Chapter 802: Unexpected Proposal [1]

I opened my mouth, one hand pressing against the mattress as I started to get up.

"Sit."

I sat back down.

"....."

I didn’t even know why I just sat down.

But I just did.

Now I wanted to stand up, but my legs refused to listen to me.

There was something about the pressure coming from him that made it difficult to refuse. Even with the glass between us, I found myself straightening a little as he approached the chair.

He wore a dark blazer, with a hat that he removed before sitting down. A walking stick rested in his other hand.

Placing its tip against the floor, he settled both hands over the knob and looked at me.

"I know you must be busy."

His voice was warm, yet it carried a certain authority to it that made it hard for me to speak.

"For that reason, I’ll make this short."

Actually, there’s no need.

I had quite a lot of time.

A month or two, apparently.

But I didn’t say that.

"There’s a sponsorship agreement between you and Obsidian Bastion. We’ve invested a considerable amount of money, and with you out of commission, that investment becomes rather difficult to justify."

My attention stopped on him.

Money.

Of course.

I slowly lowered my gaze.

Was he here to ask for it back?

I already owed Kyle and Zoey several million. Adding the Guild Master of Obsidian Bastion to the list wasn’t something I was particularly keen on doing.

Especially since he had come all the way here himself.

That suggested he was rather serious about it.

"...So..."

"Then you should understand why I think it would be best for you to leave."

"...Ah?"

I lifted my head.

The Guild Master’s expression hadn’t changed.

Leave?

"I can have the arrangements completed today."

"....."

I looked towards the door before returning my attention to him.

"This old man may be getting on in years, but I still have enough influence to speak with the Bureau. Of course, there will be restrictions."

I stared at him.

For a moment, I wasn’t quite sure what to say.

I had been told that there was no way for me to leave this place for at least a long time. In fact, there was no definitive time frame for that. But now he was telling me I could leave today?

Today...?

That sounded rather good.

A little too good.

My fingers slowly curled against the mattress.

’Why?’

The sponsorship?

Perhaps.

But he could’ve sent someone to discuss that. I doubted a man in his position needed to personally visit everyone who owed him money.

I looked at his hands resting over the walking stick.

They had not moved since the start.

"What are the restrictions?"

"For the next two months, you’ll be under our Guild’s supervision."

"...Under your Guild?"

"Yes. You’ll stay with us and work for us. Essentially, you’ll be a temporary recruit."

"....."

Ah, ha!

There it was.

I leaned back a little, studying his expression.

"I already belong to a Guild."

"I’m aware. This would be a temporary arrangement. You wouldn’t be leaving Severed Stars."

"And you’re saying the BUA will agree to that?"

"They would be transferring responsibility for your supervision to us. Your condition would still be monitored, and you wouldn’t be free to go wherever you pleased."

I glanced towards the partition again.

"So I’m basically changing rooms? That’s what you’re saying."

"Among other things."

"...It’s going to be a good one, right?"

His eyes remained on me.

I cleared my throat.

"What sort of work?"

"Whatever you can do within the restrictions. I’m not proposing that we send you into a Gate while your condition is still being investigated."

That was good.

The doctors had already been quite clear about what they thought of me using my nodes.

Not that I cared.

"I won’t restrict you more than necessary."

He continued, the stick shifting slightly within his grasp.

"But you will need to remain under our watch. That is the only way we can make this happen."

"And after two months?"

"The temporary assignment ends. Any restrictions concerning your condition will depend on the investigation."

So he wasn’t promising to make the entire problem disappear.

For some reason, that made the offer a little easier to believe.

Still...

I looked at him again.

"You’re willing to take responsibility for me?"

"I wouldn’t be sitting here otherwise."

"Right."

That was a rather fair point.

I rubbed the back of my head.

Leaving the hospital would be good. Very good, actually. I doubted I would miss the bed, and I was already getting tired of looking at the same two chairs.

But going to Obsidian Bastion didn’t mean that I would suddenly be free.

I would simply have a different group of people watching me. Still, I felt that they were better than the Bureau.

"There is one other condition."

My hand stopped.

"Naturally, we’ll have you enter under a disguise. Your identity won’t be made public."

"A disguise?"

"It would be best for both of us. The people responsible for your supervision will know who you are. There’s no reason for everyone else to."

I slowly nodded.

That made sense.

With the news about VILE-1048 already spreading, I doubted anyone would be particularly pleased to learn that a suspected victim had moved into their Guild.

There was also everything else being said about me.

The Guild Master seemed to notice where my thoughts had gone.

"The Bureau would be aware of the arrangement. This isn’t an attempt to hide you from the investigation."

"Of course."

I already figured this much.

The room went quiet.

I looked down at my bracelet, turning my wrist slightly before looking back at him.

Two months.

I could spend them in the Guild, and also find the time to figure out what was going on with VILE - 1048.

’Well, find a cure for it.’

I was being targeted. There was no escaping for me.

My only choice was to hunt it before it hunted me.

Well, these were my thoughts...

And yet, I couldn’t stop wondering why I was being offered such an offer.

The sponsorship was important, but so was taking responsibility for someone the BUA suspected might be infected.

Especially when nobody knew what that actually meant.

The Guild Master watched me for another moment before reaching for his hat.

"I’ll give you some time to think about it."

He stood, adjusting the front of his dark blazer before putting the hat back on.

"We won’t force you into this."

I looked up.

"You don’t need an answer now?"

"No."

The walking stick tapped against the floor as he turned towards the entrance.

"Let the agent know when you’ve decided. They’ll contact my people."

"....."

I watched him approach the door.

There were quite a few things I still wanted to ask. Unfortunately, I wasn’t certain how to ask them without sounding as though I was accusing him of something.

Before I could decide, the door opened.

The agent outside stepped aside, and the Guild Master walked out.

I remained seated on the bed, staring after him.

This...

This really took an unexpected turn, huh?

***

The Guild Master stepped into the corridor, his walking stick tapping softly against the floor.

One of the agents who had accompanied him approached almost immediately. He glanced towards the room before falling into step beside the old man.

"Is everything resolved? Did he agree?"

"...Not quite yet."

The Guild Master continued walking.

"We’ll see soon enough."

The agent nodded, although he didn’t seem entirely satisfied with the answer.

They passed the nurses’ station before he spoke again.

"May I ask something?"

"Go ahead."

"Why go this far?"

The walking stick touched the floor again.

"I understand that he’s highly sought after. His accomplishments are impressive, and the sponsorship is important. But with the recent news and this incident..."

The agent hesitated.

"I’m not sure he’s worth getting on the bad side of the BUA."

"Getting on the bad side of the BUA?"

"Even if the transfer is approved, there will be people who aren’t pleased. We’re taking on quite a lot of responsibility for a temporary recruit."

The Guild Master let out a quiet sigh.

He understood that much.

He had understood it before coming here.

For a moment, his steps slowed, his gaze moving towards the corridor they had just left.

The agent waited beside him.

"If this is about protecting the investment—"

"That isn’t why I’m doing this."

The man stopped speaking.

The Guild Master adjusted his grip on the walking stick before continuing towards the exit.

Its tip tapped against the floor once more.

’...This old man has much to repay to his grandson.’