Chapter 20: The Start of the Killing Game

The mastermind actually took the initiative to call the target, this is really...

After some slight complaint, Ryuto still answered the call.

"So, why did the mastermind behind all this call me, and why use such a roundabout way?"

"Oh, nothing much, just wanted to explain a few things."

"Explain? Is it the reason for assassinating me?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't reveal that, after all, it's a secret matter."

"What a joke, not even willing to say something like that, and still call it an explanation."

With a disappointed tone, Ryuto spoke.

"Well, although I can't disclose that, I can reveal some other things in return."

"Other things?"

"First, I want to apologize for something."

"Apologize? The mastermind behind the assassination actually wants to apologize to the target, you really know how to crack a joke, that's quite strange."

Ryuto started to mock the other person.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not joking. And speaking of strange, it's even stranger to me that someone who wants to murder me can talk to me in such a calm manner. It's not something a normal person would be able to do so calmly."

"If that's the case, then you have no right to criticize me."

"Well, that's quite ruthless of you to say."

Ryuto didn't have time to chat with this dangerous person, so he took charge.

"Well, let's put that aside for now. What is it that you want to say? Since you went through all this trouble, there must be something important you want to tell me."

"If that's the case, I'll just say it directly. You should still remember what happened this afternoon, right?"

"What happened this afternoon?"

Ryuto showed a confused expression.

"Well... I'm sorry, I don't remember, my memory is really bad."

However, it seemed that the other person wasn't buying it and responded in a mocking tone.

"Oh, is that so? Did you really forget or is it just a trivial matter that you think is not worth remembering?"

"Is that all you have to say? If there's nothing important, I'll hang up. I'm busy."

Ryuto urged in a slightly threatening manner, not knowing if it had any effect.

"In that case, I'll just say it. It's about the bank robbery incident this afternoon."

"..."

Seeing that Ryuto didn't respond, the other person's voice sounded somewhat joyful.

"From your reaction, it seems like you already knew, right? Haha, that really pleases me!"

"What exactly do you want to say?"

"Nothing much, I just want to apologize to you for the 'rampage' my subordinates went on during that incident. Although it was their fault, as their superior, I also take responsibility."

"A rampage?"

Ryuto's tone suddenly changed, but the other person didn't stop.

"Yes, you also know, right? The intentions of those people were obviously not just to rob the bank, but to kill you. It's easy to see from their actions and behavior. After all, even if they tried to disguise it, that final shot already revealed everything."

"..."

"And it caused such a big commotion. I'm sure my reckless subordinates have caused you a lot of trouble. I apologize for that."

"Is that so? Are you just blaming everything on your subordinates? And honestly, I can't hear your apology at all."

Faced with Ryuto's questioning, the other person pretended to be clueless.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"Although their plans and actions were not very careful, it's clear that it wasn't something unexpected for you, right?"

Faced with Ryuto's question, the other person cunningly asked back.

"Are you implying that I deliberately arranged this?"

"While I don't know the purpose behind it, I don't think a professional assassin organization would make such a rookie mistake, especially one with a well-trained army."

"Oh, so you've figured out their identities as well?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"From the looks of it, you're already convinced that it was me who arranged it."

It seemed that the other person had no intention of defending themselves.

"Leaking the information to my subordinates, turning a blind eye to their actions, and then calling their behavior a 'rampage.' Speaking of which, it's hard to understand the term 'rampage,' considering that I have a poor memory and my language skills are not great.""This is really ruthless." Faced with Ryuto's sarcasm, the other party sighed helplessly. "So, is that all you have to say?" "Oh, you're not asking me why I did this? I thought you would definitely ask." "That must be because you have some complicated reasons that I wouldn't understand even if you explained. Besides, I'm not interested in your reasons." "Although you say that, I will explain anyway. Besides the apology earlier, there is something even more important." "More important?" Ryuto was puzzled by the sudden change of topic. "Since things have developed to this point, it is necessary to change our plan." "Is that your objective?" "I won't deny that you're right, after all, honesty is my motto." This guy really has the nerve to say that. "This answer is quite ambiguous. Are you trying to say that those so-called 'rampages' were just to test certain things, can I understand it that way?" Ryuto sarcastically remarked again. "Oh, so you understand even this? You're really clever, you saved me a lot of trouble. Talking to smart people is much more interesting, you know how frustrating it is to deal with those idiots who think they're smart every day? It's suffocating." "..."

Ryuto remained silent, and the other party tactfully returned to the main topic. "And your actions far surpassed our expectations." "Actions?" "Yes, yes, whether it was the strategy of occupying the control room first, or the strategy of avoiding the cameras by cutting the walls, or the strategy of using simple switches to easily defeat the robbers for the Sword Wielder of the East, your precision and composure were perfect. I am very interested in all of these." "So you did all those unnecessary things for that? I'm not as clever as you say, after all, I've always been a mediocre person." Faced with Ryuto's self-deprecation, the other party seemed unconvinced. "You're too modest. It's okay to deceive ordinary idiots with scores, but it's not so easy to deceive me. In my opinion, you're not ordinary. You exceed the standards of high school students and even adults." "I feel like you're bragging, and you're not even trying to hide it." "Because you're an exception, we have to change our plan." "..." Ryuto seemed uninterested. "Oh, don't you have any questions?" "Well, because I'm not interested." "Although you say that now, I guarantee you will be interested later." "..." Before Ryuto could respond, the other party continued with what they were saying before. "Because your actions during the day went far beyond our expectations, we're going to test you next." "Test? This isn't school, and there wouldn't be assassins wanting to test their assassination targets. This seems a bit strange." "As I mentioned earlier, you're an exception. It shouldn't be strange to use special methods on exceptions, and... although it's a test, it's just a game, so you don't have to be too nervous." Although the other party sounded relaxed, "The game you mentioned probably won't be ordinary." Ryuto questioned. "Well, although it seems ordinary to me, does that mean my values are strange?" "You don't even have the self-awareness... By the way, I don't think I need to participate, in the end, it's just you amusing yourself." That's right, even if the other party has that idea, I don't have the need to participate. "No, you will participate because it's a game called 'Explosion.'" Understanding something, Ryuto's tone changed. "You, just like before, want to involve normal people in this game." "Well, although the worst case scenario would be that, if you participate, I believe the result will be different. Of course, I won't directly intervene, I will only make the necessary arrangements, and... the Sword Wielder of the East, who came all the way here to protect you, don't you have any doubts about that?"The other party suddenly threw out an unrelated question, to which Ryuto responded coldly, "There's no need for you to remind me of what I should and shouldn't know."

The answer was quite cryptic indeed, and the young man couldn't help but smile wryly. It seemed like he knew what he needed to know, but had no interest in knowing what he shouldn't know. When did he find out though? Judging from his tone, could it be from the beginning? No, he probably only figured out that the Sword Witch in the Far East was not an enemy, which was indeed more important than the real purpose. It was frustrating that this made it impossible to sow discord.

Well, that's true. Although I don't know how he found out, if he didn't know from the beginning, he wouldn't have trusted someone with an unknown background this much.

"So, you know everything, huh? Well, it looks like there's no problem then. I will send the specific information to this phone. I'm looking forward to your special performance."

After saying that, the other party hung up.

As soon as he hung up, a message appeared on Ryuto's phone.

That was fast.

Immediately, Ryuto opened the message. The message started with a paragraph of cryptic language that he couldn't understand, but at the end, it said:

The items necessary for the game are also in the package you just received. After confirming, quickly dispose of the phone because it will explode soon.

Huh? Explode?

The sudden words puzzled Ryuto, causing him to pause for a moment.

"Ah, explode."

Ryuto couldn't help but exclaim.

Hiyori looked puzzled.

"Lord Ryuto, will this box explode?"

"Yeah, quickly, Hiyori, throw it away."

"Where should I throw it?"

"Of course, into the sky."

"Okay."

Then, Hiyori swiftly picked it up and rushed outside. After a brief preparation, with a hidden strength that couldn't be seen from the outside, she threw the phone into the high sky, followed by...

"Bang—"

The sound of an explosion came from above, and fireworks burst in the night sky.

Looking up, Ryuto murmured to himself.

"It seems that tonight's fireworks will be so bright that it's hard to fall asleep."