Chapter 178

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The barracks of the 4th Division.

In the captain’s office, where unauthorized personnel were strictly forbidden, a heated voice echoed.

“Are you out of your mind?!”

A petite girl with a cute appearance swung a teddy bear at Karma’s head.

For a girl who looked like she had just graduated from elementary school, the force behind the swing was anything but ordinary. 

Whoosh! 

The splitting wind pressure caused Eugene’s hair to flutter wildly. However, Karma effortlessly dodged the sneak attack with his eyes closed. 

Wait, now that I think about it, his eyes are always closed.

“I’ve always told you to think before you act, haven’t I?”

“Of course, I remember. How could I ever forget your words?”

“And yet you’re dragging a kid into the Family Subjugation War?!”

Eugene swallowed dryly. To anyone, the girl in front of him looked younger than him, but Eugene knew better. 

Not only was she older than him, but she was also several steps ahead of him as a supernatural. He had barely managed to convince Angelica and the captain of the 3rd Division, but if this person opposed him, it could cause a major setback for his plans.

The captain of the 5th Division.

The Lazy Apex.

Azazel.

Azazel, who had suddenly barged into the 4th Division barracks, pointed at Eugene and shouted.

“Look at that! He’s just a kid who hasn’t even dried behind the ears yet! You’re going to let a kid like that fight the Family? Are you seriously out of your mind?!”

“Not at all. I’m always rational.”

“Rational, my ass. You brought a kid as your aide?”

“It’s temporary.”

“Temporary, my foot.”

Azazel clutched the back of her neck, as if her blood pressure was rising.

Dealing with this narrow-eyed bastard’s messes was a daily occurrence. Why doesn’t this airheaded fool ever think before acting?

“I’m against it. Send him back immediately.”

“I, I…!”

“Hey, shut it.”

Azazel immediately shut down Eugene’s protest.

Her purple hair swayed roughly.

Her eerie black eyes glared at Eugene.

“Are you going to rudely interrupt adults talking?”

“…!”

What kind of pressure is this…?

Eugene’s back was drenched in cold sweat.

“I can roughly guess why you followed this guy here.”

She had received information from Karma.

That’s why she had an idea of Eugene’s motives.

He wants to find his missing friend.

Yeah, she could respect that determination.

But precisely because she respected it, Azazel frowned and said,

“Is the Celestial Corps a daycare? Is this war some kind of game? Do you really want to die?”

“…”

“We’re not so free that we can indulge a kid’s tantrums.”

Her appearance was youthful. She looked about the same age as Alice, or even younger. 

Clutching a teddy bear tightly, she looked no different from an elementary school student.

But her eyes. Her black eyes were indescribably sharp. The aura of a captain-level supernatural was radiating from her. Eugene’s entire body stiffened, trembling slightly.

But he didn’t back down. Instead, he took a step forward. Eugene glared at Azazel with a hardened expression.

“Oh?”

Azazel had been trying to crush him with her overwhelming presence, but he was standing his ground.

She had even deliberately used rough language and applied pressure, but he wasn’t backing down.

A faint glint appeared in Azazel’s eyes.

She had intended to make him give up on his own, but he had quite the resolve.

Well, he must have had this much determination to follow Karma around like a lost puppy.

“Enough, Azazel.”

“What?”

“Weren’t you testing Eugene anyway? There’s no need to go that far. That kid is already deeply committed.”

What the hell is this lunatic talking about?

I was just planning to kick him out.

“Ha, you crazy…”

“Lower your voice.”

Karma raised his index finger.

He spoke like a teacher lecturing a student.

“Don’t raise your voice like that, lil Azazel~”

“What…”

“It’s not something to be so surprised about, is it?”

Karma turned his head to look at Eugene.

Even without sight, all his other senses compensated for it.

The corner of his mouth twisted.

It was a sinister smile, but Azazel knew.

Karma was feeling extremely smug right now.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed that your intentions were exposed. How long have we known each other? Do you think I wouldn’t understand what’s going on in your mind?”

“Is that… so?”

Eugene looked at Azazel with a newfound expression.

No wonder her behavior seemed too casual for a captain—there was a deeper meaning to it!

Azazel hadn’t heard it directly, but she could guess Eugene’s thoughts just from his expression. 

Thanks to her sharp eyes, trained to see through Karma’s poker face. 

‘These two idiots are driving me crazy. Should I just flip the table?’

Clutching her teddy bear tightly, Azazel furrowed her brow. All sorts of nagging thoughts and curses popped into her head, but she kept her mouth shut for now.

Karma was smiling as always. That smile that looked like he had secretly drowned someone.

But she knew from experience. When Karma made that face, it meant he thought he had made the right decision.

Azazel pondered for a moment about Karma. He was a man who acted without thinking, but he had a strong sense of responsibility. Once he did something, he would spare no effort to take responsibility for it. 

Sigh. 

Letting out a sigh, Azazel spoke in a slightly deflated voice.

“You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Five years ago.”

Karma’s expression stiffened slightly. That was a taboo subject for him. The day he lost his eyes, and the day many of his subordinates and students lost their futures. He didn’t care much about the former. But the latter was different. It was a painful memory for Karma.

“Yeah, it seems you haven’t forgotten. That’s good enough.”

If he hasn’t forgotten.

If he still remembers it clearly.

Then there’s no way he would neglect that brat’s safety.

Though unreliable, as always, Azazel decided to compromise.

If there were any shortcomings, she would make up for them. It would work out somehow.

◈

The captain of the 5th Division, Azazel, is known as the “Lazy Apex”.

Laziness. She is passive in everything she does, dislikes troublesome tasks, procrastinates, and shifts responsibilities to others or ignores them altogether.

Because of this, Azazel wasn’t viewed favorably. She became a captain solely because of her immense strength, but her basic mindset didn’t suit the role. That was the general opinion of her. She didn’t deny it either. Because it was true.

In fact, Azazel welcomed the current evaluation.

If expectations were set low, others wouldn’t expect much from her.

It was extremely rare for her to shed her laziness.

However, while rare, it wasn’t entirely nonexistent.

A prime example was Karma.

The two of them were classmates from the same southern academy.

Their relationship began when Azazel intervened on behalf of Karma, who had been misunderstood since their school days.

To this day, Azazel regrets that decision.

How many boxes of stomach medicine has she taken because of that guy?

She should’ve just let that airheaded, narrow-eyed bastard be misunderstood.

Out of misplaced sympathy, she got involved, and now this tiresome relationship continues to this day.

Another example of her shedding her laziness is when it comes to her family.

“Hey, kid.”

Azazel handed Eugene a piece of paper.

The reason she had come to the 4th Division wasn’t just to scold Karma for his hasty decision—meeting Eugene had been her goal from the start.

“This portrait, it was drawn based on your testimony and memories, right?”

The printed paper depicted the face of a woman.

The perpetrator who attacked and abducted an academy student during the 6th District incident.

A portrait of the woman with the red fox mask.

It was a sketch created to track down the criminal.

At the time, only Eugene and Alice had seen the criminal’s face.

But since Alice was in a coma, the portrait was drawn based on Eugene’s testimony.

It wasn’t just based on his words—they had even used supernatural abilities to peer into his memories.

Thanks to that, the portrait was as detailed and precise as a photograph.

“Is this really the face you saw?”

“…Yes.”

Eugene’s expression darkened.

Just looking at the portrait brought back the emotions of that day.

Seeing Eugene clench his fists, Azazel rummaged through her pocket.

“Look at this too.”

What she pulled out was a photograph.

Eugene frowned. The photo itself was an ordinary ID picture. But the person in the photo was someone he could never forget. 

The impression and aura were subtly different, so he didn’t recognize her at first glance, but upon closer inspection, she bore a striking resemblance to the person in his memory.

“Is the criminal you saw the same person in this photo?”

“…It seems so…”

“Ha…”

At Eugene’s confirmation, Azazel’s brow furrowed.

A sigh, filled with incomprehensible emotions, escaped her lips.

It sounded like a mix of anger and relief.

With an expression tangled in complex emotions, she lowered her head.

“…Damn it, see? What did I tell you?”

“Azazel.”

Even as Karma called her name, Azazel didn’t respond.

As if she had no room for it, the girl muttered to herself.

“I told you she was alive. Who the hell said she was dead?”

“…”

“Everyone treated her like she was dead… They didn’t even find a body, but they just gave up… Those idiots…”

Azazel exhaled a deep breath. Slowly, she raised her head. A faint light swirled in her pitch-black pupils.

“Hey, kid. There’s one thing I can’t wrap my head around, so I’m going to ask you.”

The teddy bear trembled violently. Unable to withstand the excessive force, it began to tear, and white stuffing spilled out. 

As Eugene shuddered at the sight, which reminded him of spilled entrails, Azazel spoke with a hint of restrained anger.

“You said the criminal was a monster, right? So why is my sister a monster?”

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Azazel doesn’t understand squinty.

That clueless idiot is the mastermind.

Or… so that’s what I think.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Poor Azazel.