༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (19) ༻
Stopping before the stairs, I cast one final glance over my shoulder.
Befitting operatives of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, they seemed to have some resolve. A few of them, having tended to their injuries as best they could, struggled to their feet.
However, they were too powerless to do anything with their shattered shoulders and broken spines, especially when they weren’t worthy opponents even in perfect condition.
As such, it only took a few short minutes to put down the last remnants of resistance of the members of the Press Club.
In the end, their bodies lay strewn across the floor at the foot of the staircase. There were roughly eight of them, and there didn’t seem to be any more of them on the first floor.
Their actual member count was likely in the dozens. Even with my skills, it was unlikely I would be able to win against such numbers in a direct confrontation. That was why I had opted for a surprise attack.
In hindsight, it wasn’t a bad decision.
I rubbed my forearm which was still oozing blood. It was a wound inflicted by a dagger that seemed to have been coated with some sort of anesthetic. Despite my efforts to suppress it with mana, the sensation in my arm was already fading, and my breaths also grew slightly ragged—a sign of considerable exhaustion. Lingering emotions also persisted within me.
My body involuntarily staggered momentarily, but I hurried to take care of my business here as quickly as possible.
My mind grew increasingly fuzzy from the anesthetic as I climbed up the stairs, and before long, I fell into a strange dream.
It was a lavish bedroom.
An old man could be heard coughing, and my eyes were soon drawn towards him.
Despite his sickly appearance, his eyes radiated vitality, and those intense blue eyes were fixed on me.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, I snapped back to reality and realized I had reached the second floor.
While the Press Club’s building had high ceilings, a staircase was still just a staircase. It didn’t take long to get here.
On the second floor, there was only a single room. As soon as I read the words ‘Chief’s Office’ on the plaque, I flung the door wide open without hesitation.
It was a spacious room adorned with cozy furniture and bookshelves full of numerous files on both sides.
Seated opposite of me was a woman, leisurely engrossed in some papers.
Her neatly trimmed brown hair cascaded down her neck, secured by a conspicuous hairpin clipped to her bangs.
At a first glance, she exuded the air of a lovely young lady. In fact, ‘cute’ seemed to be an apt description.
Slightly lifting her head from the document, she flashed a charming smile as her emerald-green eyes met mine.
“Welcome, Hatchet Lord… Did something happen? It was quite noisy downstairs.”
“…The club’s reception was quite something.”
The woman covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. Her playful demeanor was as if she was talking to a close friend.
It was quite odd.
It wasn’t strange for her to be friendly with just about anyone, especially since she was given her moniker, the ‘Ball Queen,’ for her amiability and extensive social connections. What was strange, however, was that this was typically only the case when interacting with somewhat normal people.
Her behavior wasn’t something you’d expect from someone facing a man who had a bloody hatchet in hand and whose clothes were stained with blood.
Yet, the woman betrayed no signs of tension, and her eyes even curved into a smile.
“Quite the troublesome news source, aren’t you… Don’t you think you’re coming on a bit strong?”
-Tak.
The woman threw the papers onto her desk.
“Well, I’m indebted to you for all you’ve done for me and my friends till now.”
I gave quite a sarcastic response since all her actions had been antagonistic, but she simply nodded in agreement.
“Mhm, it was fun. It’s been a while since I’ve discovered so many interesting things… Haaaaaaaaeumm…“
Yawning, the woman stood up and approached the front of the desk with her hands clasped behind her back.
With the sun casting a glow behind her, her emerald-green eyes sparkled mischievously—much like a snake that had spotted its prey.
Her aura transformed abruptly as she roused her mana. It was unusually dense, and it wafted like toxic smoke, dimming the room as if the curtains had been drawn.
Mana was generally incapable of exhibiting such a strong presence. In other words, this was a manifestation of one of her aura’s unique characteristics.
‘Neris’, the Ball Queen—a fourth-year student of the Academy’s Knight Division, and a commoner.
She was someone who had attained celebrity-like status with her information network and social connections rather than her combat prowess. At the very least, the rumors suggested that she hadn’t reached the expert level.
If so, just what was this aura that was enveloping the room like a hazy fog?
My grip instinctively tightened as an ominous feeling gripped me.
‘Will I be able to finish this quickly?’
Senior Neris slightly leaned forward.
“So… What’s your business with me?”
“Don’t mess with the people around me from now on.”
I gave it to her straight.
“Hmm…”
She hummed, wearing a meaningful smile.
And so, I felt compelled to give her a sincere warning.
“If you don’t want to get hurt.”
Senior Neris nodded as if she had expected me to say that and began stroking her chin, seemingly pondering over what I said.
“Pfttt.”
However, it didn’t take long before she burst out in laughter.
It initially started as a faint sound, but her bright laughter only grew louder with time. Like that, she continued to laugh for a long while—just like someone who had heard the most amusing joke.
She raised her hand and wiped the moisture off the corners of her eyes with her slender fingers.
“…But I don’t want to?”
Her voice, still laced with laughter, carried a mocking smile.
Right that instant, I leapt away instinctively, sensing something falling from the ceiling.
-Puk!
Embedded in the spot where I stood moments ago was a dagger imbued with a black aura.
My eyes widened in shock.
Despite the dagger emanating such a distinct aura, I hadn’t been able to sense it until the last moment.
I had never even heard of such a mysterious aura ability before.
However, that single dagger wasn’t the end.
More daggers descended like rain, and I swiftly rolled on the ground to evade the deadly rain of daggers.
The sound of daggers piercing into wood rang out from above as I quickly took cover under a nearby table.
There were at least ten, maybe twenty, or even more.
I wondered how she had so many daggers, but her gentle voice jolted me back to reality.
“Hiding is useless, you know. It’s already too late.”
With her hands still clasped behind her back, she leisurely moved towards me.
I pondered whether I should move away but quickly dismissed the thought. The anesthetic poison continued to spread throughout my body, causing my consciousness to wane.
Merely running away was not the solution. Rather, I needed to seize an opportunity.
Holding my breath, I tightened my grip on the hatchet.
-tap tap tap…
Her footsteps drew closer.
In an effort to buy even a little bit of time by obstructing her sight, I flipped the table, swiftly rising the moment she came within range, and kicked it towards her.
Yet, it was instantly shredded apart under a barrage of jet-black streaks.
An unbelievably swift flurry that would spell total destruction if I were to allow any to connect.
I had to end this quickly before she eventually landed a hit on me.
Gritting my teeth, I swung my hatchet, aiming to strike her through the table.
-Clannnng!
A resounding clash echoed through the air.
The collision meant that she had anticipated and blocked my attack despite her limited vision—something that normally would have been impossible.
While I remained stunned, a jet-black thrust sped towards my chest.
Hurriedly twisting my body, my arm extended in a refined motion as I narrowly dodged the attack.
From here, I only had a single option open to me.
I let the hatchet slip from my grasp and attempted to grab the arm that had appeared in front of me.
While she might have me beat in swordsmanship, it was likely I would be able to subdue her with the Holy Nation’s secret technique.
My arms dug in and entwined around hers like a serpent, but she retaliated relentlessly, forcing her arms toward my chest to push me away.
Of course, I wasn’t one to back down so easily.
-Pak pak pak!
With a snap, I shook off an arm and thrust the other deeper into her space as she tried to shake mine off.
We grappled and struggled to break free from each other’s hold.
Eventually, she gave up and let go of the dagger she had been holding in her hand this entire time.
The dagger vanished like smoke. Her ability was utterly incomprehensible, but thinking it was an opportunity, I pulled on her arm in that brief window.
However, a dagger abruptly materialized above my shoulder and plunged down.
Once again, it had been a sudden attack with no forewarning.
Turning my gaze back to Senior Neris, I found her smiling.
“I told you, it’s already over.”
I was forced to accept the reality.
I had no idea how she was doing it, but she was somehow controlling the space. It was possible that it was a property of her aura since aura was capable of distorting reality according to the wielder’s imagination to a certain extent. It even occasionally resulted in unique abilities.
However, Senior Neris’ ability seemed closer to magic than aura. There was bound to be some trick or mechanism behind it, but it was pointless to ponder it in the current situation.
We both stood motionless, and within that frozen scene, I simply nodded.
“…You’re right.”
Then, I pulled her arm once more.
Her eyes widened in shock, likely surprised that I had managed to move despite being stabbed.
It was understandable since one would normally stiffen from the pain.
But unfortunately for her, the arm that her dagger had pierced was the same arm that had previously taken the brunt of the anesthetic, and at this point, even pain only felt like a dull sensation.
Lunging deeper into her space, I placed her arm over my shoulder.
From this point, there was only one thing I had to do.
With all my might, I hurled her down like a streak of light and pinned her to the floor.
A resounding roar spread out as the shockwave shot wooden splinters into the air.
“Kuughk!”
A small spurt of blood escaped her mouth.
It was a decisive strike.
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