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Chapter 663: Secret Duel (5)

For the act of reading the letter in front of Executor Ketu, he had chosen to receive a bond worth 50 billion.

That bond must have taken effect the moment Yeongwoo caused an incident in Pahalufe, becoming an actual 50 billion karma.

In other words, the promised money had already been received.

But.

‘There was nothing in the contract about handing over prisoners, right? So this counts as a new deal.’

Just as Yeongwoo was thinking this and looking up at the sky, a strange radiance emitted from the Earthship wrapped around the entire area.

Including Quiad, who had barely entered the return range.

KWA-AAAAAAT!

The beam that struck Yeongwoo, Quiad, and the hundreds of “bosses” swept them up into the air, leaving behind the still-fighting Grade 3 prisoners locked in a bloody battle.

“Uh—wait!”

At that moment, something flashed through Yeongwoo’s mind and he hurriedly turned around, but his vision had already been flooded with pure white.

And then.

Shiaaat!

His body felt briefly chilled, and the surrounding scenery changed to the inside of the helm.

In the blink of an eye, he had returned to the Earthship.

“…Damn.”

The helm looked no different from when they had left.

If there was one change, it was the prisoners now filling the helm.

The Grade 3 “presidents” had been replaced by Grade 4 “bosses.”

Of course, there was one being among them who still exuded overwhelming presence.

That was none other than Quiad, the Grade 3 entity whose identity remained shrouded in mystery.

—That was close.

Even though everyone was packed tightly together due to lack of space, not a single prisoner stood near Quiad, a Grade 3 being.

So.

Step.

The moment Quiad took a step toward Yeongwoo, it was only natural that the prisoners in that direction split apart to either side.

No one wanted to offend a Grade 3 being—especially one who had been imprisoned in Pahalufe.

—What happens now? Are you planning to contact Herisa?

Back in Pahalufe, Quiad had been the one asking about the next move, but now the situation was different.

After all, at this moment, the initiative lay with Yeongwoo, the holder of the debt claim and the master of the planetary ship.

So Yeongwoo looked out into space through the window and asked Quiad,

“No, more importantly… what about the presidents down there?”

Quiad tilted his head as if he didn’t understand the question.

—What do they have to do with you?

“If we just leave like this, won’t the remaining presidents all end up dying down there?”

The Grade 3 prisoners tangled up in the arena could serve as a kind of insurance that might prove useful someday.

And although they were extremely vicious individuals, they couldn’t harm the holder of the debt claim, so they weren’t much of a threat to Yeongwoo either.

But Quiad seemed unconcerned.

—Some may not avoid annihilation, but they will not fight until every last one of them dies.

“…Are you sure? It didn’t look like that at all earlier.”

—If you want survivors, move the planetary ship quickly.

According to Quiad, once they realized the planetary ship wasn’t waiting for them, the chaos would naturally subside.

No matter how battle-loving they were, even vicious criminals wouldn’t fight without meaning.

“But… wouldn’t they basically be stranded in the middle of nowhere? There isn’t even a single small ship left there.”

At that, Tiape, who had been listening quietly, raised a hand slightly and interrupted Yeongwoo.

—It seems you’ve already forgotten about us.

“Ah. You mean your ships will still be there.”

Moreover, they were even positioned opposite each other, making it convenient to board according to factions.

Then Quiad crossed his arms and added,

—Even if there were no ships, they would have found a way regardless.

“…Right… I guess I’m not really in a position to worry about the presidents.”

Still, it was certain that this incident had unnaturally reduced the number of high-level criminals.

‘If the Police Bureau finds out about this, they’ll be thrilled.’

As Yeongwoo stroked his chin, Mantero at the captain’s seat spoke while gripping the controls.

—Then shall we depart immediately? The propulsion can be activated at once.

“Yes. If us leaving quickly reduces the fighting among the presidents, then let’s do that.”

With Yeongwoo’s approval, the Earthship began to move toward the opposite side of the arena, and around then, Quiad spoke again.

—Have you received contact from Chancellor Herisa?

“You seem unusually impatient for someone like you.”

—I have many things to do, unlike you.

“What things? If not for me, you would’ve been stuck in Pahalufe for practically your entire life, right?”

At that, Quiad briefly shut his eyes tightly.

—I must exact bloody revenge on those who threw me into Pahalufe.

“Revenge…?”

Had he been betrayed by his comrades and imprisoned there?

‘Even someone at the level of a Grade 3 being still pursues something like revenge.’

Then again, hadn’t the former planetary ship master, Phaemong, only been able to retire after settling all his grudges?

The larger one’s scale, the harder it was to avoid getting entangled in various incidents in this universe.

“But does that revenge absolutely require Chancellor Herisa’s help? Aren’t you much stronger than her…?”

At that, Quiad opened his empty hand and said,

—Herisa possesses something necessary for my restoration.

“…By restoration, you mean.”

Did that imply he had authority to reclaim?

—I entrusted my divine artifact to Herisa in preparation for the possibility of being captured by the Police Bureau.

“Ah.”

Since Yeongwoo also possessed one, he immediately understood.

Like the Golden Nebula Decree, Quiad also had an item that proved his rights to something.

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“Then it’s certain the one Chancellor Herisa wanted rescued was you.”

—How much did you receive in return for infiltrating Pahalufe?

At Quiad’s question, Yeongwoo raised five fingers.

“Fifty billion.”

—Fifty billion to buy a planetary ship master… not a bad deal.

“No, I was basically scammed. I didn’t even know the destination was Pahalufe.”

—But in the end, you succeeded, didn’t you? Herisa made a good judgment.

But Yeongwoo couldn’t agree.

“I did well. And I did it inside Pahalufe.”

—That is also true.

Quiad nodded.

And around that time, Earth spoke again.

『Chancellor Herisa is requesting a communication link. It seems she wants to set a rendezvous point.』

Yeongwoo nodded and approved the connection.

“Yeah? Put her through. Let’s hear what she has to say.”

Soon, the front window of the helm glowed white, and then Herisa’s side of the transmission was displayed.

Piiit!

「Ah, Mr. Yeongwoo. You’re safe.」

The head of the Bate family, and a businesswoman who led numerous disguised relief organizations—Chancellor Herisa.

She looked exactly the same as when they had last met.

Graying hair, the face of a middle-aged woman carrying considerable presence.

And her overly pristine white uniform, along with the crystal prosthetic replacing her right hand, remained her signature.

“Yes, thanks to you, I almost wasn’t.”

Yeongwoo said with a deeply furrowed brow.

Instead of answering, Herisa slightly tilted her head and cautiously examined the inside of the Earthship’s helm.

「But… there are far more companions than expected.」

“In reality, there were even more than what you see. Far more survivors than you anticipated.”

「……?」

At that, Chancellor Herisa showed confusion for the first time.

「Does that include the bound prisoners as well?」

She was asking whether many of the Grade 3 prisoners had survived.

So Yeongwoo quickly nodded.

“Why? Were they the kind of people who shouldn’t have survived in such numbers, in your opinion?”

「…It seems Kaujo didn’t perform as well as expected.」

However, the real reason for the sharp increase in survival among the Grade 3 prisoners was none other than Yeongwoo—and Quiad pointed that out.

—Because you sent interest. In the security block, they used settlement calculations to supply weapons.

As Quiad walked forward, parting the prisoners, Herisa’s eyes widened.

「Quiad.」

—You said you paid 50 billion as an advance. Do you have the remaining balance prepared?

Quiad firmly defined the 50 billion as an “advance.”

This meant that since the impossible mission had been accomplished, additional compensation was required—and at the same time, it was an implicit warning not to make an enemy of the planetary ship master.

At that, Herisa stroked her chin with her iridescent prosthetic hand and spoke quietly.

「The remaining balance… we should discuss that now. But first, we need to decide on a rendezvous location.」

At that, Yeongwoo quickly raised a hand and cut in.

“Wait a moment. Before anything else, there’s something I’m curious about.”

「What is it?」

“I mean, you didn’t expect so many Grade 3 prisoners to be released, right? If that’s something you find this problematic, then why did you set this whole thing up in the first place?”

Was Quiad such a high-value individual that he could be traded for the balance of the universe?

Yeongwoo asked sincerely, and soon, a blunt answer came from Chancellor Herisa.

「Because he is human.」

“…What?”

「And not just that—a human who has reached Grade 3 status. Isn’t that alone enough reason to save him?」

Come to think of it, wasn’t the very reason Chancellor Herisa roamed the universe to meet various humans scattered throughout it?

「In the same vein, Mr. Yeongwoo, you are also extremely important to me. As far as I know, you are the only human in the universe who is also a planetary ship master.」

And now, he was also the holder of the debt claim for Quiad, a Grade 3 human.

「I will prepare sufficient remaining payment. In return, come to the location I designate. It’s impossible for us to locate a planetary ship.」

“A designated location? Where is that?”

「In the Soro Galaxy, there is a planet called Maden. It’s a place with a vast commercial district.」

“The Soro Galaxy’s… Maden?”

Naturally, it was a name Yeongwoo had never heard before.

At that, Quiad added,

—It is a planet I own. To be more precise, a planet I used to own.

Then he added one more very important detail.

—There, you will be able to meet other ‘Earthlings.’ Of course, it will also be their first time seeing a human who is a planetary ship master.

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