Great Teacher in a Defense Game

#33 Does the Golden King Dream of Arasaka?

“Ah, I’m telling you. It’s not like that!”

“Not like what? Get out this instant!”

A brief commotion ensued.

Orban, for reasons unknown, detested drugs.

He made no attempt to conceal his expression of disgust, urging her to exit the vehicle at once.

Clarena strove to dispel the misunderstanding.

She claimed there were circumstances to consider.

Enoch, truthfully, couldn’t quite fathom what, exactly, the misunderstanding was.

“Enough. Let’s all calm down for a moment.”

Enoch, unable to bear it any longer, intervened.

It had a rather effective result.

Only then did the two cease their bickering and catch their breaths.

“Alright, tell it to me in detail then.”

Orban sighed, leaning back into his seat.

“What possible reason could you have for being able to identify narcotics? Convince me, and I’ll let it pass.”

“Let what pass? Thinking about it, why do I even need to explain myself?”

“What?”

“Just let us out here. Both of us.”

Clarena’s demeanor shifted in an instant.

She had wanted to escape this situation anyway.

Clarena’s purpose was to meet Enoch.

What happened to Orban was of no concern.

So, was there a real need to explain anything?

“No, that won’t do.”

But Orban wouldn’t accept it.

He pressed a button, locking the car doors.

-Beep-click

-Clunk

“What are you doing?”

“Nobody gets out of here without my permission. At least not until I’ve heard everything you have to say.”

Orban spoke with a smile.

A look that said this place was his domain.

Sequential harmony.

The end of the robe morphs into a serpent’s tail.

Enoch promptly shattered the car’s roof.

-CRUNCH!

“……”

“……”

“Forgive me. I have claustrophobia, you see.”

“……”

“Isn’t this better? Doesn’t make me look quite so old, either.”

The stares prickled.

Enoch shrugged his shoulders, for no real reason.

‘Madman.’

Orban gritted his teeth.

He was starting to regret bringing Enoch along.

Was it just a feeling?

He’d had the sinking feeling of being on the losing end of things since earlier.

@

Orban’s car had abruptly transformed into a convertible.

A cool autumn breeze swept over the speeding vehicle.

The three continued their conversation.

Mostly, it was Clareena’s self-justifications.

“…anyway, that’s how it happened. Whether it’s drugs or anything else, in the end, it’s all about moderation. If used correctly, they can become remedies. So, no more calling me a junkie or anything.”

“Understood. If that’s the case, then I can’t argue.”

Enoch agreed with Clareena’s words.

Her explanation was long and convoluted.

But to summarize, it was simple.

Magic, pure and simple.

‘The mage of pharmaceuticals. Or rather, magic based on the phenomenon of “Drug Completion” itself.’

Clareena was a magician related to medicines.

Or rather, should he call her an alchemist?

She could eat any drug and know its ingredients and effects.

Moreover, she grasped the ratios and mixtures perfectly.

Furthermore, she never suffered any side effects.

She was truly an incarnation of alchemy itself.

‘Now I understand. How could she handle all the treatments on the front lines alone? So, this was the back story.’

Enoch belatedly solved the mystery.

In the original work, she was simply described as competent.

Indeed, if she had this kind of background, her abilities were understandable.

Meanwhile, Klarena spoke again.

“Well, my story’s done. Let’s get down to brass tacks.”

She glared at Orban, pressing him.

“Spit it out already. I’m leaving right after I hear it.”

“Don’t order me around. And what’s with the attitude? At the end of the day, you’re still just a junkie.”

“That’s because! It was all for research—”

“Shut up. Don’t you dare talk back to me.”

Orban clicked his tongue, as if disgusted.

“I loathe junkies. I acknowledge your talent, but from now on, I’d appreciate it if you just listened quietly, without a peep. I don’t want to waste any energy on you.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Does it sound like it? If so, then yes. If I threaten you, what can you possibly do? Cling to Enoch’s trousers next to you, maybe?”

Orban openly mocked her.

Klarena bit her lip, seemingly frustrated.

The truth stung.

Unofficially, her abilities were, at best, scroll-grade.

What’s worse, they weren’t particularly helpful in combat itself.

As Orban pointed out, she was little more than dead weight at this point.

“Enough, you two. We’re just wasting time with bickering.”

Enoch stepped in to regain control of the situation.

The two ceased their argument and belatedly turned their gazes toward him.

“Tch, just endless words for nothing. Let me explain again, from the start.”

Orban moved onto the main point.

He pointed alternately to the documents he had placed and the drug.

“This drug’s name is Angeldust. As that junkie over there said, it’s made from ground-up Byulsorghum. The problem is that it’s spreading widely, centered around the Empire.”

“A drug… It sounds like someone must be heading the market supply chain. Did you understand the specific circumstances?”

“No, I don’t know that much. To begin with, it’s not under my jurisdiction.”

“Then why bring up this drug?”

Enoch asked, intrigued.

Orban grinned as if he had been waiting for the question.

“Why? Well, obviously, because it’s a golden opportunity.”

“An opportunity, you say? What are you babbling about?”

“Didn’t I tell the junkie to shut her trap?”

Clarena shrank back.

Orban cleared his throat, then continued.

“…Currently, narcotics are being secretly distributed, bypassing the Empire’s surveillance network. The scale is quite large. It’s even spreading to other countries, escalating into a diplomatic problem.”

“Hmm…”

“And I have the technology to create an antidote for the drug. The Empire and the Order want to share this technology. They’re willing to pay a handsome price, if Dymayra would step in and resolve the drug issue.”

“You’re not interested, though.”

Enoch stated flatly.

Orban smiled brightly.

He had the look of a young child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“That’s right. How did you know? Did you have the same thought?”

“It’s obvious. You’re the type who hates being controlled by the government from the start. You’d have wanted to escape at any opportunity.”

Orban chuckled at Enoch’s words.

It was the correct answer.

“That’s right. I’ve never liked the government. I started from the bottom and solved everything with my own hands.”

Orban’s life is rough and dirty.

He killed silence with his own two hands, and awakened his magic independently, fueled by a yearning for wealth.

A desire for success.

That alone is how he climbed this far.

The government’s help is not included in that, not even a little.

On the contrary.

They extract taxes as they please, and constantly harass him with talk of monopolies and whatnot.

In the midst of all this, narcotics spread.

And it’s even developing into a diplomatic problem.

It’s even in the very field where he’s most confident.

Orban saw this as an opportunity.

“Think about it. Is an Empire really necessary?”

“…”

“This isn’t the age of swords and shields. Technology has advanced, transportation is faster, and communication is even faster than that. There’s no need to maintain this huge, cumbersome Empire.”

The monster incursions and the separatist uprising.

A government crippled in its wake.

Himself, holding over half the technology in his grip.

Secured even the diplomatic aid of other nations with his capital.

“By now, you’ve guessed my true intentions, haven’t you?”

Orban grinned, fluttering the documents.

“Read it. All my plans are written within.”

His fingers drummed against the paper.

Clarena hesitated, examining the file.

Enoch merely skimmed it with his eyes.

He didn’t need to look closely.

It was an event already mentioned in the original work.

‘Orban. That b*stard is really pulling off the same stunt as in the novel.’

Orban’s goal was simple.

To create a new nation, not governed by the state, but spearheaded by corporations.

In short, Orban was aiming for a cyberpunk mega-corporation, all by himself, in a fantasy world.

‘The problem is, this genre-blind fool is actually making it happen. And that’s where humanity’s three-way struggle unknowingly begins.’

In the original story, this incident divided people into three factions.

The Empire, faithful to tradition.

The Order, devoted to faith.

The corporation, defecting in pursuit of technology and profit.

Amidst the monster invasion, the nation would be cleaved apart like a Three Kingdoms saga.

One of the very scenarios Enoch had to avoid.

‘So, that’s why he came to see me. He was worried my increased investments would affect his plans.’

Enoch was originally not part of Orban’s scheme.

The only reason he was being met was singular.

The fear that Enoch would decide to invest in other researchers, like Clarena.

Another capitalist appearing wouldn’t sit well.

Enoch considered this, then steeled his resolve.

‘The game’s endings always resulted in the Empire’s downfall. Whether reality will mirror that, I can’t know, but there’s no need to gamble on something so dangerous.’

Orban, that scoundrel, even after founding the nation, was nothing but trouble, endlessly.

The first thing that leaps to mind is when he suddenly raised taxes, all because he wanted to become a Frontier-Class Mage.

His words were slick and flowery, of course. But in the end, he’s just a man who does as he pleases.

I’ve no desire to follow a king who sows such discord.

Enoch’s thoughts were consumed with how to handle this situation.

-Crackle, static-

Meanwhile, Orban placed a cigarette between his lips.

He even lit it.

‘Madman. There’s someone in the car, for heaven’s sake.’

Enoch scowled.

He always made sure to distance himself when he smoked.

Did Orban receive no upbringing whatsoever?

Judging by his behavior, it seemed that way.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…”

“Want one?”

Orban, of all people, misinterpreted Enoch’s gaze.

He opened the case and offered Enoch a cigarette.

He didn’t try to play any games like before.

It would only be a loss for him…

“Take it. Good stuff.”

“…I’m, no th-“

“Give it here.”

Enoch refused the offer.

Clarena reached out and snatched the cigarette, placing it between her lips.

-Thwack-

“Light me up.”

“……”

“…Ah, alright.”

Clarena mimicked the action of striking a lighter with her hand.

Enoch avoided her gaze.

A strange embarrassment pricked him.

Overwhelmed by her force, Orban, without even realizing it, handed over his lighter.

– *Zzzzzip*

– *Whoosh*

“…Hmm. Tobacco leaves from the Obrihe coast, I see. The blending of the filler is exquisitely executed.”

A sudden critique began.

Enoch and Orban, having forgotten their previous conversation, stared blankly at her.

“……”

“…After the drugs, now tobacco? Jesus, you’re just consuming everything bad for you.”

Orban, looking utterly disgusted, turned his head.

He then leaned back against his seat.

When he opened his eyes, a wide-open sky appeared.

“Shit.”

“Why the swearing again?”

“My car. You son of a b*tch.”