The man who introduced himself as Jerey approached alone without accompanying anyone. Neo stared at him intently, but Don Quixote's reaction was different.
"You. What do you think you're doing?"
Although he wore a helmet, anyone could clearly see that he was furious. Having none other than a Battle Trench representative approach them so brazenly was an act of impudence that crossed the line.
"Oh my. I apologize. I should have asked for your understanding first."
However, Jerey did not erase the smile on his face even in the face of Don Quixote's anger. Instead, he extended his business card with a neat demeanor.
"Here is my business card."
"I don't need it."
Don Quixote slapped away Jerey's hand, causing the card to fall. Despite this rude behavior that would normally provoke anger, Jerey's expression didn't change in the slightest.
'This guy.'
Don Quixote disliked his demeanor even more. His initial wariness flared up like oil poured on fire. This man was excellent at concealing his true intentions. It was impossible to imagine what kind of deadly venom might be lurking inside him like a snake. It gave him an instinctively chilling feeling."I don't need any of that. Just tell us why you came looking for us."
The reason Don Quixote didn't chase him away immediately was because Jerey had come alone, without anyone else. That action itself indicated that he had no hostile intentions toward them.
Of course, there was also the reason that he couldn't do anything suspicious in the 20th district's park, where people were watching.
"I wish you wouldn't be so harsh. I simply came to have a conversation with Neo, who is with Don Quixote."
"..."
It was just as he suspected. Jerey had come targeting Neo. The only difference was that his approach wasn't physical confrontation.
"Five minutes, no, three minutes is all I need. I just want to speak with Neo privately."
"Why should I let you speak privately with Neo when your people tried to kidnap him? Who knows what you might do?"
"Ah. That's a misunderstanding. That incident was caused by external field teams acting on their own. As an office worker, I only learned about it afterward. It was truly deplorable. I would like to apologize again on this occasion."
Don Quixote frowned inside his helmet. An organization the size of a large corporation would naturally be divided into dozens of teams. Of course, these teams would move organically while sometimes opposing each other.
Without knowing the detailed internal situation of the Battle Trench corporation, there was no way to refute Jerey's words. Rather, considering the common structure of corporations in Tirna, his explanation was quite plausible.
However, even so, this unpleasant feeling wouldn't go away. It was like dirt splashed unintentionally on clothes. A stain that wouldn't wash out.
In fact, as Jerey acted differently than expected, Don Quixote's anxiety intensified. His instinct whispered to drive away the man standing right in front of him, Jerey. But he couldn't do that.
"I came to ask for Neo's opinion. The decision-making should naturally be his, right? Don't you think so, Mr. Alonso?"
This was the crucial point where Jerey struck. Neo is an automaton. Usually, automatons are classified as objects, and their owners are legally given property rights.
But Neo is an artificial intelligence automaton. He thinks and feels emotions like a person despite being an automaton. Then, how should Neo be treated?
Should he be treated as a person? Or should he be treated as a tool like other automatons?
Though opinions might differ from person to person, Don Quixote naturally thought the former. He could never treat Neo as a tool. Jerey cleverly struck at precisely this point.
'This guy knows that I cherish Neo.'
Of course, just by seeing how he protects Neo, Jerey would know that Don Quixote treasures him terribly. But when ordinary people learn this surface fact, they would think he treasures Neo because of his uniqueness.
An automaton that can think and exchange emotions. Essentially, it's no different from a human except in appearance.
It's different from modified humans who change their flesh into machines. A machine made from birth somehow awakened to self-awareness. Naturally, its rarity couldn't be compared even to gems worth billions.
Anyone in the position of an owner would naturally protect such a possession.
But Jerey knew that Don Quixote's care for Neo was different from simply cherishing a valuable rarity.
'This guy. He knows something.'
That's why he was dangerous. Neo should never be allowed to speak with him privately. But could he arbitrarily prevent that?
Don Quixote turned to look at Neo. The automaton who was quietly observing, not knowing what was happening.
In that appearance, the past overlapped.
"..."
The deliberation wasn't long. Don Quixote clenched his fist and stepped aside to make way.
"Three minutes."
"Don't worry. I will definitely keep the time promise."
Don Quixote reluctantly had to give up his place temporarily. There was a possibility that Jerey might do something foolish, but that's why Don Quixote thought he wouldn't. Someone so suspicious would extremely dislike giving the other party any pretext.
He would surely just have about three minutes of conversation as he said. Don Quixote didn't know what he would say to Neo in those three minutes, but he thought it would be okay regardless. Perhaps that was just rationalization to deliberately erase this anxiety.
So Don Quixote had to watch from a distance as Jerey and Neo talked. He couldn't hear what the two were saying. Neo was mostly giving short answers, and Jerey was doing most of the talking.
"Well then, please consider it."
Jerey soon bowed his head to Neo and approached Don Quixote.
"The conversation is over. It took exactly 2 minutes and 57 seconds."
Jerey took out a pocket watch from inside his coat and showed it with a smiling face. Don Quixote did not respond to this blatant provocation.
"Then I'll be on my way. I hope you have a pleasant time."
Jerey withdrew and Don Quixote immediately approached Neo.
"Did he say anything to you?"
"Oh, he just told me to come with him."
"A predictable proposal. That man is from the corporation that tried to kidnap you in District 49. You should be careful."
"Yes, I know."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Don Quixote still felt uneasy about Neo's response, but didn't pursue it as he couldn't find anything particularly strange. In reality, even if he had pressed further, there was nothing he could have learned.
Neo seemed to be doing well as usual for the next few days. Until last night, when he suddenly disappeared.
Don Quixote's story ended there.
"I should have anticipated it then. That guy had something. No, that Battle Trench was plotting something behind him. This is entirely my fault."
"So you're thinking of going to get Neo back from them now."
"If I must."
As Don Quixote was saying this, he realized he hadn't asked why Osian had come looking for him. No, rather, why had Osian coincidentally come looking for him at this timing?
"Why did you come looking for me? Even if you heard that Neo left, there was no reason for you to come all the way here."
"Sharp, aren't you? Yes, whether Neo stays or goes is not my concern. Since I have ears to hear, I know Neo chose to leave on his own, so how could I interfere?"
Osian took a sip of iced coffee before answering.
"The reason I came to find you like this is because I received a request."
"A request, you say?"
"Yes. A request. That you don't overexert yourself and don't get hurt."
Don Quixote's face instantly contorted.
"Hope that I don't get hurt? Then, are you thinking of stopping me from storming Battle Trench right now?"
"If I must."
"How dare you...!"
Don Quixote abruptly stood up. His beard trembled. His blazing eyes fixed on Osian. However, Osian, as always, merely stared back at Don Quixote with the same expressionless face.
"Oh, Mr. Osian! Sir Don Quixote, please calm down!"
David, caught between the two, tried to stop them, but once the fire was lit, it wasn't easy.
"How can you say such a thing! Those moments with Neo?! Even knowing what he went through! Even knowing how I feel! Yet you still want to stop me!"
"Know? How can I be sure that I know?"
"That is...!"
"Can I claim to know what you've been stubbornly keeping to yourself?"
"..."
Don Quixote's body shook heavily. He was like a person hit by a hammer.
"You didn't say. Not to me or to David, you just showed hints. Did I say I knew?"
Osian replied in an indifferent tone.
"I don't know because I didn't hear it directly. And Neo wouldn't know how you feel either. What you would think if he left."
Because you didn't say. Because you only kept it inside without trying to communicate.
-Thud.
Don Quixote, who had stood up, sat down powerlessly on the sofa.
"How could I tell him? That child."
Don Quixote bowed his head deeply and spoke in an old, tired voice.
"That child you raised with all your care, that child who left without a word despite that, that naive little kid who had prepared to return with excitement thinking of coming back in a magnificent form. The fact that I had become such an old and unremarkable person."
How could one possibly say such a thing? It's impossible. The words simply wouldn't come out.
"Yes. Certainly that day was a happy day for me. Looking back now, I don't think I've ever been as happy as I was then. But at the time, I didn't know it."
The boy he was then, listening to Neo's stories, had dreams. He wanted greater happiness beyond that.
Like in Neo's stories, he wanted to see the wider world.
Mountains covered with pure white snow. The sea singing beautifully alongside precipitous cliffs. Jungles so lush that the end couldn't be seen. Beautiful auroras crossing the sky.
In his imagination, the boy was always with Neo, holding hands in those landscapes.
"To become happier, I left him without a word. Holding onto a vain hope that I could return soon."
It was already remarkable that the boy managed to escape from the junkyard to the outside of District 49. But his hardships didn't end there.
Coming outside, the city of Tirna he newly faced was far too harsh. It was a place that wouldn't even allow a child without connections to try to earn money.
"Still, I couldn't give up. So I worked desperately. I moved more when others rested, and kept my eyes open working when others slept."
People in Tirna always live fiercely. But Don Quixote lived several times more fiercely than others.
If there was anything fortunate, it was that Don Quixote had a remarkable eye and talent for making money. As the boy became a young man, he could handle a decent amount of money.
"But I didn't go back. I thought it wasn't enough."
He worked even harder. And so, when the young man aged further into middle age, He could become what people around him called wealthy.
But it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to face Neo with this. Even with wealth, he couldn't erase the fear that it was still insufficient.
So he focused more on making money. And yet, he never stopped accessing materials about knights. It was a guiding light. A lamp guiding him through this difficult world.
And so, as he began to enter old age from middle age, He achieved notable success as an individual investor and could claim one of the positions known as the Four Madmen.
But still. In his heart, he couldn't bring himself to meet Neo. The deeper the years grew since he left Neo, the higher the wall engraved in his heart grew. Eventually, to the point where he couldn't even attempt to cross it.
"These are all just excuses. It was ultimately my own inferiority complex."
Yes. That wall wasn't built by someone telling him not to come. It was something he had created himself.
"I'm a coward. I've just been running away."
Don Quixote looked down at the back of his hand. The taut skin of his youth was gone, replaced by wrinkles from the years.
He had gone through too many things. To reach this position, sometimes he had to compromise with reality, and sometimes he had to do things that ate away at himself.
Compared to others of his age, Alonso was incredibly fit, but that's just a relative perspective. At least Alonso himself thought he had grown too old.
Osian knew all too well the cause of Don Quixote's anxiety.
'Because he felt too sorry, and thus was more afraid to meet him.'
He wore the mask of Don Quixote, a magnificent man of the times, but inside was the old man Alonso. No, even Alonso was just an alias he used in Tirna.
He was old and shabby, with nothing but money. He tried to wear expensive armor and live with the dream of being a knight of romance. But if you peeled off that thick armor, there was a weak side he didn't want to show others.
If he hadn't heard that a big corporation was targeting Neo, he might not have gone to District 49. And when they met again, Neo looked exactly the same as before, despite the decades that had passed. Unlike himself, who had changed.
That might have been why he didn't reveal who he was the moment he faced Neo.
"I just wanted him to never know. I wanted to let him believe that the child who left him was surely living well somewhere."
So he called himself Alonso and donned the helmet of Don Quixote.
That he was just a rich old man. Just a madman imitating a knight. A person with no connection to him.
"I just hoped that he would be lucky enough to catch the eye of an eccentric old man like me and live enjoying what he wanted."
Sometimes, a lie is better than the truth but it was all too late.
"If I had been honest from the beginning, would things have been different?"
"They would have been different. At least, it wouldn't have come to this worst-case scenario."
"But what if I told the truth and he didn't believe me?"
This was what Don Quixote feared most. The terror that Neo might not recognize him when seeing his aged self. That was what made Don Quixote hesitate the most.
"I said I received a request, right? Or maybe it should be called a commission. Don Quixote. That you shouldn't be in danger. That if something happens, you should be protected."
To the puzzled Don Quixote, Osian asked.
"Who do you think made that request to me?"