NOVEL NEXT Chapter 206
Episode 206. Non-Combat Zone Geneva (1)
[※ This document is for the Foundation’s Administrators and those who directly support them. If you do not have access permissions, do not read it. Or read it and die, I don’t really care either way. ※]
[The Enlightened Exhibition, the Throne of Omniscience, the All-Seeing Eye. I am Administrator Iris, the Third Administrator.]
[Yes. Hello. I woke up from a long sleep, and it’s a mess. Dr. Kim is hunting down the Administrators who tried to kill him, right?]
[Patreus and Libertas, who are on Dr. Kim’s side, are pouring oil on the fire.]
[But here’s the thing. I don’t understand why this is my responsibility. Is it my fault that the Foundation Headquarters’ precognition and remote viewing aren’t working?]
[I don’t get why I have to directly observe Dr. Kim and then use my observations to stir up the worst hound on Earth.]
[You know what they say. If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back. If I’m directly observing Dr. Kim, do you think he won’t notice that he’s being observed?]
[He will. The Zeroth Law of Magic.]
[All magic comes with a price. Observing a target without influencing it is impossible. It’s like Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, and it’s the same with magic.]
[I don’t have the confidence to survive being Dr. Kim’s enemy. I’m not sure if my facility’s defenses are stronger than Acacia’s or Pixel’s.]
[In conclusion. I don’t want to get involved in Dr. Kim’s affairs. The mess you made while I was gone, clean it up yourselves.]
[You understand, Chairman?]
[※ Joint Emergency Statement ※]
[※ NATO European Supernatural Warfare Command ※]
[※ Foundation European Director Council ※]
[※ Peacekeeping Force European Command ※]
[Dr. Kim is currently in Europe. Maintain the highest level of alert. Prepare plans to hide or destroy high-value assets.]
Come to think of it… I had a limitless credit card that Pobia lent me in my wallet.
“I’ll give you the card at the desk.”
[Yes.]
“Buy me a bulletproof car. An expensive one.”
[Uh…]
“I’ll tip generously.”
[Yes.]
“And hot chocolate.”
[Ah. I’ll bring it right away.]
It wasn’t just me coming. If the issue was that a high-level combat asset needed to stay near the Seoul Branch, I’d at least bring Paper.
Speaking of which, why did she, a Korean, choose the codename “Paper,” and why does she insist on being called by it?
It’s a bit weird.
Knock knock knock.
I walked to the hotel room door at the sound of knocking. Room service had arrived with coffee.
From the hotel’s top-floor lounge, Geneva stretched out below. Other buildings looked like matchboxes, and people looked like ants.
The Foundation’s buildings aren’t this tall. They’re designed with bombings in mind, so they tend not to exceed a certain height.
“Hey, Dr. Kim.”
I glanced at my wristwatch. I was about to joke about being late, but the cat Administrator appeared right on time, down to the second.
Like last time, a Foundation employee in a suit was carrying him.
“Hello.”
“You’re talking to me. Lower your gaze.”
“Ah, yes.”
The Foundation employee carrying Patreus just smiled slightly while lifting the cat Administrator. Must be a tough job.
Or maybe it’s easier if your boss is a cat? If you like cute things, it’s fine, but for some, it might be annoying.
“Walpurgis took two nuclear warheads just to catch you. Did you know that?”
“Both hit my facility.”
“You’re lucky to be alive.”
“Yeah.”
I was lucky.
“Just you being in Europe is causing chaos. They even convened the European Director Council. You’re here for Raven, right?”
I nodded.
“Got a plan to catch him?”
“I do.”
The more I talk about the plan, the more likely it is to be figured out. It’s not something I should be discussing openly.
I sipped my mojito.
It’s a bit lame to always drink non-alcoholic drinks, but there aren’t many situations where I feel safe enough to drink.
“What is it?”
“I have one. I’m not going to say it because it might get predicted.”
“Dr. Kim probably didn’t see that.”
“What didn’t he see?”
“The document Administrator Iris sent.”
“Ah, that one…”
I felt relieved.
I was worried about how to fight the All-Seeing Eye, but Administrator Iris said she has no intention of joining the Foundation’s civil war.
“But how can you trust that?”
“Administrators don’t lie.”
“Ah.”
“If Dr. Kim wants to be an Administrator, he shouldn’t lie either. I don’t lie either.”
I tilted my head. I’m not sure if that’s true. Do Administrators never lie? Or do they just rarely lie?
I nodded anyway.
“Why did Iris side with me?”
“It’s complicated.”
Patreus looked around.
“Administrator Iris is the pinnacle of the Foundation’s remote viewing abilities. But she’s closer to a corpse than a human, so she doesn’t like being awake. There might be personal reasons too.”
The current Administrator Council seems to have serious structural issues. Beings meant to protect humanity from the supernatural have become the ultimate supernatural entities themselves, detached from ordinary humans.
More importantly, the Administrators, when you look at them, are just a bunch of incompetent lunatics. It’s just endless patchwork, blame-shifting, and passing the bomb.
It’s a miracle the world is still in one piece.
The Chairman can’t control the situation or the Council members. I narrowed my eyes and looked at Patreus.
“Uh, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing. Let’s go for a drive.”
I just shook my head.
The car the hotel staff got me was a bulletproof Ferrari. I had some doubts about the bulletproofing, but I’ll take what I can get.
If you ask them to get something within two hours, even getting an electric bike would be a hassle. Even with no spending limit.
I started the car and placed my hands on the wheel. Patreus was sitting in the passenger seat. It looked a bit ridiculous.
“What a waste of money.”
“It’s not my money. Not the Foundation’s either.”
“Whose is it?”
“Pobia. An operator at Pluto Limited Company.”
“Hmm. Pluto. You should be careful accepting strange gifts from those guys.”
“It wasn’t strange. It’s a real credit card.”
We quickly left the hotel parking lot.
“Should’ve gone with a convertible.”
“Ever heard of Kennedy?”
Kennedy got his head blown off in a convertible. Personally, I almost got hit by a missile while driving a convertible on Jeju Island.
If you want to live long, you have to give up some romance. At least in dangerous areas.
“Kennedy… Well, if you’re worried about assassination…”
I’m not sure how much I can trust this “no civil war zone.” Even if I respect it, will my enemies do the same?
It’s hard to trust.
“Let’s get to the point.”
“What is it?”
“I plan to kill Administrator Raven here. If I kill Raven, I can propose and pass a motion to stop my purge, and the Foundation’s civil war will end.”
“I thought you were going to kill them all.”
“Honestly, killing everyone would be easier, but I’m thinking of stopping at a reasonable point. If the conditions are right.”
“Fair enough.”
Patreus started grooming himself. Like he was a real cat.
“Speak.”
“Raven is a mage. If Raven is hiding, it’s deep in Scandinavia. Or if he’s causing trouble somewhere, Raven might come out himself.”
“Is he strong?”
“There’s a hidden country in Scandinavia. Thule Island. It was originally occupied by hostile groups, but the Foundation completely took it over during the 6th Supernatural War.”
What’s this now?
I pulled the car over to the side and turned to Patreus. The cat Administrator tilted his head.
“What’s the 6th Supernatural War?”
“Thule Island is Raven’s stronghold. I don’t know if the Administrator is there, but if you hit it, Raven won’t be able to ignore you.”
The 6th Supernatural War.
It seems to refer to a series of events around World War II. Thule must be related to the Thule Society.
I’m really curious about what the 6th Supernatural War is. I licked my lips. Patreus seemed uncomfortable under my gaze.
“I’ve been really curious. How far do the Administrators remember? What is the 6th Supernatural War?”
“Hard to say. I’ve been with the Foundation for about a hundred years. The 6th Supernatural War is the most recent major war we remember.”
The Foundation’s past, present, and future.
I sighed.
“Well… Let’s go back to the hotel and rest. I want to hear more about the past. We’ll have to fight soon anyway.”
Let’s order some room service and eat.