SYNO Chapter 10

Fredrick’s gaze slowly shifted to the left. The platinum-blond man sitting there was born with the noblest bloodline in the Home Nation.

‘Lucas Ter Epilox.’

The Epilox family, which had produced numerous presidents. Even within that formidable family, this man was proudly hailed as a presidential candidate.

‘But the rumors about him aren’t good.’

Fredrick averted his gaze from Brigadier General Lucas. He’d heard a story from a distant relative who had been fired for looking at Lucas for too long in the Home Nation.

‘There were also rumors that he was a shady person.’

However, he couldn’t assume all the rumors were true. They could be political maneuvers spread secretly by rival candidates.

Becoming a presidential candidate was inherently like that. Until they were officially selected as one of the three final candidates by the entire nation, the preliminary candidates could be replaced at any time, and the political competition was fierce.

There were currently more than ten preliminary candidates from each family.

‘Especially Brigadier General Lucas. He’s bound to have a lot of gossip surrounding him. He’s from the Epilox family, after all.’

Historically, those from the Epilox family stopped at nothing to secure the presidency. How much blood had they shed to seize that position?

Naturally, Brigadier General Lucas, a descendant of the Epilox family, would find it difficult to escape that daunting prejudice.

Fredrick, having successfully swallowed his saliva without making a sound after craning his neck, shifted his gaze to the right, feeling slightly more at ease. He saw the man with grayish hair, almost ash-colored.

‘Pienne de Laviste.’

This was the man he served, the Commander, appointed as the provisional ruler of the corrupt Dependent Nation.

In fact, the Laviste family, to which he belonged, had barely enough members to be considered a proper family.

‘Pienne himself established the Laviste family.’

That was why he was considered exceptional among the candidates. A commoner, he had entered the most prestigious university in the Home Nation through his own efforts.

He had chosen to become a military officer, despite the many easier paths to wealth. And he had resolved numerous problems that had plagued the military. Finally, he received an award from the President and established a noble family…

‘He’s an extraordinary man, no matter how you look at it.’

Fredrick puffed out his chest with pride.

The fact that Pienne had risen to the rank of Brigadier General at such a young age without the support of a family was a testament to how remarkable he was.

In Fredrick’s opinion, these two men present were the most likely candidates for the presidency among the preliminaries.

“How is the meal? Is it to your liking?”

The two men had been eating in silence since they sat down. Pienne, putting down his fork and knife for a moment, spoke casually.

Lucas also put down his cutlery and smiled.

“It’s good. Where did you acquire such ingredients? They’re things one wouldn’t normally find in the Dependent Nation.”

Pienne, wiping his mouth with a napkin, chuckled briefly.

“You seem to know the Dependent Nation well.”

“…….”

“Well, I suppose the person who supplied the ingredients would know.”

Lucas’ red eyes turned noticeably colder. However, he maintained his smile.

Pienne was also smiling. He spoke to Vice Commander Fredrick, who was standing awkwardly.

“Fredrick. Was it the chef who procured the ingredients?”

Fredrick, who had been listening intently to their tense conversation, was startled and straightened his posture.

“Ah, yes. I believe so.”

“Introduce him to the Brigadier General later. He seems curious.”

“Yes, sir.”

Fredrick lowered his head again.

He felt like he could do anything if he could just escape this place.

‘The atmosphere is bad… really bad.’

Every word exchanged between the two men was laced with hidden barbs.

Lucas’ initial comment about the ingredients was one such example. Saying they were “things one wouldn’t normally find in the Dependent Nation” was a way of belittling Pienne’s position as the provisional ruler. It was as if he was mocking the ruler of the Dependent Nation, a place where even these ingredients were hard to come by.

And Commander Pienne, immediately understanding the implication, retorted sharply.

“You seem to know the Dependent Nation well.”

This was also a jab at the rumors about Lucas being a shady person. Indeed, one of the rumors about Lucas was that he had some sort of connection with the organizations in the Dependent Nation.

‘I want to escape. Desperately.’

He would rather go deal with the troublesome Ssangryeong than endure this uncomfortable situation.

That was when it happened.

The door to the tense reception room unexpectedly opened.

Fredrick’s slightly relaxed eyes widened. They widened so much that he felt like they would pop out if he was hit on the back of his head.

It was because the person who entered was none other than Ssangryeong.

“Commander. I brought him as you instructed.”

Fredrick’s eyes wavered. The person who brought Ssangryeong was the official tasked with taking him on walks to prevent him from going insane.

“You may leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

At Pienne’s words, the official practically fled the uncomfortable room as if escaping. Frederick had never envied that official more than he did at this moment.

Silence descended upon the reception room once more. None of the four people present spoke.

Ssangryeong, with blue tape covering his mouth, couldn’t speak even if he wanted to.

‘It seems he was brought here without knowing anything either.’

Ssangryeong was looking around the reception room, his face deeply furrowed. If the tape were removed, a torrent of curses, too vulgar to even be heard, would surely erupt.

‘Why did the Commander bring him here?’

Fredrick stared at the Commander with an uncomprehending look. Pienne was sipping his wine, without any change in expression.

This time, Frederick’s gaze shifted to Lucas, who was sitting on the left.

Lucas was staring intently at Ssangryeong.

More precisely, he seemed to be examining Ssangryeong’s sweat-drenched hair, the blue tape on his lips, and the handcuffs around his wrists.

‘What is this…?’

Fredrick tilted his head in confusion. Lucas’ gaze was subtle, a kind that was difficult to interpret.

And Pienne was observing Lucas who was watching Ssangryeong.

After briefly, yet thoroughly, examining Ssangryeong, Lucas turned his gaze forward and tilted his head.

“May I ask what this situation is about, Commander?”

At Lucas’ question, Ssangryeong’s eyes, which had been wandering around the reception room, snapped towards him.

Ssangryeong’s eyes widened as he belatedly recognized Lucas. His brows furrowed even deeper than before, and he blinked rapidly.

“Ah, I should introduce you.”

Pienne gestured for the startled Ssangryeong to come closer. Ssangryeong glared at Pienne’s simple gesture.

Ssangryeong seemed to be cursing with his eyes.

As if saying, ‘Is this bastard crazy? Why did he bring me here?’

Sure enough, Ssangryeong elegantly raised his handcuffed hand and extended his middle finger.

‘Wow…’

Fredrick was impressed by his brazen behavior.

To have the guts to do that in front of two Brigadier Generals from the Home Nation. He wanted to applaud him.

“Mmmph.”

Ssangryeong made a muffled sound behind the blue tape. It sounded like distinct syllables.

IIf he had to interpret it, it probably meant ‘fuck off,’ right?

As Ssangryeong didn’t move despite being called, Pienne chuckled indifferently. He gave up on having Ssangryeong sit down and spoke,

“Let me introduce you. This is a new official I recently hired. His name is Ryeong. I had him come here to greet you.”

A new… what?

Everyone in the room, except Pienne, froze.

Question marks hung over their faces.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Ssangryeong had thought the route for his walk today was strange. The official, who usually only had him walk the same hallway, had extended the route to a different floor.

Ssangryeong had obediently followed, enjoying the unexpected tour of the magnificent interior of the government building.

Then, they reached a hallway where a delicious smell wafted.

Ssangryeong wondered if they were going to give him a decent meal after all the hardship he had endured being locked up, and felt a flicker of hope.

That’s how he was tricked into entering the reception room.

There, Ssangryeong saw three familiar faces.

One was Lucas, the boss of the organization he had closely worked with.

The other two were Pienne and his lackey.

‘Fuck, what the hell is this combination?’

A meeting between the boss of an organization in the Dependent Nation and the ruler of the Dependent Nation.

At first, he had thought Lucas had also been captured as a major criminal, like himself.

But Lucas looked too clean and composed, unlike himself. He was even wearing an expensive-looking uniform; anyone would mistake him for someone from the Home Nation.

As he was trying to grasp the situation, Pienne uttered those insane words.

“This is a new official I recently hired. His name is Ryeong. I had him come here to greet you.”

‘…What is this bastard talking about?’

He should at least try to make his lies sound believable. The words that came out of Pienne’s calm face were complete fabrications.