Covert Operations (4)
Benahar hastily packed his things.
"I have to leave."
He didn't know where to go on the open sea, only that this ship could not be it.
The attendant watching him from the side asked with a puzzled look, "Chief of Staff, what's wrong?"
"It's over. It's all over."
He tucked the expensive watch he'd bought into the deepest corner of his bag and zipped it closed.
"Pack up quickly too. In the worst case, this ship might sink."
The attendant, not the sort to talk nonsense, still couldn't make sense of it.
"Sink? Demons? Or is a tsunami coming?"
Benahar flinched.
Could anything be more dangerous than Yahweh—more dangerous even than demons or a tidal wave the attendant had mentioned?
"Ugh..."
The look in Shirone's eyes from earlier that day rose up, and Benahar's thoughts began to tangle.
How narrow the human mind is.
"You can't even imagine it until you feel with your whole body that it's real."
"Chief of Staff."
When Benahar began to tremble like a madman, the attendant grew even more suspicious.
"Are you feeling unwell? Shall I call the medic?"
"Yahweh..."
Benahar ground his teeth.
"Yahweh is on this ship. He's negotiating with the foreign minister right now."
"That should be good, then. As you know, Kearns is an excellent negotiator. Of course Yahweh is backed by the Ivory Tower, but in a case like this..."
He began to laugh, a nervous sound despite the fear.
"Haha. Ha ha ha ha."
It was absurd—so absurd that laughter slipped out even while he was terrified.
"Do you know what Yahweh is?"
"One of the Four Supers, a symbol of universal love. He's here to help refugees. He tends to support individual rights."
For a time it had been fashionable among politicians to align with one of those moral camps...
"Do you really think that's possible?"
Only when one is forced to face an extreme truth like Benahar's does one truly understand.
"Do you think loving all of humanity is something a human can actually do? No way. That's madness born of an extreme ideology. Not a state god— a monster."
The attendant blinked.
"You say evil is bad and Yahweh is kind? No, none of those who worship the good-or-evil dichotomy are sane. They're outside the category of humanity; they just fight to impose their own ideas."
"But... he's a good person, isn't he? Yahweh is good."
"I saw him."
Benahar's hand trembled.
"Those eyes. That mindset. The moment I thought it wouldn't matter if I blew up the sailing ship, Yahweh..."
It wasn't killing intent, nor hatred, nor rage.
"It was deprivation. At that moment, Yahweh clearly felt nations were simply 'unnecessary.' No way you can call that a human emotion."
It was closer to divine logic.
"Once that happens, your head goes empty. Nothing comes to mind. Negotiations, deals... those are human things in a human world."
If he could save all of humanity, Shirone didn't care whether they were technically human.
"A world where common sense doesn't apply. But I want to be human. I want to make money, meet women, live with even fake honor and swagger. That's what people strive for. I'm leaving."
Benahar opened the door and left as if he didn't need the attendant's answer.
Where the door slammed shut, only the chaotic scene of the room remained, matching the chaos in his head.
Kearns was displeased.
"Hmm."
It wasn't just Shirone's smile that annoyed him—having his ace trampled was even more galling.
"Even if you say that, I don't know who this person Fermi is. Is he famous?"
"A classmate from the Magic Academy."
Unbelievable.
If it was a personal acquaintance from the start, no matter what answer he'd given he'd look foolish all the same.
"Sigh. Shirone, let's not act like pros letting personal grudges rule us. Emotions can't come between—"
"Kearns."
Shirone cut him off.
"Let go." Kearns, still holding Langi's waist, tilted his jaw in a stare.
A suffocating silence.
After a moment, the hand that had coiled like a snake slipped away and returned to its place.
"If I offended you, I apologize." Kearns kept his composure to avoid a clash, but his gaze toward Shirone remained icy.
"I didn't mean to be offensive. I only wanted to stress that Shirone has options."
"That's why it's third-rate."
His tone smoothed, but his words were cutting.
"I mentioned a classmate's name because he knows me better than anyone. No—I haven't met anyone who dissects humans more nakedly than him."
After seeing Kearns's negotiation style, Fermi's strategy started to make sense.
"Asking me to choose proves he knows nothing about me. Probably that fellow... wouldn't have given me any real choice. A situation where I had to follow. He knows that."
If not, Shirone wouldn't be bargaining with a drug kingpin.
"You're starting to make me angry."
In truth, he was already angry.
"I don't mind giving Langi to the pirates, or having Odaesung assist me. Neither is a loss. That's negotiation."
Kearns offered his hand as if recommending a tactic.
"The rest is Shirone's choice. Keep Langi or abandon her. What else is left?"
"Your resolve."
Shirone's eyes turned cold, and the entire dining room seemed to vibrate up and down.
"T-This is...!"
Kearns rose awkwardly, and Langi went pale as she looked around.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to bluster you with force. It's just... it makes me feel bad."
Had Kearns steeled himself to accept that?
"The real reason I'm upset is that your list of choices completely excludes the option where I choose nothing."
"Well, that—"
As Kearns stood and tried to move around the table, Shirone's eyes snapped open.
"Sit."
Even if he refused, his legs were shaking and he couldn't stay standing.
Shirone continued.
"So now let's swap positions. If I take one of your options, I'll feel defeated. I might lose my reason from how bad it feels. The odds are fifty-fifty."
"Now that we're on equal footing, let's resume negotiations. If you ask me to choose, fine. I will choose. But about what happens afterward... I don't know what will become of me..."
Shirone said calmly.
"Can you handle it?" The public's view of Yahweh. If they thought holding a hostage gave them the upper hand, they only knew Shirone half as well.
'Nothing will change. If I speak, Shirone will make a choice. But what happens after—will they be able to handle it?'
'No. There's no way they'd actually sink a ship. It's all bluff. I've seen this kind of extortion a hundred times.'
That was true, but the person sitting across from Kearns now was entirely different.
It was frightening.
'What if he really does it?'
Kearns's honest thought. He finally understood what negotiating on equal terms with the Ivory Tower's star could mean.
"Langi."
Kearns forced himself to hide his emotions, but his face was already twisted with humiliation.
"Go sit beside Shirone."
He still bit at being treated like an object, but coldness was key in a hostage negotiation.
"Ah, um—?"
Langi hesitated for an instant, then hurriedly gathered her things and slid into the seat beside Shirone.
The ship's tremor stopped, and as if nothing had happened Shirone's lips curved into a smile.
"Thank you for your concern. You are a fine negotiator after all. The Kingdom of Arakne has a bright future."
It was genuine praise.
"Hahaha! I couldn't hold my ground. I tried so desperately to seize the upper hand, but you got me."
Watching Kearns fan his sweat, Shirone revised his assessment of him upward.
"No. If the result is good, it's good. A big problem's been solved; the small ones will wrap up quickly, won't they?"
"Of course. Hey, is the food ready yet? It's gone cold. Bring something warm."
The staff immediately replaced the dishes, and Kearns stood to pour the wine himself.
"A toast. To the prosperity of the Kingdom of Arakne and the Ivory Tower. I'll do my best."
You never really know what's in a person's heart, but sometimes you don't need to probe too deeply.
"Yes, then."
Shirone raised his glass from the center of the table and touched the sweet wine to his lips.
'...This is hard.'
The chandelier on the ceiling glittered so brilliantly it felt otherworldly.
'Where am I right now?'
The next morning.
The emergency horn of the sailing ship Shirone was on echoed along the horizon.
Those aboard clapped hands over their ears as if their eardrums would burst and rushed out onto the deck.
"What is it! What's happening!"
As those assigned to security tried to calm the passengers, Shirone entered the captain's room.
"What is it?"
"An attack! Pirates!"
When the captain looked out toward the northeast sea he was pointing at, black specks shimmered on the horizon.
"Dionas?"
"That's most likely, but they haven't entered territorial waters yet."
Poine said.
"If they planned it, they've covered their tracks. They can play innocent if caught. The problem is..."
"Why?"
Shirone cocked his head.
"The Arakne talks should be over. Why come this far out to sea? And with such a large fleet..."
Only one explanation came to mind.
"They never intended to negotiate with Arakne."
"I think so too. They plan to pillage all the treasures Arakne shipped as tribute and pretend nothing happened. It's a pirate's idea, but still..."
Poine spoke quietly.
"It doesn't seem like a strategy you'd use against a power like Arakne. Maybe they're confident about something?"
"Maika's relic."
It was the first thing Shirone thought of.
"Start the evacuation protocol. Put maximum distance between civilians and the enemy. We have to finish before they come into firing range."
"Understood."
The captain grabbed a megaphone and shouted.
"To all passengers aboard! This is an emergency! All women and children not part of the trained crew proceed immediately to lifeboat A7. I repeat!"
As people moved toward the stern, Shirone and Poine went to the bow.
"Miracle Stream."
Smoke of light gathered into a vast lens and revealed the distant ships.
"Armed vessels."
Just as Poine muttered that, smoke rose from one ship and a cannon fired.
"What—?"
The shot was too far to hit, so Shirone removed the lens and checked with his own eyes.
An incredibly fast object, as if gravity meant nothing, flew in a straight, direct trajectory.
'Beyond the speed of sound?'
The fleeing people glanced back, then pointed upward in shock.
"C-Cannon fire!"
Before the sentence finished, the incoming projectile struck nearby and Poine flung herself in front of Shirone.
A deafening blast.
"Well, well."
Poine was swept across the deck and, near her temple, was holding the shell with one hand.
"An interesting thing."
Smoke rose from the crumpled iron ball.