Early Morning
Lamplamp Hotel Lobby
“Hmm.”
Tempret sat on a couch in the lobby, lazily chewing gum before finally speaking.
"Is everyone here?"
At his words, the man sitting across from him, Ferman, gave a slight nod.
As usual, he wore a wool beret on his head.
"Everyone except for one."
"Huh? Who’s missing?"
"Bilbosel."
Bilbosel?
After a brief silence, Tempret furrowed his brow as he recalled who that was.
"That’s the guy who was tailing Daniel Steiner yesterday. The one who tipped us off that he had entered the Lamplamp Hotel."
"That’s right. But when I tried contacting him this morning, he didn’t answer."
"Didn’t answer, huh…"
Chomp. Chomp.
Tempret continued chewing his gum for a while before scratching his cheek.
"That leaves two possibilities. Either he chickened out and ran for his life, or he got too cocky, thinking he could kill Daniel Steiner on his own—and got his head lopped off for it."
He blew a bubble, letting it expand until—
Pop!
The gum burst, sticking to his lips.
Tempret flicked out his tongue, casually licking up the stray bits before continuing to chew.
Ferman, watching this display with growing anxiety, hesitated before speaking.
"If it’s the latter, shouldn’t we be more concerned? If Bilbosel spilled our plan, we could all end up dead—"
"I see it differently."
Tempret shrugged.
"You know as well as I do—this hotel doesn’t have a back exit. If anyone wants to leave, they have to pass through this lobby."
"Even if Bilbosel ratted us out, it wouldn’t change much."
"But still—"
"Sure, Daniel Steiner might call for reinforcents. So what? Before they can make a move, we just storm up to his room and shoot him."
Even if Daniel Steiner had moved to another room, it wasn’t an issue.
Among the spies gathered here, there were specialists in tracking.
And while a few mbers of Daniel’s security detail were likely staying in the hotel, this wasn’t a battlefield.
This was indoor combat.
And indoor combat was the specialty of the spies gathered here.
Losing wasn’t even a possibility in Tempret’s mind.
"Ferman, was it? Don’t worry so much. The guys I called here—at the very least, they’re all top-tier in their fields—"
Ding—
The chanical chi of the elevator arriving cut Tempret off mid-sentence.
Every spy scattered throughout the lobby, pretending to read newspapers or lounge in chairs, subtly tensed.
Their hands drifted toward their concealed pistols, preparing for combat.
A tense silence fell over the room as the elevator doors slid open.
But—
No one pulled out their weapons.
Because the one stepping out wasn’t Daniel Steiner.
It was Lucy Emilia.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she walked across the lobby.
The spies rely watched.
Their target was Daniel Steiner.
Not his adjutant.
"……"
Tempret exchanged glances with the other agents before raising a hand in a subtle signal.
— Let her go.
The others nodded in agreent.
Lucy continued walking toward the front desk, where Haron, a spy disguised as a hotel receptionist, greeted her with a practiced smile.
"Good morning, Lieutenant Lucy Emilia. Did you find the room to your liking? If you’re here to check out, please do so with Colonel Daniel Steiner. If you’re just stepping out, however, you’re free to co and go as you please."
Lucy said nothing, simply staring at Haron.
The unblinking gaze made him uneasy, but he forced his professional smile to remain intact.
"Ah. If you’re interested in sightseeing in Erestiom or doing so shopping, I’d be happy to provide recomndations—"
"Drop the act."
A crack ford in Haron’s smile.
He was still grinning, but the air around him had shifted.
"Act? I’m not sure I follow—"
"The eagle soaring in the sky knows nothing of the world beneath the earth."
Haron’s hand twitched.
It was a cipher—an internal code used only by the Allied Intelligence Division.
And this woman knew it.
His forced smile disappeared entirely.
"Are you an ally? If so, assist us. We’re here to eliminate Daniel Steiner."
"I refuse."
"…Why?"
"Because you have broken the fundantal principles of the Allied Intelligence Division."
Lucy’s tone was calm.
"Every Allied agent is bound to act strictly according to orders. Yet, here you are—thinking and acting on your own."
Haron clenched his jaw.
"Pallentia Branch was wiped out. Our entire communication network fell into the Empire’s hands. Headquarters won’t respond to us, fearing interception. Surely you understand that much."
"I do."
"Then you should also understand why we have no choice but to act independently!"
"Your personal opinions are irrelevant."
Lucy let out a quiet sigh.
"What matters is that you are acting on your own—and my mission is to judge those who do."
She paused, then added:
"However, I am currently questioning the motives of the Allied Forces. If you comply, I have no reason to harm you."
Haron narrowed his eyes.
"Comply? With what?"
"Abort the assassination of Daniel Steiner. Disband this operation imdiately.
Otherwise, I will have no choice but to intervene."
A bitter laugh escaped Haron’s lips.
He couldn’t believe the nonsense coming out of her mouth.
"There are thirty agents gathered here."
His voice was laced with mockery.
"Veterans. Killers. Every single one has taken lives before.
Are you saying you’ll take us all on alone?"
Lucy’s expression remained unreadable.
"If necessary, yes."
"…They say there’s no cure for stupidity."
Haron smirked as he drew a pistol from beneath the front desk.
"Looks like I won’t need anyone else’s help. I’ll kill you with my own hands."
The other spies stirred in alarm.
Among them, Tempret shouted urgently.
"Haron! Stop this imdiately! You’re not thinking straight!"
"Shut up! This is necessary for the greater cause!"
Haron silenced the others with a sharp glare before sneering at Lucy.
"Hey. You damned bitch. Got any last words?"
Lucy t his gaze without hesitation.
"You’re the one who’ll ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) need them."
"Still bluffing? Fine. If silence is your final statent, I’ll accept it. Farewell."
Haron pulled the trigger.
BANG—!
At the exact sa mont, his head exploded.
Of course.
Because from the very beginning, his gun had been aid at his own temple.
Haron’s headless body crumpled to the floor, and an eerie silence engulfed the hotel lobby.
The spies, who had been watching Lucy’s back in stunned tension, began rising from their seats one by one.
Tempret, still standing, swallowed dryly before shouting to the others.
"It’s an illusion! That bitch is using hallucinations! Don’t look her in the eyes or talk to her!"
The remaining spies hesitated.
Tempret yelled again.
"What the hell are you waiting for, you idiots?! Shoot! SHOOT!"
Snapping out of their shock, the spies drew their guns and opened fire.
Gunfire rang out in rapid succession—dozens of bullets ripped through the air.
But—
Pabababak—!
The bullets stopped mid-air, slamming into a shimring blue barrier before either dropping uselessly to the floor or outright vanishing.
A high-density mana shield had ford, blocking every single shot.
"Impossible! How—?!"
It was one thing to block a few bullets.
But to perfectly intercept a storm of bullets from every direction?
That shouldn’t have been possible.
If such a feat were possible, guns would have no reason to exist.
And yet—
Lucy did it effortlessly.
"Shit! What the hell is she?!"
As Tempret hastily swapped magazines, Lucy turned around.
In her hand—when had she even drawn it?—was Bilbosel’s dagger.
A bad feeling surged through Tempret’s gut.
He quickly raised his pistol to fire, but—
Lucy vanished.
For a split second, her figure blurred—then disappeared entirely.
‘She’s accelerating her perception, too?!’
For most people, mastering even one of these techniques was enough to be called a genius.
Lucy was chaining them together effortlessly.
Realization dawned on him in a horrifying instant.
He turned his head, about to warn the others—
But his eyes widened in sheer shock.
"What…?"
Where Lucy had just passed, blood erupted like fountains.
A spy scread as his arm flew off.
Another fell to the floor, frothing at the mouth as his head tumbled away.
The surviving spies, consud by panic, fired wildly in all directions.
Bullets ricocheted off the walls, the ceiling, and the furniture.
"Aaaaaagh!"
"MY ARM! MY AAAARM!"
"PLEASE! DON’T KILL ! PLEASE!"
Every ti Tempret blinked, the number of corpses doubled.
The entire lobby was drenched in blood.
Dismbered limbs floated through the air.
Even those who tried to fight back—
They couldn’t even track her movents.
She was too fast.
And Tempret—
Tempret stood frozen.
Slowly, he raised his gun—
And pointed it at his own head.
This wasn’t an illusion.
Lucy hadn’t used a hallucination on him.
He simply understood.
He couldn’t win.
He finally realized—
The legendary Red Silk of the Allied Intelligence Division…
Was her.
Not just that—
Tempret knew exactly who she was.
A test subject.
One of the Empire’s cursed creations.
His lips curled into a bitter smirk.
"Goddamn. What kind of monster did they make…?"
His finger tensed on the trigger.
"…This isn’t even fair. Fuck you, Allied Forces."
With that final curse—
Tempret pulled the trigger.
Reviews
All reviews (0)