After President Diabel disappeared beyond space along with his secretary, only the Saintess and the Cardinal remained.
Even though it was late, the residential area should have exuded a warm and peaceful atmosphere. Instead, it was desolate and devoid of a single survivor.
The Saintess could sense no trace of life around her.
As if the happy lives of those who had lived here had meant nothing to that man.
“Saintess, what exactly happened? Why was that man here?”
The Cardinal cautiously spoke to the silent Saintess.
“…You were right, Cardinal.”
Her clenched fists trembled.
If only she had heeded the Cardinal’s warnings and been more wary of that man,
If only she had recognized the weight of the sins he had accumulated and acted immediately,
Could this tragedy have been prevented?
It was all the result of her own complacency.
“We have to capture him. You said it was Diabel Corporation. Where is the headquarters located?”
The Saintess looked as if she was ready to storm his company at any moment.
“P-Please, calm yourself, Saintess!”
The Cardinal had intended for her to distrust and despise that troublesome man, but her reaction was far more extreme than he had anticipated.
If she were to charge into his company now, things would undoubtedly become even more complicated.
No matter what, he had to stop her.
“Saintess, we cannot arrest an innocent man without any evidence.”
“How can you call him innocent when I saw with my own eyes what he has done?! He even threatened me, telling me not to interfere with his work before leaving! As a servant of the Heavenly God, how can I stand by and do nothing in the face of such evil?”
This is exactly why I said we shouldn’t have made this girl a Saintess.
She’s impossible to control!
The cardinal wiped the sweat running down his forehead and tried his best to persuade the saintess.
“President Diabel is the owner of a corporation so huge that, if he wished, he could send shockwaves through the entire business world. If we act against him without following the proper legal procedures, there’s no telling what he might do. Who knows how many hidden daggers he has concealed within that secretive company? We could end up causing even greater harm.”
“……”
The Saintess who had been brimming with fury began to waver as she listened to the Cardinal’s reasoning.
She was still a young girl, but as the first apostle of the Heavenly God, she had carried out her duties with devotion. She understood what the Cardinal was saying.
“…So what you’re saying is that we need to go through the proper procedures to arrest him.”
“…Huh? Ah… Yes, that’s correct.”
The urge to capture that man and make him pay for his crimes burned within her.
But if a Saintess who was meant to uphold the will of the gods disregarded due process, the very order of the continent would collapse.
Beyond that, they had no way of knowing what might be lurking in the heart of his company. Especially given his ability to manipulate such bizarre monsters. Acting recklessly was not an option.
“…Cardinal.”
“Yes, Saintess?”
“We will begin gathering information on that man. President Diabel.”
Until now, she hadn’t even been aware of his existence.
But now, she would unmask the evil behind his facade and make sure that he paid for his accumulated sins.
Her resolve was set in stone.
***
Wooong!
A flash of blue light flickered and my vision returned.
I opened my eyes to find myself back in my office with Rachel.
My trump card. This foolproof escape mechanism had worked perfectly.
I hadn’t expected to use it this way, though.
“This is troublesome…”
The Saintess had completely misunderstood me.
To prevent the great disaster in the future, I needed her help. But I had messed up from the very start.
I had escaped to avoid worsening the misunderstanding or sparking unnecessary conflict, but the real problem remained. How was I supposed to clear things up?
Should I arrange a private meeting with her?
“She’s an arrogant woman.”
While I was contemplating my next move, Rachel suddenly spoke up.
“There’s no need to concern yourself with such an arrogant woman who fails to recognize your greatness, Boss.”
No, I didn’t want to care about it either.
But she was the Saintess.
The Saintess. My ultimate priest-type party member.
Ah, whatever.
Since she was inherently aligned with law and goodness, things would probably work themselves out once we had a proper conversation.
For now, I decided to let it go.
If only everyone were as cooperative as Rachel.
“As expected, I really only have you, Rachel.”
Just today alone, she had been an incredible source of support.
She was, without a doubt, my greatest ally.
“…M-My deepest gratitude.”
Rachel turned her head slightly. As if to hide her face.
Was she embarrassed by the praise?
She certainly deserved it.
“Meeting you was the greatest fortune of my life, Rachel.”
Without her, my plans would have run into significant trouble.
“…Th-That’s unfair.”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“N-No, it’s nothing!”
“Alright then.”
I left my office with Rachel in tow.
There was still unfinished business to check on before the day was over.
“B-Boss! It’s an honor to see you!”
As soon as I stepped into the Special Task Force headquarters, the task force members hurriedly bowed their heads upon noticing me.
“It’s alright. You may all lift your heads.”
As the president, it was nice not to be ignored by my employees, but this level of formality felt a bit excessive.
Didn’t it make me seem too old-fashioned?
I wished they would treat me a little more casually.
I was escorted to the head seat in the special conference room of the task force headquarters.
A few task force members brought refreshments and drinks for me.
I told them not to do things like this.
It made me feel like some kind of villain.
“I’d like to hear a report on today’s events.”
“Understood! Beginning the report now!”
Lizette, the commander of Requiem Task Force, which was Diabel Corporation’s elite special task unit, straightened her posture and began her report.
“At approximately 7:40 pm today, we were dispatched to the 6th residential complex in Sector 23! Within ten minutes, we secured all access points to the complex and successfully evacuated all 1,093 residents. Casualties: zero dead, thirty-two injured. All with minor wounds. They are currently being treated at Diabel Central Hospital.
“…Excellent work.”
“Thank you, Boss!”
Even though the deployment order had been abrupt, they had handled it with such speed and precision.
As expected of my task force.
A unit composed solely of exceptional individuals. My very own elite force.
Even Lizzete, the woman standing before me who was drenched in sweat as she hastily removed her protective suit to deliver her report had been a highly popular character in the Neon Nexus game.
“Perfect. A truly perfect execution. Issue a bonus to all task force members.”
“Thank you, Boss!”
If the task force had been even slightly late. If there had been even one casualty, the aftermath would have been a massive headache.
It wouldn’t have been enough to warrant disposing of my new pet, but the council would have gained yet another excuse to come after me.
“Cover all medical expenses for the residents of the 6th residential complex in Sector 23. The victims of this incident.”
After transferring the bonuses to the task force members on the spot, I left the headquarters with Rachel and headed underground. To the research facility beneath our company.
As one of the corporation’s most critical sites, the security procedures for entry were rigorous. However, as the CEO, I was exempt from all of them. I simply took my private elevator straight down.
Ding!
The moment the elevator doors slid open, the vast underground facility stretched out before me.
Researchers were scattered throughout, engrossed in their respective projects.
“Hey! The boss is here!”
“The boss?”
“It’s the boss!”
“You’ve arrived, Boss!”
At the call of one researcher who had spotted me, the others quickly turned and bowed their heads in acknowledgment.
“Good to see you all. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Not at all! Without your support, we wouldn’t even dream of conducting this research. We’re always grateful!”
“I appreciate hearing that.”
After exchanging the usual pleasantries with the researchers, I made my way to the Monster Research Sector.
“You’ve arrived, Boss!”
“It’s been a while, Chief Researcher Sylvie.”
A female researcher with the unique pointed ears of an elf perked up as she stepped forward to greet me.
She was a monster expert assigned to research the newly captured creature.
I handed her the artifact used to capture the monster. The Master Ball.
“This is the one we caught today.”
“Oh! So this is the one that appeared in Sector 23!”
Sylvie’s eyes sparkled as she carefully accepted the artifact from me.
“Haa… haa…”
Watching her get excited at the mere sight of a new monster always made me question whether I could truly rely on her. But when it came to monsters, there was no greater expert than her, so I decided to trust her for now.
“It had a blinking ability.”
“A blinking ability! A creature of this huge size with blinking powers? This will be fascinating to study!”
Sylvie inserted the artifact into a large containment tank designed for monster research positioned behind her.
Vwoom!
The monster which had been dormant inside the artifact expanded in size to fill the tank completely.
“A wolf…?”
On the outside, its body had absorbed the surrounding darkness, turning its entire form pitch black, making it impossible to discern its true appearance. But now, unconscious and submerged in the tank, its true form was fully visible.
A monster with a sleek lustrous coat.
A huge wolf lay with its eyes closed.
“I’m thinking of keeping it as a pet. Could you conduct a simple study on it?”
“A pet! That should definitely be possible! First, let’s test its mystical compatibility.”
Sylvie began operating various mechanical devices.
Flash!
Then, from one corner of the tank, a beam of light shot toward the monster.
“…Huh?”
The wolf-like monster was struck by the beam.
In that instant, its form began to shrink rapidly—
It was transforming into something other than a wolf.
“…This is…”
The true form of the wolf monster that was now drastically reduced in size—
It was a small human-like—
Vwoom!
—young girl.
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