Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

That was not something he was used to doing, so it did not take long after he left his safehouse that he fell in a police trap.

‘How much did you know about that? From what we’ve seen, that trap was really elaborate, almost like they knew everything. You didn’t leak anything about that, did you?’
“How could I? You should know better than anyone that I’m entirely out of the loop now. You didn’t tell me anything, and neither did Trulli. I don’t know anything about his plans or how they failed.”

August replied with a calm voice to the accusations. He did not know any of Trulli’s plans. And since he did not know that, Nirvana’s oracle would not have been able to know either.

“If they really knew what he was doing, then there’s a leak somewhere else. Then again, I can’t help with that since I know nothing new.”

In short, August was blaming Trulli for not being careful enough and falling for the ambush.

‘That doesn’t change the fact that this all happened because of you. All of this could’ve been avoided if you just hadn’t let Nirvana put you on a leash.’
‘Yes, we’ve helped you out in the past whenever we could, only for you to ruin everything. Don’t act like this doesn’t concern you.’
“Okay okay, I already said I’m sorry. And it’s not fair that they have someone with that kind of power. I would’ve been more careful if I knew.”

The two would constantly blame him whenever they found an opening, and August apologized every time, though in person he did not look apologetic at all, and was clearly fed up.

“Anyway, moving on. There’s a good reason why I’ve called you. I might have found a solution for the situation I’m in…”

August moved the conversation before the two could start complaining about him again.

The oracle’s power revealed anything August was planning, but that came at the cost of revealing what the oracle knew as well, giving August a glimpse into what was happening in Nirvana.

“…So it’s safe to say that my plan was successful and they changed the oracle’s bodyguard. The White Vault is gone, replaced by that new Spirit Queen adventurer.”

Even if she was a powerful adventurer, August claimed that she would be much easier to deal with than one of the monstrous Twelve Apostles.

After enduring this for so long, there was finally an opening on the oracle’s side. August would not let that go to waste, and he wanted to move past his previous failures.

‘Now that’s interesting. I never thought that freaky plan of yours would work, and they downgraded from an Apostle to an adventurer. I guess I can forgive you for calling us like this.’

The first of the pair agreed with August’s assessment. Noin’s defense was largely considered impregnable, with no one alive being able to land a single hit on him, so anyone else would be an easier target.

“We finally have our chance, don’t you think? Garroba?”

August successfully diverted their attention, and wanting to carry that momentum he asked for the opinion of the third member in their conversation.

Garroba, another high ranking member of Ira Muerte, and the leader of their infiltration and assassination unit.

‘The Spirit Queen… I believe she was one of the adventurers that stood out during the Chimera incident. Still, I guess we’ll have a better chance with her.’

It took him a while to reply, a pensive tone to his voice. Garroba was also of the mind that an adventurer was a better opponent than one of the Twelve Apostles.

“See? Anyway, I’ll let you guys decide what to do with this information, as usual. If you get rid of the oracle for me, I promise to make up for all the idle time I’ve had.”

The following discussion on how to use that information was not for August’s ears, so he stood up from the chair. If he heard their plan, the oracle would also find out soon enough.

All he could do was to share the information he gained.

“Well then, I’ll let you know if I find out anything more.”

With those parting words, August left the room. But he did not hang up the call, as that device was used exclusively for meetings amongst leaders, and was always connected.

So even with August gone, the other two voices continued to ring through it.

‘So what do you make of this? Security might be more lax, but we still haven’t been able to pinpoint the oracle’s location whatsoever.’
‘That’s one thing, yes. Something else is bothering me though.’
‘Oh? Did you notice something?’
‘The Spirit Queen. Is she really just a regular adventurer? I get she’s really skilled, but is that really all it takes to become a replacement for one of the Twelve Apostles?’

The Twelve Apostles were Nirvana’s strongest force, so Garroba found it curious that instead of picking another Apostle, they chose the Spirit Queen, a mere adventurer who just so happened to be gaining popularity.

‘Now that you mention it, hmm… There were some rumors that they already had some sort of connection, so maybe that’s why? Or maybe they’re trying to gain the trust of spirits as well.’

That man only knew about the Spirit Queen through hearsay.

Random booms in popularity for certain adventurers were not an uncommon thing. The Spirit Queen had also made an impactful appearance with the Spirit King, so her popularity was understandable.

And being able to get the Spirit King as an ally was also a good enough reason to pick her over another Apostle. At least that was the man’s line of thought. But Garroba was still not fully convinced yet.

‘The Spirit King… Hmm, having to fight spirits could get annoying, true. But something still feels off.’

Saying that, he elaborated on that point. While everyone spoke about the Spirit King, he had only been in the picture once.

‘Oh right… Now that I think about it, he only showed up in Sentopolly that one time. I’ve never heard of her using the Spirit King’s power again.’

As far as they knew, the Spirit King had never shown himself again. Some people were theorizing that she had never been able to summon the Spirit King to begin with.

Maybe it had all been an act. A show put together by the spirits there, pretending to be the Spirit King. Or the other possibility was that they just had a different connection, and the Spirit King made an exception to show up there himself.

‘There’s too much we don’t know. I think it’d be best to look more into this Spirit Queen before we plan anything.’

Someone like Nirvana’s empress would also know about all those rumors and theories, and despite so many doubts, she had chosen the Spirit Queen over the Apostles. Garroba could not help it but find that odd.

What kind of adventurer was she? How strong was she really? What was her connection to the Spirit King? Those were all questions Garroba wanted to clear up first, planning how to take down the oracle would come later.

‘Does that sound good?’
‘Yes, I’m down for that. It’s that empress we’re talking about, you never know what she’s planning. We should be as cautious as possible.’

The man continued, ‘I’ll check with my usual connections,’ and left his seat, followed by fading footsteps and a door being closed shut.

‘That’s a wrap then. I’ll see myself out as well.’

Even as everyone else left, Garroba still spoke into the device before leaving.
There was no response, and soon his leaving footsteps also faded into silence.