Chapter 297: Don't Worry—The One Who's Not Normal Is Me
With Czarny—the former spokesperson of the K.G.C.C—now on board, his plans to bring down the corrupt organization became that much easier.
As someone who used to work for them, Czarny naturally knew where all the skeletons were buried—especially those related to the confidential files on "Area 0."
And now that he had fully committed himself to Steven, he had no reason to hide anything anymore.
"Boss, you came here looking for something, didn't you? Then we better hurry. If that robot doesn't return to its original post soon, this entire place might get locked down."
Having assessed the situation, Czarny offered a calm and calculated warning.
There was no way the Black Hole Knight had come all this way just for his sake—no, something else must've drawn him here. Something the K.G.C.C possessed.
"You're not wrong," Steven replied with a nod. "But don't worry, when I twisted that robot's neck just now, the system already kicked into lockdown mode."
He said it so casually, as if breaking a high-level security droid was no more troublesome than cracking a peanut.
"But it's not a big deal. I'll get you out safely—after I retrieve what I came for."
From the moment Steven had attacked the robot, this entire hidden floor had been sealed off.
After all, even if the machine looked outdated, it was still connected to the network. It had already alerted the system.
Before he could even finish speaking, a low, mechanical rumble echoed from the corridor outside, followed by the distinct clanking of metal feet.
Judging by the volume of the sound, there were a lot of them. Definitely more than you could count on two hands.
But Czarny didn't flinch.
In fact, like Steven, he looked almost… relaxed.
What's there to fear? What's there to despair about? Whatever dread those robots might've inspired paled in comparison to standing against the monster that was the Black Hole Knight. At least now, they were on the same side.
This wasn't some fantasy world where joining the hero's side made you three times weaker. No—if anything, sticking with the Black Hole Knight might be the safest place on the planet.
Czarny didn't know exactly how strong the Black Hole Knight was. But if the Black Hole Knight said there was no problem… then there was probably no problem.
And sure enough, before the robots even had a chance to break down the door, Steven strolled out casually, yawning as he went.
Moments later, the sound of screeching metal echoed through the air, followed by a silence even more deafening.
Czarny had just managed to stand up when Steven's head popped back around the corner.
"All done. You can come out now."
When Czarny stepped into the hallway, the sight that greeted him left him speechless.
Broken robot parts. Everywhere.
Metal limbs, shattered torsos, circuits sparking in silent protest… It looked like a battlefield where only one side had ever stood a chance.
"There are a bunch of doors here," Steven said, gesturing down the corridor. "You know where those Area 0 files are, right? Take me there first."
With this many sealed rooms, it would take way too long to search each one manually. And why bother, when he had a freshly recruited ex-employee standing right next to him?
He didn't save the guy out of the goodness of his heart. He expected value. Utility.
After all, he wasn't in this business of doing meaningless things.
So when he spoke, he didn't bother with politeness.
Czarny, for his part, knew his place well. The moment the Black Hole Knight mentioned the files related to Area 0, he immediately pointed to a door at the end of the corridor—heavily sealed and protected by multiple layers of security.
"Boss, just be careful. That room's protected by Darksteel's—"
Czarny stopped mid-sentence, suddenly recalling a crucial detail: all of Armorless Union—including the Darksteels—were now under his new boss's command.
Warning him about their traps now felt utterly redundant.
Sure enough, Steven strolled right up to the door—one that, by all accounts, couldn't be blown open even with explosives.
And yet, not a single defensive mechanism was activated.
No barrage of arrows, no automated turrets.
Czarny watched in awe as the security system—which should have annihilated any unauthorized intruder on sight—stood completely idle in the face of this teenager.
It was then he truly understood: his new boss hadn't just defeated Armorless Union's Darksteel. He had tamed them. They were his now.
How the hell was the K.G.C.C supposed to compete with that?
Czarny couldn't help but think back to that smug bastard, "Newsman" Kain, who'd hung up on him so decisively. So confident, so sure of himself.
If only he could see how things had turned out.
Czarny honestly felt like laughing.
He'd made the right choice. No—he should be thanking Cain. If that guy hadn't shut the door in his face, he never would've gotten the chance to cling to this outrageously powerful backer.
"Boss, this door, once sealed, can only be opened by the K.G.C.C's chairman himself. Unless he shows up in person, it's absolutely impo…"
Czarny's words trailed off again, not because he wanted to stop, but because the Black Hole Knight had just… opened the door.
With a wooden button. A literal chunk of wood, origin unknown, pressed casually against the panel—and the door, supposedly strong enough to withstand even the Armorless Union Darksteel's full assault, just slid open with a soft hiss.
Czarny was speechless.
"No worries," Steven said cheerfully, giving Czarny a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it. Don't let it break your worldview or anything. I'm the weird one here, you're still perfectly normal."
He smiled that same laid-back smile and walked inside as if nothing had happened, leaving Czarny standing in the hall, his understanding of reality crumbling just a little more.
The room beyond the door was filled wall-to-wall with neatly stacked files. Documents. Reports. Too many to count.
Steven scanned the room and gave a small nod of approval.
'It's a good thing that I'm bringing Czarny to help,' he thought. 'If I had to sort through all this junk by myself, I'd be here until the next apocalypse.'
Being a Minecrafter might come with some perks, but flipping through stacks of paper wasn't one of them.
He picked up a nearby file and gave it a glance.
[Project Blood Knight Countermeasure Plan]
Uninterested, he tossed it aside.
"Nope. Not that one."
Turning to Czarny, Steven clapped his hands once and gave his orders with all the nonchalance of a foreman on a construction site.
"Alright, you're up. Dig through these and pull out anything related to Area 0, the Infected, or the Radiant Knight. Sort it all out for me."
Then, without another word, he pulled out a plastic chair—the cheap kind you'd find at a roadside BBQ stand—plopped it down in a spacious corner, and sat down like a supervisor ready to watch someone else do the work.
What he was doing now was, in essence, using Czarny as a walking, talking search engine. But wasn't that the whole reason he roped the guy in to begin with?
If he had to dig through this paper mountain himself, he'd lose his mind halfway through.
Fortunately, Czarny turned out to be even more obedient than he expected. Before he could even give a full list of the keywords, Czarny had already buried himself in the files, actively hunting for anything relevant.
As a seasoned corporate drone, Czarny knew one thing well that if you wanted to earn the boss's favor, you had to prove your worth. Only by keeping the boss satisfied could you hope to make your own life easier down the line.
Sure, the Black Hole Knight seemed like an easygoing boss—but who's to say he'd stay that way forever?
Czarny wasn't about to gamble his future on a whim. If he was stuck on this pirate ship now, he'd damn well make sure it grew into a proper battleship—and maybe then he'd get to enjoy some of the spoils along the way.
Steven, watching this spontaneous self-driven enthusiasm, was quite content.
Yes. Let him grind.
Better yet, let Czarny drag the rest of Armorless Union into the grind with him.
If he can turn this as-yet-purposeless company into something profitable through sheer hustle, that's still a win in his book.
Healthy competition. Who wouldn't want that?
…Well, maybe Centaurea, that lazy little white horse who'd probably take 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds of vacation if she could get away with it. Asking her to hustle was like asking her to die.
As Steven let his thoughts wander, feet kicked up in his plastic chair, Czarny broke the silence with a quiet, tentative voice. Even while flipping through files, the guy somehow had enough mental bandwidth to overthink things.
"Boss… there's something I'd like to ask. If this isn't the right time, I understand. I know I probably shouldn't ask. But I… can't help wondering."
Steven raised an eyebrow but didn't look bothered in the slightest. "Ask. We've got time, there's no need to rush."
He glanced at the entryway.
There are still no reinforcements from the K.G.C.C, even after the robots had all been trashed.
Not that he was complaining, this just made his job easier.
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. No one who showed up now would change anything.
"It's just…" Czarny hesitated, then finally gave voice to the question that had been nagging at him since he joined up. "Why are you so determined to take down the Major? There has to be more to it. It can't just be about… finding an answer, right?"
As someone who had once stood—however loosely—on the other side, Czarny couldn't make sense of it.
What could drive someone like the Black Hole Knight to go this far?
But once again, the Black Hole Knight answer blindsided him.
"Why not?"
Simple. Unshaken. As if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"But… what's the point?" Czarny asked, eyebrows furrowing in visible confusion. "Even if you do find your answer, so what? It's not like the people of the Grand Knight Territory are going to change because of it."
Steven didn't respond right away. Instead, he leaned forward slightly, that usual smile tugging at his lips, and shot back a question of his own.
"Then let me ask you this, how do you think today's Kazimierz compares to the one that once stood against Ursus?"
Czarny blinked.
"That's… obviously better," he replied without hesitation. "Just look around. The prosperity we have now—there's no comparison."
"And if that same Kazimierz, right now, had to face off against today's Ursus?" Steven asked, smile sharpening just a little. "Not the Ursus from its golden age. I mean the current shadow of its former self. Do you think we'd see the same result?"
Czarny fell silent.
"…"
<+>
Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 349: A Good Citizen of Ursus[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/140157231?collection=55713[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=[4]expanded[5]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/140157231?collection=55713
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/140157231?collection=55713
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded
[5] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded