Chapter 119

An extraterrestrial energy melded with mana and a sense of impending doom. It's akin to observing a blade that has been honed and polished over an extended period - a tranquil and unwavering aura.

It evokes images of a martial artist...

'A martial artist?'

As Lennok immerses himself in contemplation, the conversation carries on.

Evelyn seemed to contemplate for a moment before reluctantly nodding.

"I've only been putting it off because I haven't had enough material to report yet. I hope the Coucilor didn't misunderstand."

"Is that so?"

"I'll organize the files through the kids soon and send them to you. You'd prefer that over giving it to the Council, wouldn't you?"

"If you dare tamper with the information-"

"-your secretary's office is going to scrutinize it anyway, do you really think I would do such a thing?"

"......"

Evelyn, who had been staring at the young man with his mouth shut, sighed.

"What does a Tech challenged who can't even use a cell phone, arguing about."

"Well... You're not wrong."

Lennok slightly opened his mouth as he watched the young man stand up from his seat, unable to refute. He never imagined that a person who can't handle the most basic mechanical equipment in this world actually exists.

Even vampires, werewolves, even crocodiles and birds utilize smartphones in this era, and yet there exist humans who do not partake in the advantages of civilization.

Perhaps such individuals are even rarer and stranger than these species.

"Okay, let's delegate that aspect to the secretarial team and be content that we received confirmation from the agent today."

The young man lightly smiled and clasped the door handle.

"Because Evelyn Marcia doesn't speak two things with one mouth."

"......"

"And to our honorable wizard, take care. I hope to encounter you under pleasant circumstances next time."

***

After the young man's lingering words and his abrupt departure, Evelyn slumps into her chair wordlessly and exhales a sigh.

"Is he a member of Reisen's secretariat?"

"Not the secretariat... the deputy head of the security team, perhaps? His rank changes so frequently that I can't recall. He's a renowned martial artist from a non-academic background."

"A martial artist..."

"He's highly proficient and absolutely inept at handling machinery, which is why the council values him. That aspect amplifies his importance."

In this city, the merit of not being concerned about data leaks due to hacking seemed unequivocally attractive.

"So, what's the course of action now?"

His statements were lofty, but in the end, Reisen dispatched a representative and relayed the information promptly.

"I assumed you would at least attempt to negotiate."

"There's no necessity to expose our secrets to Reisen."

Evelyn spoke while nibbling on the snack on the desk.

Presumably, it was prepared using vegetables she grew herself.

"All data interpretation is completed, and it's confirmed that there's no intel regarding slush funds. The information deduced from the communication records is the location of Falcon's headquarters and other bases."

"You're simply going to surrender the headquarters' location?"

"Obviously, I'll exclude that."

"......"

Lennok instantly comprehended the intent behind her words and nodded.

"You're intending to entirely delegate the responsibility of dealing with Falcon's remnants to them. Isn't that excessively audacious?"

When Lennok learned that Reisen was recruiting personal forces to intervene in this, he thought he could leverage him.

Certainly, tackling Falcon would be simpler with the currently jumbled location information, with Reisen's assistance.

"Even if we resist without divulging information, the outcome will remain the same."

Evelyn replied nonchalantly.

"The suspected slush fund unit exceeds a hundred billion cells, and the money doesn't entirely belong to Reisen, so he must be desperate to locate it. It wouldn't be surprising if he conducted a seizure search against us. It's wiser to exploit the situation while admitting it to a certain extent."

"What do you mean by exploiting the situation?"

"Why are you asking something so evident?"

Her green pupils emitted a cold gleam.

"When they're preoccupied with dismantling other temporary bases, we'll infiltrate their headquarters."

"...You believe everything will be resolved by that point."

Taking into account Reisen's previous actions and ability to gather intel, he will soon realize that she has withheld certain information.

Evelyn made a judgement that she could wrap everything up and fulfill her objectives within that period.

However, on hearing Lennok's words, she shook her head.

"I don't believe so. We have no choice but to proceed."

"......"

"Given the secrets of necromancy you heard from Raul and the records of the slush fund, we need to act as soon as we find a lead."

Lennok fell silent after noticing the resolute determination in her eyes.

Evelyn turned to Lennok and offered a faint smile.

"In a way, all of this is possible thanks to you. I set a somewhat ambitious goal, prepared for several failures, but in both operations against Falcon, we achieved more than expected in one go."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Thanks to that, we, who were always swayed by the council, now have a choice. If we miss this opportunity, it probably won't come again."

"......"

"This is just the result of that choice," Evelyn muttered as she stood up from her seat.

Lennok watched her quietly.

She must have her own reasons to confront the council, to pull Raisen from his position.

Even the monstrous archer, shooting missiles that dye the sky black, is nothing more than a pawn of petty interests in this city.

Or, is it different?

Because she's so proficient and wields such immense power, she carries a responsibility she must uphold.

Evelyn Marcia is here because she has traveled this far without neglecting such a duty.

The end is near.

The existence, which always seemed vague as if it could vanish at any moment even when they confront each other, was gleaming vividly in front of him today.

***

Just as swiftly as Evelyn makes her moves, the actions of Reisen, who obtained the information, were equally urgent.

As if it was a lie that he had been concealing so far, he deploys dozens of private forces into the city almost daily.

Freelancers, mercenaries, gangs, and martial artists.

He doesn't care about their identity, as long as they can be hired with money and assure loyalty with the sum.

There's even the pretext of locating the base of a terrorist organization, so it couldn't be better.

Lennok was receiving detailed updates on all these movements through Hina.

"Actually, observing Reisen's movements from the sidelines isn't that difficult."

"I suppose. Just recruit a few freelancers and integrate them into the ranks."

"......"

Hina, who had nothing to say because he had swiftly guessed the correct answer, quietly shut her mouth.

"Reisen and his secretary's office wouldn't be oblivious to such a fact. The crucial point is to identify the actual base of Falcon amidst the scattered location intel."

Chiik...!!

Lennok continued his monologue while lighting a cigarette.

"The issue is, after Reisen cleans up the temporary bases, they'll begin to suspect that information about Falcon's primary base was intentionally excluded."

-I trust you didn't covertly eavesdrop on our side's meeting.

She even knows how to make a joke after collaborating for some time.

At Hina's jesting words, Lennok, who emitted a soft laugh, resumed speaking.

"That's why we need to conclude before then. We must annihilate Falcon's primary base concurrent with the attack. If we can't determine Craig's location and secure the specifics of the secret funds he's holding, the one who's going to face the guillotine isn't Reisen, but the agency side."

-We know. That's why we're directly intervening this time.

Chulkuk...!

With those words, three figures in black suits materialized behind Lennok.

Hina O'Neil with a long sword at her waist, a blue-haired girl with twin tails chewing bubble gum, and a lanky middle-aged man sporting thick glasses.

Despite wearing the same color suits, they each had a unique appearance.

Do you need to possess such a distinctive personality to become an executive agent?

As Lennok was hesitating at the unexpected visuals, the twin-tailed hair girl approached Lennok, chomping on her gum.

"Hello, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"......"

"You're the wizard who's been building a reputation in the underworld lately, correct? I'm Cheisha Arwell, from the enforcement department."

"Niro Cohen."

The man tweaking his glasses introduced himself.

"I'm an expert in stealth operations. Good to meet you."

As Lennok looked at Hina, she exhaled and finally spoke.

"I'm Hina O'Neil, provisionally transferred from the strategic planning department. I'll be directly involved in this operation."

"I recall hearing something about you not being able to use your powers during our last collaboration."

"It's not a lie."

Hina said that, rolling up her sleeve to show her own arm.

Countless hieroglyphs that Lennok couldn't read were densely engraved, circling her thin arm.

"I had to make up strange excuses then, but I suppose I can tell you properly since you came in as an external advisor."

"...Wasn't it a useless title that Evelyn improvised?"

Hina, who casually dismissed Lennok's words, said,

"I have a congenital disease that prevents me from working long hours in poor conditions. So, I use the bracelets to store mana like this, and release it periodically to use it at work. This is why I change departments often."

She may think she is confessing for the first time in this place, but from Lennok's point of view, it wasn't particularly surprising as he had already heard it from Evelyn.

The only astonishment was her unforeseen participation in this operation.

"To be frank, I still don't quite get it."

Niro, who had been observing the two with a perplexed expression, spoke up.

"Going to such lengths for a single wizard... Is the title of external advisor handed out that casually?"

"......"

"Old man, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Cheisha was grumbling, but Niro didn't react.

"Anyone who has collaborated with us once needs to clarify their position. Whether they will commit to working for the city, or promise not to meddle in our affairs... this man has done neither."

"Niro, that's for team leader Marcia to determine."

Hina's sharp retort caused Niro to fall silent, but he still shook his head, apparently unhappy.

"Alright. After all, it's you folks who'll have to execute the operation with him. If you believe that's the right course of action, I won't obstruct you."

Hssss...

With that, Niro's body slowly faded into the ambient surroundings and vanished.

"I'm merely fulfilling my duty at the frontline."

"......"

At those words, Lennok starred at the spot where the now-invisible Niro had been.

A technique that not only concealed his form from Lennok's mana-detection-focused eyes but also effaced his presence.

It was far too outlandish for just basic mana manipulation for stealth.

Perhaps it was an innate ability that Niro Cohen had, or the power of some unique technique or artifact he was honing.

Cheisha, with her chubby countenance, clapped Lennok's shoulder.

"Don't overthink it. He's been on the field for quite a while, so his perspective is a bit skewed."

In this city, where you confront countless masses of human groups, it wouldn't be unusual to develop a distrust of humans if you've been an agent for an extended period.

But Lennok didn't dwell on such thoughts and silently rose from his seat, brushing off his coat.

"Understood."

Vroooooom!!

A raw exhaust sound reverberated from below.

Down the hill where Lennok had been seated, dozens of freelancers gathered on motorcycles were gazing up at them.

Each had been supplied with transportation directly from the agency for today's operation.

"Everyone! It's time to depart!"

At Chen's yell, his face swathed in a muffler, Lennok silently nodded and turned away.

The joint operation with agents against the dark wizards and a terrorist organization.

The fourth mission, which they hoped would be the final one, commenced.

(To be Continued)

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