Those Who Live Without the Law

Chapter 211

You’re Lucky (1)After wrapping up the meeting, Kairus headed straight to Tanya’s ER.

It was still overflowing with patients, complete chaos as everyone shouted that they were the most urgent case and should be treated first.

Even so, Tanya Lysand carried out what she needed to do one step at a time without showing any particular dissatisfaction.

“Hello.”

Only after the confusion that had continued for roughly two hours finally died down a little did Tanya gain enough room to look around her surroundings.

Soon, after noticing Kairus waiting nearby, she greeted him.

“Are you injured somewhere?”

“No, I had something I wanted to ask.”

At Kairus’s words, Tanya nodded. She didn’t demand compensation for providing information, nor did she ask how it would benefit her.

There had to be a reason he came looking for her. And whatever it was, it would somehow help her in the end.

That was simply how her train of thought worked.

“What can I help you with?”

“Do you know about drugs that can cause short-term memory loss?”

At Kairus’s words, Tanya let out a thoughtful hum.

“There are a lot of them.”

“Among those, are there any that don’t leave traces in the body?”

While washing her hands and sterilizing a scalpel, Tanya answered.

“Well. Cases of short-term memory loss can happen from overdose or prolonged administration of drugs. But they can also occur as side effects from taking multiple drugs together.”

As he listened, Kairus relayed to Tanya the story he had heard.

“That’s strange.”

Tanya tilted her head before organizing the scalpels.

“What’s strange?”

“There aren’t any drugs produced specifically for the purpose of causing short-term memory loss. It’s only a side effect.”

Kairus accepted those words. People forgot things gradually even if left alone. And that wasn’t exactly a pleasant thing.

There was no reason to deliberately develop a drug for that purpose.

“In other words, it’s a side effect. And side effects only have a probabilistic chance of occurring.”

“So all 37 people suffering memory loss is strange?”

Tanya nodded.

“Even antibiotics can sometimes produce unwanted effects or fail to show the desired effect depending on factors like physical condition, physiological differences, or drug sensitivity.”

Yet a side effect occurring with a 100% probability?

“There’s no drug in the world that unconditionally causes short-term memory loss.”

It wasn’t something caused by drugs. Tanya Lysand stated that firmly. She added that even if someone took narcotics severe enough to leave holes in their brain, the side effects experienced would still differ from person to person.

“I see. But this is Bennett. They wouldn’t need to verify the stability of a drug.”

At Kairus’s words, Tanya let out another thoughtful hum.

“If this were the old days, where people boiled roots and herbs or dried them into pills, then your words would make sense, Mr. Kairus. But we’re modern people, aren’t we?”

When it was discovered that willow bark contained ingredients with anti-inflammatory properties, people in the past would boil willow bark and drink the water.

But in modern times, those ingredients were identified and then synthesized or extracted for use.

“Without proper facilities, drugs become even more unstable.”

“I understand.”

With drugs of low purity, it would also be difficult to achieve the intended results. After briefly watching his reaction, Tanya spoke.

“Would it perhaps be alright if I helped with that matter too?”

“Why would you?”

At Kairus’s question, Tanya answered simply.

“Because I want to. Though if it would trouble you, then it can’t be helped.”

If Kairus was a walking lottery ticket, then Tanya was a walking lucky charm. If he ignored her will and forced cooperation from her, that lucky charm would instantly turn into a cursed charm instead…

But right now, Tanya herself was saying that she wanted to involve herself in this matter of her own free will.

“I’d be grateful.”

There was no reason to refuse. Of course, this lucky charm functioned with her own safety as the absolute priority, but she would still be plenty helpful.

“That’s a relief. I wanted to repay you this time.”

“To me?”

At Kairus’s words, Tanya nodded.

“There haven’t been any troublesome incidents in the ER anymore, and the people who occasionally came by furious have completely stopped showing up.”

Tanya Lysand was connected to Kairus. Not merely acquainted enough to recognize each other’s faces—they had handled several jobs together, and Kairus occasionally visited and received her help as well.

How that fact benefited Tanya was almost predetermined.

“Connections guided by Father always carry meaning.”

Now, the only people who came to this ER were actual patients. Tanya no longer needed to concern herself with various troublesome matters and could simply focus on running the ER and treating patients.

“Hah, so after all that, it turned out this way. Anyway, I’ll be counting on you. Take a break from the ER for the time being and join us over at my office.”

The injured patients listening to Kairus’s words looked as though they’d been struck by lightning.

But who would dare voice complaints in front of him?

“I’ll join you after taking care of the patients who absolutely need treatment.”

Kairus obediently nodded.

“Do that.”

He agreed readily to Tanya’s words, but the glance he swept over the patients carried an unmistakable meaning.

‘Get lost by tomorrow.’

From Kairus’s perspective, it was only natural. The lucky charm was willingly cooperating on its own. Of course, judging by how things had gone so far, this would probably end up becoming another situation beneficial to Tanya as well.

And it didn’t even seem like Kairus himself would suffer any losses in the process.

Moreover, the luck protecting Tanya had already begun taking effect.

“You’ve achieved quite a bit of success! Everyone, you’ve all worked very hard!”

After repeatedly carrying out various kinds of “experiments” with the people he had gathered, Melvin Istovan finally managed to produce results he found reasonably satisfactory.

— But.

A man wearing a gas mask and filthy gown spoke to Melvin.

“But what? If there’s a problem, say it immediately. This museum director will solve everything!”

Melvin abruptly turned toward the gas mask man as he spoke.

— …We’ve run out of the required drugs.

“Then just get more.”

The problem was that the drugs that achieved the desired target values weren’t something easily obtainable even in Bennett.

— The Injection House doesn’t sell anesthetics.

The Injection House in Bennett was a place where almost any drug could be obtained if one had enough money, but nobody wanted simple anesthetics.

Even among anesthetics, only ones with additional effects circulated in the market. Who would pay money for a drug whose sole purpose was knocking people unconscious?

Those were items mainly handled by organizations profiting from human trafficking, and those groups had tight control over the distribution networks. Trying to obtain them through illegal channels could easily result in being traced back.

“Hihih. There was… a meeting recently, right? You… we. Rent there too.”

A man wearing a pig’s head mask, unable to speak properly, said to Melvin.

“…That’s right. I went there.”

Right now, everyone was keeping their eyes peeled and chasing suspicious movements. Trying to obtain something through illegal channels was not a wise decision.

“That bastard Kairus. I’d started thinking better of him lately too.”

And yet in a situation like this, he had to interfere in such a ridiculous way.

“To dare do this to me, the future Operations Committee member and museum director.”

His gleaming eyes rolled around restlessly. He needed to find a solution.

In other words, there was no demand for it. Which meant it was rarely distributed through illegal channels either.

— We need a doctor.

There was no choice but to obtain it through proper routes, and to handle anesthetics, one needed a medical license.

“A doctor, a doctor. So, a doctor.”

Melvin swayed slightly in his chair before smiling. There was one doctor he knew.

“I know someone.”

She was a woman he personally held in rather high regard. Unlike the uneducated, ignorant bastards filling this city, she possessed something called culture and manners.

“Th-that would be good. It’d be even… better if it’s a woman.”

Melvin stared briefly at the pig-headed man making snickering noises before answering.

“She is a woman.”

At those words, the pig-headed man let out delighted hihihihik noises. Even without seeing what kinds of fantasies were passing through the head inside that worn pig mask, it was easy enough to imagine.

But rather than worrying about Tanya, Melvin found it far more entertaining to imagine what would happen to her after the kidnapping.

“Let’s get ready.”

Kidnapping Tanya Lysand wouldn’t be difficult. She was already acquainted with Melvin, and Tanya Lysand was quite a cooperative woman. If he pretended to stop by to check on her and handled what needed to be done, he could secure her without issue.

Thinking that, he finished preparing for the kidnapping and visited Tanya’s ER, only to find—

“Hm? What is this….”

All Melvin could see was a note saying the ER would be temporarily closed due to personal circumstances.

“Goddammit.”

The doctor he thought would be the easiest to obtain had suddenly vanished, leaving Melvin with no choice but to wear an empty expression.

Now that things had turned out this way, obtaining the necessary drugs easily had become difficult. Melvin stood in front of the ER for a while, nervously biting his nails, before turning away.

‘Where did she go?’

If he found her location, he could pursue and secure her. Rather than finding another licensed doctor, tracking down Tanya Lysand and capturing her would be easier.

That was the judgment Melvin arrived at. Of course, whether that judgment was rational or not was debatable.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a calm decision so much as one driven by prioritizing his personal desires.

“I’ll need to make preparations.”

He had built numerous connections while working as an architect. Using them to find out where Tanya Lysand had gone would be no difficult task.

“....”

After returning home and making several calls, Melvin silently lowered the receiver.

“That bastard Kairus.”

Kairus kept interfering with him at every turn. To the point where it almost felt as though he was deliberately doing all this to prevent Melvin’s success.

“No, that’s exactly it.”

Melvin came to his own conclusion. He could become something greater, and Kairus knew that.

That was why he was obstructing him. Inside his rapidly spinning thoughts, fury and irritation mixed together and surged upward.

Bang!

“Fine then, let’s do this. I’ll block your path too.”

Kairus wanted to kill the Emperor. Everyone in the city already knew that Survivor Kairus had joined the Rebel Army of the Valorn Empire this time and rampaged to his heart’s content.

It was the kind of story impossible to conceal no matter how hard one tried.

If Kairus wanted to kill the Emperor…

Then to interfere with him, all Melvin had to do was side with the Emperor.

‘And I’ve also discovered valuable technology….’

If the Emperor showed interest in hypnosis using Sopor, he might even receive support. Obtaining the necessary drugs or tools would become effortless.

After all, sponsorship from the Emperor of the Empire would be thousands of times more useful than something like a medical license.

Melvin immediately pulled out stationery and began organizing his thoughts.

‘If I send it directly, I’ll get caught.’

He needed to route it around several times through different places before delivering it to the Emperor. On top of that, he also needed to neatly organize the results he had achieved through the experiments so far.

Fortunately, the life he had lived as an archaeology expert would greatly help with this kind of paperwork.