Chapter 238. The Immortal (6)
A freelancer who went around with his face concealed. Enoch nearly smiled wryly in spite of himself. He could tell in an instant what she was about to say.
"I think I know who you mean."
At that, April's face lit up brilliantly. Then, kneeling on the sofa, she pulled both legs out to the side in a W-shaped girl-like pose and sprang up her upper body like a meerkat.
"That's it, right? Right?!"
"……Hmm."
Meeting her too-vivid gaze, bright with expectation, right before his eyes, Enoch nearly let out a breath of dry laughter.
Last night, when urgently trying to hold back the magical beasts, Enoch had called Nano on the terminal asking for support.
The problem was that he had called her using the terminal number he had registered as that same freelancer.
Of course, at the time the situation was urgent, so he'd brushed it off as having 'met him,' but he hadn't expected it to reach April this quickly.
Enoch nodded calmly, in order to avoid arousing suspicion.
"Come to think of it, did I already tell Nano? Yeah. I ran into him by chance in the forest."
"Ah! Knew it! You really did meet him!!"
At that, April let out a "Kyaaah!" of clear delight, not even trying to hide her happiness, and covered her mouth with her smooth fingertips.
Then, with enough excitement even to leave Enoch speechless, she threw her arms up in a cheer and began jumping around every which way.
"Really! That person was really here too!"
Enoch just watched her absently. Honestly, wasn't she a bit too delighted? Seeing her like this made the situation feel increasingly strange. Enoch casually asked,
"I knew you were looking for him before, but were you really expecting to run into him here too?"
"Isn't that totally obvious? I really wanted to see……. him! No, that's not why…!!"
April, as if having let something slip, flinched in shock and turned to look at him. Then she painted a radiant smile across her face.
"……Because you can definitely expect something from him!"
"Expect?"
Enoch quietly averted his eyes.
"He's a freelancer who never joined the main force to begin with and just happened to cross paths in the forest. Is he really someone to expect much from?"
"Well, maybe he was moving independently in that forest as a detached unit! I've seen him work before, and he didn't seem to belong to a specific agency either. That alone would explain him acting on his own."
"……Judging from what you said last time too, seems you really trust him quite a lot."
"Of course! Especially his skills — they're incredible! If he keeps at it consistently, he'll become a big name among freelancers even across the whole Empire's Outsourcing Districts!"
……Somehow, listening to her, it was getting harder to keep his eyes on her. Enoch swallowed a sigh inwardly.
He obviously couldn't say right to her face that he himself was that person, but hearing her go this far, he was starting to get curious. What on earth kind of image did she have of him as a freelancer?
Feeling utterly puzzled, Enoch turned his gaze out the window.
"You seem extraordinarily happy every time he comes up."
April leaned her upper body toward him abruptly, covered her mouth with one hand, and grinned at him.
"Ah! Could it be~? Direct Lineage, are you jealous~?"
"……No. As if."
Enoch retorted with a sour gaze. What exactly does it feel like to be jealous of yourself — the remark nearly made it up his throat.
Usually she was fairly sharp, but this time April had truly missed the mark by a mile.
Naturally, April had no idea that the very mysterious freelancer, once he removed the face-covering robe and visor, was the same person as him. Though honestly, her not realizing that was, in fact, a good thing.
With a perfectly nonchalant look, Enoch shook his head.
"So, continuing from earlier. You really think that mysterious freelancer could become a reliable asset for our side?"
"Yes! I personally saw him when he worked as a freelancer before. Enough that I, April, took notice — he was incredibly strong!"
Enoch sighed a little.
"He may be strong, as you say. But he isn't yet a very famous freelancer in the Outsourcing District. At the highest estimate, probably 10th Rank."
"Huh? So power at that level alone isn't a guarantee of victory — is that what you're saying~?"
Thinking he was badmouthing 'that freelancer,' April instantly pouted and folded her arms. Ignoring that, he nodded flatly.
"We already have Sirocco, who's a powerful 10th Rank. Even with her, we couldn't turn the tide. And yet you can trust that this freelancer will be an asset?"
At that, April shrugged as if he had no idea what he was talking about.
"Obviously! Direct Lineage, do you know what qualifications a sniper must have?"
"No, I don't. What?"
"Seeing through your opponent!"
April proudly puffed out her chest, closed her eyes, and placed a hand on her chest, wearing a haughty expression.
"For a sniper to accurately eliminate or protect a high-value target, you have to properly see the other side and know what kind of opponent they are. It's practically an instinctive skill, you see?"
"If you go that far, you must be quite confident."
"Of course. Having survived the freelancer scene, my eye for strong people is spot-on!"
Well, in an industry where misjudging your opponent sends you straight to the afterlife — Enoch, who knew that ecosystem well enough, had no particular counterargument on that point.
Whether April knew his thoughts or not, she closed her eyes and was launching into a full lecture.
"I've worked with him on operations twice. The second time I saw him, he'd definitely grown stronger than before!"
"And?"
"Meaning maybe he's grown again this time! Or maybe he's growing in real time on the battlefield of this Outsourcing District!"
"……"
At that, Enoch glanced over at the black cloth bag leaned against the desk.
Growing, huh.
But contrary to her words, ironically, his Inner World inheritance had effectively been halted recently.
No — more than that, facing the extreme side effect of having his inner self eroded by the Sword Saint, it was actually the opposite.
Reminding himself of the unpleasant situation, a wry smile tugged at the corner of Enoch's lips.
"Well, there's no way to know if he really has grown. Conversely — if that freelancer hasn't grown as much as you think, then what?"
"No worries! He definitely has something hidden!"
Hidden, she said. At her piercing remark, Enoch froze for a moment. April declared toward him with complete certainty,
"I'm sure he's a style outside the usual category of mage!"
This time, Enoch's spine really did go cold as he looked at her. A freelancer's instincts, huh — maybe they weren't so unreliable after all.
"Outside the usual category of mage. What……. do you mean by that?"
"Umm~ Like? It's just intuition, but it's like he delivers results that can't be measured by rank? Like, beyond common sense? Ugh, it's hard to put into words when I try to explain."
Watching April tap her pale cheek with her finger as she tried to explain, Enoch shook his head.
He had briefly hoped her 'instinct' might have uncovered some new information he himself didn't know, but somehow he felt he'd come out the loser for having expected it.
Following April's example as she stood, Enoch too rose from his seat and slowly shook his head.
"……In the end, you can't give a logical explanation."
"Tch, what's with you. You really don't trust me on this?"
April huffed, planted her feet, and, with a proud expression, pointed right at him.
"But I'm definitely going to bet on him! Direct Lineage, remember this — the answer in this situation might just be that freelancer!"
Enoch accepted with a sour look. Whatever unfounded confidence she had, there was no arguing against April's momentum — he could only nod.
"Right. I'll keep it in mind, at least."
"What. You're giving me a lazy answer, aren't you — you don't believe me? Dismissing me outright like that is — totally my least favorite!"
April closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. Then, narrowing her eyes slightly, she chuckled.
"Saying it now, it does sound a bit silly. I must've gotten too excited just because a freelancer I know came up. There's no guarantee he'd definitely help us even if he were here."
"……That's true."
"I was just talking, really. Call it escapism, I've got nothing to say."
The thinly-clad freelancer sniper walked toward the window, then stopped at the curtained window, looking up at him with upturned eyes.
"Ah. Al, also. Direct Lineage."
"……?"
The mood of her speech had shifted somehow, and Enoch quietly fixed his gaze on April.
"This is something I tried to say properly before but couldn't. Before we head back to the defensive line, I thought I should say it."
Just then, a breeze swept in and the window curtain fluttered. Behind April — whose face had been flushed red for a while — the sky outside the window stretched out.
Before he knew it, the bright sun had risen and a blue sky spread out. Far off in the clean sky, white puffy clouds drifted past.
"Thank you. Thanks to you speaking kindly to me earlier, Direct Lineage, even someone like me feels like I have the courage to fight again, even if just a little!"
At her words, Enoch realized something.
Come to think of it, April, though a freelancer of the Outsourcing District without a shred of sentimentality, had sometimes shown moments of sticking to affection, unlike other freelancers.
In that case, to draw out the squad's combat potential, taking care of her mental state might fall to him as well.
Reaching that thought, Enoch stepped closer, grasped April's slender shoulders, and leaned his face in close.
"Gah!! Direct Lineage?!"
Enoch, paying no mind to her flustered gaze drawn right up before him, quietly stared at her and whispered,
"Yeah. If that's how you feel, I'm glad, April."
For some reason, April suddenly widened her eyes. Her ruby-colored eyes, catching the sunlight, stared at him as if rooted in place.
"Ah, th. That's right! That's a relief……"
Enoch tilted his head. At some point, her cheeks, bathed in the bright sunlight from outside, had flushed red.
"What is it? Your face is red. Are you alright?"
April, who had been dazedly fanning her cheeks with her hand, only then seemed to realize it and widened her eyes.
"Y, you're right. Ahaha! My cheeks are hot! Have I not rested enough? Huh?"
April briefly placed her hand over her chest, and only then seemed to realize something was strange with her, her eyes going wide.
Then she slowly shook her head side to side.
"But I……. already that person……? Huh?"
Watching April — who seemed to have fallen into intense anguish and self-doubt all of a sudden — Enoch also sighed. Why was she acting up again.
The Outsourcing District freelancer sniper he'd recruited was all very well, but the problem was that she sometimes glitched out like this.
"April?"
April let out an odd "Hieek!" sound and looked up at him with upturned eyes. Then, as if telling him not to worry, she cried out loudly with a flustered expression.
"Ah!! Let's prepare thoroughly and definitely win! It'll be tough, but I'm sure we can do it!!"
As though readying herself to head back to the defensive line in advance, April spun toward the entrance and walked quickly. Watching her, Enoch hesitated, then spoke up.
"April, just a moment. That."
April, just arriving at the entrance, glanced back at him quizzically.
"Hmm? Direct Lineage?"
"Preparing is fine, but what about your usual clothes?"
Only then did April glance sideways at the full-length mirror next to the entrance, at her own outfit.
The reflection was clear to Enoch as well. Her in an outfit of hot-pants — shorter than usual — and a camisole whose shoulder strap had slid down, showed on the mirror.
"Ah!!"
Only now realizing, April flushed red, half-turned her body away, and crossed her arms over her shoulders.
Then, glancing back at him, she laughed awkwardly.
"Ahaha! I was so tired, I dressed comfortably in here. I forgot to change! I was about to go out like this... but thanks! I guess this is too comfortable, it was a bit off, huh?"
April trailed off there, sneaking a glance at him and murmuring softly,
"I, is that okay? The way I'm dressed……"
"No, it wasn't bad."
Enoch shook his head with a matter-of-fact expression. The atmosphere was certainly very different from her usual freelancer attire and it had surprised him, but it wasn't something he disliked.
April glanced at him and smiled, seemingly relieved.
"Th, then that's good! It's a first for me too, showing someone else this kind of outfit. I haven't been close enough with anyone in my freelancer work to……"
Cheeks still bright red, trailing off into a fading voice as she spoke, April closed her eyes and turned her head sharply aside.
At that moment, Enoch, watching her, noticed something and spoke in a slightly surprised voice,
"April. You……"
"Ahaha…! B, but you know……? Strangely, with you, Direct Lineage…… I feel like it might even be okay to show you an outfit like this……"
"……Hmm, this size, shape, firmness…… Definitely similar to that silver-haired maid, the drone girl, the Saintess, and those other females. Even my eyes say this chest is top-grade."
"Huh? That voice?"
April, peering out with one eye, realized Sirocco was right in front of her, staring intently at her chest, and cried out in alarm.
"S, Sirocco?! What are you doing?!"
"Hmm, what am I doing? That's my line!"
Sirocco folded her arms across her chest and snapped, slightly baring her canines.
"Not only did you guys run off somewhere without telling me, now she's in today — I came to hear what on earth happened, and you, pink-bobbed-hair, are dripping female musk all over while flirting with him!"
"Female?! Also, I, I didn't seduce or flirt with anyone! I don't have a tail like the Beast-kin!"
Enoch, with a sour expression, just sat there and helplessly watched the two of them squabble.
For now, Sirocco — with her arms folded and her tail spinning like a propeller — was clearly and unusually angry.
Just then, the hotel entrance slammed open with a loud bang, and Nano strode in majestically.
Her long white-gold hair fluttering, she glanced at the chaos the two girls were causing and, utterly unconcerned, walked over to Enoch with a cheerful grin.
"Ah! Direct Lineage! I'm glad you're back safe-mda!"
"Nano, sorry for being abrupt, but can you explain something."
"Huh? Explain-mka?"
Instead of answering, Enoch gestured with his eyes toward Sirocco — who was still standing beside them with her arms folded, slightly baring her canines, glaring at Nano with prim eyes. She was still watching them intently, growling faintly.
Enoch whispered softly to Nano,
"I'm curious about what happened while I was gone that's got Sirocco this angry."
Of course, Nano had already accomplished the core of what Enoch had wanted. Preventing Sirocco from following the solo mission on her own had been a huge success.
But if that was all, there was no reason for Sirocco to be this angry. Honestly, he was curious about the aftermath — what exactly had gone on.
"Since Nano, who was in charge of Sirocco, would know best, let me ask — what did you do that's got her this furious?"
Nano glanced at Sirocco, then scratched her long back-hair sheepishly, giving an embarrassed smile.
"Ahaha, explaining it might take a while-mda!"
"What happened?"
"Hmm. Since you're curious, I'll get to the main point first-mda!"
Enoch nodded with satisfaction. Fittingly straightforward, Nano jumped right to the heart of it without hesitation.
"After you left, Direct Lineage, Sirocco woke up and found out in ten minutes that you'd left her behind-mda!"
"What……?"