Chapter 150
Chapter 150
Trust and Deceit (3)
For Roderick, it had been an ordinary and quiet night, just like any other. His life after retirement, back in the countryside, was nothing short of satisfying.
"Though a strange one did come by."
A guy had come asking for the location of a Security Bureau branch, despite knowing Roderick had quit the Bureau. Ridiculous fellow. On top of that, his way of speaking was incredibly rude.
Still, Roderick didn’t exactly dislike his type. The man had the skills to back it up.
‘The background check showed he was a real person, and there were signs he might’ve been sent by the Imperial Intelligence Department.’
To be absolutely sure, Roderick would’ve had to contact the Intelligence Department. But with rival departments, things rarely went that smoothly.
Moments like this made him think maybe the Empire should consolidate its intelligence agencies into one like the Republic. But that was easier said than done.
Merge two organizations, and someone’s bound to get pushed out. Then there’d be conflict over who got the top seat.
"Anyway."
The brief commotion had passed. Surely, a peaceful night would follow again.
"Or so I thought."
Roderick rose from his seat, stepped out of the bedroom, and stood in the living room shrouded in darkness.
"Come on out. I don’t know what your intentions are, but I’ll at least offer you a cup of tea."
To the eye, it seemed like an empty, quiet space. But Roderick could feel a presence.
"…."
A masked woman revealed herself. Her build made it obvious she was a young woman, and from the way she moved, it was clear she had spent a good amount of time honing her swordsmanship.
"Planning to be the only one served? I think your companion should come out too."
Instead of answering, a yataghan swung at Roderick from behind.
"Lunaseeker, was it?"
Dodging the attack, Roderick swung a kitchen knife in return—but his strike hit nothing but air. Still, even from the swing alone, he could tell who they were.
Standard Nocturne Model 1. There was no way Roderick didn’t recognize a group that used yataghan-type battle gear.
"Why are so many people looking for me these days?"
The attacker with the yataghan was built like a young girl.
"Even if I am retired, you're sending a rookie who just became an agent?"
"You’d better calm down. I’ve got no intention to fight."
So she said, but her attack continued. Dodging once more, Roderick let out a dry chuckle. Distracting him with small talk and then going for the back of the head—it was the same trick as always.
‘She’s no rookie.’
It had only been two exchanges—one attack and one dodge—but her skill exceeded Roderick’s expectations. She wasn’t some green agent who’d just started field work.
"Can’t believe what I’m seeing…"
Then, the woman who had been standing still until now suddenly lunged at Roderick. Thinking it’d be easy to dodge, he moved instinctively.
“?!”
But as if she had anticipated his movement, the trajectory of the sword shifted, aiming directly for Roderick’s throat.
The ones targeting his life now were Irena and Nora. And their skill levels weren’t something Roderick could easily dismiss or overwhelm.
‘I can see it.’
Irena kept moving, never letting her guard down. She could read Roderick’s movements. On top of that, she could sense Nora’s movements too.
She could predict how her ally would act, and how the enemy would respond to that ally’s movement. Irena could grasp it all—and naturally, that included what she herself needed to do.
A perfect joint assault wasn’t some hard-earned technique requiring years of training for someone like Irena, who was gifted with such talent.
"You don’t seem to be a Lunaseeker. Why do you move so well together?"
But of course, Roderick couldn’t have known that. From his experience, the way she had moved just moments ago was something only possible for people who had trained together for a long time.
Instead of answering, Irena raised her index finger with her mask still on, letting out a soft “shhh.” There was no need for her to speak.
"I’ll take that as you not wanting to talk."
Now even Roderick was tense. Not only was the house he’d grown fond of about to get trashed, but he had also resigned himself to the possibility of injury.
‘That bastard… no way.’
How did the Lunaseekers find out his location? Naturally, his suspicion fell on the man who had visited him before.
“We’re going to win. And you’re going to die here, old man.”
Along with Nora’s voice, her yataghan came crashing down like lightning. As Roderick dodged, he was immediately faced with Irena’s blade, flying at his throat like a hummingbird.
Dodge. Then dodge again. Irena’s sword relentlessly tracked his movements, all while creating just the right openings for Nora to strike.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Their coordination was eerily flawless. It almost felt like fighting a single being moving with one will.
No matter where he moved, Irena’s blade followed. And in the gaps that created, Nora’s yataghan darted in like a viper.
“Hhup!”
Roderick grabbed the table and hurled it at Nora, while swinging the kitchen knife toward Irena’s leg.
The table struck Nora’s body with a loud crash. It wasn’t the sound of bones breaking—it was the table itself shattering. Irena, unfazed, dodged Roderick’s attack as if it were nothing and brought her sword down.
Dodging with a flip through the air, Roderick hurled the fork and knife he’d grabbed toward Irena.
The fork and knife flew at high speed, only to be deflected by Irena’s sword with a light metallic clang, falling harmlessly to the floor.
"Alright. Let’s keep going."
The speed of the offense and defense began to pick up.
Quick and light movements. Among the countless attacks, Irena and Nora identified only the ones that absolutely needed to be blocked—and responded accordingly.
Even the timing of their blinking had to be controlled. Close your eyes at the wrong moment, and a swift, light death would strike.
Their focus was so intense, they could even read the movement of each other’s pupils.
In the midst of the coordinated assault, Roderick was gradually being pushed back, but he remained shockingly calm.
‘Now!’
Roderick teleported, aiming for Irena’s back. Between the two, Nora was more skilled, but Irena was the more troublesome one.
Skilled opponents were hard to kill with a surprise attack, but the annoying ones—you could take their heads if you caught them off guard.
Roderick calculated that if Irena died, he could overpower Nora in an instant.
"Hmph."
But the surprise attack using teleportation was blocked, accompanied by a short breath from Irena that almost sounded like a scoff.
‘She knew?’
Before he could even finish the thought, Roderick barely managed to block Irena’s elbow crashing down toward the top of his head.
"Not so spry now, are you?"
A yataghan blade shot out from the darkness, grazing Roderick’s thigh.
Blood began to flow.
The wound had missed his femoral artery, but it was deep enough to damage muscle. He could still move, but the nimbleness he had just moments ago was gone.
‘Now it starts.’
Of course, if Nora had wanted, she could’ve cut the artery and given him a slow but certain death.
But their goal right now wasn’t Roderick’s death.
"Are you alright!?"
With a loud bang, the door burst open and Kairus charged in. It was all unfolding exactly on schedule, just as planned.
Without hesitation, Kairus drew his battle gear and charged at Nora and Irena.
"You little bastards, how dare you—!"
With a crash, Kairus’s blade collided with Irena’s sword.
‘Now go.’
‘Just a little longer.’
Despite the hostility in their voices, Irena and Nora were exchanging glances, sending each other signals.
"You!"
From Roderick’s perspective—completely unaware of what was really going on—Kairus’s sudden appearance was nothing short of a relief.
His hidden strike had been countered, he’d taken a wound to the leg, and now his chances of winning were looking grim.
"Are you alright?"
"No problem. Just deal with these bastards—fast!"
Roderick already knew Kairus’s skill level from when they had crossed swords before. With renewed confidence that the situation could be turned around, he once again grabbed the kitchen knife.
‘We’ll need to fight a bit longer.’
If Irena and Nora were to retreat right now as if it had all been staged, it’d leave behind a faint trace of suspicion. Since they’d gone so far as to orchestrate this ambush to clear that suspicion, it had to be wrapped up properly.
Kairus synchronized his movements with Roderick, gradually pressing Irena and Nora back.
There were many limitations, so he couldn’t show his full ability, but supporting Roderick was well within his capacity.
The fight continued without pause, and Roderick’s home was slowly descending into complete chaos.
"…."
This should be enough. Kairus subtly signaled Nora in a way only she could see. After exchanging a brief glance, Irena and Nora leapt out the window at the same time, no one leading the other.
"Where do you think you're running off to?!"
“It’s dangerous to chase them now!”
Roderick, fueled by momentum, tried to go after Irena and Nora, but Kairus stopped him.
“Why the hell are you… stopping me?”
Roderick bristled for a moment, but he knew full well that without Kairus’s help, he wouldn’t have made it out of that situation alive.
So, he held back his anger.
“You need to treat that wound first. If left alone, it’ll get serious.”
At Kairus’s words, Roderick looked down at the wound on his leg. It wasn’t fatal, but if he kept moving like this, it could worsen and leave permanent damage.
“We should take care of that first.”
“There should be a first-aid kit in the bedroom.”
Though he called it a first-aid kit, it had needles and thread prepared precisely for situations like this.
In a small village like Burfa, there was no such thing as a proper hospital. You had to be prepared at this level.
“Thank goodness. Please wait a moment.”
Kairus quickly went into the bedroom, grabbed what Roderick had mentioned, and started treating the wound.
Though he called it treatment, all he really did was disinfect and stitch up the laceration.
“I’ve never had a wound in my life, you know.”
Former members of the Azure Order of Knights generally didn’t get wounded. With their traits, even one hit could prove fatal—so they were trained to never get hit at all.
“Still, it's fortunate it ended with just this. If treated properly—”
“It’ll heal.”
The stitching was done cleanly. It’d be strange if Kairus couldn’t handle a wound of this level.
“By the way, what brings you here?”
Roderick, inspecting his wound and momentarily deep in thought, asked Kairus in a seemingly casual tone.
Of course, his hand was ready to draw his battle gear at a moment’s notice.
“Ah, right. One moment.”
Kairus chuckled like he had forgotten something and stepped outside. A moment later, he returned and placed a large bottle of liquor in front of Roderick.
“…?”
“It’s wild grape wine. I got it from the village chief. People like you don’t often get visitors. I thought maybe we could share a drink and I could hear about your past, if you’re willing.”
Hearing Kairus’s words, Roderick let out a dry chuckle.
“What a damn cheeky bastard.”
“…Would it be too much to ask?”
As Kairus watched him cautiously, Roderick found himself in a surprisingly good mood. The guy had brought alcohol because he wanted to hear his story—and had just played the role of a lifeline when death was looming.
“Check the kitchen cupboard. There should be some seasoned fish roe I got as a gift a while back. Thinly sliced, it goes great with alcohol.”
“Oh, I’ll get it right away! But, sir, you’re injured—”
Roderick waved his hand dismissively at Kairus’s concern.
“I’m not so cursed that a few drinks would make a wound fester and kill me, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you!”
Kairus’s voice rang with joy. And it wasn’t fake—he truly was overjoyed.
If he wanted to hear what he came for, he’d have to sit through all the other rambling tales too.
Eventually, Roderick would tell the story Kairus wanted to hear.
And once that story was over….