Chapter 258: Honestly, I Want Trouble to Come Knocking
"She's… healed already?"
Skadi tilted her head and leaned over, poking the still-unconscious girl on the bed.
She was genuinely curious—how could Steven treat such severe injuries so effortlessly?
Whether it was back then with Laurentina or now with this girl, even in her hyper-advanced homeland of Ægir, such a recovery would've been near impossible.
And yet here it was, right before her eyes.
"What, you think I need to chant a spell or something?" Steven said with a shrug. "Now we just wait for her to wake up. By the way, was she already unconscious when you found her, or did she pass out later?"
He figured it was important to clarify.
If she had already been unconscious when they found her, then she wouldn't remember anything they did to help her—and explaining that after she woke up could get complicated.
Especially if she didn't trust them.
"No, she was still awake," Skadi replied. "She even told us to leave. Looked like she didn't want to drag us down. Pretty decent person, really."
Her hand unconsciously drifted toward the girl's big, fluffy red tail.
Its soft, plush texture practically begged to be petted.
Steven noticed but said nothing.
He wasn't blind—he saw the temptation—but at least reminded himself she was a girl and touching someone like that might come with consequences. Still, he wouldn't blame anyone for being tempted.
"Good. Once she wakes up, we can ask her what the hell happened," Steven said, nodding. "Might even be some juicy story behind it."
He was already guessing this girl had stirred up something big.
If even the Armorless Union was willing to make a public move in broad daylight on Kazimierz's central turf, she probably had some serious dirt on them.
And they wouldn't just let that go.
It wasn't that Skadi and Specter hadn't done a clean job handling the pursuers. They had.
But this wasn't the wilds anymore—it was the city.
Even if they wiped out their tails, someone just recognizing their faces would be enough to track them down.
Steven knew this city.
And he knew it had surveillance cameras.
"So… when are we doing the mission Dr. Kal'tsit assigned me?" Skadi finally asked, her expression showing rare traces of disgust.
"This city… I really don't like it."
And she wasn't exaggerating.
The air in Kazimierz was far too dry, and the stench of money and greed that clung to everything—that was what truly disgusted her.
"We'll probably be stuck here for a while," Steven said, brushing it off. "But if you're that eager, feel free to go ahead. Take Specter with you—it shouldn't be a problem. Things might even be easier for me here without you two drawing attention."
Not that he minded having them around, it's quite the opposite actually.
With just these two Abyssal Hunters, he could probably strut through all of Kazimierz without anyone daring to stop him.
But still, dragging Rhodes Island into this whole mess wasn't something he wanted.
That would mean owing them favors.
And Steven hated owing people.
"I'll think about it," Skadi muttered. "But first, I'd like to clean up the trouble Laurentina and I stirred up. One step at a time, right?"
Skadi, ever the responsible one, bit her lip and thought it over for a moment before finally giving Steven her answer.
"I'll go along with your plan. Either way, I've stirred up a hell of a lot more trouble than you guys have. Trouble coming to me? Honestly, I enjoy that." Steven clapped her on the shoulder, looking oddly satisfied.
But Skadi's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion.
Was that really something someone could like?
This boy in front of her… could he be one of those so-called M types? The kind who enjoy getting stepped on?
She shot Steven with a suspicious look, but he wasn't paying attention.
Instead, he glanced out the window at the darkening sky, then turned to the little squirrel girl still lying unconscious without the slightest hint of waking up.
"I'll leave things here to you two for now," he said, standing up. "I've got to head out for a bit—should be back later tonight."
At the door, he paused and turned back, giving them a serious reminder:
"If anyone does come knocking, make sure to ask questions before throwing punches. And try to hold back a little—if you tear this place down, we're sleeping under a bridge tonight."
Steven didn't sound concerned about their safety.
What he was worried about was the poor saps who might be dumb enough to show up looking for a fight.
He still had money left, but not enough to cover the cost of rebuilding the inn.
"I'll do my best. But you should really be telling Laurentina that," Skadi said with a helpless shrug, pointing at Specter. "She's the one who can't hold back."
"Hehehe~"
Specter, being pointed at, just giggled softly—like someone who thought they were being praised, not scolded.
"Haah… whatever. If anything happens, I'll just go cry to your poor, long-suffering Second Company Captain," Steven muttered with a resigned laugh. "I'll add this to your tab—I'd love to see how she plans to compensate me."
He sighed, giving up on any hope for the survival of this unlucky little inn.
If only he had a few hundred billion LMD lying around—he wouldn't need to worry about things like this.
Anyway, he still had a stop to make: the K.G.C.C.
That was where the real money was.
Steven had already set a small goal for himself—and with that in mind, he strolled casually out the door and made his way to the bar downstairs.
The old craftsman and the old knight were already waiting for him.
The bartender had just locked up and gave Steven a friendly wave as he approached.
"Perfect timing! Come try out my badass ride!"
The old craftsman slapped the seat of his heavily modified motorcycle with great pride, clearly inviting Steven to hop on.
"Zofia's hospital's pretty far from here," the old craftsman added. "No way we're walking all that way. C'mon, hop on!"
The big white bear of a man practically dragged Steven toward his ride, eager to show it off.
"I'd advise you to ride with me instead," the old knight said with a grunt. "That thing of his has been illegally modded so many times, I wouldn't be surprised if the tires decided to grow a mind of their own and steered you straight into someone's storefront."
He didn't even try to spare the craftsman's dignity, casually bringing up one of his more embarrassing incidents.
"That was an accident! A one-time thing!"
The big white bear of a craftsman turned red in the face from embarrassment. He tried to protest, but in the end, he couldn't deny the facts. All he could do was grumble a weak rebuttal or two under his breath.
Steven, on the other hand, didn't look the least bit fazed.
In fact, his eyes were practically sparkling as he ran his hands over the sleek, Harley-like motorcycle.
"Don't worry about it—I like a little danger. This thing's amazing! Kazimierz actually allows bikes like this on the streets?"
He looked like a kid in a candy store, completely infatuated with the machine in front of him.
Really, what guy wouldn't be?
It was just a shame.
As a Kamen Rider—specifically Evol with his Black Hole armor—Steven had gotten used to all kinds of cool powers and gear.
Everything was great… except for one thing: they never gave him a damn bike.
Actually, come to think of it, most of the newer Riders barely even had motorcycles anymore.
Other than that weird three-rider one from the pediatrician-themed season, you could hardly name a memorable bike from the new era.
'Maybe it's time I grab an Animal Bikes mod or something. A Rider without a motorcycle is like… I don't know—a hero without a soul!'
Determined now, Steven cracked his knuckles and set a mental note for later.
"Of course they allow it," the old knight said with a chuckle. "This country is built around knights, after all. Kazimierz's pretty lenient when it comes to mounts. Hell, if you had the skill for it, you could probably ride around on a warhorse and no one would bat an eye."
"…Assuming you could afford to feed it, of course."
The old knight added that last part with a smirk, lovingly patting the tank of his motorcycle like he would've once done to a faithful steed.
"Perfect," Steven said, immediately straddling the craftsman's ride like he owned it. He gripped the handlebars, his entire body practically humming with anticipation. "Do you mind if I take it for a quick spin? I'll pay for any damages, I promise."
He shot the big bear of a man with a pleading look, the kind no red-blooded mechanic could refuse.
"…Fine, but take it slow," the old craftsman said with a deep sigh. "This is my baby. If you crash it, compensation's not gonna cut it."
He gave Steven a pained look, but in the end, couldn't bring himself to say no.
The kid had treated him to drinks and clearly wasn't just fooling around.
Besides, he looked like the steady type—surely he'd be a responsible driver, right?
…Right?
Unfortunately for the old craftsman, that little bit of naïve optimism was about to come crashing down.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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