Chapter 152: Return [4]

Although the Section Chief did say that he had quite the mess to clean up, it took him no longer than an hour for him to come back, patting his hands as though he had done some trivial work.

I raised my head and looked at him.

"You’re done?"

"...More or less. There were a few... troublesome things that I needed to take care of and check out, but I’m fine now. Are you done? We should go back."

"Oh."

I slid my laptop back in my bag and stood up. I couldn’t wait to go back to the Guild. While this trip had been short, it practically took the life out of me. Pausing, I looked back at the Section Chief as I thought of something.

"What?"

"We can just leave like that? We don’t have to wait for those from the Guild to come?"

"Those from the Guild?"

The Section Chief looked confused at first, but then, as if understanding the situation, he dismissively waved his hand.

"Ah, that... Right, yeah."

"....?"

What does that even mean?

Wait...

Seeing his expression, my stomach flipped.

Don’t tell me he forgot to call them?

Thankfully, that didn’t appear to be the case as he answered shortly after, his expression a little annoyed.

"This place falls outside our jurisdiction, so even if I wanted to step in, I couldn’t. All I can do now is quietly report it to the Guild and Bureau and wait for them to act. Not that it matters much, I’ve already handled the most critical parts and uncovered a few key clues I’ve been chasing for a while."

Important clues...? I was somewhat curious as to what he found out, but didn’t pry and remained silent. I knew that asking would probably lead to nowhere. In that sense, it was just best to remain quiet.

’With that being said, it’s best to tell him about the cult and everything that I know about them.’

I think it was safe for me to say this to him.

While I was going to leave Mirelle out of this, I could lie about a few other things in order to explain a few of the things that I knew. I believed that this was the best approach since the cult was rather massive, and it was probably going to be impossible for me to deal with them.

’Taking into consideration how the quests are going, I am inclined to believe that the system is trying to pit me against them.’

Whatever the case, I was now entangled in the situation. It made the most sense to work with the Guild and try to learn more about them. Maybe the Guild already knew something, maybe they could provide information I hadn’t uncovered yet.

"Hmm, I think we’ve overstayed our stay. It is time for us to go."

As the Section Chief turned his wrist and checked his watch, he looked at me.

"I can see that you seem to have a few things to say to me, but now is not the best of times. Let’s go back on the private jet before we discuss the situation."

"Ok... eh?"

Wait, did he just say private jet?

"Oh? Judging from your expression, you don’t seem to be aware of the fact that we’re in possession of a private jet? Thinking about it, you could’ve probably have used it if you had just asked."

The Section Chief cackled, leaving me at a complete loss. Wait, I could also use the private jet?

’No, although the Guild might be rich, there’s no way that they can just give out a private jet to just anyone. I’m sure he’s just messing with me.’

One look at his face, at that expression, and I felt even more certain. I clicked my tongue quietly, but said nothing. Regardless, we both made our way back to the airport. I was a little on edge during the trip, but with the Section Chief by my side, everything went smoothly. Before long, we were boarding the private jet.

"It’s nice, isn’t it?"

Taking a seat in the leather seat and feeling the warmth of the seat, I didn’t know what to say. This was the first time I had ever experienced such luxury in my life. It once again reaffirmed my thoughts about getting rich.

’So long as my next game does well, I should be able to live much better.’

After everything I’d just experienced, I felt more certain than ever about my upcoming game. The mechanics were solid, and the storyline was almost ready. Now, all that was left was to integrate the story into the game itself. Once that was done, it’d be ready for launch.

’I’d say... give or take two weeks. Two weeks of pure work and I’ll be able to launch the second game.’

Lost in thought, I didn’t realize that the jet had already started to make its way around the runway. It was only when the jet started to speed up that I realized that it was about to depart, and as soon as that happened, the Section Chief turned his attention back towards me, his expression rather serious.

"We’re about to leave the airport. It’s just the two of us right now. Tell me exactly what you found, and how you managed to get yourself in this situation."

"....."

Noticing the Section Chief’s expression, I sat in silence for a brief moment before letting out a sigh. It was clear there was no need to worry about prying eyes or ears, so I began to tell him everything I knew.

I explained how I’d come to this place to investigate the origins of the Twisted Man, hoping it would help shape my game. I told him about the old woman’s house, the photographs I’d found, showing him in the process, and how I eventually discovered the crack near the train station. Finally, I shared my growing suspicion that the city might be under the influence of the cult, at least to some degree.

I even added a little bit of extra detail that I knew about the cult from my previous exploration.

It took about twenty minutes for me to tell the Section Chief everything, and by the time that I was done, he sat in silence with his brows furrowed.

Looking at him, he didn’t look surprised.

Rather...

I even heard him mumble things like,

’So the situation has advanced to this extent?’

He looked to be aware of exactly what I was talking about. This didn’t come off as a surprise to me. If I knew about the cult, I was sure that the Guild was also aware of them.

I was just about to open my mouth to ask about them when...

Ding!

I received a sudden notification, causing me to stop abruptly.

Blinking my eyes, I stared at the notification that appeared before me as my heart skipped a beat.

’The que—’

I didn’t even get the chance to rejoice about the notification when I suddenly received another one.

Ding!

I froze on the spot, my mind pausing for a moment as I stared at the second window that suddenly appeared before my very eyes.

"Oh."

Staring at the second window, I unconsciously let out a sound.

This...

It was rather unexpected.

Instead of completing one quest, I... had completed two.

’I’ve struck it rich.’