Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 262

A few days later, a guest arrived at the God’s Knights training camp. It was Rubin, Shaila’s childhood friend, a blonde man whose presence suggested importance. As the initial investigator of the incident, dispatched by Chairman Lewis, his assistance seemed invaluable.

Beomseok escorted him to the chairman’s office.

“Please, have a seat,” Beomseok offered.

“Thank you,” Rubin replied, settling onto the reception sofa. Beomseok scrutinized him. Despite being Shaila’s childhood friend, Rubin looked remarkably young, barely in his early twenties. It could be an extreme case of youthful appearance, or something else entirely.

Sitting across from Rubin, Beomseok broached the subject. “Mr. Rubin, I assume you’ve undergone human modification?”

“Indeed, I have.”

“Impressive. Body modification surgery doesn’t come cheap.”

“Hahaha, I owe it all to my fortunate birth.”

“Oh? And what do your parents do?”

“They manage a few small pro-gladiator teams. My father passed away ten years ago, so my mother is the current chairwoman.”

Beomseok looked puzzled. While it was common for a mother to take over a business after the father’s death in some cultures, it was less so in this world, where single-person households were the norm.

“That’s surprising. Mothers taking over their father’s business isn’t typical.”

“Hahaha, yes, well, they were married, you see.”

“Oh, really? So your father was heterosexual?”

“Yes, he was.”

Though unusual, Beomseok decided to drop it. People were diverse, and marriage was a nationally encouraged policy. As a fellow heterosexual, he saw no reason to argue.

“I see. Well then, let’s get down to business. What’s the latest on this case? Vice Chairman Lewis briefed me, but I’d like more details for a smooth resolution.”

“Understood. Have you heard about the private investigation agency employee sent to Gillium?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Then this will be quicker. Take a look at this. I recently obtained new information containing critical details that could help us understand the core of the case.”

Rubin unfolded an electronic document, projecting a screen into the air. It showed a photo of an elf meeting with a middle-aged man in a clandestine location, their body language suggesting an important conversation.

He zoomed in on the elf’s photo, enlarging it significantly. She was a silver-haired woman with heterochromia [different colored eyes], suggesting she hadn’t yet found her master.

“See this elf?”

The screen was enlarged right in front of his face.

“Yes. What about her?”

“This is the unidentified elf who eliminated the private investigation agency employees we sent to Gillium.”

“Ah, so she’s the guardsman?”

“Yes, that’s right. Recent investigations reveal she’s a gladiator for a pro-gladiator team in a certain area league, managed by Ms. Angela. However, she wasn’t registered as a gladiator, making it difficult to uncover her background.”

Ms. Angela was the head of one of the seven factions of the Federal Pro-Gladiator Association, and Theresa’s mother, whom Julian had mentioned. This indicated that economic organizations were deeply involved.

“So, Ms. Angela is the mastermind?”

Rubin tilted his head, then enlarged the face of the middle-aged man.

“Not necessarily. First, focus on this man.”

“Who is he?”

“His name is Thomas. He’s a director at Vermilion, a gunpowder product processing company, and secretly an advisor to the Youth Business Federation.”

Rubin presented a photo of a red-haired young man. Beomseok recognized him as Piler, the new chairman of the Youth Business Federation after Julian’s downfall, and the successor of Vermilion.

“So, the Youth Business Federation is behind this?”

“Yes. Thomas is a loyal confidant of Piler. It’s safe to say the Youth Business Federation is involved, at least.”

With the organization’s leadership changed, it was a reasonable assumption. Beomseok stroked his chin.

“But why are they targeting Shaila?”

“I don’t know the specifics. However, we can consider the power dynamics in the pro-gladiator world.”

“Really? How so?”

“The gladiator world is divided into seven factions, the strongest being Ibrahim, Lewis, and Cooper, and the weakest including Angela. Perhaps the economic organizations are trying to create a new faction surpassing Ibrahim by combining Lewis, Angela, and the Hyena Group.”

Beomseok chuckled.

“Huhu. They’re going to stab the Ibrahim faction, which has been friendly so far, in the back to control the entire pro-gladiator world?”

“It’s not certain, but I see no other explanation. To risk touching the Lewis faction, there must be a significant reward. They wouldn’t do this without a reason, right?”

“I suppose so.”

Beomseok picked up the electronic documents, examining them closely. The contents suggested the incident originated from economic organizations and the Youth Business Federation. With all related parties linked to their factions, it was hard to deny.

Beomseok, after reviewing the pages, looked at Rubin.

“By the way, this looks like an economic organization scheme. When did you figure this out? Vice Chairman Lewis didn’t mention this when we met a few days ago.”

“Yes. We put in a lot of effort to find the mastermind, but it wasn’t easy. The guardsman elf was cautious, and we repeatedly failed to tail her. However, after Vice Chairman Lewis met with you and solidified his suspicion of economic organizations, things changed. We broke away from our passive stance and took action, tailing suspicious economic organization figures and catching them there.”

“Ah, so you didn’t track the guardsman, but found her while investigating the economic organization members?”

“That’s right.”

Beomseok crossed his arms.

“Putting tails on leading figures in the economic world on a large scale was a big gamble. Vice Chairman Lewis took a reckless gamble.”

“Yes, you could say that. But his daughter’s and organization’s future was at stake.”

Beomseok threw the electronic documents on the table, a bitter expression on his face. Vice Chairman Lewis had uncovered the mastermind, leaving him with nothing to do. The recruitment of Cazela had also failed.

“So, this means the case is closed.”

“No. It’s just beginning. The most difficult task of persuading Shaila remains.”

“Can’t you just show her these documents?”

Rubin shook his head, his face grim.

“It’s not that easy. This information only shows the connection between the guardsman and the economic organizations, not between the guardsman and Gillium. If Gillium claims he doesn’t know the elf or met her by chance, we have nothing to refute. Besides, Shaila is hopelessly stubborn. Once she falls for a man, she’s naive and narrow-minded, giving him her heart and soul. Even with accurate evidence, I doubt we can break them up. Vice Chairman Lewis truly wants you to break them up.”

That was fortunate. There was still a chance to recruit Cazela. If he could break them up, Vice Chairman Lewis would keep his promise.

“Is that so? Then I’ll give it a try. Breaking up a couple won’t be easy, but I can do it. My specialty is breaking up couples. Hahaha.”

Rubin, with a bright expression, bowed deeply from his seated position.

“Thank you. If you do that for us, I will never forget this favor.”

Beomseok looked at him, squinting. There was no reason to be grateful for breaking up Shaila and Gillium, even if he was a childhood friend.

“Mr. Rubin, do you perhaps have feelings for Shaila?”

Rubin, blushing, waved his hands wildly.

“Ah, no. How could I dare to… the daughter of Vice Chairman Lewis…”

“Hahaha. There’s no such thing in love. All you need is the heart. Mr. Rubin, do you only like elves like other men?”

“N, no, that’s not it. I’m also heterosexual, influenced by my father. I’ve always seen my parents living affectionately and envied them. I’m thinking of meeting a virtuous woman and getting married later.”

“Ah. Then you can marry Shaila.”

Rubin expressed humility again.

“T, that’s not possible. How could I…? I’m satisfied with watching her. I’ve been like that since I was young, and it’s comfortable.”

“Why not? Your mother owns several pro-gladiator teams. That’s a decent family, so why do you have such frustrating thoughts?”

Rubin fidgeted, embarrassed, and moved his lips. His deceased father was Vice Chairman Lewis’s secretary, promoted to manager. He was loyal and diligent, earning the Vice Chairman’s trust, and became the chairman of a small area league team during the group’s expansion. However, Vice Chairman Lewis owned a significant portion of the team’s shares, so he was only the chairman in name.

The situation was the same for the remaining teams. His mother took over as chairwoman because of Vice Chairman Lewis’s support; otherwise, she would have had to give up the team.

“Ah. So, you’re saying your mother is just a manager?”

“That’s not it. My father steadily invested in the team and has a certain amount of shares. However, without Vice Chairman Lewis’s grace, my mother wouldn’t be the chairwoman.”

Beomseok stared at Rubin with a pathetic gaze.

“I understand, but it’s not good for a man to hesitate in front of the person he likes. If I were you, I would have made Shaila my woman before leeches like Gillium stuck to her. Anyway, try to get along with Shaila this time. I’ll create an opportunity for you.”

“I told you that’s not possible.”

“But this time, you have no choice. To break a relationship, you need a comparable bond of affection. And there’s no better item than a childhood friend.”

“B, but…”

“Are you hoping Gillium will continue to coil around Shaila? Vice Chairman Lewis will understand this time. He’ll be pleased, saying he’s gained a good successor. So, do as I say.”

Rubin entered a period of deep contemplation. After ten minutes, he seemed to have made up his mind and cast a meaningful gaze at Beomseok.

“Well, I can’t hand Shaila over to a playboy like Gillium. I’ll do as you say.”

“Good. Then rest assured and leave everything to me. I’ll take care of it and help you achieve good results with Shaila.”

“Thank you. Then what should I do?”

“Just meet Shaila often. The situation will be over in a few days.”

“I, in a few days?”

Beomseok nodded.

“Did you think I’d drag out that trivial matter until the mountains and rivers changed?”

“What if things go wrong because you rush? Gillium may seem like that on the outside, but he’s not an easy guy.”

Beomseok, examining Rubin’s face, gave a bitter smile.

“He’s still just Sun Wukong [a character from Journey to the West, trapped] in the Buddha’s palm. The tricks of those who use their brains are obvious. They never look to the distant future. The way to get rid of them is simple. Make a tempting bait flicker on the cliff and set fire to their butts. Then they’ll bite without distinguishing between feces and urine and fall straight into the abyss. Just like a carp. It’ll probably be like that this time, so rest assured.”

“G, good. Then I’ll trust you. But you must never make a mistake.”

“Don’t worry. Mr. Rubin, go back and tell Vice Chairman Lewis to trust me.”

“I understand. Then I’ll go back for now. I’ll see you again later.”

Rubin shook hands and left the chairman’s office. Beomseok contacted Margaret and told her to find out the necessary details and information for this matter.