Chapter 262 – Loyal

Chapter 262

In Chavez, along Wastad Street, stood a large mansion belonging to a shady businessman named Friz Faveron.

Along the pathway, people, both men and women, carried goods to be transported elsewhere, loading them beside the horse-drawn carriages lined up along the left side of the mansion.

A long-haired man whose face was concealed beneath a bowler hat approached his companion, who was busy ordering his subordinates to move the goods.

"How are the preparations coming along?" the man in the bowler hat asked, holding out his smoking pipe.

Friz pushed the pipe away with his right hand and sighed.

"Everything is ready," he replied, straightening his tailcoat.

"So, are you sure you don't need my help, or ours?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

Friz fell silent for a moment, thinking before answering, "There's no need. I can capture that man myself and turn him into money."

"Quite confident," the man whispered before turning his back on Friz. His gaze briefly settled on the mansion's courtyard, which was filled with wooden crates and porters.

Then, the man in the bowler hat held his smoking pipe between his lips and walked away.

The only thought occupying his mind at that moment was that arrogance would bring everything crashing down. No matter how long it took, sooner or later, arrogance would inevitably lead someone to their downfall.

'If you know, I'm not doing this for the money, but rather for the thrill of fighting the person who killed Joven Hover.'

After thinking so, Friz immediately turned around and gave instructions to his subordinates to finish this as quickly as possible before the sun stretched high above their heads.

...

In the major city of Kuranda, specifically in Wayaen, there was a park not far from the intersection at 22 Vor, Yara Street.

A woman with lustrous black hair falling softly over her shoulders and a black butterfly-patterned hair clip stood upright inside a cramped telephone booth.

Even so, this was the only booth she usually used to contact someone, for the sake of both her own safety and that of her companion.

More importantly, she knew all too well that the authorities out there could tap her conversations. As a result, she could not simply switch between telephone booths after going to such lengths to secure this one.

"Is it still going on?" the woman asked quietly.

"Yes, of course." The voice, unmistakably belonging to another woman, echoed briefly inside the booth, causing the woman standing there to freeze in confusion.

"Where's Hana?" After a brief silence, the casual voice brought the woman out of her reverie.

Mine hesitated for a moment, thinking before replying softly, "She said she was going out to look for something."

"Oh? I see. Well, she just got paid, so it's only natural for her to spend some money on things she likes."

"Yes." Mine uttered the word reflexively, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Regarding our next move, the messenger said that we won't be the only ones taking action."

There was no response, making the woman even more certain that she should continue.

"Ah, as for them, we've all decided to go to that city."

"Are you sure?" Mine asked hastily, as though the emptiness in her heart were slowly being filled by those words.

"I'm not entirely sure, but we need to find Canel within the next few days before deciding on that plan," the woman explained.

"I see. What a shame," Mine said with a sigh.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss? If so, about what Hana said that time..."

Tut.

Before the woman could finish her sentence, Mine calmly and swiftly placed the receiver back on its cradle, abruptly ending their call.

"Tsk, that woman has made a habit of telling other people everything," Mine grumbled irritably.

After leaving the booth, the only thing Mine wanted to do was head to that place and, of course, finally do what she should have done earlier.

After walking several meters from the park entrance and merging with the crowd along a street where various vehicles passed, including trams and different kinds of horse-drawn carriages, while pedestrians moved along the sidewalks, Mine was struck by an unusual sight in the major city of Kuranda.

'Has something happened? I've been here for quite some time, yet I haven't heard anything at all. I should meet Hana and discuss this with her.'

Considering that the three cathedrals had even deployed their holy knights throughout Havanuheta, including the major city of Kuranda, Mine became increasingly convinced that this was the right conclusion to draw.

'Something is about to awaken, huh? Could it be... that Star Creature...?'

The suspicion that the Star Creature was none other than a human from a world where the sky was filled with beautiful stars, a world called "Sosreca," made Mine quicken her pace.

After walking without stopping, Mine finally arrived at a place where Hana had been spending most of her time lately, sometimes even returning to the inn late.

Mine's blue eyes immediately found her sitting alone, her head resting on the tabletop. Sensing that something was amiss, Mine glanced to her right and left, then reached out a hand before crossing the road with the other pedestrians.

Today, the smoke was not as thick as it had been the previous day, making the air less stifling and the surroundings feel less cramped, although the weather was still something to take into account.

As she reached the courtyard of a restaurant known for welcoming customers from lower- and middle-income backgrounds, Mine deliberately placed her cold hands on her companion's shoulders.

And... Hana was naturally startled when someone suddenly touched her while her thoughts were wandering in every direction. Rubbing her chest, she rolled her eyes to the left and found that her companion had finally returned.

"Why does your face look like that?" Hana began, asking the question despite having a hidden intention behind her words.

Mine immediately checked her own face before responding with another question. "What's wrong with it? It can't be dirty, can it?"

Instead of answering, Hana merely nodded with a mischievous smile.

Realizing that she was being teased, Mine immediately flicked her companion's ear before taking the seat opposite her.

"Ouch..."

"There's something I want to discuss with you, and you must know about it because it concerns that village elder."

At the mention of the word "elder," Hana's pupils immediately widened. Her body slowly straightened, and the playful look in her eyes turned sharp.

"Go ahead. I'll listen," Hana said, tapping the edge of the table with her index finger.

Mine nodded.

"Shouldn't we order something here?"

Hana stared at her with a frown and said, "If you want to order something, why didn't you do it earlier?"

Mine's mouth opened slightly. A sentence crossed her mind, but she never got the chance to say it. Instead, she pushed her chair back and went inside to place an order.

Since the weather outside was not too unpleasant, Mine asked the restaurant waiter to bring their order out to them.

The waiter, a man, responded to her request professionally and in accordance with the restaurant's procedures.

"Thank you for choosing our establishment. Please take a moment to wait for your order, and let our restaurant staff know if you need anything. We'll be happy to assist you."

"...Yes," Mine replied hesitantly.

After their eyes met, Mine, unable to bear the awkward situation any longer, quickly turned around and returned to her previous spot.

Once she reached a set of tables and chairs with hanging decorations in the middle, Mine sat back down in her original seat and let out a long sigh.

"That took forever..." Hana said, turning toward her.

"..."

"So, what is it you want to tell me?" Hana, unwilling to let this drag on any longer, immediately asked what was on her companion's mind.

Finally, while waiting for their order to arrive, Mine told her everything she found strange and brought up the matter of the creature from the past.

....

The historic city of Layana, on Passak Street, in Eiyon.

With the patient still not having awakened despite several days having passed since the incident, Velnard grew increasingly restless as his eyes remained fixed on the beloved person lying weakly in bed.

'Was she really affected by the vice-captain's ability? If so, is that ability really that powerful? I don't know anything about this, and since when have these two been hiding this?

'Yes, I know, even since joining the department, people who have a higher position than me, an officer, are rarely inside the headquarters. I had thought that they were assigned somewhere else, but now I've dismissed that misconception and... this world actually hides that mystery? Or is it because I'm like someone who never opens his eyes to see what the world really is?

Not long after he had been lost in thought, the sound of hurried footsteps in the corridor beyond the door jolted him out of his drowsiness. His head immediately lifted.

As the footsteps grew louder and more frequent, Velnard decided to stand up and walk toward the door to find out who was making them.

Standing in front of the door, Velnard immediately reached for the handle, intending to open it.

However, the person outside, none other than his colleague Aswin, opened it before he could. Their eyes met, and the sound of ragged breathing followed shortly afterward. Velnard's brow furrowed as he noticed something that made his heart skip a beat.

"What is that?" Velnard asked, even though he already knew what his companion was holding.

Aswin quickly straightened up, steadied his breathing, and answered without hesitation, "It's for you, and of course, for your beloved."

"..."

Noticing that his companion was staring at him as though he were looking at a piece of garbage, Aswin quickly handed over the flower and immediately explained the real reason for his visit.

"The captain has gathered the men. You'd better join them before he gets angry with you, you know?"

"Yes. I'll come once I've put this flower down," Velnard replied before turning his back on his companion and heading back into the treatment room.

Standing in front of the half-open door, Aswin tried to peek inside, but his view was limited because the room was rather dark.

'Everyone has different tastes. I know that.'

Having decided that his task was complete, Aswin smiled before turning around and leaving the building as quickly as possible.

To be honest, Aswin had no interest in romantic affairs or anything of the sort. They were the kind of things that could drastically change his companion's personality, to the point that he even forgot Aswin was his friend.

Aswin shook his head. He knew this was none of his business and that he had no right to interfere in someone else's life.

A few seconds later, Aswin was standing in front of the large entrance of a building, one of the many Cevenose Security Department headquarters scattered throughout Havanuheta.

His gaze immediately shifted to a group of people, none other than his colleagues and the squad led by Captain Queen Seon Arzen.

"Hey, why are you standing over there?" one of the men called out to his colleague, who seemed different from the last time they had met.

Aswin's eyes widened as he swallowed hard.