Chapter 66: When the Long-Suffering Corporate Slave Meets Their Former Boss!

The rigidly stratified environment of Kazimierz had drawn out the absolute worst in everyone, yet the corruption wasn’t entirely absolute. This resulted in the audience behaving exactly like feral dogs; they could happily gorge themselves on all manner of filth and slaughter, but the moment they were exposed to the genuine beauty of human nature, they would first fly into a rabid rage, and then—as if they had just swallowed a bar of pure chocolate—collapse in a puddle of sweet, agonizing whimpers.

On my way back to the Nearl estate, I had already overheard at least three massive arguments regarding the “Stone Knight.”

Countless citizens had suddenly started loudly broadcasting their adoration for the gentle giant, expressing their sudden distaste for the blood-soaked dueling arenas. The most classic exchange I caught went something like this:

“Back when I said I believed in this Infected knight, you all told me my Kuranta had bolted. How about now, huh?”

“It’s back, it’s back! Terra is round, buddy; your Kuranta just ran a full lap and came right back to you.”

I even scrolled past a post on an offline Terra message board:

“Rating the Kazimierz knights: 1 point for top-tier aesthetics and a booming voice, 2 points for being absolute trash just making up the numbers, 3 points for having a rigged family background…”

Though their logic was completely abstract, more and more people were beginning to understand this knight—and his sponsor, Rhodes Island—as a true knight unwilling to harm his fellow countrymen.

It seemed Kazimierz hadn’t completely rotted down to the bedrock just yet. With a heavy sigh, I regretfully scrapped my Plan B: deploying a miniature colossus to violently purify the entire city.

Late at night, the Nearl family estate was suffocating under a thick, murderous aura.

The moment I pushed open the front door, I was greeted by the sight of a deadpan Młynar holding a brand-new flavor of Tumor Milk, while Maria stood behind him, frantically winking at me like her eyelids were having a seizure.

“Doctor. I assumed that by deigning to stay at the Nearl residence, you had already realized the sheer peril of your own situation.”

The instant Młynar opened his mouth, I could practically smell that old feline hag Kal’tsit!

Maria stared at me in absolute terror, winking desperately and mouthing a frantic reminder of the text message she had sent earlier:

‘If Uncle comes back, don’t act recklessly again!’I blinked, my hyper-processing gamer brain taking exactly 0.01 seconds to decipher her lip movements:’If you are the future, prove it to me!’

Ah! We were perfectly in sync. Message received, loud and clear—she wanted to charge into battle with me and usurp the position of the Nearl family head!

I gave her a solemn, knowing nod. As Maria’s expression rapidly morphed from sheer relief to abject horror, I puffed out my chest and declared with absolute confidence:

“That’s exactly right! Kazimierz is about to welcome a brand-new, devastating transformation!”

For someone with my theatrical flair, the entire world was nothing but a dazzling stage. Młynar’s icy scrutiny was simply the highest form of applause. I instantly slipped into my mastermind speech mode:

“I will employ far more efficient methods to dismantle this twisted Knight Competition industry! I will forge Kazimierz into the true beating heart of this world, injecting my will directly into the city’s veins. Under the banner of Rhodes Island, sunshine and bread will flow equally into the lives of every single citizen!”

“Whether they are Infected or uninfected, born weak or eccentric, I require a highly improved industrial machine that places every individual in their perfect, designated slot. This will be the ultimate win-win scenario for both Rhodes Island and Kazimierz!”

“For the tomorrow I envision, these are all necessary risks!”

Maria looked so panicked she was on the verge of tears. And then, I dropped the real bombshell.

“And in the midst of all this, Młynar… don’t you think Maria has an incredible amount of potential?”

Młynar’s dead, golden eyes slowly shifted toward his niece. His gaze practically screamed: You’re involved in this treason too?

Without another word, he turned around and began methodically rummaging through the cabinets, searching high and low for something that would inflict more physical trauma than a standard leather belt.

Maria’s soul left her body.

A moment later, Maria’s tragic wails echoed through the Nearl estate once again.

“It really wasn’t me this time! Hey, Uncle, why do we still have a beast-of-burden whip in the house?! I thought you sold all the beasts of burden! Why did you keep the whip?! Don’t whip me—Ouch—Neigh! NEIGH!”

Outside the Nearl residence, a shadow with platinum-blonde hair paused in the darkness. This time, the Armorless Union assassin heard the distinct, agonizing cries of a pure-blooded deity loud and clear.

‘A second awakening?’ Platinum thought, her eyes narrowing.

This was critical intelligence. She absolutely had to report this to her superiors…

She cautiously took a step back, her sharp eyes scanning the perimeter for any Rhodes Island guards. Suddenly, the screen of her tactical watch lit up.

11:30 PM.

She blinked. She had officially clocked out thirty minutes ago.

Forget it, she decided instantly, her corporate-slave instincts overriding her assassin training. She would just report it tomorrow.

Inside, I cautiously sidled up against the wall. Młynar couldn’t whip his niece if he was holding his Tumor Milk, and he couldn’t protect his freshly bought Tumor Milk if he was swinging a whip. Taking advantage of the chaos, I casually popped the tab on a can and took a sip while enjoying the live-action horse girl rodeo.

Scallion-and-chive flavor. Absolutely vile. Such a premium item, and I hadn’t even managed to trick Maria into drinking it yet!

After forcing Maria into a desperate corner—prompting her to vault off the workbench, scramble onto the outdoor air conditioning unit, and flee across the roof—Młynar walked back into the living room, his face dark as a thundercloud.

I shrank back, feeling a twinge of genuine guilt. “Do I have to get whipped too? Think carefully, Uncle, my HP is way too low. I can’t tank even a single lash!”

Hearing me call him “Uncle,” Młynar’s stoic expression violently twisted. “You are using the exact same title as Maria?”

“Of course! Whatever she calls you, I call you. We’re all family here!”

Młynar’s hand twitched, subconsciously flicking the beast-of-burden whip as if he hadn’t quite gotten his fill of violence. The sharp crack scared me into standing at rigid attention, hurriedly hiding the cursed scallion-and-chive Tumor Milk behind my back.

Młynar stared at me. He remained silent for a long, agonizing time, his golden eyes heavy with a serious, unreadable emotion.

I held my military posture for as long as I could before my stamina gave out. Slumping against the wall, I secretly pulled the Tumor Milk back out for another sip.

Finally, he broke the silence. “You are still exactly the same as before, Doctor. It seems I will never truly understand what you want, even though every word you speak sounds like the absolute truth.”

What did he mean ‘sounds like’? It was the truth! I didn’t even remember any of that past lore myself, so why was he interrogating me?!

“Doctor,” Młynar continued, his voice dropping to a calm, nostalgic tenor. “The last time you saw me before this, you arranged for my return to Kazimierz. You told me you had found my brother and sister-in-law.”

For a fleeting second, the exhausted corporate wage-slave vanished, replaced by the young, idealistic ranger who had once placed his unconditional trust in his Commander.

My eyes widened behind my visor. I was that awesome? I actually managed a quest line like that?

Unfortunately, Młynar seemed unwilling to dwell on the sentimental details, swiftly brushing past the topic. “But on the seventh day after my return, news suddenly arrived from Kazdel. The Lord of Fiends had been attacked… and your fate was completely unknown.”

My teeth ached. Was the Lord of Fiends attacked, or did the Lord of Fiends barely escape from my clutches?! Could we please not bring up the Kazdel main theme lore right now?!

“By the time I rushed back,” Młynar said softly, “even the direct unit I commanded under you had been disbanded. It happened far too quickly.”

I couldn’t hold back my gamer instincts any longer. “Then… did you at least get your severance pension?”

Młynar frowned in genuine confusion. “I didn’t ask for one. Shouldn’t a pension only be collected after the age of sixty?”

I gasped internally. Knowing my own hyper-improved, resource-hoarding playstyle, I would never withhold the pensions of my own direct Elite operators! And it would have been a massive sum of LMD!

So where the hell was that money?! I hadn’t even conquered Kazimierz yet, and I desperately needed to embezzle that windfall to promote Uncle to Elite 2!

Młynar stared at me in dead silence for a moment. “Doctor. Are you currently coveting someone else’s money again?”

I flinched in shock. How did he see through my poker face?! This was an invincible disguise technique I learned directly from the Sarkaz Royal Court!

“I ask,” Młynar sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “because in the past, you were short on funds every other day. You even managed to cat-fish and scam twelve young Banshees simultaneously, using ‘exchanging tokens of love’ as an excuse to swindle a massive stockpile of Siren’s Kiss out of them.”

Before I could defend my past degeneracy, Młynar suddenly stepped forward and dropped to one knee, executing a stiff, somewhat rusty knight’s salute.

“The matters trailing behind you are far too complex, Doctor. Maria is not suited for combat, and to be frank, she isn’t very smart. If necessary, please continue to use me instead. I refuse to let her be dragged into these dark, old affairs again.”

Looking down at the kneeling, desperate man, I suddenly felt a deep sense of wrongness.

Why did I feel exactly like the evil corporate boss in a trashy movie, using a helpless wife to blackmail her incompetent husband?!

Serves you right for having so much degenerate fanfiction written about you, Młynar!

[Rhodes’s Note:

Enjoying the operation so far, Doctor?

(This daily grind literally pays the landship’s rent! 🙇‍♂️):

Massive thanks for reading and supporting the operation!]