Chapter 210
Chapter 210
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: The Departed and the Remaining (1)
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It shattered.
I heard a few heavy words from Ska, who was grinning. Even though he was smiling, his anger was clearly visible, and an angry Ska was downright terrifying.
People who rarely get mad are scary when they do.
I offered a polite apology, saying I was sorry.
Ska exhaled smoke and leisurely accepted my apology.
I need to be careful around this guy.
This man's mentality was on the level of titanium alloy. I could see why Ye-hyeon had picked him as his successor.
Yoon had mentioned it too. Ska had relentlessly beaten Jae-yeon, who charged at him like a madman, without tiring. Even though Jae-yeon was a notch above in skill, Ska never stopped turning her frenzied rampage into mincemeat.
Anyway, he held no grudges, so the aide smoked his cigarette, smiled, and nodded.
"Old friend?"
He asked so much with such a casual question.
I gave a bitter smile as I looked at the raccoon den that my cabin's front yard had become.
"Yes."
"Figured as much."
Ricardo and Yoon, who had been quietly smoking, rolled their eyes.
I took in the sight of the three men observing Kairos. It was a relief that they were people I could tell the truth to. They were probably gathered in front of my cabin precisely because they already knew.
That guy has no intention of leaving, huh.
I turned my body and called out to my fellow kin, who was standing obediently by the car.
"Kairos."
Kairos came running over as if he'd been waiting.
My fellow kin stopped beside me and smoothly introduced himself.
"Hello. I'm Kairos. Currently, I'm driving under the name Jack Black."
"Hello."
Ska lowered the hand holding his cigarette and smiled politely.
Ricardo turned his head and blew out smoke without responding. Yoon narrowed his eyes, smoked his cigarette, and observed Kairos.
Naturally, Ska continued the conversation.
"You're a celebrity. F1's best driver. Didn't you apply to our company recently?"
"Yes. I'm currently going through the background check process."
"Not a real human, huh."
Yoon said bluntly.
Kairos and I blinked simultaneously and looked at the speaker.
Yoon exhaled smoke and let out a long laugh.
It was a chilling laugh.
"I've met a few of you out there, and I could tell. You're definitely different."
"Yes?"
What was he talking about?
"You can sense it? How...? What's different? Is it that obvious?"
"I can't tell at all~..."
Ricardo tapped ash onto the ground and spoke up.
Ska raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.
The aide glanced back and forth between Kairos, me, and the two subordinates nearby before speaking.
"I can't tell at all either. If I hadn't seen your actions, Hilde, I'd never have known this guy was a Titan in my lifetime."
"Well~... this senior isn't a normal human either.... It won't get noticed by normal people, so no need to be so sensitive~."
"Sordi, you've gotten pretty cheeky."
Yoon threw a barbed comment and flashed a cold smile again.
The follow-up as he brought the cigarette to his mouth was spine-chilling.
"Not wrong, but Sylvia or Leonard Underly would sense it too."
Guys with antisocial personality disorder.
Of course, I knew Sylvia, Leonard, and Yoon all had superior intellect and instincts compared to others. Normal people with antisocial personality disorder couldn't control it.
These three could, which was why the HR Director kept them around.
Not exactly comforting, though.
Yoon aside, I really didn't want to run into the other two.
"By any chance, are you the third son of the Etak family?"
I was about to ask the aide about Sylvia and Leonard's whereabouts when Kairos suddenly spoke up.
All eyes turned to the red-haired man.
My fellow kin was staring at Yoon.
Yoon raised one eyebrow.
"That's right."
"Ah. Nice to meet you."
Kairos smiled with an utterly businesslike tone.
That's how he was. He caused a ton of incidents, but in official settings or in front of sponsors, he acted more professionally than anyone.
"Our team receives sponsorship from the Etak family, so I see President Choi Hyun-seok often. I've heard a lot about you."
"Choi Hyun-seok is sponsoring F1 too?"
Yoon muttered to himself.
"Didn't know he was interested in that. Anyway, nice to meet you. Though I doubt Choi Hyun-seok said much about me."
"Haha. I also see Chairman Choi Hyun-jun occasionally. He's so busy with work that we don't meet often, though."
Yoon responded with a small snort instead of an answer.
Ska asked in a formal tone if the contract was okay.
Kairos neatly replied that internal discussions were underway to allow him to quit immediately upon hiring.
If left alone, this formal conversation would drag on, but I had something more important to say first.
Since they were all here together, now was the time to tell them.
I cleared my throat a couple times and joined the conversation.
"Aide, I've figured out who stabbed Ami."
The change was visible.
The men, who had been languidly smoking with relaxed bodies, tensed up instantly.
The air grew taut in a flash.
Their stares felt like they could kill.
Aware of the sharp gazes, I began explaining.
I briefly recounted everything that had happened so far and how I'd identified the culprit. Then, as I explained that both the kidnapping and the stabbing of Ami were likely Yoo's doing, Kairos, who had been listening quietly, widened his eyes.
He apparently hadn't known Yoo was this active.
"You handed him over to a radical group?"
"Yeah. The group members were ordinary humans, though."
"And he stabbed a Black Badger close to you with a Grind Dream blade?"
The color drained from Kairos's face.
I nodded silently.
The beast tamer gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. He seemed to blame himself for not stopping Yoo.
But this wasn't my fellow kin's fault.
If anything, it was mine. I'd dumped a heavy burden on him on my own and left, then came back after forgetting everything comfortably.
Yoon, who had been silent, pulled out another cigarette.
His low voice, as he exhaled, was evenly laced with anger.
"So."
I replied in a hoarse voice.
"Couldn't pinpoint the location. But now that I know who it is, I'll lure and capture him at the right time."
"Capture alive."
"Yes."
That was the plan anyway.
I intended to make him apologize to Ami no matter what. Afterward, Yoon would surely try to kill him, but I'd bow and beg to save his life then.
Ska and Ricardo seemed to have no objections to me capturing Yoo.
Ska told me to report separately to the Supreme Commander.
Ricardo smirked.
"Now I can walk home at night without worry~."
This guy.
I turned to my green-eyed senior.
"He hasn't been caught yet, so keep being careful."
"...You're really.... Don't you get jokes~?"
"I do, but I'm saying it so you'll stay cautious."
"Yoo stabbed the Choi family's youngest?"
As Ricardo raised an eyebrow, Kairos, who had gone quiet, poked his head forward.
Eyes turned back to him.
"Just because he's close to you.... He stabbed an innocent person with a Grind Dream sword?"
I quietly met his orange eyes.
Clear, upright eyes filled with guilt.
As I looked into them and opened my mouth for a bitter affirmation,
A resonant voice from the road swallowed my words.
"La la nan nan nan nan na, la la la la la la! La la la la la! Nan nan nan na nan na nan nan na."
The conversation halted.
Everyone stared blankly at the approaching voice's owner.
From the darkening end of the road, a figure ran into the streetlight's glow.
Ami, running with a cone ice cream in one hand and a convenience store plastic bag in the other.
My sensitive nose caught the smell of alcohol riding the autumn breeze.
The alcohol smell grew closer. Footsteps too.
The rustle of the plastic bag swaying in the wind.
Ami hopped toward the house across from the cabin, oblivious to the people staring at her.
"Hap~py happy happy happy world, la la la la la la. La la la la la! Nan nan nan na! Happy happy happy happy world."
What song was this?
"Nan na na na na nan nan, la la la la la la. La la la la la! Nan nan nan na, nan na na na nan na nan nan na."
Thud!
"Ow!"
Crash!
Oh no.
A loud falling sound echoed. Hidden by the gate fence, I couldn't see it, but the massive noise suggested a spectacular collision with the ground.
Hope she's okay.
I gave a troubled smile as I looked toward where Ami had disappeared.
Kairos blinked, while Ska and Ricardo let out hollow laughs.
Yoon exhaled a deep puff of smoke.
"That kid,"
Ami's own brother looked up at the sky.
"Her brain growth stopped when we did the anti-aging treatment."
I shouldn't laugh at that.
But I couldn't hold back a small chuckle.
Ska and Ricardo were grinning too.
Only Kairos craned his neck to try to see Ami.
"I should go apologize."
"Later."
I grabbed the arm of my fellow kin, who was about to run off.
"She's drunk. Talk properly face-to-face later."
Fortunately, he listened right away.
He seemed even sharper than before. Maybe time had passed, or because I'd been away for so long.
I didn't know the reason, so I didn't ask.
I'd just get anxious hearing the answer.
Just then, Ska suggested we stop standing in the cold wind and go rest inside. They seemed ready to head out after smoking as much as they wanted.
I bowed my head, then turned to Kairos, who was ending a call.
"Let's go."
"Sure."
Kairos replied brightly and hopped into the driver's seat.
Please drive carefully on the way back.
I turned to nag him, but the red car moved and pulled up next to mine.
?
"What are you doing?"
"Parking, duh?"
"Why are you parking?"
Go home.
But Kairos didn't understand the question. He parked with a puzzled look. After closing the sports car door, he walked over and gave me a curious glance.
Ricardo, who had watched the whole thing, let out a hollow laugh.
"Aide.... If that driver joins as a rookie, assign him a master other than me~."
"Sorry, but I have no say in personnel."
Ska neatly refused his friend's request.
"No guarantee he'll pass anyway."
The seniors clicked their tongues and dispersed.
I stared at Kairos in stunned silence.
Aren't you busy?
"I said go home."
"I'll leave once you're fully recovered."
"You didn't pick up? Aren't you busy?"
"Not at all. Season's over, and I'm retiring soon."
Kairos grinned and started walking toward the cabin.
After politely greeting the dispersing seniors.
Leaving me speechless behind.
"Nice neighborhood, by the way. The house next door seems empty. Wonder if it's for sale?"
Stop.
Just stop, man!
I did want to see you, but not like this!
***
Kairos went through with it.
He bought the land near the cabin and the house on it.
It was excessively large for one person, but he didn't care.
The restricted access keeping paparazzi out was quite appealing, he said with a laugh.
He sent an emoji smiling about seeing me on moving day.
And I gave up.
Do whatever you want....
[Schu Diamond: How's your body? I'm heading up soon.]
Last day of sick leave.
Waiting for Spitfire's call around two hours before Ye-hyeon's midnight call, I was replying to Schu's message.
A message from my direct senior on mission at the Center Core outskirts.
[Schu Diamond: There's an event soon. I'm coming up for that, so I'll tell you the rest about the portal then.]
[Me: Thanks. But what's the event? Something happening?]
[Schu Diamond: ? You didn't hear?]
This situation no longer surprised me.
When I admitted I hadn't heard, Schu calmly explained.
[Schu Diamond: Center Core's founding anniversary event. The Supreme Commander attends.]
Different from Founder's Day, I guess.
I decided to look it up and asked for the date. She told me, said she'd come near HQ five days before, and suggested meeting for a meal if I had time.
She'd tell me what I needed to hear then.
And if possible, since I was close to Yoon, she had a message for him too.
What could it be?
I was curious but didn't ask right away.
After finishing with Schu, I polished my sword. My illness was almost fully cured. Starting tomorrow, I'd resume normal missions.
A light supply mission was assigned.
After that, I'd visit Nori's grave.
My fellow kin's graves.
I'd kept them waiting too long.
Amid heavy emotions, I polished my sword.
Then my phone rang.
[Prometheus.]
I answered, and Airheart's low chuckle came through.
[Congrats on the reunion. Now, shall we talk about From A?]