Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 269



Only Krnovel

The Regressor’s Notepad 269

Fake, Real (4)

Jahanna arrived at the Hanging Garden. She had practically flown there, but all she got in return was a fucking message from Zia.

[Sister… … I’ve been busy lately… … I have to go down right away… … . I’ve become the president of a new business… … I’m sorry for keeping in touch… … I’ll be right back… … I’m sorry for keeping in touch… … .]

“… … This fucking shit.”

Jahanna stared at it, feeling dizzy. She was more curious than annoyed.

“Why does this year use ellipses in her letters?”

I even left ‘… … ‘ in the comments.

Of course, it seems like you’re just trying to make fun of me.

“What new business is this?”

Jahanna asked the maid.

“I heard that you received the coffee bean distribution rights from Jade Gong.”

“… … Jade?”

“Yes. It seems to be a business license that exclusively supplies coffee beans to Cafe Balance.”

Jade and Gia are a perfect match for some reason.

It’s been like that since I was little.

The one who is more like Libra than anyone else, and the one who looks more like Libra than anyone else, Jiara or whatever.

A retarded person likes a retarded person.

“… … .”

Jahanna grabbed Zia’s note. Tsk tsk.

The crumpled paper flowed down like particles.

These guys are testing my patience to the limit right now, but I have to endure it for now.

Have to endure it.

I want to hang him upside down and whip him, but I can’t do that.

If you act rough without realizing it, if you do something bad to Zia, Sion Ascal will not like it.

He’s already a stubborn guy, so he might be disappointed in himself.

Jia is probably also aiming for that point and is making a fuss about it.

Jahanna called Zia again.

Dooroo-dooroo-

─… … Hello.

Luckily, he doesn’t chew on the call.

Jahanna asked, holding back her anger.

“… … Where is it? It’s the Hanging Garden.”

─Ah… … Sister… … I… … was going to… … say… …

“It’s okay, please speak a little faster.”

You son of a bitch.

Jahanna swallowed a curse and forced a smile.

─I will be taking over the coffee bean supply business… … and will be back up and running soon… … .

“No. It’s okay. Stay there.”

Jahanna leaned against the wall.

“I will find it.”

From now on, we will let people go and be more proactive.

I thought Jedrick would tackle me by calling me a ‘direct subordinate’ for no reason, but now I’m going to throw it all away.

─Ah… …

“Just wait. I have a lot to tell you.”

─Yes… … Sister… … .

Jahanna broke her seventh phone in two and then turned around and walked down the hallway.

“… … .”

“uh.”

I ran into Bellingham Canta.

Sheilok’s balancer, or rather, his father’s confidant.

Jahanna raised her eyebrows.

“Long time no see?”

“… … Yes. You look very upset.”

Jahanna waved her hand at Bellingham’s question.

It’s a gesture of saying don’t ask.

“Haha, I understand.”

He laughed as he dried his hands with a towel.

Jahanna asked him.

“What have you been doing?”

“What… … Oh, I saw Sophie.”

“I see. More importantly, I’ve been curious for a while now. What is the Lord doing?”

“Oh, is that so?”

Bellingham’s eyes grew larger.

“Why are you acting surprised? Don’t you see me often?”

“No. I don’t see you often either. It’s been about three years… … I think. The Lord is extremely reluctant to show himself.”

Someone has exactly the same personality as Sheiloch.

It’s Jia Da.

It’s not for nothing that the elders of the clan call Jia ‘the most Libra-like direct descendant.’

“In three years, you must have seen it ten times more than me.”

“Haha… … No. Anyway, the Lord is probably waiting for a successor right now. A successor to whom he will pass everything.”

Successor.

Jahanna had been running towards that goal all along. It was the only wish she had ever had in her life.

If he fails to become the successor, he will become no different from the senile elders of Libra.

“… … How is Princess Jahanna? For some reason, her mind seems to be elsewhere these days.”

Bellingham asked with a very serious tone.

Her expression was frowned.

“Don’t cross the line. My mind is none of your business.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It seems like you’ve been playing tag lately… … .”

“It’s all for the sake of obtaining a successor.”

Zion Ascal is a definite balancer. It would be a definite advantage to make him your own.

So, all of his efforts are aimed at becoming a ‘successor’.

It means that he is not doing this because he is led by Zion Askar… … .

maybe.

“I will go.”

“Yes. I will prepare the vehicle right away.”

Jahanna strode out of the mansion.

* * *

Early morning. An ordinary day with clear sunlight streaming down like paint.

Solliet visited the cemetery for the first time.

The place where her brother is buried, not in Arcne’s hometown, but in the capital.

I used to not have the luxury of coming here. I didn’t want to.

When I look at a grave, I feel like I am acknowledging death.

Because I don’t want to acknowledge the death of someone who is already dead.

“… … Brother.”

It’s different now.

Solliet can accept his death.

He is already dead, and the living cannot be with the dead.

I just keep him in my heart and live on, cherishing the memories I had with him.

“Javed. I came to see my brother. I came to see my brother.”

He may not have been the real Javed, of course, but it was Felix’s consideration to heal himself.

His voice still rings in my ears.

‘I love you too, okay?’

Words I’ve never heard in my life.

Words I’ve never said before.

The words “I love you.”

I could say it, I could hear it.

That was such a relief.

“… … It was thanks to Felix.”

Soliet muttered tearfully and knelt down on one knee. She placed flowers on Javed’s grave.

“And… … I still have work to do.”

Maybe Javed himself doesn’t want revenge, but still.

Because there might be another victim.

Soliet will cut that bud off herself, or rather ‘together’ with Sion Askar.

“……however.”

Suddenly, Soliet’s expression hardened.

She closed her eyes quietly.

─… …Javed. You must not die.

Strange scenes keep appearing in my head.

Soliet can’t give up on Javed, and Javed forces Soliet away──

Memories of things I didn’t do.

“What on earth is this memory?”

Is it just imagination or a movie-like deja vu?

“Whew… … Anyway, I’ll come back later.”

At that moment, Soliet sighed and turned around.

─I love you.

Suddenly, a blood-soaked voice whispered in my ear.

Sharp- stabbing pain in the temple.

“Ugh!”

Solliet closed her eyes and held the side of her head.

An image was projected beyond the dark eyelids.

A land where everything is on fire.

Zion Ascal, covered in scars.

The words he blurted out with a trembling breath, as he placed his hand on her cheek, and rested his forehead on hers.

─So I’m sorry. For someone like me to love you… … .

What a desperate moment.

Solliet opened her eyes abruptly.

“… … .”

Still, it was an ordinary cemetery.

She was dazed for a moment, but shook her face and shook it off.

I walked down the street, rubbing my itchy eyes.

* * *

Dark night.

I got into Jeff Garner’s car.

My car is being bugged by Belmore.

“… … It seems like it’s been a while.”

But the car is pretty rusty. Actually, not ‘quite’, it’s amazing how it rolls.

“It’s probably been about 20 years.”

“You have a keen sense of thrift.”

“Yes, thank you.”

That’s not a compliment.

“Anyway, here’s the file.”

I gave him the file. Before his return, Jeff Garner was a great assassin for agents.

It would probably be the same now.

“Is this a mission?”

“It’s unofficial. Just read it.”

“yes.”

Jeff opened the file.

[Operation: Strike on Future Strategy Office]

“Future Strategy Office… … .”

“Bern also runs an information team. It’s called the Future Strategy Office.”

Again, Bern is no pushover. Rather, he is a big shot who could end up like Jedrick if handled incorrectly.

“They are called ‘agents’. They are the ones who travel around the continent, stealing vulnerable information from Lord Jedrick and committing sabotage. Among them.”

I pointed to the face of some thick-necked guy.

[Maorghe]

“This guy Maorghe is annoying. He’s getting on quite a bit.”

“Should I kill you?”

Jeff asked.

“Yes. As inconspicuously as possible.”

He put the file in his pocket and then glanced at me.

“But, Mr. Zion, can I ask you one thing?”

“Anything.”

“Why did Team Leader Belmore choose me?”

“… … Hmm.”

I leaned back against the seat.

You need to think carefully about what to say and how to say it. If you say it wrong, Jeff might run to Belmore and ruin your plan.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a choice yet.”

“……yet?”

“Yes. Now is his test.”

I replaced Belmore with the title ‘him’.

If you do this, it will be difficult, and if you make it difficult, it will not be easy to approach.

“Also, he is more meticulous and planned than anyone else. Do you think he would have recruited you just out of a whim?”

“… … .”

Jeff looked half-doubted for a moment.

“Jeff Garner. 173cm. 70kg. Graduated from Gorgoa University. You work out every morning from 6 to 9 a.m. and then go to work. Breakfast is curry and salad with chicken breast. Lunch is sandwiches and decent protein. Dinner is always beef. This routine is probably why your weight has remained the same for over a decade. You also lived with a single mother, but she has passed away.”

Jeff then shuddered as if he was surprised, but soon his face turned slightly angry. It must be because of his single mother.

“This may be sensitive information, but-”

“… … I’m 177 cm tall.”

“……yes?”

I asked back.

He pursed his lips, then quickly corrected himself.

“I’m 177cm tall.”

“hmm…….”

I glanced at his feet. The heels were quite high.

“Oh, yes. Anyway, I also know that you have a half-brother.”

“……her.”

This time, his expression was genuinely surprised. He looked slightly angry.

“You don’t have to be angry. It means he has been keeping an eye on you.”

“Me… … are you talking about?”

“yes.”

I nodded and crossed my arms.

“I’m going to drop a rope down to you. Of course, it’s a pretty tricky rope, so the skill of the person holding it will be important.”

“… … .”

Jeff sat silently lost in thought.

“Make your decision carefully. However, if you decide to grab the rope, you must hide yourself as much as possible. Even if you don’t grab it, you must keep quiet about what happened today.”

He whispered a small threat, but whatever.

Anyway, Jeff is already a chaser without a line. It’s not that he doesn’t have ambition for such a subject.

It means that I will accept it as a matter of course.

“I’ll try to catch you.”

Jeff answered gravely.

“yes.”

I smiled inwardly.

Jeff Garner is a talented person who, if he grows up a little, could become one of the most powerful weapons in the intelligence agency.

“Then, from now on, everything will go to me.”

“Yes, I will take note.”

Until Belmore becomes the director, Belmore’s power must remain underground.

To deceive the eyes of Director Gedler, as well as of Belmore himself.

“Then, please tell me the chaser code. I will invite you to the hotline… … .”

* * *

“How long did you think you could run away, you bitch?”

… … In the end, Jia was caught. She had been staying at Jade’s mansion, but was caught by Jahanna’s cunning scheme.

Gia muttered sullenly.

“You brought the broadcasting station… … with you… … .”

“ha ha ha.”

Jahanna had arranged for Jade to be interviewed by a broadcasting station. She wanted to do a feature article and interview with Cafe Balancer as it was growing rapidly.

Jade, who secretly liked the media spotlight, naturally accepted, and Jia carefully ran away.

All of Jade’s immediate family members avoid the press, but Jia is a particularly severe hikikomori.

Jahanna took advantage of the gap to capture Zia.

He was tied up with rope and made to kneel in his capital city mansion.

“… … Sister. But I didn’t avoid you on purpose. I’m just busy. I also got a new business… … ”

“You talk fast when you’re caught. Even when I tell you to talk fast on the phone, you still talk like a sloth.”

“… … .”

Gia pouted.

“Okay. Look.”

Jahanna handed her the certificate.

“uh…….”

“It’s a stake in Golden Casino. Plus, I’ll give you shares in OMS Broadcasting Station and Herald Press.”

Jia scanned the documents with her eyes.

Golden Casino 2%, Broadcasting Station 3%, Media Company 3%.

Even if they were cashed out immediately, these were certificates worth hundreds of millions of renminbi.

“If I retire right now, I’ll be able to live comfortably for the rest of my life.”

Jahanna smiled seductively at Zia. Zia swallowed, pretending not to notice.

“Sister, why are you doing this to me… …”

“Don’t you know?”

Jahanna lifted Zia’s chin with her toes.

“If you knew, you would have run away.”

“… … .”

Of course, Gia knows too.

There is only one thing Jahanna wants from herself, and one thing she can want.

“I… … don’t have the authority… … .”

“What authority do you mean?”

“The authority to send Zion… … .”

“I know. It depends on your will anyway.”

Jahanna squatted down and looked into Zia’s eyes.

“You just have to give permission with your mouth. I’ll do the rest.”

Then, Jia puffed out her cheeks in discontent.

“Where.”

Jahanna cupped her cheek with her fingers and shook it back and forth.

“Ahh… … Aah… … Ouch… … .”

“Anyway. When I become the successor, I’ll take care of it for you then.”

She teased Zia. She kept pinching her cheeks. If she did anything more, she might get caught for no reason.

He just pinched the ball so hard.

“Sister… …ask her yourself.”

Finally, Jia spoke.

“I’m… … okay… … .”

She spoke almost as if she was crying. Tears were welling up in her large eyes. It was probably an appeal to sympathy, but Jahanna burst out laughing instead.

“Okay. You clearly gave permission. Don’t say anything else.”

“… … Zion probably won’t allow it.”

“You’ll have to try it to find out whether it’s long or short.”

Jahanna snapped her fingers. The ropes that had been holding Zia free were released.

Jia glared at Jahanna with sharp eyes, then quietly picked up the certificates Jahanna had scattered.

“I’m going. See you later.”

Jahanna went out, leaving Zia there.