The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 56



Only Noblemtl

Episode 56. It’s you, right?

City government.

The highest power hierarchy that rules each city.

To put it a little more bluntly, their single gesture, their single word, determined the fate of the city.

There was a joke among players that the easiest way to ruin a city was to become a city councilor.

Their every move had enormous weight.

‘It’s a request from the city government.’

Therefore, it was very unusual for a request to be made to a contractor, who was at the lowest level.

It wasn’t unprecedented.

It was an open secret that the main clients of the top contractors, who were actually called one-man companies, were city governments.

However, they are industry veterans whose achievements and skills are recognized.

There was only one time when the city government did not consider them.

‘Recruitment of scapegoats.’

I could feel the muscles in my face stiffening.

“There must be a lot of guys after this, but is it my turn? The guys sitting outside are also waiting for their turn.”

Although I had accomplished a few big things, I was still a drop in the bucket compared to the veterans.

If you’re a broker of Cromwell’s caliber, you probably don’t have any other options besides me.

It was pure curiosity.

“They are a bunch of idiots. If I choose one of them, my judgment will be questioned.”

“What about the other guys besides those idiots?”

“Unfortunately, the news reached me late. It had already been snatched up by another office.”

“By the way, I think you said that there was an official document assigned to each brokerage firm?”

“Not all offices received it. Only a select few.”

It was a subtle boast about oneself.

It would have been something to brag about if it had been chosen by the city government.

“Anyway, you’re the only one who can rest your hands and guarantee your skills right now. It’s a stroke of luck for you.”

Cromwell glanced at my expression.

He was careful about what I said, but his eyes didn’t seem to care about my rejection.

That was indeed the case.

“… … What’s the content?”

It was a well-known fact that it was dangerous.

However, the sound of the city government was too attractive to reject.

Because the opportunities to get a foothold in the city government are extremely rare.

Cromwell smiled faintly, as if he had expected that.

“This is the final negotiation before the war with Pulseer that I mentioned before. It is a foregone conclusion that there will be noise, so this is an escort mission to prevent that.”

I took the documents out of the envelope.

From the very first page, a large red secret seal was imprinted on the door.

“The negotiations will be held in a week, and are they top secret negotiations that exclude even the press?”

“The city government will probably try to please Pearlsea as much as possible. If it were to be made public, there would be an uproar of criticism, so it’s an unavoidable choice.”

“……well.”

Normally you would think so.

I wasn’t.

‘If it’s a secret negotiation between Galaga City and Pearlseer… … it’s doomed?’

It wasn’t just a failure either.

It’s a disaster.

‘The entire negotiating team dies and war breaks out as a result. This is a fixed scenario.’

In other cities, both war outbreak and avoidance scenarios existed.

It’s not Galaga City.

In FP, a game with a high degree of freedom, it was a type of rare, fixed scenario.

The process of going through repeated upheavals was preserved intact in my head.

‘The city government is truly willing to make major concessions.’

Although Pulseer is called the city of barbarians, it is not so uncivilized that negotiations are impossible.

No matter how much of a war-monger a person may have, he or she does not necessarily start a war if the benefits to be gained are great.

The city government will take this into consideration and engage in negotiations in good faith.

‘The first stumbling block to the breakdown of negotiations is the elf who represents the negotiation team.’

Elves, a noble and lofty race, could not afford to lose face.

At the end of the negotiations, he will lose his temper and overturn the decision of the Congress to bend as much as possible.

‘The second biggest problem is.’

Compared to this, the elf’s seizure was just seasoning.

‘The interests of the company.’

War is an opportunity for business.

There is no other business that involves as much money as the military industry.

As an extreme example, the power balance between companies changed significantly after the outbreak of war.

‘After the war, Sentrim soars and Sylvester declines.’

It was to the extent that he triggered a scenario exclusive to Sylvester’s named character.

The downfall of Claire Sylvester, the only blood relative of the current Chairman Sylvester.

‘Exclusion of the press is the result of lobbying.’

There was a sentry behind it.

The intention was clear.

To break up the negotiations.

In the game’s scenario, the trick worked effectively.

It also ended with the death of all members of the negotiation team, leaving no room for reversal.

‘It’s a dangerous request.’

It’s not at the sacrificial level.

It was a dog’s death.

Still.

“I will accept the request.”

I chose.

“Prepare well so that you don’t fail. I want to see you for a long time.”

“Me too.”

Whether war broke out or not was of no concern to me.

On the other hand, I was very interested in the process.

‘Sentrim’s restraint, Sylvester’s indirect support, and contact with the elves.’

I had a lot on my plate too.

It was reason enough to take a gamble on changing the scenario.

***

“again.”

It was a numb voice.

The intonation was flat, without any ups and downs, and even the speech was stiff, so it sounded like a machine’s voice.

But the owner of the voice was a real person.

The so-called nobleman with pointed ears.

Elf, Giselle Willow.

The head of the city government negotiation team looked at his nervous aide with cloudy eyes that had lost their blue color.

“Say it again.”

“Yes, yes. The council has agreed to hire mercenaries and hired contractors to escort this delegation… … .”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a series of loud noises erupted from behind the aide.

It was the sound of the bookshelf in the study falling like dominoes.

Rather than being frightened by the physical threat, the aide had more practical concerns.

Who will sort that out and when?

When I have time.

I was completely confused by the workload that was increasing in real time.

“Why was it the Congress, and not I, the head of the negotiating team, who decided on that important appointment?”

“that is…….”

The aide was hesitant to speak.

The nobleman with pointed ears, a title that simultaneously conveyed the meaning of awe and discrimination.

Even among the nobility, the elves, who adhere to extreme pure-bloodism, have maintained isolation under the guise of austerity even in politics.

It means rejecting factions.

It was unreasonable to tell my boss that I was being retaliated against because I was being looked down on.

Even if he had confessed, he would not have understood.

It was a race of elves who wore nobility like clothing.

“… … That’s it, it’s not your fault. It’s my fault for keeping you by my side, knowing full well your incompetence. I’ll protest this directly to the parties involved later.”

Fortunately, Giselle calmed down.

The aide let out a sigh of relief and cleared his chest.

It would have been better if they hadn’t said anything about incompetence in the middle, but I was grateful that they didn’t hold him responsible.

“These are the escort personnel reported to the city council. Please check them.”

The aide hurriedly continued the conversation so as not to cause any further trouble.

Five contractors, one mercenary group.

It may seem like an insufficient number at first glance to escort the negotiation team, which is the most important personnel, but there were unavoidable circumstances.

To maintain secrecy, a small elite group was required.

It was just the right amount, as long as the skills were guaranteed.

“I’m not interested in the kind of contractors who pick up trash and eat it in the back of the city. Mercenaries… … have decent track records. Are they decorated war heroes?”

“I heard that recently, you successfully completed a mission against Centrim’s Quadruple.”

“You can look forward to the mercenaries. Just make sure to support them so that you don’t get in my way.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Just go out.”

Giselle threw the escort list into the trash can and gave the order to evict guests.

There was no time for discussion.

He was overly rational in appeasing the greed of the savages whose eyes were wide open for plunder.

I had no idea how the negotiations would go.

However, he could not just let go, so he had to prepare for dozens of possible scenarios.

There is no way his aides wouldn’t know that he didn’t even have enough time to sleep… … but the aide remained unwavering.

Giselle asked, frowning.

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

“I’m sorry.”

“If this is useless news, I will fire you.”

“No, that won’t be the case.”

The aide swallowed hard and said.

I hope this isn’t useless news by my boss’s standards.

“I would have reported that in these negotiations, each company promised to make a contribution for free for the cause.”

“I remember.”

“It’s surprising that the biggest company among them is Sylvester, beating out Centrim… … .”

“I don’t care about the affairs of inferiors. Just get to the point.”

“Anyway, they offered greater support and conditions.”

The aide took a photograph out of his pocket.

Giselle took in the portrait of the woman in the photograph.

“Does that have anything to do with that photo?”

“Claire Sylvester, the only blood relative of the current Chairman Sylvester.”

“I’ve heard that name before. So?”

“Sylvester made it a condition for this person to attend the negotiations.”

“… … .”

In the midst of all this, Giselle, who had been reviewing the documents without stopping, stopped her hands.

Indeed, it was not useless news.

But it wasn’t good news either.

“Send them back. Outsiders are a nuisance.”

“Uh, there, that’s it.”

The aide lowered his head as if he was embarrassed and clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly.

Giselle counted in her mind.

If it became 0, you were fired.

The aide took a quick look and spoke just before the count reached zero.

“I heard that the conditions have already been accepted by the National Assembly. It seems that General Sylvester’s family is currently in a difficult situation, so they are making bold moves… … Sir?”

Giselle took action before her aide could finish speaking.

He put on a coat and carried a wand with a magical auxiliary circuit engraved on it.

The restrained, unhurried gestures, unlike usual, aroused anxiety rather than admiration.

“Where, where are you going?”

“Go to Congress.”

He looked out the window at the parliament on the other side, his eyes sharp with condensed murderous intent.

“You damn rascals. You’re forcing me to make a life-or-death decision.”

“Oh, no! Senator! Stop! Senator!!”

“Let go!”

Aides struggled to prevent an unprecedented bloodbath in Congress.

***

I headed to the city council.

A round head decoration that looks like it might open in half and a number of pillars that support the entire building.

The city council of Galaga City resembled a real-life capitol.

Since the game company’s nationality is its nationality, it must have been a big consideration.

Perhaps it was because I discovered traces of my hometown that I felt a sense of nostalgia.

But there was no time to get caught up in perfume.

Because the powerful people who ruled the city did not even allow the lowly ones to have dinner.

‘Is this it?’

I stopped at the main entrance of one of the city council’s annex buildings.

Security was tight.

Although it seemed like no one was there, faint sounds of people were steadily circling around.

‘The city council’s permanent security force.’

The largest in terms of single scale, its capabilities are comparable to those of the security forces of large corporations.

They were the vanguard protecting the power of the city council.

“I’m Allen, the contractor.”

Ddddddd!

As I pressed the intercom and identified myself, the fences were pushed aside.

I felt the surveillance eyes have somewhat diminished.

The gathering place was the conference room inside this building.

‘Am I the last one?’

I heard that there are five contractors selected for this assignment, including me.

Four people were sitting at a round table divided by a partition.

A skinny skeleton, a blind swordsman, a robed, heavily made-up old woman.

Each one had a unique personality.

‘There must be contractors with greater achievements than me.’

I wasn’t intimidated.

My experience was deeper than theirs.

I didn’t think that my skills were inferior to theirs, but I did have a short period of time in the industry and my achievements were lacking.

“… … .”

I sat in the remaining seat.

As expected from a group of contractors known for their lack of social skills, there was no lively conversation.

They didn’t even exchange glances, as if they weren’t even interested in each other.

“Hehehe.”

Only the old woman showed her welcome to me.

The emotion on his face was deep curiosity.

Rather than being a friendly person, he seemed more interested in my face.

I feel like a mannequin displayed in a shop window.

He swallowed his discomfort and turned his head to the side.

Jjikjik! Kkikkigik!

It was a man covered in a robe.

Her five senses, which had been constantly strengthened, accurately captured the faint noise flowing from the man.

It was an unpleasant mechanical sound of springs and screws moving.

Are you fiddle with some mechanical devices under your robes to kill time?

“… … .”

I was suddenly overcome with a sense of foreboding.

It’s my first time seeing you.

But somehow, there was a person who came to mind in my memory.

“It’s been a while.”

“… … ?”

He turned his head.

It was a mechanical movement that seemed to react conditionedly to external stimuli.

“Are you pretending not to know?”

I was convinced by that.

“Number 21, it’s you, right?”

Red eyes glowed in the darkness within the robe.