NOVEL NEXT Chapter 229
Chapter 229. The Peak of the Peak (3)
[Emergency Convocation of the Administrator Council.]
[Author: 1st Administrator Veritas]
[To discuss the appointment of a new administrator and internal conflicts within the Foundation.]
[All administrators must urgently convene and attend the Administrator Council in Geneva.]
[This meeting is mandatory. Administrators must attend, and absence without valid reason may result in penalties.]
Here we are in Switzerland.
At a hotel in Geneva.
I entered the hotel where the Administrator Council would be held, accompanied by Libertas. The security was beyond imagination—dozens of helicopters and hundreds of black-suited guards in sight.
A show of sincerity toward the Foundation, I suppose.
This is where I met Patreus last time. It’s said to be a non-combat zone for the Foundation, but how far that respect goes… I don’t know.
They said it was absolute, but…
All the remaining administrators of the Foundation gathered in one meeting room. Nine administrators who are still alive and free to move.
1st Administrator. Veritas.
“Everyone’s here.”
2nd Administrator. Libertas.
“Hello.”
3rd Administrator. Kim Bari.
“Greetings.”
Even without saying it, everyone knew the reason for today’s meeting was because of me. No one here was unaware.
When I introduced myself as the 3rd Administrator, all eyes turned to me.
The chair frowned as soon as he saw me. I looked back at Veritas.
“What’s the matter?”
“Where’s Iris?”
Ah, that’s why. I had promised to bring Iris to the Administrator Council, but since she refused to come, I had no reason to force her.
“She doesn’t usually attend meetings like this. I left her in Seoul.”
“I see…”
I shrugged, and the council chair had a resigned expression.
So, Administrator Iris really doesn’t attend meetings, huh.
4th Administrator. Chaos.
“Dr. Kim. Are we good now?”
If I could see behind Chaos’s black mask, I’d probably see an awkwardly smiling person. At least, that’s what I imagined.
I didn’t respond.
5th Administrator. Lethe.
“So, you’re the famous Dr. Kim?”
Lethe. The goddess of forgetfulness in Greek mythology. The waters of the River Lethe allow souls to completely forget their past lives.
I don’t know the connection, but I suspect it’s related to the massive amounts of Memory Erasure Agent the Foundation consumes.
6th Administrator. Fractal.
“This is quite the outcome.”
7th Administrator. Molotov.
“No hard feelings.”
This one was supposed to attack me alongside Raven, but it seems he got scared and ran away. I haven’t seen him, so I can’t be sure.
When I looked at him, Molotov flinched.
8th Administrator. Yustitia.
“Long time no see, Dr. Kim.”
The 8th Administrator waved. Yustitia was just as I remembered from Jeju Island—a pale man in a black long coat, paler than a corpse.
9th Administrator. Patreus.
“Hi. Long time no see.”
Patreus perked his ears and looked at me. The 9th Administrator is a cat with a bowtie. Just as I remembered.
I greeted this cat warmly. If all my coworkers were cats, work would be so much easier.
11th Administrator. Raven.
“Uh…”
Raven.
Last time, I beat him like a dog and threw him to a giant sea serpent, but I didn’t kill him. He might still be useful.
Raven was in the form of a giant bird. His face had a crow-like beak, and black wings stretched from his back.
Like a plague doctor’s mask.
The difference was that Raven wasn’t wearing a black mask—his face was that of a crow.
“Long time no see.”
The 11th Administrator nervously ruffled his feathers, as if looking for a chance to escape.
Well, that’s all in the past now. I have no intention of killing Raven at the moment. We’re sitting in the same Administrator Council, so what can I do?
The meeting room buzzed for a while. After some time, Veritas spoke.
“Alright. Let’s get to the point.”
The chair scratched his head.
“We’re stopping the fight with Dr. Kim and accepting him as an administrator. The Special Forces Team Leader, who’s too scared to fight Dr. Kim, can fully return to duty.”
A moment later, Molotov raised his hand.
“What about the fact that we were trying to kill each other?”
“That’s nothing new.”
A brief silence followed. It wasn’t uncommon for the fate of nations and the lives of the Special Forces to hang on the political battles among administrators.
The Special Forces Team Leader’s refusal to fight Dr. Kim wasn’t a coincidence either.
I solemnly nodded.
“Alright. Anyone who disagrees, speak now.”
Of course, no one opposed.
The chair of the Administrator Council, Veritas, nodded in agreement. The decision was made.
“Then, by unanimous decision of the Administrator Council, Dr. Kim is appointed as the 3rd Administrator.”
From now on, I’m the 3rd Administrator.
Some might wonder.
Is this how it’s done so casually?
The Administrator Council of the Foundation, the most powerful organization on Earth, resolves issues through displays of force and backroom deals?
The reason seems clear. The Administrator Council doesn’t need to care about anyone’s opinion.
For a nation, grand ceremonies might inspire trust, but the Foundation is different.
The identities of the administrators are secret, and even the existence of the headquarters is classified. The administrators have lived for decades without caring about anyone’s opinion. This is the result.
A testament to arrogance so profound it’s hard to fathom. At least for some of the administrators.
Still.
I’ve ultimately won and reached the pinnacle of the Foundation. There’s nowhere higher to go. Except for the chair, I’m the most powerful administrator.
For a moment, I imagined holding a victory parade in Seoul, receiving a crown and staff from someone. It’s not impossible.
The thought alone was amusing.
That’s why there’s no grand ceremony for appointing administrators. It’s all secret anyway, and they can wield immense power without the support of the masses.
The meeting quickly moved on to boring topics—how to recover from the damage, who should handle which tasks.
Who to assign.
Veritas sighed.
“Well… we’ll shift the blame for this incident to the Colorless Orchestra. Everyone uninvolved will be told that.”
I nodded.
I had expected it, but the long-standing mystery was solved. The Colorless Orchestra is a resistance group within the Foundation. At least nominally.
While the administrators chattered, I was lost in thought.
The Orchestra probably exists. The Foundation has hundreds of thousands of employees. It’s impossible for there not to be a resistance group within.
But in the end, even that resistance group is just a pawn in the Administrator Council’s chess game.
When unexpected problems arise, blame the Orchestra. When something needs to be hidden, blame the Orchestra. Even resistance works for the Foundation.
I didn’t voice that thought.
“Well, that aside.”
The chair looked around the council.
There was still something important to discuss.
“We need to find replacements for our lost colleagues. We need to send off the dead administrators and appoint new ones…”
The administrators exchanged glances.
“Are we not going to try to bring them back?”
Raven muttered softly.
There might be ways to resurrect the dead, or even supernatural phenomena. Veritas immediately pressed his temples upon hearing this.
“Honestly, I’m against it. I don’t want to risk repeating the civil war, nor do I want to trivialize the many deaths that occurred.”
I nodded. Absolutely correct.
Some administrators looked uncomfortable, but again, no one opposed.
“Then, the important matters are settled. The positions of the deceased will remain vacant for now. Deciding now would only cause more conflict.”
No wonder he’s the chair. Wise.
The meeting ended quicker than expected.
In truth, there was only one important agenda today—my promotion to administrator.
Since no one opposed my promotion, it passed unanimously. The other topics felt like afterthoughts.
I left the meeting room with the cat administrator in my arms, alongside Libertas. I’m not sure what to do with them, but…
Patreus looked around.
“Let’s eat.”
Sure, why not. I absentmindedly scratched behind the cat administrator’s ears.
That’s the problem with cat administrators. Patreus, being a cat, only eats fish. Dining with him limits the menu to sushi.
Looks like it’s sushi again today…