Chapter 38
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38
Abel immediately straightened his back, assuming a formal stance.
“I will now report on the Target’s movements.”
Oscar nodded, gesturing for him to proceed.
“She arrived at Pal Pien Market at 08:45 and moved to Northeim Cemetery around 12:25.”
The report had barely begun when a single, strange word snagged Oscar’s attention.
“Cemetery?”
Hearing the word ‘cemetery’ spoken in Oscar’s voice made Abel want to die. He had lived through it all, yet the events were already starting to feel like they had happened to someone else. Or perhaps that was simply what he wished.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Did you kill someone?”
“No, sir.”
“Was there something to bury?”
“No, sir.”
“Then is it a good place to conduct an operation?”
“No, sir.”
Oscar questioned him about the connection between the cemetery and the Target before letting out a short, incredulous laugh. Abel hurried to explain before his superior’s patience ran out.
“The Target was the one who insisted on going. Her objective was to return flowers she had purchased from nomads.”
Oscar was, of course, stunned. But even Simon, who was so cold he barely seemed human, and Barbara stared at Abel with undisguised bewilderment.
Enduring the three pairs of eyes fixed upon him, Abel thought to himself, What are you so surprised about? This is just the beginning.
“At approximately 09:45, the Target bought flowers from some nomads. A few minutes later, she learned of the flowers’ origin, at which point she began insisting that she had to go to the cemetery.”
Abel conveniently omitted the part about how Seo-ah had learned of the flowers’ origin. That meant there was no reason to mention the intimidation or the verbal abuse he had hurled at her in the process.
“She moved from Pal Pien Market to Northeim Cemetery around 12:25, arriving at the cemetery at approximately 16:50.”
“There’s a large gap between when she learned their origin and when she left for the cemetery,” Simon, who had been listening quietly, pointed out.
“It took time to dissuade her from going, for safety reasons.”
He decided to set aside the fact that this ‘dissuasion’ had been a tirade of depraved insults aimed at her parents and ancestors, coupled with a barrage of death threats. For Abel Sting, that was well within the scope of dissuasion.
“So what happened to make you look like this?”
Abel’s confident expression finally faltered.
Oscar, perched on the edge of his desk, let his gaze travel up Abel’s body. The image of Seo-ah’s own disheveled state from earlier overlapped with his subordinate’s. It seemed the two of them had been up to the same thing.
“You said her objective was to return the flowers. But how did she know which grave they were taken from?”
At Oscar’s question, a horrific vision of Northeim Cemetery unfolded before Abel’s eyes. An early winter had descended upon the graves. The dirt path froze at night and turned to slush during the day, creating a slippery, muddy slope.
“Among all these headstones, how do you plan to find the one whose flowers were stolen?” he had asked, maintaining the utmost professionalism.
But the naive Outsider was already surveying the cemetery, muttering to herself, “…Five hundred sixty-two. There are one hundred and two flowers, so if I just buy four hundred and sixty more…”
Hearing that, a chill ran down his spine that made his hair stand on end.
“You’re not seriously planning to put flowers on every single one of these headstones, are you?”
The moment she lowered her head, he was struck by the thought that even cursing at her was a waste of breath.
What a brilliant idea. So admirable.
“Go on, then. Hurry up and place them. The ghosts are probably waiting with their chins in their hands for their flowers, eh?”
At that, the Target’s face brightened as she looked up.
“Yes, of course! Please, just have a seat for a moment.”
Of all the people who can’t take a hint, she had to be this clueless.
“Does it look like there’s anywhere to sit here?”
“Ah…”
Momentarily flustered by his harsh tone, she rummaged through her bag, pulled out a cheap handkerchief, and spread it over a flat stone.
“Please, just for a moment, here…”
Abel glanced from the handkerchief on the stone back to Seo-ah. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying silently, and though she couldn’t even meet his gaze, she forced a smile.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be done in a flash.”
The worldly-ignorant Outsider, who didn’t even know an insult when she heard one, trudged off down the path, her feet sinking into the mud.
And so…
“She placed flowers on every single grave.”
And was that all? Anyone watching would have thought she was the groundskeeper. She had even swept the layers of fallen leaves off the headstones with her bare hands. If there had been more time, she probably would have brought a cloth and wiped them all down.
“She bought the flowers she was short?”
“Yes.”
Oscar stared at his subordinate’s utterly exhausted face and laughed.
“And you helped her.”
He knew the man was obsessed with his clothes, yet he’d let them get this ruined.
“…If I hadn’t, I didn’t think we would make it back today.”
“Do you think you can get it done in a month?”
Abel Sting’s expression, which had been subtly cracking, finally shattered completely. Oscar unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, which suddenly felt constricting. “Are you giving up?”
At the question, Abel held his breath as if he had just been confronted with the greatest dilemma of his life.
Success means I can quit the Gold Digger act, but there’s no telling how much longer I’ll have to trail her through that goddamn market.
Giving up means I have to keep up the Gold Digger act, but I can quit following her around that goddamn market immediately.
The sudden thought that the Gold Digger act suited his disposition popped into his head. What would he do if he quit? Search, rescue, and combat missions were all team-based, which came with its own set of annoyances. Compared to that, being a Gold Digger who acted alone was much better.
But then he realized this entire assumption was based purely on his own thinking. Oscar had only promised a change of post depending on his success.
“…If I give up, do I not have to follow her anymore?”
“No.”
Looking at Abel, who seemed on the verge of death, Oscar was both amused and perplexed. This was an intelligence agent considered to be at the absolute peak of his abilities. This particular case was one where the Target was already secured regardless of Abel’s success, so he had given him some leeway, telling him not to overdo it.
But still.
“Stop letting her drag you around. I called you in to coax her and lead her where you want, not to be dragged around like a fool.”
At Oscar’s low voice, Abel’s expression hardened, and he bowed deeply.
“I will take it to heart.”
A wave of exhaustion washed over Oscar. He ran a weary hand through his hair and dismissed them.
“You may go.”
Simon gave a slight bow and turned to leave. Abel straightened up to follow him, and the backup agent trailed behind them. Barbara, however, remained, as if she had something more to say.
Seeing this, Oscar’s mood sank. There was usually only one reason Barbara would defy an order and stay behind.
Sure enough, as soon as the door closed, the name was spoken.
“This morning, the Marchioness sent a message to Your Excellency.”
“Why?”
“Regarding the birthday party of Count Jerome’s daughter…”
“One thing after another.”
His words, sharp as a winter frost, seemed to strike Barbara’s cheek.
“…She sent a message inviting you to the Count’s daughter’s birthday party. I replied that it would be difficult, as Your Excellency is currently away.”
“The necklace she wanted me to buy as an engagement gift for the King. How much was it?”
“7.18 billion Kerte.”
“7.18 billion.”
Letting out a low laugh, Oscar finally put a cigarette to his lips again. He thought he had cleansed his insides with the cold air, but acrid smoke once again filled his lungs.
“It seems the Marchioness will be visiting the Marquisate residence soon.”
Oscar smoked in silence before crushing the cigarette in an ashtray and muttering, “It seems shamelessness and greed are hereditary.”
Coldness and loathing dripped from every syllable.
He walked toward the dressing room connected to the reception room, unbuttoning his shirt. Just before entering, he glanced back at Barbara over his shoulder.
“7.18 billion. Process it as a business expense.”
Barbara held her breath at his sharp gaze. Though she had not raised him with love, she was the one who had fed and sheltered the lone wolf cub. Even so, despite having raised him with her own hands, his gaze terrified her.
“That way, we can calculate the profit and loss later.”
The voice, laced with a languid laugh, was terrifying.
Barbara bowed her head deeply, and Oscar disappeared into the unlit room.
Not a single ray of light entered the dressing room. It was submerged in pitch-black darkness, but Oscar’s steps did not falter in the slightest. With every stride, articles of clothing fell to the floor.
The bathroom adjoining the dressing room was like the bottom of a mine shaft. A cold, damp air flowed through the space, which was likewise shrouded in darkness.
Oscar walked with familiar steps toward the bathtub and submerged himself in the cold water that had been prepared for him.
Sometimes, he had the thought that he wanted to slice open his chest with a knife, pull out his lungs and heart, and wash them in perfectly clear, cold water.
The frigid water rose to his neck. As if that weren’t enough, he sank deeper, like a man drowning himself beneath the surface.
Water filled his ears.
A world without sound or sight.
Oscar let all the strength drain from his body. He let out a long breath. He could not inhale again, but it was peaceful.
The heart-stoppingly cold sensation numbed all his other senses. The suffocating feeling that made him want to tear open his chest, the fire that burned from some unknown source—in this moment, he could forget it all.
He surrendered his body to the water as if he were dead, suspended in a state where he forgot everything about his life. He would only pull himself up when he reached the very boundary of death.
A magnificent death, a statue, a name to last for eternity.
A comfort found only in the breathless, cold water.