Chapter 117

Creak, knock.

A middle-aged man leaning on a cane, heading somewhere.

After awkwardly walking for quite a while, the female secretary recognizes him, gets up from her seat, and bows her head.

“Congressman, are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah, it should be nothing serious, right?”

This was Gorajei exchanging polite pleasantries.

However, for some reason, the secretary’s response didn’t come.

“Ah, well-”

The trailing-off reply from her.

At her evasive conduct, just as Gorajei was about to press her, the door to the office opens though he hadn’t touched it.

“Huh?”

“You’re late. Where have you been wandering around?”

“Wha, you-”

Recognizing the person, Gorajei’s eyes widen.

“Director Simonia? What brings you here?”

“I came to deliver a message. By the way, what happened to your leg?”

Simonia looked at the cane Gorajei was leaning on and asked.

“That, well…”

Sighing at Gorajei trailing off, Simonia waves her hand dismissively.

“Oh well, never mind. I don’t care about your personal matters.”

With that, she briskly walks away, heels clicking, from Gorajei.

Dazedly watching her leave, Gorajei urgently calls out.

“Hey, wait! Didn’t you say you had something to deliver!”

“It’s on your desk.”

An irritated reply makes Gorajei turn his head and check the desk inside the office.

True to Simonia’s word, something lays upon it.

“Good. Then my job here is done.”

With a wave of her hand, Simonia moves on, as if in a hurry, with no trace of hesitation in her departure.

Gorajei, left behind, limps back into the office.

“Let no one disturb me unless something happens.”

“Hmm, yes! Understood.”

With the secretary bowing her head, Gorajei shuts the door behind him.

Hastily moving towards the desk, his eyes fall upon a small cylindrical case.

Gulp.

As if it were some great thing, Gorajei keeps his eyes fixed on it and swallows audibly.

With a trembling hand, he lifts the case, unlocks it, and places the oval-shaped object inside into his ear.

Click, screeeeek-

“Ughk!?”

A violent sound like a bat’s screech fills his ears before quieting down.

A bead of sweat rolls down Gorajei’s cheek.

After a brief silence, in his ear, a young man’s voice resounds.

[Congressman Gorajei, it’s been a while.]

“Y-Your Excellency. I trust you’ve been well?”

Though aware the other couldn’t see him, Gorajei instinctively bows at a right angle.

Unlike his usual brimming arrogance, he continues in an overly subservient posture.

“Just being able to communicate like this is an honor-”

[Enough with the platitudes.]

His intent accurately pierced, the other cuts him off mid-sentence.

At this, Gorajei’s heart pounds and shrieks wildly.

“T-That’s not true. Your Excellency, I sincerely-”

While explaining away, Gorajei realizes his mistake.

But the water had already been spilled.

[Sincerely?]

Recounted with a chilling voice by the other.

“I’m sorry, Your Excellency! That’s not what I meant!!”

[Hmm…]

The dissatisfied reaction followed by a brief silence.

When each second felt endlessly long, a voice comes from the other side again.

[Well, it’s fine this time. Just be more careful going forward.]

“Ah, thank you so much!!”

Continuously nodding his head, Gorajei keeps bowing repeatedly into the air.

Finally, he gingerly voices a question.

“But why have you contacted me…?”

[Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask of you, Congressman.]

…

After the friendly match, as arranged, I come to the principal’s office to hand over the summary materials and discuss the discovered facts.

“EDU!!”

“Uh…”

The moment I enter the room, Freya runs up and tightly embraces me.

The warmth enveloping me makes my breath catch, but I melt into the feeling.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, it’s just a scratch.”

Saying so, I peel off the band-aid on my cheek and show it to Freya.

“See? It’s a tiny wound, right?”

“But still!”

Freya hugs me even tighter.

This added cuddling pushes me beyond my limit, filling me with happiness.

“Alright, stop there. We gathered to talk, right?”

“Hmm, yes.”

Freya lets go at Chancellor Ryeoju’s reprimand, though she doesn’t release her hold completely and sits down still cradling me.

As a result, I’m seated as a doll-like figure in her embrace, which isn’t at all unpleasant.

“Talking of which, you won first place in the freshmen friendly match, congratulations.”

“Great job, Edu!”

Playfully pressing down on my head, Freya and Chancellor Ryeoju with a faint smile commend me.

“Thank you.”

I bow slightly to express my gratitude.

Chancellor clears his throat.

“Well then, let’s begin. You did say you’d summarize the dangerous incidents for us?”

“Yes, it’s here.”

Clap.

Upon clapping, the hands awaiting on Bungbungi retrieve a stack of papers from the storage compartment and bring it over.

“Hmm? You actually wrote it out on paper?”

Chancellor questions as he takes the stack of papers from the hands.

I nod in response to this.

“Yes, because it’s information that shouldn’t be carelessly replicated.”

Though digital methods are convenient, they are inherently vulnerable to hacking, security breaches, and long-term preservation.

So, despite the extra effort, I chose to write it out myself to present to the two of you.

“Here, Freya, take one too.”

“Thanks.”

Freya takes the remaining stack from the hands.

After that, Chancellor Ryeoju’s mouth opens again.

“You’re still thinking deeply, I see. Is it alright if I look through it briefly?”

“Of course, it was written primarily for the two of you to see and verify.”

“Alright then, excuse me.”

Chancellor examines the papers.

With a serious gaze, Chancellor slowly nods while reviewing each page.

“…It’s packed with information. You almost seem like a fortune-teller foreseeing the future, don’t you?”

“…You must have worked hard. You’ve written all this out manually?”

“Because it was necessary.”

During the friendly match, there were no classes, and there was ample downtime, so I was able to do this.

“Hmm, but this is really a lot!”

“Yes, since I’ve included every possible event across all paths without omission.”

AOE is a game.

Even though the main storyline is somewhat set, other events can change based on the situation or conditions.

With trying to record all that, the content couldn’t help but increase exponentially.

“So does that mean, Edu, we only need to be careful about what’s written here?”

Shaking my head in response to Freya’s question.

“Not anymore. That was true until I finished writing, but I think it’s different now.”

“Hmm?”

The Chancellor’s wide eyes at my answer.

“To judge from the previous ambush incident I faced, it feels like the Fangju government is really starting to move.”

“The Fangju government?”

“Yes.”

In AOE, if Fangju government were to be summarized in one word, it would be the epitome of a hostile nation.

In other words, whenever something internal or an event happened, you could pretty much point to this entity, and you would often be correct.

Until now, we didn’t have concrete suspicions tying the President himself to these incidents, and since this was a pretty bizarre individual, deliberately avoiding confrontation was understandable, but now it’s different.

Because the Eternal Life Sect in AOE was entirely orchestrated by the President and his lackeys.

“In short, you’re saying that the Fangju government is behind the recent happenings?”

“Yes, the President is definitely involved.”

The figure of the President, who till now had remained shrouded in mystery and eerie aura in AOE without even a mention of his name.

The problem is that this person possesses such bizarre thinking that it’s hard to comprehend.

Seeming absolutely normal on the surface but harboring grotesque distortions within, he’s a monster who can effortlessly treat people as enemies and kill them without batting an eye.

If there were a reason or story behind why this person behaves this way, one might not be able to agree or understand, but at least think, ‘Ah, I see.’

But this person is different.

In terms of characterization, purely evil.

And the most explicit example of this is how the character answers the protagonist’s cry of why they did such horrific deeds when faced with imminent death.

Smiling genuinely, the reply was simply — “Just because.”

That’s all.

“You mean…this person?”

At Freya’s reaction, I look up and see her wide eyes filled with astonishment.

“Hmm.”

Though the Chancellor hides it, the questioning glare reveals he also has doubts.

Despite that, their reactions align with my expectations, given that this individual, while seeming entirely normal, is also exceedingly capable, efficient, and diligent.

This was no mere figurehead of President.

Moreover, in some storylines, he serves as a sturdy ally to the protagonist, making it difficult to regard him purely as an adversary. But after the emergence of the Eternal Life Sect, that possibility is effectively nil.

To sum up, while we had been somewhat against his underlings, like the antagonist factions, we hadn’t regarded the entire government as our enemy, but now that reason is gone.

“Even though, this doesn’t seem like something you’d joke about frivolously. Are you truly saying that he’s behind all this?”

“Yes, it’s certain.”

“Hmm.”

The Chancellor remains momentarily lost in thought.

“…If that’s true, it’s quite unsettling. So, all the previous actions were just an act?”

“No.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

“It’s possible that he worked genuinely for Fangju’s benefit, along with other genuine actions.”

Hearing my words, Freya’s head tilts slightly.

“Wait, Edu, so you’re saying that someone who genuinely worked for Fangju, was simultaneously creating a cult in secret?”

“Exactly.”

“No way, that’s possible? That’s pure madness, right?”

“I don’t understand his mindset either.”

It’s not without reason that in AOE4, the President was often referred to with terms like the Honorable Master, Edmoet, or abbreviated as AOE’s Greatest Psycho (AgoPsy).

He was nothing short of the epitome of a lucid-eyed lunatic, hence such nicknames stuck.

“Surprising though it may be… I still trust you, Edu.”

“Me too.”

At their serious affirmations, my head bows naturally.

“Thank you both.”

“Hmm, there’s no need to be so overly thankful, so lift your head.”

“Yeah, that’s obvious, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Lifting my face, I look at both of them.

For some reason, they exchange subtle glances.

“Still… the circumstances have become somewhat delicate.”

“Exactly, but that just shows how well-prepared we’ve been.”

“Hmm? What preparation?”

“Revolution.”

Freya’s direct statement makes my eyes automatically widen.

“A coup?”

“Sure. Being dragged along isn’t ideal. It might be cleaner to take action and bear a bit of a stain on our reputation.”

“Huh… Chancellor Ryeoju, do you agree?”

“The Chancellor mentioned it first.”

“Ehh?”

At the unexpected response, I look at the Chancellor, who solemnly nods with a resolute expression, as if willing to shoulder everything.

A coup, or military rebellion.

It’s certainly one of the cards we can play.

Given that the Earth Reclamation Force is both powerful and experienced.

However, the reality is that the forces under the President, including the 1st Legion, are not insignificant.

“Ah, could you give me some time?”

“Are you considering something?”

“Yes, recently I’ve been getting along well with Simonia. Possibly, we might be able to persuade the 1st Legion to our side.”

Upon understanding the explanation, the Chancellor’s eyes widen.

“Ah, so that’s why Simonia made contact with me that day.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Nodding to confirm, I continue.

“Moreover, if we play our cards right, we might be able to catch their tails. Also, having a just cause is crucial when undertaking something significant like this, right?”

A coup purely for the sake of power alienates even those who have trusted and supported you.

That’s why it’s important to establish a just cause.

The Chancellor nods approvingly in agreement with my words.

“Understood. We’ll prepare our side methodically, and we’ll entrust that part to you.”

“Please don’t overexert yourself, and come to us if you’re ever facing a tough challenge.”

“Yes!”

…

“Inspected and confirmed. You may proceed.”

“Thank you, good job.”

Exchanging pleasantries with the Fangju Defense Force soldiers, we pass through the gate and move down the passage.

Before long, the worn-out, shabby core of the city comes into view.

The habitat of those who stay outside of Fangju and cannot enter Fangju – Outland.

“…It’s been a while since I’ve come here.”

In her immaculately tailored officer’s uniform, Sita stands beside me, gazing at Outland with a vaguely wistful expression.

“Yeah, it feels like a dream to think about those days here…”

Milli follows behind her, surveying the surroundings.

On her body is a full-sealed reinforced exoskeleton, specifically a tricky-to-handle heavy armor assault model.

“Both of you, thank you for coming along.”

“It’s been a while since you asked for anything, sister. Of course, I had to come.”

“True! Such a request can be made anytime!”

Echoing Sita’s words, Milli adds her agreement.

Behind them both, footsteps click.

Simonia approaches, placing her hand on my shoulder.

Pushing up her sunglasses slightly, she surveys Outland and licks her lips.

“Ah, so all three of you lived here?”

“…Yes.”

“Uh huh.”

Simonia, Milli, and Sita.

Though a somewhat unique combination of members, there’s no better team for tracking the Eternal Life Sect.

“Hmm, shall we go then?”

“Yes, sister.”

“I’ll do my best!”

“That’s right, let’s find those hidden rats.”