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Jet chattered brightly.
— “Alpha Team must assassinate the Crow, one of Orca’s executives. Operating in the Green Sea, he has attacked agents using chimeras and kidnapped young espers.”
The way they cut off the tail at the top was always impressive.
“He’s related to the green feathers, right?”
— “That’s right. After dealing with the executive, Alpha Team must recover all the green feathers.”
“Immediate assassination, or capture?”
— “Immediate assassination upon discovery is permitted.”
The order to kill him immediately was given to prevent him from unnecessarily opening his mouth and exposing the Director-General’s dirty secrets.
— “A proposal has come in for you, Master. Please think about it slowly after this mission is over.”
She paused, hearing something new. It wasn’t unusual to be given multiple missions simultaneously, but given the timing, her guard was up.
“What kind of proposal?”
— “It’s an invitation to participate as a judge in a competition to be held on an artificial island near headquarters. It’s a guild-versus-guild event designed to promote harmony and camaraderie among various guilds.”
— “It’s a survival competition where powerful guilds test their skills against each other. Doesn’t that sound very interesting?”
It wasn’t hard to imagine that dangerous incidents would occur in a land where espers were absent.
“Isn’t it too soon for me to be a judge? There are many respected veteran agents.”
— “Your name was included among the psychics belonging to Arc, carefully chosen by Gaia. I cannot tell you why, even if you ask me.”
“When is the exact schedule coming out?”
— “Various artificial structures are currently under construction on the island. They say the date will be set after construction is complete and a safety inspection is conducted.”
“Let me know as soon as it’s out.”
— “Understood. Jet hopes to successfully complete this mission with you, Master, as well.”
Even after talking with Jet, Yoon Tae-ha didn’t turn off her phone. It was time to return to a world where she was monitored again.
________________________________________
The coordinates given by Baek Sang-ho led to the Phantom Hoof Forest in Phlegethon. Yoon Tae-ha packed her bags while waiting for Cheon Geon-young to finish his mission. Cheon Geon-young returned two hours later.
He briefly explained that he had completed the mission given by Baek Sang-ho and returned. Yoon Tae-ha, without looking at the man whose glasses were gone, asked him to hurry.
“Phantom Hoof Forest is quite far from here. We’ll barely make it on time if we drive without stopping.”
“Is your hand okay?”
She showed him her freshly bandaged hand.
“Just a moment.”
After that, Cheon Geon-young packed his bags without a word. They left the city in exactly the same way they had entered it.
The journey to where they had hidden the camper van was agonizing. Yoon Tae-ha tried to steel herself, but her guide’s rigid profile scared her.
After retrieving their car, they stopped to rest when the time came. They ate simple meals using the ingredients Cheon Geon-young had bought after finishing his mission.
They each slept for three hours. While one drove, the other slept in the bed, and when the alarm went off, they immediately woke up and returned to the passenger seat. Phlegethon was a more dangerous area than Cocytus. It was essential to have someone watching out for areas the driver couldn’t see.
Yoon Tae-ha felt tired from only getting enough sleep not to hinder her driving. She was mentally cornered, and it hadn’t been long since she had faced chimeras in Green Hive. Even for a high-ranking psychic, accumulated fatigue was unavoidable.
Time seemed to drag on despairingly slowly. But the wheels turned faithfully.
They arrived at the camp just in time for the deadline Baek Sang-ho had given them.
Yoon Tae-ha, who got out of the stopped car first, saw Choi Bo-mi approaching and awkwardly turned up the corners of her mouth. Choi Bo-mi hugged her as if seeing a younger sister she hadn’t seen in years, then checked her complexion.
“Why do you look so pale? Like you ran into a chimera on the way.”
“We came from the city to here in two days. There was no road halfway through.”
“I told you two days would be too much... But it’s good to see your face early anyway.”
Yoon Tae-ha glanced sideways at Shim Gyu-jong and Cheon Geon-young exchanging light greetings, unable to hide her mixed feelings. Cheon Geon-young, who had shown little emotion like a robot for two days straight, was now wearing a natural smile. Choi Bo-mi linked arms with her and entered the camp, preventing her from seeing that smile in detail.
Would I be crazy to feel disappointed? Yoon Tae-ha purposely focused on the scenery, trying to shake off the thought that she wished he would smile at her again.
The camp was located in a clearing among trees that soared high into the sky. Next to a tree suitable for use as a support, two large tents, appearing to be temporary conference rooms, stood tall. She listened to Choi Bo-mi’s explanation and remembered the relatively weak defensive points.
There were quite a few agents with guns on guard around. They seemed to be new recruits to assist Alpha Team. Realizing the camp’s considerable size, Yoon Tae-ha asked a question as if puzzled.
“There are quite a lot of external agents, aren’t there?”
“They’re people sent from headquarters. They say they’re essential for the mission we’ll be undertaking.”
“Alpha Team doesn’t usually take in much external personnel.”
“Well, we can’t resist the Director-General’s orders. Everyone just puts up with the inconvenience.”
“All espers?”
“In terms of proportion, only about half are espers, I heard. Since half are espers including guides, the actual number of power users would be less than that. They said they’d follow the leader’s command completely, but Gyujong feels uneasy about those people.”
“Oppa has good instincts.”
“He does. I wish things would end quietly...”
Choi Bo-mi trailed off and pointed to a tree with a blue ribbon tied around it.
“A clear stream flows over there. It broke off from the lake, and it’s fine to use as drinking water. We checked it beforehand.”
As the wind blew, the trees surrounding the clearing swayed their branches in unison. Soon after, the shields installed to protect the camp lit up one after another.
The clouds, which had turned orange from the setting sun, slowly returned to their original color. Instead, the blue sky turned black, then scattered darkness over the camp.
As if by an unspoken agreement, the two people watching the sky change color simultaneously looked away from the now completely dark sky. Choi Bo-mi said gently,
“Did you hear the news that we secured the green feathers?”
Did that mean they had clashed with Nox in the past two days? Yoon Tae-ha tensed and lowered her voice.
“How did that happen?”
“On our way here, we found a completed mine. During the investigation, we found a pit that one of the workers had secretly dug to steal minerals. The substance came out of there.”
“How much is there?”
“About 5 kilograms. Raphael asked to research the substance, so he and another researcher are observing it now.”
Raphael. So he made it here.
Yoon Tae-ha watched Choi Bo-mi, who was leaving to eat dinner, then went to the tent where Baek Sang-ho was staying.
Baek Sang-ho greeted her with a much rougher and angrier face than when he first arrived on this land. He explained that he had received a new mission exactly matching what Jet had told Yoon Tae-ha.
The outsider who handles crows. An Orca executive. Immediate assassination upon discovery. And the full recovery of the green feathers. After finishing his explanation, Baek Sang-ho revealed his concern.
“Since the Director-General contacted us directly, it will probably be a difficult mission.”
“Leave the Crow to me. I’ll do my best to avoid casualties.”
As someone who needed to protect Nox, Yoon Tae-ha immediately needed Baek Sang-ho’s trust.
“Alpha Team didn’t say they’d pull back.”
“Everyone knows when an immediate assassination order drops. It means A-class or higher. I’ll face him on the front lines.”
She said curtly.
“Instruct the rest of Alpha Team not to launch a preemptive strike even if they find the Crow. If I’m not with them, they need an order not to act. I think that’s within the leader’s discretion.”
Baek Sang-ho let out a small groan, as if he couldn’t possibly refuse her proposal. He would accept the conditions. Because he genuinely loved his team members. So he had no choice but to lean towards the option that would keep his team members safest.
“Only avoid preemptive strikes.”
Yoon Tae-ha nodded and replied resolutely.
“You invited someone who’s good at teleportation, didn’t you? Then it’s right to use it.”
“I’ll give instructions to the team members. To contact Yoon Tae-ha first if they find the Crow.”
“Promise me you’ll do that too, Leader.”
Baek Sang-ho, with a surprised expression, spoke in a hoarse voice.
“I will.”
Only then did Yoon Tae-ha bow and leave the tent.
She had taken primary protective measures for Nox for now. Since she would inform him of Arc’s movements, he wouldn’t be foolishly caught. He seemed cautious too.
She was just bothered by the agents the Director-General had personally deployed. They were clearly not unaware. It was highly likely they were loyal soldiers who only followed Geum Gang-seop’s orders.
Their tent village was set up on the opposite side of the Alpha Team espers’ tents. As Yoon Tae-ha counted the numbers, on her way back to her tent, she spotted white hair that stood out even in the dark.
She approached the outsider with quick steps. Raphael, who was drawing something with a wooden stick in front of his tent, sensed her presence. He raised his head.
“What a welcome sight!”
Raphael smiled brightly and opened his arms as if glad to see her.
“I thought you were dead since I didn’t hear from you!”
“You got what you wanted, didn’t you?”
Raphael quirked an eyebrow as she omitted the formal greeting.
“That’s not enough to accomplish anything. Our enemy will still be gleaming their eyes outside the dense forest.”
Yoon Tae-ha turned her head towards the dark forest beyond the shield.
“Shall we take a walk?”
Quite a few people were outside. Raphael understood her suggestion to move to a private place for secrecy.
He went into his tent, grabbed a small lamp, and led the way like a polite gentleman. Yoon Tae-ha followed behind him, maintaining a suitable distance.
Phantom Hoof Forest had a different atmosphere from Amdukias Forest, which was filled with the sounds of small animals. This forest was utterly silent, with not even the usual insect noises.
“I don’t know how much you understand, but... This forest is extremely dangerous.”
Raphael, who had been walking far ahead, broke the silence.
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