Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 207



Only Krnovel

The Regressor’s Notepad 207

Ambition (3)

I say this over and over again, but my body is never ordinary. This is because the Perion remembered in the “Notepad” circulates throughout my body.

You could say that it’s always ‘pickled’ in Perion.

Of course, I cannot use my body, but my five senses, which were permanently developed by Perion’s actions, do not disappear even in the No-Mana Zone.

Those senses were put to great use at the gambling table.

I detected the opponent’s very faint poker face and read the subtle psychological states that were not hidden.

On the other hand, I thoroughly controlled my facial expressions. Not only my nostrils, fingertips, cheekbones, and eyebrows, but even the involuntary muscles inside my body.

‘Heart’ was a trap that was particularly popular.

When players receive a good hand, their hearts usually race the moment they see the hand.

When you get a bad hand, your heart races when you bluff.

I used the principle exactly the opposite way, so the keen sense masters were fooled like ghosts.

It’s a trap that you fall into because you’re an expert.

“Contestant number 333. Congratulations on advancing to the 4th preliminary round.”

“Yes, thank you.”

So, I made it through the preliminaries.

… … .

“I see.”

Jahanna answered, signing the papers. Her balancer, Beckman, bowed his heavy shoulders.

“Yes. I heard they are advancing to the 4th preliminary round.”

“Ha. So that’s why it’s called luck, luck.”

Jahanna laughed vainly.

“Even people who have been gambling their whole lives can barely make it through the preliminary rounds, but a twenty-year-old can do it?”

She put down the fountain pen.

“If you make it to the round, you better watch out.”

“Am I the one speaking?”

“Yeah. Among the guys I bet with, there are some mafia members.”

Jahanna continued, handing the papers back to Beckman.

“They’re not very clean. They don’t accept defeat like I do. If a complete stranger enters a round claiming to be my player, they’ll probably try to kill me.”

“… … .”

Beckman didn’t answer. Jahanna’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“No, I will do that.”

“No. Tell me. My balancer seems dissatisfied.”

Jahanna rested her chin on her hand. Beckman looked away from her gaze and muttered softly.

“You could have sent me away.”

“You? At the gambling table?”

“yes.”

“……hmm.”

Anyway, this balancer seems to be feeling jealous.

Jahanna shook her head, chuckling.

“Balancer is power. You can’t waste it on a mere gamble. Your enemy is not the Mafia, but Jedrick.”

Treating people this way is a bit awkward and annoying for Jahanna. It would be easier if she lived and died for money.

“Because you are precious, we use you sparingly.”

“… … Yes. Okay.”

Beckman took a step back. Jahanna sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“Really… … If those bastards tell me to do something, I’ll do it without complaint.”

That’s why I wanted Bellingham under me.

He does what he does best, without the slightest selfishness or great loyalty.

“There are many who wish for something suspicious… … .”

In that respect, Zion Ascal is quite similar to the old days of Bellingham Kanta.

I have no interest in stealing from my younger sibling.

As of yet, that is.

* * *

The poker qualifiers had been going on for nearly 24 hours, so the sky was still dark.

It’s a good thing it’s the weekend.

No, did you just waste your weekend?

Boom bang─!

Suddenly a horn honked. It was a car parked on the shoulder.

As I look over there, whoosh—the window goes down.

“hi?”

It was Belmore. He looked at me with a smiling face.

“… … What is it?

“Hey, Inma. How can you greet your superior like that? Aren’t you happy to see your superior?”

“Did Mr. Belmore do that in the old days?”

“uh…….”

Belmore rolled his eyes for a moment, then nodded as if he understood.

“That’s true. If it were me, I would have cursed a lot inside.”

“Okay, what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing. I have a mission.”

“Is it the company’s mission or Mr. Belmore’s mission?”

“It’s a company mission.”

I picked up the Libraphone. There were no alarms or messages from the company.

“The company doesn’t say anything like that.”

“This is a mission that can’t be delivered via Libraphone. Those spies could snoop around in the database.”

“… … Liver?”

“Uh. Let’s get on first.”

I climbed into the seat next to Belmore. Belmore immediately handed me the file and spoke.

“Have you ever heard of an organization called ‘Bancheon’?”

“Half a thousand?”

“Uh. Bancheon.”

As you know.

It’s an organization I used to work for.

I answered calmly.

“I don’t like the name itself.”

“Ha. But it’s not anti-Libra. It’s anti-Heaven. In other words, it’s the sky. To put it simply, it’s a revolutionary group that overturns the sky.”

Edsilla is a country of equality. There is no system of nobility, no one can own land, and no one can have slaves.

However, it is only a facade.

Libra has built a fiefdom in the air, and the parliament is virtually the exclusive property of the nobles.

Because in the history of Edsilla, the only commoner member of the council was Gerken.

Bancheon aims to overthrow that system.

“Bancheon is a group of people who act because they think that Edsilla’s system is unfair… … and they especially hate Libra?”

It goes without saying. Bancheon is ultimately anti-Libra. Libra is deeply rooted in all social structures of Edsilla.

Soon, Edsilla will be reduced to a puppet state, little more than a puppet of Libra.

That’s what the world was like before my regression.

“But this organization is quite large. There is a head, but it is a sectarian organization, so it is difficult to find. Furthermore, in this social structure, the number of commoners is overwhelmingly large.”

Bellmore gestured to the file, apparently meaning to open it.

“So. There are a lot of cockroaches among the common people who are knowingly or unknowingly cooperating with Bancheon. There must be a lot of them inside Libra, and there must be even more outside.”

I opened the file.

A list of suspicious individuals compiled through internal investigation by the intelligence agency.

It was almost like a death note.

“You have to find it. This is a regular mission. If it’s Bancheon, you can just kill him, but if it’s an ordinary industrial spy, just get a confession and report it to me.”

Bancheon.

They don’t succeed.

However, the tradition continues.

Even before Jia becomes the chairman and I die, they will continue to uphold their beliefs without collapsing.

It’s a tough road.

Because there are not many people who truly believe in ‘faith.’

Bancheon failed because of traitors.

A guy who is always looking for an opportunity to sell out his colleagues, a guy who came in prepared from the beginning, a guy who can’t stand torture and turns against his team, a guy who throws his colleagues into hell because of the cost of their son or daughter’s study abroad…

I know quite a few of those guys’ faces.

I am a person who has risen to a high position.

“If I find out, will I go alone?”

“Uh. I’m a little busy. But, there are a few guys I checked out. Since they’re just guys whose tails I roughly caught, just interrogate one of them today and report back. It’s a gift from my superior.”

Belmore chuckled. He seemed quite pleased.

Indeed, everything has changed, from the clothes to the shoes. They are all luxury items.

I guess he held on tight to Jedrick’s rope.

“And take this car too.”

He opened the door.

“Are you talking about tea?”

“Oh. Where is a superior like me? Thanks for your hard work.”

bang!

Bellmore closed the door. I moved to the driver’s seat. I closed my eyes for a moment, gripping the steering wheel. My five senses were sharply activated.

So that even the sound of a very small engine can be heard as a rumble… … .

That’s for sure.

It’s wiretapping.

Video inside the car will probably also be recorded.

I opened my eyes. There were already several names on the list that Belmore had checked off.

One name stood out among them.

widely-

I covered the file.

* * *

There are many buildings near the Libra Station. Most of them are residential areas where Libra temple members reside.

‘Cooper’ is one of them. A goose dad who has his daughter and wife in the South.

As a researcher at Libra, he is leaking information.

“… … .”

I stand in his house, in the shadow of the curtains, in the darkness, staring at the door.

Suddenly.

The lock has been released.

Squeak─

Soon the door opens and a middle-aged man stops in his tracks as he takes off his shoes.

“… … who are you-”

“hello.”

I nodded to him.

“Come in. It’s nothing serious.”

He stared blankly at my tie, his hair half bald.

“… … Are you from Libra’s hometown?”

“Please sit down.”

I smiled faintly and pointed to the seat in front of me.

“No… … No matter what, trespassing… … .”

“I have something to do. Please understand.”

He came closer and sat down slowly.

“What happened… … .”

I handed him a piece of paper. Cooper tilted his head.

“… … What is this?”

I asked back with a still smiling face.

“Are you by any chance blind?”

Then Cooper’s eyes lit up with a strange light. On his paper was probably written in large letters: [Statement].

“What do you want me to state… … ”

“It will be even bigger if I say it myself.”

Before his return, Cooper was discovered by Libra Intelligence, not me.

His future was bleak beyond compare.

He survived with his arm cut off, but he received an even worse punishment.

Wife and daughter.

Libra killed them.

He made the world a hell and saved himself.

“You have to know what you are being asked to say before you can say it-”

“Now, I won’t say it twice.”

I don’t wish for that future. I know that he will become a more vengeful demon than me and blow himself up alone in Libra’s hanging garden.

“Do it yourself. Write the statement with your own two hands.”

So, I think I’ll give him a choice.

Punishment will vary greatly depending on the ‘quality’ of the information as well as ‘where’ the information was leaked.

“and.”

I placed the sword on his desk.

A well-forged black sword in the nether can cut through human flesh with a simple swipe.

“Cut off your own arm.”

“… … .”

For a moment, Cooper’s breath stopped.

At that point, he gave up making excuses.

“You want me to cut off my arm…?”

“Of course you have a choice.”

I nodded at his arm.

“If it weren’t for your arms.”

He tapped the sword with his finger.

“Your wife and daughter’s balls.”

“… … .”

His breathing was shaky. Cold sweat ran down his face. His glasses slipped, and the pounding of his heart was felt by me.

“There isn’t much time.”

Suddenly his heart stopped.

The tremors throughout my body also disappeared.

However, he grabbed the sword with empty eyes as if he had made up his mind.

And then──

“Kuaaaah… … !”

He grabbed my arm.

Chorrrrrr!

Blood gushed out like a fountain. The left arm was cleanly cut off. Bone separated from bone. I stared at the sight.

This is a necessary evil.

Your family can survive at the cost of one arm.

You can avoid your future of being a meaningless avenger and dying a dog’s death.

“… … Now, please give me the statement. Please also stamp your seal.”

He scribbled the statement with his remaining right hand. With a pale face as if he might faint at any moment, he confessed to every company he had leaked information to, and then stamped his fingerprints with his own blood.

I accepted it.

[I have submitted important solar research results from Libra Station to Corporate Astley… … .]

The leak target is not Bancheon. At least that is what his confession says.

So, you must end up with your confession.

I said, getting up from my seat.

“Notebooks. Laptops. Cell phones. Burn them all.”

So that no more evidence is discovered.

“……All right.”

“You’ve had a hard time. You should go to the hospital. You’re bleeding a lot.”

I opened the door and went out.

As I was going down the stairs, a middle-aged man’s crying sound came into my ears.

But it was inevitable.

This is your second worst.

* * *

The next day at midnight.

“… … You cut off the arm of a researcher named Cooper Joel?”

“yes.”

I reported to the head of the information agency with a statement.

“I didn’t kill him on purpose. Even if I killed him, I wouldn’t be able to retrieve the information, and I thought it would be better for him to live and serve as an example.”

“… … Of course there is no need to kill them. Industrial spies should be punished severely, but there is no need to do it as violently as you. They are not people who use swords or magic like we are. Are they less educated?”

The team leader frowned as he looked at the blood-stained statement.

Now, as the team leader under Jedrick, I’m probably not happy with everything I do.

Therefore, my actions will also be considered excessive.

“It was excessive. Wasn’t there any other evidence?”

“I confirmed the transfer details of the account under another person’s name. However, I had already destroyed the other machines.”

“… … That’s why you started this mess. As expected, those who haven’t been raised at home are different from others.”

The guy was chewing on the tobacco leaves and grumbling.

“Go back. This isn’t an achievement or anything. Rather, it’s a punishment, but I’ll end it in my own way.”

Whee- I bowed to him as he waved his hands like a fly.

“I will go.”

“Go.”

To some extent, it turned out as expected.

More than I thought, except that I wanted to kill this team leader.

… … .

Somewhere in Edsilla, deep underground, there is a place that no one knows about. A place that no one should know about.

It is Bancheon’s hideout.

“This is urgent news. Mr. Cooper’s arm has been cut off.”

“Arms?”

The executives of Bancheon hurriedly asked back at the sudden report.

“Yes. Fortunately, there seems to be no evidence that they were cooperating with us.”

“… … There’s no way we could find it. He left no trace. What’s Mr. Cooper’s condition?”

“It’s not very good. It’s not life-threatening if you get admitted early, but… … .”

The executive let out a faint sigh. He looked up at the corkboard in the middle of the office, his temples heavy with stress.

There were quite a few people under the words [Enemy].

At the top is [Shelock]

Just below them are [Jedric] [Jahanna] [Jade].

Also, below them are the ‘Balancers’, who are basically mid-level positions within Libra.

“What does the guy who cut off his arm look like?”

“Here it is.”

Codenamed ‘Turtle’, he added, handing the photo to the executive.

“I heard from Owl that you are the first person to be included as a balancer candidate recently.”

“Balancer candidates?”

“Yes. His name is Sion Ascal. The Owl describes him as ‘a man driven by a very dangerous loyalty.’”

The owl is ‘Riley’, who operates inside Libra.

Because she holds the most important and dangerous position in Bancheon, very few people even within Bancheon know her true identity.

“Tell the owl to keep quiet as much as possible.”

“yes.”

The officer placed a picture of Zion Askar right below the balancers.

“What? Are you handsome?”

This is what the ‘wildcat’ said, smoking a cigarette in the distance. For a wildcat, his face is not sharp and he has a bald moustache.

“… … Is now the time to say something like that?”

The officer glared at him. He waved his hand.

“No, no~ I just said he’s handsome. Can’t you even say something like that?”

“My father is a Libra Knight.”

“… … Tsk.”

The tongue-licking executive wrote down what the turtle said.

[Zion Ascal]

[Father: Dale Ascal, a former Libra junior knight]

[Backstory: Three generations have served Libra since my grandfather]

[Current: One of the balancer candidates]

[Special feature: Wants to belong to Jia, the youngest of the four siblings]

“Does this kid need a codename? If he’s a balancer candidate, he’s probably a good hitter.”

The lynx asked. The executive thought for a moment and nodded.

“For now… …let’s call it ‘Mad Dog’.”