Black Badger - Chapter 333



Only Noblemtl

333. Backstage (1)

It seems like a lot has happened while you were sick.

Thankfully, Scar relayed the situation to me before I could ask questions with my throat closed.

First, let’s start with the brainwashed hostage issue.

He said that not all of them were brainwashed. However, many people came out with wrong ideas. They spread those ideas and caused minor strife among the Badgers.

“The brainwashed ones think you’re the one who’s causing all this. They think Black Badger is being fooled by you and your followers. They claim he’s playing along for your convenience.”

That’s the classic way.

He nodded his head and thought that Kyle’s war skills had not rusted.

I thought that the brainwashing involved magic. That wasn’t the case, Kyle just did what he would do.

The country would have done similar agitation.

If you were going to return it anyway, wouldn’t it be better to create internal conflict by providing biased information?

“But Lee Ho looked fine.”

“He’s a former intelligence agent, so he knows how to resist brainwashing procedures.”

Ah. So you came from working there?

I chuckled, thinking that my previous job suited him really well.

When my body recovers a bit more, I would like to hear the story directly from the senior who always has a tired face.

Scar said, with a frightening thought.

“It would be best to hear the detailed story directly from Lee Ho. When he recovers enough to be discharged, ask him the whole story. Lee Ho also wants to tell you directly.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“No. We should have prevented the conflict from happening in the first place. I’m sorry. I realized it too late.”

“Isn’t this the basics of war?”

Badgers are used to dealing with creatures and are probably not trained for this type of attack.

He said that he didn’t really understand how traditional warfare between people worked.

Can’t you endure it without being brainwashed?

Kyle was a hardened veteran of traditional warfare.

“The entire HR department, including the HR director, is rushing in to try to resolve the situation, so for the time being, do not meet any of the hostages except for Lee Ho.”

“All right.”

“And about Kyle.”

Scar asked, draping his arm over the hospital bed frame.

There’s something stuck in my throat that won’t go away.

I looked at Scar, furrowing my brows in discomfort. I wanted to raise my upper body, but I didn’t have the strength to do so yet.

The aide asked, not knowing exactly where the injury occurred.

“Why didn’t I just pull out your memories?”

“Hmm? Is that what you’re curious about?”

“Yeah. We thought he was going to try to cut off your head right after he extracted your memories.”

Yes, that’s right.

“But he did something that took time and wasn’t very useful to them, trying to remove your sixth sense.”

“yes.”

“It could be explained that he hates you so much, and that could be true, but… seeing the enemy’s irrational behavior made me think this way.”

Even while hospitalized after being beaten, his black eyes were filled with gunshots.

The aide stared at me piercingly.

“Kyle has a bigger picture in mind than killing you.”

I understood what Scar was saying.

I kept my mouth shut for a moment to collect my thoughts.

My boss smiled bitterly when he saw my expression.

“It would be easy for us if he were just a idiot who was content to commit suicide. But I don’t think he’s that kind of person. You get what I mean. Our war ends when we kill Kyle, but their war doesn’t end when you, Hilde, die.”

“Yes. Even if you kill me, the nuclear weapons held by humanity will not disappear, and humanity will not pretend not to know about their existence until the end.”

“That’s right. That’s why I keep thinking, isn’t it true that this time they made an offer where they had nothing to lose?”

Ah. That’s a sharp observation.

“Wouldn’t it have mattered whether you came to the negotiating table or not? It would have been good if you had come, it would have been better if you could have kidnapped them, it would have been even better if you could have tortured them, extracted their memories, and finally killed them. But even if they hadn’t, it wouldn’t have been a big blow to them, right? Because they were preparing something else. This process might have been part of a larger plan. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“Yes. Was there anything planted on the hostages or something?”

“I searched everything thoroughly, but I couldn’t find anything. But as you know, we don’t have any wizards.”

“I did catch and eat a lot of them.”

I looked at the hospital room ceiling as I answered calmly.

I looked at the tiles dotted with black spots and thought about what had happened.

Current situation on Black Badger and Kyle’s side.

The position of the elders.

Humanity’s position. Black Badger’s enemies were Kyle and Creature. But Kyle’s enemy is not Black Badger, but humanity itself.

Currently, most of humanity is unaware of Kyle’s existence.

Considering these circumstances, I have come to my own conclusion.

I’m not sure if this is the right conclusion though.

“I think there is a high probability that your ominous feeling will come true.”

“Oh? I see. I expected it, but this is really bad news.”

“However, I don’t think we suffered any losses from this clash. It was the best response we could have made as an organization called Black Badger, and so far, I think we’ve gained more than we’ve lost from this incident.”

I don’t know how the evaluation will change after a long time has passed.

Just as the discovery of eternal life was a blessing in the short term, it brought us disaster in the long term. Time changes the evaluation of historical events. However, we cannot know in advance how it will change. People living in the present are only doing their best under the present conditions.

At least that’s what I thought.

Because no one knows the future that will come without change.

“We came to the same conclusion.”

A calm voice brought me out of my thoughts.

Scar looked at me and smiled faintly.

“Be happy with small victories, but don’t be complacent.”

“yes.”

“It’s a bit sad that you think Kyle isn’t the type of person who would be satisfied with a suicide bombing.”

I laughed bitterly because I knew what he was trying to say.

Scar Owen watched my accusation carefully and sighed.

“Nothing is easy.”

That’s what I mean.

I held back the urge to let out a sigh and turned my gaze back to the ceiling.

It would be nice to be prepared.

I wanted to hit Kyle and, with Colton’s help, integrate the rest of my people into society.

I didn’t think I could convince my old friend anymore. It was better to come up with a realistic alternative than to be filled with hopeless hopes.

We must try to get the best result from the given situation.

ah.

I wish this all would end quickly.

“Hilde.”

While I was lost in thought, Scar called out to me softly.

I blinked.

“yes?”

“What is your ultimate goal?”

hmm?

I looked at my boss, who was quietly observing me, with a puzzled look on his face.

“I will defeat my compatriots outside and integrate those who have surrendered into society.”

“Oh, I know that. Not that one.”

“yes?”

What else is there?

“Falcon.”

Scar spoke slowly.

He now had his arms resting on his knees.

“Are you going to kill me?”

I stared at Scar’s poker face for a long time.

As time went by, the darkness of the window that the curtains could not cover grew thicker. Jonathan showed no sign of coming in. The only sound I could hear was the sound of the medical equipment attached to me.

A hospital room that was clearly soundproofed.

He answered slowly.

“maybe.”

For now, I want to do that.

“It’s not a definite answer. We don’t know how the situation will change. For now, we need him until we can safely integrate our own people.”

“I see.”

“Why do you ask?”

Is it a personal curiosity or an organizational matter?

When I asked with an expression, Scar understood.

He smiled faintly.

“It’s both a personal curiosity and a public question. If you’re determined to hit them, I need to prepare for it too. I don’t know if it’s them or him, so I asked.”

“Spitfires and Sukhois.”

I said it coolly.

Since you asked this question now, I couldn’t help but feel like I was being rejected.

If you miss this opportunity, you may never have another chance to ask questions.

“Do you know what those people were doing?”

“Tell me the history of raccoons?”

I nodded vigorously as he laughed.

“please.”

“I guess we should start from the end of the First War. You say you have no memories after that.”

Scar stretched out his legs and sat upright against the bed frame.

After relaxing his body, he began to reveal a story that ordinary people would not know.

These are stories he must have heard from someone.

“The oldest is Falcon. He became the highest ranking elder about 14 years after the end of the First War.”

It took longer than I thought.

“He only rose to the top after the Second World War. He had been a senior figure before then, but he wasn’t the number one figure until the Second World War.”

A calm voice explained.

“At that time, even among the hardliners, the hardest one was at the top. His name was Magnus. Do you remember?”

“Ah. That was quite a long lifespan.”

I couldn’t hold it in any longer and muttered to myself.

“I remember.”

He was the one who followed the will of the Ice Emperor more faithfully than anyone else. He was foolish because he was blind, and dangerous because he was blind. He was a troublesome and disgusting person who was good at forming power by taking sides.

I remembered the war that broke out while I was plotting to kill him.

I muttered, disgust rising in me as I thought of the extremists who could not tolerate our presence.

“Did the Falcon hit you?”

“Yes. A hardliner who constantly insisted that alien species should be given a chance to breathe overthrew a throne that had been unshakable for 14 years.”

You can’t kneel before a titan.

However, those who insisted that if the Titans willingly kneeled, they would be allowed to live on Earth under strict surveillance. Thus, those who were called the moderates among the hardliners drew their swords only after the end of the Second War.

Colton is the type of person who only shows his sword when he is ready.

The hardliners, including Magnus, lost their lives at the hands of Falcon.

“He was trapped in an electric car and burned to death.”

They say there are no ashes left.

“The commander-in-chief of the Black Badgers also changed at that time.”

I wiggled my eyebrows.

Scar continued speaking, pretending not to notice my reaction.

“The first commander-in-chief was a former soldier, and was Magnus’s puppet.”

The first commander-in-chief, who was known to the public as having died of old age.

It is said that Ye-Hyeon and Saul were the puppet’s aides at the time.

“Since then, Yehyeon has become famous for the video of him killing a 10th level creature, and it was predicted that he would succeed the first Supreme Commander. However, that was just a rumor, and in reality, a separate successor had already been decided. Magnus’ puppet version 2.”

“But Magnus died, so the puppet version 2 never took over as commander-in-chief.”

“Yes. There was a bloody purge. After the purge, Falcon, who was at the top, put Ye-Hyeon in the position of commander-in-chief.”

I barely managed to hold back a sigh.

And he laughed at the thought of Colton, who had secretly moved to successfully integrate his people into society even while Magnus held the real power.

It wasn’t without its rewards holding hands.

Youga must have had a really hard time.

“Was it because of public opinion that you put Ye-Hyeon, who is not your puppet, in the position of Commander-in-Chief?”

“That’s right. It was also to ensure a smooth change of government. It was also to appeal that he was not just another Magnus.”

“Black Badger must have had a hard time for a while too.”

I’m not a complete puppet, so I couldn’t have completely rebelled against Colton, who put me in that position.

Scar laughed bitterly.

“They said so.”

In fact, it is said that it was after they started to raise money while fighting to reclaim territory that they were able to avoid being blown away by the elders’ influence.

It hasn’t even been ten years since I was able to find a comfortable place in the breath.

“For reference, the zombie outbreak happened about 9 years ago.”

Scar muttered, looking at the IV line stuck in the back of his hand.

“From then on, Falcon occasionally caught Jaeyeon having a seizure.”

“Ah… I understand.”

I let out a hollow laugh.

Now I know why Ye-Hyeon was getting beaten up so mercilessly by Jae-Yeon and why Scar is hospitalized here now.

I should have guessed. Even though Jae-yeon was a madman full of hate and possessed skills comparable to Seung-hyun Lee, he was Colton’s right-hand man and moved under Colton’s direction at all times.

A being who is virtually unfree, unable to do anything that Colton does not permit.

Colton the crazy bastard was using reenactment as a means of venting and controlling himself.

Because I’m one of those who tend to use traditional methods when it comes to restraint.

Come to think of it, even back then, as soon as Ye-Hyeon announced that she had me in her hands, she let Jae-Yeon go.

He must have been so angry that he couldn’t stand it.

Control freak psychopath bastard.

“It’s admirable that you kept your promise, but I can’t just leave you there.”

He looked into the empty space and made a mockery.

“I will definitely bring that down from the top.”

I will make you kneel down and kiss my feet.

I will make him bend his knees, which he had not bent for decades, even if I have to kick him in the knees. I will make him bow his head, even if I have to hit him in the back of the head.

And I will receive what I could not receive before.

On the Titan’s instep.

A kiss of submission he would hate more than death.