In reality, Lucas Reeve wasn't particularly afraid of being exposed. Setting everything else aside, even if this world did have ways to deal with souls, this was just a tiny fragment of his soul. If it was gone, it was gone; it wouldn't have much of an impact. So, while Lucas Reeve hid his presence, he didn't go out of his way to conceal it. If he really wanted to lay low, he wouldn't have shown his face at all.
Although Lucas Reeve wasn't too concerned.
Jessica's soul, inside the necklace, started wailing, saying in a panic.
"What do we do! Mr. Reeve, Senior Franka seems to have found out! Don't leave me, wah~~~~"
Jessica was a little scared.
She was terrified that Lucas Reeve's identity would be exposed because of her. What if he got angry and left her to find some other pretty girl to be his host? Jessica realized that she was already becoming somewhat inseparable from Lucas Reeve.
"..."
Lucas Reeve was a bit speechless. He didn't know why Jessica was reacting so strongly and quickly comforted her.
"Don't worry, I won't leave you."
Jessica: "Really?"
"Really."
"You swear!!"
"I swear..."
"Yay~"
Because she had been so anxious just now, Jessica had blurted out things she would normally be too embarrassed to say. After Lucas Reeve swore his oath, Jessica finally came to her senses. Her soul-form's face turned as red as a ripe apple, looking utterly adorable as she shrank into a corner of the necklace, feeling incredibly ashamed.
Lucas Reeve wanted to get up, but as he did, a distinct purple-red bruise was visible on both of his calves. Was there a problem with the bones...?
"I'm sorry, Jessica. I might have broken your body."
Jessica: "No! No! Mr. Reeve, please don't blame yourself! It's because my body is too weak. If I were as strong as Senior Franka, Mr. Reeve wouldn't have to limit his own power because of me... After this mission, I'll definitely train twice as hard! Please supervise me, Mr. Reeve!!"
"Hmph~"
A slight smile appeared on the corners of Lucas Reeve's mouth.
"Jessica... your legs..."
Not knowing what Lucas Reeve was called, Franka decided to continue addressing him as Jessica.
"It's just some minor bone issues, nothing serious..."
Franka looked at 'Jessica's' bruised legs with a sense of guilt. It was obvious this injury was a result of protecting her.
Not far from them.
The smoke from the explosion gradually dissipated.
Several slightly disheveled figures emerged from the dust.
They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Franka and Jessica in the distance.
Apart from Franka and Jessica, the others had been a little farther from the center of the explosion. They were also protected by two excellent Defender Operators in front of them. So, although they looked a bit ragged, they weren't injured. Their only concern had been for Franka and Jessica. After all, the two had charged out first to stop the enemy's self-destruction and were at the epicenter of the blast. Without any protection, even if they weren't killed, they were likely to be severely injured.
Fortunately...
They were okay.
"I thought you were dead."
Liskarm was the first to walk over, hiding the worry on her face and reverting to her usual teasing, nonchalant expression.
"Get lost... If I die, I'll crawl out of my grave tonight and drag you down with me."
Liskarm: "But in an explosion like that, you probably wouldn't even leave a complete corpse."
Franka: "Then my soul will come find you and reap your life!!"
"Sob sob~ Jessica-chan, I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried."
Sora ran over, took Lucas Reeve's hand, and said worriedly.
"As long as you're okay, Sora."
Lucas Reeve's casual remark made Sora's face flush red, and she looked away shyly.
Jessica: "Ahhh!! Mr. Reeve, let go of Sora-chan's hand! I haven't even held Mr. Reeve's hand yet, and Sora-chan beat me to it..."
"..."
Suddenly.
Every combat Operator present tensed up simultaneously.
An unknown number of people had surrounded them. Although they all looked like thugs, every single one of them was armed. The worst of them carried crossbows, and in terms of numbers... it far exceeded the one hundred people mentioned in the L.G.D.'s intelligence report.
"We've fallen into a trap..."
Even now, surrounded, Franka's mood wasn't heavy. She even joked in a relaxed tone.
"Your Penguin Logistics' intel isn't very reliable, and the L.G.D.'s is even more ridiculous...."
Exusiai, beside her, was also a big-hearted person. She pinched her chin in confusion.
"That can't be right. How could my intel be wrong? It's always 99% accurate."
Texas drew two Originium Blades from her waist, preparing for battle.
She hadn't expected what should have been an incredibly easy commission to take such a turn. It looked like she might not make it back in time for dinner...
"The intel was probably fine. I suspect our movements were leaked. There might be a problem on the L.G.D.'s side... After all, Franka, your client is the L.G.D."
While they were all talking amongst themselves.
The gathered gang members grew arrogant, glaring viciously at the people from Blacksteel Worldwide and Penguin Logistics.
"Looks like we can't easily trust a client's intelligence anymore. This isn't a hundred people, it's at least two or three hundred."
Franka muttered to herself, though she was mostly complaining about the L.G.D.'s intelligence capabilities.
Not only was there a leak, but even intelligence of this level was wrong. It was truly outrageous.
The situation was now at a tipping point.
It seemed like several hundred people had surrounded seven, one of whom had little combat ability and another with injured legs. But none of them were nervous at all; they were even discussing what to have for dinner.
"Jessica-chan...."
Sora held onto Lucas Reeve's hand tightly, huddling close to him behind the others.
And the real Jessica was crying in her heart.
"Wuwuwu~~ How did it come to this, Mr. Reeve...."