After leaving the Umbrella building, Allen noticed Svetlana following him, walking gracefully despite wearing high heels.
"Where are you going after this?" Svetlana asked.
"I'm not sure. How about we stop by a nearby café? I want to relax a little and talk with you. Oh, and while we're at it, I'd like to invite a friend," Allen replied as he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Sienna, asking her to come to the café.
Inside the café, Allen ordered some snacks and the ice cream that was said to be quite famous in this city.
"I happened to read your biography—it's pretty interesting," Allen said, looking at Svetlana with curiosity. "May I ask why you chose to work as my personal bodyguard? With your skills, it should be easy for you to get a more prestigious job. And why did you leave your hometown in Europe? Wasn't there any kind of work there that interested you?"
"There's a civil war going on there," Svetlana answered calmly. "So, whether I'm there or not, nothing will change. Besides, Alex personally contacted me, and she's a fairly close friend of mine. Well… I was also a little curious about the man who managed to win her heart. And yes, you are quite interesting," she said as she looked at Allen, as if trying to uncover the mysteries hidden behind him.
Allen gave a faint smile. "Ohhh… so there's really a civil war over there, huh. I guess with your abilities, if you decided to lead, you could easily put an end to that war."
"Yes… stopping the war itself wouldn't be too hard. But rebuilding a country devastated by war would be very costly. That's why I need a lot of connections and money. Luckily, Alex promised me something to help with that," Svetlana replied.
Allen nodded as if he understood. "By the way, why is it that a beautiful woman like you isn't married yet? Are you too focused on your career right now, or is there another reason?" Allen asked, genuinely curious. Svetlana was indeed a very attractive woman, and he was sure she had plenty of suitors.
"Married? I'm not interested in such things. I've never even dated or been in a relationship with a man," Svetlana said, almost admitting that she was an old virgin.
Hearing that, Allen froze, and the spoonful of ice cream he was eating slipped from his hand.
Chogh… chogh…
"What a shame…" Allen muttered as he picked up his spoon again.
But Svetlana only smiled, finding Allen's reaction rather amusing.
Not long after that conversation, the VIP door opened and Sienna walked in.
"Hey… Allen, I thought it was just going to be the two of us," Sienna said when she saw Allen sitting with another woman.
"Sorry about this, but I've been pretty busy lately. Oh, right—she's my bodyguard, so you don't have to worry," Allen explained, then introduced Sienna to Svetlana.
After getting acquainted with Sienna, Svetlana decided to wait outside so Allen and Sienna could talk privately.
"So, Allen, did you manage to get what I needed?" Sienna asked as she sat close to him.
"Yeah… you could say that," Allen replied, showing her a small memory card.
"Thank you, Allen. You really helped me."
"Yeah, it's no problem," Allen said. In truth, he had wanted to ask her for something, but he dropped the idea. It would look bad if he took advantage of this opportunity for something trivial.
"Allen, I feel bad about this. I'll feel like I owe you," Sienna admitted, sounding a little hesitant. She thought it would be wrong to just come and go like this, especially with Allen's attitude—he didn't seem to want anything from her, and he had never once taken the opportunity to flirt with her. It felt so different from the missions where men tried to get close to her.
But, despite everything, she was still a virgin. It wasn't that she wasn't attracted to men, but because of her work and her relatively young age—only about 22—she didn't feel the need to rush into such things.
"Hey, you don't need to say things like that. I won't ask for something petty in exchange for something this small," Allen reassured her.
Hearing those words, Sienna's heart began to race. This was the first time she had met such a handsome man who was also genuinely kind. But then she thought—'Unfortunately, he's already married. Wait… but this man has more than one wife. Well, maybe it's not such a problem if I try to get closer to him,' Sienna thought to herself.
"Hey Allen, that makes me feel a bit guilty… how about, as a thank you, we go on a date?" Sienna suddenly said, sounding rather aggressive.
"A date?"
"P-Please just forget what I said~" Sienna quickly replied, clearly flustered as if she had spoken without thinking.
"I don't mind the idea of going on a date," Allen said with a nod.
"Really?… In that case, I'll contact you another time to plan our date," Sienna said, a little excited about it.
But not long after, her phone rang. When she picked it up, the look on her face made it clear that she had something important to take care of.
"I'm sorry, Allen. It looks like I can't stay long this time."
"I understand," Allen nodded.
"Once again, I apologize. Bye-bye."
"It's fine. Please be careful on your way, then."
"Thanks."
After that, Sienna hurriedly left.
Svetlana then walked back into the room. "Is she just a friend… or something else?"
"Well… you could say, for now, we're just friends," Allen admitted, though he felt a little interested in the woman.
"Don't you realize she's a spy working for the military? I know her squad—they're quite famous for successfully completing impossible missions," Svetlana said with a curious tone.
"Yeah, I know about them. Besides, it's not hard for me to uncover the identities of certain military or government personnel."
"Then why do you seem so unconcerned about it? I'm sure she's approaching you with a specific purpose."
"Hehe… isn't that what makes it all the more interesting?" Allen replied.
Svetlana couldn't help but feel that this man was truly unique, unlike any other man she had ever met.
"By the way, Allen, are you interested in training with me? You know, plenty of people would pay a fortune to have me train their troops, but for you, I'll make an exception."
"Ohh? Are you offering to be my mentor?"
"Yup… so, what do you say? Do you accept my offer?"
"Of course. Besides, it's been a while since I last stretched my body properly—I feel a bit rusty."
"Ohhh, so you're a martial artist?"
"Hmmm, if you put it that way… not exactly. I'd say no, because there are still many people far more skilled than me," Allen replied, his thoughts briefly drifting to Athena. Yes, even though he could defeat Athena in a fight, his actual combat skills were closer to that of an average fighter. The only reason he could win was because of True Magic—after all, possessing even a single type of True Magic was already enough to be on par with an Ultimate One and fight evenly against such an entity.
After that, they went to the training area where the Tactical Rescue unit usually practiced. The room was quite large for a training space, though the squad itself was relatively small.
Allen then stood in the middle of the arena, now dressed in a military-style shirt and black pants. Svetlana couldn't help but be impressed by the muscles that were clearly visible through the tight shirt.
"Do you work out often? Your body is… very ideal," she asked, swallowing hard as she looked at Allen's physique, which resembled a statue of a Greek god.
"Nahh… I've never done that at all."
"How is that even possible? That's impossible!"
"Let's just say it's a family gene thing," Allen said with a smile—one so disarming that even Svetlana had trouble keeping her composure.
"Yeah… I guess I understand now why Alex would want to be your lover," Svetlana muttered, her face slightly flushed. His face and body are just too lethal for women, she thought.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she said, "Okay, are you ready?"
"Yep, I'm ready," Allen replied.
After that, Svetlana began instructing Allen through a series of movements, teaching him special techniques—how to walk properly in combat stance, basic footing, and how to handle weapons ranging from knives and pistols to long rifles. She also drilled him in different hand-to-hand combat maneuvers.
After two hours of training, Svetlana was genuinely impressed. Allen's body seemed to move with natural ease—his reflexes sharp, his flexibility almost inhuman. In fact, he was moving even better than she was. That realization made Svetlana feel a tinge of envy.
"Okay, I think that's enough for today… By the way, you said you were pretty skilled in combat. What kind of fighting styles do you usually use?"
"Hmmm, not too many. I'd say just a few—hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and spear techniques," Allen replied. Indeed, he was proficient in those three, especially since he still carried Excalibur and Rhongomyniad. Though he rarely trained with the divine weapons themselves, he practiced with ordinary swords and wooden spears.
"That's pretty unique. So… are you interested in sparring with me?" Svetlana asked Allen.
"Don't tell me you're that type of person," Allen said, narrowing his eyes a little, suspicious of Svetlana's eagerness to fight him.
"One of what?" Svetlana looked genuinely confused.
"You know… the kind of woman who swears she'll only marry the man who can defeat her in combat," Allen explained. Lately, he had been reading a few romance novels, and the thought reminded him of a certain woman named Scáthach—whose personality didn't seem too different from Svetlana's.
"I have no idea where you got that ridiculous idea from," Svetlana replied flatly. "But I already told you—I don't really think too much about marriage. So, what's it gonna be? Are you going to spar with me or not?"
"Nope," Allen said bluntly. "I know you're extremely skilled in combat, and I know my own limits. Besides, I'm not some kind of masochist who'd willingly turn into a punching bag for a woman."
Svetlana couldn't help but laugh at that. His words were unexpectedly funny.
"Alright then, suit yourself."
"By the way," Allen changed the subject, "the Tactical Team has a mission coming up soon. Do you want to come along?"
"Of course. I'm your bodyguard, after all. Wherever you go, I go."
"Good. In that case, let's head to Chief Brian's office first and report this to him."
So Allen and Svetlana went to Brian's office to discuss their request. Naturally, Allen slipped a check across the desk to the Chief, making sure his request would be accepted without hassle. He also mentioned that he'd be bringing along a reporter to cover the mission. Unsurprisingly, Brian was more than happy to agree to everything—especially after seeing the rather large number on that check.
After wrapping up their talk, the two of them stepped out of the office.
"You're pretty skilled at that, especially when it comes to using money," Svetlana remarked, clearly impressed by how Allen had handled everything with just a few words and a well-placed check. "Your bribe was very effective."
"Well, what can I say? Guys like him are much easier to deal with that way. Besides, I'm way too lazy to waste time making small talk with that man," Allen replied casually.
Then, with a hint of mystery, he added, "Oh, by the way, I've prepared something for you. So let's head back to the apartment first."
Svetlana raised an eyebrow. "Something? What exactly did you prepare?"
"Just follow me. You'll definitely be impressed," Allen said with a confident smile.
Without pressing further, Svetlana decided to play along, and the two of them made their way back to the apartment.
Back at the apartment, Allen showed Svetlana his nanotech bracelet and demonstrated its functions. Svetlana was stunned — the small bracelet could transform into a full-body suit of armor that protected every part of her.
"This is so light and thin… yet so flexible," she muttered in awe. She jumped a few times, surprised that her footsteps made no sound at all.
"You said this combat suit can withstand even high-caliber bullets? How is that possible?"
"Well, how about we test it so you'll believe me?" Allen replied before casually pulling out a Desert Eagle. Without hesitation, he fired several rounds straight at Svetlana's chest until the magazine was empty.
Svetlana, caught off guard, squeezed her eyes shut—yet she felt absolutely nothing. Not even the impact that should have knocked her back.
"Hey! Next time, don't do something like that without warning," she scolded, though her voice carried more amazement than anger. She couldn't hide how impressed she was by the suit.
"Ahh, sorry. Guess I got a little carried away," Allen admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Wait… why is the suit glowing?" Svetlana asked, noticing a faint purple light spreading across its surface.
"Oh, that's just the residual kinetic energy being stored in the suit. If you want, you can release it to cause a pretty massive kinetic explosion. But please… don't do it in here," Allen warned. "It would be a huge problem if the apartment ended up full of holes."
*****
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