Borrowing Max - 6

“It is much earlier than expected, but the tie formed by Enri Crimsonhowl and Layton Steiger will soon be severed.”

“!”

“Is this not the result you expected as well?”

“I did expect it to some extent… but are you erasing the Steiger Family?”

They had pulled foolish tricks behind their backs, and there was even evidence.

If Crimson Howl made up its mind, punishment would be unavoidable.

“Aside from the evidence you submitted, there are mountains of data showing Steiger’s double-dealing. Still, your video, with its vivid realism, was better than documents.”

“…”

Aizen placed his fishing rod on the stand and addressed the speechless Max.

“The crime of insulting a Magic Noble Family is heavy. And the Temporary Clan Head of a Magic Noble Family has a Responsibility to listen to the opinions voiced by the Direct Line of the Family.”

This meant that cutting ties with and disposing of Steiger was not Aizen’s arbitrary decision, but a voice emerging from within Crimson Howl.

He was certain that at this rate, Steiger would be burned to the ground and disappear overnight. It was an outcome Max hadn’t seen Before Regression.

“Could I hear what kind of choice you are giving me?”

“I want you to become the master of Steiger. Then, Public opinion will emerge from within, urging a wait-and-see approach.”

“Me, as the Family Head…?”

“The Direct Line, having faced Steiger’s audacious double-dealing through the video, are raising their voices to burn them down immediately, but I am in a position where I must simultaneously pursue the profits of the Family and the Corporation.”

Of course, preserving the honor of a Noble Family was like an iron rule, but he was implying there was no better optics than this.

Max did not hold back his curiosity.

“I would like to know the reason why Crimson Howl formed a tie and created a link with Steiger.”

It was a story he might not hear for a long time, perhaps for the rest of his life, if not now.

Aizen considered Max’s question reasonable.

“I should explain the core reason for this unfortunate result and make you understand. The conversation we’re about to have is because you have stood on this side as the Next Family Head of Steiger and a Mercenary of the Association.”

The word “this side” that Aizen mentioned clearly meant taking a side.

When Max nodded without denying it, the following words continued.

“In terms of the request, Steiger might be important to you, but looking at the whole, they are just an insignificant fragment. Is there not another group that comes to mind?”

When Max fell silent for a moment, Aizen waited leisurely while looking at the rippling Reservoir.

Max muttered a perfect answer in return for the wait.

“…Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals.”

“Right. That is it.”

Aizen continued his questioning with a satisfied smile at Max’s answer.

“Max. You know that Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals was established by persons from a city other than Haze, right?”

“Yes. I know. I heard it was created by the powerful figures of Newman gathering capital.”

Newman was the only city-state among many that had a size comparable to Haze.

However, an absurdly vast Wasteland existed between Haze and Newman, so direct exchange was rare.

Nomad groups lived in the Wasteland that hindered exchange. There was also a Junk Town created by Criminal Factions like Wraith, Vulture, and Family.

Among them, the Criminal Factions were classified as headaches that attacked the transport vehicles of a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise or civilian vehicles moving between cities, but they shrewdly never touched the property of a MegaCorp.

Thanks to this, in the case of Vector Mobility’s trains where safety was guaranteed, ticket prices were soaring day by day.

“Why do you think those who are busy vying and competing with each other even within Newman would crawl all the way to this distant Haze to establish a Pharmaceutical Company and invest astronomical capital?”

“If approached normally, I would think the purpose is to secure a larger market through long-term investment. But… looking back on the requests I have experienced so far, I have an aversion to approaching it with such a noble conclusion.”

“Just as you said. It is by no means a normal reason. Our position is not that we have the petty intention of trying to push out a Competing Company simply because they rolled in from the outside.”

“Considering the nature of Haze, that reason is also fully understandable, though.”

“Haha! Of course, perhaps that endless greed is the true symbol of Haze Corporations. But that is nothing more than a very trivial matter in the current situation.”

A bird fluttered and crossed the Reservoir.

Aizen watched the bird fly away and shared the information.

“First of all, Haze’s market structure is such that even if a Corporation pushes in from the outside, it is close to impossible to push out a long-established Corporation and secure market share.”

“That seems likely.”

“Of course, if capital overflows, it is not like there is no way. Because there are many families and corporations in Haze that covet positions beyond their abilities.”

Looking at the situation, it was obvious who he was talking about.

“…I will understand it as an entity like Steiger, who wants to push out Esra and rise to a Magic Noble Family.”

“As you said, the first one Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals joined hands with upon its establishment was Steiger.”

It was a story Max had also expected. Even so, he could not avoid his heart sinking.

“Did you create a link with Steiger to keep an eye on them?”

“Layton Steiger approached Enri, who had lost her husband, under the orders of Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals, but there was no need for Crimson Howl to specifically act as a watcher. However, Enri voluntarily seized that opportunity. As a father, I tried to stop her, but she wanted to prove her worth to the Family for the sake of Flora, who is still an Academy Cadet.”

“…”

“Perhaps the fact that her father is the Temporary Clan Head presented a suffocating pressure to my child in some ways.”

Aizen smiled bitterly.

Regret also seemed to flash in his eyes.

“Max. Have you met Enri recently?”

“I have continued to receive side dishes through Flora, but our only meeting was at the Hotel.”

“She will probably find it hard to show her face due to guilt, so there is no need to force a visit. Enri knows your circumstances well.”

As the atmosphere strangely sank, Aizen cleared his throat, suggesting they return to the main point.

“Anyway, Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals will also be viewing Steiger as a discarded card. They would not have made the complacent assumption that they would not be caught. They probably thought it would be enough if they gathered even small information about the movements of the Magic Noble Family or Genesis Bio. They also serve as a military force.”

“…I understand.”

Steiger must have been promised to push out Esra and rise to a Magic Noble Family in exchange for their life-risking double-dealing.

This was an obvious story that could be confirmed without even looking at the data. It was just a situation where Steiger acted foolishly out of greed. They were fools, intoxicated and unaware they were being used by both sides.

“And this side uses the connection to Steiger to gain an opportunity and justification to confront Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals at the necessary moment. That was the point.”

However, there was a matter of pride to continuously endure the image of a Magic Noble Family being deceived.

Even if it was a betrayal that Enri voluntarily stepped forward to accept, an unforgivable act ending as mere words on a document and being exposed through a vivid video filmed by Max were entirely different matters.

As Steiger’s presumptuous behavior spread widely within the Family, voices began to rise, asking how long they would endure the shame.

“The problem is that even though Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals has co-opted many families besides Steiger, they are not striving to increase their market share but are requesting a focus on the supply and demand of materials.”

Aizen directly mentioned things like the White Rampage that Ghost Logic possessed, and the brains and hearts hidden in the District 41 Harbor.

“Max. I will briefly summarize their usage for you. Newman considers Haze to be a massive Experimentation Site.”

“What kind of experiment is it?”

“The powerful figures of Newman have made many attempts to achieve immortality.”

“Pardon?”

As Max’s face turned blank at the word immortality.

Aizen burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha!!! Your expression is priceless. Was it too out of the blue?”

“…I apologize.”

“There is nothing to apologize for. I would have been the same if I were in your position. Even so, I thought that explaining endlessly, such as how storing a brain addicted to the WR-09 component of White Rampage in Bio Gel is the first step, would not help in understanding the keyword 'immortality'.”

“It is certainly as you say.”

“To continue the explanation, it is said that there is an ancient book in Newman containing Immortality Magic. This has a particularly deep history.”

“…Can Immortality Magic exist?”

Max, who was asking the question, also knew. The world of magic was infinite.

If there really was a High-tier Mage with a magical focus solely on survival, the thought of 'perhaps?' came to mind.

“We still do not know if it is truly magic that grants immortality. However, it is certain that it is High-Tier Magic whose authenticity has not even been verified.”

“…”

“And the current problem for Haze is that despite the existence of highly skilled mages in Newman, they have not been able to manifest the magic written in that ancient book even after hundreds of years have passed.”

“Saying that the problem connects to Haze is taken to mean that related experiments are being conducted here. But why are they gathering brains and hearts?”

The bobber thrown into the Reservoir shook.

However, Aizen did not grab the fishing rod and focused on his explanation with a serious voice.

“A Tier of Magic that existing mages have not been able to reach. They intend to create a lifeform in Haze capable of using it. Based on the circumstances gathered so far, it is certain.”

“I cannot understand. Why Haze and not their own city?”

“Let us assume the experiment succeeds and an Artificial God is born. Even if they made many preparations, do you think such a being would obediently listen?”

“…That seems unlikely.”

“That is why they made Haze their Experimentation Site. If a being with aggressive tendencies is born, it will become a Wasteland. They probably want to secure at least enough time to prepare, even if Haze is destroyed.”

Even this was an assumption.

No one knew what kind of lifeform would be born.

And Max inevitably recalled the time Before Regression.

“Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals continuously gathered Lower District citizens under the guise of a Clinical Trial. At that time, the Lower District citizens were addicted to Gaia Food… If the earlier mention that preparing a brain addicted to a specific component of White Rampage is the first step is not a lie, was it ultimately an action related to this experiment?”

Because they recruited so quietly, he thought they were doing something like New Drug Development aimed at Genesis Bio.

Given the circumstances, it seemed it was not such a peaceful act.

In addition to this, he might have died the moment he mentioned resigning because he knew information that could lead to speculation. Though the biggest reason was probably because he had no Background.

“Anyway, we must view it as them conducting a dangerous experiment with the possibility of destroying Haze. Hiding somewhere in Haze, not their own city of Newman.”

“I have a question.”

“Hmm, speak.”

“It is hard to understand why Haze’s MegaCorps are not responding despite grasping that fact. Is it simply because they do not know the location of the Experimentation Site?”

It might work out well and there could be no Impact. But depending on the situation, there was a possibility the city could disappear.

As the divergences from the timeline Before Regression were overlapping, it was certainly a sensitive issue that needed to be dealt with quickly.

Aizen made Max, who was continuing such thoughts, understand with a simple answer.

“It is an obvious story. If immortality exists, the powerful figures of Newman are not the only ones who want to partake in its benefits.”