok not seen a new horizon through a fortuitous encounter, he might not have even sensed her magical power.

[But time flows, and everything changes. An era has arrived where nothing that happens in this city would be strange.]

‘She’s definitely artificially controlling the flow of magic through her Mystic Eye. I feel like I could figure it out with a bit more observation…’

However, while understanding and analysis took time, it was possible to uncover the secret given enough leisure.

A talent unconstrained by disparities in mastery. Simply understanding and absorbing, no matter who the opponent.

But before Lennok could draw a definite conclusion in his mind, Olivera moved first.

[Today, I stand before you to show you proof of that fact: even an oath sworn for a hundred years can scatter like a candle flame in the wind.]

“……!!”

Only then did Lennok, understanding her intent in gathering everyone, open his eyes wide.

Olivera slowly began to walk.

Swish, swish. The sound of her robe brushing against the floor.

The fallen monk, who had kept his eyes closed, slowly raised his head.

His liege, to whom he had sworn lifelong fealty, looked up at him with an indifferent expression.

[McQueen. Do you have any last words?]

“…You are cruel.”

McQueen spoke with a heavy voice.

“You all already know how I will respond, don’t you?”

Indeed. What meaning would denying it now have?

The moment Girard Ozette’s custody was transferred to Virgil, everything was already over.

Virgil cast his gaze among the crowd, whose eyes were wide open and looking up at the platform.

A sharp impression. A tall young man with a lean physique.

Wrapped in a black coat, he was buried in his chair, looking up at McQueen with a calm expression.

Though it was the first time they met face-to-face, he too immediately knew.

That this man was the one who pulled the trigger towards his downfall.

He knew he was a talented wizard.

And also that he was a freelancer who had built up his achievements and reputation at an abnormal speed.

He had even considered that precisely because of this, he had carefully chosen him as a strategic move for this very incident.

Once the attention of the Cartel’s Financial Planning Department was diverted to the losses the man had caused, siphoning off the desired slush funds from within would not have been difficult.

It was much later that he realized things had spiraled out of control.

Lennok, as soon as he captured Girard, noticed the internal strife within the organization and attempted to negotiate with Virgil, using that information as collateral.

Virgil, as soon as he rooted out the internal traitor, informed the Chairman.

The moment she realized his betrayal, everything was already over.

Even after revealing his disgrace before thousands, McQueen’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest.

He looked around at the assembled crowd with an arrogant gaze, and finally knelt towards the Chairman.

Thud!!

“I will not offer any pathetic excuses. However, I wish to personally clean up the mess I have made.”

[How amusing. For you, who was more zealous than anyone in self-preservation, to offer no excuses…]

“……”

McQueen fell silent at Olivera’s words, tinged with a faint smile.

Her words pierced his true intentions with unparalleled sharpness.

Even in this desperate situation, McQueen’s mind was racing.

There was no option of relying on the affection built over decades together.

To survive this situation, the very first thing he had to do was eliminate Van, who was effectively the root cause.

It was about cleanly eradicating the mistake he had made.

[Then let’s do this.]

Olivera turned around and stood back at the center of the platform.

A general meeting with thousands gathered. Yet, rendering its meaning void, only she alone freely projected her will.

It was a game that had been unfolding according to her intentions from beginning to end. Everyone knew.

[My old friend wishes to retire from his arduous duties and return to a life of freedom. I have no desire to thwart that wish. However, if the hand that commanded the existing affiliates were to withdraw, wouldn’t discipline falter?]

“……”

[I have already identified a talent in preparation for such a moment, McQueen. All you need to do is hand over the reins.]

McQueen, an ominous thought suddenly surfacing, unconsciously asked.

“That talent, surely not…”

[There was a wizard who advised me firsthand that our promise had become meaningless.]

Olivera’s lips, visible beneath the veil, curved into a wide smile.

[The boy called Van seems to be perfectly qualified.]

An icy silence descended upon the convention hall.

McQueen, the traitor’s last task, the fact that Van would be the one receiving the handover, meant in other words:

That he would be incorporated into the Cartel’s new board of directors, wasn’t it?

Only then did the Cartel executives, understanding the meaning of those words, turn their heads with expressions of horror.

Lennok, noticing the surrounding gazes, subtly bowed his head.

The expression hidden beneath his hair was already faintly contorted.

‘She had been aiming for this from the start.’

If she had intended to merely purge the faction that betrayed the Cartel, there would have been no reason to hold such a grand general meeting in the first place.

This entire situation was merely a pretext to invite Lennok with a plausible justification.

Was this the reason Virgil hadn’t contacted him separately yet, and why nothing unusually happened in the Cartel since Girard was handed over?

Olivera Ron Maize, having heard about Lennok’s abilities through Girard, had decided to bring him entirely under her command.