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chapter 89
“…Ha ha.”
The friendly ice cream vendor laughed awkwardly.
“Little lady, saying something like that in a crowded place is… troublesome, you know.”
“My brother taught me! This kind of tattoo is only done in the Empire!”
“…….”
While Clare faced off with the man, Sensha and Lily asked the nearby adults for help.
At that moment, the adults, sensing something strange, were approaching.
Sereni and Bor stayed close to Clare, glaring at the suspicious man.
“Miss, this is a misunderstanding.”
A small car door next to the stand opened.
“This is just a tattoo the man got to look stylish. If you look closely…”
It’s very different, isn’t it?
Muttering this under his breath, the man reached toward Clare, hiding the tattoo under his wristwatch.
“…Hey.”
Then.
“Did you leave your intelligence in the freezer?”
“Ugh!”
The ice cream man—or rather, the Empire spy—screamed in pain as his arm was suddenly twisted.
“Wow, you scared me!”
Clare looked behind her to see Arti standing there.
Pretending to be indifferent, Arti used his other hand to casually push Clare, Sereni, and Bor behind his back.
“There are things you can touch, and things you shouldn’t.”
“Ugh… ugh…!”
“How dare you touch a child?”
Even my little sister?
Though unspoken, Arti’s anger was greater than ever.
The spy was flustered.
‘Wh-what kind of strength is this…!’
Not only had his arm been twisted with one hand, but it was being restrained so forcefully that his bones felt like they might break.
And the mockery hidden in Arti’s indifferent gaze conveyed one clear message:
You’re finished.
“…Aaaah!”
The spy, realizing this, screamed and broke free from Arti’s hold.
He thought he had freed his arm by his own strength, but in reality, Arti had let go deliberately.
“Step on it!”
The spy, barely climbing into the car, pounded on the driver’s side body.
The ice cream truck’s wheels spun, and it quickly sped out of the city.
“…Ugh.”
Hearing the dejected sound from behind, Arti turned.
“Why, did you get hurt?”
“Why does my brother still have that hairstyle? Get it cut.”
“Glad everyone’s safe.”
As Arti checked on Clare and the children.
Vroooom—!
Vroooom—!
Two motorcycles roared past behind them, moving at breakneck speed.
Their direction was exactly opposite the ice cream truck’s escape route.
It was the road leading toward the Adbello estate.
The Spies’ Plan
The spies’ plan was simple.
“Split into groups.”
“Two of us kidnap the child and hide them somewhere secluded. No need to kill them. The goal is just to distract Sharp for a bit.”
“The three of us will sneak out behind the hotel, steal a car, and leave the territory. You two do the same.”
“Staying in Sharp’s territory is impossible. Tenebre would have followed us here.”
“Plus, the Marquis Oceanus has arrived. Sharp is dangerous now.”
“So we’ll use the chaos from the kidnapping to escape.”
At first, the plan seemed perfect.
Perhaps they could even shake Tenebre’s pursuit, turning the situation slightly in their favor.
But now… what the hell was happening?
“Ugh…!”
The spy, whose arm had been grabbed by Arti, rubbed his swollen arm with ice from the makeshift freezer in the vehicle.
“That bastard! It was definitely Tenebre!”
The excited spy tried to calm himself, breathing heavily.
He used an ice cream stick from the floor to support the fractured area, tightly binding it with packaging paper as an emergency measure.
“Phew…”
The other spy in the driver’s seat spoke only after confirming his comrade was okay.
“Change of plans.”
“Lucky he didn’t hurt his leg.”
He pulled a handgun from the glove compartment on the passenger side. A metallic click echoed as the safety was disengaged.
Tap. Tap.
Tap, tap.
At the same time, something small popped out of Clare’s hair accessory rolling on the floor.
The ice cream truck soon entered the city’s largest warehouse district.
The small ice cream truck and the massive, busy warehouses didn’t match at all, but the spies’ target was exactly that chaotic area.
Inside, the spies immediately heard a sharp siren.
“They’ve got a tail.”
“Let’s hurry.”
“Damn, if only my arm wasn’t hurt…”
The spies advanced, recalling the map of the warehouse area they had studied in advance. Their goal was the forest beyond that district.
It was outside Sharp’s territory.
Once outside, they could immediately evade the police and security forces.
They planned to hide there and wait to regroup with their comrades.
They had no idea…
That behind them, a white furball was following.
Beneath the small white furball, four tiny legs chased the spies with unbelievable speed.
Oceanus’ Report
“A message from Oceanus,” the chief secretary informed Commander Adbello.
“Two dolphins departed just now.”
“Has the prey been driven out successfully?”
“Yes.”
As planned, the spies were lured out.
The Adbello family had sent a notice to strengthen Sharp’s territory borders, deliberately provoking unease among the spies.
Aitra had predicted the spies would hide and organize themselves.
If so, remove that luxury.
The sea route was blocked.
Earlier this spring, the navy had eradicated pirates, including the notorious Finger Pirates by early summer.
Illegal means that could help the spies were now too risky due to the navy’s strict surveillance.
Finally, Marquis Oceanus arrived in the south.
Even his presence alone was a major threat to the spies.
With Commander Adbello holding Sharp, hiding had become too dangerous.
Thus, the spies were likely to flee elsewhere.
This was also noted in Aitra’s records.
The Marquis had anticipated every move of the spies in just a few days, even predicting their attempt to disperse police forces using the recent kidnapping incident.
Hence, the unattended ice cream truck was deliberately parked near the hotel for them to steal.
“This operation was only possible because Arti was here…”
Commander Adbello was still shaken.
When he received the report that Clare had nearly gotten caught with the spies, he had to place a hand on his neck and calm himself.
He had almost rushed into the city to catch the spies with his own hands.
“But Arti played his role perfectly.”
The secretary breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Arti had protected Clare and the children.
“Hmph, if he hadn’t, that bastard would be dead by my hand.”
A Little Earlier…
A line had formed in front of the ice cream truck, which had yet to reveal its true identity.
At that moment, a sleek black magical power car smoothly exited the hotel where a trade fair was taking place.
The black car entered the city, passing right behind the ice cream truck.
At that instant, the eyes of the men in the driver’s seats met, but neither acknowledged it.
Shortly after the black car passed, chaos erupted.
“The Empire spy’s tattoo!”
Clare spotted the spy, and as Arti emerged from hiding, two motorcycles roared past like explosions.
The bikes were the famous high-end models from Chetti Company, known as Psykvia, or “circle on the road.”
The riders’ faces were hidden by helmets.
But the flapping leather jackets, dark jeans, and scuffed sneakers gave off the rugged charm of rebellious outlaws resisting the times.
Those distracted by their appearance didn’t notice the guns hidden under the jackets or the long sticks carried on the woman’s back.
“…They’ve got a tail.”
The black car had also noticed the motorcycles pursuing them.
“Attack after leaving Sharp’s territory,” said the lead spy holding a handgun. A firefight here could involve both the city police and, potentially, the navy.
Fortunately, the black car quickly exited through a gate onto a forest road.
Bang! Bang, bang!
Two handguns appeared outside the window, aiming at the motorcycles.
The motorcycles, seemingly unfazed, accelerated, flanking the black car.
“Those bastards…!”
One spy blushed in anger, swearing.
They couldn’t see the riders’ faces, but it was clear they were being mocked.
“No doubt… Tenebre!”
One spy shouted.
The motorcycle rider on the left drew a revolver from behind and fired.
Bang!
A single shot, but…
Screech!
The black car skidded as the revolver hit the junction between the wheel and chassis.
The helmeted rider had struck perfectly while in motion.
Bang!
Another shot followed.
“Aaah!”
A human scream erupted. The driver hurriedly rolled up the window, but the spy shot in the thigh was seriously injured.
“Damn it! What the hell is this!”
While bandaging his comrade’s thigh, the lead spy thought fast.
‘It’s not Tenebre!’
The King’s dog doesn’t leave traces like this.
Their overt and audacious attack seemed to act as if being discovered didn’t matter.
‘…Discovered?’
Too late.
“…….”
Only then did the spy realize two things.
One: No other vehicles were on the forest road connecting Adbello and Sharp’s estates.
The road had been controlled from the start.
To catch them.
And two: One of the two motorcycles had already overtaken them.
