‘Why is that woman there….’
On the rooftop of a building.
Han frowned as he spotted the stolen taxi through his binoculars.
She was definitely the employee who had been with Violet at Capital Hospital.
District 15 was quite far from the capital, so she probably was not simply out for a casual trip.
Judging by the situation, it seemed she had come out on an errand for Violet.
‘Of all the taxis she could’ve taken, it had to be that one.’
The scratches had been concealed, but several identifying features matched the photograph.
More decisively, Han knew the driver’s face.
‘He was imprisoned in Alkant.’
Han had memorized the faces of nearly every criminal who had been incarcerated, not just those in Alkant.
The bastard was a Third-Tier Mage affiliated with Pest.
He was also a murderer who had raped and killed several women.
Lea was a young woman exactly within the group they were likely to target.
He doubted they would try anything rash inside the taxi, but there was no question that she would be in danger if this continued.
—Team Leader. What should we do?
Lara radioed him.
The moment Han found the taxi, he quickly relayed the entire situation, but the other groups were quite some distance away.
In other words, Han and Lara, who had been assigned to this point, had to handle the current situation themselves.
HISSSSS—.
Han moved across the rooftops.
He followed the taxi while maintaining enough distance that the driver would not notice him.
‘The best outcome would’ve been for one of our agents to get into the taxi, but that failed.’
‘The taxi is currently heading toward the point where Lara is waiting.’
‘We can’t guarantee the passenger’s safety, so I can’t just keep following it from behind.’
Han’s mind worked rapidly.
‘There are two options. Force the taxi to stop, or have Lara join them as a shared passenger.’
‘The first option guarantees the passenger’s safety, but we’ll lose our chance to find their base.’
‘The second option lets us protect the passenger and locate their base, but Lara could be put in danger too.’
Han weighed the two options.
It would have been different if Lara had already overcome her weakness, but in her current state, he could not help feeling uneasy.
She had said she could not cast while moving, but he did not know the exact conditions under which casting became impossible for her.
—I’ll get in the taxi.
Lara transmitted, apparently guessing what Han was struggling with.
—It’s coming right toward where I am anyway. Sharing a taxi is common, so it won’t look suspicious either. And with how I look, I’m sure they’ll see me as a target.
—…You could be in danger too.
—If I couldn’t handle that much risk, I wouldn’t have joined the Special Unit. And don’t worry. Maybe because I perceive the inside as a separate space, but I can use magic inside a taxi.
—…….
Lara added that she was fairly good at acting too.
Han had to make a quick decision either way, and in the end, he accepted her proposal.
—Understood. I’ll continue following from behind. If it looks like something’s about to happen, I’ll open fire immediately, so keep your communicator transmitting so I can monitor what’s happening inside.
—Heh. Maybe it’s because I saw your shooting skills last time, but that’s reassuring. I’ll do as you said.
The communication with Lara ended.
Han loaded his Revolving Sniper Gun as he continued moving.
He steeled his resolve to complete the mission safely and protect his team member as well.
***
“You’re lucky, young passenger. I was just on my way to Capital Hospital.”
The taxi driver spoke with the corners of his mouth raised.
The “young passenger” he referred to was Lara, who had successfully joined the taxi.
“I suppose so.”
Lara answered in a somewhat cynical tone.
Once inside the taxi, she stared out the window as though she had no interest in her surroundings.
In reality, she was using all five senses to gather information about the taxi, but it would be troublesome if she were caught.
Meanwhile, the taxi driver was not the only one pleased that Lara had joined them.
When Lea’s eyes met Lara’s through the reflection in the window, she gave a small nod.
She had been intimidated by the driver’s rough appearance and manner of speaking, but having someone else there made her feel slightly more at ease.
“How old are you?”
The taxi driver asked.
He subtly looked Lara over through the rearview mirror.
Lara wanted to jab the bastard’s unpleasant eyes out, but she restrained herself.
“What does it matter to you?”
“I’m curious. You look young, but you’re riding a taxi on your own. And judging by your nice clothes, I thought your family might be pretty well-off, so I asked.”
“Then I guess so.”
“…….”
The taxi driver fell silent for a moment.
However, the meaningful smile remained on his lips.
“Yep. I was right. You really are well-off.”
“…….”
“Both of you should get some sleep. It’s going to take quite a while.”
The taxi driver spoke as though he were being considerate of his passengers.
However, neither Lara nor Lea tried to sleep.
Watching the two of them, the taxi driver spoke again.
“I’m telling you, get some sleep. Aren’t you tired?”
“I-I’m fine.”
Lea answered with an awkward smile.
She tightly hugged the bag containing the Mana Stones.
“I’m not really sleepy. And it’s kind of fun looking outside….”
“……Is that so?”
For some reason, his tone sounded disappointed.
Still, the taxi driver did not press the matter any further.
‘Something definitely feels strange.’
It was the same peculiar feeling she had experienced even before getting into the taxi.
The uneasiness that refused to disappear wrapped itself around Lea.
If the girl beside her had not gotten in, she would have asked to be let out somewhere along the way.
“Um….”
Lea spoke to Lara.
Although the girl looked younger than her, perhaps it was because of Lara’s confident and cold demeanor.
Lea found herself subtly relying on her.
“Would you like this?”
Lea held out a chocolate bar.
Lara stared down at it for a moment, then nodded and accepted it.
Then she examined the wrapper.
Of all things.
“……Mint chocolate.”
“Oh, do you not like mint chocolate?”
“…Do you have another flavor?”
“I do. I do. Oh, I’m sorry. Everyone around me likes mint chocolate, so I thought it was a flavor nobody disliked.”
Lea hurriedly searched through her bag.
Perhaps she liked snacks, because the front pocket of her bag was filled with all sorts of chocolate.
“What flavor would you like? Milk, dark, white, peanut butter… and….”
“Milk, please.”
“Ah, yes. Milk. Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
After exchanging the chocolate bar, Lara was about to put it straight into her pocket before deciding to unwrap it.
Lea was staring at her.
‘Reassuring the person we’re protecting is part of the job.’
‘It’d be better if she felt at least a little familiarity with me.’
Lara judged that Lea probably had not offered food to a complete stranger for no reason.
Lea must have sensed something was wrong and wanted to turn Lara, a stranger she had only just met, into an ally.
Not through deliberate calculation, but purely on instinct.
Munch, munch.
Lara began eating the chocolate bar.
Perhaps reassured by that, Lea also unwrapped one of her own.
Then—
“Looks tasty.”
The taxi driver spoke.
Lea became flustered.
“Ah, I’ll give you one. We were thoughtlessly going to eat by ourselves when there are three of us here.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m driving anyway, and I was just saying it. You don’t have to give me one.”
“…Ah. ……Okay.”
Lea stopped midway through offering him the chocolate bar.
Watching while chewing, Lara muttered in disbelief.
“How is ‘Looks tasty’ something you ‘just say’? I have no idea what he’s talking about.”
“…….”
The taxi driver watched Lara through the rearview mirror.
Lara noticed his gaze but continued looking out the window as though she did not care.
In truth, Lara was deliberately acting even more prickly.
She wanted the taxi driver to fully commit to committing the crime.
That way, he would lead them to the bastards’ base.
Fortunately(?), Lara had a talent for getting on other people’s nerves.
She could immerse herself in the role perfectly naturally.
“Hey… young passenger. I don’t usually say things like this, but you should watch yourself.”
For only a brief moment, the taxi driver’s gaze turned cold.
“If you don’t fix that attitude, you could get into serious trouble someday.”
“…….”
The atmosphere froze.
When Lea began looking even more nervous, the taxi driver smiled again.
“Haha. Don’t take it the wrong way. I was only saying it to help you. After living awhile, you learn that this is just how things work in society. …Ah, right. Maybe it doesn’t matter if you come from a rich family.”
Lara let the taxi driver’s words go in one ear and out the other.
Conscious of the communicator inside her inner pocket, she continued watching the scenery outside change.
The streets that had once been packed with high-rise buildings had given way to only the occasional detached house.
She subtly glanced behind them, but there was no vehicle following.
Team Leader Han was undoubtedly racing after them from a considerable distance, but she could not locate him from here.
‘Should I secretly move some mana…?’
Lara wanted to know Han’s position.
According to the Team Leader, that taxi driver was Third Tier.
There was a high chance that he would not notice even if Lara, who was Fifth Tier, quietly moved her mana.
‘No. There’s no reason to deliberately increase the chance of being discovered.’
Lara quickly abandoned the thought.
She would use magic only when the person she was protecting was in danger.
She had volunteered to be bait precisely so they could locate the base.
There was no way she would ruin that now.
‘But…….’
Lara kept her expression under control.
She tried not to show it, but she was still only seventeen years old.
On top of that, she was a complete rookie who had only just come to her second field assignment.
She was pretending not to notice the small… very small amount of anxiety lingering in one corner of her heart.
Just as the taxi was about to enter a tunnel—
“Do you know something?”
The taxi driver spoke again.
Lara gave him an irritated look.
But for some reason, the man was—
“This is the longest tunnel in the Republic.”
—smiling with an unpleasant expression.
PSSSSSH—!
“W-What is this?!”
The taxi began passing through the tunnel.
Then an unidentified gas suddenly started pouring out.
Startled, Lea coughed and shouted.
“Excuse me! Stop the car! There’s smoke coming out back here! Excuse me! Excuse me!”
Meanwhile, Lara moved her mana the instant the gas appeared.
She constructed a formula in an instant and was about to attack the taxi driver when—
“……!”
“That’s a surprised look. You seemed well-off. Did you learn some magic or something?”
At some point, the taxi driver had put on a gas mask.
He no longer bothered hiding his true nature.
“But sorry. The entire back seat is lined with Magic-Suppressing Silver. Heh heh.”
“You bastard…!”
Lara tried to rise and at least throw a punch, but the overwhelming dizziness forced her to slump back down.
Lea collapsed with a thud.
Lara stubbornly fought to hold on even as her consciousness seemed ready to give way at any moment.
“I told you, didn’t I? Watch yourself. A little brat whose blood isn’t even dry yet, and you’ve got the nerve to talk to an adult with that kind of disrespect?”
“G-Ghk….”
“You won’t last much longer anyway. Don’t wear yourself out fighting it. Get some sleep. …When you wake up, I’ll make sure to treat you real nice, you rude bitch.”
Her consciousness drifted farther and farther away.
Her upper body began to tilt.
The small hand tightly gripping the front seat gradually lost its strength.
‘No….’
Lara desperately struggled to remain conscious.
But regardless of her fierce will, her eyelids kept growing heavier.
‘Move…. I said, move……!’
Her vision turned hazy.
The taxi driver’s back was barely visible through the blur.
Then, eventually, even that shape disappeared.
Everything turned a shade darker than the darkness of the tunnel itself.
‘Ah… in here, he won’t be able to take a shot from outside.’
Lara collapsed.