The news Esty provided was quite shocking.
"A miracle...?"
It might just be a coincidence, but the fact that such rumors have spread right now is definitely not something to take lightly.
The chances of it being related to my abilities appeared to be much higher.
'But how did it leak out? The only people who know the secret are Esty and Kyla, just the two of them.'
Naturally, suspicion fell on them, but I soon shook my head.
'No. Neither would benefit from leaking rumors.'
Since a "miracle" is not a tangible power with proven evidence, it would be hard to receive any information fee based merely on such vague stories.
At best, I might earn some pocket money, but Kyla was not the type to betray a promise just for that much gain.
In the original game, she had maintained her loyalty to her comrades even in the face of far greater costs. I could trust her loyalty.
So what about Esty...? She was a character who originally didn't appear in the game, so it was hard to be fully convinced of her character with just a few weeks of acquaintance. However, she still had something to receive from me. The treatment for the damaged synthetic body had only just begun, so if any issues arose regarding my personal safety, it wouldn't be good for her either.
At this point, she had no reason to leak information.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I was sinking into a maze.
'Where exactly did the secret leak from?'
Thinking alone wasn't providing any answers.
Ultimately, I decided to meet and discuss things with the two people who knew about this issue.
Thus, I returned to the problem solver's office after a long time.
Kyla, who was waiting after receiving my contact, appeared much more cheerful than before.
"It’s been a while, Eve? Are you getting used to the part-time job?"
Perhaps due to having shaken off a long-term illness, she seemed to be filled with vigor.
"Jenny is treating you well, right? I especially asked her to."
There was no sign of suspicion in her cheerful greeting.
So, I directly asked.
"Kyla, have you ever talked about me getting treatment anywhere?"
"No, not at all! What are you talking about? We promised to keep it a secret."
She shook her head in shock.
"No matter how much I’m a cash-strapped back-alley problem solver, I remember my debts clearly. If I did something like that to someone who gave me a new life, I’d have to pull my own tongue out right away!"
Her vehement denial felt genuine.
Esty, who came with me, also quietly nodded in agreement.
This wasn't just a simple expression of agreement; her optical scanner was analyzing Kyla's biological responses and confirmed that she was telling the truth.
Thanks to that, I could lessen my suspicion towards Kyla a bit.
So, I decided to tell her the current situation truthfully.
"Actually... I heard rumors about a 'miracle' spreading recently. It seems like a secret has leaked from somewhere."
"What? Is that really true?!"
Kyla looked very flustered and momentarily lost her words.
"Where? How did it happen?!"
"We're also unable to find the cause. That's why I came to ask you..."
She too seemed at a loss.
Thus, we put our heads together and thought for a moment.
Then, suddenly, Kyla muttered as if in realization.
"Oh, no way...!"
"Did you think of something?"
She nodded gravely.
"Do you remember? When we first met... you treated my 'condition' with your 'ability'?"
"Yes, I remember."
"I couldn’t believe that my body was cured in an instant... so I briefly went to the nearby synthetic body maintenance clinic for a check-up..."
"!"
That was when I recalled. Indeed, I had firmly believed that only two people knew the secret...
But there was actually one more person who directly witnessed the miraculous results.
Kyla gritted her teeth and said.
"That quack doctor who was there... might have let it slip. I’ll go and pull that punk's tongue out right now."
"Oh, no! Kyla, calm down! No need for that!"
I barely managed to stop her from storming out of the office, ready to take on someone.
"If the story has already spread, catching that one doctor won't solve the problem."
In fact, recklessly stirring things up might only fuel the flames of the rumors further.
It would also make it easier to deduce connections to us.
Hearing that explanation, Kyla's face finally showed guilt and regret.
"I'm sorry, Eve... I didn't think it through. I was so surprised back then that I couldn’t worry."
"No, it’s okay. I didn’t notice anything either."
I comforted the embarrassed Kyla.
No matter how naive she was, it’s a difficult task to think and act that far ahead from the beginning.
It could have been an inevitable oversight, a mistake that could be understood sufficiently. I had no intention of blaming her.
Despite my reassurance, Kyla's expression wasn't easily relieved. The problem was still unresolved.
She sighed and asked.
"So what now?"
"Did you mention anything else to that doctor? Like how the treatment was progressing or my appearance...?"
"No. There, I just received a comprehensive check-up regarding my own physical condition. I never brought up treatment methods or your story at all."
Kyla shook her head but then added a bitter expression.
"But... a person who was suffering from an incurable disease suddenly became fine overnight, so they might have suspected something special happened. That could be inferred just by comparing the examination results."
The conclusion arrived. The one who leaked the secret of the 'miracle' was neither of these two, but an unexpected third party.
Now what was left was how to deal with it.
Although it was still just an unidentified rumor floating on the streets, if someone was determined to dig deeper, they could trace the story back to its source. There was a possibility that visiting the doctor could lead to uncovering the origin of the information, which might eventually bring it back to us.
'We need to take action somehow before then...'
My head was spinning.
At that moment, Esty, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, spoke up.
"Eve, do you remember what I said before?"
"What was that?"
"I mentioned that a secret known by others, excluding oneself, can no longer be a secret."
I recalled. At that time, I never dreamed it would come to this. I thought if Esty and Kyla just kept quiet, it would be perfect; I never considered that there would be other variables.
Seeing how things had turned out, maybe she was right after all.
I felt a sense of self-reproach for being too naive.
However, Esty's story didn’t end there. She calmly added, as always.
"In other words, a secret known by everyone in the world is also not a secret."
"…What does that mean?"
Her golden eyes, concealing unknown thoughts, glinted meaningfully.
"How about we do this instead?"
====================
Before I could even ask what the 'method' she mentioned was, Esty lightly grabbed my wrist and started walking.
"I will explain the details while we move. Please follow me."
"Wait? Where to...?"
"Then, excuse me for now."
Even while I was questioning her, her steps showed no hesitation.
After briefly exchanging glances with Kyla, Esty led me out of the problem solver's office.
Not knowing the reason, I had no choice but to follow her.
The place we headed toward seemed to be closer to the suburban area where our lodging was located.
She began guiding me deeper into an alley that was further from where the office was situated.
A damp and dark alley where even the lights from the towering skyscrapers, standing like lighthouses, barely reached.
The pungent smell of dust and the stench rising from the sewers. Mysterious waste was scattered at our feet.
It was a scene that thugs would surely love. In fact, I could see tattooed men passing by in groups from a distance. But I didn’t feel any anxiety. Esty was by my side after all.
After walking for a while.
She stopped in front of an old warehouse building.
The rusty and dented steel door looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.
As she approached and lightly knocked, a heavy sound accompanied the smooth opening of an entrance inside.
"Welcome, boss!"
The person who opened the door was a man with a formidable appearance.
Inside, there were about a dozen men who seemed similar to him, likely the so-called 'muscle-bound' types.
"Welcome!!!"
They had reinforced their arms and shoulders with ostentatious chrome synthetic enhancements, and as soon as they saw Esty, they all bow deeply in unison. Their synchronized greeting seemed to be a natural action they had done many times.
Without responding to their voices, Esty waved her hand indifferently.
Only then did the gangsters straighten up and clear the way. I stood there stunned, my mouth agape. The shock was far greater than the confusion I felt at Kyla's office moments ago.
"…Boss? Esty? What's going on here?"
The warehouse was dimly lit by a few feeble lights, but it was clear that there were more than a dozen men inside. Again, they were all in a similar category, clearly back-alley gangsters.
And all of them directed a mix of awe and fear toward us.
Esty answered my question in a calm tone.
"It’s a form of proactive security. To ensure your safety, Eve, it was necessary to preemptively eliminate expected risks and establish control over the area."
"Control over the area…?"
"Yes. We have secured the gang that holds dominion over several blocks, including this street."
I had been wondering what she was so busy with in the middle of the night, and it turned out she was orchestrating this sort of operation from behind the scenes. It hadn't been long since I met her, yet during that short time, she had completely taken over a back-alley violent organization.
I could only imagine that the process had not been peaceful. Just seeing the sweaty shoulders of those fierce-looking men, who couldn’t even dare to meet Esty's eyes, gave me a faint idea of how she had subdued them.
As I couldn’t hide my confused expression, Esty got to the crux of the matter.
"From now on, we will use these members to... create a fictitious religious organization."">
