Chapter 1194: 181. Advantage

"I heard you did something bad?"

The moment he walked into the room, before Muen even had time to clearly see what the other person looked like, he had already heard that voice, gentle as the wind.

Muen raised an eyebrow.

Behind the desk, the man exercising the highest authority in the city was looking up with a smile. His hair was graying, but his face did not actually look that old. It was probably because his daily duties consumed so much of his energy that he appeared considerably older than his actual age.

It was obvious that he truly was very busy on ordinary days.

Yet even so, he still received Muen, a visiting stranger, with patience and kindness, showing no airs at all because of the difference in their status.

At first glance, it was completely impossible to tell that he was the highest administrator of this city. He looked more like an ordinary old man sitting beneath a tree and inviting you over for a game of chess.

"Nice to meet you, Proxy." Muen placed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly, greeting him politely.

"There’s no need to call me Proxy. Just call me Morton. Morton Donahue."

Morton looked slightly surprised, as though he did not quite understand the etiquette Muen had displayed, but his excellent upbringing prevented him from showing anything. He merely tapped the desk and smilingly gestured for Muen to sit down.

"Thank you."

Muen sat down opposite the desk. That was probably the seat specially prepared for visitors. The wooden armrests had already been rubbed extremely smooth.

Muen settled steadily into the chair, but his gaze never left the Proxy before him. He continued studying him while trying to figure out exactly what sort of person he was.

On any other set, just that smiling expression alone would have been enough for Muen to label him a deeply calculating old fox. He would have needed to keep eight hundred hidden thoughts in mind with every sentence he spoke to him.

But here... Muen truly felt that he was merely a kind old man who liked to smile.

"Talk to me, child. To have been forced to the point of doing something bad, you must have been living through a very difficult time lately." Morton personally brewed Muen a cup of tea, his eyes revealing the exact same pity as the Guard Team earlier.

"..."

Damn it.

He had clearly done something bad on purpose, so why did he now feel the same shame as when he had been mischievous as a child and his family had looked at him with gentle eyes?

Morton’s gaze made Muen uncomfortable all over. After giving a dry cough, he said,

"Um... Mr. Morton, there’s something I wanted to ask earlier. Is there some necessary connection between encountering difficulties and committing crimes?"

"Of course there is." Morton said as though it were only natural, "If they had not encountered difficulties, who would ever walk down the path of crime? Speaking of which, this is entirely my fault."

"Your fault?"

"Yes. As the Proxy of New Tars, I allowed one of my own people to reach the point where he had no choice but to commit a crime. I have failed terribly in my duty." Morton looked deeply pained.

"..."

Such an exaggerated reaction instinctively made it seem like he was acting.

But if one looked directly into those eyes, one would discover that there was not the slightest trace of falsehood mixed within them.

"Is something wrong?" Muen’s sudden silence confused Morton.

"It’s nothing."

Muen shook his head.

"I just feel more and more... as though I’m currently inside a fairy tale."

"A fairy tale? No, no, no. This is not a fairy tale. This is reality... My duty is to allow everyone here to continue living happy and wonderful lives."

Morton placed a hand over his chest and smiled.

"Maintaining this beauty, maintaining the true meaning of New Tars as a ‘carefree place,’ is the entire meaning of my existence, and also the meaning of existence for all of us Tars people."

"Is that so..."

Muen lowered his eyes.

Everyone living happily and beautifully...

Those words sounded...

Far too horrifying.

In the outside world, in the world Muen was familiar with, even a three-year-old child would know that such a thing was absolutely impossible.

The most fundamental laws by which the world operated determined that the world could never contain only beautiful things.

Yet there was nothing but sincerity on the Proxy’s face, as though he truly thought that way and had truly acted that way.

Within his understanding, such an absurd fantasy was not something impossible to accomplish.

And it was not only him. All the people of New Tars seemed to believe the same thing, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} and they truly were living within that happiness and beauty.

Muen himself had even personally experienced a portion of that happiness and beauty just earlier.

...Yet he still could not understand this city.

"Forget it... At present, there’s no meaning in dwelling on this sort of question."

Muen rubbed his face. He could almost already be certain that those survivors were planning something behind the scenes. New Tars could never have become like this without deliberate guidance and shaping. Putting everything else aside, just the abundance of resources here was not something a city-state trapped within the fog could casually produce.

But... honestly, even if he had guessed that much, he still did not have any especially good method of dealing with it, and it was even more difficult for him to investigate the truth any further.

Because he did not understand Tars from eight hundred years ago, nor did he understand the past and beginning of all this. Naturally, he had no way to infer the present from them.

In the end, this was still a story between Miss Dragon and the survivors of Tars. He was merely a thigh accessory Miss Dragon had dragged along so he could help a little.

What he should do now was probably only finish what he was supposed to do, then trust Miss Dragon.

...There was nothing not to trust. As the strongest dragon, Miss Dragon must have suffered an unimaginable number of plots and schemes over the past thousand years.

Something of this level was probably nothing more than a breeze blowing against her face. No matter how fiercely those survivors jumped around, they were most likely only making a final desperate struggle. They would not even be able to dirty the corner of her clothes.

"It’s just that I really need to hurry too. Otherwise, I won’t have any presence at all, and I’ll be looked down on as useless again."

Muen stretched once more.

Or rather...

He loosened his muscles and bones.

Then he changed his expression and asked Morton with great sincerity,

"Mr. Morton, I actually do have a bit of difficulty, and I would like to ask for your help."

"Oh, please tell me."

Morton was very pleased that Muen had "opened his heart."

"As long as it is something I can help with, I will certainly do everything in my power. That is my duty."

"It’s actually nothing difficult." Muen scratched his cheek. "It’s just that... I’d like to use the Proxy’s channels and power to help me find a few people."

"Find a few people? Hmm... That truly is not difficult. Family or friends?"

"Old acquaintances of my companion. Mm, one of them can also barely be considered an acquaintance of mine."

"I see..."

Morton casually picked up paper and pen to make a record.

"Please tell me their names and distinguishing features. I’ll immediately mobilize the Guard Team and the citizens to help you search. There should be news very soon."

"Thank you."

Muen thanked him, but his eyes gradually narrowed, and the corner of his mouth once again curved upward slightly.

"Their names are... Priscilla."

"..."

The moment the first name was spoken, Morton’s body visibly stiffened.

"Clarence."

"..."

"Philemon."

"..."

"Avik."

"..."

"And... the last one was called Harris, right? Sorry, other than Priscilla, I’m not very familiar with the others. I only heard their names from my companion, so I don’t know whether they’re correct."

Muen interlaced his fingers beneath his chin and looked at him expectantly.

"Those are the people. I wonder whether the Proxy can help me look for them? It would be wonderful if you could find them directly."

"..."

There was still only silence.

Those names were like one incantation after another, causing the smile at the corners of the previously gentle and amiable Proxy’s mouth to disappear little by little.

At the same time, some terrifying aura began to release from his body. The desk before Muen, the surrounding walls, and even the floor...

All began to develop tiny cracks.

"...An outsider?"

A cold light flashed through Morton’s eyes, and his voice became hoarse.

"Huh? You figured it out that quickly?"

Muen seemed completely unaware of that terrifying aura and said in surprise,

"I originally thought that with how stupidly innocent all of you are, I would still need to give you a detailed self-introduction."

"The names you spoke are the names of the heroes."

Morton’s carefully controlled voice concealed anger that was difficult to suppress.

"In New Tars, no one directly addresses the heroes by name. That is a grave disrespect!"

"...All right."

Muen shrugged.

"Then could I trouble Mr. Morton... to help me find your heroes? I truly want to meet them... No, my companion truly wants to meet them. They are genuine old acquaintances."

"Your companion... the evil dragon? You are the evil dragon’s running dog?" Morton suddenly cried out.

"Hm?"

This time, Muen was genuinely surprised.

"You can even guess that directly? Interesting... No, wait. What running dog? At most, I can only be considered a thigh accessory who rather enjoys clinging to someone powerful."

If he directly said he was Miss Dragon’s dog, that might still be slightly exciting.

But "running dog" sounded far too unpleasant.

"The final message left behind by the heroes was that they were going to search for a way to oppose the evil dragon, and that we were to protect New Tars during the time they were gone."

Morton stared fixedly at Muen.

"I never expected that you would truly come!"

"Search for a way to oppose the evil dragon? During the time they were gone?"

Muen’s expression turned strange.

"It seems those people really deceived all of you terribly. You even believe nonsense like that."

"Shut up!"

Morton shouted angrily.

"You are not allowed to insult the heroes!"

"...All right, all right. I suppose I understand how much weight those people hold in your hearts. That makes sense. They built this city, after all. Asking you to help find them was never very likely to work."

Muen helplessly raised both hands.

"I was only asking. Besides, it looks like none of you even understand the most basic situation."

"No matter what evil conspiracy you have, I will not allow you to succeed!"

"Calling it a conspiracy is seriously underestimating me. Right now, I possess an absolute advantage. There is no need for me to use any conspiracy at all."

"Advantage?"

Morton sneered.

"You dared to enter New Tars alone. I admire your courage. But an advantage... What advantage could you possibly have?"

"Well, isn’t this one?"

The moment Morton finished speaking, there was a metallic ring.

A sharp, pure-white blade was directly pressed against his vulnerable neck.

His expression stiffened once again.

"Putting everything else aside, having the most useful hostage in the entire city..."

Muen looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"That should be a fairly large advantage, shouldn’t it?"