What on Earth Is Going On?
What on Earth Is Going On?
A back alley near the Lamprimp Hotel.
"Heok! Huk...!"
Ferman, wearing a woolen beret, ran while gasping for breath.
There was only one reason he was fleeing.
It was because he had witnessed a woman with red eyes slaughtering his comrades.
In truth, he had more heard his comrades' screams than witnessed the scene.
That was because Ferman, sensing something was off from the moment Lucy killed Harom using an illusion, had fled without looking back.
Since his comrades' screams had echoed not long after he got outside, he could roughly guess what the situation inside the hotel was like.
'Fuck! How did it end up like this...!'
Ferman's plan had been simple.
It was simply to assassinate Daniel Steiner, return to the Allied Nations, have his achievements recognized, and receive compensation.
Tempret had spouted some strange nonsense about a great cause, but he didn't have the slightest intention of being swayed by such flimsy patriotism.
He also hadn't thought this was such a dangerous mission.
No matter how infamous Daniel Steiner might be, he had been certain the man would be helpless against thirty spies seasoned in killing.
But they had run into an unexpected obstacle.
Without even getting to Daniel Steiner, his adjutant had killed his comrades in a wretched, dog's death.
'I don't know why things are turning out this way...'
For now, he decided to be satisfied that he had managed to preserve his life.
Ferman, who had raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, paused partway through catching his breath.
A human figure was slowly approaching from the opposite side of the alley.
At first, he thought it was a lost passerby, but the closer it got, the more he felt a sense of incongruity.
It was because the eyes of the person with black skin were clearly staring at him.
'No way.'
The flustered Ferman reached into his coat to pull out his pistol, but it was too late.
The black man, who had drawn his pistol faster than Ferman, already had his finger on the trigger.
"You motherf-"
Piyung!
The bullet fired through the silencer pierced through Ferman's head.
At that, Ferman collapsed in the very posture of reaching for his pistol, his head plunging into a puddle on the ground.
Hamtal, who had approached the fallen Ferman, indifferently lowered his pistol and pulled the trigger.
One more bullet lodged in the fallen Ferman's head, and blood splattered.
It was a confirmation kill.
After that, Hamtal, who had tucked his pistol into his coat, took out his radio and pressed the transmit button.
"The runner is caught. What about the others?"
He released the transmit button and waited a moment, then a reply came from the other side.
─ The screams have died down, and gunshots no longer ring out. Also, no one has come out of the hotel whatsoever.
It meant that Lucy Emilia had eliminated all the Allied Nations spies.
From Hamtal's perspective, that was quite bewildering.
He hadn't known that Lucy Emilia would kill all the enemies by herself.
'They say she's one of the Allied Nations' experimental subjects...'
Hamtal had looked through the information and classified documents they had collected when they annihilated the Palentia branch.
With the intention of taking any necessary information and handing over the rest to the Security Bureau.
Additionally, if there was any information disadvantageous to Daniel Steiner, it needed to be erased.
At that time, Hamtal had happened to collect classified material related to the 'Lucy Project'.
It was a top-secret document that roughly described where the research institute conducting the Lucy Project was located.
Hamtal, thinking that it must not be revealed that Daniel Steiner's adjutant was from the Allied Nations' experimental subjects, had taken those documents separately and left the textile factory.
After that, Hamtal went through a period of anguish.
Over whether it was right to kill Lucy Emilia for Daniel Steiner's sake.
According to the acquired documents, Lucy Emilia was a monster beyond the human category.
It was not desirable to let such a monster strut around at Daniel Steiner's side.
So he had been devising a method to kill Lucy Emilia even if it meant some casualties, but considering what Lucy had just done, it was nearly impossible.
Because Lucy Emilia was someone who could slaughter nearly thirty Allied Nations spies in an instant.
It was clear that things wouldn't change much even if Hamtal and his subordinates stepped in.
'Moreover...'
Though he didn't know the exact reason, currently, Lucy Emilia was protecting Daniel Steiner.
Since their objectives aligned, there was no need to unnecessarily antagonize her.
However, one thing that worried him was whether Daniel Steiner was properly grasping this fact.
'If Lucy Emilia were to change her mind in this situation...'
It was highly likely that Daniel Steiner would meet his death without knowing the reason why.
Now that he had grasped Lucy Emilia's combat power, there was only one choice.
Having made his decision, Hamtal picked up his radio and pressed the transmit button.
"Prepare to return to the Imperial Capital. Now that I've confirmed Lucy Emilia is on Daniel Steiner's side, we will reduce our escort troops to a minimum. Also, after returning to the capital, we will focus all our efforts on identifying the location of the research institute where the Lucy Project was conducted."
Informing Daniel Steiner about Lucy Emilia's true identity and providing him with that weakness.
That was the only help the secret organization Black Bird could give Daniel Steiner at the moment.
*
Daniel's eyes slowly opened to the dawn light filtering through the window.
It was a familiar ceiling.
Daniel, who had been blinking quietly, sat up and frowned.
'...What on earth kind of dream was that.'
In the dream, Daniel had definitely been walking in a park with Kelly, a Golden Retriever.
The peaceful life Daniel so desperately wished for had been realized in his dream.
'But then suddenly...'
In the blink of an eye, Kelly had transformed into Lucy and started approaching him.
The flustered Daniel had yelled at her not to come closer, but Lucy had simply clung to him like a puppy, flicking her tongue.
'It was as if Kelly's soul had entered Lucy's body...'
He couldn't understand why he would have such a bizarre dream.
Daniel, who had been spacing out for a moment, scratched his head.
'Never mind. Let's not think deeply about it.'
Daniel, letting out a sigh, paused in the middle of getting up to wash.
It was because he felt as if a foreign substance was lodged in his ear.
When he raised his hand and touched his ear, he felt something made of rubber.
When he pulled it out, it was a military earplug.
'Earplugs? Why would I...'
Unable to understand, Daniel looked around his surroundings.
"Adjutant?"
He called out, but no one came.
No, he couldn't sense any presence at all.
'Did she go out first?'
Thinking that could be the case, Daniel got up from his spot.
Since there was no benefit in dawdling, he intended to finish a quick shower and go outside.
'Shall I start the day with a cup of coffee at a nearby cafe today?'
Seeing how warm the sunlight was, it felt like something good would happen today.
*
Daniel, who finished his shower and neatly dressed in his military uniform, hummed a tune as he took the elevator and arrived at the hotel lobby.
Just as he stepped one foot out of the elevator, Daniel's body froze.
'...What the?'
Right after smelling a fishy scent of blood, he saw the corpses of thirty people, scattered as chunks of flesh.
As if some bloody fight had broken out, they were all collapsed on the floor with not a single body part intact.
They say that if you are too shocked, you even forget to scream, and that was exactly the state Daniel was in.
However, Daniel hurriedly came to his senses, drew his revolver, and slowly walked forward.
Daniel, who had sharpened his senses so that he could use his neural acceleration at any moment, slowly opened his mouth.
"Excuse me? Is no one here!"
Of course, no answer returned.
'Who the hell did this? Could it be...'
While he was speculating about who the culprit might be, the sound of sirens blared loudly from outside the hotel.
'Is it the police?'
Daniel, thinking he was saved, relaxed his body and moved toward the hotel entrance.
"Breach it!"
"This way!"
Before long, armed police officers rushed in through the hotel entrance in droves.
They inhaled sharply upon seeing the corpses rolling on the floor, then turned their heads and looked at Daniel, who was walking toward them.
Every single one of their expressions was filled with shock.
"Ah. You must be working hard. You must be flustered by this situation..."
The terrified police officers simultaneously raised their pistols and aimed at Daniel.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
"Halt! Stop right there!"
"Drop the revolver! Drop it right now!"
Daniel, breaking into a cold sweat, stopped in his tracks.
Thinking he was being misunderstood, Daniel placed his revolver on the ground and raised both hands.
"Wait a moment. I can explain everything. This isn't something I did..."
In the middle of Daniel's explanation, a man who appeared to be the inspector shouted.
"You sons of bitches! Lower your guns!? That man is Colonel Daniel Steiner!"
"B-But the person who committed this slaughter..."
"You stupid bastards, look at what the dead guys are holding! Does it look like Colonel Daniel attacked ordinary people!?"
Hearing the inspector's words, the police officers lowered their pistols one by one.
That was because, just as the inspector said, every one of the dead bodies was armed.
However, they still looked at Daniel Steiner with fearful eyes.
'Wait a minute...'
Daniel, thinking the situation was turning sour, spoke gravely once more.
"Everyone. You must believe me. Please understand that I have nothing to do with the corpses strewn on the floor. I beg you, please also stop looking at me like that..."
Daniel was explaining as clearly as possible, but the police didn't believe him.
It was the same for the inspector leading the police officers.
The inspector deliberately avoided Daniel's gaze, then picked up his radio and spoke.
"Headquarters. This is Inspector Derento of the Wartime Security Patrol. A mass casualty incident has occurred at the Lamprimp Hotel lobby on 8th Street. Approximately thirty deceased. The person who emerged victorious after fighting them is... "
The inspector gulped, then continued as if unable to believe it.
"One person. Colonel Daniel Steiner."