Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 211
Chapter Title: The One Who Left and the One Who Remained (2)
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As expected, the one who recovered A was Yoo.
I suppressed a sigh that threatened to escape and focused on Airhart's words.
He hadn't changed. His soft, elegant voice flowed into my ear.
[To cut to the chase, as you probably suspected, the person who recovered A, the kidnapper, and the one who stabbed the Choi family youngest are all the same individual.]
"That figures.... Did you find any leads?"
[Plenty. But not quite enough.]
The elder chuckled briefly.
[The vanishing act is masterful. Falcon must have helped, but even without him, it would have been a real headache to track.]
"He's been trained for that."
Though I hadn't expected him to be quite this good.
"I'd like to hear what leads you have."
[Very well. First, let me tell you what A stands for.]
He seemed oddly pleased.
This guy always enjoyed life, but even accounting for that, he looked unusually cheerful.
Not a good sign.
[Adam's parents.]
"Pardon?"
My hand froze mid-motion as I tidied up the house while taking the call.
Eric Airhart chuckled lowly from the other end of the line.
[From Adam's parents. That's the official name of From A.]
Ah.
I forgot how to move for a moment.
Memories came flooding in. I could never handle it properly when they poured out like a dam bursting. It felt like my consciousness was being devoured by the onslaught.
They had been kind and elegant people.
They came to Earth and had a child. Born in a time when peace still held, that child made them realize that even if the world had ended for their kind, life went on. We couldn't help but love him for it.
And in truth, Adam was a lovable child.
But he never reached adulthood.
The killer was never caught. His death lit the fuse. I could now vividly recall the despair I'd felt back then.
Along with the guilt that filled my heart.
When I heard Adam had died, I hadn't grieved—I'd foreseen the future and drowned in terror instead.
I slowly regained my composure.
"...Did you get your hands on the game?"
[No. But someone who played it back in the day figured it out. Anyone with basic computer skills can dig up the recorded developer's name.]
"I see."
I cleared my throat and sank into a nearby wooden chair.
Struggling not to drown in guilt, I reviewed the questions I needed to ask. This wasn't the time to wallow in emotions.
"Did you learn anything about the game's content...?"
[Enough to know it's neither important nor entertaining.]
The plot apparently held no special meaning.
Why had Yoo destroyed every copy of that game? And what message had Adam's parents—whom I'd essentially abandoned, yet who still trusted me—left for me?
I wanted that game.
But right now, capturing Yoo took priority.
"Any other leads?"
[Of course. I'll send the rest via courier.]
"Pardon?"
Why courier?
I was puzzled, but asking wouldn't get me an answer. Time would reveal it eventually.
At any rate, I could guess why he'd called in such high spirits. He just wanted to tell me about Adam's parents.
Whatever the reason, I was grateful for the intel.
I thanked him and moved to end the call.
But Airhart suddenly burst out laughing.
[One more lead.]
What?
[Your recruits are chasing him right now.]
My eyes widened.
[Or more precisely, they bit the bait laid by that Titan.]
"Where?"
I snatched up my sword and bolted for the door.
"Where is it?!"
Spitfire laughed merrily before giving me the location.
Near Hesy's residence.
My mind raced. If it were rush hour, I'd grab a scooter or borrow Yoon's bike without asking, but it was late evening now.
A car would be fastest.
Asking for help would take longer than going myself.
I grabbed my car keys and dashed out of the cabin.
***
Screeech!
"Hesy!"
That idiot!
I flipped on the hazard lights and abandoned the car haphazardly on the road. Leaping from the parked vehicle, I chased after Hesy, who was sprinting down the street.
Why is he so damn fast for no reason?
I squinted and ran like mad.
It was a residential neighborhood shrouded in darkness. Streetlights were sparse, and mostly private properties meant no signs of life. Without light sources, the ground and black air blended indistinguishably.
Only silhouettes swallowed by shadows were visible.
A chill ran down my spine.
My instincts detected a Magical Beast at the end of the path Hesy was pursuing.
He was being lured toward it.
"Hesy Lyle!"
I yelled at the top of my lungs while chasing my reckless recruit.
"Hesy! Stop chasing! It's a trap!"
A Magical Beast melted into the darkness awaited.
The moment he stepped on it, it would shred his legs. It wouldn't let him go once it swallowed him. Even with an Enhanced Body, his bones would shatter and flesh would be torn away.
It was a Creature of that caliber.
And from the looks of the one being chased, it wasn't Yoo.
Seemed like a hired gun.
"Tom!"
Afraid of missing the timing, I called out to my recruit who was ahead of me.
"Grab Hesy!"
"Hilde!"
Tom glanced back at me and shouted.
"How did you know to come here?"
"Grab Hesy!"
I had no breath to spare for replies.
"Now!"
Thankfully, Tom obeyed.
Without turning back or asking more, he caught up to Hesy, who was fixated on the perp. Once he did, he seized him by the scruff and they tumbled to the ground together.
Crash!
"-What the?!"
Hesy, pinned under Tom, looked up in confusion.
"Why all of a sudden...."
I raced past my sprawled recruits.
As I did, I drew my sword and struck. The instant I unsheathed it, I attacked. The Magical Beast lurking in the oppressive darkness bared its white fangs and lunged.
To devour the humans sprawled just a few footsteps away.
Slash.
I killed it.
The bisected Magical Beast slid to the ground like a sheet of paper.
I gazed down at the Creature's corpse fluttering as it fell.
Naturally, the one Hesy had been chasing got away. He'd been coated in a scent this Creature despised.
An elaborate trap.
Shadow Fangs, of all things.
Far worse than a gut stab from a blade coated in Grindyrm. Shadow Fangs were potent Magical Beasts. The moment fatigue dulled your senses and you failed to detect them, anyone who encountered one met a gruesome end.
Hesy had nearly died.
"Hilde?"
My recruit's puzzled voice came from behind.
"How did you...."
I couldn't hold back.
I whirled around and shouted at the approaching recruit.
"I told you not to chase!"
Hesy's and Tom's eyes went wide.
My voice echoed through the quiet neighborhood.
The brown-haired recruit froze in place. The redhead blinked in shock repeatedly. But I didn't apologize. More precisely, I couldn't.
The anger born of worry hadn't subsided.
I even forgot to sheathe the drawn sword.
An icy silence descended on the dark street.
The sound of cold wind slapping my ears. The recruits' clothes fluttering. The scent of midnight.
Tom, who had stiffened in surprise, finally broke the silence with a "Hey, uh...."
Hesy latched onto Tom's words.
"Why?"
I stared straight at Hesy.
"Why?"
"Yeah. Why are you trying to handle it alone? Wouldn't it be fine if anyone caught the perp? Isn't catching him as fast as possible the best?"
"Because it's dangerous!"
I had no idea how much I'd agonized while flooring the accelerator.
Even while running. The hope that since he hadn't fatally wounded Ami, he'd only give Hesy a scratch this time evaporated the moment I sensed the Shadow Fangs.
Had he found out I met Kairos?
This attack brimmed with malice, unlike the last.
"I told you Ami got stabbed out of nowhere. I said he's extremely dangerous."
"That's exactly why he wouldn't target you. You think he'd only go after people around you? No way. Bastards like that will eventually come for you. Sooner or later, their endgame is you."
"I know. That's why I'm saying this. Hesy, please, from now on, don't chase anyone who looks like the perp. And don't go anywhere alone for a while."
"If you know, then you shouldn't try to handle it alone!"
Now Hesy was furious.
His anger wasn't incomprehensible. But how to explain....
I couldn't very well say I was far superior now, so they should back off. Telling them I didn't want them getting involved would fall on deaf ears.
How do you calm this runaway train of justice?
Embarrassment surged, pushing out the lingering anger.
As I sighed and averted my gaze, Tom approached.
"Did you report it to the police?"
I looked at my red-haired recruit.
"No. The police...."
I trailed off.
What was that?
My eyes widened as I approached Tom.
Still gripping my sword in my right hand.
"What's this?"
I raised my free left hand and touched the area near the wound on Tom's neck.
"It's a knife cut, but.... Why isn't it healing?"
"It just happened."
Hesy answered.
He frowned as he came over to Tom, who was muttering that it was fine.
"The bastard I was chasing asked if you were 'her' a moment ago, then suddenly swung a knife at Tom."
My stomach dropped.
Guilt mingled with rising fear.
These bright young kids.... They knew nothing of my circumstances or the war. Talented, sure, but still green—they couldn't be trusted to handle surprise attacks well.
And this had happened right under my nose—how could I not have known?
My feelings must have shown on my face.
Tom hurriedly reassured me that he'd dodged well, the wound wasn't deep, no need to worry.
It didn't help at all.
I stood speechless, face crumpling as I rubbed my dry eyes.
"Don't try to handle it alone!"
Thwack!
Hesy smacked my back.
"Don't try to shoulder it all by yourself! Hilde. You can't be glued to our sides 24/7. Trust your recruits a little. And if you don't trust us, what then? Are you gonna stick to all your close ones forever?"
"...I don't know."
It was a gloomy reply.
I truly didn't.
"I never imagined he'd go this aggressive.... I need to take some measures quickly. He's getting more vicious by the day."
"Let's report it to the police first."
"How to lure him out."
I brushed off Tom's words and muttered to myself.
"What if I staged a suicide attempt? Think he'd show?"
Probably wants to kill me with his own hands?
Might be a misstep, but worth a shot, I thought idly.
Tom reacted to my offhand remark. Or rather, Hesy started to, but Tom quietly gripped my shoulder first.
My red-haired comrade met my eyes and said,
"If you pulled something like that, don't you think we'd hunt the perp even harder?"
It made sense, so I shut my mouth.
***
A call came from Ye-hyeon.
I'd wanted to talk more with the recruits, but I left hurriedly after promising to contact them before tomorrow's mission.
I answered my supreme commander's call as I walked to my car with hazards still flashing.
Ye-hyeon wanted to hear about Kairos.
"There's more to report besides that."
[Your voice sounds off.]
As I opened the car door, Ye-hyeon replied in his husky voice.
[Something happened, I take it. Report it all, concisely.]
I did.
I reported on Kairos, Yoo, and how my kin hid their presence. I added that learning my kin's method could let us catch the enemy off guard.
And the incident just now.
Ye-hyeon, who had stayed silent, let out a short sigh when I finished.
[How are Tom and Hesy holding up?]
I placed my sheathed sword on the passenger seat.
"They seem fine, but I should keep an eye on them. It's their first time attacked by a human, not a Creature."
[Right.]
The commander affirmed curtly, then continued in a businesslike tone.
[We'll need to rethink that Titan's hiring. His identity checks out, but like you, his recovery's probably subpar.]
"Yes. That's my biggest concern too."
[And his loyalty's directed at you. Problematic.]
Ye-hyeon chuckled lowly.
[Though it's a minor issue.]
"Don't worry about that part. I'll talk to him."
[Figured. Mind if I ask something? Might be personal.]
I started the engine and pulled out.
Past midnight. The road was empty of people, Creatures, and vehicles.
I eased down on the accelerator as I replied.
"Ask away."
[Your instincts. You said they pick up your kin's emotions too.]
"Yes."
[So you've been constantly feeling nothing but negative emotions aimed at you?]
My foot slammed the brakes on the accelerator at the unexpected, truly personal question.
[Has it been like that non-stop since your senses sharpened?]