Chapter 22 – 2. Street That Shouldn’t Be There (2)
Boeblingen number 9.
It’s past noon. It was sunny. There were fluffy clouds and bright sunlight in the sky. In the street, the sun-kissed buildings shone beautifully, and the gentle breeze blowing was refreshing.
How long has it been since you experienced this kind of weather?
Until I thought of confronting Beatrix, I didn’t know that I was stuck in my closet every day. The world was such a beautiful and dazzling place. If you want to shake off the tiredness of life, it wasn’t bad to take a walk outside like this once in a while.
“Elizabeth.”
“Please speak.”
“What do you think?”
I finally arrived here at 109 Ninth Avenue with a leisurely pace and asked Elizabeth.
“Yes, I think the same way. Everything is gone.”
After entering the Böblingen district, we realized that the constant tailing was gone. At first, I thought it was some kind of deception that cared about our perception, but it wasn’t.
Accustomed to this kind of surveillance, I was able to quickly recognize even the most skilful follower. But after entering this street, I didn’t feel any gaze.
“What do you think about it?”
“It seems to be arranged by someone.”
“Isn’t that true?”
To borrow Otto’s words, Anton Feininger is a competent man. What is meant is that the man who supports one axis of intelligence, the main pillar of the superpower Bernhard, can’t defeat a few guards of the SS. This must have been his arrangement.
Feininger is now showing me its usefulness.
“I have to be careful.”
“Don’t worry too much. In case of emergency, I will sacrifice my body to save you.”
The buildings at 109 were quite close together, making it difficult to distinguish between safe houses. Nevertheless, we managed to find the tangent place that Otto talked about, and the elimination method helped a lot.
First of all, it’s the second floor that you don’t go to, so naturally, buildings without stairs are excluded. Next, he must have heard about Otto’s general impression, except for the house of those scumbags who look contemptuously at Elizabeth whenever they walk around.
Of course, there is only one building left.
That 5-story apartment with white as the base color and a little bit of gray.
Since Böblingen is a fairly wealthy village, there was always a guard at the entrance to the buildings here to check the beholder. However, there were two such guards in that common house, and although they were wearing suits, their stiff posture was that of a soldier.
“Here, let’s go.”
I headed in front of that building with Elizabeth.
“How did you get here?”
Two guards standing at the post came up to us as if it were a matter of course.
“I was invited to the second floor here.”
“Your name?”
“A man who comes back to life even after he dies.”
Soon the guards bowed their heads. It also seemed to be correct.
“I’ll take you inside.”
One guided us inside. The other locked the front door from outside. It was a fact that I realized thanks to the coat that was drooping down the moment I bowed separately, but a submachine gun that enabled fully automatic shooting was hidden in their arms.
“You can get off on the 5th floor.”
The tangent was definitely on the 2nd floor, but in reality it seemed like they had prepared it on the 5th floor. It was prudence, like an obsessive-compulsive patient. I felt that I should never slow down.
As I boarded the elevator, I brushed my hair and took a deep breath. In order not to make the mistake of assuming a peer, I kept away from prejudice, but armed my mind so that I could cope with any situation.
“Elizabeth.”
“Yes, Jungwoo.”
“Save me.”
Slowly, the elevator door closed. I pressed the fifth floor and imagined Beatrix Adler. I recalled how the terrifying woman had ensnared and dealt with people.
“Please leave it to me.”
As the slow elevator reached the fifth floor, Elizabeth lowered her head and kissed the back of her hand. She helped me get rid of the lingering insecurity somewhere in my heart. In addition, the power of the mint that made me feel better.
“With the ball, I’m sure you can do it well.”
It’s a very special thing to have someone believe in me. I felt my confidence soar at the encouragement of my dependable bodyguard. So, I braced myself and closely followed the methods of great people I had seen so far. So I thoroughly prepared myself.
Ding.
109 9th Boeblingen. The 5th floor instead of the 2nd floor of a gray-white apartment building. We finally arrived at the place we were going to meet. Elisabeth and I stepped on the carpeted floor and headed toward the maroon-colored double doors in front of us. The Ministry of Information said that it was not going to go, and it was impressive to see the entire floor being occupied.
“Welcome, they are waiting inside.”
A operative in a suit standing in front of the door opened it. The place that was eventually revealed was literally minimalistic, so I could easily face the man who was sitting in the space that looked like a living room in advance and waiting.
“Youngbu-gun? It really was you.”
“Fininger.”
“It is an honor to meet you. Have a seat.”
A window that has been adjusted so that sunlight does not create excessive lighting. A sofa symmetrical around a table for conversation. The interior seemed nice and well-organized. I lightly sat down on the sofa that was allotted to me, and Elizabeth waited behind me with her hands behind her back.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Lieutenant General Moritz.”
The elf sitting across from me grinned and spat out words. He was accompanied by orcs and humans in suits like bodyguards behind him. His upright ears and wide-eyed eyes were indeed like someone who worked in the intelligence department, and he was very sociable with an eloquence like that of Cheongsan Yusu.
“I would never have thought that the eastern prince was an opponent of the President.”
“Do you know about our organization?”
“I didn’t know until yesterday. But not today.”
While he shrugged his shoulders, I glanced at the two people behind him. A human man with curly hair and a solid physique, and a muscular orc who looked a little stiff but looked like he could use his strength.
“The Black Orchestra! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled about how an organization of this size has survived to this day. All the more in the sense that I wouldn’t have been able to chase that shadow if it weren’t for Lieutenant General Moritz’s tip.”
“…….”
“That is an honor. For trusting and choosing this Anton Feininger.”
The elf suddenly stood up. He put his hand on his chest and slowly lowered his head. It was quite an exaggerated attitude. However, I was very uncomfortable not because of his attitude, but because of Feininger’s tricks.
So, I decided to try using a roundabout pressure like the one I had been subjected to by the queen.
“The friend behind there.”
It was a sudden designation. The human who had been silently playing the role of a folding screen in the back tilted his head.
“What is your name?”
“This is Hartmut Heinz.”
“What do you think of this skit?”
The impact of my question was quite large. The elf, who had been smiling brightly until now, made me look serious, and the curly-haired man who introduced me as Hartmut also unconsciously made me look to the side. It was a mistake that a well-trained operative should not have made, but it could not have been helped.
If anyone talks as if they know all the secrets they are hiding, they will.
Beatrix used this method often on me and others. This is the way I learned from her. I tried it because I thought it would be effective after I was directly hit to the point of getting two goals, but it works better than I thought.
All the more in that the opponent is an operative who would be good at handling humints, that is, human information.
“Should I ask you, Feininger?”
The elf raised her eyes. It seems like he wanted to fix it somehow, but unfortunately I didn’t have the heart to go along with this prank anymore.
So she shook her head and spoke as if admonishing the man standing behind her.
“Anton Feininger. Chief of Army Intelligence. Because of my title, I didn’t appear in public, so my face was unknown for a long time. Hey, it’s not unreasonable to do that because it’s a position that could put your safety in danger if his identity is known. But what kind of trick is this? It’s good to have a test, but you should have done it while watching the opponent.”
Not towards the dark-haired Hartmut Heinz, but towards the bald-headed orc standing next to him.
“…… Did you know?”
“It is a prejudice to say that an agent of the Ministry of Information and Communication will always look mean and sharp. Just as the prince of the east was not a male prostitute playing under the president’s shadow, you guys don’t just have stereotypical looks.”
Finally, the elf rose from his seat. Because they proved that the Undead they were supposed to follow was real. It was only then that I was able to sit face to face with a muscular orc with a shaved head and a thick beard.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Your Excellency, Youngbugun.”
“I am Seo Jeong-woo, the eagle owl of the black orchestra.”
“Please forgive my earlier rudeness. I am Anton Feininger, Chief of Army Intelligence.”
As everyone in the upper echelons of Bernhard knows, Beatrix Adler is a tyrant. The beautiful dictator is studded with thorns that can kill you just by brushing against him. So Feininger must have wanted to know.
Me. The Prince of the East and the male prostitute of the Führer. Whether a man who comes back to life even after dying is truly a leader worth trusting and following. Not a seed who boasted that he would kill Beatrix, but whether he was truly a great man who could accomplish the task.
As a person who stands at the center of information power, he is a guy who knows the President’s skills better than anyone else. To be honest, I’m risking my life, but this level of testing is acceptable. It’s a very funny test for me, who remembers how he was purged in his previous life.
“Courage is not the absence of fear.”
Cheeky Feininger, you foolish orc. Who do you think the man in front of you has been closest to?
“Overcoming fear is courage.”
“…… Yes.”
“I always have guards from SS headquarters sticking to me. After coming here to Böblingen, their presence disappeared completely.”
I am Beatrix’s man. He is the one who has watched the Queen from the closest and closest position for longer than anyone else in the world.
“Is it your arrangement?”
“Excuse me, Boeblingen Street is under the jurisdiction of Army Intelligence. We chose this place as the rendezvous point because as soon as His Excellency the First Lady enters this area, the surveillance mission is transferred to us.”
“It sounds like you’ll prove my absence if you do.”
“It is as you say.”
“How can you prove it?”
“This building here is in the name of Lieutenant Colonel Heinz, who is in charge of my security. His external status is that of a real estate agent on Brullin Street, and in society he is called the man of Böblingen.”
After being introduced by Feininger, Hartmut bowed his head politely. I even listened to him.
“I will lend the right to use the second floor of this building to His Excellency Yeongbu-gun in the name of the lieutenant colonel.”
“Rental?”
“Yes, we are currently making traces of an affair by filling it with tools that could be used for a tryst between a man and a woman. If you take a picture and leave it behind, it will be a good proof.”
The word foolish orc is cancelled. Feininger seems to know how to roll his head quite a bit. It seems that the reason we immediately changed our meeting place from the 2nd floor here to the 5th floor was also to create an alibi like that.
“The person behind him must be your henchman. Most of the incompetent and powerful people in the upper echelons of Bernhard are unable to control my sexual desires, so they often engage in division. Although His Excellency Yeongbu is different from them, at least that imitation…….”
“It suits you, I guess. Rumors of the President’s prostitute revealing their true colors are spreading in the streets.”
“Of course, that is an illusion deliberately promoted by His Excellency the First Lady.”
“There’s nothing to flatter you like that. Because that’s the part I don’t really care about.”
Daejeo Beatrix doesn’t pay much attention to my reputation. It’s because I know that from the beginning, the person involved is enjoying my notoriety, and if I kill them all like I said in my past life, only my hatred will live on.
So it’s better to be cursed at. The reason I turn a blind eye to the arrogance of insults from newspaper reporters is because I care about them. After all, do you want to see that reporter and a relative splitting up just because he wrote a few articles?
“Continue.”
“…… Here, Lieutenant Colonel Heinz and Captain Rosenkrantz are my trustees, and they are also socialites.”
Hartrude Heinz nodded again. The elf Franz, who switched places with Feininger, smiled and nodded. Contrary to the impression that operatives would normally be emotionless, the two of them were straightforward and blunt, and I didn’t feel that they were rude or lacking in skills.
I learned firsthand that an agent who can be faithful to his role without killing his emotions is the real one.
“I dare to predict the difficulties that His Excellency the First Lady is currently experiencing. As a result of conducting my own research on the story Lieutenant General Moritz told me, I came to the conclusion of the current situation of the Black Orchestra.”
“…… Let me tell you.”
“Like any normal orchestra, this secret society needs a superman to hold them together.”
In orchestral music, if there is one most important and useless place, it is by far the patron. It is difficult to recruit musicians without good treatment, no matter how talented they are. Which conductor would be assigned to an orchestra that does not have a proper performer?
It’s not for nothing that we called that sponsor, the eagle owl, a theater owner.
“A flock that loses its shepherd is bound to scatter.”
It’s a place to play. What is it like? It would be perfect if it was a well-equipped venue, but a performance by an orchestra can be held even on the streets of the Dottegi Market.
“Information is the lifeblood if you want to hold on to the forces that are about to collapse. If you can’t stop the flock from scattering, you have to know where it will scatter. That way, you can regroup later and become a new shepherd.”
“So, what’s the point?”
“Buy our loyalty.”
One million marks of courtesy.
“What is the price?”
Right now, I don’t have much money in my hands, but if I sell valuables or art pieces that I’ve been given here and there in the meantime, I’ll have enough money to pay them.
“Ten million marks.”
“Wait, what?”
I looked at Feininger with a confused expression.
“Please prepare ten million marks in cash by this week.”
A transaction worth 7 billion turned into 70 billion at once.
“Then I will offer my allegiance to them.”
“…… !”
Anton Feininger’s eyes were sincere.
