NOVEL NEXT Chapter 176
Chapter 176: The Unexpected Visitor
“How’s the preparation going, Officer?”
To-ya asked with her cheeks full of bread, chewing happily.
She really loved to eat.
Whenever I gave her allowance, she’d buy a mountain of snacks, stacking them up in the house.
Si-hyun chuckled, watching To-ya.
While everything else about her was mature, this was the one moment she acted like a child.
“Well enough, but it’s still lacking.”
“Hmm… I see.”
To-ya gulped down her orange juice beside me.
I waited for her to finish before speaking up again.
“The Emperor will make a move, right?”
I’d already assumed they would, even mentioning it to the Correctional Headquarters and the Hunter Association.
If they didn’t make a move, it could place Si-hyun in a rather awkward position.
The bureaucracy is lenient with budget waste from the top brass but brings down the hammer on subordinates.
And this time, two precious S-Class individuals were involved.
If nothing happened, Si-hyun would have to take responsibility for that ridiculous situation.
“I don’t really know much about the Emperor. However, Uncle William said something. He mentioned that the Emperor is the kind of man who always gets what he wants.”
To-ya answered, recalling that moment.
“I get an idea of his personality.”
There was such a person among the inmates.
A guy who threatened the woman he had a crush on with a weapon, raped her, and drowned her, insisting she would be his forever.
Si-hyun couldn’t help but think of him.
“Then he will definitely show up.”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Alright, I guess I need to ask for help.”
Si-hyun muttered.
“Help? From whom?”
To-ya’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A very scary lady.”
“A scary lady?”
“Hyris.”
“Hyris? The great sorceress Hyris?”
“You know the Sage?”
“I heard it from Uncle William. He talked about individuals to watch out for.”
“…So she really is a person of interest.”
“Officer, do you know Hyris?”
To-ya looked at Si-hyun with admiration.
Si-hyun shrugged nonchalantly.
“Well, I guess I have my connections. Oh, but…”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t call me Officer in front of Hyris. I’m not really an officer.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…”
Si-hyun did his best to explain the complicated and delicate relationship with Hyris to To-ya.
After he finished, To-ya nodded repeatedly.
“Got it. For the sake of your life, I’ll make sure of that.”
“…Uh, sure.”
“Anyway, if Hyris helps, that would be the best.”
“Right. So I guess I’ll have to go to China for a bit.”
“Can’t you just call her?”
“For something this important, it’s proper to ask in person.”
“I see.”
“So if you really don’t want to be alone for a few days, you can eat and sleep at the Guild.”
“I’m fine. Rolling around here is the most comfortable.”
“…Um, okay.”
Si-hyun stood up.
“Then I’ll go wash up a little….”
Ding-dong.
The doorbell interrupted Si-hyun’s words. He reflexively looked at the clock on the wall.
It was 8 PM.
Not exactly prime time for visitors.
Even if it turned out to be a shady merchant.
He walked to the front door, peeking through the peephole.
‘A woman?’
Si-hyun’s expression turned puzzled.
A woman, and a foreigner at that.
What kind of foreign woman visits at this hour?
He tilted his head and quietly opened the door without undoing the chain.
“Who are you?”
Si-hyun asked, staring at her.
Her lips moved.
“I am a servant of Illyria…”
“I don’t believe you.”
Bang!
“….”
Sinchang Rachel stood frozen, as if turned to stone. It was the first time in her life she had been treated like this without any finesse.
Why would the door be slammed shut before she could even finish introducing herself as a follower of Illyria?
It was utterly incomprehensible.
Taking a moment to think, she wondered if she had done anything wrong.
But nothing seemed off.
Rachel’s hand cautiously reached back for the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
As the bell rang again, Si-hyun spoke, voice laced with irritation.
“No… I don’t believe you. Why don’t you go find someone gullible to take you to heaven?”
“Who is it?”
To-ya asked, curious.
“Just a pesky old woman, even more annoying than a merchant.”
“I see.”
To-ya nodded, marking it in her memory.
Meanwhile, Rachel finally grasped the situation.
He seemed to think she had come to proselytize. But calling her an old lady? That was quite a shock.
Even Rachel, usually composed, almost bristled at that remark.
“Ahem.”
Clearing her throat, Rachel spoke through the door.
“I’m not here to proselytize. I have something to discuss, so could you please open the door?”
Despite the harsh treatment, her polite demeanor was a prime example of Illyria’s first sword.
However, she was unaware.
Everyone used those lines.
“I’m not here to preach. Let’s just chat for a moment.”
Getting duped into opening the door could lead to a half-hour ordeal.
“If you keep this up, I’m calling the police, lady.”
Si-hyun said, ignoring Rachel’s words.
“….”
Police?
Could he be referring to that police force she knew?
Rachel froze.
She possessed the power to tear down steel gates like paper.
But the door in front of her felt sturdier than any fortress.
She couldn’t figure out how to force it open.
It felt like a trial laid down by Illyria herself.
Standing still, she fell into deep thought.
◈ ◈ ◈
As usual, Si-hyun had breakfast early in the morning.
Even as Section Chief, he always arrived at the Detention Center early, just like before.
It made him feel like the day started off with a bit more ease.
‘When should I take a vacation?’
Lost in that thought, he opened the front door.
“…Huh?”
Si-hyun’s eyes widened suddenly.
And then,
“Whoooa…! What the heck?!”
Startled, Si-hyun screamed and stumbled backward.
For there stood the last person he expected…
The foreign woman from yesterday.
She was gazing at him in the same pose as before.
Not a hint of her presence until the door opened.
As if she had always been there, standing so naturally.
And then,
Si-hyun’s eyes grew wide again as he noticed something.
Frost.
Her hair and body were blanketed in white frost.
That meant she had been standing right there all night.
Good grief.
Only a deranged stalker could manage that.
“Uh… what are you doing?”
His voice trembled instinctively.
“It’s finally opened. It seems I’ve found the right answer.”
“…Huh?”
“I have something to discuss.”
“Ah… y-yes, yes….”
Her gentle voice made Si-hyun twitch involuntarily.
The situation called for it.
“I am Rachel, a humble daughter serving Illyria.”
She clasped her hands respectfully, bowing.
Si-hyun returned the gesture almost unconsciously.
“Ye-yes… I’m Lee Si-hyun.”
“I’m here to find someone.”
“…Who are you looking for?”
“Here.”
Rachel pulled out a photo from her pocket and presented it to Si-hyun.
Squinting, he examined the picture.
As soon as he recognized the individuals in it, he felt a flicker of wariness.
William and To-ya were in that photo.
“Who are you?”
Si-hyun asked, seriousness enveloping him.
“As I mentioned earlier, I am a humble daughter of Illyria.”
“….”
Si-hyun scrutinized her from head to toe.
There were no visible weapons.
She seemed harmless.
But he couldn’t jump to conclusions.
Only those intimately familiar with where To-ya was could have made it here. She had claimed to come without telling anyone.
So how…?
Just then, To-ya emerged from the hallway, rubbing her eyes.
“…Why’s it so noisy this early?”
Si-hyun stepped in front of her protectively.
“Huh?”
To-ya’s eyes widened as she met Rachel’s gaze.
Rachel’s expression brightened at the realization that the girl she was looking for was right there.
To-ya pointed at Rachel with astonishment.
“That’s the lady from the photo!”
“You know her?”
Si-hyun asked, confused.
“Um… this lady, the first sword of Illyria. Sinchang Rachel.”
A title rich in glory that certainly elevated her status.
The seemingly ordinary woman before them turned out to be someone extraordinary.
“And you are, sister?”
Rachel smiled and turned to To-ya, curious to know who she was since she had only seen her in a photo.
“I’m not a follower of Illyria, so I’m not your sister.”
“Oh my… I thought since you were with Sir William, you must be a follower.”
Rachel said with a disappointed expression.
To-ya then introduced herself, her lips fluttering.
“I’m To-ya, the Sage of Blood Flow, miss.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“Is that what happened…?”
Rachel murmured, lost in thought after hearing To-ya’s explanation.
Si-hyun sat beside her.
He had made a quick phone call and taken an urgent sick day. It didn’t feel right to go into work now.
He was starting to understand Rachel’s true identity.
This woman was among the strongest on the continent.
Nothing about her appearance conveyed that at all.
Her face was pale, and her body fragile.
Still, she wasn’t unrelated to William’s tragic death.
The Emperor had killed a knight of Illyria, one of the only ten with that rank.
This could lead to Illyria branding the Emperor as an enemy.
If that happened, it might actually help in their current situation.
“So, I plan to mess up the Emperor’s plans. Helping this… Officer here is part of that.”
She almost said “Guard” but quickly corrected it to “Officer.”
Rachel was unaware of Si-hyun’s identity.
Referring to Po-ahim or Sword Master wouldn’t make sense to her.
So they decided to stick with “Officer.”
Since the Emperor was targeting inmates at the Detention Center, it wasn’t odd for an officer to get involved.
“Really now.”
Rachel replied, her face thoughtful.
“By the way, is Illyria not moving? A holy knight serving the Divine has been killed.”
Si-hyun’s question was indirectly asked through To-ya’s mouth.
Si-hyun fixated on Rachel, eager to hear her response.
“Illyria doesn’t… move. Especially not concerning the Emperor.”
Rachel answered with a heavy tone.
“Why not? That’s disappointing for Illyria.”
“To mobilize the military force, a majority of the cardinals must approve. They fear the Emperor, so they’re unlikely to give their approval.”
“Oh, I see.”
To-ya nodded, as if connecting the dots.
Si-hyun felt a sense of regret but knew he couldn’t say anything given the situation.
After all, Illyria was out of the question.
They would have to proceed according to their original plan.
At that moment, Rachel broke the silence with a peculiar tone.
“However….”
To-ya and Si-hyun stared at her, waiting for what came next.
“I can act alone. The first sword of Illyria has that kind of authority.”
“What do you mean….”
“I can’t just let the Emperor acquire the Predator. I intend to do whatever I can to stop it.”
Her voice echoed with an angelic tone.
Si-hyun’s face lit up with joy.