I'm Simply Carrying Out My Assigned Duties
I'm Simply Carrying Out My Assigned Duties
The situation was on a knife's edge.
As Daniel watched nervously, Lucy suppressed her anger and let out a low sigh.
It was true that she had given permission when Frien said she would order, and it was also true that Lucy hadn't mentioned there was something else she wanted to eat.
'But still....'
From Lucy's perspective, having wanted to eat the éclair Daniel had raved about, it was genuinely disappointing.
So, with her eyes half-closed, she stared down at the mint chip ice cream.
The taste of the ice cream, flaunting its bright blue-green hue, was utterly impossible to predict.
If the mint chip ice cream turned out to be bad, it would be the same as ruining a hard-earned moment of rest.
As Lucy, who hated that idea, studied the mint chip ice cream with profound consideration, Frien narrowed her eyes slyly.
'Hmm. Your expression doesn't look good....'
What could be the reason? She could tell without thinking very deeply about it.
'She must not like having her date interrupted.'
It was obvious Lucy was in a bad mood because she had wanted to spend intimate time alone with Daniel but someone else had intruded.
In reality, it was because of the 'mint chip ice cream' Frien had arbitrarily ordered, but Frien had completely failed to notice that fact.
After all, mint chip ice cream was delicious.
To Frien, mint chip ice cream was a perfect dessert with no detractors.
Of course, occasionally there were those who detested mint, but they were an extreme minority, so there was no need to worry about it.
'Anyway....'
Frien didn't like the sight of Lucy, who was like a fox, clinging to Major Daniel—who was practically a saint advancing toward the annihilation of the Allied Nations.
She personally respected Lucy's work processing skills, but this was a separate issue.
Frien knew. She knew how many great figures throughout history had suffered greatly because of woman troubles.
Love was bound to blind one and cloud one's judgment.
Thus, Frien could not stand by and watch Lucy flirt with Daniel.
'If it were a normal romance, I wouldn't necessarily stop it....'
Lucy was hiding something.
Others might not know, but Frien could tell that the darkness Lucy was concealing was profoundly deep.
She was wary because she could not know what adverse effect that darkness might have on Daniel.
If she was seducing Daniel with some ulterior motive, it could never be forgiven.
'I really wanted to try the éclair though....'
On the other hand, Lucy had simply wanted to eat the éclair.
Hesitating, Lucy considered asking Daniel to cut her just one bite-sized piece, but she shook her head.
There was no way she could make such a rude request to the superior officer she was serving.
In the end, thinking she would have to settle for the mint chip ice cream, Lucy picked up her spoon.
The moment Lucy took a spoonful of the ice cream, her eyes widened involuntarily.
The sweet yet refreshing taste spreading throughout her mouth opened up entirely new horizons of flavor.
Lucy removed the spoon from her mouth and quietly murmured.
"It's delicious...."
Hearing that, Frien looked slightly surprised for a moment, then broke into a genuine, heartfelt smile.
"Lieutenant Lucy! You like mint?"
"Yeah. I think I do like it."
"If that's the case, you should have said so earlier! I know a few shops in the capital, would you like to go together?"
Lucy blinked a few times with a troubled expression, then turned to look back at Daniel.
It looked like she was asking if that was okay, so Daniel lifted his coffee cup and spoke.
"Do as you like. Once we return to the capital, headquarters will acknowledge our achievements and give us ample rest time."
Lucy nodded her head slightly in a gesture of understanding.
Seeing that, Daniel smiled quietly after drinking his coffee.
'Looks like she's completely fallen for desserts.'
He felt a little sorry for the Allied Nations.
Because the Lucy who had disparaged desserts as junk food was now gone.
How must you feel now, having your capable spy's sense of taste completely stolen from you?
'Ideologies may be corrupt, but the tongue is always honest.'
Daniel, who had been about to eat his éclair with satisfaction, flinched as he felt Lucy's gaze.
It was because he could see Lucy stealing glances at the éclair.
Well, he had gone on at such length singing the éclair's praises in the office, it was only natural she'd be curious about the taste.
Fully understanding Lucy's feelings, Daniel picked up his knife, cut the éclair in half, placed it on a small plate, and handed it over.
At that, Lucy looked at Daniel with a slightly surprised expression.
"Major. This isn't my share."
"From now on, it is. I'm too full, you see."
"...Thank you."
After accepting the plate politely, Lucy poked the éclair with her fork and took a bite.
"...!"
Simultaneously, Lucy's pupils dilated.
She was even more surprised than when she had eaten the mint chip ice cream.
Lucy flinched and quickly recovered her original expression, but she couldn't help her face flushing.
Daniel, who had been watching this right in front of her, let out a soft snicker.
'I've felt this from the start, but she's really not honest with her emotional expressions....'
If Lucy had a tail, it would probably be furiously wagging left and right by now.
Having imagined such a thing, Daniel cut his éclair into bite-sized pieces and put one in his mouth.
'Oh.'
Indeed. The éclair was so delicious that Lucy's reaction was understandable.
*
After finishing all the desserts and coming out of the shop, Lucy sent Daniel and Frien on ahead.
The reason was that she had something else to do.
Daniel and Frien nodded, albeit puzzled, and after confirming the two of them walking off into the distance, Lucy approached a man leaning against a pillar of the shop.
The man, who was wearing a black beanie, turned to look at Lucy.
"...What is it?"
"If you make your tail that obvious, you're bound to get caught. You were circling around five days ago, and you've shown up again today."
At Lucy's words, the man furrowed his brow.
"What? What kind of nonsense are you...?"
"The eagle soaring high in the sky never knows the affairs under the ground."
The man's hand twitched.
It was because that was a kind of cipher used internally within the Allied Nations Intelligence Department.
Realizing that Lucy was a spy, the man swallowed dryly.
Lucy, who had been staring straight at the man, quietly conveyed her words.
"Follow me, naturally."
Lucy turned on her heel and walked somewhere.
Not quite understanding how things were unfolding, but feeling he had no choice but to follow, the man kept a distance and tailed Lucy.
Lucy kept walking as if she had a specific destination, and with every step she took, the surroundings grew more and more deserted.
'Where is she taking me?'
The increasingly anxious man bit his lower lip for no reason.
Continuing to survey his surroundings as he walked, the man eventually arrived at a completely empty construction site.
Not only had all the workers gone home, but no citizens lived nearby, making it a place completely devoid of people.
Wondering why he had been guided to such a place, the man spoke first to ease the atmosphere.
"Whoa! I never expected to meet a comrade in a place like this! And disguised as the bastard's adjutant, no less. Actually, this works out well. I'm trying to assassinate Daniel Steiner; can you help me out?"
Lucy let out a low sigh.
"That isn't an order issued by the Allied Nations."
The man shut his mouth. It was because that statement wasn't wrong.
"I have completed my investigation into you. There were previous cases of you acting independently."
"...So? Have my independent actions ever caused harm to the Allied Nations? Furthermore, Daniel Steiner is a figure who could cause enormous damage to the Allied Nations in the future. Eliminating him is the right course."
"I will say it again. That is not an order issued by the Allied Nations."
The man ground his teeth. He thought this was a woman who simply wouldn't listen to reason.
"Then what do you want me to do? Are you telling me to just sit on my hands and watch? Or will you at least offer some other kind of help?"
"Wrong. I came here to eliminate you."
"...Eliminate?"
Kill someone on the same team? Just as he was thinking what kind of bullshit this was, Lucy turned around.
A strange sense of pressure could be felt from Lucy's figure, backlit by the full moon.
"I cannot tell you the details, but the Allied Nations desires the kingdom's defeat. Should you assassinate Daniel Steiner, that can be seen as going against the will of the Allied Nations."
"Wait a moment...."
"Furthermore, the mission given to me is to 'eliminate agents who have defected or who disobey orders.' Your actions correspond to both of those conditions."
Judging by how she spoke, it didn't seem like she was lying.
After letting out a hollow laugh, the man suddenly pulled a pistol from his coat.
Before Lucy could even move her lips to say anything, the man pulled the trigger repeatedly.
A flash burst along with the sound of gunfire, and bullets flew.
However, the bullets did not tear through Lucy's body.
Wooong─
It was because the bullets were lodged motionless in a blue barrier Lucy had formed.
'She blocked them? In that split second?'
While the man was stunned, Lucy dismantled the barrier.
As the barrier disappeared, the bullets that had been suspended in the air fell to the ground and rolled around limply.
"I apologize. I bear no malice."
Lucy pulled a revolver from her coat.
Seeing that, the man screamed amidst rising terror.
"This crazy bitch! No matter what orders come from the top, you're going to kill a fellow agent just like that...!"
Unfortunately, the man's words did not continue.
Tang!
It was because the flying bullet had pierced through the man's skull.
The man, who had been staggering for a moment, slumped to the floor.
"...."
After confirming the man was dead, Lucy lowered her revolver.
Then, a glint reflecting the moonlight caught her eye annoyingly, making her turn her head.
There, a cracked full-length mirror had been left carelessly discarded.
Lucy looked into the mirror for a moment.
Her silver hair, glossy in the moonlight, and her red eyes.
As Lucy quietly gazed at her own reflection, she unconsciously recalled what Daniel had said today.
— No reason. I just found myself staring because your beauty seemed to stand out especially today.
...What exactly did that mean?
It was quite the abstruse compliment for Lucy, who had never once thought of herself as pretty.
In the first place, the only things Lucy ever heard from men were screams or curses.
Because the mission the Allied Nations assigned to Lucy was to execute traitors.
As Lucy mulled over Daniel's words, she suddenly looked up at the sky.
'The Milky Way....'
Seeing the abundance of stars, it seemed the night had already grown deep.
To prepare for work tomorrow, she had to start heading back now.
Clearing the distracting thoughts from her mind, Lucy slowly moved her feet.
As she did, she let out a sigh without realizing it.
Lucy had gone through countless incidents and killed all sorts of people up until now.
To the extent that she had acquired the epithet 〖Red-eyed Reaper〗, Lucy was an object of terror to traitors.
But even that Lucy had one thing she feared.
'I don't want to go to work....'
Regrettably, it was going to work.