There were no ordinary people in sight in the corridor outside the restaurant.
It was a weekday, so there weren’t many people, but even so, plenty had been coming in to eat.
When I came up, I had seen people passing by, but now all I could see were people in black suits.
Sturdy Korean and American men.
They were the bodyguards of the ruling party leader and the Assistant Secretary of State.
The bodyguards were guarding the Assistant Secretary and the ruling party leader while keeping wary eyes on one another.
The Assistant Secretary and Representative Yun stood in the middle of the corridor, shaking hands and exchanging words.
Representative Yun spoke better English than I’d expected.
“I didn’t know you would come like this. Last time, we met only briefly, so we couldn’t talk much.”
“I apologize for not contacting you. This was not an official visit.”
At the Assistant Secretary’s apology, Representative Yun looked puzzled.
“Then……”
“The person I came to meet is arriving over there.”
The Assistant Secretary pointed behind Representative Yun, and the old man turned his head.
When Representative Yun saw me, his eyes narrowed. He seemed unable to understand the situation.
Assemblyman Lee, who was beside him, hurriedly whispered into the old man’s ear.
[When the Assistant Secretary came last time, he met Hyun Myeonghan here.]
His voice was low, but I heard every word.
After hearing Assemblyman Lee’s words, Representative Yun frowned.
[I apologize. It was a passing meeting amid several schedules, so it was omitted from the report.]
At Assemblyman Lee’s apology, the old man shook his head.
Assemblyman Lee, his expression darkening, stepped back, and the old man withdrew his hand.
As if he had not seen what had just happened, the Assistant Secretary said farewell to the old man.
“Then I will see you formally next time.”
“Do so.”
The old man also bid him farewell, then turned his head and looked at me.
In that stiff, wrinkled face, only his two eyes gleamed coldly blue.
After staring at me like that, the old man turned and went downstairs.
The bodyguards also headed down after him.
Watching the old man leave, I asked Soph.
[He doesn’t look to be in a good mood…… We even went through the trouble of putting on that act. This won’t go wrong, will it?]
[No need to worry. Old monsters like that value profit more than emotion. Now that he has seen someone come all the way from America in person, he will regard you as even more important.]
If that was the case, there was no problem.
In any case, he was only someone I had met because I needed to.
After the old man left, an American with a head full of white hair approached.
“I didn’t expect to see Deputy Commander Hyun again so soon.”
He held out his hand to me.
It seemed he had heard from Margreta.
He addressed me by my new position.
“I didn’t expect the Deputy Director to come in person either.”
When I took his offered hand, the Deputy Director of the Geospatial Intelligence Agency glanced to the side and said,
“When I heard news like that, how could I not come?”
Beside him stood Margreta, wearing an apologetic expression.
I gave a slight shake of my head to signal that it was all right, and when Margreta saw my expression, she let out a sigh of relief.
After shaking my hand, he said something meaningful.
“It seems I was right to come. Seeing things now, it appears there is more than one competitor.”
He was referring to the ruling party leader who had just left.
I sighed inwardly.
I had just barely sent off one insidious politician, and now it was an American official.
I hadn’t done anything that used energy, yet I felt several times more exhausted.
[I’ll need you to help me a bit.]
[I don’t think there will be any need to use our heads like just now, but if necessary, I’ll help.]
Still, it was a relief that Soph was there. I set down my burden and walked along with the Deputy Director.
“Let’s go to the Japanese restaurant we went to before. They probably haven’t taken any other guests yet.”
“I had wanted to eat that clean flavor again, so this works out well. Let’s do that.”
We entered the Japanese restaurant again.
When yet another important person came barging in, the owner and employees of the Japanese restaurant were greatly startled.
Even in the midst of their surprise, they guided us to another room and quickly began preparing the food.
It was certainly a place that knew how to do business.
Once we were seated, Deputy Director Samuel sent everyone else outside.
Only the Deputy Director, Margreta, and I remained in the room.
“I canceled my schedule and came, so I don’t have much time.”
Judging by the fact that he had flown directly to this department store, his words seemed true.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Is it true that you found a drug that can turn people into energy users?”
He lowered both hands beneath the table and asked while looking straight at me.
It sounded as if he were interrogating a criminal, but I told him the truth.
“The probability is extremely low, and what I found isn’t a drug, but an herb that can be made into one. But yes. That’s correct.”
After hearing my words, he was silent for a moment.
As time passed, his eyes began to tremble uneasily, and then a signal tone sounded from beneath the table.
Ding.
At the sound, Samuel’s expression relaxed.
He let out a sigh and said to me,
“……It’s true.”
“Are you done confirming?”
At my question, he looked surprised.
“You knew?”
It would have sounded like an out-of-nowhere conversation to anyone else, but both of us knew exactly what we were talking about.
“Even if you met me in person, it wouldn’t be any different from what you heard from Margreta. If there’s an artifact that prevents people from revealing a conversation, then there must also be an artifact that confirms lies.”
With an admiring look on his face, he took his hand out of his pocket.
“As expected, you’re remarkable. That’s right. I brought an artifact to confirm it.”
What he took out was a small ring set with a black stone and fitted with an electronic device.
The LED on the device was glowing blue.
“It’s an artifact that confirms whether someone is telling the truth. If they lie, it glows red.”
I looked at the artifact he had taken out and nodded calmly.
I had an expression as if I knew that much already, but the truth was, I was sweating bullets inside.
[That was close.]
[It only took a little time.]
[That’s what makes it close.]
I had known even before meeting the Deputy Director that he had brought an artifact with him.
Soph had quickly figured out that the artifact was one that confirmed the truth.
If it were anyone else, the fact that he had brought a lie-detecting artifact would not have been a problem.
All I would have had to do was tell the truth, as originally planned.
But that wasn’t enough for me.
Because mental magic did not work on me.
Thanks to that, I had been able to hide the secret that Earth would be destroyed, but the problem was that this artifact also did not work on me.
In the end, Soph had no choice but to step in this time as well.
That was why the light had come on late.
[In any case, good work.]
[What dreadful people. Mental magic again? This one isn’t forbidden magic, but it’s an extremely troublesome spell to disrupt.]
As I listened to Soph grumble, I watched the Deputy Director put the artifact away again.
After putting away the artifact, the Deputy Director said to me with a much more relaxed face,
“First, I must apologize. We needed to confirm the facts. I know very well that we’re short on time, but we couldn’t proceed based solely on one person’s word without the item itself.”
“It’s all right. I understand.”
Compared to someone who had flown here in person, I hadn’t really gone through much trouble at all.
“Thank you. I heard from Margreta about what you did on that other star. You dealt with a dangerous monster and brought back remarkable black stones. Perhaps because of that, the Inner Circle is showing great interest in Deputy Commander Hyun as well.”
“The Inner Circle……”
“I’m referring to the people who first discovered the ruins and are currently developing Paradise. It includes quite a few people in high places.”
It seemed to mean the group of powerful figures Margreta had mentioned.
“In truth, the reason I came personally like this was partly to confirm the facts, but also to keep Mr. Hyun tied to our agency.”
At his words, spoken with both arms spread wide, I shook my head.
His attitude toward me had changed completely.
When I gave a bitter smile, his face turned serious.
“I heard you are scheduled to meet with them this time.”
At the Deputy Director’s words, I tilted my head.
I had made no such appointment.
There was only one person I was supposed to meet on Earth.
“I made an appointment to meet Catherine.”
“You brought back a black stone like that. There’s no way only she would show up.”
At his words, I could say nothing.
The Deputy Director was right.
“Given Deputy Commander Hyun’s personality as we have assessed it, I don’t think you would be swayed by their words, but it is still better to prepare in advance. Just like with Mr. Yun whom you met a moment ago.”
At his sudden words, I smiled bitterly, and he placed both hands on the table as he asked,
“How much did you tell him?”
I thought I understood why he had placed both hands on the table.
It was a sign that he did not intend to confirm it with the artifact this time.
I also told him the truth.
“I told him everything.”
At my words, he rubbed his chin and tilted his head.
“Hmm. Since you’re Korean, I understand that you would do something for Korea, but……”
“Is that a problem?”
At my question, he shook his head.
“Not to that extent. Still, it would have been better if you had told us in advance. Ah, you can think of this as a recommendation or a request. For now, you are still an external contractor for our agency.”
A recommendation or a request.
His attitude toward me had certainly changed.
It wasn’t difficult to answer accordingly.
“I didn’t have time this time, but I’ll do that from now on.”
He seemed satisfied with my words.
“When you come to Earth next time, if you bring a sample, we will verify it immediately. The VIP has also shown interest. Next time, if you come to the States, I think you may be able to meet the VIP in person, but with the situation being what it is……”
The Deputy Director clicked his tongue mid-sentence.
He was probably referring to the terrorism on the high seas that Margreta had mentioned.
I had seen and experienced it myself yesterday.
Of course, it hadn’t felt all that dangerous to me, but that didn’t mean I could ignore his words.
And I had another way to go to America.
“The danger on the high seas…… So as long as that problem is resolved, it will be fine, correct?”
“That is true, but……”
He tilted his head, but I had no intention of telling him.
Instead, I asked him something else.
“There is one thing I’d like to ask.”
At my words, his face lit up.
“Ask me anything. If we mobilize the intelligence agencies under our command, we can obtain just about any information.”
It seemed he intended to emphasize how useful his organization was, but the information I wanted was not that sort of thing.
“What I want to ask about is the ruins.”
“The ruins? Which ruins would you like to know about? Shall I tell you about the ruins in Tibet that China is currently excavating?”
It felt as though I had heard some unexpected secret, but I shook my head at his words.
“No. What I want to know about are the ruins outside Earth, within the solar system. It seems there are ruins connected to the Baekdu Mountain ruins……”
I could go and see for myself, but if I made a mistake, I might end up somewhere without air, or somewhere dangerous.
It was better to ask in advance like this.
“Could it be that you can sense even that? In truth, there are several more ruins within the solar system.”
So it wasn’t just one.
There were more ruins than I had expected.
“Among them, there is only one that we know is connected to the Baekdu Mountain ruins. It is the origin of all ruins, the ruins on the planet where humans first lived.”
At those words, one planet came to mind.
“Don’t tell me it’s Mars?”
Naturally, Mars was the first thing I thought of.
It was a star that appeared in every science fiction film, after all.
But it wasn’t that star.
“No. That star is Venus. The star where humans first lived, and where they were destroyed. All humans came from Venus.”
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