TRPM 144

chapter 144

Richard, President of the World Awakened Association.

He was practically a living legend in the world of Awakened.

Of course, people who weren’t Awakened wouldn’t pay him any attention, but anyone who had studied the history of Awakened and knew his accomplishments would either respect or fear him.

“(It’s an honor to meet you, senior.)”

I, too, held him in high regard, so I extended my hand and said as much.

“Haha. To think that a mere handshake from someone who, by existence alone, has reduced East Asia’s crime rate by over 90% would come from me…”

Richard clasped my hand, accepting my handshake. And then…

“(As I suspected… you are not human. Not a mere clone either… a puppet?)”

He had seen right through my true identity.

“(A puppet, yet you hid your face with a mask. That must mean the face beneath is very similar to yours, isn’t it, Child?)”
“…That’s correct.”

Child…

He seemed certain that my original body was still just a middle schooler named Han Geon-woo. I hadn’t thought it possible to fool someone like President Richard, anyway.

“…Then, was it you, Artist, who helped us at the Awakened Association earlier?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

I nodded in confirmation to Maurice, who had been standing dumbfounded beside me, and addressed Richard.

“(Senior, there’s something I’d like to ask.)”
“Hm. I suppose you have many questions. I can’t answer them all, but I’ll answer as much as I can.”

Later, you will also answer our questions.

“Understood. Then I shall ask.”

Why did President Richard do all this?

I asked.

The reason he personally appeared here, his connection with Albatross PMC… There were many things I wanted to ask, but I instinctively knew that this single question would solve everything.

“(Why did I do this… You mean the request to steal information from the Association, correct?)”

This is going to be a rather long story.

“(Artist, you know about an organization called Oracle, right?)”
“…Yes.”

I didn’t expect the name “Oracle” to come up.

Well, the name wasn’t publicly known, but among the high-ranking figures, everyone knew enough about this criminal organization. It would be strange if President Richard didn’t know. But why bring up Oracle at this point?

“(From what I’ve gathered, more than 30% of Awakened Associations worldwide are practically under Oracle’s control.)”

…That’s certainly true.

Even without going far, in Korea, if it weren’t for me, those high-ranking officials under Oracle’s patronage would still occupy positions within the Association. Other countries’ situations were probably no better.

“(The Association’s headquarters is the same. Better than some, but there are still members belonging to Oracle mixed in.)”
“(You don’t know exactly who they are?)”
“I don’t. I can only guess who belongs to Oracle, not be certain.”

At least aside from knowing that someone has access to the Association’s network, there are no clues.

“(The Association’s network… So that was the purpose of the request. To prevent Oracle from acquiring data on the Avenger.)”

Stealing or destroying data related to the Avenger. That was the goal—to prevent Oracle from acquiring it.

“(The Avenger’s data itself isn’t highly secure, so I thought Albatross PMC’s equipment alone could steal it without being detected. But apparently, Oracle wasn’t completely foolish either.)”

…Now that I think about it, when Albatross PMC went to the server room to extract data, Code White was issued.

[(Code White. 5th Basement Level, Server Room. Code White. 5th Basement Level, Server Room.)]
[(Boss, there was a minor issue, but we succeeded in stealing the Avenger data.)]

The reason those in the server room were detected wasn’t due to mistakes, but because they fell into a trap Oracle had prepared.

“(I can explain that part. We managed to access the data in the server room, but a hacker detected us. That hacker deliberately caused an issue in the server to trigger Code White.)”

The conman who went to the server room reported the situation. Richard said in a low voice:

“(It’s true there’s a hacker in the Association headquarters, but all high-level hackers were on leave. That’s how we adjusted it. But a hacker capable enough to notice Albatross PMC’s equipment… )”

This meant an external hacker had accessed the server. It could have been a high-level hacker supposedly on leave, or an Oracle agent connecting through an internal spy. That made identifying the Oracle spy difficult.

“(In this situation, the only ones I could trust were the high-ranking executives who have long worked with me. Though, to be honest, I can never be certain who might betray me.)”

So I chose Maurice.

The disciple I personally nurtured.

“…Maurice, the leader of Albatross PMC, is your disciple?”
“You didn’t know, of course. I told no one. So Oracle wouldn’t know about Maurice either. That’s why I instructed him to establish a private military company. Preferably in a combat-heavy area.”

Preferably in a combat-heavy area…

That explains why Albatross PMC primarily operates in the Circum-Pacific subduction zones. A place that directly encounters the Black Mist, perfectly fitting Richard’s criteria.

“I didn’t anticipate that he would join an existing PMC and absorb it, though.”
“It’s better to use an existing foundation than start from scratch.”

Anyway.

“(Finished with your questions?)”

Most of my doubts were cleared, though a few minor ones remained.

“…Weren’t you too honest with me? Today is your first time seeing me, right?”

How could he trust me, whom he met for the first time, when he couldn’t even fully trust his long-time colleagues? He smiled at my question.

“(You are definitely not on Oracle’s side.)”
“I don’t know how you’re so sure.”

He laughed heartily at my question.

“(Hahaha! Oracle fools are arrogant, thinking their spies embedded in Awakened Associations worldwide know everything. But you see…)”

Spies aren’t only their monopoly.

“…You mean…?”
“Yes. Though not of very high rank, I planted a spy in their headquarters.”

And that spy reported:

“(Their leaders, including Oracle, have been closely monitoring Artist—you—and are cautious not to engage you if possible.)”

There’s no way I’d side with Oracle. And the chances I am their ally are high.

Richard explained that to me, and I understood why he trusted me. He might not know for certain that I’m on our side, but at least I’m definitely not an enemy.

“(May I ask now?)”
“Of course. Go ahead.”

Most of my doubts resolved, I nodded willingly. I didn’t want to monopolize the questions anyway.

“(Why did you come to the U.S. today? Your primary area of activity is Korea, isn’t it?)”

Starting with that question, Richard asked me many things. I answered as sincerely as possible, carefully choosing my words to avoid revealing that I was a Returner. Over time, as all questions were answered, he nodded in apparent satisfaction.

‘I only asked why I came to the U.S. and about my actions.’

Richard didn’t ask why I opposed Oracle, how I created my puppet, or where I obtained it. If I were President Richard, those would be my first questions. Perhaps he felt he had enough information from spies or just by observing my puppet.

“Hahaha! I roughly know what you were thinking. You’re close to a puppeteer named Rachel in England? That puppet must be hers, right?”

…Not at all.

Rachel is indeed a puppeteer, but the puppet I use as Artist was made long before I met her.

“…Not so?”
“No.”

Seeing my expression, Richard scratched his head, realizing his assumption was completely wrong.

“Well, the origin of the puppet isn’t that important anyway, so let’s move on.”

He said that, glancing at my puppet.

“This is my last question. Or rather, it’s not exactly a question…”
“…Sigh.”

Maurice sighed at Richard’s words, anticipating they might be troublesome. He instructed other nearby Albatross PMC members:

“(Everyone, keep your distance! I’m not responsible if you die getting involved!)”

…What?

Before I fully understood his meaning, a fist flew toward me.

Bang…!

I blocked it with my puppet’s crossed arms. My puppet’s bones are made of everlasting steel, so its durability is solid. But more importantly…

“What the—?!”
“When two strong beings lock eyes, there’s only one thing to do, isn’t there?!”

Richard said as he launched a kick. I lowered my puppet to dodge.

Bang…!

A loud explosion-like sound erupted where my puppet’s head was. It sounded like a bomb, though it wasn’t.

‘…Why does it sound like a bomb every time a fist or kick moves…?’

I knew what this phenomenon was.

A sonic boom. Usually, it’s the explosive sound made when an aircraft moves too fast…

‘…Using a human body…’

I could do something similar. If it were my puppet, I could probably generate a sonic boom stronger than the President’s.

But his truly terrifying aspect lay elsewhere.

“(Everyone, fall back! A meteor is falling!)”
“…Can we dodge a little one?!”

I saw a meteor falling from the sky. Richard controlled the power, so it was small.

‘How is he a mage when he’s just punching and kicking?’

Indeed…

Though he generated sonic booms through punches and kicks, Richard is not an Aura user or a physical-ability holder… he’s a mage.

A classical mage, using mainstream elemental magic, not some peculiar mage enhancing his body.