I Am Not a Robot. Beep-bop

Chapter 79: Punishment 1

“What exactly is a Pardak?”

“Simply put, it’s like an incredibly capable and powerful police officer? Someone who maintains order? A knight? Just think of it as something along those lines.”

I covered the choker around my neck with the collar of my clothes once again.

“Ha, doesn’t it all sound too good to be true? You show up at the moment I’m deciding whether to give up on life, offering help without asking for anything in return. Doesn’t that feel too convenient and contrived?”

Sabrina glared at me suspiciously.

She had every reason to be skeptical.

She had already been betrayed far too many times.

“I’m the enemy of your enemy. You can trust me.”

“Earnest Rail promised that as long as I cooperated quietly here, he wouldn’t attack the Demon Territory.”

“You really believe that, even after freeing yourself from those chains? If I were one of Earnest Rail’s officers, I’d have launched an assault on the Demon Territory the moment I captured you.”

“…….”

Sabrina closed her mouth, seemingly at a loss for words.

Even she would have done the same in that situation.

“The demons who betrayed you must have thought they could handle Mega Corp without you. However, they probably didn’t realize that a noble like you would weaken if you left the Demon Territory. If I hadn’t intercepted the puppet midway, the Demon Territory would already be in Earnest Rail’s hands.”

“But…”

“Sabrina, think carefully and stay objective. Mega Corp never intended to let you survive in the first place.”

She hadn’t just been betrayed by her own people, but also countless times by humans.

Even Earnest Rail, who had promised not to touch the demons while she was in captivity, had betrayed her.

She had also been deceived by a corrupt Overseer who had offered to conduct the Humanity Incorporation Assessment for her.

It was only natural for her to doubt my sudden appearance and offer of help.

In truth, Sabrina’s tragedy was, coldly speaking, quite advantageous for me.

According to Sabrina, she was willing to hand over the Demon Territory to integrate the demons into Ark as part of humanity.

That meant she had applied for the Humanity Incorporation Assessment for the demons.

By the way, according to Theresa, the Humanity Incorporation Assessment is defined as: “A test conducted for individuals or groups to prove their human rights and be recognized as part of Ark’s human species.”

Sabrina had requested humanity incorporation for the demons to secure their right to survive before surrendering the Demon Territory to Mega Corp. However, Earnest Rail had betrayed her instead of conducting the assessment.

And it wasn’t just Earnest Rail. The Overseer who had personally come to oversee the assessment had betrayed her as well.

Meanwhile, I had come here to achieve results.

The bigger the results, the better.

Right now, I wasn’t just facing demons or Earnest Rail.

There was also an Overseer who had broken Ark’s rules by taking bribes from Mega Corp to reject the Humanity Incorporation Assessment for the demons.

‘I thought I was just idly wandering and stumbled upon something big.’

I genuinely felt sympathy for Sabrina, who had sacrificed and bled so much.

I had a strong personal desire to help her if I could, but since things had turned out this way, aiding Sabrina would lead to significant gains for me.

“As far as I know, an Overseer’s existence is to establish order and uphold the rules within Ark. For an Overseer to take bribes from Mega Corp, reject the demons’ Humanity Incorporation Assessment, and backstab them—this cannot go unpunished.”

I extended my hand toward Sabrina.

“In short, I need achievements. If I help you integrate the demons as part of humanity, and take down both Mega Corp’s Earnest Rail and the Overseer who betrayed you, it’ll be a significant win for me.”

She might not see it that way, but I was her only lifeline.

“…Ha, fine. If I’m betrayed again this time, I’ll just die.”

Letting out a sigh, Sabrina took the hand I offered.

【-Noble, Mana Alignment, Confirmed.】

【Unification.】

【Integration.】

【Modification.】

【In Progress…】

The moment I made contact with Sabrina, Theresa instantly analyzed and copied the baron’s mana alignment and internal data.

During our journey here, she had reviewed the extensive experimental and torture data Earnest Rail had accumulated on Sabrina. As soon as physical contact was made, she began reconfiguring and aligning my internal mechanisms based on that data.

【Based on the 19,374 pages of experimental reports from Earnest Rail, internal synapses have been reassembled.】

【Internal performance of the machine and energy efficiency have been enhanced.】

【Entity Name: Alice】

【Level: 13】

【Energy (Integrated Stamina Level): 94.8%】

【Strength: 45】

【Intelligence: 12】

【Speed: 54】

【Mana: 10】

【Swordsmanship – Mantis Blade LV 3】

【Authority – Combination (Imitation) LV 1】

【Mana has increased by 10.】

【Intelligence has increased by 12.】

【Authority is now available for use.】

“What? What’s wrong?”

“…Ah, no. It’s nothing… Heh.”

Due to the impact of the modifications, I flinched slightly and lowered my head, prompting Sabrina to speak in confusion.

Meeting Sabrina seemed to have been an enormous stroke of luck for me.

-Zzt!

At that moment, alarms began blaring throughout the facility.

What’s this?

The alarms didn’t go off when we entered.

【Human.】

‘What is it?’

【An Overseer’s wavelength has been detected.】

‘What?’

An Overseer, huh.

What perfect timing to show up.

Alright, let’s go greet the corrupt Overseer I’ll soon personally throw into prison.

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“Ha, an emergency rescue request from Earnest Rail?”

“Yes, it’s a code red from the northern front.”

Third-Class Overseer Rosa Vintz sighed deeply after receiving an emergency support request from Mega Corp, her affiliate.

It had been quiet for a while, but now Mega Corp was suddenly clamoring for emergency support, causing veins to bulge on Rosa’s forehead.

She had cleaned up after Earnest Rail more than a dozen times.

She had turned a blind eye to major violations of Ark’s regulations, including the production of puppets made from living humans.

She had even used her influence and that of her senior Overseers to grant them access to the satellite city of Zain.

Just recently, she had silenced native forces requesting incorporation into humanity.

Though she despised the countless infractions of Ark’s rules, she still found it more acceptable for Mega Corp to drive out the demons and seize their land than for demons to be accepted as equals to humans.

Of course, Earnest Rail had provided generous bribes and donations to show their gratitude, but constantly crying for help like orphans who’d lost their parents was testing her patience.

‘Those wretches should learn to manage things themselves after all I’ve done for them…!’

Admittedly, Mega Corp was limited in military power due to Ark’s restrictions against employing high-level Awakened individuals as private soldiers.

The best they could do was hire elite Hunters for exorbitant fees, but the northern front contained too many sensitive matters to involve even Hunters.

Mega Corp might have been wealthy and employed numerous staff and private soldiers, but their existence as a corporation within Ark relied entirely on the approval of Administrators.

This was because Ark’s leadership and Administrators had established corporate ethics and laws specifically to keep Mega Corp in check.

Even so, the puppets Earnest Rail had created were masterpieces and weapons perfectly optimized for combating demons, with nearly three battalion-level forces sacrificed in the process.

It was baffling that Earnest Rail had yet to secure the northern front.

“Assistant Four, what’s the content of Earnest Rail’s rescue request?”

“We’re not sure. They issued a code red but have provided no additional reports or communication.”

“Those idiots! Don’t they understand the importance of information? Just sounding the alarm won’t achieve anything!”

Though frustration gnawed at her, Rosa Vintz still prepared to head out, draping the Overseer’s coat over her shoulders.

“It seems the native forces’ counterattack exceeded Earnest Rail’s expectations.”

“Those incompetent fools…!”

Rosa threw the coffee cup she was holding against the wall.

“These idiots and those idiots…! I went to the trouble of preparing multiple contingency plans and countermeasures in case of audits from Ark or unexpected enemy strength, yet they can’t even handle that properly!”

Despite her outburst, Earnest Rail was still a Mega Corp that had aligned itself with Rosa Vintz and her affiliated Administrative line.

Every Mega Corp essentially operated under a line of support.

Without the approval of an Administrator who granted policy permissions, Earnest Rail would immediately lose its corporate status, and all its assets and properties would be seized by Ark.

Resistance?

If even a single First-Class Overseer wearing a blue armband showed up, Mega Corp would be dismantled.

No matter how rich Mega Corp was, resistance was only feasible within calculable limits.

Mega Corp excelled at earning and managing money, which is why Overseers often acknowledged their capital and utility by forging cooperative or allied relationships with them.

In Earnest Rail’s case, he obtained rights to expand into satellite cities and monopolize distribution with the approval of Administrator Baden.

Overseers, who could be considered direct subordinates of Administrators, similarly maintained close ties with Mega Corp, as did several other Overseers under Baden’s authority.

These ties included small-scale calamity disposal, monster clearing, policy approvals, cooperative endeavors, and granting permits.

In return, Mega Corp treated Overseers and Administrators as major shareholders and de facto owners of the corporation.

“There must be regular employees stationed on the northern front, right? If the native monkeys pulled out some secret weapon, information is the most critical thing!”

“Well… it seems all communications have been cut off, perhaps due to a large-scale EMP detonation nearby.”

“They’re throwing a tantrum, refusing to eat even when spoon-fed.”

In the end, Rosa decided to personally head to the northern front despite the hassle.

Teleportation, spatial transfer magic, and engineering devices were heavily regulated within Ark, but Overseers had the authority to use them freely.

“Satellite city Zain, to the Earnest Rail teleportation device closest to the northern front.”

[Third-Class Overseer Rosa Vintz. Verified. Searching for teleportation device.]

The moment Rosa stood on the teleportation device, a wave of nausea hit her, and her vision shifted.

When her vision cleared, she found herself at Earnest Rail’s northern front supply base.

While called a supply base, it was actually a collaborative site for Mega Corp and the Overseer line, as well as a concealed experimental facility where the captured leader of the native forces, a “monkey,” was being tested.

Rosa knew full well that everything happening here was a severe violation of Ark’s rules.

But wasn’t that just how these lines worked?

People look out for their own, and shrimp side with crabs.

As long as she turned a blind eye, Mega Corp would generously line her pockets, and, in Rosa’s judgment, nothing happening here posed a real threat to Ark’s order.

“No one’s here. What’s going on?”

Stepping out of the teleportation device, Rosa prepared herself to release her code at any moment, just in case.

“No one came to greet me, and it’s unusually quiet. There’s no sign of life… no, wait, I can sense one or two presences.”

Normally, the staff and executives of Mega Corp would rush out upon hearing of her arrival, but today the place was eerily silent, even accounting for the low number of personnel usually present.

Following the faint signs of life, Rosa walked for some time and eventually came across a familiar face.

A young girl with white hair and a still youthful appearance.

Her beauty was striking enough to turn heads, but to Rosa, she was the source of endless frustration.

“Well, who do we have here?”

“Oh, my.”

For reference, Rosa was the same Overseer who had tried to pin the destruction of the Green Factory on Alice, succumbing to her own hatred of Returnees in a moment of reckless aggression.

This had earned her the ire of 31st Administrator Rilstia Frostia, causing Rosa significant trouble. However, Rosa felt no remorse for her actions.

She had been steeped in disdain for Returnees since childhood, growing up in a family at the highest echelon of Ark’s elite, which naturally inflated her sense of self-importance.

It was ironic, though, that despite her disdain for Returnees and her reverence for Ark’s will, she flagrantly defied the directives of Ark’s apex authority, the Administrators.

Still, Rosa wasn’t entirely incompetent.

She had risen rapidly through the elite ranks to become a Third-Class Overseer and was part of a solid line of support, even receiving direct backing from Administrator Baden.

Although she had recently suffered humiliation at Rilstia’s hands—her limbs dismantled and reassembled—Rilstia Frostia wasn’t her immediate superior. Rosa’s direct superiors were the First-Class Overseers under Baden.

Even if her relationship with the 31st Administrator was strained, Rosa’s future remained promising.

She harbored deep anger and hatred toward Alice for putting her in such a predicament.

Back then, Rosa had gritted her teeth, muttering to herself, “Damn Returnee brat… I don’t know how she managed to win over Administrator Rilstia, but the next time I see her, I’ll make her pay for the humiliation…”

However, achieving this in Ark was impossible.

Rilstia had publicly declared Alice as her next Pardak, warning that any harm to Alice would be unforgivable.

As an Overseer, Rosa was acutely aware of the extent of an Administrator’s influence within Ark.

Within Ark, Rosa couldn’t touch Alice—neither directly nor indirectly.

But things were different outside Ark.

“Pest. How did you crawl into this place?”

“Hmm, who knows?”

Rosa and Alice.

They exchanged identical smirks as they stared at one another.

Mega Corp excelled at generating and managing money, which is why Overseers acknowledged its capital and usefulness, forming cooperative or allied relationships with it.

In Earnest Rail’s case, he secured satellite city expansion rights and a distribution monopoly with the approval of Administrator Baden.

Overseers, who could be considered direct subordinates of Administrators, also maintained close ties with Mega Corp.

Several Overseers under Baden’s authority collaborated and conducted transactions with Mega Corp.

These included small-scale calamity handling, monster eradication, policy approvals, collaborations, and granting authorization rights.

In return, Mega Corp treated Overseers and Administrators as major shareholders and de facto owners of the corporation.

“There must be regular employees stationed at the northern front, right? If those native monkeys pulled out a secret weapon, information is the most important thing!”

“Well… we tried contacting them, but it seems a large-scale EMP might have gone off nearby, cutting off all communications.”

“Even when spoon-fed, they just thrash around and throw tantrums.”

Eventually, Rosa decided to personally head to the northern front despite the hassle.

Teleportation, spatial transfer magic, and engineering devices were heavily regulated items within Ark, but Overseers could use them freely due to their authority.

“Satellite city Zain, to the Earnest Rail teleportation device closest to the northern front.”

[Third-Class Overseer Rosa Vintz. Verified. Searching for teleportation device.]

Standing on the teleportation device, Rosa felt a wave of nausea as her vision shifted.

When her vision cleared, she found herself at Earnest Rail’s northern front supply base.

While called a supply base, it was actually a collaborative site for Mega Corp and the Overseer line, as well as a concealed experimental facility for testing the captured leader of the native forces, a “monkey.”

Rosa knew full well that everything happening here was a severe violation of Ark’s rules.

But wasn’t that just how these lines operated?

People favor their own, and shrimp side with crabs.

As long as Rosa turned a blind eye, Mega Corp would generously line her pockets.

In her judgment, none of the experiments conducted here posed a real threat to Ark’s order.

“No one’s here. What’s going on?”

Stepping out of the teleportation device, Rosa prepared herself to release her code at any moment, just in case.

“No one came out to greet me, and it’s eerily quiet. No signs of life… wait, I can sense one or two presences.”

Normally, Mega Corp’s staff and executives would rush out upon hearing of her arrival, but today the place was unusually silent, even considering the typically low number of personnel.

Following the faint signs of life, Rosa walked for a while and came across a familiar face.

A young girl with white hair and a youthful appearance.

Her beauty was striking enough to turn heads, but to Rosa, she was an infuriating presence.

“Well, who do we have here?”

“Oh my.”

For reference, Rosa was the Overseer who investigated the Green Factory and hastily targeted Alice as a suspect for its destruction, unable to suppress her hatred of Returnees.

During the process, she faced significant trouble after catching the ire of the 31st Administrator, Rilstia Frostia.

Despite this, Rosa Vintz felt no remorse for her actions.

She had grown up steeped in a disdainful atmosphere toward Returnees, and her family, part of Ark’s top elite, further inflated her sense of self-importance.

It was ironic that despite her disdain for Returnees and her claimed reverence for Ark’s will, she blatantly defied the directives of Ark’s highest authority, the Administrators.

Still, Rosa wasn’t entirely incompetent.

She had rapidly climbed the elite ranks to become a Third-Class Overseer and had solid support, even receiving direct backing from Administrator Baden.

Though she had recently suffered humiliation at Rilstia’s hands—having her limbs dismantled and reassembled—her direct superiors were the First-Class Overseers under Baden, not Rilstia Frostia.

Even with her strained relationship with the 31st Administrator, Rosa’s future remained bright, and she harbored deep anger and hatred toward Alice for causing her such trouble.

Back then, Rosa had gritted her teeth, thinking, “Damn Returnee brat… I don’t know how she managed to win over Administrator Rilstia, but the next time I see her, I’ll make her pay for the humiliation…”

However, achieving that in Ark was impossible.

Rilstia had openly declared that Alice was her next Pardak, warning that any harm to Alice would be unforgivable.

As an Overseer, Rosa understood better than anyone the reach of an Administrator’s authority within Ark.

At least within Ark, Rosa couldn’t touch Alice—neither directly nor indirectly.

But outside of Ark, things were different.

“Pest. How did you crawl into this place?”

“Hmm, who knows?”

Rosa and Alice.

They exchanged identical smirks as they faced each other.