The moment our skins touch.
An image surged through Anima's head. It was a film containing the time Kim Yi-hyun spent. He became an audience member and watched Kim Yi-hyun's past.
It is a task that requires mental strength. No matter how familiar you become, it is not easy to watch the past passing by quickly. In addition to a splitting headache, you also become neglectful of the 'present'.
In other words, you become unable to control your facial expressions.
"─Your complexion doesn't look good."
The hand was removed along with the voice.
"ah...."
The mind that had been struggling in countless fragments of memories returned to reality. Strictly speaking, it must have been less than 10 seconds. However, the look in Anima's eyes as she looked at Kim Yi-hyun had changed significantly.
Shock and absurdity.
Greed for talent.
There was no sense of emptiness upon learning the truth about Polaris, or any repulsion toward the foreign substance or monster known as Kim Yi-hyun. It was the reaction that Kim Yi-hyun had expected.
'Psychometry is just psychometry.'
Spells ultimately have clear limits, unless they are drastically strengthened through life-shortening human experiments like those of the Legion's officers.
Can you delve into a person's life just by shaking hands for a few seconds? Even if you could, it would be an absurdly dangerous thing to do. The vast amount of information would cause your mind to split or even kill your brain.
The past that Anima can see is limited to a week.
It is not enough time to find out Kim Yi-hyeon's secret.
but.
It was enough to figure out what kind of person Kim Lee-Hyeon was.
The week Anima experienced this time was truly special.
A scene where a fake terrorist attack is simulated and put into action.
There were no heroes or villains in Bastitera.
Anima couldn't help but be surprised because it was completely different from what he had expected. He looked up at Kim Yi-hyun putting his gloves back on. The expression he saw was incredibly confident.
"Is there a problem?"
In fact, Kim Yi-Hyeon was confident. He planned from the beginning to ensure that there would be no casualties, and as planned, no one was injured. As a result, he accomplished his mission of informing people of the dangers of the Legion.
They say that a thief's feet are numb, but Kim I-hyeon was very upright in his own eyes.
"…No, um. Nothing."
Anima soon gathered her emotions that had been in disarray. At least by Albatross' standards, Kim Hyun was not a target to be killed. If there had been an innocent victim, the story would have been different.
This is only an assumption.
The Kim Hyun Anima saw was just a rascal. A rascal with amazing abilities and action. Even if he was a bit extreme, it couldn't be denied that he had a sense of justice.
'It's just a different method, but in some ways it's similar to us.'
It's a shame, after all. If I had you as a colleague, you would be a great help.
However, I had to admit that it was too greedy. Even if we were colleagues, Kim Lee-hyun was a person who could easily cause trouble. At the same time, Albatross was not a good environment for him to demonstrate his abilities.
An occasionally cooperative relationship would be ideal.
Anima took a small pouch out of her bosom and held it out.
"It's not really a gift, but please take this."
It was similar to the amulets commonly seen in Japan. As Kim Yi-hyeon received the item and examined it, Anima explained its use.
"Think of it as a communicator. We do not have a home base, but we do have a number of temporary bases. When you open the pouch, the contents inside will guide you to a nearby base."
"That's interesting. We don't have anything like this, so it might be a hassle to contact you. Is that okay?"
"Of course. Let's go to Cilicia ourselves."
A verbal promise without a contract or anything. It's a shallow and simple relationship to call an alliance. However, Anima understood the power that came from these small promises coming together.
"If you're done with your business, I'd like you to excuse me. I'm not done with security work yet."
"Oh, I took up too much of your time. Well, I'll see you next time."
After exchanging greetings, Kim Yi-hyeon left first. Anima watched Kim Yi-hyeon's back with her eyes. When they were far enough apart, he burst out into laughter that he had been holding back.
"Haha. He's not a normal human."
This encounter alone made my trip to Lucerne worthwhile.
* * *
I had to spend my days leisurely, regardless of the situation on the continent. The problem was movement. The security work wasn't over, and I had to pick up the group I had left behind, so I had to return to Cilicia first.
I couldn't say it was a waste of time.
Because I was looking for some free time anyway.
'From now on, it's important.'
There are many things to decide. About Lab and Dustborn. About the Emperor and Shiran. About the Albatross card that I have obtained this time and the card that I have had in my hand from the beginning.
And the legion.
'Four times, no, three times?'
The day when the legion collapses is not far off.
In terms of chess, the home base is already in shambles. All the bishops and knights are dead, and only one rook is left. Half of the pawns are gone.
Even unlike chess, the leader cannot move. The main body is dependent on a few loyal followers for his life and only interacts with the world through puppets. Although he is becoming a god to the fanatics, he is infinitely restricted.
If it's a hidden location, I know.
'It's more dangerous to touch it now.'
There is currently a bomb on the continent. There is no way to remove it. It is a time bomb with a hidden timer that will explode one day and devastate the entire continent.
And the leader of the legion is just like the fuse. Contacting him rashly will only have the opposite effect. You have no choice but to calmly follow the established order.
'I guess I should take care of my godmother first.'
Now that we can deal with the Mother, the Legion will no longer be a big threat. From then on, we will have to prepare for the storm that will come in the future. Fortunately, unlike the game, we have more than three years to spare.
'From here on out, it's not time to talk about the professor's growth or anything like that.'
I intend to actively interfere. The reason I went to Naraka was to make the next episode easier. The two weeks that Tamtam mentioned have already passed, so the equipment should be completed.
There's one more thing.
"Chelsea. You have a decision to make."
"Haaam. What now?"
Chelsea, who was behind the wheel, yawned with her mouth wide open and rubbed her eyes. This time, Bryce was there, but that didn't mean the driving shifts were three-shift. Kim Yi-hyun simply gave up driving altogether.
The view of the backseat reflected in the rearview mirror was the same the whole time. Asterique, drooling while leaning on Kim Yi-hyun's shoulder. Kim Yi-hyun was now completely used to it and didn't even care...
He opened his mouth as if he was still thinking about something.
"Listen carefully. This is important."
Chelsea's eyes widened at the low voice. A momentary sense of foreboding pushed away her drowsiness. She checked her employer's expression through the rearview mirror and swallowed dryly.
"Sir, surely, it's something important…."
Chelsea saw Asterique's eyes narrowing in the mirror. Was she just pretending to sleep? I knew it. She could guess what kind of strange thoughts she was thinking.
But Chelsea had very different concerns.
"Ah, ah, ah, no. I don't like it."
"What? You haven't said anything yet."
"You're going to cut me…!"
Thinking about my wallet made me tear up.
"You're saying I'm broke now? I'm going to starve to death if I get kicked out."
"Why are you broke? You said you won some money at the end with the chips I gave you."
"It was a joke! It would be funny if I just lost my image…."
"Was that the original image?"
"What the heck… hmm, ahem!"
I suppressed my rebellion. Now was not the time to be concerned about my pride.
"Anyway, we're not that bad of friends, right? Okay? I'll do really, really well from now on. I'll work like an ox, so, uh-uh-uh...!"
"I never knew that owl could be this ugly."
I glared at Bryce, who was shaking his head from the passenger seat. There are times when it's okay for people to joke around and times when it's not, but he was such a dirty, clueless person.
But it was Chelsea who really had no clue.
As he continued, my unnecessary resentment melted away.
"I didn't say a word about cutting it."
"...no?"
"Why did I cut you? You worry so much about weird things."
Phaaa, I let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, surprise. Then what is it? Salary negotiation?"
"Is money the only thing on your mind?"
Kim Lee-hyun, who clicked his tongue, asked bluntly.
"What would you do if you could have a spell?"
"Oh, yeah? What does that mean?"
"It's true. There's a special medicine I brought from Naraka."
I explained the truth without beating around the bush.
"It's something made by Legion. You can think of it as a human life. It's probably the result of countless human experiments, and it's a medicine that was made from human materials in the first place. Since we have Edwin's guarantee, it's probably true."
I thought it was a necessary procedure. I don't know if it would be different if they were complete strangers, but Kim Yi-hyun considered Chelsea as a friend. I hoped she would think carefully and make her own choice.
Chelsea's face in the mirror was pale.
"You want me to write that…?"
"You decide. The deadline is when you get to the lab."
Lazuli's spell is unique and useful. Kim Yi-Hyeon had three candidates in mind. Chelsea and Ghost. The third is Turkam. Their commonality is that they are 'incompetent'.
A single human cannot possess multiple spells. That is why the candidates had to be limited. Of course, the professor does not have spells either… but it is also a misnomer to say that he is completely incompetent.
'The professor wasn't even fit for combat in the first place.'
In Kim Yi-hyeon's judgment, Chelsea was the agent who could bring out the most efficiency. If you look for it, there may be better agents, but there was no better choice right now.
Don't they say that if you save something, it will turn into poop?
"If you don't like it, you can refuse. I don't intend to cause you any disadvantage."
"...."
"But I'm sure it will help."
It's the same for me, and it's the same for you.
After adding the last thing, Kim Ihyeon closed his mouth.
Silence fell inside the car. Only the sound of the engine flowed softly. Unlike a moment ago, Chelsea's eyelids did not close easily even in the silence.
* * *
First, he returned to Cilicia and finished his security duties. With this, Dustborn's position became much more solid than before. The generous compensation paid by the council was a bonus.
It was a bit different from the original plan. The original plan was to set up branches in several countries and use them as a network and safe house.
However, there was only one city where they actually established a base. As the scale grew beyond expectations and income increased smoothly, Cilicia would be used as a base even if they established other branches.
'In fact, it seems like things are better now.'
How troublesome it must be to manage multiple branches. It's hard to find someone as trustworthy as Bryce, and more than anything, it's a pain to take care of them when an incident like the one just happened.
Legion has already proven that Cilicia is a suitable city to be a base for. Don't worry, Bryce will take care of running the company.
'The places where you can work comfortably are Cilicia and Bastet.'
Either way, it would be a great base. I've been living in the lab for quite some time now, but... there's no guarantee that the lab will last forever. You never know what might happen if the scenario goes awry.
'Before I leave, I decided to ask Bryce for a few things… .'
Next, he relayed the news to Edwin. The results of the meeting and the decision to hand over Lazuli's factor to Chelsea. It ended up being a notification, but there was no particular conflict.
"Do as you wish. This is not a matter requiring my understanding, is it?"
"Because it's like I gained it thanks to you."
"It's ridiculous for me to claim ownership."
By the way, Edwin nodded.
"If it's Chelsea, yes. I think we can make good use of it."
Naturally, Edwin knew what kind of spell Lazuli had. On the contrary, he was curious about what was going on in Kim Yi-hyun's head. He wondered if Kim Yi-hyun also had some information.
It was a skill that naturally went well with Chelsea, to the point that it made people suspicious. However, before the sudden question could be resolved, Kim Lee-hyun brought up a new topic.
"I think it's time to start preparing in earnest."
"What are you talking about?"
"Of course, Legion."
Kim Yi-hyun looked at the electronic calendar in his office. Today's date was August 15th. It had already been seven months since the incident in Bastitera ended.
It is unknown when the Legion will start operating again. We do not know the whereabouts of the Godmother, so we cannot launch an offensive. However, we know the setting of the next episode.
The problem is how to explain and convince this.
There is no need to act like a prophet and reveal your knowledge of the game.
"If they move, where do you think they'll aim?"
One of the main reasons I brought Edwin here was to use him in situations like this. Information leaked by a traitor from the Legion. No one would be able to ignore it as a plot device.
At the same time, it was the final turning point for Edwin.
If I reveal the truth here, there will be no turning back.
"...."
The two exchanged glances without saying a word.
After a long silence, Edwin answered.
"The most likely one would be Ishrad."
A nation of academics, also known as the ivory tower.
It was exactly the answer Kim Yi-hyeon had expected.
The next chapter begins in Ishrad.