Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 239

241

“No, sir. My team is doing very well these days.”

“I suppose so. Your team has grown at a frightening pace recently.”

“It’s all thanks to Vice Chairman Lewis’s consideration. I was able to rent two Central League-level gladiators in exchange for carrying out the villa job last time.”

“Hmm, that’s right. I don’t think I need to worry about your team for the time being.”

Lucas looked at Gloria as he said that.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I forgot to ask about Chairwoman Gloria’s well-being. You overcame such a big incident before. I apologize again for not being able to help you at the time.”

“Not at all. Still, Chairman Lucas cares about me. I am very grateful.”

Gloria was treating Lucas in a friendly tone. That’s because she doesn’t know the details of the incident yet. Bum-suk didn’t particularly intend to hide it, but the incident at the time was not something Gloria should know.

Lucas frowned and said,

“Anyway, the tyranny of these bank guys… As a businessman, I am really outraged by the actions of LHN Bank.”

“Yes, that’s right. But it’s not LHN Bank. According to Bum-suk, all of that was done by our main transaction bank, Unique Bank. In other words, LHN Bank had no choice but to cooperate for its own benefit.”

Lucas, who knew the details of the incident at the time, wore an ambiguous expression. He couldn’t understand why Unique Bank, which was only an accomplice, was being suspected as the main culprit.

“Unique Bank took the lead?”

“Yes. Vice President Hobbes of Unique Bank is the key figure in the last situation. He moved our creditor group, including LHN Bank, to attack us.”

Lucas felt a strong current running down his spine and looked at Bum-suk for a moment. Unique Bank’s Vice President Hobbes was like a limb of the Black Society [a criminal organization]. He had strongly cooperated with LHN Bank’s attack on Rainbow Group, but Bum-suk felt strange about why he was pointing him out as the mastermind.

“Hey, you. Is what Chairwoman Gloria is saying now true?”

Bum-suk nodded without hesitation. If he admitted it, he could be suspected by the Black Society, but he couldn’t incite infighting among allies to maintain relations with the enemy.

“Yes, that’s right. I had a chance to talk to someone from LHN after the battle at the villa, and I got that feeling quite a bit. Why? Is something wrong?”

“Hmm. You know, you have a lot of clumsy sides. How can you believe the other person’s words as they are? Do you think the criminal would confess to committing the crime himself? As far as I know, Vice President Hobbes is definitely not that kind of person.”

“Huhu. No, I didn’t just sit still. I have been closely investigating and have secured circumstances and evidence that Vice President Hobbes was directly and indirectly involved in the Rainbow incident. Looking at this, Chairman Lucas must have misunderstood him.”

“R, really?”

“Yes. For example, Vice President Hobbes was deeply involved in the declaration of debt repayment by the Airbend branch manager of Unique Bank.”

Lucas closed his mouth like he had eaten honey [became speechless]. He had received a report about that fact himself. He didn’t know where Bum-suk heard about such detailed information, but it was the truth, so he had nothing to say in rebuttal.

‘How much does this guy know?’

Now his expression contained a light of worry beyond embarrassment. The Black Society existed just beyond this layer of truth. If Bum-suk’s information reached this far, they would cross a river that could not be turned back [reach a point of no return]. And judging from his recent actions, that possibility was not small. He seemed to be distancing himself from the Black Society recently.

“Hmm. Is that so? It seems I misunderstood Vice President Hobbes. I’m sorry.”

“Huhu. Don’t mention it. You can know ten fathoms of water, but you can’t know one fathom of a person’s heart, right? [You can know the depths of the sea, but not the depths of a person’s heart.]”

Lucas immediately retorted to his meaningful words.

“That’s right. Who knows a person’s heart? That’s why there are so many cases where people are betrayed by those they trust.”

“Of course. I’m often hit too. So, there are times when the lid is opened more than once or twice [I’ve been betrayed more than once or twice].”

Lucas coughed heavily.

“Ahem. Ah. And it seems better to postpone meeting Vice Chairman Lewis. As you said, it would be better to refrain from it because it would be difficult if the Cooper faction found out.”

“Yes. You made a good decision. Betraying someone you’re holding hands with will always look bad in the eyes of others. It would be better to maintain a good relationship with the Cooper faction as much as possible.”

“No matter how I look at it, it would be better to do that. I understand. Well, you seem to be busy, so I’ll get up now.”

Bum-suk escorted Lucas as he stood up.

“Then goodbye. I have to take care of Chairwoman Gloria, so I can’t go far.”

“I’ll do that.”

Lucas hurriedly left the buffet restaurant. Emma, who thought it was strange that her senior suddenly ended the conversation, quickly followed him.

“Senior Lucas. What’s going on? And what’s the story about Vice President Hobbes hitting the Rainbow Group? He’s a collaborator in our organization.”

Lucas covered his mouth with his index finger and said,

“Shh. That story shouldn’t be known to others. Especially not to Bum-suk.”

Emma wore a very surprised expression at those words. The fact that Senior Lucas also knew meant that the Black Society was directly or indirectly involved in the Rainbow Group crisis.

“S, surely. Senior. Our Black Society really…? Surely not, right? Bum-suk is a benefactor who fought against economic organizations on the front lines for the survival of our Black Society.”

“Be quiet. When you live in the world, there are times when you have to do things you don’t want to do or turn a blind eye due to unavoidable circumstances. The Rainbow Group incident was just such a case.”

Emma, with eyes close to shock, blocked Lucas’s path to the elevator.

“Y, you’re lying, right?”

Lucas pushed her aside and pressed the elevator call button.

“It was all for the organization. If we had helped Bum-suk without hitting the Rainbow Group at the time, we could have been at odds with LHN Financial Group. It was an unavoidable choice for us.”

“N, no way. Even so…”

“No. You’ll understand this when you continue to live in society. So, stay quiet now.”

Emma looked at him with a disappointed expression.

“In a word, be as quiet as a mouse. Is that what you mean?”

“For now, yes. And I’ll give you separate orders later, but stay in Godz Knights and monitor Bum-suk.”

“M, monitor? Why?”

“It’s not certain, but I have a feeling that he knows that we were involved in the Rainbow Group incident. If my feeling is accurate, we must eliminate him.”

“W, what are you talking about now? You’re not only stabbing him in the back, but now you’re eliminating him? I can just leave the team and we can live like strangers!”

Lucas shook his head.

“No. Bum-suk has recently been building relationships with several high-ranking officials. In particular, he is also friendly with Vice Chairman Lewis of the Federal Pro Gladiator Association. But Vice Chairman Lewis is someone we must make an ally when we form a force within the association in the future. If Bum-suk maliciously interferes with the connection with Vice Chairman Lewis, we will suffer a great loss. So, it’s better to nip the bud of anxiety in the bud [eliminate the source of trouble].”

“But, Bum-suk said he would arrange a meeting between us and Vice Chairman Lewis. Why are you suspicious of such goodwill?”

“It may be an intention to inform the Cooper Vice Chairman faction that Lewis and I are secretly meeting. If my concern is true, Bum-suk is a really scary guy. It means he’s ready to stab us in the back at any time.”

The door opened and Lucas entered the elevator, and Emma quickly followed.

“It might not be.”

“Well, that’s right. But you need to be careful in everything. Especially in very sensitive areas like this one. So, you should always stay by Bum-suk’s side and watch him, and if there’s anything suspicious, let me know. This is an order from a senior.”

Emma, who trembled, eventually nodded. The Black Society had a rule that seniors must obey orders when it came to organizational matters. As a member of the Black Society, she had to follow Lucas’s orders.

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

“Good. Then I’ll go, so go back right away.”

“Yes.”

Lucas, who heard Emma’s weak answer, left the elevator door and headed to the hotel lobby. She stood blankly, forgetting that she had to press the 6th floor button where the buffet restaurant was located. Bum-suk and the Black Society might have to antagonize each other? She had to stop this situation at all costs. He was a benefactor who had greatly helped the survival of the Black Society anyway.

“Everyone, push hard! Never give in!”

It was only mid-spring, but the training camp of the Gutz Knights was very hot. The gladiators of the Godz Knights, divided into two teams, sprayed the tips of their swords and spears at each other with movements reminiscent of actual combat. Final mock training. The list of participants for the League Round 33, which will be held in two days, will be decided based on the results of today’s training match, so everyone had no choice but to do their best.

“Oscar. You’re not good enough for me yet.”

“Sister Rapine. Is that so?”

Oscar and Rapine, who were holding swords against each other, pushed each other hard as if showing off their strength. Oscar, who has strong strength, seems to be slightly superior, but the difference was not great. Even though Rapine doesn’t use ‘Berserker of Fighting Spirit’, she had physical conditions comparable to her.

Meanwhile, Iphis and Herse were putting pressure on Imori and Razella. They were Central League-level gladiators rented by Vice Chairman Lewis, so their skills were by no means inferior, but they were no match for them at all.

“Tsk. What the hell are these guys? Their skills are not much different from ours, but it’s not easy to deal with them.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Razella frowned. When she first came to Godz Knights, she quite ignored them because they were a lower-ranked team in the Wide League, but when she actually experienced it, it was no joke. Not only Iphis and Herse, but also Oscar, Rapine, Jermia, Cathy, and Gelsomina. Here, even the absolute powerhouse Bum-suk. There were a lot of skilled people nesting in the team that they could never ignore.

At that time, a sharp sword tip flew deep into Razella’s chest. It was an unavoidable crisis situation for her, who was just brushing off Iphis’ spear tip. Razella had no choice but to roll on the floor to avoid it, and then looked at the opposing team’s gladiator who made the last attack.

‘Tsk. It’s Emma again.’

And there was one characteristic gladiator that could never be left out of Godz Knights. Emma, who plays the role of a killer, seems to have poor skills, but the sword strikes that fly through the blind spot are so eerie. No matter how blind the sword is, if you just get hit, even Amelie of the world will be incapacitated, which was the gladiator match. She was a gladiator who had to be watched and careful at all times.

Razella had no choice but to focus on Emma. If she let her run wild like this, they would be attacked by an unexpected attack. She kicked the ground and ran towards Emma.

“Hiyat!”

At that moment, a sharp sword strike flew towards Emma. She managed to raise her sword and barely blocked it, but Emma had to swing her sword frantically as fierce attacks continued to come in. It seemed that it was still difficult to deal with Central League-level gladiators, and she was struggling quite a bit. But the crisis did not last long. Bum-suk, who had defeated Gelsomina, joined the fight.

Chang. Chang. Klang.

‘Tch. Why now.’

Razella wore an extremely embarrassed expression. It was because the tide had completely turned due to Bum-suk’s continuous attacks, which seemed to be possessed by a god. In addition, Emma, who had regained her stability, was closely following him, ready to swing her sword whenever she had a chance. At this rate, she would definitely lose. She called her colleague Imori.

“Imori! Where are you!”

But Imori’s figure was nowhere to be seen. She had already been hit hard by Iphis and Herse’s combined attack and was being dragged out by Remy. In the end, Razella, who had to face Bum-suk and Emma alone, was defeated before long, and the game soon ended.

Diana stood up from the bench and handed Bum-suk a towel.

“Master. You worked hard.”

Bum-suk, who took off his helmet and wiped off his sweat, looked at her.

“How is it? Have you decided which kids to participate in the game that will be held tomorrow?”

“Yes. Roughly.”

“Who are they?”

Diana smiled and whispered in a quiet voice.

“I’m going to take out a lot of the starters for this game. I’ve been playing games mainly with the starters to get a lot of points, so everyone seems tired.”

“Really? Do they look that tired?”

“Hmm. It’s not that bad. I don’t think we need to overdo it now that we’ve entered a safe zone.”

As of the current 32nd match, Godz Knights’ record was 14 wins, 7 draws, and 11 losses, ranking 5th in the league. It was a fairly high ranking, but the point difference with Chaplin Whisper and Sea Mobidicks was so large that even if they won all of the remaining 6 games, they would not be in the top 2 in the league. So, it was thought that it would be better to focus on preventing injuries for next year.

============================ Work Review ============================

Umm. I was going to exercise, but I sprained my shoulder while warming up. T.T. I think I should exercise from time to time.

Then everyone have a nice day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.