Chapter 306: Isn't This the Opportunity?
The long-awaited day finally arrived.
At six sharp the next morning, Steven opened his eyes in bed as usual.
Perhaps his regular sleep schedule was one of his hidden strengths.
Spotting Specter curled up beside his bed—who had somehow sneaked there in the night—he gently lifted her up and tucked her properly under the blanket before stretching his limbs and turning to the Kazimierz sunrise outside the window.
Today was the day he had been waiting for.
At last, it was time to settle accounts with the K.G.C.C.
But first—there were still a few matters to take care of.
Leaving his room, Steven made his way down the hall until he stopped before Sona's door. From inside came the sound of shuffling papers.
Clearly, she hadn't slept. Whether she had woken too early or hadn't rested at all, he couldn't say.
After knocking and hearing a tired voice answer, Steven stepped inside. What greeted him was a red-haired girl wearing a face full of gloom.
There's no doubt about it—her negotiations with the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi yesterday had gone poorly.
"What's with that look? You'll scare people if you keep frowning like that," Steven said, pulling out a chair and plopping down in front of her.
With her exhausted eyes and that pinched expression, she looked less like a knight and more like someone on the verge of sudden collapse.
For some reason, the sight reminded him of Margaret's uncle, Młynar—the man seemed to wear the same expression permanently etched onto his face. It suited a middle-aged man like Młynar well enough, but on a young girl like Sona? It looked painfully out of place.
"What else could it be?" Sona shook her head, her voice heavy. "I overestimated the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi. I thought their power was greater than it truly is. After speaking with them…I finally understood why the K.G.C.C has kept them suppressed for so long."
Her words were bitter.
"The documents you gave me are valuable. They do hold weight against the K.G.C.C. But they're not enough to bring them down. And the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi…they won't openly oppose the K.G.C.C. All they told me was to wait. Wait for the right chance. But waiting is exactly what we can't afford."
She let out a long sigh.
Deep down, she had half-expected this outcome, but the sheer cowardice of the Sprawiedliwi still surprised her. She had delivered a gift right into their laps, and yet they still refused to act.
If things dragged on any longer, the Pinus Sylvestriss' time would run out. The only reason they had breathing room at all was because the mysterious knight who caused such a commotion recently had drawn most of the K.G.C.C's attention. Once that was settled, the Chamber of Commerce would inevitably turn their eyes back on her and her knights.
"I see…" Steven tapped his chin, smiling faintly. "That does sound exactly like something those kinds of organizations would do. For a giant group like that, caution is their bread and butter. Either they don't move at all—or, when they do, it's to strike for the kill. Honestly, that makes me think a little more highly of them."
Then his lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"But don't worry. The opportunity you're looking for? It'll come soon. Much sooner than you think."
Steven's tone was light, but his words were anything but idle. This wasn't just a comfort—he was speaking the truth.
And for Sona, that assurance would soon prove more than just words.
Sona's voice was tinged with unease.
"We really don't have the luxury of waiting. Once the K.G.C.C has its hands free, we'll be the first targets for the Armorless Union. They're not like those mercenaries playing as soldiers before—those assassins fight with no limits, and they'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Maybe you and Specter can fend them off, but you can't be around every moment, can you?"
The very thought of the Armorless Union gave her a pounding headache. Those killers were nothing like the honorable knights of the tourneys—they were far more troublesome to deal with.
"Ah, that's the part you don't need to worry about."
Steven's lips curled into a grin the moment she mentioned that name. He laughed, as if he found the whole thing genuinely amusing.
"…Why?"
Sona blinked at him in shock. That was the Armorless Union they were talking about! What on earth was there to smile about?
"Because, from now on, the Armorless Union will be…your coworkers. Or rather, maybe you should start calling them by their new name: the Block Consortium's Security Department."
His grin widened as he spoke, and Sona's pupils shrank at the revelation.
He couldn't be serious. Colleagues? Did he really mean the Armorless Union had joined his side? How powerful did his background have to be to snatch an organization like that right out from under the K.G.C.C?
And from the way he said it, this wasn't even a partnership—it was an actual superior-subordinate relationship!
"You wouldn't…lie about something like this, would you?"
Even if his face showed no sign of deceit, Sona's mind simply couldn't accept such a shocking fact. Instinctively, she pressed him again for confirmation, though her voice lacked confidence.
"Why would I bother lying about something like this? What would I gain?" Steven waved his hand dismissively. "Next time, I'll introduce you to the three Darksteels. I'll even have Lazurite come apologize to you in person. As for your past conflicts—well, that's between you and them to sort out."
Whether she believed it or not, he didn't really care. Once she saw Monique and the Darksteel trio for herself, she would understand.
"And one more thing—be ready. Around noon, the opportunity the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi was waiting for? It should arrive right on schedule."
With that reminder, Steven left her room without further explanation. His only purpose was to notify her; what preparations she made were her own problem.
"Next, I should give the Armorless Union a heads-up as well."
Muttering to himself, Steven made his way toward the hospital. One of the Darksteels had been critically injured, though thanks to a dose of regeneration potion, the man had already recovered completely. But since that fact wasn't public knowledge, the rest of the Armorless Union leadership had conveniently chosen to use the hospital as their temporary gathering place.
Since he'd already informed Sona, it was only fair to pass word along to the Armorless Union too. Not that he really expected much of them—but at the right moment, they could at least serve as "star witnesses" against the K.G.C.C. That could be entertaining in its own right.
With such thoughts in mind, Steven strode into a luxurious VIP ward. Inside, several of the Armorless Union's higher-ups were apparently holding their morning meeting.
Really, Kazimierz's corporate culture was something else. Even a killer organization like the Armorless Union had picked up the habit of daily briefings. No wonder Centaurea was always scheming how to slack off.
Steven's sudden arrival cut off Darksteel mid-sentence. The man had been about to issue orders to the two Lazurites—something about quickly purging the Armorless Union's roster of "unclean" elements—but the words froze in his throat the moment their boss walked in.
"Boss? Any new instructions?"
All eyes in the room turned toward Steven in unison, waiting for him to speak.
The two Lazurites who had been critically wounded before now looked mostly recovered, thanks to diluted doses of regeneration potion. They weren't ready for combat yet, but for day-to-day tasks, they were more than capable.
Among those gathered, only one person looked truly carefree and idle—Centaurea.
The platinum-haired girl, who used to be treated like a lowly receptionist and ordered around at everyone's whim, was now sprawled across a desk catching up on her nap. Ever since Steven had given her his blessing, she had been living the dream life she always wanted: slack off as much as she pleased.
The Darksteels dared not complain about her behaviour. For one, there were always the Lazurites to take over assignments. And two—who could guarantee that Centaurea wouldn't one day end up as the "boss's wife"? Provoking the potential future boss wife…did they want to keep their jobs or not?
"Orders? Not really," Steven said with an easy smile. "I just came to remind you to get ready. Things in the Grand Knight Territory might get…a little messy later."
Though he spoke lightly, his words carried the weight of a prophecy—one that made cold sweat bead on the backs of everyone present.
If even their boss was saying things would get messy…was a Catastrophe about to strike? But the Catastrophe Messengers hadn't issued any warnings.
"…Boss, are you perhaps preparing to move against the K.G.C.C?"
The one who broke the silence was Czarny—the only person present who wasn't part of the Armorless Union, yet still joined their morning meeting. His blunt question voiced what everyone else had been silently wondering.
And he wasn't wrong. If Steven himself planned to stir trouble, then no amount of chaos would be surprising.
"You guessed right," Steven chuckled, nodding. "The Major is about due for its grand finale. If you've got time, help keep order. And if anyone uses the chaos as cover to cause trouble—deal with them while you're at it."
His eyes flicked to the distance, landing on the towering headquarters of the K.G.C.C, plainly visible even from the hospital.
"But Boss," Czarny interjected, frowning, "there's no Major scheduled for today. Without an arena, the effect you're aiming for will be harder to achieve, won't it?"
It was the kind of question only Czarny could think to ask. Having once seen Steven as an enemy, he was uniquely attuned to his thought process.
"Who said a Major has to take place in the arena?"
Steven grinned, and in the same motion, pulled a Driver from his pack and fixed it to his waist.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
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