-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Adjutant and the Superior's Hearts are One
-----------------------------------------------------------------
My intuition was telling me.
That something big was going to happen today, involving Lucy.
Not to boast, but my intuition was generally quite accurate.
So I spent the day being wary of Lucy, constantly on guard, but contrary to my expectations, Lucy simply went about her work as usual, silently.
"It's time to clock out, Captain."
In my private office, Lucy, who had finished organizing the documents, turned to me and spoke.
'…Is it already time to leave?'
I took my eyes off Lucy and looked at the wall clock; it was 6 PM.
Feeling a bit bewildered for a moment, I cleared my throat and stood up.
"Right. Let's go."
I packed a few documents into my briefcase, and as I left the office, Lucy followed close behind.
We descended the central staircase and were just exiting the General Staff Headquarters.
"Excuse me, Captain."
Wondering what it was, I turned to my side, and Lucy held out an umbrella.
"This is the umbrella you lent me a while ago. Thanks to it, I was able to stay dry. I originally intended to return it sooner, but you've been so busy with official and private matters that the opportunity never really arose."
Ah. I did lend her an umbrella.
"Glad it served you well."
As I took the umbrella, Lucy looked up at me, blinking her red eyes.
"And congratulations on receiving the National Commendation. Considering the favor you've received from the higher-ups, a promotion to Major is likely just a matter of time."
…What was that? Was it a threat?
As I stiffened, unable to discern her intentions, Lucy bowed her head politely.
"Well then, I have a prior engagement, so I'll be taking my leave."
With that, Lucy walked on ahead.
Was my intuition wrong? Nothing had really happened.
I stared blankly at Lucy's retreating back, then opened my briefcase and put the umbrella inside.
'Well, I guess it's good that nothing happened.'
I closed my bag and looked up at the sky; it was clear, not a single cloud.
'Is it summer already?'
Considering the sun hadn't set even though it was 6 PM.
The gently blowing breeze was quite mild.
I took a pleasant deep breath and lightly continued on my way.
'I heard a new dessert shop opened on the outskirts of the capital… should I go check it out?'
I'd been caught up in all sorts of incidents lately, so I wanted to relax once in a while too.
***
"Boss. It looks like we can distribute our goods on Raven Street 23 now. We gave the patrolling police officers there a bigger bribe than before, and they said they'd look the other way for a while."
Inside the room, where an old ventilator whirred, the mafia boss Nickel let out a satisfied laugh.
"See? What did I tell you? If they don't want to take a bribe, just give them more money, right? Let's keep expanding our routes like this and build up our network of cells."
As Nickel put a cigar in his mouth, a subordinate rushed over and lit it with a lighter.
Nickel puffed a few times, then exhaled a cloud of smoke, and his subordinate stepped back.
Nickel tapped the ash from his burning cigar into an ashtray and said,
"Today, we have a meeting with the customs inspector, so tell everyone to get ready in their suits. We need to grease that slick bastard's palm a bit to make opium smuggling easier than it is now."
"Yes! Understood!"
As the subordinate replied energetically, Nickel waved his hand dismissively.
The subordinate then opened the door and exited.
Watching him go, Nickel took a few more drags from his cigar before rising his bulky frame.
Pushing the creaking chair back, Nickel stood before a full-length mirror and adjusted his attire.
Adorned in all sorts of luxury brands, several gold rings gleamed on his hands.
Nickel gazed proudly at his body, draped in expensive items, and a greedy smile spread across his face.
'Easy. Who knew it would be this easy…!'
Nickel was originally a spy for the Allied Nations.
The opium trade had only begun as a means of local fundraising.
However, as the scale grew, and he now commanded around 30 syndicate members, Nickel's greed for money outgrew his loyalty to his homeland.
So he betrayed his country and his organization.
Because living a life of wealth and luxury, dealing opium in the Empire, was many times more comfortable and prosperous than risking his life doing espionage.
It had been over a year since he started ignoring contact from his homeland, but he felt no pang of conscience.
'After all, my homeland treated me as expendable in the first place…'
There was no longer any reason to obey.
Just as Nickel finished rationalizing his actions and was about to turn to meet the customs inspector.
Click—
The cold muzzle of a silenced gun pressed against the back of his head.
Just as he wondered what it was, the space behind Nickel's reflection in the mirror began to distort.
'Optical camouflage…!'
It was a high-level technique that used mana to reflect and refract light hitting the body, making it appear transparent.
Thus, only a very small number of people, both in the Empire and within the Allied Nations, knew how to use optical camouflage.
So who, then, was the person now deactivating their optical camouflage? As he waited, sweating coldly, a woman with red eyes slowly revealed herself.
"...!"
The moment he saw her, Nickel's heart pounded violently.
He had heard of it. Rumors of the 'Red-Eyed Reaper' who executed traitors to their homeland.
But wasn't that just an urban legend? As Nickel's eyes widened in panic, Lucy slowly parted her lips.
"Nickel Meyer. Your homeland gave you numerous opportunities. Yet you frequently refused them."
Her chilling voice made his body feel as though it were freezing.
Nickel's eyes darted frantically as he spoke, his voice trembling.
"W-wait! Keeping me alive benefits the Allied Nations! I'm spreading opium throughout the Empire! Even if I betrayed you, I'm not doing anything that benefits the Empire!"
"That is not an excuse."
"Please! Th-then let's do this. I'll give you all the money I've accumulated—"
Lucy pulled the trigger.
Thwip—
A small, suppressed gunshot echoed, followed by a splatter of blood.
Nickel's bulky body swayed for a moment before collapsing to the floor with a thud.
"…"
Lucy, who had been coldly looking down at the fallen Nickel, brushed her hands off and opened the window.
It was a three-story drop, but it posed no problem for Lucy.
Lucy leaped down like a cat, landing gracefully on the ground before entering a nearby alleyway.
Dodging the begging vagrants, Lucy moved this way and that, finally finding an empty alley.
Now, if she changed her clothes and left, the mission would be a success.
Thinking she could finally relax, Lucy took out sunglasses from her coat's inner pocket and put them on.
Her red eyes tended to draw attention, so it was best to conceal them as much as possible.
After readjusting her wig, Lucy took off her blood-stained coat, then casually turned her head and froze.
Because she had made eye contact with an Imperial soldier turning into the alley.
At first, she was merely annoyed at the thought of more work, but after observing the soldier's appearance, Lucy couldn't help but be uncharacteristically flustered.
'…Daniel Steiner?'
The soldier with black hair and sharp, wolf-like eyes was none other than Daniel Steiner.
This caused a crack in Lucy's otherwise impassive expression.
'Dangerous.'
Who was Daniel Steiner? A man who had not only achieved countless merits but was also exceptionally skilled at identifying and interrogating spies.
Furthermore, he was also quite adept in combat.
She had heard well-known tales of him single-handedly killing Colonel Jeremy on the Northern Front and defeating seven soldiers in a fight.
Moreover, it was Daniel Steiner who had turned eight Allied agents into a pile of corpses during the recent rescue of the Imperial Princess.
'Of course…'
If the only ability Daniel could use was Nerve Acceleration, she could certainly subdue him.
But her opponent was a thorough, calculating, cold, and shadowy individual.
There was also a chance that he possessed other abilities besides Nerve Acceleration but kept them secret from the outside world.
Furthermore, even if she succeeded in killing Daniel here, she wouldn't be able to escape the Empire's investigative net.
If he were just any soldier, it might be different, but Daniel was an elite among elites, having received the National Commendation from the Emperor, and was on the fast track for early promotion.
If such a man were found dead in an alley, a massive investigation would ensue, and Lucy would, with high probability, be arrested in the process.
'In that case…'
She had no choice but to somehow gloss over this situation.
Fortunately, Lucy was currently wearing a wig and sunglasses.
If she could pretend to be someone else and deceive Daniel, she might be able to get out of this alive.
The worst-case scenario was that Daniel had been tracking her from the start and entered the alley with intent, but until that was confirmed, she decided not to act rashly.
As Lucy's mind raced, contemplating various strategies.
Daniel, too, was having similar thoughts to Lucy.
'I just got lost trying to find a dessert shop…'
I turned into an alley and ended up face-to-face with Lucy, who had blood on her coat. This was the worst.
…There was a reason he was certain that woman was Lucy, at least.
He had entered the alley just before Lucy put on her sunglasses, so he'd seen her red eyes flash.
'It seems she ran into me while on a covert operation.'
What a headache. The moment he let on that he knew Lucy was a spy, he might end up with a bullet hole between his eyebrows.
But the chances of that were slim.
Unless she was an idiot, Lucy would try to extricate herself from this situation.
She was, after all, wearing a wig and sunglasses, wasn't she?
That led to the assumption that Lucy would pretend to be someone else.
'Then there's only one way.'
The two, having forcibly calmed their minds, stared at each other in silence.
At that moment, what both of them were thinking was this:
'I have to thoroughly deceive Daniel.'
'I'll have to grit my teeth and play along.'
Truly ironically, their minds had aligned in a strange way.