Escape - Chapter 45.2

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Chapter 45.2

Eric probably wouldn’t have come in person if that name hadn’t been mentioned.

“She was with the Snake Charmer…. She definitely crossed paths with Shade. And she wasn’t in the building?”

“No.”

They had searched thoroughly. She had disappeared from the sixth floor, meaning she must have used a teleportation scroll or some other form of teleportation. They had even found traces of gunfire at the warehouse door. A pursuit team had been dispatched immediately.

Bruja regretted that only those ranked members with unfavorable combat matchups against Shade had remained in the building at the time.

A dragon tamer like Arthur, or someone who wielded fire like Hawthorn, were useful in siege warfare, but they were hardly the right people for pursuing someone inside a building.

And then there was that unfamiliar poison. Combined with the flames, it had blocked Bruja’s path. Recalling the situation, Bruja twitched his leg irritably.

“I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

Unexpectedly gentle words suddenly broke the silence. Bruja looked up at Eric in surprise, who continued casually, “Ghetto almost got caught up in a strange revenge plot.”

“Say one more word.”

Hearing Ghetto’s name, Bruja felt his plummeting heart steady as he gritted his teeth.

He’d been needlessly startled. Of course, that man wasn’t the type to spout sentimental nonsense… Wait a minute, was that a joke? From the ever-stoic Eric den Heiliger?

Bruja, without realizing it, checked Eric’s expression again. Beneath his bright blond hair, his deep blue eyes were as usual, but there was a…sparkle to them.

It was rare for the serious Eric to joke or banter. It was impossible unless he was in an exceptionally good mood. After a moment’s hesitation, Bruha asked,

“So, are you going to the factory district now?”

“No.”

The cleanup on the first floor was almost complete. Moving toward the teleportation area, Eric said curtly, “I can’t leave while important development is underway.”

He meant he was returning to District 9, where he had been. Bruja frowned. The faint smile that had played on his otherwise impassive face was suspicious. So was the fact that he’d made him repeat the same report four times.

Perhaps Eric wasn’t returning to District 9 to develop some kind of transportation. It wasn’t something that required his direct supervision in the first place. He was simply going back to wait for Adeline to find him.

Like a child waiting for midnight to receive a promised birthday present.

Watching his receding figure, Bruja was seized by a strange feeling.

An inexplicable, unsettling discomfort. For Bruja, whose emotions were always clear-cut in their cause and effect, this was a first.

Just then, one of the subordinates who had been burning the bodies approached him.

“About the body hanging from the lobby ceiling. We just got it down. I think you need to see this yourself.”

“Why? Is there some kind of threatening message on it?”

“No. It’s just that…”

The subordinate trailed off, then, seeing that Bruja wasn’t moving, succinctly summarized, “The skin has been removed from the face.”

Bruja’s restless leg stilled. Distracted by other thoughts, it took a moment for the information to register.

The facial skin was gone. As far as Bruja knew, there was only one person who enjoyed doing that kind of thing. As if anticipating the question forming in his mind, the subordinate answered without being asked.

“It was cleanly cut, professionally done. Just like you’re thinking.”

Twenty-four gas poisoning deaths, one murder. He had thought it was a bit odd.

The method of hanging the body high on the ceiling, out of sight, was also strange.

But…

“Why would they come to our company?”

Bruja furrowed his thick brows in bewilderment.

***

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The infernal sound droned on endlessly from the distance. No wonder people usually avoided this place. Even with a wall between them, her ears were ringing.

Thanks to the kindness of Rune’s friend, they were hiding in a makeshift shelter. Outside, it seemed people were searching every nook and cranny of the factory. They had narrowly avoided being discovered, but the oversight lay in the underestimation of the fairies.

They hadn’t considered that the fairies might help someone, or that they would have a designated resting area to recover from their 18-hour shifts. Therefore, they had no idea of the location of the small room carved out behind a wall.

Thanks to this, they had avoided trouble, but… it was undeniably cramped. It was meant for fairies, so it was only natural. It must be even more uncomfortable for Damian, with his larger frame.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

Lost in thought, Adeline turned her head, then froze. He was too close. They were sitting pressed together, front to back, and he was leaning down, his height exacerbating the proximity. She instinctively stiffened, and his long eyes narrowed.

The dim space, the close quarters. They had been together for thirteen years. They had sat this close countless times. Yet, a strange tension filled the air.

They stared at each other in silence. Adeline suddenly realized what she had been thinking about. That first time in the rain….

“No.”

The answer came, but she couldn’t even remember the question.

Adeline was the first to break eye contact. Staring blankly at the palm-sized tapestry hanging on the wall in front of her, she couldn’t tell if the taut tension was due to the people searching for them outside, or his quiet breathing so close to her.

“…Before the massacre, I used to dream of this, you know.”

Adeline’s words were barely a whisper. She felt the body pressed against hers shift slightly.

“Adventures with you, discovering and exploring worlds we’d never seen before. And if we were lucky enough, maybe even seeing the surface, the place I’ve always longed to see.”