NOVEL WEB Chapter 68
I didn’t think that the ‘younger brother’ Blanca mentioned was her actual younger brother. It was probably some kind of codename or secret nickname.
It was certain she wasn’t part of the Evil Society, so I wondered what in the world she was doing in the outskirts.
She figured out the Suicide attack that even the endlessly capable intel department of Heros Company missed, all by herself?
Since the outskirts were packed with important and classified facilities of Heros Company, if Blanca was indeed with them, it would make sense.
But was she really part of Heros Company? And what about that younger brother? I couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of codename that could be.
Was it some significant artifact that resembled a young boy, or was it literally a boy with abilities?
Surely, it couldn’t be an actual family member, so my options were narrowed down to those two, but there wasn’t a single thing that popped into my mind when I thought of a boy with abilities.
Such a thing had never appeared in the original material. Not once.
But I didn’t have the luxury to ponder what that younger brother could be, so I wandered around the audience seating looking for a young boy before the match.
I didn’t truly think he would be there. But I hoped desperately, like a person clutching at straws.
If I could just find whoever she was calling her ‘younger brother’…
Then I could naturally uncover her identity as well. But there was nothing. Nothing that could be called a boy.
It seemed likely that kids of that age were busy at elementary or middle school, so maybe that’s why I couldn’t spot any boys.
I felt a bit empty, as if I had wasted my time without yielding any results.
But just knowing one more thing that Blanca was hiding from us was a small win in itself.
This time, I had concrete evidence that didn’t require any special knowledge, and I could easily share it with the others.
When I could use that information was something I needed to ponder over for a while, but…
“There you are! I was wondering where you went. It’s your turn soon, what are you doing here?”
“Blanca.”
But before I could gather my thoughts, I bumped into Blanca.
Blanca was looking at me with a bit of an excited face, as if she had been running around looking for me.
Did she realize that her presence was catching the attention of those around us?
Someone was pulling out their phone to take pictures, so I figured I should take a little walk to get some space for me and her.
“We could just use our abilities to get there faster anyway. Um… Blanca, should we change places?”
“Huh? Uh… sure.”
When I asked her to follow me, she seemed oddly tense, unlike when she usually asked me.
Once we reached the stairs between the audience and the Player Waiting Room, I finally asked the question I had been holding back.
There was no time to wait, I needed to ask it immediately.
Right now, when she was least prepared for it.
At my question, she looked flustered, shooting me a sharp glance and asking why I would ask that, but then apologized and answered.
“…Sorry. It’s just that it caught me off guard. Family… From what I can think, it’s only Justitia.”
That was the answer I expected. Clearly, for her, a younger brother was information that couldn’t be leaked to others.
“What…?”
“Blanca, I want you to tell me the truth. Who is that ‘younger brother’ you’re looking for…?”
I wasn’t sure if this was the best approach; there might have been a better way, I thought.
But right now, I wanted to know what Blanca was hiding. It might be impatience, but I was curious. I desperately wanted to know.
Blanca, unusually, was sweating and struggling to give me a clear answer.
Then it seemed like what she was looking for wasn’t a person after all.
Thinking back on the facilities targeted by the Suicides…
The Suicides assaulted key facilities of Heros Company, like military bases or labs.
This led me to think that it was pretty likely she was associated with Heros Company. I didn’t know why she was in the outskirts, but…
She must have gone there to retrieve something that shouldn’t fall into the hands of the Suicides. That was the conclusion I could draw.
She might even be a Liberator. Since Justitia is a Liberator, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to think that Blanca was influenced by her and became one too.
However, I still wanted to believe she was part of Heros Company.
“Is it something related to Heros Company?”
As soon as Blanca heard the mention of Heros Company, she shot me a chilling glance.
That gaze seemed as if she was contemplating whether to kill me or not.
“It’s fine. I have no intention of telling anyone or making this a weakness against you. I just want to know.”
Seeing that I cornered her so much, she finally conceded and replied that yes, it was.
“Don’t try to find out what it was. If you do, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Is this a confidential matter?
“I don’t plan on prying into that. I also know how precious my life is. So that’s how it is… Thank you, Blanca, for your honest answer. I guess I’ll go play my match now.”
Even as I walked down the stairs, she merely stared at me in silence.
Was she really part of Heros Company? I wasn’t sure yet. And it felt too early to draw any conclusions. It could all be a lie.
There were still plenty of possibilities left. But if it were true…
Then things would be a thousand times easier.
And whether true or not, it was a proof that she considered me special enough to share that kind of information.
So should I just go in with a light heart and win?
– – – –
After I confirmed Minho had definitely left, I collapsed on the spot, gasping for breath.
“Hah, h, ugh, haah, heh, huh… Hah… hheh… ”
I thought I had been caught. I really believed that everything was over just like this.
Should I stop him by killing Minho? The worry ate at me, and my thoughts accelerated even more than when I was fighting. My head felt frozen.
The wait felt like an eternity.
Even now, my brain was struggling to function properly.
In that moment, I burned through about a week’s worth of brain activity, trying to act like I was one of Heros Company, understanding what Minho was thinking.
I ended up dazed, like someone had erased everything on a whiteboard; my thoughts were blank.
At first, I didn’t know what he was talking about, and I never imagined that the lies I spun would lead back to me like this…
I tried to get up, but my legs weren’t responding. My arms felt the same.
I forced vitality into my limbs that felt completely drained, but walking seemed impossible.
Ah, damn. Really. I know this is just an emotion. It’s nothing more than some trick of my brain’s chemicals.
Yet, the fear was undeniably real.
Minho was suspicious of me. He was trying to expose my identity. He kept stumbling around, but…
If he happened to stumble upon something at this rate, I’d be exposed in no time.
…Could I really ride this razor’s edge without falling off?
Just one misstep, and it would all be over.
As I spiraled into my own thoughts, someone placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke with a warm voice.
“There you are, Blanca.”
“B-Boss? Why are you here…?”
“Today’s fortune told me there would be someone needing your help on the stairs. So I was just wandering around a bit.”
I instinctively wanted to wrap my arms around him but barely remembered that my clothes would melt away, so I just rolled up the part of my suit covering my hands and squeezed his hand tightly.
“I-I, because of me, just now, just now…”
“It’s alright, Blanca. It’s okay. Now, why don’t you slowly tell me what happened?”
He gently questioned me about the whole situation.
So I recounted everything that just went down with Minho.
“B-Boss. Could you please check my fortune? Right now.”
His ability for today’s fortune was, quite literally, to see the fortune of oneself or others.
The waiting time was 24 hours for each person, and the range meant you had to be almost close to activate the ability.
That alone wouldn’t have been a big deal, but his power didn’t stop there.
It could, in essence, be called divination.
Avoid the window; there’s someone in trouble, so make a call. There’s someone needing help on the stairs, so go check on them, etc.
He also provided sentences that could lead the future in a better direction.
However, the interpretation was solely up to the individual. A misunderstanding could lead to bad luck instead.
Through that ability, he had reached his current status.
Careful of the stairs? That was a little too late. Ah, if only I had known a bit earlier, I could have avoided it.
But just hearing those words gave me a little relief.
It was always the case that my overall fortune was bad. So, that meant nothing worse was likely to happen now.
Alright. At least during the tournament, I shouldn’t have to deal with any strange mishaps.
Just as I was thinking that…
“Blanca? Who is that person?”
Jinhyeon had come up from the lower staircase and was looking at him for some reason.
…It seemed I was being told to avoid the stairs all day.