Chapter 78 October 3, 2022
Chapter 78 – Sheridan Ironfeet (2)
There were 10 minutes left until Sheridan fixed the wristband and wire launcher.
Of course, the wristband and wire launcher wouldn’t just simply be fixed.
With her personality… She probably added a heavy modification to it, saying she had another brilliant idea.
She said 10 minutes, but considering the process, it would take 30 minutes.
‘30 minutes, huh. There’s still some time left.’
It was when I looked down from the window on the third floor, thinking that I could rest moderately before returning to Sören…
‘What?’
Three black shadows were busily moving between the alleys where people usually never wandered.
Apart from their perfect orderly movement, their footsteps were extraordinary.
‘Their steps are fast and light. Their bodies are firm as well because they have a good balance.’
It was just a coincidence that I had spotted them.
Their movements were so stealthy that I would not have found them if I hadn’t looked down at the window just in time.
I couldn’t see them properly, as they were covered in dark robes, but I immediately noticed who they were.
‘They’re Knights. They’re also highly trained official Knights.’
They were at a different level from the two semi-Knights that had assisted Daughtry.
They were at least official Knights.
There were as many as three of such Knights passing through that alley?
Average Knights wouldn’t even be interested in that back alley.
And the direction they were headed for was where Violeta and I had fought against the Crimson Society.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at them carefully.
‘If they’re Knights, and they’re not hesitating to walk around here…’
—There was one Knight’s order that came to mind.
‘No way…’
It was the moment when I was about to conclude something…
The Knight who was leading the way stopped in their steps and stared at me.
Damn.
I hid my body beside the window.
‘Did they spot me?’
I had watched them carefully, but they had better senses than I thought.
I couldn’t believe they noticed me when our distance was more than 100 meters apart.
Fortunately, it seemed like I wasn’t spotted completely, as the gaze that had stared at me for a moment soon shifted away.
‘…So they’re the security department.’
More precisely, the Nightcrawler Knight Order of the Intelligence Security Department.
They were special Knights who moved stealthily and weren’t picky about the time and place where they moved, unlike usual Knights.
They were the opposite of the Knights who stood on shining stages and did honorable things in front of everyone’s eyes.
The Nightcrawler Knight Order got rid of those who posed a national threat in the dark beyond people’s eyes.
Therefore, they were a symbol of fear to those who knew them and were subject to vigilance.
It was also much more dangerous to face them in that dark and narrow street rather than on the boulevard in the middle of the day.
‘More than that, when they were looking at me a little while ago… it seemed like I saw a glimpse of silver hair.’
There was one person that came to my mind when they were a silver-haired Knight in the Security Department of the Exileon Empire.
‘No way… is it her?’
She was the Captain of the Nightcrawler Knight Order of which only the elites and commanders of the Security Department could dictate.
The lion guard who protected the Empire…
Lord Protector, Terina Lionhowl.
‘Why is she here? Don’t tell me… is it because of the werewolf incident?’
I had a vague assumption.
The reason was probably because of the Cryptid appearances in Leathevelk and the death of millionaire Belfort Ricksen.
The Security Department’s information network would have found out that Belfort Ricksen had joined hands with someone to conduct some kind of experiment.
—Because their eyes were all over the empire.
‘But I never expected the Knight Commander of the Nightcrawlers to come forward directly.’
Indeed, they were conducting human experiments on ordinary citizens.
It would be strange if the Security Department didn’t step up because there was even a black wizard in the experiment.
The most important thing was this:
‘They must have investigated Belfort Ricksen’s mansion, and then they must have realized that the secret safe had been stolen.’
It wasn’t only that…
They might have even noticed that a hot fire in the basement of the abandoned factory had burned the surrounding area.
Everything inside of it had been eliminated without a trace, but the problem was that no matter how much the fire had burned everything, the trace that stated ‘something happened there’ couldn’t be eliminated.
‘They could’ve responded to that and launched an investigation. This is quite a problem. I can’t believe that the Knights of the Security Department are in Leathevelk, moreover, their Knight Commander stepped up in this case.’
Terina Lionhowl wasn’t a very welcoming opponent for me either.
That monstrous woman was one of the few people I never wanted to get involved with again in my life.
It was fortunate that I had hidden myself.
If we had made eye contact, if she had come to me because she felt suspicious…
‘I would have been in big trouble. She’s got a good sense, to the point that it’s weird.’
Until the Security Department decided that the search was no longer possible and left Leathevelk, I had no choice but to move carefully.
‘Is it a relief that they haven’t caught onto my tail for now?’
Perhaps they wouldn’t completely bring the investigation to an end, either.
Even so, it didn’t mean that Terina Lionhowl would continue to stay in Leathevelk.
She held a prominent position in the Empire.
If she wasted her time trying to catch the tail of an unsolved case, it meant that there was a big hole in the security of the empire.
‘Maybe she will leave eventually. But some of the Knight orders will remain here, right?’
If that was the case, then it was fine.
Because I was confident that I could avoid the remaining Lnights’ eyes, no matter how skillful they were, if Terina the Captain wasn’t there.
I was thinking so, but I heard a thumping running sound from below and the door rattled open.
Soon, Sheridan appeared while holding a wristband in her embrace.
“Your Honor! I made it!”
“So it’s over? It’s faster than I thought.”
I thought it would take 30 minutes, but it took 20 minutes.
I would find out if it was either because there were fewer things to change or because her skill had progressed rapidly when I saw it.
“Yeah! It was supposed to take 10 minutes, but I remembered this and that while fixing it. Since I was fixing it, I gave it a general touch-up here and there!”
“Hoo.”
I looked at the wristband that Sheridan gave me.
The previous one was quite large enough to touch the forearm from the wrist, but it was reduced to less than half of the original size, as it seemingly went through a quite exceptional change.
“It’s gotten smaller and thinner.”
“And it’s more convenient!”
Sheridan’s pigtails swayed up and down as she was speaking her words.
After being distracted for a while, I looked at the wristband in my hand again.
“Did you take out all the useless parts?”
Since it also had the role to protect the forearm as well, the previously installed wristband had wrapped the whole forearm.
What Sheridan had fixed up made the wristband only occupy 1/3 of the forearm from the wrist.
“Yeah. Your Honor isn’t working as a hunter right now anyway, right? So I paid more attention to convenience than performance.”
“You paid your attention well. Now I’m not a hunter, but a magic professor.”
“Yeah. Then what should I call you? Van Helsing? Moriarty? Lupin?”
“Call me Ludger Chelysie.”
“Hmm. Sir Ludger… It sounds good. It’s rather surprising. This time, you’re a magic professor, and a professor in Sören, moreover! It’s awesome!”
“There were some accidents.”
“I know, I know. As expected from you, Your Honor. I can’t believe you infiltrated Sören, which is the most famous Academy in the Great Empire of Exileon. That must be a piece of cake, right? Hm. As expected from Your Honor.”
It seemed I looked like some ghastly person who possessed a great ability for her.
It was as if she thought that I had taken over the position with tremendous ability and became Sören’s professor.
That was not the truth.
But to say that I happened to become a magic professor after being caught up in a train attack was a bit too much, so I decided to let it slide.
“Anyway, as Your Honor said, I boldly took off the troublesome things and put in only what you needed. The wire launcher will work properly, so just check it out.”
“Hmm.”
I installed the wristband on my left arm.
Maybe it was because the quality of the material itself had been changed, rather than the thick and hard texture on my arm I was used to, it felt like my arm bent smoothly.
I was even wearing it on top of a dress shirt.
First of all, the comfort of wearing it has definitely improved.
‘Let’s see, then the next objective…’
‘I’ll have to try this over there.’
I fired a wire launcher at one surface of a blank wall..
Whoooosh! Hop!
The wire launcher shot at a terrific speed and soon penetrated the wall.
It was quite surprising.
“Its power became quite strong.”
“Yeah. I almost doubled the output power from the previous one! I increased the wire strength, and I changed the hook into a new one! Now it’s possible for you to move around with one more person using that wire!”
“I see. I think there are other features that have been added.”
After I withdrew the wire, I pointed my finger at a small groove on the back of my hand and asked her about it.
Sheridan grinned as she showed her white teeth.
“Ah, that? As expected from Your Honor. You quite have the eyes! It’s a new feature that I added this time.”
“What is it?”
“Your Honor. Think of it as clenching your fists and tightening your wrist.”
“Do you mean this?”
At that moment, a white sword popped out of the thin groove of the wristband.
“This is…”
“It’s an assassination weapon that I made just in case. How is it? Cool, right? It is very light and strong because it has the same material as the sword stick’s blade used by Your Honor. Didn’t you tell me previously? There are some assassins who use this kind of thing.”
“Yes.”
“It just came to my mind and I applied it. How is it?”
“Hmm.”
Srrr. Tak.
When I relaxed my wrist lightly, the protruding blade went back inside.
Was it an assassination shortsword in the end? I thought it would be perfect to use it in an emergency or when the other person was off guard.
It was not made for a monster like a cryptid, it was made with a battle between two people in mind.
“Do you see the small hole on the left side?”
“Yes.”
“You can shoot paralyzing needles from there! Of course, you have to load the paralyzing needles in advance!”
“Hoo.”
Previously, it was only a wire launcher that was launched from the lower part of the wrist, and other than that, it also played a role as a shield to block attacks, was it the complete opposite after she fixed it?
—It was an object that maximized other factors rather than lowering its defense.
In particular, in my position, who had to use it in secret without exposing it, Sheridan’s newly changed wristband was a very welcoming item.
“I like it.”
“As expected! Your Honor knows it well! That coward down there said nonsense, telling me that I shouldn’t put such dangerous things there.”
“Don’t be too harsh on Hans. He’s just saying it out of concern.”
“He should see the other person if he wants to worry about them. This is meddlesome.”
Sheridan said so and soon supported her chin with her index finger and thumb while staring at me with a mysterious gaze.
“Hmm. As expected, I felt this way since a long time ago, but you really look good in a calm outfit like that. The wild outfit that you wore when you were a hunter isn’t bad, but this feels more suitable for you I think?”
“I see.”
“Yeah. As soon as I see it, I feel like you’re a noble person. You seem like something deeper than simply being a nobleman. Hmm. Like royalty?”
Sheridan’s words made me chuckle.
“Thank you for looking at me like that.”
“No. I obviously feel something.”
“Anyway, thank you for making it anew.”
“Ah. Are you going to go now?”
“Yes. I have to work as a professor, so I have to stay at the academy. I came out today as a part of my outing.”
“That’s a shame. I haven’t seen you in a long time, and I thought you’d unburden yourself!”
“I’ll do it at another time. And we haven’t all gathered yet.”
Besides Sheridan, there were a few more people I had called.
Sheridan nodded willingly, as she already knew it.
“I know! They’re the members of the newly created organization, right? The people I’ve heard of!”
“Yes.”
“Did you say the name of the new organization is U.N. Owen? Very mysterious, I like it because it suits you, too! So did I become a member of this secret organization, too?”
“You became the executive.”
“Executive!”
Did she like her position as an executive? Her eyes sparkled even more.
“If I were an executive, I would be able to make anything without being interfered with by anyone, right?!”
Was it because of that?
“I’ll give you permission for most things, but will you refrain from making bombs that blow up the surrounding area again?”
“Of course, I know that as well! Your Honor is really something. I can read between the lines as well. You’re telling me to make bombs adequately, right?”
“It’d be better if you didn’t make them at all, though.”
Well, banning bombs from that crazy inventor would be more brutal than forcing heavy smokers to quit smoking.
“Just make them adequately.”
“Hihihi. Don’t worry about that! So, Your Honor, have you decided on that?”
“What do you mean?”
“If it’s a secret organization like this, there must be a code name for the organization leader!”
‘Code name, huh. She must have heard it from somewhere.’
I didn’t pay much attention to it.
But given Sheridan’s expression as she said that, it seemed like she desperately wanted it.
She would be quite disappointed if I moved on from there while saying that there was no such thing in that organization.
‘If that happens, her irritation would be borne by Hans. He’s already having a hard time anyway, should I help him a little?’
‘Code name… Code name, huh.’
Well, it wasn’t like I couldn’t make it if she wanted it.
“Wells would be good.”
“Huh? Wells? That sounds good. Good! I, Sheridan, am now the executive Wells of U.N. Owen, starting today!”
It was fortunate that she was happy.
“Ah, more than that Your Honor. Where does this name Wells come from?”
“It’s the name of the greatest inventor that I can remember.”
“Ooh. If you say so, then they must be a great person.”
“Of course.”
He was the inventor of a machine that traveled through time.
The name I gave her was derived from Herbert George Wells, the author of the novel ‘The Time Machine’.
In fact, I wanted to name her as the main character of that time machine novel, but in the original work, he was only mentioned as a time traveler, the writer didn’t mention his name.
However, in the sequel that was officially authorized, George, the author’s middle name, was added to respect the original author.
But wasn’t George as a code name too much for a girl?
That’s why I gave her ‘Wells’ instead of the name George.
Sheridan seemed to like it as well, so it wasn’t bad.
“Then what about that assistant down there? Does that assistant also have a code name?” Sheridan asked with sparkling eyes.
Even though she seemed to be bullying him all the time, she was still paying attention to Hans.
‘I see… Hans’ code name, huh. Considering his characteristics, if I should decide on a name I remember, it would be this, right?’
“Kafka.”
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