Chapter 70

The Red Monster (2)

In truth, Dana Watson had only conducted the body search driven by pure animal instinct.

Even now, with nothing particularly suspicious found, Dana Watson’s instincts still harbored doubts about Kairus.

"Have you finished your inspection?"

In response to Kairus’s question, Dana Watson answered.

"More or less."

Dana Watson was the type who prioritized the pull of instinct over the voice of reason.

She had searched his body, and nothing suspicious had come up. If she thought logically, clinging to him any longer would just be a waste of time.

Yet somehow, she didn’t want to let Kairus go so easily. She didn’t know why. Instinct or intuition, by their nature, worked that way.

If it could be interpreted and understood, it belonged to the realm of reason, not instinct.

‘It just doesn’t feel right to let him go.’

But no matter how much her instincts warned her, she couldn't detain Kairus without any concrete evidence.

Kairus thought the same.

"You said you were helping Irena with the patrol."

"Yes, that’s correct."

Hearing his answer, Dana Watson said, “Good,” and lightly tapped both of Kairus’s shoulders with her greatsword.

"Alright. For today, you’re my squire. Follow me."

"What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

Kairus, appointed as a squire as casually as buying a hot dog from a street vendor, suppressed his confusion and asked again.

"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re paid a day’s wage for being my squire."

Kairus had already committed a crime that, if caught by Dana Watson, would absolutely get him killed.

He had no intention of risking that kind of immense danger for such a measly sum.

‘Especially since if this job ends well…’

The promised payment was a secure account guaranteed by the Imperial Treasury Chief. If Kairus transferred the money he currently had into that account?

If he wanted a modest and safe life, he wouldn’t have to work another day in his life. Yet now, he had to stick close to the captain of the Order?

"I’m not really keen on this. I’m not sure I can properly serve you, Captain."

At his words, Dana Watson grinned slyly.

"What’s this, suddenly acting all humble?"

"Honestly, you said you'd pay me… but considering the dynamic between Irena and me, it’s not like I’m in desperate need of money."

At that, Dana Watson chuckled softly.

"Do I look like I’m offering a suggestion?"

"No, you don’t. But wouldn’t it be too boring if I just got dragged along without any resistance?"

Dana Watson let out a short laugh at his reply. Kairus didn’t resist too hard either.

He had already hidden the stolen list of artifacts immediately after meeting Irena, ensuring it wouldn't be discovered right away.

"Wow, you’re even worried about being charming? How cute."

At Dana Watson’s mocking tone, Kairus sighed inwardly.

His mouth was doing its best to keep talking, but it was strange that he wasn’t terrified of Dana Watson.

As he left the museum, he had felt the pressure from Dana Watson’s overwhelming presence.

‘No matter how human she may look with a pair of eyes and ears and a nose…’

There was no way someone like her could appear human in Kairus’s eyes.

"Well, since you’re technically part of the operation now, I should fill you in. Other than the artifact list, it seems nothing else was stolen from the vault."

To be exact, what was stolen were the artifact list and a piece of battle gear named Flicker. But Kairus didn’t feel the need to correct Dana Watson.

"That’s strange. Breaking into a museum and walking away with practically nothing?"

"Exactly. And we’ll get the list back soon enough. The book itself has some special enhancements."

At her words, Kairus almost reacted.

‘Did I just react? No, right?’

He was worried by the mention that the book had special enhancements allowing it to be tracked, but that wasn’t his main concern.

Dana Watson was a superhuman. If he showed even the slightest odd reaction, she would notice immediately.

"Hey, take this."

"...What is this?"

Lost in a storm of worries and possibilities, Kairus suddenly found Dana Watson pressing a few bills into his hand.

"Whoever that son of a bitch is, that bastard who broke into the vault made me miss my meal. Go knock on a civilian's door and ask them to make me some toast."

No one would refuse a meal request from the captain of the knights.

"Understood."

Dana Watson unknowingly achieved a feat—ordering a meal delivery from the very person who’d made her skip a meal in the first place.

"Make sure it’s loaded with sugar. They say generosity comes from full granaries, and happiness comes from sugar."

While Kairus went off to seek help from a local household, Dana Watson scanned the area briefly, then vanished like a mirage.

From the start, Dana Watson had suspected Kairus.

‘Let’s keep him close and give myself some time to do a little digging.’

After assigning Kairus an unnecessary errand, Dana Watson began tailing him.

Of course, with Kairus’s skills, he had no way of noticing her surveillance.

But just because he hadn’t noticed didn’t mean he wouldn’t suspect it. Just as Dana Watson found him suspicious without any proof.

‘It’s like he’s advertising how suspicious he is.’

Kairus, too, was suspicious of Dana Watson’s reason for giving him such a pointless errand.

In fact, he had a rough idea of her intention.

And he knew exactly how to respond.

It was simple—just visit a nearby home, make the toast, and return with it. But Kairus wasn’t in a position to do even that.

‘What if they really have a way to track the book?’

It wasn’t impossible. Even the special flechettes Kairus could load into his gauntlet could be roughly tracked through linked equipment.

It wouldn’t be strange if something as important as the artifact list had similar precautions in place.

‘…Shit.’

Muttering inwardly, Kairus headed straight to a nearby apartment building.

"Pile the sugar onto the toast. Like you’re trying to make jam out of it. The Captain likes it that way."

Offering a bit of cash in return, the startled resident—who’d been hiding inside—quickly cooperated and began making the toast.

"While we’re at it, make another one. No sugar on that one."

Kairus decided to use the opportunity to grab a quick meal for himself too.

In other words, even if Dana Watson really did have a way to track the artifact list, he decided not to take any evasive action.

‘Now it’s time to leave things to luck.’

Because of this decision, Simid Kellogg’s rebellion plan might experience some setbacks.

Of course, Kairus didn’t want to give up. It was only natural that he wanted to help, knowing he wasn’t the only one aiming for the Emperor’s throat.

That’s why he saved the attacked Simid, sent false information to the Rose Garden, and ultimately came all the way to Rezantin to rob a vault right under the knight captain’s nose.

‘But how am I supposed to handle things when they go like this?’

In essence, the only thing Kairus was giving up on was the safe account. And even if he gave that up, there was still a chance he could retrieve the artifact list later.

‘If Dana Watson was bluffing.’

If she had only said that to test him with false information.

Then, if Kairus obediently gave up on the book and returned with the toast, he’d be killing two birds with one stone.

He’d avoid Dana Watson’s suspicion and might still retrieve the book later when things had cooled down.

"Everything’s ready. Would you like something to drink as well?"

Kairus let out a thoughtful sound before replying.

"Two coffees, if you’ve got them."

With coffee and toast in hand, Kairus returned to where Dana Watson had been.

"Here’s the toast you asked for. I brought coffee too, just in case."

Dana Watson, who had been surveying the surroundings, gave a nod and jerked her chin toward the bench.

"Put it there."

Kairus did as instructed. As soon as he set down the toast and coffee, Dana Watson sat on one end of the bench and crossed her legs.

"Sorry for being suspicious. I won’t say this is compensation or anything, but go ahead and show me what you’ve got. I’ll watch for a bit."

Dana Watson wasn’t exactly someone you’d call kind, but she lived by her own set of rules.

Since she’d suspected Kairus purely on instinct and without any real cause, she wanted to at least offer a simple apology to him for complying without complaint.

And this was how she chose to do it.

"Thank you."

Without a word, Kairus drew Flicker. Opportunities like this didn’t come often.

Dana Watson might think it was just a small apology, but that was only from her perspective.

"Hmm, so you’ve mastered Swift Blade quite some time ago… but you haven’t trained in Cloud Seizing Art at all. Definitely not from the direct line. Well, no way a direct heir would still be alive anyway."

No sooner had Kairus drawn the sword than Dana Watson offered her evaluation.

A chill ran down Kairus’s spine. This was the first time he had properly drawn his sword in front of her.

She had seen just that one motion and instantly discerned the level of his martial arts.

‘If I had trained in Cloud Seizing Art…?’

Dana Watson would’ve caught on. Judging from what she said, she even seemed to know that only direct descendants could learn Cloud Seizing Art.

‘One misstep… and I would’ve blown my cover right here.’

They say big mistakes often happen in the stupidest ways, and this one had nearly been disastrously dumb.

‘Even if I gain the ability to learn Cloud Seizing Art…’

Kairus began to seriously worry whether learning it right away would be the smart move.

Of course, it could be that Dana Watson, as the knight captain of the Valorn Empire, had the insight to tell at a glance.

Powerful figures from other nations, including the Aylan Republic, probably wouldn’t be able to assess him so accurately even if they saw him swing a sword.

"Start with Peerless Wind. It’s the foundation of Swift Blade, so you should be able to manage it well enough, right?"

There was no need to respond. When facing a real opponent, Swift Blade was the technique Kairus always relied on.

As he moved the wind to perform Swift Blade, Dana Watson, who had been watching for about ten seconds, suddenly scowled.

"Ay, you little brat. Are you planning to spend all your time coaxing and coddling it?"

Kairus briefly halted his movements at her words.

"What do you mean—"

Dana Watson stood up and grabbed Angelene’s Answer, which had been resting beside the bench.

"When needed—"

She gripped the greatsword tightly in her hand.

"You’ve gotta do it like this! You have to give it a good thrashing!"

With a single violent swing, completely disregarding the flow or texture of the wind, she shattered the wind Kairus had woven through Swift Blade.

And with another swing, the rampaging wind, which had lost its flow, was forcibly dragged into motion as if yanked on a leash.

Kairus stood there, momentarily speechless, dumbfounded as he watched.

Just like his Peerless Wind had been destroyed by Dana Watson, his entire understanding of the technique was being shattered right before his eyes.

‘That’s not controlling the wind.’

That was more like leashing the wind and dragging it around. It couldn’t even be called Swift Blade.

No—more precisely, it wasn’t the Swift Blade Kairus had practiced all this time.

For a brief moment, Kairus almost rejected Dana Watson’s approach.

[That’s not Swift Blade. She doesn’t understand its subtlety or principles, just brute-forces it with power, and she thinks she can teach me?]

That was the thought that flashed through his mind. But right after reaching that point, a new question began to unfold in his thoughts.

[Then what exactly is Swift Blade?]

Of course, Kairus believed he knew. He had perfected Swift Blade.

If asked, "What is Swift Blade?" his answer was clear.

[You move the air to generate wind, then place that wind under your will and control it.]

In that case…

‘That method can’t be considered wrong either, can it?’

She had moved the air, generated wind, and brought it under her control.

Considering the original meaning of Swift Blade…

Dana Watson’s way completely contradicted everything Kairus had developed through years of training in Swift Blade.

But there was no reason to say it couldn’t be Swift Blade.

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