Chapter 229: Executive General Meeting (4)

A bizarre idea to incorporate an enemy, who had inflicted losses exceeding hundreds of billions of cells, directly into the executive board.

But Lennok instinctively knew that her decision was based on an extremely cold and rational judgment.

Olivera herself was in a situation where she couldn’t easily move due to external checks.

At this point, where Lennok’s full potential, having single-handedly slaughtered an Executive Director and the execution squad, could not be easily ascertained, what was the way to eliminate the risk imposed on the organization?

If that risk could be made her own, there would be no problem.

To Olivera, the boundary between friend and foe held no meaning.

Lennok glared intensely at Virgil, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back in the corner of the podium, and he grinned.

From his perspective, he hadn’t broken his promise to Lennok.

He had taken responsibility in his own way and helped conclude this matter, and crucially, the Cartel would no longer be hostile to Lennok.

He had thought Virgil was not someone to be fully trusted, but he never expected him to come out this way.

“I can’t take this anymore…”

Lennok shook his head and pulled out his phone from his pocket.

He could guess what Olivera was thinking when she did this.

If she were truly deeply captivated by Lennok’s talent or ability, she would have called him separately for a conversation, not at an Executive General Meeting.

But making such an announcement in a situation where thousands of people and external eyes were watching meant turning people’s attention not towards internal division, but towards a new competitor.

It was as if she intended to make all the past events appear not as the Cartel’s weakness, but merely as an internal struggle for succession among potential heirs.

“Antares.”

If there was a right time for requests and promises, now was the moment for them to pull on the chains they had bound each other with.

If they intended to draw Lennok into their play, Lennok would simply introduce a new character.

“Ready. Just set the timing.”

Simultaneously with Antares’s intrusion, Lennok would refuse the Chairman and use Enakphil’s five fingers to exit the hall.

Negotiations with her should proceed secretly in a place beyond others’ gazes, not in this openly exposed hall.

What mattered was the moment to call upon a new helper.

To smoothly conclude the matter without the Chairman’s interference, it was naturally essential to think carefully.

“……”

As he stood up, holding his phone, he felt the surrounding gazes become even sharper.

The moment Lennok was about to walk directly towards the podium.

“Who decided that?”

A single black flash descended from the sky above the massive stadium.

Crackle-!!

The flash, striking directly at the center of the podium, spread out in a massive black wave, instantly engulfing the stadium.

From the center of the wave, a young man appeared as if shadows were lifting.

An ageless appearance and a somewhat insolent tone.

Even that arrogant attitude Lennok had never forgotten for a moment.

There was no mistake.

The battle with the Cigar Bang Gang, the incredibly powerful black wizard he had encountered immediately after killing Eden.

Pandemonium had suddenly appeared here.

“……!!!”

There was no need to hesitate.

The moment he was about to quickly pull out Enakphil’s five fingers, Lennok felt an intense sense of incongruity and sharpened his senses.

The appearance of Pandemonium. Furthermore, such a flashy entrance.

It wouldn’t be strange if chaos erupted around him.

Yet, the area around Lennok was eerily quiet.

‘This is…….’

People were frozen stiff. Their expressions calm, showing no hint of surprise.

Even with a member of Pandemonium appearing before their eyes, they showed no reaction. But they weren’t completely stopped; they were moving very slowly.

Only then did Lennok realize what was happening and he shivered.

‘Is he accelerating consciousness within the space, thereby inversely slowing down time around him……!!’

In that fleeting moment when the black flash struck.

By setting the beginning and end of time, he accelerated the time of existing minds within that interval, temporarily creating a world of consciousness separate from the surroundings.

The fact that the surrounding space hadn’t completely stopped but had merely slowed down to an extreme degree was due to that influence.

Anyone without special mental resistance would be thrown out without even perceiving this moment.

‘Then……!!’

Thinking that far, Lennok shifted his senses to check the podium, and the expected scene unfolded there.

In that frozen world where even the four executives were completely still, only Olivera and the young man stood facing each other.

Neither of them seemed affected by the accelerated world of consciousness.

Olivera, tilting her head slightly, looked up at the young man and spoke in an unpleasant, reedy voice.

“Myeong……. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that face.”

‘So, he’s called Myeong…….’

How would these two appear in the eyes of a ‘completor’ who had fully perfected their inner self as a world?

It was a scene Lennok could not immediately fathom.

Myeong stared down at her instead of answering her words.

He twisted the corner of his mouth as he looked past Olivera’s veil.

“Ha, I thought your true body was here, but it’s just a phantom. How dull.”

“……What brings you here?”

Olivera asked.

“As I said before, I have no intention of humoring your foolish antics. If you’re looking for attention, you’ve come to the wrong place, so go home.”

“I have no interest in decrepit old women either. I thought your ‘research’ was over.”

“…….”

“It doesn’t matter since I know your wretched appearance hasn’t improved… but don’t touch that.”

“That?”

“That, right there.”

Myeong tilted his head towards Lennok.

Olivera’s eyes flashed deeply for a moment.

“Oh, I see. Even Pandemonium—”

“Don’t get greedy, old hag.”

A chilling smile played on Myeong’s lips.

“You generally know what I’m talking about, right?”

“……How preposterous.”

Only then did Olivera realize Myeong’s intention, letting out a hollow laugh.

He had no interest in Olivera’s circumstances. It was merely a pretense for his appearance here.

Don’t even think about tying Lennok to the Cartel.

Myeong had appeared in person solely to deliver that warning.

“I knew you liked talented sorcerers… but I never imagined it was to this extent. Is he really that valuable?”

“Who knows?”

He let out a dubious laugh and slowly turned his back.

“But he’s definitely too valuable for an old hag like you to have all to yourself.”

“…….”

“I don’t care what position the Cartel gives him. But if you try to pull troublesome stunts for that paltry organization…”

Myeong’s eyes, mid-sentence, precisely caught Lennok and curved into a long, thin line.

Before Lennok could even consider the meaning behind that smile, Myeong’s form melted away into the black wave, vanishing.

“You’d better look forward to it.”

Only that last lingering remark echoed throughout the entire stadium, piercing the eardrums of those who belatedly regained their senses.

Virgil, who instantly grasped that something was amiss, turned his head towards the Chairman.

“Chairman, this is…!”

“Indeed, a rare guest has visited and departed.”

Olivera slowly looked up at the sky, her arms crossed.

The stadium’s large screen.

At the far edge of the vast stadium, a woman in a black suit looked down at them.

Green eye-glow, melting into the cold air, radiated through her visor.

Feeling the sharp, hidden killing intent contained in that gaze, she let out a small sigh.

“I should have maintained a delicate balance… As expected, things don’t go as planned. If I drag this out any longer, I’ll face severe repercussions.”

“Then…”

“The meeting is suspended. As for the unfinished discussion… I think I can hear it directly from that child.”

Olivera’s gaze finally returned to Lennok.

Lennok silently looked up at her, putting his phone back in his pocket.

It seemed there was no need to call Antares.

The general meeting, which had gathered thousands of Cartel executives and employees, thus ended, leaving behind only groundbreaking declarations and remarks.

Although an uninvited guest had completely overturned the situation in the interim, not many would have noticed it.

The method chosen by Pandemonium’s black wizard, despite his insolent demeanor, was incredibly sharp and meticulous.

He had delivered a message to Olivera while simultaneously demonstrating his will through a show of force.

The question was whether he knew that Lennok had been listening to that conversation.

Whether Myeong had intended even that was something Lennok could not immediately ascertain.

While he was lost in thought, things progressed rapidly.

After sending all the Cartel executives and employees away, Olivera directly summoned Lennok to her inner chambers.

Along with the four executives who assisted her.

First to appear was Kansoa, with a sly smile, followed by Merlida.

“So this is the guy called Van.”

Merlida, who had been staring at Lennok, frowned deeply.

“Something smells bitter… Do you grow herbs or something?”

“……”

Lennok was slightly surprised by the sight of the girl, pinching her nose and shaking her fluorescent hair around.

He had been careful to mix the concoctions right up until he came, just in case, but he never expected her to detect the scent.

Lennok, who meticulously ensures he leaves no traces, even thoroughly erases his own scent.

This implied she had sensory organs that detected something beyond mere smell… It was intriguing.

Before he could continue his thoughts, Virgil appeared next.

As soon as Virgil met Lennok’s gaze, he gave a slight smile and looked away.

“I’d rather you didn’t look at me like that. I kept my promise. From today onwards, the Cartel will not interfere with your business.”

“Is that what you call keeping a promise?”

“It’s not a bad deal for you, either, is it? You must know how powerful the position of a Cartel executive is.”

“……”

As Lennok fell silent, Virgil lowered his sunglasses and grinned.

“This wouldn’t have happened if the Chairman hadn’t taken a liking to you. Well, the others don’t seem too thrilled about it, though…”

Thud!

No sooner had he finished speaking than the wide gate opened, and finally, Executive Director Parden McQueen appeared.

The other executives all glared at him with murderous intent, but McQueen, without a trace of agitation, closed his eyes and slowly walked to a secluded spot.

Only then, in the spacious office, did a woman appear on a chair placed on a hill of stacked books.

“Everyone is here. Unfinished business remains, so I have personally allocated my time.”

At Olivera’s soft words, all the executives bowed their heads in unison.

Only Lennok confirmed her appearance and narrowed his eyes slightly.

‘Another illusion, again…’

Where was she and what was she doing that she didn’t reveal her true self like this?

That must be Olivera Ron Maize’s most critical secret.

Perhaps, even all her current actions…

As he pondered, she spoke again.

“As I already stated at the meeting, I intended to entrust the management of a Cartel subsidiary to the wizard of the 49th district.”

Saying so, she lifted the veil covering her face and revealed herself directly.

The face of a finely featured woman.

A youth that was hard to believe for someone who had lived for hundreds of years.

But what caught his eye first was the brilliant light of her fully glowing Seven-Colored Mystic Eye, mixed with seven hues.

“……!”

Despite it being the Mystic Eye of a clone, all the executives gathered here averted their gaze from it.

“Originally, I intended to hear your answer directly there… but things don’t always go as one wishes. Therefore, I want to ask again.”

“Do you intend to succeed McQueen’s position and realize your ambitions under me?”

“……Hmph.”

Lennok sighed softly instead of answering.

To ask for Lennok’s intention only after Pandemonium had directly intervened.

True to a monster who had lived for hundreds of years, her personality was self-righteous, completely uninterested in the other party’s intentions.

It was not surprising.

The fact that she only appeared after the situation had escalated this far.

The fact that she only began to move after one of the executives betrayed her, clearly showed Olivera’s true nature.

She even calmly summoned such a traitor to her office and asked for his opinion.

She was not a person to be understood by ordinary standards.

If so, there was no reason for him to humble himself.

Lennok responded calmly, his arms crossed.

“I have little interest in Cartel’s corporate management.”

The executives all turned their gazes towards Lennok.

“This insolent brat…!!”

Merlida bared her teeth and growled.

Lennok ignored her gaze and spoke.

“Initially, the current situation began with McQueen’s interference in my business. I identified the instigator of the incident and even handed over the witness related to the betrayal, so I hope it can be concluded by punishing those responsible.”

He had no desire to fight the Cartel to the very end and settle old scores.

From the start, it was a corporate conglomerate formed by countless affiliated companies.

Although bound by the single name of Cartel, the bonds between the organizations were rather tenuous.

The reason Lennok could so easily crush cooperative businesses was precisely because the inter-organizational cooperation was not very smooth.

In terms of what had been given and received, the Cartel’s losses were tens of times greater than his own.

Moreover, if The Triad were to truly collapse, the resulting chaos would bring unpredictable variables to Lennok and Jenny’s business.

It might have been different when the incident occurred, but now that his business expansion was taking place at a frantic pace with the newly developed potions, the situation had long changed.

Lennok knew well that he could not, nor did he need to, bring down that giant vessel right now.

But Olivera only smiled faintly as she listened to Lennok’s words.

“That’s not difficult… but are you sure?”

She knew well that many coveted this wizard, and that she couldn’t monopolize him alone.

The fact that the black wizard, who had been indifferent to everything, personally intervened meant that, besides him, there were quite a few others observing Van.

But if she used the remaining unresolved conflicts, it would be entirely possible to establish a connection.

“If you don’t resolve your conflict with McQueen, I intend to continue using him as an executive.”

“……”

“And if McQueen commits a similar act again, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be here.”

From Olivera’s expression, with the veil removed, an undeniable amusement shone through.

Her face seemed to indicate that continuing this conversation with Lennok was unbearably entertaining.

Lennok had no difficulty reading her thoughts from that attitude.

If McQueen remained in his executive position and the Chairman let this matter drop, he would eventually try to kill Lennok someday.

Rather than concluding the matter by leaving an uncertain risk factor, settle the score here and now.

Olivera intended to push the executive position onto the wizard Van, in exchange for giving Lennok the opportunity to kill McQueen.