Chapter 57: Love and Madness Part 2

“It’s nice to see you after a few months, but let’s get out of here first.”

Amon grabbed Cassie’s wrist.

Cassie’s gaze briefly flicked toward Amon’s face but quickly dropped back to her feet.

He didn’t ask why she was avoiding eye contact.

There wasn’t time for that, and it wasn’t important.

They hustled Cassie into a limousine and hurried out of the residential district.

Inside the swaying car, the mute sniper at the wheel sent a telepathic message.

[Are we being chased?]

“I already took care of it,” Sonia replied, flicking a bullet between her fingers.

The mute sniper gave a thumbs-up without turning around.

The limousine, driven by the sniper, made its way slowly through the city.

To avoid potential pursuers, they took a circuitous route, sometimes circling the same area multiple times.

In the comfortable ride, Cassie kept staring at the floor.

So when she finally spoke, it took her companions a moment to realize it was her voice.

“How did you get here?”

“Wait, was that you talking?”

“…Yeah.”

Amon, the quickest to notice, responded a beat late.

“You’re asking how we got here so quickly, right? Well… it’s a bit complicated to explain…”

Amon’s eyes darted as he tried to find the right words.

Explaining wasn’t the problem.

The sequence of events was strange, to say the least.

When they received Cassie’s message, Amon had been fixated on the word “revelation.”

It led him to investigate the church where her older brother worked.

There, they discovered a supercomputer.

The computer was an unholy creation that should have been destroyed immediately.

But Amon, ever the rational thinker, decided to run a simulation instead.

He wanted to find out why the chairman had used the word “revelation.”

The problem was neither Amon nor Sonia knew how to operate the machine.

So, they entered three keywords into a blank field, treating it like an SNS search bar: Chairman Reketio, Cassie, Owen.

The simulation revealed that in an hour, Cassie would be in grave danger.

“So I called the others, and we rushed over as fast as we could. It was cutting it close, though.”

Of course, they didn’t forget to destroy the blasphemous machine before leaving.

But even with Amon’s explanation, one question lingered.

“Why was a future-predicting computer in a church?”

Cassie’s sharp question brought silence to the car.

Her companions’ eyes darted nervously.

‘We didn’t want her to ask that!’

They had deliberately avoided discussing the computer’s origin because doing so would mean bringing up her mother.

‘How do we tell her?!’

How could they possibly explain that her mother had been turned into a machine? Even though Cassie hated her, she was still her biological mother.

Dropping that revelation right after Cassie had nearly been assassinated by her own brother wasn’t an option.

‘We planned to tell her someday… but not now.’

Amon prayed Cassie would dismiss the unnatural silence and move on.

Unfortunately for him, her sharp mind was still functioning perfectly, even in these circumstances.

Amon’s gaze shifted from Cassie’s bowed head to his companions.

The mage avoided his eyes, the tank squeezed his shut, and the ogre was doodling on the window.

He glanced at the sniper through the rearview mirror, only for her to adjust it to avoid his gaze.

‘Explain it yourself.’

Finally, Amon looked at Sonia, who shook her head.

‘This is on you.’

Letting out a deep sigh, Amon began to tell the truth.

He explained how a mother’s love for her child could twist into something monstrous.

***

As the vehicle moved toward their destination, Amon finished his explanation.

“And… that’s how it happened.”

When he was done, Cassie stayed silent.

Her companions looked at her with concern.

Her head was still bowed, so her expression was unreadable.

But as her body curled inward, they could guess how she felt.

Sniff.

The soft sound of her sniffles filled the car, plunging it back into silence.

The limousine drove on toward their destination—a hotel Amon had arranged in advance.

Going home wasn’t an option.

Their enemy could see the future.

They couldn’t rule out the possibility that agents were already stationed at her house.

Even the hotel plan wasn’t foolproof.

“I’m worried about my family…” the ogre muttered.

The others nodded in agreement.

They had evacuated their families to different locations, but there was no way to know if that would be enough.

The uncertainty of how far their enemy could see gnawed at their nerves.

The mute sniper grumbled telepathically.

[I hate dealing with people who can see the future…]

She noticed Cassie flinch and quickly amended herself.

[…but it’s manageable, just tricky.]

The others wanted to agree but remained silent, not wanting to upset Cassie further.

***

Eventually, the car arrived at the hotel.

A valet approached their vehicle.

The employee’s demeanor caught Amon’s attention immediately.

He tensed and spoke sharply.

“Everyone, prepare for combat. That valet is suspicious.”

The employee’s movements were too precise, almost military in nature.

He moved like a seasoned assassin.

‘Was it an overreaction?’ Maybe. But with an enemy who could see the future, nothing was too paranoid.

The others prepared for battle, keeping weapons hidden but ready as they watched the valet approach.

When he reached the car, he gave an awkward smile and said, “Don’t you recognize me?”

“It’s me. The executive director who guided you before. Well, I suppose I’m the former executive director now.”

“What? Why are you here?”

“The chairman sent me.”

There was no mistaking whom the former executive director was referring to.

When Owen became chairman, this man hadn’t hesitated to resign and follow him.

He only had one “chairman” in his mind.

As the tension in Amon’s party eased, the executive flashed a warm smile.

“Is there room in the car? I’d prefer we go somewhere else instead of staying at this hotel.”

Amon nodded.

The car left the hotel and headed to a resort.

It was the hideout of Cassie’s father, who had disappeared from public life.

He had purchased the entire resort and turned it into his base of operations.

But he wasn’t the only one living there.

Former executives who had either left the company with him or been ousted by Owen had also settled there with their families.

Even the families of Amon’s party members were waiting for them at the resort.

“We brought them here,” said the security team that had been guarding Amon’s party.

Trusted for four months, the party members’ families had followed their protectors.

“Your rooms are over in the West Gold Club area,” the executive said, handing over a bundle of keys.

He added they could use the remaining rooms freely.

The massive ring of keys, containing over 20, left Amon’s party dumbfounded.

It was a generosity only those with absurd wealth could afford.

“Miss Cassie, you’ll be staying in the same building as your friends,” he added.

“Was that my father’s idea?”

“Yes. He said what you need most right now is your friends.”

“…Okay.”

Cassie’s gloomy expression softened slightly.

The executive then guided them around the resort.

“If you’d like to eat or relax, come to the central building.”

With those words, the executive left, encouraging them to rest and recover.

Amon’s party decided to trust the former chairman and loosened their guard.

They distributed the numerous rooms among themselves, taking only what they needed.

Cassie’s room was placed next to Amon’s and Sonia’s.

As each member retired to their room to rest and prepare for the next day, someone knocked on Amon’s door that night.

Knock knock.

“Are you awake?”

“What’s the matter, sir?”

“The chairman wishes to see you.”

Amon reluctantly got up, dressed, and tucked a collapsible blade behind his waistband, just in case.

As they walked toward the chairman’s room, the executive spoke with a friendly smile.

“Are you wondering why someone of my rank is running around like this?”

“…Yes.”

“It’s because the chairman trusts me that much!”

According to him, the chairman valued his skills and loyalty enough to entrust him with bringing Cassie and her friends to safety.

It might have sounded like bragging, but Amon had noticed how much trust the chairman placed in the executive.

The executive didn’t stop talking.

“Would you believe he appointed me, a university student with no credentials, as a department head?”

His praise for the chairman continued nonstop.

As Amon listened, he saw the executive’s unwavering loyalty.

He wondered if the other executives at the resort were similar.

Lost in thought, Amon realized they had arrived.

“This is as far as I go. The chairman is waiting inside.”

Amon gave a polite nod and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a voice called from within.

Amon entered and was greeted by the same charismatic young man he’d met before.

Although he had stepped down from his position, the aura of authority surrounding the former chairman remained intact.

The room, however, reeked of alcohol.

Everything was neatly organized, but half the liquor bottles behind the chairman were empty.

It was a scene that would make a connoisseur furious, but the chairman didn’t seem to care.

“Sit,” he commanded.

Amon sat across from him.

The chairman offered him a drink.

“Would you like some?”

“Sorry, I’ll have to decline.”

The chairman tilted his head.

‘This has nothing to do with doctrine, does it?’

“I’m afraid I might make a mistake if I drink, especially around Cassie.”

It was a polite way of saying he wasn’t in the mood for drinking while they were being pursued.

“Fair enough. I’ll respect that.”

Some might have criticized Amon for ruining the mood, but the chairman appreciated his response.

“With someone as steadfast as you, I can entrust Cassie.”

“…What?”

Amon couldn’t believe what he’d heard.

Sensing a misunderstanding, the chairman elaborated.

“Not in that way. I mean you’re the only one who can save her.”

“What do you mean?”

“This will take some time to explain.”

The chairman set a bottle of water in front of Amon and began his story.

From the secrets of the Reketio family to the reasons behind Cassie’s sudden collapse and her withdrawal from others, he shared everything.

Amon started to understand Cassie’s behavior, though it still puzzled him.

“Are you sure I should be hearing this?”

The secrets of the Reketio family weren’t something to be shared lightly.

The chairman smiled in response.

“You’re the only one who can help her now.”

“How?”

“I’ve tried to listen to my daughter’s future. I’ve heard countless conversations. But there’s always a moment when the sound cuts out.”

To investigate, the chairman delved into her surroundings and eliminated everyone he could hear.

Eventually, he discovered a pattern: any conversation involving one person would mysteriously go silent.

“That person is you.”

At first, the realization made the chairman wary.

Someone unpredictable was a terrifying anomaly for someone who could see the future.

He’d even considered assassinating Amon.

But…

“Amon.”

“Amoooon!!”

“Again with Amon…”

For some reason, his daughter kept calling Amon’s name.

Her tone was different each time, sometimes angry, but she always sounded… happy.

Because of that voice, the chairman couldn’t bring himself to eliminate Amon.

“So, I decided to talk to you.”

He wanted to understand who Amon really was.

And after a single conversation about alcohol, he was convinced.

“In this world, there aren’t many people as upright as you.”

Some might see such virtue as foolishness, but the chairman thought otherwise.

“When you can see the future, the most important person to have by your side isn’t necessarily the most skilled.”

“What good is skill if they might betray you, even with a 0.1% chance?”

As long as they’re competent enough, loyalty is far more valuable.

“The executive who guided you is one such person.”

Someone who wouldn’t betray him in any future.

Amon had already proven his worth by coming this far to save Cassie.

Still, the chairman wanted to make sure.

“In fact, you and that executive are the only two people who’ve ever refused my offer of a drink to my face.”

“…Haha.”

“So, I’ll entrust her to you. I’m not usually one for gambling, but even I can’t help but give in to optimism sometimes.”

The chairman leaned back on the sofa, looking at Amon.

“Can I trust you?”

Without hesitation, Amon nodded.

“I will protect Cassie in any future.”

“Excellent.”

The chairman nodded, satisfied.

He escorted Amon to the door before returning to his seat.

Grabbing a half-empty bottle of whiskey, he murmured to himself.

“I can always earn more millions. But finding friends who won’t betray you, even for that much money, is far harder.”

His gaze drifted to the display case.

A half-empty bottle of wine caught his eye.

“Father, I’m starting to say the same things you did.”

The wine’s sour scent didn’t bother him.

“Still, it seems Cassie has already outdone me.”

His eyes shifted to the four half-empty bottles of whiskey beside the wine.

Smiling, he placed the bottle he’d been drinking alongside them.

***

The next day, after Amon and his companions had visited the chairman, they gathered in the hallway before heading to breakfast.

But Cassie didn’t leave her room.

They knew she was there.

Room service came and went, so she was eating well, but she didn’t want to see anyone.

While it might have been frustrating, her companions understood.

“Well, that’s understandable.”

“You heard, too?”

“Torso, you know about it as well?”

It wasn’t much of a secret at this point.

Knowing Cassie’s condition, the group began brainstorming ways to help her recover.

“We just need to get her out of her room, right?”

Amon was confident she’d trust him.

The others shared his optimism.

Their plan was set.

“I’ve already contacted the executive,” the beastman tank announced.

[She’s not in the shower.]

To avoid any mishaps, the mute sniper used a snake cam to check the room.

“Explosives are ready.”

The ogre set up a small bomb at the door.

“Uh… isn’t there a better way to do this?”

The mage’s hesitation was ignored.

With a sure method in hand, they saw no reason to waste time.

***

Fwoosh! BOOM!

“We’re going in.”

At Amon’s signal, they charged into the room.

“W-what’s going on?!”

Cassie, curled up like an armadillo on her bed, jumped in shock and pressed herself against the wall.

She buried her face in a pillow to avoid making eye contact.

Her companions grabbed her arms and gently but firmly pulled her up.

“Kuhahaha ! Struggling won’t help, missy!”

“Box, what are you even saying?”

“It’s a line my troll half-blood friend used in grad school! Perfect for situations like this!”

“Please don’t.”

Despite some unnecessary banter, they succeeded in lifting Cassie’s face.

Her gaze, forced open, first met the sniper’s.

Then it shifted naturally to the tank, the ogre, the mage…

And finally, to Amon.

She stared at him blankly for several minutes before…

Drip.

Two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks.