C81: The Approaching Nightcrawlers (3)
More chapters later.
Trina gave Lloyd an order before he went to interrogate Rudger.
‘Lloyd.’
‘Yes, boss.’
‘If you don’t get a proper answer from him, just give up.’
‘Is that okay?’
‘Yes, but shake hands when you say goodbye at the end.’
‘A handshake, you say?’
“You have to do it naturally. You know what I mean?’
Lloyd didn’t even ask why.
The night before in the alley Trina explained everything. The one who killed the Calsapa Assassin was a wizard who specializes in close combat so she wanted Lloyd to check Rudger’s hand for traces of training.
“Did you shake hands with your bare hand?”
“Yes, but he was wearing gloves.”
“Is that so? But there’s no way you didn’t notice with just one layer of gloves.”
Lloyd nodded. In the end, all he was aiming for was a handshake at the end. The questions that he asked before were a trick to divert the other person’s attention.
“So how was it?”
“Yes, I felt it as I shook hands with him…….”
Lloyd delivered what he had confirmed as it was.
“He’s an ordinary wizard without any training.”
“What?”
Trina frowned.
* * *
Rudger, who was left alone in his office after Lloyd left, sat in front of his work table and clenched his fist.
“Handshake, ok.”
In the eyes of a third party, it would be thought that it was just a polite way to end the meeting but from Rudger’s point of view, he had no choice but to think that it was a show of deceit.
‘Lloyd of the Nightcrawler Knights under the Security Bureau. Age is late 20’s, glasses were worn on his face, and his hair was neatly parted. It must be said that he has an unshakable gaze and a personality that gets things done neatly.’
He felt it during the conversation.
As if he had prepared all the questions in advance, Lloyd calmly and confidently asked them one by one, like a well-written script.
Rudger had the illusion that he was building bricks when asked. The bricks piled up and piled up, surrounded him before he knew it, so he wouldn’t escape. And lastly, Lloyd’s handshake.
‘Keep asking questions, influencing the other person mentally, and throw a decisive shot the moment he lets his guard down at the end. It’s a very sophisticated way.’
If it was a stranger, he would shake hands with him without much thought but Rudger guessed right what he was thinking.
‘That man named Lloyd must have checked my office before I came.’
As Rudger entered through the door, his eyes were on the window sills and shelves, and his fingertips skimmed through the books in the library.
He checked the places that are difficult to reach and where dust is easy to accumulate. His behavior was restrained and he even refused the light refreshments he offered.
Rudger was convinced that a person like Lloyd would not ask for a handshake without gloves.
‘He was trying to confirm something by shaking hands.’
So what was he trying to confirm? Was he trying to measure the other person’s skills by letting the magic flow through the hand he was holding? That is a very rude act that can be considered an attack on the other side. Even the Nightcrawler Knights cannot do such a thing carelessly.
Furthermore Rudger is a teacher of Theon and this identity can’t be treated carelessly even by the Security Bureau.
‘Then what can be confirmed simply by shaking hands?’
That’s right, traces, traces on the palm of his hand.
‘Last night, the security officers visited the scene where I and Violetta fought. I don’t know how they got there, but it was a close call.’
And he must have gotten a clue from the traces of the fight there. The culprit is a wizard, but he also handles weapons well.
How is that possible? Even if asked like this, it would be possible for Nightcrawler Knights.
There was magic, and there was a corpse stabbed with a sword. As they belong to the Security Agency, they are also elite, so they should have noticed right away.
‘Was he trying to see if I was the one by shaking hands?’
They’re smart people, using a handshake to confirm if a suspect is the culprit. However, since I knew about it I could cope with it.
Rudger recalled the conversation he had with Seridan before leaving his hideout.
“Seridan.”
“Huh? What?”
“Before I go, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it? What do you need?”
“Can you make some kind of gloves for my hands? They must be similar to human skin, but from a very soft material.’
“What?”
“Is it possible?”
‘Sure! However, it is difficult right now to be completely identical. I have to work on the material and that takes time.’
‘That’s fine. I can do the rest with my magic.’
“Okay. There are ingredients left from making the infinitesimal sphere that Nari used, so it will work somehow. Oh, but what happened to the infinitesimal sphere?”
“I tore it up and threw it away.”
“What?”
Rudger added a portion of the artificial skin he received from Seridan to the palm of the inside of the glove. That’s right, the skin Lloyd’s felt in the glove as they shook hands, was not Rudger’s real skin.
‘Even if you’re a security officer, you won’t notice it.’
Seridan’s skills are the real deal and the artificial skin she created is comparable to real skin. The face mask made of artificial skin can easily pass even thorough inspections in the border area.
‘Officers of the Security Bureau have good brains, but that’s it.’
Rudger rolled up the corners of his mouth and began reviewing the test questions for the first test.
* * *
“Senior, is that true? Are you not mistaken?”
“You think I don’t even know that?”
“No, but…….”
“Stop it. There’s no way Lloyd didn’t notice.”
“But, sir…….”
Trina was quite disturbed since Rudger was their only clue but nothing suspicious about him was found.
“Then is the case back in the labyrinth?”
In other words, the real culprit was hiding somewhere in Leathervelk but she couldn’t figure out who it was because the city is huge and she doesn’t know many people.
‘Arsene Lupin, I thought I found his traces.’
Is she going to not catch him again?
Trina Ryanhowl clenched her fist.
During the time when she was called the Patriotic Frontier and made her name as an elite of the Knights she was always on a roll without knowing her failure, but she experienced defeat for the first time.
She was born as an aristocrat, had natural talents and with appropriate efforts, she never experienced failure until she met him. A man who steals what can’t be stolen and plays a lot of tricks, Arsene Lupin.
She wanted to find him right away if she could, but…
‘I can’t spend my time on an investigation that doesn’t make any progress.’
Her role ended at the point where she couldn’t find any clues.
She is the leader of the Nightcrawler Knights belonging to the Intelligence Agency and because of her position it was difficult for her to move around.
“Lloyd, Enya.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“I’m leaving for the capital again.”
“Then the investigation into this case…….”
“Without a proper clue, we can’t go any further. I’ll report to the top that the investigation is temporarily suspended.”
“Then is it over?”
“I can’t stay here forever, because I’m busy. So, you stay here.”
“What?”
“Stay here in Leathervelk, and if anything suspicious happens, don’t hesitate to report it to me. Do you understand?”
“Yes, but what about senior?”
“No. Lloyd has something else to do. Lloyd, do you agree?”
“If it’s your order.”
“Uh, uh, but if you say this all of a sudden…….”
“Enya. Please.”
“……!”
Enya nodded with a determined face when she realized that this was an order from Trina Ryanhowl’s the “individual,” not from the Security Agency.
“Yes, sir!”
“I’m sure you’ll do well.”
Trina answered and was about to leave but at that moment, Lloyd exclaimed.
“All right, boss! Are you going to keep going? Will you meet Mr. Rudger in person…….?”
“No. I can’t do that.”
“What? Why…….”
“The reason I came here in the first place was because of ‘that kind of condition’.”
“I can’t believe it.”
It was incomprehensible to Lloyd. Is it that hard to meet someone?
Trina tried to explain the whole situation to her confused lieutenant, but felt someone approaching her and turned her head.
“Just in time.”
“What?”
Lloyd and Enya also starred in the direction that Trina was looking at. There was a woman approaching slowly towards them.
‘Since when?’
Although she was close enough to be easily seen with the naked eye, she did not feel anyone approaching.
A beautiful woman with white and pale pink two-tone long hair waving in the morning sunlight was approaching them. She smiled brightly and waved her hand.
“Yay! Trina! Long time no see!”
“Elisa, we met earlier this morning, what do you mean a long time?”
“That’s how I feel.”
Seeing her talking to Trina in a friendly manner, Enya and Lloyd were embarrassed inside.
‘Elisa? Elisa Willow?’
‘She’s the president of Theon Academy, isn’t she?’
A genius wizard who achieved the 6th rank, Lexorer, at a young age.
“Elisa, what are you doing here?”
“You’re leaving soon, so I came to see my friend off.”
“Huh. It’s unnecessary consideration.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
“If that’s the case, then there’s no reason why you couldn’t arrange for that bastard named Rudger Chelici to meet me right?”
“No, that’s different.”
Elisa shook her head.
“Don’t bother our talented newbie too much.”
Looking at Elisa talking to her with a mysterious smile, Trina swallowed her irritation inside.
The reason she couldn’t meet Rudger Chelici in person was because none other than Elisa Willow interfered.
“You must like him quite a bit.”
“Because he is a rare and talented person, but what would he do if he met Trina in person?”
“You look at me like I’m someone who destroys people.”
“Wrong.”
“…….”
Trina stared at Elisha and then turned her head.
“We’re leaving Enya, Lloyd.”
“Oh, yes!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Trina, you’re going to go like this?”
“I will go. So there is no need to see off.”
“Aren’t you going to see the princess?”
“She is also the blood of the imperial family. I don’t have to check if she’s doing well. You’ll do well on your own.”
As if she didn’t want to talk anymore, Trina stopped coldly but Elisa was not dissatisfied or regretful with Trina’s attitude. It seems to be natural between the two so she just accepted it.
“I’m leaving.”
Maybe because of the old days Trina added the last words.
* * *
‘The president knows her?’
I shook my head as I watched secretly from the window. Even watching from afar, it is clear that the atmosphere between the two is not very friendly but not completely hostile either. Still, they don’t look that close to each other.
‘Is this an ambiguous relationship?’
Two people, who were originally friends, meet each other as leaders and keep each other in check.
Maybe it’s because there was some kind of incident between the two of them in the past.
‘I don’t know exactly what happened.’
I’m glad that I don’t have to face Trina Ryanhowl in person.
‘It’s all thanks to the president’s protection.’
If she hadn’t stopped Trina Ryanhowl she would’ve been the one who came to see me, not Lloyd. I’m truly fortunate and one thing I’m sure about this situation.
‘The president decided to trust me.’
After the Werewolf affair, Aidan and Jevan Pellio’s duel and even the Almighty stone incident that followed I thought that the president acted when the Knights of the Security Agency came to visit me
The president promised to take care of me. In other words, I have taken a big step toward becoming a trusted teacher of Theon.
‘However, this is different from unconditional trust. Now, she thinks I’m a good guy, so she’s protecting me.’
If there were any signs of doubt, the president might come forward and try to kill me. So I have to be as careful as possible to avoid that.
‘Now, all that remains is to find the First Order of the Black Dawn.’