Chapter 402 |
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"…So I had no choice but to come here."
After Ashmir's story ended.
Kirwan, with his hardened expression, let out a deep sigh once more.
"… I apologize for getting you involved in this mess, Officer Kirwan."
"That's not what's important right now, Officer Ashmir!"
"……"
"Why didn't you oppose such a reckless act? Attacking the guards on the day of the urgent summoning of the council is bad enough, not to mention the unauthorized intrusion into the Council building…"
He scolded Ashmir with a face full of regret.
Then he glanced at me and continued.
"It might end with him being banished from the Angel Realm, but the situation for you and the Apprentice is different. Not only will you be removed from your Surveillance Officer duties, but all your accomplishments as a Officer up to now will be completely nullified. If you're unlucky, the punishment might not stop at just disciplinary action."
Grim details flowed from Kirwan's mouth.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation belatedly, I turned pale. I had no idea that Ashmir and Urki were risking such a great danger.
Ashmir quietly bit her lower lip. I could feel the mix of complicated emotions on her face.
Watching her, Kirwan began to speak with a softer voice.
"You could still give up on this reckless plan…"
"No, I can't."
"Officer Ashmir…"
Hesitation disappeared from Ashmir's face.
"I can't stop here. I will do whatever it takes to get Sihyeon to the meeting."
"You won't give up… You don't think Judge Arc will solve everything, do you?"
"That's not it. I'm not afraid of the punishment and penalties that I'll receive. I've already accepted it."
"Why go to such lengths…?"
Instead of answering, she turned her head and looked at me.
And she gave me a bright smile that I had never seen before. It was so clear, beautiful, and momentarily stunning.
"I realized while watching Sihyeon. He is the one who can solve the longstanding problems of the Angel Race."
Ashmir showed a look full of faith. Kirwan also looked at me with a complex expression.
I felt like the intense gazes of the two Angels were piercing me.
"I learnt from Sir. Kirwan…"
"…?"
"A Surveillance Officer should not simply observe. After encountering numerous worlds and people, we need to build unwavering conviction and become a being who acts on our own."
"……"
"I do not regret my actions."
With her words, silence hovered in the room.
Kirwan frowned deeply in thought, while Ashmir, with a relieved face, waited for a response. I also anxiously watched Kirwan's reaction.
Suddenly, then.
-Knock. Knock. Knock.
There was a sound of knocking on the door.
The silence that filled the room quickly turned into tension.
Everyone held their breath in concentration when a cheerful female voice eased the tense atmosphere.
-Sir Kirwan! It's almost time for the meeting.
"Umm. Ah! Has it already been that long?"
-Yes. You should leave soon if you don't want to be late. Is there anything you need my help with?
"No, I'm good. I'll leave soon. Thank you for reminding me."
-Okay~!
As soon as the footsteps and the presence beyond the door disappeared into the distance, the three people in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for your help, Sir Kirwan. We can't impose on you anymore. Sihyeon and I will leave now."
"Thank you."
Ashmir and I got up from our seats, greeting Kirwan.
"Hold on."
"The guards will be surrounding this area by now. If you leave as you are, you will undoubtedly be caught."
"We have no choice now. If necessary, I will serve as a decoy and bring Sihyeon to the conference…"
"Listen to me!"
Kirwan interrupted Ashmir in a stern voice.
"Ashmir, you stay here. I will take him to the conference."
"What?"
"Oh, no, Sir Kirwan!"
"As a high-ranking Officer, not many will doubt me. It would be much easier for me to take him to the conference than for you, Ashmir, wouldn't it?"
"But…."
Ashmir hesitated for a moment at the persuasive argument, but soon shook her head, signaling refusal.
"I can't bother you any more, Sir Kirwan. We'll go on our own."
"The conference time is almost up. Unfortunately, this is where my persuasion ends. If you two don't follow my instructions, I'll call the guards right now."
"…?!"
"·?!"
"Watching you two get caught for nothing would be better than turning you in myself. Choose. What will you do?"
Kirwan urged our decision with a serious face. Surprised by his unexpected action, Ashmir and I looked at each other blankly.
We had no choice.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Two sets of footsteps echoed side by side in the hallway.
Kirwan led the way ahead and I followed behind, wearing a Surveillance Officer uniform with a mask and hood deep over my head.
Apart from the borrowed uniform being a bit loose on my body, it was a pretty decent disguise.
Some guards patrolling nearby passed by us several times, but no one looked at me suspiciously. They recognized Kirwan first and didn't suspect anything at all.
As we got further from the room where we were hiding, the number of patrolling guards decreased.
Once outside the room, Kirwan spoke to me for the first time.
"There won't be many guards now. Just act naturally."
"Yes, I understand."
Even though there were no guards around, it was not easy to relax. The thought of getting Kirwan involved if I made a mistake was burdensome.
Kirwan, who had been watching me quietly, spoke up again.
"Nurture your beliefs and become a being that acts on you own."
"Huh?"
"A piece of advice I gave Ashmir. It was actually something I once heard from someone else."
"……"
"Back when I was an Apprentice. It was something I heard directly from a high-ranking Officer who received the respect of many. Now he has become a Judge respected by all."
"Oh…… really?"
"There was a time when he spoke about you. I thought it was preposterous at the time. But here I am hearing the same story from Officer Ashmir."
Kirwan looked at me and smiled gently.
"You are someone recognized by both the person I respect the most and the junior I trust the most. I'll make sure to get you safely to the conference hall, whatever happens. So please, feel at ease."
Thanks to his warm encouragement, the tension that had built up somewhat melted away.
"Thank you, Mr. Kirwan."
"Good. Even if it's a disguise to trick the eye, as long as you wear the uniform of an Officer, please act cool and confident."
"Yes!"
I followed him with movements that had become much more natural than before. At my confident demeanor, Kirwan nodded with satisfaction.
As we got closer to the conference hall, the surroundings were bustling with many Angels.
Quite a few security guards were stationed around, but with such a large crowd, most were scrambling around.
"Over here."
Kirwan led me to the second floor entrance of the Assembly hall.
The second floor was less crowded than the lower floor. Still, there were people waiting in line to enter.
We also stood behind the line, waiting to enter. As the line slowly diminished, the entrance of the conference hall came into view.
Once the entrance of the people who had been waiting in front ended,
It was our turn, and we naturally moved towards the entrance.
Then.
"Could you please wait a moment?"
Two security guards blocked our way. Kirwan responded calmly.
"What's the matter?"
"Sorry, Sir. Kirwan. Currently, there's a situation of a suspicious person intruding in the building. Could you verify the identity of the person behind you?"
"He is an Aprrentice Officer who will assist me today. Any problem?"
When Kirwan openly expressed discomfort, the security guard flinched a bit.
"No problem………… His outfit just seems a bit unique…………. May we know why his face is covered?"
"Many Officers have been injured recently during the process of sealing a rift. This Apprentice here also got a big scar on his face. He had no choice but to cover it."
"Oh…… Is that so? Then if you could just lower the mask……………."
As soon as the security guard mentioned the mask, Kirwan fired back in a sharp voice.
"Are you now disrespecting the honor of the Surveillance Officer? Even if he is an Apprentice, he is still a member of the Feista Surveillance team!"
"No, that's not it!"
"An Apprentice Officer who has directly experienced the recent difficulties in sealing a rift has come to help with the conference despite his injuries!"
-Murmur.
-Murmur.
People who were waiting behind also looked our way in surprise. The security guards who had blocked us quickly backed away with a serious look on their faces.
"We, we apologize. Please enter immediately."
"Hmm. The meeting time is running short, so I'll overlook this time.”
"Thank you."
The security guards stepped back, and we were able to enter the conference hall.
Kirwan, who had demonstrated some impressive acting, looked at me and winked teasingly when we reached a place where the security guards couldn't see us.
CH 398-407 (Subduing the Angels) $2CH 408-417 (Farm family, Assemble) $2CH 418-424 (The END) $2Prev I TOC I Next