I scanned all around me—men in black suits, positioned themselves with precision, blocking every possible pathway of escape.
Only now did I realize that there were practically no civilians or even hospital staff within the vicinity of the hospital front...
It was as if these men in black had cleared the entire area for themselves.
My focus returned to the lone woman in the group who had stepped up and addressed me personally.
At a simple glance, she might seem like a normal woman compared to the other men in black here... but I could feel it—her presence alone demanded attention and authority.
"Who are you people...!?" I demanded an answer from them, though my question was directed specifically at the lone woman, whom I strongly assumed to be their leader.
She didn't respond to my question. Instead, I could feel the scrutinizing gaze she directed at me behind her dark sunglasses... and it felt like she was measuring my worth in her own eyes...!
"Isaac...!"
Behind me, I heard Boss Maya express her concern, her voice tinged with panic. Unfortunately, hearing her rising panic only fueled my anxiety over the whole situation...
"No further questions, Mr. Isaac Hunter," the woman with an authoritative presence addressed me once more. "Come along with us... or we will not hesitate to use force."
"...!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a sudden pressure struck me! It felt as if I was deeply rooted to the spot, my whole body stiffening!
My heart pounded in my chest, trying to keep me conscious... but for some reason, it felt as if it was slowing down at an alarming rate...!
The source of this intense feeling, this pressure and stiffness... there was no doubt—it was coming from her!
I managed to see it—the woman had slightly lowered her dark sunglasses... and I saw her eyes—!
Her eyes were like a predator's—slit pupils surrounded by deep green irises, judging the worthiness of her next prey…!
And I was frozen solid from her seemingly simple glance...
I gritted my teeth, dread filling my being as I tried to fight back the pressure with all of my willpower.
Even though I had become an adventurer...
Even though I had faced death and survived by sheer luck and insanity...
And even though I had in my own hand... the relic of one of the most powerful gods in the world...
Right now...
It felt as if I was just a puny frog staring death in the form of a snake.
That was how large the margin of my strength against this woman with a predator—no... snake's eyes…!
"I-Isaac..." I heard the faint voice of my superior, Maya, behind me—!
"B-Boss Maya...?!"
She had suddenly leaned her body closer to mine...! Her sudden closeness broke me free from the pressure that had been holding me stiff... but as I looked back, I found that she had closed her eyes... as if...!
"Hey!? Boss!"
I quickly turned around, ignoring the deadly pressure that was still being thrown at me, and grabbed hold of my superior's falling form before she hit the floor!
"Boss Maya!" I called out desperately, "Get a hold of yourself, boss!"
But she was unresponsive—unconscious.
I could still feel her pulse and breathing, but she was out cold...
How...?
I looked around and saw that none of these men had dared to do anything to us... which meant—!
I quickly realized, dreadfully—the woman with the 'snake's eyes'—she must have been getting the collateral effects of the pressure I had just been receiving from that woman...!
"Damn you...!"
I gritted my teeth... as both frustration... and anger welled up inside of me!
I looked back toward the lone woman who had dared to harm my caring superior... and saw that she had hidden her snake's eyes behind her dark sunglasses.
"Damn it...!"
Frustration and dread kept piling up inside of me... as I realized that the only reason I could even move right now... was the fact that this woman had allowed me to move...
And that made me feel even more pathetic.
I could still see her scrutinizing gaze upon me... but she was no longer measuring my merit. Instead, it felt like she was gauging how much willpower I had left.
"Will you cooperate, Mr. Isaac Hunter?" the woman requested... though it felt more like a demand.
I glared at her seemingly nonchalant expression... but of course, it was no use.
There was no denying her request.
I would have tried to use my newfound relic to leverage an escape from these people's clutches, but... I looked back toward my superior's unconscious form. She was as vulnerable as she could get...
"...Fine," I answered the predator-eyed woman's demand, not breaking my gaze from Boss Maya. "But leave my superior alone."
There was a tense silence for a moment as I waited for the woman's response to my simple request...
"As you wish, Mr. Isaac Hunter."
Suddenly, the men in black, specifically those who had blocked the pathway to the hospital itself, cleared out... revealing that there were already hospital staff waiting behind them.
It seemed that they had already anticipated this.
I picked up and cradled Boss Maya's unconscious figure... and brought her toward the awaiting hospital staff.
"You...!?"
I recognized one of the staff—the senior doctor who had recently overseen my care...!
"Did you rat me out...?" I inquired, venom lacing my tone.
The senior doctor himself was unfazed by my threat. Instead, his focus remained on Boss Maya, cradled in my arms.
"I assure you, Mr. Isaac," the doctor calmly responded, "I am only doing my job."
Hearing his response... brought me to silence. I didn't sense any malice or trickery from him, nor from any of the hospital staff. It seemed they were truly just "civilians," following orders and such to these men-in-black figures.
They had already brought out a wheelchair, most likely where they wanted me to place my superior, so I complied. I gently placed her into the wheelchair, which was currently being operated by a nurse.
I took a good look at her condition once more, making sure there was no apparent danger that might harm her, especially considering what she had to endure this morning from worrying about me...
After confirming that Boss Maya was safely attended to, I turned to face the mysterious group of men in black once more.
Specifically, I fixed a piercing glare on the woman with the 'snake's eyes,' whose indifference to my hostility only fueled my frustration.
"Alright..." I said, my voice dripping with false bravado, "Lead the way, lady."