Vol 5 Chapter 2

'They said it was an underground organization, but their skills are quite impressive.'

While Kapros was thinking this, they seemed to have finished their initial observation of him and spoke first.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. First, I'd like to thank you for coming here. We are members of an organization that has been active in Bistale for many years. And I am the second vice-leader among them. I would appreciate your understanding that we cannot tell you our names due to our circumstances."

'Hmm.'

From his words, Kapros was able to gain quite a lot of information.

Firstly, from the mention of being active for "many years," he could confirm that they were all NPCs, and secondly, though it was rather obvious, that they were not a group doing particularly good deeds. Bistale had the image of a lawless city from the time when NPCs vastly outnumbered users, and if they had established their base there for many years, it was certain that they too had played a part in that lawlessness.

Seeing the masked man staring intently as if expecting an answer, Kapros slowly opened his mouth.

"I am Kapros, a traveler. I hear you showed interest 'in me'."

Speaking in a roundabout way wasn't something that suited his temperament, either now or in the past. But when necessary, it was only human nature to convey it properly.

According to what he had heard earlier, they had met Caesar before, and had sought him out after seeing Caesar fight with him, Kran, and Un-o. If they had followed them from Bistale, it would have been easier to make contact when all three of them were together, so why had they sought only him?

"You're wondering why we brought only you, when there were three of you fighting at the time, including your companions."

The masked man's eyes gleamed inside the mask as if finding it interesting, and he answered straightforwardly.

"That's right."

"The reason is simple. It's because of that man who fought you in the Colosseum."

"You mean... Caesar?"

'Even so, that doesn't explain why they wanted to bring only me.'

The masked man nodded leisurely.

"I see you already know his name, so our guess wasn't too far off. From our observation, you seemed to have the most connection to that man among the three of you. It would have been fine to politely invite all three of you, but that would have been too difficult for our organization members, so we ended up inviting only you. Although we are a problem-solving agency that takes on dangerous tasks, when it comes to internal matters, we prioritize safety above all else."

How could they be so confident that he seemed to have the most connection with Caesar? Noticing Kapros's silence due to his lack of understanding, the masked man made a sound like laughter and pointed to Kapros's chest.

"You're wondering why we think that. The expression on your face says so. Isn't that jeweled brooch you're wearing on your chest strikingly similar to the one that man had? To be honest, it looks so similar it could be part of the same jewel. That's why we thought there must be a deep connection."

'What...?'

For a moment, Kapros looked down at the Superior brooch, Aiagas, on his left chest, which was barely visible under his clothes, with a feeling of shock.

When on earth did they see this? And have they already seen Caesar's quest jewel, the Lord Piece, as well? Moreover, saying that those two are strikingly similar...

Even as he was surprised, the masked man continued speaking in a friendly manner.

"Well then, to help you understand, I should start from the beginning. It began not long ago, when that man came to our headquarters."

They explained that their organization had its largest headquarters in the underground of Bistale, and had established small branches all over the continent to handle various requests, but due to its secretive nature, there had been almost no direct visitors to the organization's headquarters until now.

But one day, a man came alone to the headquarters, wanting to talk with the entire organization. Following their rules, the organization first tested whether the man was qualified to have a conversation, and the man passed the test with the most ruthless methods, then revealed his purpose. The first person in the organization's history to pass the test. His name was Caesar.

Caesar made a proposal to the organization. As it was difficult to decide right away, the organization put it on hold and sent him away, but they started following him to learn more about the man who had earned the right to talk with the entire organization for the first time.

Surprisingly, Caesar soon suffered a major blow in what seemed like an impulsive fight in the Colosseum and disappeared. The organization then approached Kapros, who, according to them, "seemed to have the most connection" among those who had faced that strong opponent.

"...That's the situation, you could say."

After finishing the explanation, the masked man closed his mouth, adopting an attitude of waiting for Kapros to organize his thoughts. Kapros felt as if he had found part of Caesar's whereabouts here, after he had disappeared like a ghost for several days following his brief appearance in Bistale.

'So he came to Bistale to meet them... The most important thing is the proposal Caesar made to them, and although I don't know the exact details, I guess he probably said something like joining forces, just like in the video and at the Colosseum.'

At first, when he had only seen the video of Caesar inciting people in Zagreb, Kapros couldn't even begin to guess what he was trying to do, but now he felt he could somewhat predict the end of that incitement event. Caesar was currently gathering his forces. Quite diligently for someone acting on impulse.

Kapros looked over the people sitting in front of him. None of them gave off the impression of being weak enough to be easily defeated if he fought them.

While users' help could change, NPCs' help was often almost absolute. Kapros wondered if Caesar had been seeking out such NPCs.

"Hah..."

After exhaling softly, Kapros opened his mouth to confirm what these people wanted to hear from him by telling this story.