Chapter 277: Playing with Feelings
Clack— clack—
The train passed through a tunnel. Moonlight swept over us, and Gewin and I looked at Thistle.
“Our objective is to assassinate ‘Kruger’ at the Northern Concentration Camp.”
Thistle explained the purpose of the operation.
Kruger. The commandant of the Northern Concentration Camp.
“Why?”
“They…… don’t treat the prisoners like human beings in there. I hear he does things to them that are hard to even put into words.”
I asked another question.
“Then what about the two whose faces you know?”
“…….”
When he hesitated, Gewin gave him a look. Perhaps it meant I was someone he could tell.
“One of them is Master.”
Thistle pulled a composite sketch from inside his coat.
“The other was already shot dead by Chief Inspector Gewin.”
The bastard I’d killed at the very beginning.
Ahem.
Gewin avoided my gaze and cleared his throat awkwardly.
“…….”
I had something to think about.
But why?
What exactly were they after?
They were mobilizing a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary forces just to kill a single Camp Commandant?
“Are you certain Master is here?”
“Yes. I saw his face myself.”
He didn’t seem to be lying.
If he were a double agent in the first place, he would have sold this information to secure another position. But the reward Thistle wanted was complete ‘retirement’.
As long as he wasn’t an Ezenheim, he was trustworthy enough for now.
“Wow. That’s a pretty good composite.”
The composite sketch. I looked at the face drawn on it too.
“……It certainly is.”
Was Master really this careless? Almost as though he wanted to be caught……
───BOOOOM!
Just then, a thunderous explosion erupted.
KABOOM─!
The train lurched violently up and down.
It was an explosion.
“What the hell!”
“It’s the Directive.”
Thistle calmed the startled Gewin.
DINGDINGDINGDINGDING───
Even the fire alarm began ringing. Their Directives were being carried out simultaneously.
“Chief Inspector Gewin. Let’s move.”
We headed toward the passenger cars.
When Thistle tried to follow us.
“Stay here.”
I stopped him.
“……What?”
“You’re under our protection from this point on. So stay here and look after your own safety.”
Regardless of what I thought of the revolution itself, Defectors had to be treated properly.
Leaving Thistle in the cargo car, I stepped out into third class.
─Everyone, please remain calm!
Remain calm! Remain calm! The railway staff moved up and down the aisle, repeating the words.
─We’re almost at the platform! Please remain calm! We’re assessing the situation now…….
“Whew.”
Gewin took a deep breath and pushed me forward.
“Lead the way, Paul of Empire Point.”
“Yes.”
I moved forward while scanning the passengers. Behind me, Gewin disengaged the safety on his Pistol.
***
──20 minutes earlier.
In the swaying train’s dining car, Georgen agent ‘Elmer’ sat quietly at the counter.
As he silently sipped his water, someone approached the seat beside him.
“Thistle was the Spy.”
It was Master. He had just revealed the Spy’s identity to Elmer.
“Then…….”
“We carry out the Directive, then scatter. I’ll give Lily a separate Directive.”
Tap. Elmer set down his glass.
“……You already showed Thistle your face.”
“It couldn’t be helped.”
Master took a sip of water before Elmer asked,
“What about the rest of the plan?”
“I’ll leave it to Lily.”
“……Can you trust her?”
“If she carries out the Directive, then I’ll be able to trust her.”
Elmer’s brow furrowed.
Clack— clack—
The surface of the water rippled with the vibrations of the train. Master spoke.
“More importantly, she has two people who can help with the operation.”
“Two?”
“Halbert Goering. Sergeant Paul.”
Elmer’s expression twisted in disbelief.
“She hooked another one already?”
“…….”
Master fell silent for a moment. He looked at him with a strange expression and a faint smile.
“You seem disappointed. Did you like her?”
“……Ahem.”
Instead of answering, Elmer drained his glass. Lowering his gaze, he muttered.
“It’s strange. Even with that train wreck of a personality, she’s hard not to like.”
Appearances really were a strange thing. Everyone knew the saying that what mattered on the inside was more important than outward appearance…… but when faced with perfect beauty, thoughts like, ‘Only ugly people say crap like that,’ sprang naturally to mind.
Rattle.
Suddenly, the door to the dining car slid open. Several sets of footsteps approached, accompanied by the bustle of multiple people.
“Hmm? Sergeant Elmer?”
At the sound of someone calling him, Elmer turned around.
It was Chief Inspector Borch.
“Ah, Chief Inspector.”
“…….”
Thud. Thud.
Borch approached the counter. Glancing at the robed man seated beside Elmer, he asked.
“Are you acquainted with him?”
“This gentleman?”
“Yes.”
Elmer looked at Master with innocent eyes.
“No. I don’t know him.”
“Hmm…….”
Borch stared intently at Master, then, still standing there, addressed Elmer again.
“Sergeant Elmer. Do you happen to know a woman named Yvette?”
“Ah, yes. I do. She’s Sir Halbert’s companion.”
Borch nodded a couple of times at Elmer’s answer.
“I see…… Excuse me, sir?”
This time, he addressed Master.
“I’m Chief Inspector Borch of Georgen’s Northern Branch. May I inspect your Genealogy Certificate and identification for a moment?”
“……Of course.”
The moment Master reached for his Genealogy Certificate, Borch, still holding his hands behind his back, gave a subtle signal.
People entered the dining car.
Probably Georgen agents. Two, three, four…… there were a lot of them.
“Here you are.”
Master handed him the Genealogy Certificate, but Borch had no intention of examining it. He merely gave it a cursory glance and placed a hand on his holster.
He had already received the information from the Turncoat ‘Thistle’.
Just as Elmer reached inside his coat for his Pistol.
────BOOOOM!
An explosion erupted somewhere on the train. Everyone lurched violently. Master seized the opening, drew a gun from beneath his robe, and Borch hurriedly threw himself aside.
Bang──!
One of the agents was hit by Master’s shot. He deliberately shot Elmer in the thigh as well.
“Ghk!”
Leaving Elmer writhing in pain, Master dove behind the counter.
Bang─! Bang─! Bang──!
Gunfire came pouring in.
“Shoot him dead! Shoot that bastard──!”
Borch screamed desperately at the Georgen agents.
A gunfight erupted.
Bang─! Bangbang──!
The windows shattered. The agents overturned dining tables and used them as cover.
Bang─! Ratatat──!
Gunfire echoed off the walls of the narrow dining car, but then smoke from the fire suddenly flooded inside.
“Chief Inspector! There’s a fire!”
Master leaned over the counter and shot the agent who cried out. He dropped two more the same way, but the next agent managed to shoot him first.
Master collapsed across the counter where the water glasses sat.
“Ghk…….”
A thick haze already filled the air. The dining car burned amid black smoke. Master threw himself through the gap where the coupling had been severed by the explosion.
Whoosh—
His body sailed through the air and tumbled onto the tracks……
“What happened?!”
Chief Inspector Gewin and Sergeant Paul burst in belatedly.
“Those fucking useless bastards from Central…….”
Borch gritted his teeth as he clutched his heavily bleeding shoulder.
“Sergeant Elmer!”
Borch called to Elmer. Elmer lay on the floor, gripping his thigh.
Perhaps it was Master’s final gift. A reason Elmer would not be suspected.
He hid his smile and closed his eyes…….
***
……The explosion had separated the first-class cars from the rest of the train.
As a result, only the first-class section remained stranded on the tracks.
“Oh my. How could something like this happen…….”
Yvette put on a show of alarm inside the Salon Car.
“Are you all right?”
Halbert Goering placed a hand on her shoulder. Pretending to tremble, Yvette shook off his touch.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Thank goodness…… Whew. But you’ll be all right. Who am I? The hero who survived even the Titan. So you’ll be fine. Don’t worry-”
“I told you, I’m fine.”
After several rounds of that exchange.
“Rescue will be here soon. Don’t worry.”
“……I’m not worried.”
‘The more I listen to him, the more Halbert seems to be trembling far worse than I am. His mustache is actually fluttering like some kind of butterfly. What a ridiculous man.’
Tap—
Just then, a pebble struck the Salon Car window.
“…….”
Yvette glanced back and forth between the window and Halbert.
“……Ah. My anemia.”
“Wh-what is it?”
“I’m sorry, Sir Goering. I think I need to rest alone…….”
She looked up at him with moist eyes.
“If I’m going to spend some private time with Sir Goering in the North, I need to take care of myself…….”
“Private……!”
Goering’s eyes flew wide open.
“Y-yes! Of course! Absolutely!”
Ha, haha! Hahahah!
Goering left while making a bizarre laughing sound.
Tap— tap—
She threw open the window the pebbles had been striking. Outside, someone practically crawled inside.
It was Master.
“Master!”
He was in bad shape. His complexion was deathly pale, and dark red liquid seeped between the fingers pressed to his side.
Lily clenched her teeth.
“……I fucking told you not to come, didn’t I? If you die-”
“Lily. Listen carefully from this point on.”
Master placed a hand on her shoulder. There was tremendous strength in his grip.
Lily’s expression turned serious as well.
“The rendezvous point isn’t「White Wolf」. It’s「Black Chimney」. Daffodil will be waiting for you there.”
“……What about you?”
“I’m not going there. I’m going to get caught.”
“Caught?”
Master gave a small smile.
“Most of Georgen’s manpower will be drawn to me. But.”
He shook his head.
“I’m not Master.”
“……What? What kind of fucking bullshit is that-”
“Master is in the Northern Concentration Camp.”
The real Master had been crossing the border to transport funds and bonds when an absurd tip-off got him caught. Worse, the accusation itself had been false.
“If I get caught in his place, as Master…….”
The fake Master whispered a name into Lily’s ear.
It was the real Master’s name.
“……Lily. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
She could seduce Goering and get his help. Or she could seduce the Northern Camp Commandant and have him open the gates.
Either way.
“If you set your mind to it, you can bring anyone to their knees.”
“…….”
Lily stared blankly at him for a moment before quietly asking.
“Then what’s your name?”
Master thought about it for a moment, but then chuckled as though realizing there had never been any reason to hesitate in the first place.
“……Evis. I’ve been Master’s friend for a very long time.”
“Then that makes you Servant.”
Master and Servant. He smiled at the wordplay.
“Can I leave this to you? I know it’ll be difficult.”
Looking at his deathly pale face, Lily quietly nodded.
“But you should at least try not to get caught too. You don’t have to let them catch you.”
“……Right. Thank you. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
The fake Master gave a weak smile and crawled back out through the window.
“…….”
Yvette took a deep breath and waited.
Eyes closed, she remained still, calming herself.
How long had it been— perhaps several hours.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
With that sound, the door opened.
For once, her relief was genuine.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Sergeant Paul of Georgen…….”
The man entered while introducing himself, only to gape stupidly the moment he saw her.
“Sergeant Paul!”
Yvette pretended to be terrified and threw herself into his arms.
***
A search operation unfolded throughout the northern mountain range. Chief Inspector Borch and the other Northern Georgen agents pursued Master, while Yvette and the other VIPs safely reached the platform before being transferred to Georgen’s Northern Branch.
“Oh, come on! Do you know who I am?! Do you know who I am?!”
In the hallway of Georgen’s Northern Branch, Halbert Goering caused a loud commotion. Before long, he met with the Georgen Branch Chief and was taken elsewhere.
“A lot of the Georgen agents were hurt too…… How frightening.”
Inside a private interview room, Yvette sighed as she looked at Paul.
“Yes. Please wait just a little longer. Once we’ve finished verifying your identity, you’ll be free to go.”
“Then…… could you check my Genealogy Certificate for me, Paul? I think I should get to a hospital as soon as possible.”
‘I want to get out of this place as quickly as I can.’
Yvette handed her Genealogy Certificate to Paul.
“Uh…… sure.”
Paul accepted it and stared intently at one particular page.
“I think we’ll need to conduct a detailed verification.”
“……A detailed verification?”
“Yes. Just a moment.”
Paul suddenly left the room.
“What the hell. What’s with that bastard?”
Now he’s making me nervous for no reason.
Yvette waited while biting her nails, but fortunately, Paul returned before long.
“Here you are. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
Yvette took back her Genealogy Certificate.
“Then…….”
“Yes. You may lea-”
Bang!
The door to the interview room suddenly flew open.
“Hey, Paul!”
It was Chief Inspector Gewin.
“Yes?”
“They caught Master.”
Gewin gave a bitter smile and shrugged.
“The Northern Branch went and took that valuable bastard for themselves.”
Paul thought over his words for a moment, then gave a small nod.
“It can’t be helped.”
“Can’t be helped, my ass. That bastard Borch might get transferred up to Central. If he gets promoted, he’ll end up above us.”
Yvette cut in.
“……Wouldn’t that be a problem? Paul.”
‘Paul and Borch. They’d been butting heads over me.’
Paul scratched the back of his neck.
“It can’t be helped.”
Was that all he knew how to say? As Yvette looked up at Paul, Gewin suddenly approached.
“Ah, um…… Ms. Yvette.”
“Yes?”
At Yvette’s smile, Gewin answered stiffly.
“Sir Halbert Goering may be tied up for a while. Apparently, he’s meeting with someone from his family…….”
That was actually why Yvette had deliberately seduced him. Halbert Goering had deep ties to influential people in the North.
“Ah…… then could Sergeant Paul escort me instead?”
Yvette turned and asked Paul. Paul tilted his head.
“Where would you like me to take you?”
“I have a hotel booked separately. And I think I should see a doctor.”
“Ahem!”
Chief Inspector Gewin cleared his throat, apparently jealous.
“Paul. Go on, then. But first, Ms. Yvette?”
He held out his hand to Yvette.
“Your Genealogy Certificate. I’ll verify it one last time.”
“……I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve checked it.”
Yvette handed her Genealogy Certificate to Gewin. Gewin swept his eyes over it, then gave a faint smirk.
“Ms. Yvette. Do you happen to know something?”
His words carried an odd implication. Gewin looked back and forth between Paul and Yvette.
Yvette innocently asked.
“Know what?”
“…….”
Gewin seemed to consider whether he should say it, but soon shook his head.
“……I mean that your Genealogy Certificate is flawless. Hey, Paul! See her there safely. And come straight back afterward. Don’t be late! Absolutely not!”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Yvette left Georgen’s Northern Branch together with Paul.
They got into a parked car and set off.
“……It’s raining?”
──Tap. Patter.
Rain was uncommon in the North. Raindrops struck the windshield and spread across the glass.
Paul silently turned on the wipers. His expression was stiff.
Yvette stole a glance at him.
“Are you all right?”
“……Yes.”
‘Is he nervous because of me?’
In any case, he said nothing else, and they arrived at a hotel somewhere in the North after an awkward, silent drive.
“This is the place.”
“Yes.”
Paul and Yvette climbed out side by side.
“I’ll be going, then. Thank you.”
Standing by the roadside, Yvette looked at Paul. Paul stared straight back at her.
──Patter. Patter.
Paul held his umbrella out toward Yvette. Yvette waited to hear what he would say next.
‘Maybe he’ll say, “We’ll probably see each other again.” Or perhaps, “It was an honor to meet a goddess like you.” Or maybe he’ll make some completely out-of-nowhere confession like, “I fell for you after just one day-” or whatever.’
“Ms. Yvette.”
But Paul merely reached inside his coat and took something out.
“Could you hold out your palm?”
He told her to hold out her palm.
‘No fucking way. What the hell, is he seriously proposing after just one day? Is there really someone that insane in this world?’
“Uh…….”
Yvette held out her hand with an uneasy feeling.
“……Here.”
Paul gave a quiet smile and placed a small metal fastener in her palm.
A staple.
Yvette blinked.
“……What’s this?”
“It’s a staple used in Genealogy Certificates.”
──Tap. Patter.
Paul’s quiet voice drifted through the sound of the rain.
“The Imperial Genealogy Administration Bureau deliberately uses cheap staples when issuing Genealogy Certificates.”
Yvette looked at the staple.
“When the Genealogy Certificate system was first introduced, iron was scarce, so they used cheap staples. That eventually became something of a tradition. That’s why the staples in Genealogy Certificates start rusting within a few months.”
The staple in her palm gleamed without so much as a scratch.
Paul glanced toward it.
“That staple came from your Genealogy Certificate, Ms. Yvette.”
“…….”
Yvette froze without a word. Her mouth went dry in an instant, and her mind went blank.
She hurriedly took out her own Genealogy Certificate.
Its staple was rusted.
Had he swapped it out in that brief moment?
“……You. Let me see your Genealogy Certificate.”
Yvette held out her hand. Paul handed it over without resistance.
His Genealogy Certificate──the staple had been ripped out.
‘He’d pulled it out of his own and put it into mine.’
“…….”
Yvette stared at him as if silently asking, What the hell are you doing? What kind of guy are you? Is this really okay?
“I have connections.”
After answering, he even placed the umbrella in the still-frozen Yvette’s hand……
“Go far away.”
Yvette couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
“As far away as you can.”
He repeated himself.
“Keep yourself safe.”
“…….”
She stood there holding Paul’s umbrella.
It was far too late to say anything, and she felt as though she’d already lost the right to.
──Tap. Patter.
So her lips merely moved soundlessly before she finally turned away.
Leaving him behind as he continued to watch her, she walked down the rain-soaked street.
──Patter. Patter-patter. Rattle-rattle.
The rain gradually grew heavier…….
***
I stood there for a long time, watching Yvette until she was far off in the distance.
“……Their objective.”
Murmuring the words, I sank deep into thought. There was no way Master would be caught this easily.
Chief Inspector Borch, an Ezenheim, catches Master, earns himself a major achievement, and makes his way to Georgen Central?
That alone would benefit the Ezenheim, but there might be something more beyond it……
A shadow appeared beside me.
I gave her an order.
“Keep watching her.”
Schatz Heizen. She would remain near Yvette for a while.
That was why I’d let Yvette go. More than that, it was why I’d helped her avoid being caught.
Because Yvette would undoubtedly carry out ‘Master’s’ true Directive.
~~~
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