episode_0060

“Then, have a good time!”

Belzero left Kang Jin-woo, who was sitting on the bench, behind.

‘Why was he staring so intently?’

She licked her ice cream, lost in thought.

Spending a long time as a commander broadens one’s insight into people.

Observing a person’s facial expressions or even a small habit can give you an advantage in conversation.

That was one of the important things in managing subordinates.

Kang Jin-woo’s expression had caught Belzero’s radar.

A gaze filled with doubt rather than curiosity.

‘As if… he knew me.’

With sharp eyes, she bit into the ice cream cone.

The crispness was exquisite.

‘Let’s not overthink it.’

In the first place, she had left the jet-black battleship and come here for a change of scenery.

*Crunch!*

Belzero, who had finished all the ice cream, dusted her hands.

“Should I have another one?”

Finding the owner of the mech that took the graviton damper would be an unparalleled achievement.

But how easy would that be?

According to intelligence from the Warphound squad, this was said to be the last known location of the mech called Asura.

There was no telling when it might have left.

Anyway, work was work, and vacation was vacation.

Her goal was to fully enjoy the freedom that had come after several years.

There was no adjutant nagging her, and no subordinate pirate commanders submitting reports.

True freedom!

“One more ice cream, please.”

“Oh my, you’re back again.”

She visited the ice cream vendor where she had just bought some.

“Strawberry, like before?”

“Hmm, please recommend another flavor.”

“Mint chocolate?”

At the vendor’s words, Belzero’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Just chocolate, please.”

“Alright.”

The vendor immediately brought out a chocolate ice cream.

“Are you here to meet someone? A lover?”

The vendor asked because Belzero was a new face in Terminus, and her attire was unusual for the area.

‘Now that I think about it, I didn’t ask at our first encounter.’

Blind to everything but ice cream, she had forgotten to ask the vendor for Scarlet’s workshop location.

“Scarlet, do you know where her workshop is?”

“Scarlet?”

The vendor chuckled and said,

“I know her well! Are you Scarlet’s friend?”

“Not exactly.”

The vendor, as if pleased, continued speaking fluidly.

“There’s Judy’s Restaurant one block ahead; she’s a regular there. By the way, Judy is my wife!”

He chuckled and looked at Belzero, who nodded silently.

Only then did her eyes turn to the sign.

‘Judy’s Ice Cream.’

“Then you must know the workshop’s location well.”

“Of course.”

The vendor kindly even provided the coordinates.

“Are you planning to commission a mech? You don’t look like it at all.”

He scanned Belzero from head to toe, asking with curious eyes.

“Well, maybe so. Or maybe I’m just… curious. I heard she’s quite famous.”

She skillfully changed the subject, her eyes sparkling as if she wanted to hear more about Scarlet.

“Scarlet? Haha, she is famous. Especially in Terminus, probably no one doesn’t know her, right? Her personality might be a bit fiery, but her skill is the real deal.”

The vendor chattered excitedly as if boasting about his own daughter.

“But you know, lately there’s been some guy hanging around Scarlet.”

The vendor lowered his voice slightly, whispering as if sharing a secret.

Belzero’s eyes narrowed with interest.

“A man?”

“Yes. His name was… Kang Jin-woo, I think? Anyway, rumors are rife that he’s quite a skilled pilot. Recently, there’s even been a grim story circulating that he single-handedly crushed some Chronos Mercenary Group or something. Of course, those are just rumors.”

The vendor shrugged and continued.

“That Scarlet, she usually walls off men, but it seems she’s quite close with this Kang Jin-woo fellow.”

‘Kang Jin-woo….’

Belzero recalled the man she had just encountered in the open lot,

the face of the man who had stared intently at her.

She couldn’t explain it, but her senses immediately sharpened, and her lips curled up confidently.

“Thank you, I’ll come again.”

“You’re always welcome.”

Belzero finished the sweet chocolate ice cream, gave a slight bow to the vendor, and turned away.

Her footsteps headed toward Scarlet’s workshop, as told by the vendor.

Arriving in front of the workshop, Belzero paused for a moment to adjust her attire.

Then, as if it were her own home, she calmly opened the workshop door and stepped inside.

“Who is it?”

Scarlet, who had been resting on the sofa, spun around.

“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Scarlet.”

Belzero smiled softly as she greeted her.

Scarlet meticulously scanned Belzero from top to bottom.

Her expression showed that she had no idea why a woman dressed like this would visit her workshop.

“Who are you, just walking into someone else’s workshop? If you don’t have business, leave right now.”

Scarlet retorted curtly, but Belzero continued speaking without a hint of surprise.

“I just… came to look around. I heard your skills are exceptional. Would it be alright if I looked around the workshop?”

Scarlet stared intently at Belzero’s face for a moment, then shrugged and said,

“Hmm… well, there’s nothing but scrap metal lying around anyway. Look around as you please.”

Belzero slowly began to look around the workshop.

All sorts of tools and mechanical parts were scattered messily, but within it, a strange order and a craftsman’s passion could be felt.

Deeper inside the workshop, Belzero’s eyes sparkled as she stopped in front of the heavy iron hangar door.

She turned and gestured towards Scarlet, asking,

“Would it be alright to look in here too?”

Scarlet turned her head. Her expression showed annoyance, but

she soon gave a slight nod.

“Suit yourself.”

As Belzero approached the hangar door, Scarlet remotely disengaged the lock.

The heavy iron door slowly slid open with a *creak*.

And inside, the very same dark red mech, Asura, which she had seen in the Warphound report video, stood majestically.

Its right arm bore a massive pile bunker, and its left hand held a beam magnum instead of a sharp particle accelerator rifle.

Other parts were also different from what was shown in the video.

It had been modified to be even more powerful.

The technology to so stably integrate a pile bunker, an extreme close-combat weapon, into the mech was far from ordinary.

‘To control the recoil of that enormous pile bunker… that part must have been essential. In that case… was the graviton damper implanted directly into *this* mech, Asura?’

Belzero made a near-certain deduction internally, examining the area around Asura’s power unit even more closely.

“Found it.”

Belzero unconsciously muttered softly and smiled.

It was the moment her premonition proved exactly right.

“This is truly… a great mech. The person who built such a magnificent mech must be an excellent engineer. Is this your work, Ms. Scarlet?”

Belzero asked Scarlet with pure admiration, as if she knew nothing.

At her compliment, Scarlet shrugged and replied curtly, but she couldn’t hide the smile playing on her lips.

“Hmph, well… this much is basic for me.”

She seemed inwardly proud that her work was recognized.

Just then, a voice came from the workshop entrance.

“Oh…?”

It was Kang Jin-woo.

It seemed he had come here not long after parting ways in the open lot.

The moment he spotted Belzero, his face visibly stiffened.

As if he had encountered an unexpected ghost, his footsteps froze in place, and his eyes wavered with bewilderment.

Belzero, who wouldn’t miss such a subtle atmosphere, chuckled and spoke calmly.

“We meet again? Earlier, it seemed you didn’t know Ms. Scarlet’s workshop location?”

Her voice was still kind, but it contained a subtle probing.

Based on the information she heard from the ice cream vendor, she was certain that the man in front of her was Asura’s pilot.

It was the moment everything became clear.

“Do you know each other?”

Scarlet had approached them and tilted her head, asking.

She seemed completely oblivious to the subtle tension between Belzero and Kang Jin-woo, her expression one of pure curiosity.

Kang Jin-woo tried hard to maintain his composure, but his voice trembled slightly.

“Ah, no. Earlier, in the open lot… she asked me for the workshop’s location. So I gave her directions.”

He answered awkwardly, avoiding Belzero’s gaze.

Belzero quietly observed his actions and expression.

Faint beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and his gaze shifted uneasily.

‘No doubt. He’s flustered. And… it seems he has something to hide.’

A deeper smile appeared on Belzero’s lips.

****

To meet again so soon.

“Oh…?”

A foolish sound escaped me without realizing it.

All the muscles in my body stiffened like stone, and my mind went blank.

It hadn’t been long since we parted in the open lot, yet she reappeared so naturally, as if she had known this place all along.

A kind smile played on her lips, but the intention hidden behind it was utterly unreadable.

My fingers twitched involuntarily.

Should I subdue this woman right here, right now? No, that’s too dangerous a gamble.

When I came here, I didn’t sense any ambushes or other threatening individuals nearby.

But I couldn’t forget that she was the Admiral of the Red Veil Pirates.

There was no telling what trump card she might be hiding.

Just as my mind was a jumbled mess of complex thoughts, Belzero took a step towards me.

Her dark, deep eyes pierced through me.

And then, she whispered in a low voice.

“Mr. Kang Jin-woo. Shall we have a quick chat?”

The moment my name flowed from her lips, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

She knew my name.

How? Since when?

I could only stare at her, frozen.