Chapter 235: Aftermath (2)

With the confirmation of Parden McQueen’s death, the previous commotion quickly began to subside.

The Cartel was, strictly speaking, an alliance of corporations. Its subsidiaries were merely bound together to form a colossal capital; severing a tail was not difficult.

The Cartel, having concluded that all those who had interfered with Lennok’s business, including District 49, were the responsibility of CEO Parden McQueen and his subordinate affiliates, mercilessly cut off the remaining subsidiaries.

Simultaneously, when the Q1 earnings announcement revealed that the wizard Van of District 49 had newly ascended to the position of external director for the Cartel, everyone finally realized that the month-long conflict had come to an end, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“As expected, it turned out this way.”

“To think McQueen would suddenly die during the handover process… Am I the only one who smells something fishy?”

“Quiet. Do you think we’re keeping our mouths shut because we don’t know that?”

“Hmm…”

It was strange not to feel confusion at the generational shift that occurred with the death of the Chairman’s oldest loyal subordinate.

Furthermore, McQueen was a top confidant who directly commanded the execution squad, which was most directly linked to the Cartel’s combat power among its business units.

Naturally, rumors began to circulate that Lennok, who had replaced him, would now represent the Cartel’s combat power.

“Taking in a wizard who wiped out the entire execution squad probably means that.”

“But if so, shouldn’t Van at least have been promoted to CEO?”

“I imagine there was opposition from the other CEOs.”

How long has it been since a mere freelancer wielded such significant influence, let alone achieved such rapid ascent? It was natural for public attention to be focused.

Subsequently, when information spread that Virgil O’Reiden had changed his position to First CEO and begun forming a new combat unit, the rumors solidified into certainty.

Public sympathy for Lennok, who should have become the new CEO after McQueen, began to spread through the streets.

No one, however, knew the inside story that Lennok himself had refused the CEO position.

“Are you truly alright?”

Eolara, gazing intently at the coffee cup before her, spoke.

“If not now, with the disarray in the chain of command due to McQueen’s absence, the opportunity might not come again. Especially this quarter, with the Chairman’s direct approval… If he were to withdraw into seclusion again, it would be difficult for Van to assume the Fourth CEO position.”

“I believe I already said it’s a closed matter.”

Lennok replied, propping his chin on the windowsill. His face was covered in thick bandages, and beneath his shirt, there wasn’t a spot not wrapped in bandages.

Injuries that seemed to prove the battle with McQueen was a fierce and difficult one. In truth, Lennok was still suffering from the side effects of various doping attempts he had made just before the battle to deploy his Domain.

Not only was his entire body weakening, but he was also experiencing after-effects such as bruising on the shoulder where he’d been injected, and difficulty moving his arm. Furthermore, the fatigue that seemed to crush his entire body, due to the burden of directly manifesting and deploying his inner world, had not disappeared.

While using potions or elixirs Lennok developed himself would certainly bring improvement, there was no need to rely on medicine again now that all urgent matters were handled.

Rather, a situation like this was perfect for him to gauge the extent of his natural healing capabilities. That’s why Lennok endured the discomfort and wrapped his body in bandages.

Eolara, who had never even seen Lennok tired or struggling, let alone injured, merely glanced awkwardly at his half-mummified appearance.

“The external director position is enough. Taking the CEO position would only tie me down to the organization…”

It wasn’t that Lennok didn’t know how much authority the Cartel’s CEO position held. A position where he could directly manage the subsidiaries of that massive alliance. The power he would gain would probably be far beyond Lennok’s imagination.

However, Lennok thought there was no need to formally integrate himself under Olivera Ron Maize’s command, as he had originally intended.

Even if he formally belonged to the Cartel, he wouldn’t gain power second only to the Chairman, and would merely receive the Fourth CEO position, which was no different from being a subordinate to the other CEOs.

Even if Virgil was somewhat favorable towards Lennok, the other CEOs wouldn’t be. Rather than being subjected to the scrutiny of the CEOs there for no reason, it was more advantageous to concede to having the Cartel as a backer and extract other benefits.

“What about the terms of the deal I mentioned?”

“We’ve already received approval from Mr. Virgil and Ms. Kansoa. The only remaining issue is how Ms. Merlida will accept it… but there probably won’t be any problems.”

Eolara replied.

“Because they would never refuse the request for access to the Cartel’s executive vault in exchange for giving up the CEO position.”

“…Good.”

He had no lingering attachment to the CEO position from the start, but that didn’t mean he intended to simply smile benignly. Shouldn’t he take every reward he could get from that colossal organization?

The Cartel’s executive vault. It was widely rumored to be an artifact warehouse accessible only to core executives among the organizations of the great Triad.

As the Cartel’s vault, known to be the wealthiest among the Triad, it was certain there would be useful items prepared for Lennok.

‘The best would be to acquire more of Enakphil’s five fingers…’

There was no need to explain how useful teleportation artifacts could be.

Enakphil’s five fingers were created for the emergency evacuation of VIPs, and thus had the disadvantage of not being able to precisely adjust the desired destination. However, Lennok’s magical manipulation ability could certainly modify such a flaw.

It was an item he had acquired as payment for perfectly resolving Dyke Corp.’s request, but the more he used it, the more he realized its true value. That was why Lennok himself had carefully used this artifact only when absolutely necessary.

It was such a valuable item that it made him realize anew how much effort Panua had put into persuading Lennok back then.

The artifact, originally made of five pencils, now only had three remaining. It would be ideal if he could obtain similar items, or even the exact same artifact, from the Cartel’s vault.

Or perhaps it wouldn’t be bad to just have Virgil transfer one or two of his items as compensation for this affair…

“W-Why are you…?”

Eolara flinched at Lennok’s sharply changed gaze, then subtly avoided eye contact. She herself seemed not to have escaped the pain of the lightning strike she suffered back then.

“…Nothing. If I’m given the vault access pass and a few of my other demands are met, I’ll have no further complaints.”

“T-That’s a relief.”

“Rather, I think I should be worrying about your side. Doesn’t it seem quite precarious, unlike what appears on the surface?”

“…”

At Lennok’s words, which effortlessly hit the nail on the head, Eolara tightly closed her mouth.

Lennok looked down at her and let out a small laugh.

“Your Chairman, despite exuding such powerful pressure, has never once revealed her true form before me…”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“It’s obvious even without saying it. She’s probably had her power bound or weakened by some means. If so, then many of the recent events make a lot more sense.”

While this matter was concluded, there were indeed several suspicious points no matter how he thought about it. The Cartel’s unusually slow response, and the Chairman’s lukewarm reaction even considering internal strife.

The formal act of suddenly holding an executive general meeting in the middle of the city, enduring the attention it drew. And going so far as to readily overlook McQueen’s betrayal, then drawing Lennok in to handle the situation.

At first glance, it might seem like the playful whim of a transcendent being whose intentions are hard to grasp, but if all those events were due to a lack of ability rather than simple amusement, it becomes understandable.

She didn’t want to involve his loyal subordinates in dealing with McQueen. Conversely, that meant she wanted to avoid the depletion of the Cartel’s CEO-level forces at all costs at this point.

Even if it meant overlooking McQueen’s betrayal for now, she aimed to prevent the direct deployment of CEO-level forces. The thorough exclusion of McQueen and his subordinate affiliates in this matter, and Virgil’s cooperation with Lennok, must have had that meaning.

Only after everything was over could Lennok step back and discern the unseen circumstances of this affair.

“I don’t know much about the organization’s internal affairs, but your Chairman is in a situation where she can’t easily reveal her true form. And if the First CEO himself is betraying her, things must be quite precarious, no?”

“…”

“Considering the rising threats from below, perhaps…”

Lennok mumbled that, then abruptly stopped and turned his head towards Eolara. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she subtly lowered her gaze.

Her mind worked well, and she had been in this business long enough to know she shouldn’t show her expression now. But that reaction alone was enough to ascertain the truth.

Lennok grinned.

“Well, if you don’t want to say more, we’ll stop here. Virgil must be having a hard time.”

“That’s…”

“As a piece of advice, you’d do well to pay attention to the organization McQueen tried to ally with. If the CEOs ever have to take action again, it will likely be closely related to them. What does it mean for someone to brazenly stick their neck out, even knowing they’ll get caught?”

“…The discussions with Ten Counts are already concluded. They showed willingness to negotiate first, so a smooth agreement was…”

“So it’s Ten Counts.”

“…”

Eolara, realizing she had been completely played by Lennok, sealed her lips. In essence, that single statement was tantamount to admitting all of his previous conjectures.

Lennok, handing back the Stasis Demonic Eye Eolara had previously left as collateral to the silently glaring Eolara, who seemed to refuse any further reply, cast his gaze out the window.

It’s interesting.

The Triad of the underworld. Are the relationships between the titans who have dominated this scene for decades slowly beginning to change?

Power and factions that have stagnated for too long are bound to rot, and it’s not so strange for new talents to eventually fill those vacant positions.

Power and money still ceaselessly flowed through the megacity. The shadows cast over the underworld could not remain still forever.

Lennok, having subtly dipped one foot into the Cartel, merely needed to observe how the situation unfolded and make the optimal choice.

Wasn’t that precisely why he had refused the CEO position and accepted the title of external director?

Lennok, gazing blankly at the street view with his chin propped up, mumbled.

“I’ll have to make a nameplate.”

Dyke Corp.’s Business Planning Department. External Advisor to the Agent. And now, an external director for the Cartel.

It wasn’t the first or second time he had received a mere title, but in the end, Lennok had always made thorough use of even those nominal positions.

His relationship with the Cartel, too, would ultimately have to develop in that manner.

Thinking so, Lennok slowly closed his eyes.

His body felt heavy, and his eyelids kept wanting to grow heavy with it. He didn’t deliberately resist the overwhelming sleep.

Hadn’t he been relentlessly pushing forward since the Autonomous Region?

Now, even if he rested for a day, his comrades would ensure he didn’t fall behind.

In this city where he had no one to trust, it was a truly long-awaited rest.

“So, you couldn’t even get anything from him, and instead… you went and told him all our internal affairs, is that it?”

Grrrr…!

Sharp, wild breaths, like a wild dog’s panting, filled the room. A colossal canine beast with abundant white fur and a size almost like a truck.

As the unique-looking phantom beast, resembling a wolf but with more than three tails, growled, Eolara’s shoulders trembled slightly.

Virgil, watching the scene, let out a deep sigh.

“Merlida, that’s enough. Then why didn’t you go negotiate yourself?”

“Shut up, Virgil. I already dislike that sly wizard.”

Merlida, in the form of a giant beast, snarled. Sharp fangs protruding from her muzzle gleamed.

“I don’t like him getting the same CEO position, but for him to refuse it and demand access to the executive vault… that’s even more annoying!!”

Grrr!

“…”

Virgil and Kansoa looked with disdain at the beast suddenly roaring into the empty air.

“Merlida, be quiet. The Chairman is still sleeping; what kind of impolite behavior is this?”

Kansoa, a middle-aged woman with a nervous expression, waved her hand, and instantly, ice crystals gathered to form a muzzle over Merlida’s mouth.

Merlida, realizing belatedly that a dog-like muzzle had been placed on her mouth, thrashed wildly, but seemingly mindful of the Chairman as Kansoa had indicated, she eventually returned to her human form.

Fluorescent hair. A strong impression that didn’t match her fur color at all, but the aesthetic sense of phantom beasts was far removed from that of humans.

Virgil and Kansoa knew this well, so they said nothing.

“It’s troublesome. I deliberately didn’t say anything about the Chairman, but he figured it out all on his own…”

As Virgil, with his arms crossed, gave a bitter smile, Eolara silently bowed her head.

“It’s not your fault.”

Kansoa offered gentle comfort.

“It’s just that wizard is overly sharp. To deduce such things merely from the Chairman’s actions and words… It means he’s not just a strong opponent.”

“Tch…”

Merlida also reluctantly turned her head away.

Eolara was an impeccable talent in terms of work, even volunteering for Olivera’s ‘research’. There was no particular gain in pressing her, and Virgil and Kansoa were quite fond of her.

“Recruiting him is the best option. Everyone agrees on this, right?”

“…”

He alone inflicted tens of billions of cells in damage on the Triad, noticed the Cartel’s internal strife during the process and counter-proposed a deal to Virgil, killed McQueen, a sorcerer of level 7 despite his age, and by compiling his past actions, even accessed the Chairman’s secret.

Among the new talents who have appeared in this scene after two years, where else is there someone who has so perfectly proven himself in both strength and intellect?

Now that the organization’s internal order, which was controlled by the Chairman’s power, had been exposed as unstable, making an enemy of him was unthinkable.

It was better to consistently grant him authority and privileges within the organization and draw him to their side.