Chapter 90

□ Gideon West Gate Area

“...So, that’s what you mean. Haha, it’s laughable. It seems like everyone is just ruining my plans. I’m so fed up with this.”

While watching Franklin’s figure through the video feed, Hugo was acutely aware of the failure of the plan.

“...Is it over?”

The current Hugo was completely immobilized, seated as he was. This was because, while he was under the influence of Luke and the others’ [Charm], he had been securely restrained.

With the [Charm] cast by Hugo, the fusion with <Majingear> was undone, and Queco, who was also [Charmed], was sitting beside him. As long as Queco remained [Charmed], it would be impossible to escape.

Moreover, Luke and Babbi had simultaneously cast [Charm] on Hugo using the skill [Seduction], but it was unclear whether the effect was based on the gender of the avatar or the player.

The current location was different from the previous battle site. Hugo, along with Luke and Kasumi, had been moved to a position where they could see Franklin’s live feed. The reason they hadn’t been penalized yet was due to Luke’s judgment.

“That monster was defeated by Ray. The liberation device... seems to have been handled by someone.”

Although he didn’t say it out loud, Luke was half-convinced that it was Marie.

“It seems so. Fuh, both Plan A and Plan B have failed... with this, that person’s plan has also been foiled.”

Then, what awaits us next... is a full-scale war between the Kingdom and the Empire.

“Ultimately, I couldn’t prevent the great tragedy; I only aided in the tragedy.”

Hugo mocked the result and his actions.

“If I had known this would happen, I should have persuaded that person from the beginning... What’s wrong?”

Hugo noticed that Luke was looking at him and the video feed of Franklin with a very puzzled expression.

“No, you mentioned Plan A and Plan B. Could I hear the details of each plan? Since they are already failed plans, right?”

“...Sure, go ahead.”

Hugo hesitated for a moment but... eventually started speaking, almost as if it were a confession.

“First, Plan A. After trapping many <Masters> who came to watch the <Super-Class Clash> in the central arena’s barrier, I would kidnap the princess. Then, I would threaten to release monsters into the city to immobilize the <Masters> inside the barrier. The <Masters> who were not caught by the barrier due to being low-level or not being in the arena would be restrained by PKs like me, and by Belldorbel... another super-class member of our clan. Thus, the owner and the princess would escape from Gideon, and the <Masters> would lose the trust of the kingdom’s residents. That was the plan.”

“...That’s full of holes.”

“Yeah.”

“First, there’s a problem with the design that the monsters would be released if the barrier was attacked. Low-level <Masters> would slip through, just like we did.”

“That was part of the plan. It was also necessary for the <Masters> on our side and the kingdom’s side to clash, with the kingdom’s side being defeated one-sidedly. In that case, it would be better to release low-level <Masters>.”

Ultimately, Plan A itself was foiled by irregulars like Ray and Luke.

“Also, the handling of <Masters> who weren’t trapped by the barrier is sloppy. For example, if a <Master> with super-class combat power was in the city instead of watching the match, wouldn’t that be a failure?”

“That was a possibility. But it wasn’t a mistake. Especially with Kyuko, who is a bane to many <Masters> here, and... Belldorbel, the [King of Music], being present.”

[King of Music] Belldorbel.

The most cunning aspect of Franklin’s plan was placing him in Gideon before the plan was executed.

He was there, performing as a street performer.

Every day, he and his orchestra performed in the central square, and the <Masters> of Gideon were well aware of him.

Even if he was in the city with his <Embryo> in [Embryo] form, no one would have suspected anything.

That night, he was not recognized as an enemy by many of the kingdom’s <Masters>.

Therefore, his surprise attack was almost certain to succeed.

His status, while lower in combat compared to other super-class <Masters>, was enhanced by the super-class skills, making Bremen’s attack power top-notch.

And because of his speed, it was impossible to avoid his attacks unless the <Master> was specialized in agility.

In fact, more <Masters> were defeated by him than by Hugo.

Even in the battle against the <Super-Class Killer>, it was highly likely that she would have been defeated in the first move if she wasn’t an agility-type super-class <Master> with the skill [Danger Sense].

“So... if an interferer breaks through the interference and reaches Franklin, or if the <Masters> inside the barrier become impatient and break through, even at the risk of releasing the monsters, that would be Plan B, right?”

“Yes. Plan B was to activate all the monster release devices in Gideon without waiting for the timer, and to escape with the princess during the chaos. This plan was also to be activated if Franklin was penalized.”

The idea that the problem would be solved if Franklin was penalized was a complete lie. Rather, it was likely that the monsters would be released as a trigger.

“However, no matter what path we take...”

Hugo stopped there, swallowing the words “It seems the owner intended to release monsters in Gideon from the beginning.”

Even if he swallowed them, Luke already knew.

“To break the spirit, it would be more effective if there were human and material casualties rather than just the kidnapping of the princess.”

“Yes... But that person promised me. ‘I prepared the monsters so they wouldn’t attack Tian,’ he said. He wanted to minimize the damage to Tian...”

“...I see.”

“What do you mean by ‘I see’?”

Hugo asked, hearing a slight sigh from Luke.

“I’ve had doubts, but now I understand from your words just now.”

“What do you understand?”

Hugo didn’t understand what was in question or where the answer was in their conversation.

No, only Hugo didn’t understand.

It was...

“Why your eyes are clouded when you look at Franklin. You think he wouldn’t go as far as to massacre Tian, right?”

It was a problem with Hugo’s own perception.

Before the plan, during the plan, and even now that the plan has failed, Hugo still believed in Franklin.

“...My eyes are clouded, you say?”

“Yes. You might not think so, but from my perspective, he is the type who would go as far as a massacre.”

“That’s impossible. He is like me, understanding that Tian is not just an NPC but something close to life... no, life itself! He wouldn’t do a massacre!”

“So what if he understands? Does understanding mean he won’t do it?”

Luke said that Franklin would not hesitate to commit a massacre... and it was something Hugo could not accept.

“He wouldn’t do such a thing! I... I have been watching him for a long time! What do you know about him!”

Hugo appealed to Luke, his anger evident.

But Luke’s eyes, which received this, were cold.

“Sure. I only know Franklin through hearsay and this incident, and I’ve never spoken to him directly. But I can assert that this speculation is certain.”

“Why!”

“It’s because I don’t know Franklin’s character. If I look at what he has done and consider the extension of that, it’s certain that he has something even worse planned. Anyone would think so. The only one who wouldn’t... is you.”

“...!”

That was a conclusion drawn from the facts.

A person who participated in a war, made many soldiers and the country’s king into monster fodder.

A person who, on this night, kidnapped the country’s princess and planned to bring destruction to the city to undermine the status of the kingdom’s <Masters>.

Why would such a person not do something even worse?

Luke was saying that only you would come to such a conclusion.

“Have you been watching him for a long time? Yes, I see. That’s why you can’t face the current Franklin. You keep looking with clouded eyes. You are just like a criminal’s mother who says, ‘My child wouldn’t do such a thing!’”

“...!”

If he wasn’t restrained, Hugo would have attacked Luke.

But Hugo couldn’t, and Luke only looked at him with a cold, and somewhat troubled, gaze.

At that moment, a telepathic message from Babbi reached Luke.

‘Luke, you’re being really harsh on this kid.’

It was a natural question.

Luke, as a boy, was generally friendly and got along well with everyone.

This was the first time Babbi had seen him speak so coldly.

‘I only give harsh words to people I can’t “see through.”’

But in truth, even Luke wasn’t sure about his own criteria.

He just felt strongly that he couldn’t let Hugo be as she was, and so he pointed out her mistakes with harsh words.

“To you who believe in Franklin... I’ll make a prediction, or rather, a statement.”

“Prediction?”

“Franklin will say something really bad now.”

While watching the live feed of Franklin, Luke made this assertion.

Immediately after, Franklin, who had been holding his head in frustration over the failure of Plan B, suddenly looked up.

His face was... full of a broad smile.

‘No, really, this is so frustrating. Both Plan A and Plan B failed... The scary brainy guys will come out of the arena soon. Now that it’s come to this, there’s no choice but to go with Plan C, right?’

“...What?”

Hugo’s voice of doubt leaked out as he heard Franklin’s words from the live feed.

At the same time, this question mark was the voice of all the <Masters> who had been involved in the plan that night, except for Franklin.

None of them had ever heard of Plan C.

The only one who knew the content of the third plan was Franklin.

‘Plan C... I will start the Gideon annihilation operation with 56,826 modified monsters.’

The content was, as Luke had predicted, extremely bad... the worst possible.

◆◆◆

□ <Jandu Grassland>

“Fifty thousand... huh?”

“Five hundred...”

The air around them froze at Franklin’s words.

Nemesis, Liliana, Lord Lindos, and the other Royal Guard Knights... none of them could fully grasp what Franklin was saying.

“56,826 modified monsters? F, f, is this a bluff, or did you get the numbers wrong?”

It was understandable, but it seemed impossible to achieve.

“After planning to release 500 monsters in the city, they suddenly increase to over a hundred times that, huh?”

Nemesis, who wanted to believe it was a lie, or the similar doubts from the city, made Franklin smile even more.

‘The 500 monsters in the city were just 500 monsters with the useless setting of “not attacking <Masters> or