Chapter 69

The Red Monster

Kairus barely managed to escape the area suppressed by Dana Watson’s overwhelming presence.

“Ghaaak! H-huff...!”

The moment he succeeded in getting out of her sphere of influence, Kairus collapsed onto the ground like he was slamming his head down, then drew in the air in heavy, desperate gasps.

Just being able to breathe properly again made Kairus want to cry.

But he couldn’t afford to linger here. He had to keep moving.

“First...!”

Kairus ran to a public restroom in the park he had scouted in advance, shut the door behind him, and opened the toilet tank lid.

Inside the tank was a waterproof bag. Kairus pulled it out, changed into the clothes inside, and used some chemicals to remove his disguise while checking himself in the mirror above the sink.

‘At the very least, no one saw me come in here.’

It seemed the Scarlet Leaf Order had issued a curfew. Anyone not affiliated with the military could be detained on the spot if found wandering outside.

Of course, just because the curfew was in effect didn’t mean soldiers were deployed immediately. There was physical distance to cover, and equipment to prepare.

And the citizens of Rezantin City followed such orders to the letter. True to a city known for its excellent public security, they didn’t question authority even slightly.

Since no one was walking around, no one had seen Kairus.

‘The problem is…’

Outside the public restroom, the clatter of armor and the clash of weapons rang out.

While Kairus was changing and wiping away his disguise, military forces had arrived. They weren’t just securing the area—they were searching and identifying individuals.

In a few minutes, they would storm into the restroom where Kairus was hiding.

Even though he had changed clothes and removed his disguise, the traces left behind would be obvious.

‘Worst case, I’ll have to kill the soldiers who open the door.’

Kairus had killed plenty of soldiers in his life. It wasn’t guilt that made him hesitate now.

“Shit, this is way too dangerous. If I kill them, wouldn’t that be the end of me too?”

This was different from what happened inside the museum. He was still close to it, and Dana Watson had surely completed all preparations and issued commands by now.

There was absolutely no reason for her to delay responding if something happened.

If Kairus caused a scene here, it wouldn’t take Dana Watson even ten seconds to show up and crush his skull.

“…The clothes.”

Kairus wrapped the clothes he had changed out of with the waterproof sheet again and shoved them back into the toilet tank.

As he was cleaning up the traces left from removing his disguise, the sound of clanking footsteps drew ever closer.

Kairus turned off the faucet at the sink and held his breath, preparing for what was about to happen next.

‘If the door opens…’

He would probably have to kill. Caught inside a public restroom during a citywide curfew, Kairus would be treated as a suspect.

The moment he was found, soldiers would try to detain him while simultaneously searching the restroom.

‘If the soldiers start a full search…’

They’d uncover the clothes hidden in the toilet tank or any leftover traces of his disguise he hadn’t cleaned up.

What would happen next was obvious. If they searched his body, they’d find the artifact inventory he had on him…

‘And I’ll die.’

Even if he didn’t kill the soldiers, Dana Watson would kill him.

It might be better to kill the soldier the moment the door opened and attempt an escape. That at least gave him a sliver of a chance to survive.

Of course, that sliver was about as slim as surviving a direct injection of a paralytic agent.

Kairus slowly moved his hand to his waist, ready to draw Flicker.

With a creak, the door opened.

“Huh? Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?”

Kairus nearly drew his sword and swung it. But when he saw who had entered, he faltered for a moment.

“Irena. Nice to see you. What brings you here?”

He was safe. For a moment, Kairus felt all the tension leave his body.

“What kind of stupid question is that? I’m a knight of the Scarlet Leaf Order.”

This was an emergency, and all forces in Rezantin City were under the full command of Captain Dana Watson of the Scarlet Leaf Order.

Given the situation, it was only natural that Irena Kellogg, a member of the Scarlet Leaf Order, would cancel her leave and carry out assigned duties.

Of course, her stumbling upon Kairus hiding in the public restroom near the Fountain Plaza during the course of her mission was purely coincidental.

“…How should I put it. I was in the middle of something not exactly above board, and then the situation suddenly turned like this.”

At Kairus’s words, Irena clicked her tongue.

“This has something to do with Bennett City, doesn’t it?”

As Irena crossed her arms and continued the conversation, a voice called out from outside.

“Lady Kellogg, is there anything we can assist you with?”

To that, Irena replied calmly in a commanding tone toward the door.

“No. Focus on your assigned positions and carry out your duties.”

Even as a trainee, a knight was still a knight. Ordinary soldiers couldn’t ignore the orders of a trainee knight. In fact, Irena was effectively the one commanding and managing the troops in this fountain park area.

“So, why are you here? Did the museum heist go south?”

Kairus flinched for a moment. But he had no memory of ever telling Irena what he intended to do in Rezantin City.

Irena was just joking. Kairus came to that conclusion and scoffed at her.

“What are you talking about? I already cleared the place out and bagged over 50 battle gear pieces.”

“Of course you did.”

Irena responded as if she had expected nothing less from him.

“So, what’s the story? You’re out here ignoring a curfew order issued under the Captain’s name—it must be a job that pays a hell of a lot.”

At her question, Kairus let out a hum and nodded.

“Somehow, things worked out. Looks like I can expect a decent payout too.”

At that, Irena let out a low chuckle and smirked.

“If it weren’t for me, you’d have been seriously misunderstood here. At minimum, detained. Worst case, one strike from the Captain and you’d be dead.”

Everything Irena said was one hundred percent true, so Kairus couldn’t argue.

And Irena, satisfied by Kairus’s silence, continued with a sly tone.

“Since I saved your life, I think I can ask for a little crumb, don’t you think?”

“You, the only daughter of the Kellogg family, want money that came from the pocket of a Bennett City criminal?”

At Kairus’s words, Irena nodded.

“The Kellogg family’s money isn’t mine. Somehow, I ended up tagging along all the way to Bennett City, so I need to earn a little living, too.”

It was true that Kairus owed his life to Irena. Even now, the tension that had gripped every fiber of his being was suddenly gone, and a wave of exhaustion was washing over him.

“Alright. I’ll make sure you’re well compensated. Don’t worry.”

“Perfect. For now, let’s say I requested backup because I thought you’d be helpful in this situation, and you responded. Got it?”

Irena didn’t know what Kairus had done.

In fact, if she had known he was the one who robbed the Royal Museum, she wouldn’t have cooperated like this.

“Anyway, what the hell is going on? I nearly jumped out of my skin when the curfew alarms and soldiers started showing up everywhere.”

Kairus asked, and Irena answered without hesitation.

“Someone broke into the Rezantin Royal Museum.”

“Oh dear. Someone targeted the museum guarded by the Captain? That’s one crazy bastard.”

“Tell me about it.”

Irena had no idea she was talking to that crazy bastard. And Kairus had no reason to tell her the truth.

“That’s serious.”

“If I hadn’t found you first, you’d probably be on the suspect list.”

After saying that, Irena glanced at Kairus’s sword.

“What’s with that battle gear? Don’t think I’ve seen it before.”

Kairus casually drew the sword hanging at his waist and said,

“I used to use this sword back in Bennett City. Since this was a pretty big job, I had it brought over from there.”

“Oh yeah? Is that so?”

Even to Irena, Flicker, the mosaic-bladed sword Kairus was now using, seemed like a superior piece of battle gear compared to the Stained Glass blade he had previously wielded.

After a brief moment of thought, Irena made a casual proposal.

“Then hey, could I maybe use the battle gear you were using before?”

Kairus paused for a moment, considering her request.

‘If I’m using Flicker anyway…’

Stained Glass had excellent output, but Flicker could produce that level of performance without issue, and even had a unique ability—truly a masterpiece.

Since Kairus couldn’t use ensemble synchronization, owning multiple battle gear was meaningless to him.

Irena knew that too—hence her request.

“Sure. I’ll hand it over once everything’s done and we’re back at the lodging.”

He did owe her for the help, and although Stained Glass had served him well, he had no more use for it.

Her current battle gear wasn’t bad, but compared to Stained Glass, it was clearly inferior in finesse.

Kairus was more than generous enough to provide someone learning swordsmanship from him with the right equipment.

“Thanks.”

Besides, giving her a carrot now would only make Irena more cooperative with him going forward.

From Kairus’s perspective, it was almost a relief that Irena had made the request first.

“So, what exactly do you need me to help with?”

Irena scanned the fountain plaza briefly, then answered.

“Patrol. I’ll give the soldiers separate instructions.”

After finishing her sentence, Irena fished through her pocket, pulled something out, and handed it to Kairus.

“What’s this?”

“Temporary movement permit. It’s got the Scarlet Leaf Order’s emblem and Kellogg’s seal.”

The permit also included the stated purpose of his movement: “Supporting Scarlet Leaf Order operations.”

With this, no soldier would question or obstruct Kairus.

‘My luck’s downright filthy today.’

With that thought, Kairus stepped out of the restroom. Honestly, he wanted nothing more than to return to base and rest.

But he couldn’t. From now on, he had to cooperate with the military patrols, kill some time, and find the right moment to slip away.

“Huh? Who the hell are you, wandering around right now? There’s a curfew going on.”

About thirty minutes into his patrol, Kairus nearly jumped at the sudden voice that rang out behind him.

He hadn’t sensed anything. Until the voice spoke, he hadn’t even considered someone might be there.

Turning around, he saw Dana Watson in full uniform, staring at him with a curious expression.

“Captain of the Scarlet Leaf Order. I’m here at Irena’s request to offer what little help I can.”

To that, Dana Watson responded flatly.

“Yeah?”

As Kairus pulled out the temporary permit, Dana immediately waved her hands dismissively.

“I don’t need to see that crap. Stop moving and spread your arms.”

“Pardon?”

Kairus tensed instinctively.

“‘Pardon?’ What’s this punk-ass ‘pardon’? You’re an acquaintance of one of my subordinates, so I’ll let it slide once. If you don’t want your head cracked open, spread your arms and don’t move.”

Without hesitation, Dana Watson stepped up to Kairus and began a body search with his arms spread wide.

“That’s suspiciously nice battle gear you’ve got there.”

Her hand moved toward Flicker, strapped at Kairus’s waist.

“I got it through a fortunate connection.”

“I’ll bet. Did you at least give the original owner a proper grave?”

Dana gave a curt reply and continued her search.

To Kairus, it felt like a starving lion was licking his face with its tongue.

‘I’ve stashed the artifact inventory list separately.’

The very first thing to do once securing safety was to hide the stolen items. Kairus would never neglect such a basic rule.

Even if he was being searched, he believed nothing suspicious would be discovered.

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