chapter_0026

25 – The Hearts of the Deputy and the Superior are One and the Same

25 – The Hearts of the Deputy and the Superior are One and the Same

My intuition was telling me.

That something significant would happen regarding Lucy today.

I’m not bragging, but my intuition was generally quite accurate.

So, I spent the day on high alert, keeping an eye on Lucy, but contrary to my expectations, she worked quietly as usual.

“It’s time to clock out, Captain.”

In her personal office, Lucy turned to me after organizing some documents.

“…Is it already time to clock out?”

I tore my gaze away from Lucy and looked at the wall clock; it was 6 PM.

After a moment of daze, I cleared my throat and stood up.

“Right. Let’s go.”

I gathered a few documents into my briefcase, and Lucy followed me out of the office.

As we descended the central staircase and exited the staff headquarters, I heard her call out.

“Excuse me, Captain.”

Curious about what it was, I turned to see Lucy holding out an umbrella.

“This is the umbrella I borrowed from you before. Thanks to it, I was able to avoid the rain. I originally planned to return it a bit earlier, but since you’ve been so busy, I didn’t have the chance.”

Ah, I had lent her an umbrella.

“I’m glad to hear you used it well.”

As I took the umbrella, Lucy looked up at me and blinked her red eyes.

“And congratulations on receiving the National Virtue Medal. Considering the favor you received from the higher-ups, a promotion to Major is just a matter of time.”

…What was that? A threat?

As I stood frozen, unable to grasp her intentions, Lucy bowed her head slightly.

“Well then, I have a prior engagement, so I’ll take my leave.”

With that, Lucy walked ahead.

Was my intuition wrong? Nothing significant happened at all.

As I stared blankly at Lucy’s retreating figure, I opened my briefcase and put the umbrella inside.

‘Well, good things are good, right?’

I closed the bag and glanced up at the sky; it was clear without a cloud in sight.

‘Is it summer now?’

It was 6 PM, and the sun hadn’t set yet.

A gentle breeze blew, pleasantly warm.

Taking a deep breath, I lightened my steps.

‘I heard a new dessert shop opened on the outskirts of the Imperial City. Should I check it out?’

Having been caught up in various incidents lately, I wanted to indulge in some healing for myself.

–

“Boss. It seems we can now distribute our goods on Raven Street 23. We’ve been giving the patrolling officers more bribes than before, so they’ve agreed to turn a blind eye for the time being.”

In a room with an old fan whirring, Mafia boss Nickel chuckled with satisfaction.

“See? What did I tell you? If they refuse to take bribes, just offer them more money! Let’s keep expanding our network and build a loose organization.”

As Nickel bit into a cigar, an underling hurried over to light it for him.

After puffing a few times and exhaling the smoke, the underling stepped back.

Nickel tapped the ash from the burning cigar into an ashtray and said, “We have a meeting with the customs inspector today, so tell everyone to dress in suits. We need to grease that lazy bastard’s palms a bit to make opium smuggling easier.”

“Yes! Understood!”

As the underling responded energetically, Nickel waved his hand dismissively.

The underling opened the door and left.

Watching him go, Nickel took a few more puffs from his cigar before rising from his heavy chair.

He pushed the creaking chair back and stood in front of a full-length mirror, adjusting his attire.

His hands were adorned with several gold rings, showcasing his lavishness.

As he admired his body wrapped in expensive items, a greedy smile spread across Nickel’s face.

‘This is easy. I never expected it to be this easy…!’

Nickel was originally a spy for the Allied Nations.

The opium trade had started as a means of local funding.

However, as the scale grew and he now commanded about thirty members, his desire for money began to overshadow his loyalty to his homeland.

Thus, he betrayed both his country and his organization.

Living a life of luxury and comfort in the Empire, dealing opium was far more appealing than risking his life for espionage.

It had already been over a year since he ignored communications from his homeland, and he felt no pangs of conscience.

‘They treated me like a disposable asset from the start…’

There was no longer any reason to comply.

Just as Nickel finished rationalizing his actions and was about to turn to meet the customs inspector, a click echoed.

The chilling presence of a silencer touched the back of his neck.

In that moment of confusion, the space behind Nickel’s reflection in the mirror began to distort.

‘Optical camouflage…!’

It was a highly advanced technique that reflected and refracted light to make the body appear transparent.

Thus, very few people in both the Empire and the Allied Nations could use optical camouflage.

So, who was the one deactivating it right now? As he broke into a cold sweat and waited, a woman with red eyes slowly revealed herself.

“…!”

At that moment, Nickel’s heart raced.

He had heard of the “Reaper with Red Eyes” who executed traitors of the homeland.

But wasn’t that just an urban legend? As Nickel trembled in panic, Lucy slowly parted her lips.

“Nickel Meyer. Your homeland has given you numerous opportunities. Yet, you have frequently rejected them.”

Her cold voice seemed to freeze him in place.

Nickel, his eyes darting around, stammered, “W-wait! Keeping me alive would benefit the Allied Nations! I’m spreading opium in the Empire! Even if I betrayed you, I’m not doing anything that benefits the Empire!”

“That is not an excuse.”

“Please! Let’s do this. I’ll give you all the money I’ve collected—”

Lucy pulled the trigger.

Phew—

The suppressed gunshot echoed softly, and blood splattered.

Nickel’s heavy body swayed for a moment before collapsing to the floor with a thud.

“……”

Looking down coldly at the fallen Nickel, Lucy dusted off her hands and opened the window.

Though it was three stories high, it posed no problem for her.

Like a cat, Lucy leaped down and landed lightly on the ground before slipping into a nearby alley.

Avoiding the beggars, Lucy finally entered an empty alley.

If she could change her clothes and leave from here, it would be a successful mission.

Thinking she could finally relax, Lucy pulled out sunglasses from the inner pocket of her coat and put them on.

Her red eyes were bound to attract attention, so it was best to conceal them as much as possible.

After adjusting her wig, Lucy removed her blood-stained coat and instinctively turned her head, only to freeze.

She had locked eyes with an Imperial soldier emerging from the alley.

At first, she thought it was just a nuisance due to the increased workload, but upon examining the soldier’s appearance, she couldn’t help but feel rare embarrassment.

‘…Daniel Steiner?’

The soldier with black hair and sharp wolf-like eyes was none other than Daniel Steiner.

As a result, Lucy’s expression cracked.

‘This is dangerous.’

Who was Daniel Steiner? He was a man who had not only achieved numerous feats but was also skilled at identifying and interrogating spies.

Moreover, he was adept in combat.

She had heard of how he killed Colonel Jeremy in a single blow on the northern front and defeated seven soldiers in battle.

Additionally, it was Daniel Steiner who had turned eight Allied agents into corpses during the recent rescue of the princess.

‘Of course…’

If Daniel’s only skill was neural acceleration, she could easily overpower him.

However, he was thorough, calculative, cold, and sinister.

There was a possibility he could use techniques other than neural acceleration without revealing them to the outside.

Moreover, even if she succeeded in killing Daniel here, she wouldn’t be able to escape the Empire’s investigation.

If it were just any soldier, it might not matter, but Daniel was an elite who had received the National Virtue Medal from the Emperor and was a candidate for early promotion.

If someone like him were found dead in an alley, a massive investigation would ensue, and Lucy would likely be arrested in the process.

‘Then…’

The only option was to navigate this situation as smoothly as possible.

Fortunately, Lucy was currently wearing a wig and sunglasses.

If she could act like someone else and deceive Daniel, she might be able to return alive.

The worst-case scenario would be if Daniel had been tracking her from the start and entered the alley, but for now, she decided not to act hastily until she was certain.

As Lucy spun her brain, contemplating various methods, Daniel was having similar thoughts.

‘I just got lost on my way to the dessert shop…’

Turning into the alley, he had encountered Lucy, who had blood on her coat. It was the worst-case scenario.

…There was a reason he was certain that woman was Lucy.

He had seen her red eyes flash just before she entered the alley, just before she put on her sunglasses.

‘It seems like she ran into me while carrying out a spy operation.’

This was troublesome. The moment Lucy showed any sign of recognizing her as a spy, a bullet hole could appear in his forehead.

However, the probability of that happening was low.

Unless she was a fool, Lucy would be trying to evade the situation.

Besides, she was wearing a wig and sunglasses, wasn’t she?

That led to the assumption that Lucy would try to act like someone else.

‘Then there’s only one way.’

The two, making an effort to calm their minds, stared at each other in silence.

At that moment, both were thinking the same thing.

‘I have to thoroughly deceive Daniel.’

‘I have to grit my teeth and play along.’

Ironically, their minds were united in a strange way.