Free Web NovelChapter 501: Flimsy Excuse
It would have been a reasonable move on the part of the secret organization, trying to bring the Allen Guild to their side. As the most powerful guild in the country, if not the whole world, they were definitely much better to have as allies rather than enemies. And, while they were currently one of the Awakened Association’s biggest supporters...
Said support was based on pure convenience. The Association was weak, too weak to do anything against the powerful Allen Guild. On the contrary, it even relied on them. Without the Allen Guild’s support, how could they maintain peace? Thus, the Allen Guild was able to do as they pleased. While the regular Guild members might have still abided by the law, when it came to the Allen family and other high-ranking members... It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they were completely above the law.
But that was all. There was no stronger connection between the Allen Guild and the Association. No shared values, no business ties, nothing. The Allens didn’t even invest any money in the Association, only paying the dungeon acquisition costs and the regular Guild management fees. If one day supporting the Association was no longer the most beneficial for them, they would surely not hesitate to turn their backs on it.
All the secret organization had to do was show them that they were the better option, and the Allen Guild would join their cause. How would that be done, Lane didn’t know, but Blanc surely would be able to come up with something. There was no reason for the organization not to give it a try...
...Or at least, there wouldn’t have been, if it weren’t for the fact that its boss had a personal vendetta against the whole Allen family (minus Nyla, of course). A grudge so deep, that only total destruction could settle it.
The problem was, how could Lane explain it to Blanc without revealing his identity?
"Boss? Would you like me to draft a pla-"
"We can’t do that," Lane cut Blanc off, finally snapping out of the daze. "I... have a deal with someone powerful, who will never agree to cooperate with Allens. I can’t get into details, but trust me, it’s someone you don’t want to offend."
That person was, of course, Lane himself. There was also Diana, who would also be against letting the Allens off. And, while she was currently living in a secret dungeon, with her body damaged to the point where she could no longer be considered ’someone powerful’, Lane still cared a great deal about her thoughts.
She was the one who had saved him from the Allens, after all.
"...Is that so?" Blanc was not convinced. Honestly, it sounded like a flimsy excuse. He had been working closely under Lane for so long, yet he had never heard about his Boss having any secret deals. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Then again, he didn’t know much about his Boss at all, aside from the fact that he was an SS-rank Esper with multiple abilities, and that he was the one who provided all the initial funds for the development of the secret organization. The power came from simply winning the genetic lottery, so there wasn’t anything suspicious about that, but where did the money come from? Perhaps there was someone else behind the scenes, someone rich who was hostile to the Allen family. And the people who fit that profile...
"...I understand." After a moment of silence, Blanc finally dropped the topic. Although he still had questions, it wasn’t the right time for that. Pushing too far could only spark conflict between him and the Boss, and he was unlikely to get any clear answers anyway.
Lane could finally breathe out with relief.
"Good. Leave it to me, I’ll update you after I investigate him."
"Alright. Then, Boss, what about-"
"As for everything else, I’ll email you later." Without waiting for Blanc’s response, Lane quickly disconnected. The crisis might have been temporarily averted, but he still felt uneasy staying on call with his subordinate any longer than necessary.
Blanc was just too sharp. That was what made him useful, but at the same time, it made him dangerous. Who knew what he would be able to figure out based on a few careless words from Lane? Lane had made the call because the situation had been urgent, but with how messy and disturbed his state of mind was, continuing the conversation was pretty much bound to lead to a mistake or two on his part.
That being said, while he didn’t necessarily have to do it on the phone, he still had to respond to other issues Blanc had raised in his emails... As well as go through and respond to all of the other reports. Grumbling inwardly about the difficulties of being a boss of a secret organization, Lane plopped down in front of his laptop again, cracked open another can, and started scrolling through all the reports accumulated in his inbox...
...And, as it tended to happen when he was forced to do something so unbearably tedious, he eventually ended up dozing off on the coffee table, halfway through his work.
Ding dong!
When the sound of the doorbell woke him from his slumber, the room was already dark. Lane let out a yawn, rubbing his eyes, and reached for his phone to check the time. Just past 5 PM...
It took a moment before it registered. The fact that he had slept for a few hours was whatever, but the phone he had grabbed was his secret organization’s phone! His ’work’ laptop was also right in front of him. And he was in Damien’s apartment! Of course, neither the phone nor the laptop could be accessed without the password, but still!
Ding dong!
The doorbell rang again, more aggressively than before, causing Lane to flinch. In panic, he tossed all the evidence into his spatial bag...
...Hmm?
Only once it was out of sight, he paused, the realization finally hitting him.
The person outside was ringing the doorbell. So, obviously, they couldn’t be Damien. Damien could open the door with his fingerprints, so it’s not like he could have forgotten the keys.
Lane let out a chuckle, exhaling softly. He got nervous over nothing.
Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!
The person outside was starting to get impatient. Tousling his hair, Lane walked over to the front door to check the doorcam...
"How bothersome."
On the other side of the door, Clara and Samantha were waiting for him.
