Chapter 115

Sir Léonard.

As is often the case with characters from Neo Haven, he is hard to define clearly.

It might be easy to classify him as a villain in the sense that he fights the protagonist and ultimately dies, but…

The very limited information provided by the game certainly plays a part, and among that, his dialogue is particularly brief, so even if I tried to dig deeper, I could only learn a fragmented history.

For example… After the battle, if you examine the control room where the boss battle took place and the contents of the memory card that appears with his corpse.

What was it again?

He was a researcher and engineer affiliated with Exatech, who took the lead in biomechanical research, but eventually became a rogue agent after becoming excessively obsessed with the act of “removing flesh from living beings,” right?

Anyway, he was living in the black market when he was repelled by the intruding protagonist, and the market didn’t punish him, considering his extreme personality and the protagonist’s usefulness… From the perspective of someone who has died, it seemed like a rather uncomfortable quest.

…Did I farm for Sir Léonard’s unique drop item, too?

No, it wasn’t because I had any particular grudge! The equipment he drops is as unique as his appearance, and since he’s a boss, the loot is pretty good, so it couldn’t be helped… I feel a bit guilty now.

…Let’s attribute the disrespect in treating him like a kid as a counterbalance to the times I beat him in the past and just move on.

“Wait, asking us to get lost? Are you talking to us?”

“…Given your attitude and that tone of voice, you seem to be from management… Care to explain what basis you suddenly decided to show discrimination?”

With a combination of discriminatory remarks and an unexpected eviction declaration, jeers from the audience poured out.

Despite having a thick tongue and petty tendencies, he was still a mercenary who took immense pride in being a hacker.

It wasn’t bad seeing him squirm, even though the opponent was clearly about a million light-years away from normal.

Of course, I’d be glad if saying it wasn’t bad meant the outcome was okay!

“……”

Screech…!!

A sound like fingernails on a chalkboard escaped from the back of Sir Léonard, who stood with his arms crossed.

His arms and legs remained motionless, but as the opera mask displayed on the screen changed to a crying expression, the chilling noise gradually grew louder.

It looked almost as if the parts comprising him were twisting due to an uncontrollable rage he was holding inside.

Isn’t this alarming? Indeed.

However, I think it’s pretty impressive for a person who would usually lash out immediately to endure this much when faced with defiance to his judgement.

It’s like when a good person does something bad, people go on about it, but we’re proud of a madman if he can hold back, in a way. Then again, if he were completely incapable of socializing, he wouldn’t have been able to be part of an organization.

“Quit posing and say something…!”

“Ta geule!! Un chien vermisseaux…! Did you not hear the explanation from the guide? Even while moving to the testing area, you’re still being evaluated!”

His growling scream swallowed the spectators’ criticisms in an instant.

The hand that had been hidden behind the overcoat tugged nervously at the mechanical bundle near his collarbone.

I wanted to tell him to take it off if it was discomforting… but as a former Exatech employee, he probably also remembers that as part of his body. If he just goes out and starts lashing out like this, what kind of mess would I be getting into?

“Dispersing malicious code on the broadcast frequency? Which idiot here couldn’t sense it! Of course, there would be information related to the test; I was trying to listen to the parts without issues…”

*Thud!*

Bang…!!

As if waiting for someone to say that, Sir Léonard snapped his fingers, causing the bodies of the protesters to crumple into the dust.

“…Is there still no problem?! Huh?”

As a result, the scene—a production—where lifeless puppets tossed their limbs about like discarded dolls was observed with derision, as he assuredly turned his gaze back not to us but to the screen.

This is the lunatic maestro who reinterprets and reconstructs the three engineering fields of mechanics, biology, and cybernetics at will; Sir Léonard, the Lunatic.

Come to think of it, in the game, you need to prepare defensive measures against hacking or have countermeasures for sound waves or electromagnetic waves to avoid being incapacitated.

If just having good aim and shooting well were enough to clear it, this wouldn’t qualify as a cyberpunk game. It seemed to be an obstacle that the developers intentionally included, but experiencing it firsthand, the pressure was quite…

“…I didn’t kill them. I only induced interference in biological functions by flowing ultra-low frequencies through their brains and muscles. These… we can have the guide clean them up. Those who still have a shot left should board the elevator.”

“……gulp.”

I could almost hear the anxious gulp of the little one, along with the guide’s mournful cries.

Is she also giving the simple labor to the apprentices? I’m not sure.

But he is indeed a mad scientist. I’ve learned something good.

Rather than electrocuting them mindlessly, to emit special signals to cause disturbance… If I could utilize such principles, perhaps I could disrupt the body without mixing up the inner consciousness, like before…?

For now, we stepped over the sprawled bodies as required and moved next to the imposing Sir Léonard to board the elevator.

Marina looked pleased that the portable jammer performed above expectations, while Kên seemed irritated that their luggage kept getting in the way of fallen people.

With Zero, whose level of vigilance had reached the maximum, all five of us boarded, and the quietly closing box began to slide deeper into the underground.

…But why did our number drop down to five again?

“Hey, hey… We might have to do this for the poor guys, too!”

“”…….””

Well, the other hackers who received passing scores failed to maintain a safe distance, or they failed to block the intrusion signal and all fainted together, perhaps?

Despite half of those who had successfully passed being swept away again, Léonard had nothing else to say. He remained silent, even after hearing Marina’s fuss.

The opera mask looked slightly crumpled and disheartened, suggesting that perhaps he was feeling quite embarrassed as well.

“B-but, doesn’t this mean we automatically pass? We’re the only ones left…”

“The only ones entering the testing area through this corridor are the three of you. You’d do well to abandon such a shallow expectation. After all, there was a statement that they would negotiate with those who can complete the given tasks even a little faster and more accurately.”

As if dismissing the thought.

He harshly cut off Kên’s previously positive expectations during the chaos.

Somehow, considering the gathering from across the nation, the turnout was exceptionally low… But still, I gathered a bit of insight about the tests.

It appears to be a common task, and if we need to be relatively faster and sharper than others, it’s essentially a competition.

Just imagining it tired me out. The relatively fortunate thing is that it seems there are objective evaluation criteria, so there shouldn’t be any room for debate regarding the results.

“Ugh…?!”

“…! Hey!”

Only a number of people that could be counted on one hand had boarded.

With not even one ordinary adult male present, and two mechanical masses that were each a head taller than the rest making it hard to secure personal space, an incident inevitably occurred.

During the descent, as the elevator lurched, the hem of Léonard’s coat brushed against Kên’s face. Naturally, the boy, having observed the violent nature up there, tried to swat it away.

However, knowing even slightly about this extreme person’s behavioral patterns, I envisioned the commotion and calamity that would ensue if I simply left it as is.

*Thump!*

So, though I might have reasons to be upset, I quickly seized Kên’s wrist to stop him.

Given my somewhat mediocre athletic ability, Kên’s rigidness as I suddenly approached greatly assisted the situation.

“……Don’t touch without sterilizing it. That could be bad.”

In the confined space where I had drawn attention by causing a stir, everyone’s gazes were now directed at me.

Kên flushed bright red, seemingly uncomfortable with the unexpected advice, while Zero showed signs of being flustered, wondering if he had missed something.

Marina merely tilted her head in confusion…

“…Do you even know who I am? Mademoiselle?”

The insane mechanical human took an interest in me as I suddenly accelerated.

Like a wave. The half-joyful, half-sorrowful ghost mask looked down at me.

I felt wronged.

To be opportune enough to be rewarded with this monstrous curiosity over a proactive measure aimed at preventing an actual mess…

I wanted to dismiss it as excessive self-awareness, but considering he was a fugitive being tracked by Exatech, a half-hearted lie wouldn’t be a good choice.

It’s better to be honest and break through rather than arouse needless suspicion and misunderstandings.

“Don’t worry. …I’m definitely not connected to your previous workplace. I just… happened to know.”

“……Hmm.”

From above, downwards. The screen rippled once.

After scrutinizing me, Sir Léonard let out a small cough as his gaze shifted towards Zero, who had stepped forward slightly.

The suffocating silence passed, and the expressionless mask regained its composure as it drifted away.

Additionally, with him pulling the coat together, the possibility of additional contact was significantly decreased.

I thought I was fortunate that he wasn’t as uncommunicative as I expected.

As we were carried in the elevator, descending endlessly, we finally arrived at the testing area that the black market had meticulously prepared.