Chapter 11
Yokan, or more precisely, the person assigned the codename ‘Yokan,’ gazed quietly at the young man before him.
His blonde hair was somewhat disheveled, but his flustered expression was full of life.
The young man’s name was Raimund Geppert.
According to a credit stick inquiry, he was nineteen years old and nothing more than a rookie who had lived his entire life without holding a single decent job.
He was from an orphanage; his parents could not be identified. After becoming independent, he had gathered other orphans in similar situations and they lived together.
Normally, the Foundation Alliance takes no interest in ordinary citizens.
Even less so in a child who practically reeked of artificial formula milk. There was nothing to gain from mobilizing people like him.
Citizens—and by extension, humanity—were, to them, simply objects to be protected and safeguarded.
However, the request concerning this young man was of a somewhat special nature.
Important enough that the Director of the Anomaly Management Bureau had personally given instructions.
“I-is there any possibility that these numbers are wrong? Absolutely none?”
“There is none. This is an estimate that the Finance and Legal teams have carefully reviewed and re-reviewed, and which has received provisional approval from the Shelter government.”
Yokan’s mind was filled with other thoughts as he gave his dry reply.
The Foundation Alliance is composed of various organizations and individuals. What binds them together is solely the grand cause of human preservation. Taken separately, their personalities are so strong that it would be nearly impossible to keep them together in one place.
But even they had cases where they had to join forces.
“P-please, just give me a little more time…”
“It must be paid in full. The Shelter government is also pressing for an answer as they can no longer delay the compensation payment. Please understand that this is an unavoidable situation.”
The followers of Hyresis, the four sects that foresee the end.
As these so-called ‘crazy occult groups’ began to show themselves in the shadows,
an organization called the Foundation Alliance was created to keep them in check.
But it is human nature to choose the short, easy, yet wicked path over the righteous and arduous one.
How many people have succumbed to that sweet whisper of the devil?
No matter how frantically the Foundation Alliance organization scrambled in all directions, the evil hands always found a way through unimaginable paths,
and in the end, people…
Just as Yokan was about to delve into serious contemplation, Raimund involuntarily raised his voice.
“But I can’t get a loan from the bank because I have no job! If I borrow 30 million credits from loan sharks, I’d have to sell my organs the very next day!”
“Isn’t that Mr. Geppert’s personal problem? We have no obligation to extend any further leniency regarding the bomb courier. I hope you realize that settling this with a compensation payment is already an enormous favor.”
“I appreciate that part. I’d also like to resolve this amicably by paying the credits if possible, but truly, even if I emptied my pockets right now, I only have a thousand credits. Can’t you wait just a little while longer? Even a week, please…!”
Looking at Raimund pleading earnestly, Yokan remained silent for a very long time.
Then, just as the tension had adequately built up, he let out a sigh.
“This has become difficult. So you’re saying you have no credits on hand right now, Mr. Geppert?”
“Yes.”
“And no credits saved up either?”
“I live hand-to-mouth by collecting recyclables. How could I possibly save anything?”
“This is troublesome.”
Yokan repeated.
“This is truly troublesome.”
“Isn’t there any way? It’s not that I don’t want to pay, just… give me time to find a way to pay the compensation.”
“As I mentioned earlier, we were also waiting for you to recover, so we’ve already delayed it to the limit. I didn’t expect this. This is quite awkward.”
The young man before Yokan looked as if he wanted to die right then and there.
Thirty million credits. Money that an average Shelter resident could never touch even if they lived their whole life.
If anyone could pay this sum in full, it would surely be only the Shelter bank president or high-ranking politicians commuting to the central district.
Yokan leaned his upper body forward very cautiously, as if sharing a secret.
“Actually, there is a way.”
“Yes?!”
“You need assets right now, don’t you? Enough credits to pay this huge compensation.”
“W-well, yes, but…”
“Then the Foundation Alliance will pay the compensation you owe on your behalf. Think of it as a kind of loan.”
Raimund shot up from his seat.
The sudden movement sent his chair tumbling, and Colette, standing by the door, flinched. But with this unexpected stroke of luck, Raimund was in no state to notice such things.
“Really?”
“Yes. But it goes without saying, this isn’t free. There are conditions.”
“What are they? I still have two kidneys, I can sell one. I don’t drink, and I’m generally healthy, so my liver is probably fine too.”
“……No, we won’t be asking for that. The condition for the Foundation Alliance to lend you the credits is…”
Yokan smiled.
It was the first business smile he had shown since entering this room.
“How would you like to work with the Foundation Alliance?”
“……Work? Me? With Mr. Yokan?”
“Not with me. The entity that will be contracting with Mr. Geppert is the Human Preservation Foundation Alliance itself. Of course, if needed, you could work with me, Ms. Colette behind you, or other people as well.”
“Are you perhaps looking for a cleaner or an office assistant?”
“No. To move the discussion forward, I need to give you a brief explanation first. I understand Ms. Colette has given you a basic idea of what we do.”
“Ah, yes. Something about confining like, psychic phenomena or anomalies. I didn’t understand everything, though.”
“You’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn in detail what psychic phenomena and anomalies are. The important point is that what we do is extremely dangerous.”
Dangerous.
Raimund slowly set the fallen chair upright and sat back down. He looked confused.
“Dangerous?”
“Yes. You must have seen the blocks isolated below. Each block boasts sturdiness that most heavy machinery cannot break. The bottom is filled with deep seawater, and the only exit is designed like a labyrinth. If an unauthorized being attempts to use the lift, it will explode immediately, and a request for suppression will be sent to the field team.”
“Ah.”
“But did you know that those anomalies confined in such a stringent isolation facility are on what we consider the ‘safer end of the spectrum’?”
It was true.
Buried beneath the bustling Foundation Alliance building were the safe anomalies.
Even if they somehow escaped, a person encountering them could survive.
An anomaly as dangerous as a disaster itself cannot exist within the Shelter.
If, by some chance, one were to get out, it would be nothing short of a living hell.
“We always live in danger. I myself work risking my life, and the field and research teams who directly encounter anomalies endure each day with even greater resolve. That’s why many people leave the Foundation Alliance.”
“They submit their resignations.”
“We are living beings with emotions, after all. Living under constant tension is tiring and quickly wears you out. I understand that.”
Among the official office forms distributed to new employees at the Foundation Alliance, there is a form for leave of absence but none for resignation.
That’s because more people lose their lives before they even get the chance to write a resignation letter.
But Yokan, without batting an eye, skillfully concealed the truth from Raimund.
“Anyway, the Foundation Alliance is always short-staffed. One person takes on too much work. But as Mr. Geppert knows, our ‘work’ is a matter of life and death if you let your guard down for even a moment. Overwork is one of the factors that clouds a person’s judgment.”
“That makes sense.”
“For the safety of our employees, and for better welfare, the Foundation Alliance has been contracting external services since last year. It’s a contract where even non-members, as outsiders, can freely collect and share information, and carry out missions entrusted by the Foundation Alliance.”
“So, like a non-regular employee?”
“Technically, it’s similar to a non-regular contract. But we offer the same level of wages, benefits, and authority to those who sign external service contracts as we do to our Class 3 agents. Communication devices and office supplies for work are provided, of course, and if deemed necessary for a request, you can claim additional expenses with appropriate supporting documents.”
Raimund’s green eyes went wide.
His eyes flickered, reflecting complex emotions for a moment, before he asked tentatively.
“It’s a bit early to ask this, but it’s an important issue. How… how would the compensation work?”
“First, the base pay for one request is about this much.”
Yokan turned over the note paper he had and scribbled down numbers with a blue-gray fountain pen.
Raimund stared at the numbers with a bewildered expression, but the fountain pen didn’t stop there.
“Hazard pay for engaging in a mission is set at 30% of the base pay. This is extra compensation for undertaking dangerous work. Unfortunately, we don’t provide overtime pay for work outside the 9 AM to 6 PM hours, but instead, external personnel are entitled to additional allowances if a mission continues past midnight. This amounts to 5% of the base pay per hour. This additional allowance is inclusive of the hazard pay.”
“Th-this, this much?”
“Furthermore, if you secure a psychic scene from within an anomaly on your own after completing a mission, that is purchased by the Foundation Alliance separately from the request. The average base price for a Safety-class psychic scene starts at 1,500 credits. Rupee-class is more dangerous than Safety-class, so the average is around 3,000 credits. Of course, this is based on the data of scenes purchased by the Foundation last year, so please be aware that prices can fluctuate depending on the situation and assessed value.”
Raimund calculated in his head. The total amount he needed to pay now was 30 million credits.
With the compensation Yokan proposed, he might be able to pay it all off in at most five years… no, perhaps even within four years if he was lucky.
Moreover, they said they would buy these ‘scenes’ separately. The higher the grade of the scene he secured, the sooner he could pay off the full compensation.
But there was one thing that bothered him.
Raimund looked at the numbers in confusion, then asked Yokan.
“This is quite a large sum of money, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Because it includes the price of your life.”
“Do you really think I’m worth this much? I mean, I hate to say this myself, but I’m from the 5th Residential District and didn’t even get a proper education. I thought you should know that, at least.”
“Worth, you say.”
Worth. From Yokan’s perspective, this question was somewhat tricky.
He moves according to orders from above.
Therefore, he does not possess the ability to judge Raimund’s worth.
What did Director Adam say when recommending this young man?
“Worth is subjective, so I cannot say arbitrarily, but it seems the higher-ups were quite impressed by your courage.”
“Courage.”
“People who make the right choice when their life is on the line are not so common, after all.”
Raimund was no longer looking at the numbers.
He was staring intently at Yokan, the man who said those words.
And finally, the young man’s lips parted.
“I’ll do it.”
Yokan stood up, took his hand, and shook it. The warmth transmitted from the firm hand was lukewarm.
“Welcome to the Human Preservation Foundation Alliance. Let’s go through the official procedures right away, Mr. Geppert.”
