Fairy Heart (3)
Fairy Heart (3)
When morning came, he woke up with a start.
Although he could have slept in, there were things he needed to do.
After changing into his training clothes, he headed to the training field.
Sitting in the center of the training area, he steadied his breathing, trained his mana holes, and contemplated the depths of Sword Saint Harungel's heart.
"Huuu..."
Although he'd obtained it, he hadn't yet made it his own. His mind could process it, but his body wasn't able to.
He rose to his feet and swung his sword.
He'd been using it as if it were just a skill, but the enemies he was about to face would not be so easy to deal with.
Understanding the way of the sword.
And make it a part of himself.
Only then will he be able to overcome his opponents.
[Sword Saint's Enlightenment Acquisition Rate 23.7%]
Ssik!¹
"Good."
This was the end of his morning training.
Redin went back to his room and took a quick shower.
It was time for lunch, so he went to Heather's room to eat together, but he wasn't there.
Next, he knocked on Seria's door, but it was quiet.
"Did they go first?"
As Redin made his way down to the dining room, a delicious smell wafted through the air. Hearing small noises, it seemed they were already eating.
By the time he got to the front of the dining room.
"Yes. Got it!"
"Yes, Al... Alright!"
After hearing Seria and Heather's voices.
*Thump-Thud!* Thump-Thud!
They ran quickly and passed by him. he walked into the dining room, hoping to find something, and there was Daylon, sitting in a chair.
"Captain, you're here."
"Have you just woken up? Come and have a seat."
Redin sat down across from Daylon.
Grrrrrr!
At the sound of his stomach, Daylon pushed the food on the table toward Redin.
"Fill your stomach first."
"Thanks."
There was a plate of soup on the table. As he took the bread, dipped it in the soup, and put it in his mouth, the soft texture and light flavor spread in his mouth.
It's delicious.
"By the way, I saw the kids² running out in a hurry earlier, did something happen?"
"I told them to pack up their personal belongings in Burning Hell because they're coming to stay with us."
Seria and Heather's half-stunned expressions finally made sense.
They're probably thinking, "Why am I suddenly in a special squad?" but for him, who knows how the game works, he can see the picture.
Cerberus.
It was clear that Warden Rukel was getting the ball rolling on the project.
"Are we replenishing personnel?"
He asked Daylon, feigning ignorance.
He knew the project was moving forward, but he didn't know anything about the details.
"In the future, the 7th Division will be disbanded."
"Disband?"
"The rest of us, except for me, will become instructors in the Special Education Unit. Rebecca, Seria, and Heather will be the first trainees."
So they'll be trained there and then enter Cerberus through the Hell War. He had a vague idea in his head of how it would go.
But why wasn't his name mentioned?
"And what happens to me?"
"You move with me."
"Does moving with you mean..."
"There's going to be a new organization in Burning Hell, and I'm going to be the head of it, and I'm taking you with me."
"A new organization?"
"I can't tell you where, but one thing's for sure, you're going to have to prove yourself."
Daylon and him locked eyes.
"Performance will be important."
"Okay. So we're going to get Terry."
A direct route into Cerberus.
Normally, he would have gone to the Hell War. After all, that's where Daylon picked his Cerberus leaders and team members.
But now he didn't have to.
If he managed to catch Terry, he could enter Cerberus without much trouble.
The whole situation made him greedy.
Cerberus would be disbanded anyway, and the former guards would return to the organization inside Burning Hell.
It's only natural that the Captain would get a higher position than the Vice Captain, and the rank of a Unit Leader goes to a higher position than a team member.
If he does this well, he might even be able to aim for the position of Unit Leader, huh?
Tap!
Tap!
Daylon rapped his fingertip on the table.
"There's just one problem, though."
"What is it?"
"We've only got three months, and if we don't catch him in that time, then the 7th Division is going to dissolve."
Daylon, who had been tapping his fingers on the table, clasped his hands together and rubbed his jaw.
"That's why..."
"...."
"Now tell me about it. About the plan you have in your head."
If it was any of the other captains.
When Redin announced that he was going to catch Terry, they'd have called bullshit on him, or they'd have listened to his plan before making a move.
But Daylon was different.
He demonstrated his faith in him by taking it upon himself to convince Warden Rukel that we had a shot at capturing Terry.
Now it's his turn to repay that trust.
"I found out from the Magnes members who came into the dungeon that Terry was looking for something, so I figured I should find out what it was and draw a board."³
"How were you going to find it out?"
"The Poison Toad had taken up residence in the Old City, and after the explosion, Viscount Bothaman's knights were blocking the access."
"They're holding hands?"
"Yes, that's why I would provoke Viscount Bothaman into making a move so that Terry would react accordingly, and I'd get some information in the process.
The corner of Daylon's mouth lifted upward.
"There's no way Terry is going to make the move himself."
"That's right."
"But I'll send someone I trust to take care of it. We can then take him back to the base and interrogate him, right?"
He nodded.
"That is correct."
"And how do you propose to goad Viscount Bothaman? He's being talked about as the next Count, and it won't be easy to stir him up."
Redin knows.
So, here's what he prepared.
What he found out about Marek Casino.
Redin explained more about it to Daylon. What happened between them and their current relationship. Even the information he gained from their meeting.
"I think if we use those things to provoke him, he'll make a move."
"Using prisoners to catch criminals... What a brilliant idea, huh?"
Daylon laughed at the idea, but it was one of those natural things that made sense to Redin. It was all so common in movies and TV shows.
"I think it's a good idea to move alone to make sure he's stimulated. He'll be easier to target."
"I agree with you on that."
After a moment's consideration, Daylon spoke up.
"Then let's make a deal. You'll report back to me every day on your progress, and you'll only catch Terry when I'm there."
"But what if I miss it?"
"Still, wait until I get to you."
Knowing that Daylon was probably convinced that he couldn't take on Terry on his own, Redin simply nodded and let it go for now.
"Understood."
"If you need any help, feel free to contact Riena for support."
"Okay."
"Then go ahead and run wild."
With Daylon's authorization.
"I'll make a real racket."
* * *
After leaving his quarters in uniform, he came to a hair salon in the harbor.
"What can I do for you?"
"Give me a good trim."
Redin is going to put on a face that makes him look authoritative, confident, and in command of himself. To make sure every word he says has weight.
Snip!
Snip!
The scissors stop moving, and he hears the hairdresser's satisfied voice.
"It's perfect."
He opens his closed eyes. Redin stared at his reflection in the mirror in front of him. He saw his hair neatly coiffed⁴ and wearing a crisp uniform.
Not bad.
He pushed up his chair and stood up.
He fished the money out of a pocket inside his uniform and handed it to the hairdresser.
"Keep the change."
He grabbed his sword and left the salon.
A cool breeze blew in from the open sea beyond the harbor. The sky was clear and the weather was favorable.
"I'm completely innocent!"
"Shut up."
A prison guard and a prisoner walked down the street.
As he was passing by with a light smile, two prison guards looked at him and saluted.
"Salute!"
The first thought was.
'What?'
As people who seemed to have entered before him were saluting, He wondered what this was. Then the epaulette⁵ caught his eye.
He secretly glanced at his shoulder.
He was one rank higher.
Suddenly, Redin remembered that he had gotten a special promotion during the Burning Hell jailbreak. And now that he's wearing a Special Task Force uniform, not a regular prison guard's.
He couldn't help but salute.
"Salute."
Only after he returned the salute did the guards move with the prisoner. It wasn't a bad feeling to be saluted by someone.
'Heh'
He took a step and moved to where the teleporter was. With a small commotion, a group of people emerged from the crowd.
Those who wear the same uniform as him.
Then he was slightly surprised to see a man walking behind them, a familiar face with cold features and blue hair.
The only male character among the main NPCs.
Khan
In the original story, Khan's entry into the first division was after the dismantling of Cerberus.
But Khan is there.
It must be the effect of the changes he made.
Of course, he was expecting things to change.
Rebecca, Seria, Heather. There was already a lot of change going on around him.
But with Khan, it's a different story.
Unlike Seria and Rebecca, he's more of a finished product who, if given the chance, will seize it.
If given the chance already.
Though he could be the biggest obstacle in his path, his heart was pounding in a good way, rather than anxiously.
The arrival of a competitor.
Redin felt a little more motivated.
"I'll have to be more diligent."
* * *
Whizzz!
As the bright light faded, the sight of the Viscountcy of Bothaman came into full view. Wide streets and carriages weaving in and out of them.
The streets were crowded with people.
"What brings you here?"
A knight with a sword at his hip approached, his armor emblazoned with the symbols of the Bothaman Estate.
Redin pulled an identification card from his pocket.
"I'm from Burning Hell."
"Burning Hell?"
The knight frowned slightly.
His eyes ran up and down Redin's body, and then he asked again.
"What brings you here?"
"Are you the captain of the guard here?"
"Temporarily, yes, but why?"
"Do you know anything about the explosions in the old city that happened recently?"
"And?"
"The prison guards who were caught in that explosion have survived, and they reported that it was caused by Magnes, so I've come out to investigate."
The expression on the knight's face was pretty ugly.
He was either upset, embarrassed, or surprised. It was a complicated look.
It seems to sense what he was about to say.
So Redin blurted it out.
"I need to investigate whether Viscount Bothaman is connected to Magnes, so I need you to put me in touch with him right now."
"Hehehe! How dare you say that! You can't tell me that Viscount Bothaman.."
The Knight shouted at Redin
"I think you'd better watch your mouth.", Redin coldly replied back.
The knight hastily clamped his mouth shut.
Tsk!
He tapped the knight on the shoulder and whispered quietly in his ear.
"Quietly go and report that a task force member from Burning Hell has come to request a meeting with Viscount Bothaman to investigate the matter."
"My lord is busy...."
"Article 2, paragraph 3 of the Magnus Special Law. No noble, except royalty, may refuse a request for an investigation by a Special Forces officer."
Huuuu!
"Oh, and that they can be arrested on the spot if they refuse. You can pass that along."
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Onomatopoeic expression used to depict a subtle laughter.
2. Redin has seniority over Heather and Seria because he is a member of the Special Task Force 7th Division
3. Draw a Board means Redin is setting up a game plan to capture/trap Terry
4. Redin's current appearance now matched the Novel Cover Photo.
5. An ornamental shoulder piece on an item of clothing, especially on the coat or jacket of a military uniform.