Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 247



Only Krnovel

The Regressor’s Notepad 247

Blueprint (2)

Libra’s Jahanna has ended space sharing.

The university dormitory of Zion Ascal, which was about 13 pyeong in size, has been expanded into a spacious bedroom.

“… … .”

Without saying a word, he buried himself in the sofa, scratching the corner of his eyebrow.

This sofa costs 3 million renminbi. It is a masterpiece, hand-embroidered by artisans and imbued with the magic of cleanliness.

Also, the velvet gown she is wearing costs 5 million renminbi. It will never get dirty, even if it is not washed or even gets wet. It may be cleaner than an average sterile room.

As such, all the items in this residence have a basic unit of one million renminbi.

A suit of clothing, a watch, a bag, a brooch, a ring, jewelry, a necklace… … It is filled with things that commoners would never touch in their entire lives, like rocks, but there are no windows.

The ‘heaven’ that is permitted to everyone is not visible.

It’s because of her paranoid personality.

“… … You look lonely, Ra.”

Jahanna twisted her lips.

It was Zion Ascal’s arrogant remark.

It was a remark that pitied one’s direct descendant.

“hmm…….”

That’s why now, she is suspicious.

It’s both a worry and a simple deduction.

What if──Zion Askar is framing Beckman?

Beckman’s loyalty remains unchanged, but what if that Zion guy is colluding?

Even though Chaser risked his life to rescue her from the casino, Jahanna doesn’t trust the young man she’s known for less than a year.

Rather, I distrust it as if I were breathing.

─My lord. This is Vitro.

A voice came from a receiver in a corner of the bedroom.

“Speak.”

Vitro is her other balancer.

─Yes. There is an informant named ‘Jake’ who spoke with Askar.

“… …What kind of guy is he exactly?”

This is also part of Jahanna’s doubts.

Could it be that Zion Ascal had already noticed the ‘spatial mediation’ and was trying to play a part with that guy?

─His identity is unknown, but he has quite a reputation on the dark web. There has been a lot of talk about him being an informer who could become a ‘black scale’ after a long time.

“That guy is Zion Askar’s personal informant?”

─Yes. I received word from Belmore that Ascal’s source of information is certain.

“Who is Belmore again?”

Jahanna frowned.

─I am Askar’s current shooter.

“… … Where are you? Is it Jedrick?”

─It seems like he’s hesitating at the moment.

“Hmm… … .”

Jahanna took a moment to exhale.

The artifact called ‘Spatial Parameter’ makes it impossible to track Zion’s movements once he leaves the vicinity of the document.

This means that business surveillance is impossible.

“Is he trustworthy?”

─He is my junior by 5 years. He listens to what I say.

“Then let’s give him a mission.”

─Are you talking about surveillance?

“……okay.”

Have the shooter watch the assistant shooter.

It’s a real mess, but it’s definitely efficient.

─I will proceed.

“good.”

Jahanna ended the call with a wave of her hand.

Then suddenly, I remembered what Ascal had just said.

‘… … Maybe so. I don’t trust people either.’

A phrase that means not trusting people.

Surely, there is no one he can trust by his side.

Jahanna is similar.

She doesn’t even trust Beatro completely. She is always suspicious of the balancers under her command.

On the outside, he may pretend to be loyal to you, but he may also do things like Jedrick, Jade, Sheiloch, and, although it is highly unlikely, ‘Zia’.

That’s why… …we’re equally lonely.

“It’s not fun.”

Jahanna sank into the sofa.

The trophy on the table caught my eye.

[FINAL WINNER]

The final winner’s trophy from the World Series of Poker.

She looked at it.

Somehow, the stress spreads.

Every time I see this, every time I think about that day, stress levels soar without me even knowing it.

Jahanna still doesn’t know the reason.

Thanks to that, I got a stake in Golden Casino and also won the championship trophy that I had been longing for.

In the old days, when I was young, I relieved this kind of stress by killing people. I ran around the battlefield directly.

I can’t enjoy myself that recklessly anymore.

just…….

Jahanna closed her eyes quietly.

I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Slurp slurp── slurp slurp──.

An empty lot surrounded by bushes.

Summer rain falls from the dark sky.

Elise is lost in thought as she stands in the rain.

There has been no contact from my father.

My father, who prides himself on being a tough warrior, might dismiss this as just a passing thing, a trivial incident.

But Elise is afraid.

“What?”

Getting further away.

“… …with who.”

With Zion Ascal.

“……really.”

Elise’s fear is just that.

More than the feeling of being sorry, more than the sense of duty to apologize as a member of the family, my selfish desire to not be apart from you is ultimately much greater.

I don’t want to be your enemy.

“That’s stupid.”

Elise laughed in vain.

Her father would not allow any negotiations. Neither would Elise herself.

Because negotiation is a drug that only makes you feel better in the moment.

Because in the end, it will become a weakness and a disadvantage.

But if we don’t negotiate, Zion will hate herself. She will hate the entire Petra family.

This is the tax that Elise has been delaying for a year.

Without any countermeasures, like an idiot, I just kept putting it off, and the disaster that I couldn’t help but put off, is about to strike so suddenly.

“… … .”

My heart breaks just thinking about it.

Zion looks at him with a look of contempt, his sword is pointed at him, and they are never together again… … .

Elise covered her face.

Tears mixed with the wind and rain.

She cried quietly, then finally picked up her phone. A name caught her eye in the contact list.

[I will do it for you]

Should I ask for advice?

no.

I don’t want to receive ambiguous advice anymore.

I want to honestly tell you what’s on my mind.

Elise called another guy.

Tturu-

The guy got it right away.

“……hello.”

─Huh! Ellie, why?!

Raye.

This guy has no melancholy.

Even though he looks a bit gloomy, it only lasts for a moment and he returns to his original self.

Elise envied that sight.

“… … Do you want to eat something? I have something to say.”

─Okay~ Where is Ellie?

The guy answered in a brighter tone on purpose. Perhaps he noticed my dark tone.

“Well. This is… … a strange forest. I don’t know where it is.”

A place I came across while just walking aimlessly.

─Then share your GPS.

“Oh, that’s right.”

─Technology has advanced so much these days~ We didn’t have anything like this when we were kids.

Elise shared her GPS.

─Ellie, wait~ I’ll bring you some food and go right away~ Let’s make a hideout for the first time in a while~ Hehehe.

Thanks to that bright tone, Elise also smiled weakly.

* * *

Libra Information Center. Belmore’s private room.

“How is it? Is it a bit spacious?”

Belmore said, shaking the glass of whiskey. I looked around inside.

“It’s definitely spacious.”

This guy seems to grow every time I see him, and his office gets bigger with each passing day.

It’s not a bad thing.

Belmore himself seems to think he’s using me, but in fact it’s the opposite.

This guy will be my bridge to leak information from the top of the intelligence agency.

“So, Zion. You too, live a good life as a chaser. Don’t just focus on work. Chat with your seniors a bit too.”

“How was your business trip?”

“… … Shakki. Okay.”

Belmore handed over the papers.

“I have identified Private Le Coq and even found his surgical records from the underworld you mentioned.”

I checked them.

Certainly, the work assigned to him was done promptly.

“Sirimus is out now.”

“Yes. But, do you have a separate source of information?”

Belmore gave a sly glare.

“Let’s say you know that Sirimus has a hidden son. You even know that he underwent chimera surgery in the underworld. But how do you know which clinic he got it from?”

“There is a personal information source.”

“Who is it?”

“… … .”

This guy knows ‘Jake’ but pretends not to.

It’s suspicious today.

“If you’re a monster, then it’s over.”

Just then, Riley changed the subject. She was sipping her coffee while reading the papers.

“Because he’s a murderer who killed people with his chimera rage.”

This is a side effect of the chimera procedure. When you are addicted or drunk, you will experience endless rage and be unable to control yourself.

“Where will the information be transmitted?”

“… … Edsilla Post. We have a reporter prepared separately.”

“Good, good~”

Clap clap clap──

Belmore clapped her hands. Then she put her arm around Riley’s shoulder and grinned.

“Our item was a success again?”

“It wasn’t us, it was Sion Ascal’s item?”

Riley put his hand down.

“Oh, I know, I know. But if you upload it with only Zion’s name, the team leaders will cut it. Hey, you know the team leaders really hate you for killing Bendek.”

“I know.”

There are six team leaders in the information agency. Five, excluding Bendek, who is already dead.

So there’s still one spot open… … and it’s obvious that Bellmore is after it.

“Please report.”

“okay.”

I don’t really care either.

If you send Belmore up, it’s actually much more convenient for me.

“Then… …hey Inma.”

Belmore looked at me.

“A drink to celebrate the success of the operation?”

“… … .”

A glass of alcohol.

Words that I will never be advised to say in my life.

At that moment, I suspected Belmore.

“go?”

Belmore made a clanging gesture with his hand.

… … .

Naturally, I declined the offer.

It’s strange for someone who wasn’t going to go before to suddenly go.

It is still not clear which side the horoscope is on.

“hey.”

Belmore followed him down the hallway of the Information Bureau.

“He, you, the personal informant. How did you find out?”

“Thank you for your interest. Information power is the foundation of a chaser.”

“That’s why it’s like that.”

“… … I just found out by chance.”

“What is that somehow? I’m not asking you to tell me who it is, I’m just asking you to tell me sometimes. I’m curious.”

Asking questions one by one.

Clearly, someone had a suggestion.

Is it your direct line?

“We met at the line of death.”

“… … Diagonal line? A life-threatening situation or something like that?”

“yes.”

It is true.

When Growl was a stone monster, during the fierce battle with Akane, I accepted a part of Growl into my relic.

“hmm.”

Belmore scratched his chin.

We came out to the parking lot.

“Oh, right. I didn’t bring my car today. Can you give me a ride? This is my car anyway.”

Growl smiled smugly in front of the SUV.

“Where are you going?”

“Just drop me off at Edsilla Station.”

“Yes, please get in.”

I got into the driver’s seat. Belmore got into the passenger seat.

“Still, since you use this car often, I feel good as the person who gave it to you.”

He started the engine without saying a word.

I came out of the information center through the tunnel.

“… … Still. I envy you.”

Belmore had a motor on his agar today.

“Is there anything to be jealous of?”

“You have a lot of money. You even won a gambling competition. 60 million Ren.”

“… … .”

“Why don’t you retire? Did Jahanna take everything away from you?”

“no.”

Belmore looked in the rearview mirror. His face was watching me closely.

“I heard you also received a gift from Princess Jahanna.”

“yes.”

“… … Does he like you?”

At that moment, I had a gut feeling.

This is Jahanna’s fortune.

Belmore is clearly looking at me.

“no.”

“What do you mean, no? If you don’t like it, why are you giving it to me as a gift?”

“I cannot judge the character of Lady Jahanna arbitrarily.”

“What, that’s not fun… … But. That’s that, and you need to be careful? If you get too close to your direct relatives, you’ll be subject to checks.”

What kind of conversations would Jahanna like, what kind of sentences would she ponder deeply over?

I pondered over her personality and disposition.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Why doesn’t it matter, Inma? I know what will happen. You’re the youngest anyway.”

However, Jahanna is once again simple.

In the end, she wants ‘loyalty that expects nothing in return.’

“You don’t know, but power relations aren’t that simple, Inma. Then you’ll lose to Balancer.”

In any situation, in any danger, I want someone who I can ‘trust unconditionally’.

“There are rumors that Beckman is stalking you. So just take a step back. If Princess Jahanna calls, just tell her you have something to do.”

“no.”

Just then, an SUV stopped at a traffic light.

There were a lot of people crossing the crosswalk.

“I can handle it.”

I looked at them and told Jahanna what I had to say.

“Sometimes, he needs someone like me.”

“… … .”

Belmore made a strange expression. He mumbled something like, “What kind of person are you?” and leaned back in his chair.

There hasn’t been much talk since then.

Belmore waited quietly and got off at Edsilla Station.

* * *

[Exclusive! Sanrama District Council Member, Sirimus’ Son Captured… … .]

“haha.”

Jedrick smiled. The incident occurred at a local council member who was about the size of Bern’s finger.

“A bird dropping… … A bold item. Is it Askar again?”

“Askar himself is said to have led the team together with Belmore and Riley.”

Balancer Smith answered.

Jedrick folded the newspaper with satisfaction.

“Now that Bern guy must have sensed who he was messing with.”

But this is just the beginning. I won’t stop until he gets on his knees and licks the heels of my shoes.

“But aren’t the other teams’ items really that good? There aren’t any results except for Zion.”

“… … It seems to be unfolding gradually. I will report the results soon.”

Jedrick turned his chair back and looked out the tall window.

“In some ways, it’s fortunate that he’s Zia’s.”

Starting with Bendek, Teia Isil, and Sirimus, Ascal is as capable as any other balancer.

“There is news that Jahanna is in contact with Askar these days.”

“… … Jahanna. That girl?”

“Yes. It is said that he personally gave her an expensive gift.”

Jedrick frowned slightly, but soon smiled.

“Don’t worry. That crazy woman can’t trust anyone else.”

If you have ever been loyal to someone else, Jahanna will never trust you. She doesn’t give a damn about anything that isn’t money.

She was born that way from the beginning.

“Then, we will prepare for Bern’s counterattack.”

“Go away.”

“yes.”

Smith left Jedrick’s office with a backseat.

Jedrick smiled contentedly to himself and looked up at the clouds in the sky.