Chapter 4
Having finished her external duties, Runea was miraculously returning quickly without getting lost when she couldn't help but doubt her own eyes.
Even after wiping her glasses and putting them back on—
"Eh?"
She could only wear a bewildered expression.
The signboard clearly visible was…
555 Office
That's right.
The shabby building was also unmistakably the same one she always saw.
However, the problem was the two horses standing side by side in front of that office.
"Th-th-that…!"
Approaching the horses with wide eyes, she soon became certain.
A different class of physique, the light emanating from their eyes, down to the texture of their rock-like muscles, it was definitely…
"Bucephalus-class…!"
Letting out a voice close to a scream, Runea then clapped her small hands over her mouth with a look of realization.
Bucephalus.
The highest rank among improved horses.
This was not some trivial thing that could be obtained just by having money.
One could only barely attempt to make contact for purchase if they had fame worth at least several times the basic payment, truly the clearest symbol among the power one could display.
Not just one, but two of those representative symbols of power were standing side by side in front of the office.
Even the always composed Runea was standing there, completely out of her mind.
At Runea's fuss, the two horses, radiating an almost divine aura just by looking at them, quietly turned their heads to look down at her.
With just that movement of their necks, the sheen of their well-groomed manes glittered in various colors.
"H… hello."
As a flustered Runea waved and greeted them, the two horses quietly lowered their heads.
"W… wow…."
Enchanted by this, Runea wore a moved expression for a moment before finally returning to a serious face and nervously entering the office.
Opening the office door, which felt strangely unfamiliar for some reason, Runea's eyes met those of a middle-aged man inside, and no sooner had they made contact then—
Thump.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed.
Easily over 200 in height.
A head of frizzy, bomb-like hair.
Kind-looking caterpillar eyebrows.
The 4th Rider of the Deliverer Central Association.
A legend in the industry.
Erno Marknosa.
He raised a hand the size of her torso and casually greeted the just-arrived Runea.
"Oho, good day to you, little missy."
Opposite him, Beru, who had suddenly poked out his innocent-looking face, brazenly continued—
"Runea, what are you doing? Serve our guest some coffee."
Having barely gotten to her feet, Runea this time turned her head at the presence she felt from behind.
There stood a beautiful woman.
Long, fiery red hair that seemed to blaze.
Similarly burning crimson eyes.
A cross tattoo etched on her exposed forehead.
The 7th Rider of the Deliverer Central Association.
A legend in the industry.
Nia.
"The bathroom was very useful."
At her polite words, contrary to her fierce appearance, Runea had to sit down on the floor again.
In the modern era, two of the 'Seven Riders' of the Deliverer Central Association, called legends, were together in one place.
The power and influence of each of the Seven Riders was so overwhelming that it had to be equated to national power.
To the extent that the Seven Riders themselves could be considered the very essence of the current Central Association's prestige.
If two of those Seven Riders were together in one place, the undertaking they were planning would signify something on the scale of at least revising the world map.
Runea's utter astonishment was perhaps only natural.
"Hmm, you don't seem to be feeling very well."
As Erno expressed concern for Runea, Beru waved his hand dismissively.
"Pretending to be a paper doll is that employee's specialty. You don't have to worry."
At this, Erno gave Runea a heartfelt round of applause with a kind expression.
"Ohoho, well done!"
Immediately after, leaving Runea, who had barely gotten up to make coffee, behind, Erno looked down at Beru with a stern expression that was different from before and said—
"Hmm, well then, I should be going now."
"Won't you have some coffee?"
"Hahaha, I'm afraid that young lady might even break the coffee cup this time."
Getting up from his seat, Erno carefully tilted his head, as if worried about hitting the ceiling.
As Erno was about to leave, Beru said in a calm voice.
"In any case, since it's a task entrusted to me, I will see it through to the end with responsibility."
At this, Erno smiled brightly and pointed at Beru with his finger.
"Huhu, I trust you."
Soon after, Erno left the office with Nia.
Beru, who had been watching them for a long time, belatedly collapsed onto a chair, looking utterly exhausted.
His pale face was already drenched in cold sweat.
"Hah, it's been so long since I felt this kind of pressure… when Runea suddenly came in, I really…."
"Huh…? Where did the two of them go?"
Runea, who had just come out of the office kitchen, asked. Beru quickly turned his chair away from her and said—
"You drink that coffee. You worked hard on your external duties."
***
Whoosh—!
It felt as if the flapping of a human-sized hornet's wings had swept over my entire body once.
Soon after, Eren, gripping the steering wheel, stepped on the pedal as if spurring a horse, and the car slid into the middle of the road.
As I spread my five senses to match, I could easily spot the two cars following us.
But in just two intersections, Eren shook off the tails.
It was truly incredible driving skill.
He wasn't a superhuman, but he possessed an amazing specialty that wouldn't pale in comparison even if placed alongside the realm of superhumans.
"Wow, crazy? You drive damn well!"
Garrick, who was similarly impressed by Eren's driving skills, shot out a sullen remark about five minutes after we started driving.
It was partly because the output of a vehicle was inherently inferior to that of an improved horse.
"When are you planning to tell us the specifics?"
Then, Eren deliberately entered a congested road and, looking alternately at Garrick and me with a relaxed expression.
Took out a small rectangle from his pocket and handed it to Garrick.
"It would be better if you saw it with your own eyes rather than just hearing about it."
Garrick, having received it, skillfully pressed a button to turn on the darkened screen.
Even though Garrick calls me a hick, I know what that is.
A SWAP.
A communication device, one of the things caught in the spider web.
I heard that above Middle Road, one of the four major capitals here, precisely at the border between the sky and space, there is a spider-shaped machine made of steel.
The invisible spider web created by that spider is said to be densely spread throughout Middle Road.
The spider silk that makes up the spider web acts as a medium for transmitting information.
Thanks to this, it's said that its communication speed is incomparable to any other means….
But considering the limited communication range within Middle Road and its poor security, it's not a very good means.
A moment later, Garrick brought a screen up on the SWAP and showed it to me.
"Yohan, take a look at this."
On the screen, a swaggering man was thrusting his face into the camera, expressing extreme excitement.
'Did you fucking hear? Don't you think those Scabblers bastards have been acting up too much lately?'
'Listen up, you guys! Two days from now, this time! We're going into a deathmatch with the Scabblers!'
'I'll decide the location. Any road, you hear? One word from me and I can control it!'
Garish music with all sorts of effects, and brutal phrases.
Garrick's review after seeing all this was,
"Damn it."
As the jarring video ended, Eren continued speaking.
"Badmad, a biker gang active in Middle Road. Senghus Tail is their leader."
Eren's eyes remained coldly sharp as he spoke.
"Similarly, it seems they have a rivalry with the Scabblers, another biker gang. The problem started recently when the conflict between the two groups escalated for some reason, as you saw in the video."
Garrick, who had been silent, finally lowered his sunglasses slightly and asked.
"Are you talking about the deathmatch?"
"Yes."
Eren said, turning into a narrow alley.
"Badmad usually holds mixed races using vehicles and improved horses on roads that Senghus controls through his father…."
Before he could even finish his sentence, Garrick interjected.
"There's no way they can win. How can a vehicle beat an improved horse?"
Then, Eren shook his head.
"They impose penalties on the hired superhuman jockeys and improved horses under the guise of balance. For example, they give stimulants or local anesthesia to the improved horses, and alcohol and drugs to the superhuman jockeys."
These guys are unbelievably crazy!
"But the deathmatch is different. They race solely with vehicles. The problem is that the drivers of those vehicles are under the influence of alcohol and drugs."
Garrick and I exchanged dumbfounded looks.
"And during this deathmatch, that accident you know about happened. To beat the Scabblers, Senghus, deviating from the privately occupied road and taking a shortcut, cut through the middle of the city."
The fact that he spent two weeks leisurely recovering after causing such an incident means he has enough power to make it possible.
This power is the very entity we have to face.
This must be the essence of what Eren wants to convey to us.
But at this point, a small question arises.
"But he's just the deputy chairman of a committee, how can he have so much power?"
It was Garrick who answered my question immediately.
"Where do you think the place with the most black market roads in the world is? Middle Road. So, naturally, the city with the most vehicles would also be Middle Road, right?"
I was already used to his playfully sarcastic tone, so I nonchalantly retorted.
"And the deputy chairman of Middle Road's Metropolitan Transportation Authority is Senghus's father, Magelli?"
"Bingo! Wouldn't you say an exclusive bastard gave birth to a magnificent hybrid bastard?"
If someone else, somewhere else, had said those words, most listeners might have taken it as sarcasm aimed at the Central Association and the Deliverers.
Because the Deliverer Central Association stands at the pinnacle in the field of monopolies.
Soon, Eren stopped the car at the end of a secluded alley.
"You two won't have to bother going around looking for the recipient. Rather, they will come looking for you, so please be fully prepared."
Saying those words, Eren got out of the car, and following him, Garrick and I also got out.
"What do you mean by that?"
At Garrick's question, Eren replied with a subtle expression.
"It's not the first time we've hired Deliverers."
At this, Garrick took off his sunglasses and asked again.
"So, what exactly are you saying?"
"There were three Deliverers who took on this request before you, and all of them are dead."
Eren replied with a cold expression, taking out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth.
"The Tail clan hired two 'Discounters.' You probably know them better. Doesn't the Deliverer Central Association call them 'heretics'?"
Discounters.
Most of their members used to be Deliverers,
Now, they are beings who only seek to deliver death to Deliverers.
"Anyway, please don't leave this outskirts area. If you fight in the middle of the city, it will cause tremendous chaos."
With that, Eren opened the trunk himself and took out our luggage inside.
"I wish you safety, you must be safe. For the sake of the citizens of Middle Road."
***
"Wow, old man's information network is solid, huh? I thought we lost them right at the airfield, but just how many crows did he release throughout the city?"
The man precariously perched on top of a tall communication tower lowered the binoculars he had just been using.
Next to him, a woman sitting even more precariously warned him, looking up.
"If you had used those binoculars for two more seconds, they would have noticed us over there."
"So what if they noticed? What could they possibly do?"
The man revealed gold-plated fangs and gave a sinister smile.
The woman, shaking her head at his smile, snatched the man's binoculars and carefully observed the two men standing in a distant, secluded alley.
Then, a moment later, her composed demeanor vanished without a trace.
"Hey, that handsome one is mine. Don't touch him, got it? If you touch him, I'll kill you."
Her face flushed red with bloodlust.
