Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Kaal at Evelon Elementary
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After learning that fourth graders were eleven years old.
Havel traveled using several modes of transportation.
The first was an airplane.
Boarding a plane soaring through the skies left even Havel feeling a bit amazed.
He could fly through the sky himself, but riding something that flew was a first.
"District 6 has no airport, so we'll drive from District 7."
After hearing Freddy's words and landing at the District 7 airport.
Havel rode in the car as instructed.
The vehicle gliding along the road was far more comfortable than any carriage.
But honestly, it was slower than Havel on foot, so he felt bored.
'Airplanes are more fun.'
Havel nodded, lost in childlike wonder.
"Where on earth did Master Havel come from?"
"No idea. But watching his actions, it's almost certain that this form isn't his true appearance."
Meanwhile, in the front seat separated by a partition from Havel, Freddy and Darij conversed.
"Pardon? Not his true form...?"
"He adapted quickly, but early on, I caught him a couple of times mistaking his arm and leg lengths."
Darij's face stiffened as he drove.
"Chairman, could that be...?"
"Maybe a dimensional being that altered its form with high intelligence."
Freddy said with a short laugh.
Seeing that reaction, Darij realized Freddy was absolutely certain Havel wasn't a dimensional being.
This was clearly just teasing him.
"What makes you so sure?"
"Several things. Even if I told you, you wouldn't get it. It's practically instinct."
"I have a knack for sensing things myself."
"It's a different kind of experience. After dealing with people long enough, you just know—whether they'll harm you or not."
Freddy was a hero from five years ago, when dimensional gates first appeared amid chaos.
He had single-handedly smashed dimensional beings in a city center where people were massacred.
Now, he led the organization specializing in them.
If he was convinced, there was no room for doubt.
"I'll trust you. Especially since it's your call, Chairman."
"Haha, thanks. What bothers me, though, is Havel's childlike appearance."
To Freddy, it clearly wasn't by choice.
"The timing of him showing up like that, and Abraxis being an eleven-year-old kid."
He gazed out the window, tapping the armrest with his index finger.
"Doesn't it seem connected somehow?"
"No idea with my brain."
"That's fine. I'm heading there now precisely because I don't know."
Freddy let out a hearty laugh.
A hero who survived the front lines against dimensional beings, after all.
His laughter was otherworldly.
Of course, even with the partition, Havel heard everything.
But pretending not to, he yawned widely, mouth agape.
As long as they cooperated, he didn't care.
Screech—.
Just then, the moving vehicle finally stopped.
The spot was unmistakably a slum at a glance.
Unlike District 15 earlier, many buildings were old.
The area teemed with homeless people.
Here and there, some dealt dangerous drugs, but police just watched without intervening.
District 6's prison was already overflowing with criminals.
Crimes like this weren't even stopped anymore.
"District 6's security hasn't improved."
Darij clicked his tongue, surveying the state.
He seemed displeased with it.
Freddy, however, gazed at District 6 with regret.
It was one of the areas hit hardest during the dimensional gate incident.
Gates still popped up frequently.
Security couldn't possibly be good.
For Freddy, who had fought desperately to block them, District 6 was a city of mixed feelings.
He thought he could have saved it if he'd done better.
"At least it didn't become a ghost town."
"True, compared to District 1."
Darij reacted sourly, recalling District 1.
District 1 had been completely devoured by a gate.
Only Zero-rank agents could enter.
And even they mostly just garrisoned nearby.
"Anyway, is there a guy named Abraxis here?"
Havel interrupted their talk and stood before the elementary school.
He'd heard beforehand it was an educational facility.
Kids were playing on the playground right then.
"Low graders must be dismissed; it's lunchtime."
Ignoring Freddy's words, Havel stared at the school.
During the Unification War era.
Orphans from the war wandered homeless.
Havel, too, had lost his parents young to the war.
His family background made it somewhat better for him.
Other orphans must have struggled to survive.
'Even that was a hundred years ago now.'
Recalling the bitter memory briefly, Havel walked forward.
"Ah, Master Havel, wait!"
Darij hurried to stop Havel as he entered.
But Freddy grabbed his hand firmly.
"Let him go."
"But..."
"Adults like us would just draw attention."
"Abraxis is judged to have spatial abilities."
"He might flee if he sees us."
Darij let out an "Ah."
That's why they'd flown here incognito on the organization's private jet, telling no one about Havel or Abraxis.
This was like a top-secret mission.
"Leave it to Havel. He's not unreasonable."
Darij relented at Freddy's words.
"Yes, if that's your will, Chairman."
"We'll watch for now."
As Freddy spoke, he looked ahead.
He froze the next moment.
Havel had suddenly been grabbed and dragged off by some kids.
Darij glanced at Freddy after staring briefly.
"...We have to trust him."
They'd come this far; time to believe. Believe.
Evelon Elementary School.
Having entered, Havel was somehow dragged along by an elementary student.
The reason was simple.
"Hey, you got any money?"
Evelon's students grew up in the slums.
Feral kids who learned early the importance of cash.
Seeing Havel's naive expression, they pegged him instantly.
This guy's from a cushy life.
Thus, Havel followed them to the school backyard.
Entering unsuspectingly, he scratched his head.
"You know a guy named Kaal?"
The three blinked at Havel's question.
"Kaal?"
"That Kaal, right?"
"The one who slept through class even after the teacher woke him?"
True to elementary kids, they seemed young.
Forgetting to mug him, they pondered his question first.
"Ah, uh, answer our question first!"
Then one shouted, remembering their primal goal: extortion.
"I know him. This, right?"
Havel grinned upon realizing.
The kids shivered at his smile for some reason.
By then, Havel had grabbed one kid's shoulder firmly.
They hadn't seen him move, panicking.
The school backyard.
A passing cloud's shadow draped over the building.
Temperature dropped slightly along the building's shade.
A breeze from somewhere tousled the kids' hair.
Today, it felt eerily chilling.
Then, Havel reflected in their eyes.
His long silver hair fluttered slowly in the wind.
He looked ghostly at a glance.
"Take me to Kaal."
"Hic."
One kid started hiccuping.
Another sniffled, teary-eyed.
The last turned his creaking body stiffly.
"O-okay."
Leaving the two frozen in terror, Havel followed the one.
"What's your name?"
"B-Billy."
"Got it, Billy. You'll go far."
Not many kids this age could act despite fear.
Havel praised Billy briefly as they went.
Billy led him to the third floor.
He said third and fourth graders shared it.
Lunchtime now, kids bustled about, playing or chatting.
Even in a slum school, their faces were bright.
"Here."
Billy pointed to Class 3-4.
Havel tiptoed to peer through the window.
A kid slept with his head down in the corner desk.
"That's Kaal."
Face hidden, but the black hair matched his memory perfectly.
Havel stopped tiptoeing and stepped down.
Freddy had said Kaal was a space mage.
He could flee instantly if approached, so caution was needed.
But not an issue for Havel.
Just grab him before he jumped space.
So Havel boldly opened the back door and entered.
'Hm?'
That instant.
Havel sensed the space shift upon entering the classroom.
'A trap.'
He glanced outside.
Billy stared blankly this way.
No sign he'd noticed the space change.
Havel hadn't either until entering.
Impressive space mage.
'Definitely.'
Different league.
Proof the Tower's difficulty was influenced by Havel again.
Havel eyed Kaal meaningfully.
"The ones who came with you outside—are they agents?"
Kaal's curt voice echoed suddenly.
He'd only pretended to sleep.
He'd known Havel approached from the start.
"Not running because you think you can anytime?"
Havel countered with a question.
Kaal slowly lifted his head from the desk.
Red eyes under black hair.
A perfect teen face.
But the soul within wasn't childish.
"Yeah. No one in this world can catch me."
He said confidently.
"And you're not from this world, are you?"
A meaningful smile played on his lips.
As expected, he'd known Havel's true nature from the beginning.