Whoooosh!

If something suddenly appears on the road while driving, it's normal to step on the brakes.

The truck driver in front of me was different.

The engine sound was as loud as thunder, as if he had pressed the accelerator to the limit.

The truck, which had accelerated rapidly, sped up and charged as if to ram straight through.

Sway! Screech!

The impact from the overwhelming mass was transmitted to me, crushing the vehicle beneath my feet.

Smoke rose from the tires, and a burning smell filled the air.

Fortunately, the vehicle provided by the councilor's office was sturdy.

The vehicle, which had bounced up like a ball once, regained its balance without flipping over.

Thud!

On the other hand, the truck was not.

The stem, which hung in the middle of the road like a curtain, maintained its elasticity without tearing even at the truck's charge.

Crash!

As it tilted diagonally, the truck went over the slope and fell.

The beeping alarm and the construction materials pouring onto the road created a cacophony.

Screeech!

The vehicles running behind the truck sharply turned their steering wheels and braked suddenly at the unexpected accident.

However, not everyone reacted appropriately to the sudden situation.

Thump! Thump! Kwaaang!

As the vehicles that couldn't brake rammed into the front, a chain of rear-end collisions occurred like a skewer.

"..."

It was a scene of utter chaos.

It was as expected, but it was an accident that went beyond what an individual could take responsibility for.

It was something that was only possible because he had the city's most powerful person, the councilor, as his backer.

'The driver?'

There was no need to worry about his life or death.

Because the whispers of Mother Nature, which were lingering in my ears, had not yet been cut off.

"Ugh..."

As expected, the driver was crumpled up in the overturned driver's seat.

Crack!

I kicked the dangling door and pulled him out.

His face was covered in blood.

He was dazed, as if he had hit his head on the windshield.

"Argh! Hey! You said you'd be careful! The car almost flipped over, I almost died!"

Hella stuck her head out the window and protested.

Waver was next to her, rubbing his neck and groaning.

"I trusted your driving skills."

"You're full of shit! This bastard has become a complete idiot since I last saw him!"

"Enough, take him."

I threw the driver to the panting Hella.

Hella neatly snatched the back of his neck even in an awkward posture.

"He's the one who was tailing us. Restrain him so he can't escape."

"Is it really him? I followed your orders, but I can't believe it."

Hella, who had checked the driver's bare face as if she were suspicious, soon exclaimed.

"...I can tell now that I've taken off his sunglasses. This bastard is the guy we missed this morning."

"Do you believe me now?"

"Yeah, you're so great, so get in quickly. We've achieved our goal, so let's go after the councilor's car again."

"No, not yet."

I stood firmly on the overturned truck.

I had blocked the road, caused an accident, and then kidnapped a person.

The people who had witnessed the blatant crime scene did not protest being inconvenienced, but fled.

They knew that if they acted rashly, they could get caught in the crossfire.

"There are a few more besides that guy. Let's catch them all."

The owner of the voice I had heard through the whispers of Mother Nature was not just one person.

Voices were still being heard from various places in the crowd.

"Kuaak!"

"Wh-what!"

"Damn it!"

It was a bullseye every time.

As I attacked as guided by the whispers of Mother Nature, they were flustered and tried to shake off the pursuit.

It was a mistake.

If they wanted to act like ordinary people, they should have let themselves be caught obediently.

Of course, I wouldn't have been fooled.

"Don't fight them, just run!"

"Do you think you can escape?"

Below the bridge is a deep river.

Behind them, a line of vehicles that were unaware of the accident was continuously following.

It wasn't for nothing that I had caused a scene here.

The bridge was like a remote island in the middle of the city.

A secret escape using the terrain was impossible.

"Damn it! Hit him!"

They weren't fools either, and as if they had realized their disadvantage, they attempted a counterattack.

The response I sent was a sneer.

"You're saving me the trouble."

One or many, it didn't matter.

I welcomed it, as they were coming to be caught as a group instead of scattering annoyingly.

***

An explosion erupted on the quiet road.

The engine, which had leaked oil and exploded, sent a pillar of fire high into the sky.

Sand and dust rose like a thick fog, and stone fragments scattered and rained down.

The wide bridge was instantly transformed into a battlefield.

All because of one person.

"Wow, when did he get so strong?"

Hella let out a soft exclamation.

It was an unadorned impression.

Compared to the mission they had done together before, his skills were worlds apart.

She don't know what good things he had eaten, but his movements were nimble, and his originally unique ability had become even more bizarre.

The enemies were helpless.

At first, she thought about helping, but there was no need.

On the contrary, Hella was worried that she would just get in the way if she interfered.

"He's a complete veteran now. Is that the level of a contractor who takes on requests from the city government?"

Waver, who had come out of the car lazily, whistled in admiration.

The flow was so one-sided that he could afford to be lazy.

"Tsk, I should have recruited him last time."

"Don't be disappointed. You offered several times, but he refused."

"If I had kept clinging to him, who knows? The old man missed the opportunity because he was trying to act all important."

"It's not too late even now."

"It's way too late. With those skills, what would he be lacking to bow his head and come in?"

The more Hella thought about it, the more bitter the taste in her mouth became.

She had definitely recognized his potential first, and Allen had grown beyond her expectations.

It was a bus that had already passed, but that's why it was even more regrettable.

"...Ah, come to think of it. Tsk."

Next to Hella, who couldn't take her eyes off him in regret, Waver took a reluctant breath.

Hella didn't just let it slide.

"Why you again? So, you're disappointed too when you think about it?"

"No, come to think of it, I made a bet earlier."

"A bet?"

Hella's eyes narrowed.

Waver, who was used to being misunderstood, quickly made an excuse.

"I didn't gamble, okay? We made a bet on who would be active in this mission to boost our motivation."

It was a difficult request, so it was a kind of insurance he had placed just in case.

"So, what about it?"

"It's just that, I think I dug my own grave."

To think he would achieve such a significant result in just a few hours of being selected.

Anyway, the key was the interrogation to find out the mastermind, but who knows.

Waver couldn't shake the feeling that he had been deceived.

***

"This is the last one."

I threw the man with two broken arms to the ground.

The battle didn't take long.

It was just annoying to pick out the ones who were trying to run away from the crowd at first, but after they rushed at me as a group, it was a smooth ride.

A group of people were subdued by me like that.

All of them were targets of the whispers of Mother Nature.

"Good work."

Hella immediately restrained the last one with a rope as soon as she received him.

The rest I had caught earlier were also restrained like that.

I stared intently at the thick rope.

Where did that come from?

"Ah, you're curious about this? I found it in the trunk when I looked."

Inside the open trunk, there were gruesome items such as ropes, wire saws, and hard cases.

There was no need to ask for what purpose they had been prepared.

"It's reassuring to catch them in bulk like this after catching them one by one, which was so tantalizing."

Hella had an expression as if she were full even without eating.

Waver couldn't just stand by and watch.

"You'll regret it if you get ahead of yourself. Be happy after these guys obediently open their mouths."

"...Do you really have to ruin the mood like that, man?"

"In the end, it doesn't mean much if we can't find out the mastermind."

He was right.

The mercenary corps had also caught three.

But it was a waste of effort because they couldn't find out the mastermind.

"Alright, then let's interrogate them right away without wasting any time."

Hella slapped the cheek of one of the fainted guys to wake him up.

"If you don't want to die, you'd better confess obediently. Who ordered you? What were you aiming for by tailing?"

"..."

There was no answer.

Of course, from the position of someone who had received an order, they wouldn't open their mouths easily.

It was a crime targeting a city councilor.

If they were the type to open their mouths right away after being threatened, they wouldn't have even tried.

"...Ugh!"

"Ack!"

The scene that followed was unexpected.

At the man's retching, Hella hastily stepped back.

The man's revealed complexion was dark red.

It was a rapid change, as if he had been poisoned.

"Ugh!"

The man soon vomited blood and then fell forward, hitting his head.

Waver, who had checked his pulse instead of Hella, who was freaking out, saying it was dirty, shook his head.

"See, this is the problem. He's dead."

"...He didn't answer, he couldn't."

"That's what I was talking about in the office. Suicide by magical means. It's crazy when you see it in person, right?"

Waver frowned, a rare sight.

It seemed it was hard for him to act nonchalantly even in a situation like this.

"The rest will be the same. There's no way out at this rate."

A few of the people Waver's gaze fell on trembled.

'They're not committing suicide by activating black magic of their own will.'

They weren't crazy enough to sacrifice their own lives to not divulge information.

It seemed to be a kind of restriction that was activated the moment they tried to leak certain information.

"Damn it, can't you do something?"

"It's not like there's no way."

Black magic and spirits are polar opposites.

The first method was to burn the mana that was the source of the black magic.

'But I can't get an answer with this method.'

The source of the black magic I could see was the throat.

When a spirit purifies black magic, a high-temperature flame is generated as a result.

Even if the black magic was broken, if the throat was burned, it was the same as not being able to answer.

'The second method is...'

Actually, I had already taken care of it.

To be precise, I had heard it.

'The whispers of Mother Nature.'

Even if I didn't ask, the information they were hiding was clearly embedded in my ears.

I had let it slide because I couldn't concentrate during the battle, but it wasn't difficult to analyze and organize it in a quiet situation like this.

"Councilor Giselle hasn't arrived at the event venue yet, right?"

"Uh, probably. It's still travel time according to the schedule."

"Then hurry up and contact them."

I have a feeling it's already a little late.

"It's a terrorist attack. They're ambushing Councilor Giselle's route."

"…!"

As I spoke, their eyes widened.

At their unusual reaction, Hella and Waver realized that my words were true.

"Wh-what. You didn't even ask, how did you know that?"

"...No way."

Waver grabbed my shoulder with a shocked expression.

"Was it information you already knew? So you made a bet with me?"

"Think whatever you want."

"Ack!"

Waver grabbed his head and groaned.

If he misunderstood like that, it was convenient for me.

"Whatever, just hurry up and make the call."

"Don't rush me. I just made the call."

"It's a terrorist attack targeting the councilor. We have to join them right away."

"No. It's okay even if you didn't know, and now that you know and have given a hint, you don't have to worry."

Hella leaned against the railing of the bridge and shifted her gaze.

It was the road that wound along the river, where Councilor Giselle was expected to be passing.

Rumble!

The ground vibrated.

The loud noise was a bonus.

I corrected the balance of my staggering body.

The shockwave, which had not been dissipated even after crossing a long distance, swept through the area along with a gust of wind.

"The one escorting the councilor right now is our old man."

In the distance, a building was splitting in half and collapsing.

It was the work of the former war hero, who had been veiled in mystery.

***

"Report."

After finishing all the scheduled events.

At Giselle's request, I met with him and revealed the truth directly.

"The company that ordered the tailing and terrorist attack on you, Councilor, is Tolorang Industry. Their purpose was to secure you and control the negotiations."

Unfortunately, the perpetrator was not Centrim.

Tolorang Industry.

It was a small and medium-sized enterprise with a couple of factories.

It was too low-level to plan a major crime like a terrorist attack on a city councilor.

"A bait."

Giselle pointed it out accurately.

"Aide."

"Yes, Councilor."

"Take care of it."

"What level of action should I take?"

"Throw them all in jail."

Just a few words.

With just that, the fate of a company was decided.

Giselle wielded his absolute power and yet acted as if it were no big deal.

He said to me in a subtly softened tone.

"You're more useful than a mercenary. It would be fine to keep you by my side."

It was a compliment.

"I will officially entrust you with my escort, not a temporary selection. Act together with the mercenary corps."

No matter how quickly I had achieved results, it was unconventional.

It was a favoritism that would have been obvious if Giselle had been a little more emotional, even though he was blunt.

"You may leave now."

But it wasn't to the point of having a friendly conversation.

I didn't expect that much either.

I bowed to Giselle and came out the door.

'Have I achieved the first goal with this?'

The selection for Giselle's escort.

Unexpectedly, things were resolved easily.

'One thing left.'

It was a measure in case I couldn't overcome Giselle's pickiness...

As they say, it's better to be safe than sorry.

There was no harm in being thoroughly prepared.

"Hello."

The strong scent of perfume was carried by the wind from the other side of the hallway.

The scent was strong, but not overpowering.

On the contrary, it approached exquisitely, making one feel interest and attraction.

"If you're not busy, could we talk for a moment?"

It seems things are going smoothly.

Luckily, the other party approached first.

"By all means."

I nodded and took in the other party's appearance.

A refined beauty with prominent, intelligent features.

It was the successor of Sylvester, Claire Sylvester.

(End of Chapter)