A week later, the IRO held a press conference regarding the kidnapping scandal carried out by the research team. They apologized and stated that the research team's actions were unrelated to the organization.
The research team carried out the kidnapping without confirmation and manipulation to deceive the organization. The IRO also claimed they had obtained evidence. Soon, they would submit the case to be handled by the court.
Even though the IRO had held a press conference, many people still did not believe it. They assumed the IRO had deliberately blamed the case on the research team.
The kidnapping case became a trending topic worldwide. Content creators who never discussed conspiracy theories even created content about the kidnapping.
However, people were also confused because the IRO dared to bring the case to court. The judge that would handle the case was Clyde Sloan, a well-known judge.
Clyde never took a bribe. He resolved all cases legally. After the gate explosion incident, he awakened with the power to detect other people's lies. This power made him even more famous because he several times found lies in the cases he handled.
Because Clyde handled the kidnapping case, people thought the IRO statement was true. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the IRO building was suffocating.
"Hey, did you hear that we have a new problem? Some countries have stated they won't help the Gate and Dungeon Security Council," someone said to his friends while they were having lunch.
The others immediately replied because the news had already spread several hours ago.
"I'm a member of the security council so I know very well about that. Although several countries refuse to assist in the gate explosion case, Sir Hector is trying his best. He divided the available military forces equally."
"Well, that's all IRO can do right now. I heard the International Guild Council is also helping out. Finally, the hunters have something to do, haha."
"I think everyone is very busy right now. The Awakeners and Hunters Council are also working on the attack case at the conference. I hope Sir Emrick can find them as soon as possible."
"Have you noticed Sir Emrick acting strangely?"
"I think it's only me who thought that way. Now he's easy to forget things."
"Is it due to age factor?"
While they were deep in gossip, Renate drank her coffee while listening to them. She had to let Hector know if some people suspected Emrick's actions.
After Emrick was killed, Hector 'copied' Emrick's body to cover up what really happened. People thought Hector could only copy other people's powers. They would be surprised to learn that he could also copy the bodies of dead people.
It was basically similar to clone power. However, Hector could only copy one body of his target. Also, the power effect would disappear if the target's body decayed. It was not a big deal since he could freeze Emrick's corpse.
The problem was that Hector could not control his copy. Emrick's copy could not process what would happen in the future. His brain stopped functioning when he died. Because of that, Emrick's copy would not remember what anyone else said. He only kept Emrick's memory before he died.
Meanwhile, Hector was scheduling the security team when he got a message from Renate. He then glanced at Tyrone, who was with him.
"What's wrong?" Tyrone raised an eyebrow.
Hector handed Tyrone his cell phone and said, "People are starting to suspect Emrick's behavior. We have to do something about him."
"That's easy. We can get Wren to help and make it look like Emrick has dementia."
"We have the same thought. In that case, I'll contact Wren after receiving complaints about Emrick."
The Awakeners and Hunters Council would report on Emrick if his performance continued to worsen. When that happened, Hector could get Emrick removed from his position because he had dementia.
People would not suspect anything since Emrick's copy was showing symptoms of dementia. They would no longer care about him as time went by.
"By the way, what should we do with that snake monster?" Hector asked as he suddenly remembered Zivile.
The half-snake monster was still with Maido. The IRO did not kill her because she came with the mysterious man who had attacked Tyrone. They thought they could use Zivile to find out something about the man.
Unfortunately, Zivile admitted that she knew nothing and said the man forced her to make a contract. She also challenged the IRO to kill her because the man would not come to save her.
The IRO still let her live nonetheless. They had caught many criminals and some of them were lying a lot. For this reason, they would lock up Zivile indefinitely.
"Actually, I was thinking of releasing her," Tyrone answered after some thought. "Let's assume the monster is honest. That man won't let go of his pet ever since he forced her to sign the contract."
Hector immediately understood what Tyrone was trying to say. "You're right. That man must have worked hard to subdue the snake monster. He will come to save her sooner or later because he doesn't want to lose his assets."
"Exactly. I was planning on letting her go because I don't want any new trouble. That man is going to make a mess to get his pet back."
"You should talk about that with the others."
"Of course. I'll talk about it when I'm done with the security team. We will have to manage them properly."
After that, Hector and Tyrone stopped talking about Zivile. They had to complete the security team's patrol schedule. They would be stationed to guard gates around the world to avoid unexpected gate explosions.
***
Radmilo did not launch any further attacks against the IRO following the conference. Even if he remained silent, the IRO would remain fearful because they had no idea when he would strike again. They had also been unable to find his identity or whereabouts.
Kiss of Death had a new base now. The IRO would not find anything if they went to the old base. They could not reach the new base since their spy had betrayed them.
The spy now with Kiss of Death. No. He was only on Radmilo's side because the man offered a good item. And today was the day Radmilo would discuss the offer.
The two of them had promised to meet at the old base. The IRO's people were still on guard there even though the base had been abandoned. However, Radmilo was able to kill them all so the meeting would go smoothly.
"You're five minutes late from the promised time," someone said when Radmilo entered the room.
"That happened because the IRO sent tough people," Radmilo spoke while wiping the blood from his sword. He then sat down and asked, "Will you forgive me, Sion?"
Sion, the person sitting opposite Radmilo, did not answer. He instead took out the contract he had signed.
"I have fulfilled your requirement. Now it's your turn to keep your promise."
Radmilo looked at the contract. Sion was the spy sent by The Awakeners and Hunters Council. He found out about it after the Kiss of Death was destroyed in his previous life.
The Awakeners and Hunters Council had many spies and Sion was only assigned to handle the Kiss of Death. Once the mission was completed, he was free to remain a spy or ended the contract.
At that time, IRO promised to cover the medical expenses of Sion's mother who suffered from a rare disease. Sion did not renew the contract because he wanted to take care of his mother. His identity was no longer a secret after he stopped spying, so Radmilo could find out about him.
"You promised to give me the poison if I didn't tell the IRO about your plan. I already did. I didn't tell them about the new base either," Sion spoke again as the man in front of him kept silent.
After betraying the IRO, he had to pay for his mother's medical expenses. The hospital was also limiting treatment because the mother was not a priority patient anymore. He could bear his situation because Radmilo promised him something good.
Radmilo offered the item in the contract so Sion was sure the man would not break his promise. The item was a pain reliever caused by Rare Carys Disease. The IRO restricted the use of the item because they had other patients.
However, Radmilo promised to give the potion every month to Sion. It was a difficult offer to turn down. In the end, Sion agreed because the potion could keep his mother alive.
"Don't worry. I won't betray like you betrayed the IRO," Radmilo said as he felt Sion's anger.
He immediately took out the potion from his inventory and gave it to Sion. After that, he made a new offer that stunned Sion.
"I can cure your mother's illness. But what will you give me in return?"
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