WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 363: A Splendid Invitation (15)
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After sending Talbot off, Gyeoul went through a routine that had become fairly familiar by now and returned to his lodgings around nine in the evening. The schedule felt punishingly tight, but at the end of November, when Thanksgiving came around, he would get a real vacation. By then, he might even be able to enjoy a leisurely walk with Anne.
At the entrance of the luxury hotel after sundown, the concierge manager was waiting for him.
“Welcome back, Lieutenant Colonel.”
“Carrillo.”
Gyeoul returned the manager’s elegant greeting. They had become familiar faces over the past few days. The hotel where Gyeoul was staying had no vacant rooms, and the guests were sending him just as many gifts. Gyeoul looked past the manager at the employees standing a step behind him. Whenever their eyes met his, they dipped their heads slightly with smiles polished by professional practice.
“You wait outside every time. Looks like there’s quite a lot again today.”
Normally, gifts would be delivered to the room, but since arriving in D.C., Gyeoul had never received them that way. Manager Carrillo gave a light nod.
“It will likely continue. We are already fully booked through your final day.”
“I see... Thank you, as always, for all your hard work.”
“Not at all. It is quite rewarding for us as well.”
Carrillo refused the tip Gyeoul offered. The reason was that even if it was called a tip, Carrillo could not accept payment twice. Then again, given the people sending these gifts, they probably had not been stingy with small change.
“Now, shall we go take a look?”
Carrillo guided Gyeoul in his capacity as manager.
At their destination, two Bureau agents were inspecting the items that had arrived as gifts. They gave Gyeoul abbreviated salutes and continued their work. Items whose safety had not been confirmed were forbidden from being brought indoors. That was why the guests had no choice but to use the concierge service. The hotel ran the errands, and the Bureau, which was in charge of security, monitored the process. Apparently, simply banning all private gifts and item deliveries was difficult.
Sorting out what would go to his room, what would be distributed to former independent company members and security personnel, and what would be sent to Fort Roberts was Gyeoul’s job.
In the first place, many guests chose their gifts knowing this would happen. For example, the president of a company called State Armory had sent a hundred sets each of the company’s firearm accessories. They had originally meant to send more, but the security authorities had stopped them.
‘State Armory... That was probably the company that advertised its guns as being as light as textbooks.’
Either way, it was no bad thing. Whatever remained after the Company members took what they wanted could be sent by air transport. He planned to make them reserve supplies for the Independent Battalion. Those newly joining the battalion would get a good impression from this kind of abundance.
Some gifts gave him pause in a different way.
“A bouquet?”
A bouquet full of lilies and forget-me-nots, with a small postcard envelope tucked inside it.
Carrillo spoke with their hands clasped behind their back.
“She was a beautiful Asian woman.”
Gyeoul opened the envelope. The postcard carried a scent clearer than the fresh flowers. A letter that arrived once in a while, just when he was about to forget, with no sender’s name and perfume sprayed on it. Its contents were a single line.
「I hope you will always stay healthy.」
The neat handwriting and the artificial but not unpleasant scent were both familiar. Carrillo noted Gyeoul’s hesitation.
“What shall we do?”
“...”
Gyeoul, who had been lost in thought, made his decision.
“Please return it.”
“Understood. Is there anything else you would like to convey?”
“No. Returning it is enough. She’ll understand what it means.”
For Ju Wei’s own sake, it was better to reject her clearly one more time. No message would be better. Gyeoul took a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet.
“This is my personal request, so I’d like you to accept it.”
“Thank you.”
Carrillo accepted the tip without another word. It was a role that might feel a little burdensome.
After that, as they looked over the gifts, Carrillo recommended that Gyeoul take one item to his room.
“How about this brandy?”
“Brandy?”
Gyeoul blinked in puzzlement. Over the past few days, the hotel concierge staff had learned that Gyeoul did not care for alcohol. That was only natural, since he had handed it over to the Company members as soon as it arrived. They also had to take into account that while Gyeoul was legally an adult, he was still below drinking age.
But the concierge manager nodded with an unreadable expression.
“That is correct. It is a favor from someone with strict taste in brandy.”
Gyeoul faltered for a moment, then froze at the inspiration 「Insight」 caught.
“You said strict taste?”
“Yes. That is the sort of person he is.”
The manager smiled with satisfaction, as if Gyeoul had given the right answer. Gyeoul watched Carrillo quietly and found certainty in Carrillo’s manner.
“...I suppose it wouldn’t be bad once in a while. Please send it to my room.”
“A wise decision.”
After receiving Gyeoul’s permission, Carrillo signaled to the staff behind with a nod.
Once he finished sorting and returned to his room, Gyeoul immediately examined the brandy in detail. But aside from being expensive, it was just an ordinary bottle of liquor. The contact number printed on the label was probably the real producer’s number as well. He had heard that the agents in charge of security checked even those details.
‘To think he would send a signal like this.’
If he was not mistaken, the one who had arranged for this brandy to be sent was none other than Major General Strickland. The taciturn father who supposedly loved liquor so much that he had named his daughter after it. That was why his daughter’s name was Brandy Strickland. Alamo flight leader, Major Brandy Strickland.
The hint had been Carrillo’s emphasis on the word strict.
Gyeoul let out an unguarded chuckle. It was a little odd and a little absurd. After asking for help through Major Strickland, he had given up hope because there had been no real contact.
But even simple contact could easily draw suspicion, so perhaps this was the best the general could do.
After turning the bottle this way and that for about ten minutes, Gyeoul realized there did not necessarily have to be anything hidden in it. What mattered was that the person who had sent it was staying in the same hotel. If not the major general himself, then someone who had received his request.
In other words, the liquor could be interpreted to mean that he was watching.
‘I won’t be able to go meet him myself, though.’
It was difficult to take Major General Strickland entirely at face value, but at the very least, the odds that he had aligned himself with General Schroeder were low. It would be wise not to use the contact number General Schroeder had given him until the very end.
Gyeoul broke the seal on the brandy. He had been meaning to test the improved 「Toxic Resistance」 at least once anyway. One bottle of 92-proof liquor was not bad for a test. It would also serve as a decent reference point for other toxins. Since he was going to drink anyway, he considered calling Anne over to spend time together, but soon let go of the thought. It would be unnatural coming from him, and if his goal was to verify his detoxification ability, drinking quickly would be difficult too.
Gyeoul emptied full glasses one after another and wiped his mouth.
The correction from 「Toxic Resistance」 was not very efficient. Even if it reached the realm of genius, in the end, it was still only a level of resistance possible for a human being. That meant he would die all the same if a chemical round went off nearby. When others died in one minute, he alone might endure for a few minutes more. Perhaps it would improve once he entered the realm of the superhuman.
Even so, raising its level required far more effort than other skills. Even considering that it was one of the prerequisites for 「Plague Immunity」, it was clearly excessive.
While waiting for the alcohol to take effect, Gyeoul turned on the TV. The large screen showed the city of pleasure he had visited not long ago. A woman appeared, wearing an ammunition vest over a sleeveless top and armed with a rifle. Standing before the camera with a shooting range behind her, she smiled brightly and said,
「Now, I’m here at Killing Field Vegas, the largest indoor tactical shooting range in Las Vegas. Can you see all the people lined up behind me? This place, which the heroes’ Company visited earlier, has now become one of the city’s leading attractions. In particular, challengers aiming to surpass Lieutenant Colonel Han Gyeoul’s record have been flooding in from all over the country, making it an even hotter topic. Today, I’ll become one of those challengers myself! Viewers, please cheer me on!」
“...”
It was like this every time he turned on the TV, so he was starting to get used to it. Gyeoul changed the channel to the news and began emptying the rest of the liquor.
His senses did not dull even as time passed.
After practicing aiming and switching between rifle and pistol indoors, Gyeoul confirmed that his combat ability had barely decreased and let out a soft sigh. So 「Toxic Resistance」 was not completely useless after all. Against drugs and poisons that were not especially lethal, he could probably expect some effect.
Bzzzzzz.
The Net Warrior terminal he had placed on the table vibrated. Gyeoul tilted his head when he saw “unknown caller” displayed on the screen. Who would contact him through a secret line at this hour?
‘Surely it isn’t Major General Strickland.’
Gyeoul lowered the TV volume and answered the call.
“Hello.”
「Lieutenant Colonel. It’s me.」
The voice that came through the receiver belonged to the Intelligence Agency agent he had met during the day. Gyeoul’s eyes narrowed.
“Talbot? What’s going on?”
「The truth is, there was one more matter I did not mention earlier today.」
“And that matter is something the Bureau can’t hear about, right?”
「Yes, that is correct.」
Talbot admitted it easily. Somehow, even when they met earlier, Gyeoul had felt there was something suspicious about him. He wanted no more secrets. General Schroeder, the coup of half-wits, the Blasphemous League, the Korean president’s grudge, the movements of the quarantine front. There were already more than enough risk factors he had to keep in mind.
But from the moment he received this call, Gyeoul effectively had no right to refuse. This was likely a decision by the Intelligence Agency, not Talbot personally.
“...I’ll hear you out first.”
At Gyeoul’s delayed answer, Talbot let out a small laugh.
「You sound as if this is giving you a headache.」
“Honestly, a little. I’d rather fight a Gamma Grumble with only a knife.”
「Oh dear... Please rest easy. It is not a request that difficult, and it is something you will be quite glad to hear, Lieutenant Colonel.」
“Something I’ll be glad to hear...”
「It concerns Miss Hwangbo Esther.」
Gyeoul’s hand tightened.
“The Intelligence Agency has no reason to get involved with Esther.”
It was a matter of jurisdiction. The CIA might be strengthening its activities inside the country, but at its core, it was an agency that handled intelligence overseas.
「That part is difficult to explain now, but I will make one thing clear. There is absolutely no plan that would harm Miss Esther.」
“I hope that’s true.”
「You can trust me. In any case, there is a high chance that you will become involved later as well, Lieutenant Colonel.」
“...So, what is this matter you couldn’t mention earlier?”
「Miss Esther wishes to speak with you.」
Gyeoul closed his mouth for a moment.
Footnotes:
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