Seren looked at the knights. They responded enthusiastically to Osian's words. There was no sign that they were reluctantly following him just because Osian taught them swordsmanship.
The way they sincerely got angry on his behalf and burned with passion brought to mind the word "purity." Yes. Purity. An elent that was hard to see in the city called Tirna, sothing she thought had completely disappeared.
And what connected them was a strong bond. Seren knew that bond well. The mbers of Violet Fox had always shown such bonds too.
'How foolish.'
She spoke mockingly, but it wasn't sincere. Rather, it was a kind of envy toward sothing she couldn't have.
'I have nothing. Neither the qualification to form such bonds, nor the luxury to do so.'
Creating connections with soone was impossible for Seren. Her ability to shift dinsional phases was akin to a curse.
She tried to utilize it as much as possible, but there were still far more parts she couldn't use. It seed like she was controlling it now, but that was just a surface phenonon. In fact, Seren Gracia's ability had been trying to grasp and manipulate it for a long ti.
It was like living with a wolf on a leash. A wolf with no loyalty, constantly watching for an opportunity to devour its master.
The only ans to control the beast was a single shabby leash. If it ever decided to, the mont she let her guard down, it would easily break the leash and tear out her throat.
And Seren was feeling in real-ti that her ability was gradually growing stronger as ti passed.
She didn't know when she would disappear. It wasn't simply a matter of going sowhere far away. She would be sucked into dinsional rifts and disappear forever in places where no one's gaze could reach. Truly, the annihilation of existence. She would fall to so unknown place, so her final monts would surely be lonely and desolate.
That's why Seren couldn't form deep bonds with anyone. She was essentially living on borrowed ti if she couldn't cure this condition.
'That's why I have to find the White House sohow and cure this condition.'
It didn't matter if she couldn't control it. It would even be fine if this power itself disappeared. Seren closed her eyes and recalled the past.
It was when she first ca to Violet Fox.
-Hehehehe. Everyone. Would you please welco her warmly? This is Seren Gracia, who has newly joined our Violet Fox.
What she encountered in this city was a man with a suspicious smile, Ronan Roland. Following Ronan into Violet Fox was the result of her own calculations.
Anyone could see that Ronan was either a hidden mastermind of the city or a man with solid backing. Seren's calculation was that if she stayed under that person, she would at least be safe from the White House's pursuit.
With Ronan's introduction, Seren t the Violet Fox fixers who numbered only two at the ti.
Basilio and Mist both exuded an extraordinary atmosphere and Seren was certain she had co to the right place.
'I'll just stay here briefly, and once I establish myself, I'll leave.'
That's how her life as a Violet Fox fixer began. Seren made full use of her abilities and succeeded in various requests. As she got to know her colleagues, she realized one fact: the man called Ronan only looked suspicious on the outside but actually had no particular abilities.
Just by looking at him, he seed like soone who wouldn't bat an eye at abandoning even his family, but he actually showed the peculiar behavior of trying to maintain humanly good relationships with the fixers.
It was a half-hearted mindset that didn't suit this harsh industry. If there was any advantage, it was that he had an excellent eye for people. That's probably why all the fixers he recruited showed outstanding performance in the industry.
But Seren's mind wasn't at ease. After all, they were strangers. They had no obligation to help her no matter what she went through. The most trustworthy Ronan turned out to be just a beautiful but worthless fruit, so for Seren, it was just cause for lantation.
While continuing her activities, she happened to be caught by the White House and ca under attack. This happened not long after she had left Violet Fox.
They were determined to capture Seren. The force was formidable enough to think so. Even Seren had to be tense. While escaping would be easy if she used her ability, reality wasn't like that.
'To shake off all those guys, I'd have to use my ability much more and longer than usual.'
If that happened, she could escape from the White House, but she would be devoured by her uncontrolled ability. It was a mont of dilemma for Seren.
The one who helped her was Basilio, from the sa office.
Red lines were drawn in the air, and those who had tried to attack Seren instantly beca cold corpses and collapsed. It all happened too quickly. She trembled with the overwhelming feeling.
Seren looked at Basilio, who appeared before her like a ghost. Seeing that man standing proudly on the quietly settled field of death made her breath catch.
-Th, thank you.
Seren first expressed her gratitude. Her trembling voice had a charm that stimulated n's protective instincts. Naturally earning others' favor. This was Seren Gracia's own survival thod that she had learned to survive in Tirna.
However, Basilio seed uninterested in such things and simply turned his back. There was no advice like being careful. His indifference was so unexpected that Seren was the one who beca flustered.
-W, wait! Are you just leaving?
-I helped enough. The job's done, so I'm going now.
His words were so cold that Seren was rather dumbfounded.
-If you find it so botherso, why did you help ?
That question must have been quite impressive because Basilio pondered for a mont before speaking.
-Because we're from the sa fixer group.
-You want to believe that now? Even if we're from the sa group, fixers compete with each other. Being workplace colleagues is just a surface reason - there's no aning or reason to help.
Perhaps because the tension had eased after being rescued in a mont of crisis, words she had only kept in her heart usually ca out without her realizing it.
-If not that, do you want to gain my favor? Because I'm pretty?
-You seem to be misunderstanding sothing.
Basilio showed an emotional reaction for the first ti. It was a tone half-scolding her.
-You're not that pretty in my eyes. Don't be mistaken.
-...What? No, what is that? What did you just say?
She was even more dumbfounded because she had never been told she wasn't pretty in her life.
-The reason I helped you is nothing special. Ronan just told to get along well with colleagues. And I answered that I would. But if I didn't keep that promise, what would happen to my reputation? Ronan would be quite disappointed too.
-That's all, you're saying?
-Just that? I think that's more than enough reason.
Seren couldn't believe it. Could the relationship between fixers and brokers be that good? She knew that both Ronan and Basilio weren't ordinary fixers and brokers. But still, wasn't this too different from public perception?
-You still don't seem to understand. Yes, I can tell by that look. You're full of wariness toward the world. You can't trust anyone and think everything is just calculated relationships.
-Isn't that how fixers should be?
-It doesn't matter. That's your freedom. But the world isn't a place where you live alone in the end. Living requires tis when you need to form bonds with soone. Especially if that's what you want.
-I don't want that. Such things make people weak. Besides, it's childish.
-How young. It's like seeing my old self.
Basilio laughed out loud for the first ti. Even though he wore a mask, she could tell it was sincere laughter.
-Living taught that wasn't the case. Bonds sotis make us stronger. At least, they make us sohow tenaciously continue this wretched and miserable life. Whether it's friendship, love, or simple acquaintanceship, it doesn't matter. We are weak beings who can only live by borrowing soone's shoulder.
-...That doesn't sound like sothing a person who has solved requests alone without joining hands with anyone would say.
-If I can do it alone, there's no reason to do it with soone. But even soone like , if soday sothing beyond my power cos up... then I'll gladly ask for help.
Seren didn't believe those words. She thought he was just saying things he didn't an to lecture her.
However, she thought Basilio's words themselves were worth deep consideration. She too was secretly feeling limitations about living alone like this.
In fact, she too was hoping for a future of forming ideal relationships with other people and for monts of purely laughing and chatting with soone to co.
When Seren made up her mind and returned to Violet Fox, what she saw was Mist sitting alone, creating an atmosphere. Bonds, huh. Should I try getting close to that guy?
Mist turned to look at her. The mont Seren saw him, she was swept by a strange feeling.
-Hmm. That guy doesn't seem right.
This was because of her instincts and intuition as a woman. Mist was sohow a man who didn't inspire trust.
After that, new people joined Violet Fox. They all had outstanding talents, and even more than that, they were people with untold stories and pasts.
They quickly beca close to each other and showed the bonded appearance that Seren had so desired. But Seren Gracia still couldn't blend into Violet Fox.
Whenever she thought of wanting to do so, her ability would squeeze her heart. Unless she completely severed these chains, she could never dream of a peaceful daily life.
Then. Finally, a new fixer joined Violet Fox.
It was a mysterious young man who used a sword in this city and claid to be a knight.
Osian imdiately moved while leading the knights. The target was the White House's secret laboratory. The ones who had been hiding until now had finally revealed their tail. They no longer intended to hide.
'That ans they're confident. They're confident that even if they gradually reveal their identity, they won't lose to anyone.'
If so, he intended to verify whether that arrogance was truly justified.
"Seren."
"Yeah? Why are you calling ?"
"You said you found their laboratory. And you saw the test subjects too."
"Yeah, that's right. I confird everything clearly with my own two eyes."
"The artificial knights they actually made were quite interesting. Even though they used expedient thods, they used characteristics that knights learn. That's never an easy thing."
It was around the ti she wondered why Osian was asking such things.
"But when you ca to find , the reaction you showed went beyond simple worry to fear. You wouldn't normally do that, so that part concerns ."
At his words hitting the core, Seren briefly pressed her lips together. She soon smiled naturally as if it was nothing serious.
"Well, you saw it too, didn't you? How dangerous that artificial knight was. You were actually in danger too. Ah, I'm not looking down on you. It's just in case, you know? Sotis people die from bee stings. It's roughly that kind of feeling. And also, they're copying your genes and using them for various things. So I judged that the resulting products would be that dangerous because you're such an amazing junior."
The excuse ca out naturally as if she had been thinking about such questions beforehand.
Osian stared intently at Seren's face with a look as if asking, "Is that really all?"
Seren didn't answer but Osian knew that the person called Seren Gracia doesn't make such a fuss over ordinary matters. She was soone who had seen many things with her position as Violet Fox's No.3. Such a person had shown a reaction of fear, even if montarily.
'There's definitely sothing, but she doesn't want to talk about it. I asked quite directly, but I can't force her to reveal what she's desperately trying to hide.'
What on earth had Seren Gracia seen before coming to find him? What had she seen to urge moving so urgently?
Since that question couldn't be resolved imdiately, Osian decided to face the imdiate reality.
In the distance, he could see an abandoned factory. It was a place that could be found without difficulty in District 37. That place was the White House's secret laboratory where they were training artificial knights.
Osian looked back. The knights following him were lined up wearing armor and swords.
Wearing elegant silver-shining armor, they displayed the dignity of proper knights.
Everyone waited for Osian's words. Then he had no choice but to gladly et those expectations.
"Show them how brilliant what was truly built through effort is and how worthless what those guys possess is."
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