Hearing that, David looked at Freya in pleasant surprise and asked, “Really? You're willing to come with me?!”
Freya nodded and replied casually, “It's just a little tailing. There shouldn't be much danger, and I'm really curious about supernatural powers.”
David said excitedly, “I knew it, we really are birds of a feather! Never mind those other cowards, let's go! And let me let you in on a secret—it's not just the two of us tailing him. I have a bodyguard here too!”
“Even though I feel like he's pretty unreliable most of the time.”
Before this, David's impression of Freya was simply that of a very pretty girl who got great grades, and nothing more. But now, in his eyes, Freya had instantly become a kindred spirit!
However, a large part of why Freya chose to follow was that when Cyril left, Mind Freya had stealthily tailed him. As a result, she spotted the bodyguard at the entrance—who happened to be an old acquaintance of hers: the Rank Four Gambler, Victor.
Once Freya and David stepped outside, Victor immediately walked over. The moment his eyes fell on Freya, he froze in astonishment. Freya merely tilted her head slightly and gave a small wave. “Hello~”
David was currently in a state of sheer excitement and failed to notice these subtle details. He said to Victor, “Come on, let's go, let's tail Cyril!”
Victor was merely a bodyguard hired by David's father to protect David's safety; he had no authority to interfere with David's actions.
At the same time, however, he had also been instructed not to reveal the fact that he was an extraordinary, because David's father never wanted David to come into contact with supernatural powers—it was simply too dangerous.
David's father was a Viscount, neither high nor low in rank. In the ordinary world, he could live quite comfortably, but in the extraordinary world, a Viscount's family foundation could offer David no help whatsoever. Hiring Victor these past two times had nearly drained the Viscount's life savings.
In other words, once David set foot on an extraordinary pathway, he would have to face every subsequent challenge entirely on his own. But the Viscount's wish was very simple: he just wanted his child to inherit the family estate and live well as an ordinary person, nothing more.
Victor looked helplessly at David and sighed. “All right then. Keep a bit of distance behind me, and don't get too close.”
Two students like David and Freya naturally lacked any stealth and tracking skills, but Victor was an exceptionally skilled bounty hunter himself, so this was basic routine for him.
Furthermore, with the enhancement of luck, his chances of being detected were lowered even further.
Just like that, Victor moved in stops and starts along the way, while Freya and David consistently kept their distance, trailing behind him.
After some time, the group gradually left the wealthy district and arrived at the industrial sector in the southern part of Auxerre, eventually reaching the docks. Victor watched with his own eyes as Cyril stepped into a stranded, derelict ship.
Waiting a moment longer and seeing that Cyril didn't come back out, Victor waved over Freya and David behind him. Once the two came up, he pointed at the derelict ship and said, “The man from earlier went into this ship and hasn't come out.”
Hearing this, David instantly beamed with excitement. “Just as I thought! I knew Cyril couldn't be acting alone. He definitely has a channel behind him!”
Whether it was a secretive extraordinary organization or an extraordinary gathering specifically held for extraordinaries to trade, this place perfectly matched David's fantasy of the extraordinary world: hidden! Mysterious!
David urged, “Come on, let's go check it out!”
Victor, however, wore a hesitant look. “Are you sure?”
Whether it was an extraordinary organization or an extraordinary gathering, strutting in so brazenly would be extremely dangerous.
Just as Victor was hesitating, Freya suddenly spoke up: “Let's go. Let's take a look inside.”
Victor paused. Taking in Freya's calm demeanor, he replied, “W-Well... all right then.”
After all, in Victor's eyes, Freya was a bonafide heavyweight. If the boss said there was no problem, then there definitely wouldn't be any problem.
David took the lead and arrived at the derelict ship. The first things that met their eyes were all sorts of garbage, algae creeping all over the ship's walls, and dead, rotting fish and shrimp that looked like they had been there forever. The entire space reeked of a foul, suffocating stench. Freya couldn't help wrinkling her delicate brows, lifting a hand to cover her mouth. “This smells awful.”
David's brows furrowed as well, but he still looked left and right, searching for any possible hidden entrance.
Yet after searching all around, he couldn't even find a clean, solid patch of ground to step on, let alone any secret door. “Th-This doesn't seem right...”
In a place like this, a hidden entrance surely had to be somewhere clean, right? Otherwise, would everyone get covered in filth every time they entered or left?
While David was puzzled, Freya pointed toward the center of the cabin. A massive mound of trash had accumulated there, nearly forming a small hill. Since the entrance wasn't in a clean spot, thinking in reverse, it was likely hidden in the filthiest, most chaotic place.
Freya said to Victor, “You go.”
The corner of Victor's mouth twitched slightly, but he obediently walked over and reached toward the pile of garbage. Immediately afterward, his hand miraculously passed right through it, as if the pile didn't exist at all.
Victor murmured, “So that's how it is?”
With that, he took a step forward, and his entire body ‘entered’ the trash heap, vanishing before their eyes. David excitedly hurried after him, while Freya brought up the rear.
Don't forget that Mind Freya had been tailing Cyril the whole time; of course she knew where the entrance was.
After passing through the trash heap, a flight of stone stairs leading downward appeared before the three of them. Victor took a deep breath, originally intending to steady himself, but the stench here was so foul that he immediately gagged.
“Cough, cough!!!”
His reset having failed, Victor braced himself and continued forward in the same formation: Victor in front, David in the middle, and Freya bringing up the rear.
About twenty steps down, a fork leading left and right appeared before them. Without hesitation, Freya said, “Left.”
Victor was just as decisive, heading straight to the left. Seeing this, David couldn't help glancing back at Freya, his face full of bewilderment.
Freya said offhandedly, “Just a guess. We don't know this place anyway, so going left or right makes no difference.”
David thought about it and realized that made sense. Following another twenty to thirty steps, the three finally stepped onto level ground, and an enormous underground space unfolded before their eyes.
...
Rate on N.U.
