Hidden Secret
Hidden Secret
Five days later.
A famous dessert shop in Penbark.
"So, did the lemon drizzle cake suit your taste?"
At the outdoor table on the second floor, Lucy, who had cleanly emptied her plate, nodded as she wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
"It was delicious. And besides...."
Lucy turned her head to follow the direction of the wind.
The cobblestone path, faintly permeated by the evening air, glowed softly in the moonlight.
Due to wartime administrative measures, most streetlights were off, but the countless stars adorning the sky lent their brightness to the ground.
The sound of street musicians playing gentle music drifted from the old fountain in the square visible in the distance.
Although it was clearly wartime and the war showed no signs of ending, this place felt inexplicably peaceful.
Lucy, who had withdrawn her gaze from the square, looked at Daniel.
"Thank you for allowing me to spend time in such a wonderful place."
"Hearing you say that makes it feel like it was worth reserving a table for my adjutant."
Daniel, who had been chatting amiably, raised his cup of black tea.
It was the moment he was about to take a sip.
"...Brigadier General, what kind of life would you like to live after the war ends?"
The hand tilting the cup stopped.
Daniel, though a bit taken aback, soon regained his composure and savored a sip of black tea.
After enjoying the refreshing sensation lingering in his mouth, he set the cup down with a casual gesture.
"Life after the war, huh. I didn't expect to be asked such a question by my adjutant."
"I apologize. If I've been impolite...."
"No, that's not it. It's not something I can't talk about."
Daniel wiped his mouth with the napkin on the table.
"If His Majesty allows it, I'd like to retire first."
"...Retire, you say?"
When Lucy asked as if it were unexpected, Daniel nodded.
"Yeah. I know there are quite a few people who call me a warmonger, but that's all a misunderstanding. I've always considered living a relaxed, carefree life as my lifelong goal."
Thinking that was enough of an answer, Daniel folded the napkin and set it down.
"Then what do you want to do after the war? It feels unfair if I'm the only one talking."
"Ah. I...."
Something I want to do? I hadn't really thought about it.
Moreover, Lucy had lived a life faithful to the commands of the Allied Nations.
For Lucy, who had long been bound to a life that was never meant to possess free will, imagining the future did not come easily.
However, after spending time with Daniel Steiner, she had been able to harbor a small wish in her heart.
"...If possible, I would like to learn baking in depth."
"You want to learn baking?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. Is there a particular reason you've decided you want to learn baking?"
"A reason...."
Lucy, following Daniel around various dessert shops, had been able to meet many people.
For Lucy, who had always heard the screams and resentment of others, the sight of people in dessert shops smiling and chatting with each other was like a world she had never experienced.
Could desserts make people happy?
If so, Lucy wanted to properly learn how to make desserts.
Because she wanted to see people happy after eating desserts she made.
'And....'
Among those happy people, she wished Daniel Steiner would be there.
Thinking such thoughts, Lucy's face subtly reddened.
"It seems to suit my aptitude, so that's why."
As Lucy fudged it, unable to tell the truth, Daniel nodded in understanding.
"Certainly. You have an innate talent for cooking, so you would also be good at baking. Actually, the dishes you made for me were exceptional."
Daniel, who had been acting as if he was recalling the taste of Lucy's cooking with his eyes closed, suddenly smiled.
"Alright. Then, shall we return the favor from that time?"
Daniel, opening his eyes slowly, playfully pulled something out from under the table.
It was a black box beautifully wrapped with a ribbon.
Lucy, not knowing the contents, blinked blankly.
"Brigadier General. This is...."
"I checked your records and today is your birthday. As your direct superior, how could I not take care of my adjutant's birthday? Go on, open it."
It wasn't her real birthday.
It was just the birthday on her documents, but Lucy didn't bother to mention that fact.
Daniel probably wouldn't be unaware of that either.
Faced with her first birthday present, Lucy, filled with tension, accepted the box.
Opening the box, a somewhat roughly shaped necklace revealed itself.
A crafted amber stone occupied the main gem position.
As Lucy stared blankly at the necklace, Daniel added.
"I bought it thinking it would match your red eyes. You never seemed interested in adornment, but I thought dressing up occasionally isn't bad."
Lucy still didn't speak.
Daniel, who felt inexplicably uncomfortable, cleared his throat.
"If it's not to your liking, I apologize. It seems it would have been better to prepare a different gift than a necklace."
As Daniel, gauging the mood, tried to take the box back, Lucy hastily clutched it to herself.
'...She didn't dislike it?'
While Daniel was quietly blinking, Lucy tightened her grip on the box slightly.
"I don't dislike it. Quite the opposite."
She had simply not known what expression to make because the situation was so flustering.
Lucy, whose face had become even redder than before, averted her gaze and muttered.
"I will treasure it."
Not exactly sure, but since Lucy seemed satisfied, Daniel nodded dazedly.
"I'm glad you like it. More importantly, it's getting late; shall we get up and leave?"
Lucy wanted to stay like this a little longer if possible, but she couldn't find a justifiable reason to refuse.
When Lucy gave a small nod, Daniel raised his hand.
Then a server approached and settled the bill.
Daniel smiled at the server, opened his wallet, and took out money.
The server, having received the money, bowed his head to Daniel and stepped back.
Lucy, who had been watching, quietly opened her mouth.
"...Brigadier General. I will definitely repay the kindness of remembering my birthday."
That flustered Daniel.
'Isn't it obvious to remember a birthday? We're not strangers, and we've known each other for over a year.'
But expecting common sense from Lucy, who came from an experiment subject background, was not the thing to do.
Not wanting to stir up unnecessary trouble, Daniel smiled and rose from his seat.
"Then I shall look forward to the day you repay the favor. For now...."
Checking the wall clock inside the shop, Daniel continued.
"I have a separate appointment, so I think I need to go first. I've ordered one more dessert for you, so eat that before you come out."
"An appointment, you say?"
"Yeah. It's an urgent appointment. Sorry about that."
Lucy, who had been staring up at Daniel, shook her head.
"No. I'm already grateful that you made time for me now."
"Thanks for understanding. Then, I'll be off."
Saying that, Daniel moved to leave.
Lucy, who had been watching Daniel's retreating figure, was seized by a strange feeling.
'What Daniel just said....'
Because it was clearly a lie, no matter how you looked at it.
*
Daniel, having left the shop, arrived at a forest on the outskirts of the city.
Because it was a neglected place without even a forest trail, it was not easy to pinpoint the location, but after exercising caution, Daniel was able to discover a shabby cabin tucked away in the forest.
'According to the documents handed over by a businessman named Hamtal....'
It said there was a passage inside the cabin leading to the research facility where the Lucy Project had been conducted.
Thinking there might be enemies inside, Daniel drew his revolver and slowly approached the cabin.
Fortunately, no presence could be felt from inside.
Still, it was no reason to let his guard down.
Daniel, having looked inside through the gap of the open door, flung the door open and raised his revolver.
He had kept all his senses keenly alert in order to use Neural Acceleration immediately, but it was pointless.
'No one's here.'
Because the cabin was completely empty.
Only items like a shovel and a crowbar were hanging on the wall.
'It looks like an ordinary cabin from the outside....'
It didn't make sense where exactly in this cabin a passage to the laboratory could be.
Having decided to search for it first, Daniel, while wandering the cabin, felt something odd in a certain section.
Because when he stepped on the floor, he felt a slight resonance.
Thinking it might be something, Daniel removed the rug that had been laid down, then fetched the crowbar that was hanging on the cabin wall.
Prying off the wooden plank as is, a floor covered with iron plates revealed itself.
'Here it is.'
A rusty padlock was blocking the entrance, but it wasn't a big problem.
Because when Daniel lifted the crowbar and struck the padlock several times, it promptly broke.
Daniel, having pushed the padlock aside, bent his knees and grabbed the iron plate entrance to lift it open.
Then, together with a staircase leading down, telephone lines and radio cables hastily attached to the walls were visible.
Thinking he had found the way to the laboratory, Daniel quietly steadied his breathing.
'Now....'
It was time to ascertain the full truth of the Lucy Project.