Vicious Darling

Chapter 6. Babel City

[29]

-Hello.

Early in the morning, a message came from Anong in the Summer Continent.

Chris brought up the screen for Yuri.

After flickering a few times, Anong’s stabilized hologram looked much calmer than when they last spoke in the Winter Continent.

-I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?

Yuri gestured to Chris with his chin as if to say “do as you please.”

“Let’s hear the good news first.”

-That’s unexpected.

Anong reached out and moved her device to show the table in front of her.

There were piles of pills, syringes, and ampoules with various labels.

Guiding Delight, Gentle Poison, Heaven’s Kiss…

-As you can see, we’ve rooted out all the guiding drugs that entered Northern Light.

“It must have taken a lot of effort.”

-We got help from an Esper who can transform into animals, like you used to. Well, not exactly like you. Thanks to that, the search went smoothly, but they said they felt dizzy from the scent later.

Having already found all the drugs, it was indeed good news.

“Where were they hidden?”

-Don’t even ask. Let’s just say under the bed mattress was the least of it.

Despite saying that, Anong endlessly chattered about what she had seen.

She said they were hidden in all sorts of places, from inside toilet tanks and under torn-up tiles. She even saw powdered drugs placed next to plants, labeled as plant nutrients.

Some even took full advantage of being Espers. Those with exceptional physical abilities went out the window and stashed drugs between the roof and bricks.

Chris rubbed his eyes hard, feeling tired.

The situation for Espers affiliated with Northern Light was different from external Espers who struggled to cope without guiding drugs. Nevertheless, it was hard to believe that the Thorns Order’s influence had spread so far.

‘Anong must be the most shocked.’

If Chris, who had less attachment to Northern Light, felt this conflicted, how must Anong feel, having been responsible for Northern Light after the Rosenhauser scandal?

Just when she thought she had barely gotten things back on track, she discovered the inside was rotting away. It’s surprising she hasn’t resigned on the spot.

“I think I already know the bad news.”

-What is it?

“That there are already numerous addicts who have infiltrated Northern Light, isn’t that right?”

-Hmm… Now that you say it, I guess there were actually two pieces of bad news.

Anong muttered with a troubled expression.

Just then, Yuri moved his lips beside him.

“There was an intermediary supplier. Right?”

“If you mean a supplier…”

“There’s no way that much of the drug Rosenhauser left behind would still be around.”

Given the amount of drugs shown in Anong’s screen, it’s an impossible quantity unless you assume they were continuously supplied even after Rosenhauser’s death.

“Addicts can’t ration the drug.”

Anong nodded with a troubled expression. She immediately revealed the nature of the “bad news.”

-Yes. As expected, there was an intermediary. But he committed suicide just before being arrested.

Chris calmly asked,

“Are you sure it was suicide?”

Anong slowly nodded.

-I confirmed it myself.

She sighed and explained.

-I also thought the amount of drugs was abnormally high. So when we discovered a store that the Espers hiding drugs commonly frequented, we raided it immediately. But just before we opened the door, we heard a gunshot… When we went in, he was already dead.

“How did he know to kill himself?”

-There was an addict in the search team I personally put together.

Her voice was dry and brittle.

Chris couldn’t bear to look at Anong’s expression, which seemed like it would crack if touched, and turned his gaze away.

But Yuri was still looking at Anong through the screen.

“So there was an intermediary supplier… It seems the Thorns Order is ready to stretch its wings.”

-The Esper Union must have many regrets.

Once, the Esper Union was the backing of the Thorns Order. But now the situation has completely reversed. Anong, who had driven out Rosenhauser, was in the process of cleaning up all the messes he had made.

After being made to do all sorts of dirty work only to be discarded like trash, their anger must be immense.

-Anyway. What I want to say is.

Anong straightened her posture.

-Be careful of the Barrel Society.

“Pardon?”

Chris couldn’t hide his confusion as he asked.

-That intermediary supplier was an illegal immigrant affiliated with the Barrel Society.

“That…”

Seeing the platinum-haired man falter, Anong spoke deliberately.

-He had even obtained citizenship in the Summer Continent and was running a respectable flower shop, so we almost missed the records.

“Understood,” Yuri replied bluntly.

-You don’t seem very surprised. Didn’t you go through them for your immigration to the Spring Continent?

“They had a useful teleporter. Besides, if you want to find prey, you have to start from the bottom.”

He asked in a low voice,

“Isn’t that right?”

-…You’re not wrong, but.

Anong sighed.

-While we’re working together, I’m curious about what’s going on in that head of yours.

“If you’re curious, why don’t you come and open it up?”

Yuri said nonchalantly.

-Look up how many people have been torn apart by Chris next to you for similar attempts.

Anong seemed to be making a joke in her own way.

But no one laughed.

-Alright. I think I’ve given enough warning.

“I appreciate the consideration.”

-Well then, until next time.

Anong terminated the screen.

Yuri turned his head and faced Chris, who had a serious expression.

“Wasn’t the Barrel Society supposed to be cooperating with us?”

“The leadership.”

Yuri answered briefly to Chris’s question, which came after careful consideration.

“And that’s hardly the entirety of the Barrel Society.”

Yuri asserted.

“But if the leadership makes a decision, shouldn’t the rest follow?”

“The Barrel Society isn’t an organization like Baekyah, nor is it a secret society.”

He explained patiently.

“They have no purpose or resolution to unite for, and lack the motivation to dedicate everything to that organization. There’s no strong leader either. As long as the safety and benefits of illegal immigrants are guaranteed, they’re free to engage in any activities within those boundaries.”

“Ah.”

Chris blinked slowly.

“Even that crackpot executive said his dream was to eventually disband the Barrel Society, didn’t he?”

“…That’s right.”

Come to think of it, aren’t illegal immigrants moving not just to the Spring Continent, but also to the Summer and Autumn Continents?

Due to distance alone, the thoughts of Barrel Society members were bound to differ.

‘Even the executives like the Gatekeeper and Keysmith seemed to be scattered across different regions.’

It suddenly felt like an environment where strong cohesion would be difficult in many ways.

Yet Yuri joined hands with the Barrel Society knowing all this?

Why on earth?

Yuri ignored Chris’s questioning gaze.

Chris, who was about to ask something more, closed his mouth tightly.

He sensed the now somewhat familiar presence of their companion.

Soon after, with a knock, Peter Garrett, the Keysmith of the Barrel Society, appeared.

“Breakfast delivery!”

He was carrying armfuls of bread bags.

The rich aroma of wheat and butter wafted through the air.

Somehow, it felt like the tension from earlier was dissipating.

“I went a bit far to buy this.”

He unfolded a portable table and started setting up breakfast on it.

His movements were quite bustling as he spread jam and placed ham on the pre-sliced bread.

“Did you buy it from the Autumn Continent?”

Yuri asked. His gaze was directed at the bread bag.

Peter exclaimed “Ah!” and covered the bakery logo. But Yuri already seemed certain.

“I thought there were restrictions on your ability… It seems you can use it more often than expected.”

“T-That’s…”

Peter, fidgeting like a rabbit before a lion, opened his eyes resolutely.

“Where exactly are you planning to use me? I’m already busy taking care of you all and handling my original duties for the Barrel Society. Even with ten bodies, it wouldn’t be enough!”

“…We’ll think about how to use you gradually.”

Yuri, who sat elegantly at the table, quickly devoured the rather modest sandwich.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces…

Chris nonchalantly watched Peter’s eyes grow wider with each piece of bread Yuri put in his mouth.

Perhaps because of his delicate appearance, people were often surprised to learn that Yuri was quite a big eater.

“I guess it’s not completely inedible?”

“The bread is fragrant, but the jam is too sweet and the ham smells off.”

“…Ouch. But you ate it all?”

“The food isn’t to blame.”

As Yuri stood up, the chair scraped with a screech.

Peter placed a hand on his chest and murmured dreamily.

“I, I felt a little excited.”

When Chris threw him a wary glance, Peter shouted loudly.

“No, I don’t mean anything weird! I just thought someone of Baekyah’s boss’s stature would be picky about food and wouldn’t sleep just anywhere, but you’ve been staying in this shabby inn for days now! I thought you’d complain. That’s why I even bought bread from the Autumn Continent and offered it…”

“You worried needlessly.”

Yuri clicked his tongue.

Chris inwardly agreed.

While Yuri was a fastidious person, his patience was even more remarkable. If he were the type to seek expensive cigars or food to satisfy his palate in this situation, he wouldn’t have come to the Spring Continent himself.

In other words, it means he considers the Thorns Order matter important enough to give up everything he usually enjoys.

‘In any other case, it would have been enough for me to come alone.’

Chris, with his eyes lowered, tried to guess the reason for Yuri’s actions.

But as always, this was a very difficult task.

“I understand. I’ll keep that in mind from now on.”

Yuri, who had gone to the bathroom and come out, was wearing work overalls made of tough blue fabric. Chris found it hard to take his eyes off him, as it looked lighter and younger than the suits Yuri usually wore.

From a suitable distance, he would look quite like a Spring Continent worker.

“Are you going to work starting today?”

“Yes.”

“So quickly?”

He seemed quite surprised.

Yuri put on a cap to partially cover his face and said in a meaningful tone,

“It seems they’re short-handed.”