Chapter 47
The executive office on the top floor of Seraph Industries.
Edrian Arclight was skimming through the reports floating above his desk.
They were all troublesome enough that they required no further explanation.
“Haa….”
When Edrian pushed one of the reports aside with his fingertips, Elena Weiss, standing in front of him, checked the next item on his schedule.
“The next one is an unofficial small-scale social gathering hosted by Archeon Holdings…. What would you like to do?”
At her words, Edrian raised his eyes indifferently.
“An Archeon social gathering?”
“Yes. People from the Valenkroft family and several White Society representatives will be attending. It is not an official meeting, but rather a schedule of informal contact before and after the new technology presentation.”
He immediately lost interest.
“Decline it.”
Elena dipped her head slightly, as though she had expected that answer.
“I’ll respond that we will not be attending.”
“There’s no reason to go out of our way to attend such a gathering. They probably didn’t send it expecting us to come anyway. They merely distributed the invitations ‘as a courtesy.’”
That was generally how social gatherings between major corporations worked.
Edrian had experienced enough of such events when he was young, and now he had no desire to attend personally and waste his time.
Especially when the host was Archeon Holdings.
And yet, strangely, Elena did not immediately withdraw and instead let her words trail off.
“Uh… But, sir.”
Edrian raised his head.
“What is it?”
She was choosing her words with an unusual degree of hesitation, unlike her usual self as chief of his secretarial office.
That alone was enough to revive some of Edrian’s interest.
“According to the information we acquired, Rea Valenkroft….”
“She?”
“They say she will be bringing a man with her to this social gathering.”
Edrian paused for a moment, then gave a small laugh.
“Hahaha.”
There was a hint of genuine surprise in his laughter.
“A man? It seems that workaholic vixen has finally discovered love.”
Rea Valenkroft.
Even in Edrian’s eyes, she was no ordinary person.
She was cold and calculating, and seemed to have no interest in anything besides work.
And yet a woman like that was bringing a man with her.
The corporate social circles would be buzzing about it for several days.
Edrian stopped laughing and asked,
“Is this because of the marriage proposals from the Valenkroft family?”
“That possibility is highly likely. We recently received information that the family was trying to introduce candidates to Ms. Rea Valenkroft as potential sons-in-law.”
“Then that man will be a shield.”
“That is how it appears. But….”
Elena fell silent for a moment.
Edrian narrowed his eyes.
“But?”
Elena checked her panel once, then cautiously continued.
“The person in question is… Mr. Kael.”
Edrian flinched and looked at Elena.
“…What?”
And almost simultaneously, the same sound burst out from behind the door.
“What?!”
Edrian and Elena’s gazes turned toward the door at the same time.
When the door opened very slowly, Lin Arclight was standing behind it.
Edrian looked at her for a moment before asking,
“Lin.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“What were you doing there?”
Lin hesitated very briefly, then smiled brightly.
“I just happened to be passing by and overheard you.”
Edrian looked at the drink cup she was holding.
His granddaughter had happened to be passing by, carrying a drink, and stopped right outside the office door.
“…I see.”
Edrian did not bother pressing her any further.
Perhaps taking that answer as permission, Lin immediately entered the room.
“Kael is going to a social gathering with Rea Valenkroft?”
At her innocent question, Elena quietly looked away, while Edrian pressed his fingers against his temple.
“The information has not been confirmed yet.”
“You just said the person in question was Kael.”
“I said it hasn’t been confirmed yet….”
“Then it’s practically certain. Information from you is rarely wrong, Ms. Elena. Isn’t that right, Ms. Elena?”
Elena quietly supported Edrian’s statement.
“…It is not as though I have never been wrong.”
Lin quickly replied as she looked at her.
“But it sounds like you’re right this time.”
When Elena could not come up with an answer, Edrian let out a small sigh.
“Lin.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you so surprised?”
Lin kept her mouth shut for a moment, then immediately answered.
“Because… Kael is going to a social gathering.”
“Kael is a full citizen and a freelancer now. He can accept someone’s commission to accompany them to a social gathering.”
“But it just happens to be Rea Valenkroft. And you said she was bringing only one man. At a gathering like that, a male companion usually isn’t just a male companion.”
….”
Edrian looked at Lin’s expression.
Her face was slightly flushed, but she showed no sign of intending to stop talking.
He spoke slowly.
“Lin. You’re not about to say that you want to go to that social gathering, are you?”
At Edrian’s words, Lin raised her head as though she had been waiting for him to ask.
“I want to go.”
His eyes widened.
“What did you say?”
“I want to go too. To the social gathering.”
Edrian was speechless for a moment.
The granddaughter he knew, Lin Arclight, truly hated social gatherings.
She had received etiquette training from a young age, but she found such events suffocating.
They were masquerades governed entirely by calculations and practical interests, where people pretended to praise one another while disparaging each other behind their backs.
She knew it was necessary to learn how to navigate such things, but attending them was unpleasant in itself.
That was why, whenever Edrian had suggested that Lin accompany him to a social gathering, she had avoided it with all kinds of excuses.
And yet that same granddaughter was now volunteering to go.
Edrian looked her over carefully.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to attend social gatherings? Why the sudden change?”
Lin avoided his eyes and began fidgeting restlessly.
….”
Her appearance alone was practically an answer, but she seemed determined to come up with an excuse somehow.
“It’s just… I’ve never properly attended one before.”
“Never?”
“Well, I’ve gone a few times, but… I never really experienced one properly.”
At his granddaughter’s words, Edrian awkwardly stroked his chin.
“…And?”
“I thought I should start gaining experience now.”
Edrian looked at her quietly.
“You want to attend an unofficial small-scale social gathering hosted by Archeon Holdings to gain social experience?”
“Yes.”
“That exact social gathering where we just received information that Kael will be accompanying Rea Valenkroft?”
“…It’s a coincidence.”
“I see.”
Edrian nodded.
“I suppose it is.”
At his words, Lin pressed her lips together slightly.
Elena maintained her blank expression, but her eyes dipped downward for the briefest moment.
She might have been suppressing a laugh.
Edrian did not press his granddaughter any further.
What Lin said did make a certain amount of sense, and even if he tried to stop her, she was the sort of child who would cling to the matter until the very end.
“Very well.”
Lin’s face brightened at Edrian’s words.
“Really?”
“However, there are a few conditions.”
“Yes. Anything.”
“First. Do not recklessly run over to Kael at the gathering.”
When Lin did not answer immediately, Edrian looked at her with a somewhat serious expression.
Lin reluctantly nodded.
“…Yes.”
“Second. Do not reveal your feelings in front of Rea Valenkroft.”
“I’m not that emotional.”
When neither of them reacted, the tips of Lin’s ears turned slightly red.
“I understand.”
“Third. No matter what the people from Archeon or the Valenkroft family say, do not respond off the cuff. Look to me instead.”
“Even if they badmouth Kael?”
“Especially then.”
Lin looked displeased, but soon nodded.
“Yes.”
“Fourth. This is not a place to go for fun. There will likely be people connected to the White Society, and Rea’s reason for bringing Kael will not be simple either. If you are going, you must act as a member of the Arclight family.”
Lin’s expression grew somewhat serious at his words.
“I know.”
Edrian looked at her for a moment.
Lin was still young, and having been raised too exclusively within a cage, she knew nothing beyond what she had been taught.
But what about now?
The events of the several days she had spent away from the underground levels.
The experience had not been pleasant, but it had gradually changed Lin. That was why she needed to be exposed to even more varied and plentiful experiences if she was to grow.
In the end, Edrian nodded.
“Then let’s make the preparations.”
Lin nodded vigorously.
“Yes!”
After finishing, Edrian looked at the terminal on his desk.
The fastest way would be to message Kael and confirm it.
With that thought, he picked up the terminal and opened the message window.
[Mr. Kael.]
He paused for a moment.
His finger, which had been about to continue the sentence, remained suspended over the screen.
Even if he asked Kael directly, the answer he received would probably be of little help.
And above all, this was not something that could be confirmed simply by asking him.
Why Rea Valenkroft was taking Kael in particular.
That was something they would only learn by going there themselves.
Edrian deleted the message.
He looked toward Elena, who was already preparing to adjust his schedule, and spoke.
“Elena.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Send Archeon Holdings our acceptance. Tell them Lin and I will be attending together.”
“Understood.”
“And prepare for our departure.”
Elena bowed her head.
“I’ll make the preparations immediately.”
***
The morning of the event.
Kael was sitting at the desk in his office.
The Vesper V-9C lay disassembled on the desk.
He wiped each component with a dry cloth, then reassembled it.
Click.
The brief sound of the final component locking into place rang out.
Kael checked the magazine.
He had plenty of ammunition, along with several spare magazines, a dagger, and a few smoke grenades.
….
Inside his coat was the shielding case.
Inside it was the small sphere he had removed from Raul’s ACU.
He considered for a moment whether to bring it, but ultimately decided to leave it behind.
This was a gathering involving the White Society and Archeon.
Bringing an unknown object into an unknown place would be an unnecessary risk.
Just then, light footsteps sounded outside the door.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of someone knocking, Kael raised his head.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Rea Valenkroft entered.
She had no armed escort.
There was no sign of anyone outside the door, at the bottom of the stairs, or in the hallway.
Even so, Rea entered the office as though she had simply come out for a walk alone.
“Are you ready?”
Kael slipped the assembled pistol inside his waistband.
“Yes. I’ve prepared everything needed for the job.”
At that, Rea looked at him for a moment, then let out a small sigh.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what?”
Rea smiled brightly.
“I meant, are you ready to escort a lady?”
When Kael looked at her without saying anything, Rea lightly placed one hand on her hip.
“Normally, this is where you’re supposed to say something like, ‘You look beautiful today,’ or, ‘It is an honor to escort you.’”
“…Is that necessary?”
“It is. Today, you’re my potential lover.”
Rea slowly approached and stopped in front of the desk.
“You should think of the place we’re going as somewhere where every expression and gesture we make will be scanned. The way you look at me, the distance between us, whether we always move together. Those little things.”
Kael thought for a moment, then sighed.
“The social gatherings here seem just as uncomfortable as the ones I used to attend.”
“The ones you used to attend…. I don’t know when or where you mean, but social gatherings are probably the same everywhere.”
Rea lightly shrugged.
“So you need practice.”
“I don’t.”
“That answer just cost you points too.”
Rea said it with a laugh.
“You lost points as a potential lover.”
Kael did not reply.
He organized the remaining equipment on the workbench and put some of it in the storage cabinet beside the door.
Rea gazed at him silently.
“You really don’t seem bothered at all.”
“By what?”
“By having to pretend to be my lover for a day.”
“It’s an escort commission.”
“Right. An escort commission.”
Rea laughed as though she found it amusing.
“Thinking of it that way must be more comfortable for you.”
Kael put on his coat.
He checked the position where the pistol was concealed inside it, then touched the dagger inside his sleeve.
His movements were not obstructed.
That was enough for now.
Rea looked at his coat and narrowed her eyes.
“Wait. You’re planning to wear that?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Of course there is. Did you forget where we’re going? It’s a social gathering. We’re not going there to shoot guns. Besides, dressed like that, you won’t even be allowed inside, let alone be able to pretend to be my lover.”
Rea lightly operated her terminal with one finger.
“You can change your clothes in the car. I prepared them in advance.”
“I said it wasn’t necessary.”
“It is necessary.”
“If they impede my movements, it will be difficult to escort you.”
“I chose something you can move in. Just in case, I even considered the possibility that you might have to run or roll across the middle of the social hall.”
At Kael’s silence, Rea smiled in satisfaction.
“I had a car prepared outside. Let’s go.”
She started toward the door, then stopped and turned around.
“Oh, and for your information, I’ll be sitting in the passenger seat. You’ll be driving.”
Kael looked puzzled.
“There’s a self-driving AI. Why would I need to drive?”
Rea’s eyes gleamed as though she had been waiting for him to say that.
“Because you’re my escort.”
“I don’t even know how to drive in the first place.”
After a brief silence, Rea looked at him, then finally burst out laughing.
“Hah!”
Her laughter echoed through the office.
“Points deducted! Points deducted!”
When Rea stopped laughing, she opened the door.
“The AI will drive. You just need to sit beside me and open the door when I get out.”
“That’s possible.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Kael did not answer.
When they stepped outside, a black car was parked at the mouth of the alley.
An Archeon emblem was engraved on it so small that it was barely visible.
But what was strange was that there was no one around it.
There were no other escort vehicles, and no drones were visible either.
Kael stopped.
“Where’s the rest of the escort?”
Rea turned around in front of the car door.
“There isn’t any.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”