..When those soldiers walked away with the enemy rendered floating and unconscious above the ground, 'Litva' revealed her true identity. The woman who had just portrayed herself as a victim was the real culprit hiding in plain sight! Litva quickly walked to the wardrobe and opened the door.
Litva wasted no time, quickly pulling 'Lud's' hand to run with her. The two darted into a hidden, small alley. The young man's eyes were full of suspicion.
"Who were those people, exactly?"
Lud' firmly grasped Litva's hands with both of his, an action born from the lingering shock. But suddenly, Litva quickly grabbed her own left temple. A slight, sudden spasm appeared in her body. Lud rushed to support her, extremely panicked.
"What's wrong with you!!"
Litva was conflicted about whether to tell the truth to 'Lud', her junior student, but finally decided to conceal the whole story. She only said briefly "...Just some hooligans."
After hurrying a little further, the two had to stop short because right in front of them was a dead-end alley closed off by a four-story building. The situation was moving extremely fast. Litva quickly grabbed a metal trash can. She ordered 'Lud' to sit down and used the trash can to completely cover his body.
As for Litva, she slightly unclipped the shirt tied to her waist, revealing a small pouch on her left side, hidden near her hip. She opened the zipper, revealing a small metal rod the size of a thumb, the length of a dinner spoon, resembling a blade mixed with a metal rod. Litva took it out and noticed a hidden metal button. When she pressed it, the small device instantly extended to 30 centimeters, revealing its complex internal mechanism.
Her right side revealed a small rope neatly coiled at her belt. The rope was small, but its structure showed extreme durability. Litva took one length of rope from her belt and deftly tied it to the metal rod that had just extended. This seemingly small improvised tool indicated her skill and seasoned ability.
When the assembly was complete, Litva violently threw it upward. The force sent the metal rod instantaneously embedding into the roof edge. The secret of this device was the unusually sharp tip of the metal rod.
But it seemed the impact from the rod's embedding caused small brick fragments from the roof edge to fall down. Litva glanced down at her waist, her eyes thoughtfully fixed on the small pouch on the left. A slight disappointment appeared as she uttered in her mind "...Damn it... that's all gone."
...The two easily climbed the rope to the high building. 'Lud' reached the top first, with Litva following quickly. But as soon as Lud looked around, his heart immediately pounded in alarm. His eyes widened as he saw the panoramic view of the city from above: Numerous soldiers and officers were strictly patrolling every area, revealing a situation more dangerous than he thought.
"Wear this first..." Litva said, handing her own white long-sleeved shirt, which was tied to her waist, to 'Lud' to wear for temporary camouflage. Then, Litva immediately ran forward, with Lud following close behind her. Their running on the building rooftops was amazingly agile, and it also revealed the young man's superior skill as he could easily jump across to the building in front of them.
However, this chase was not as easy as they thought, because several officers looked up at the top of the high buildings, as if they knew the rooftops were being used as an escape route. 'Lud' and 'Litva' immediately lay flat on the rooftop to avoid being sighted.
The two were lying flat against the rooftop. Litva intently listened to the footsteps and voices of the officers, as if searching for a weak point to find an opportunity to escape. Suddenly, 'Lud', who was lying to her right, quickly turned his face and whispered urgently
"Can you please tell me... what the hell is going on??"
Suddenly, Litva took out a rubber adhesive tape from a small pouch on her right, cleverly hidden within the coiled rope bundle. She quickly and decisively taped Lud's mouth shut, as if to signal that she did not intend to reveal any truth.
The sounds of people's lives continued to bustle in the crowded city. However, amidst the chaos, a group of officers was positioned at a small point, silently observing all forms of anomalies. This group was named 'Klorfos', with 'Kaman' as its supreme leader.
That young woman is 'Litva', an enemy from the rival organization called 'Farares'. Furthermore, she was a former personnel of the institute. Because of this, her caution must be used intensely, because their methods and techniques are beyond anyone's prediction.
....On the other side, 'Enklas' was simply hiding and observing alone. His back was pressed against the room wall peacefully. At the window, he scrutinized the outside situation. Suddenly, the communicator radio went off, revealing the voice of 'Konji'
"...I still don't even know what color Serlenum is, exactly."
Enklas' tightly held the communicator radio in his hand, pressed closely to both his ear and mouth with caution. His eyes were full of seriousness.
"It has 2 colors!! During the day, it's a terrifying red, but at night, it's a pure white."
"Oh... that's more than I expected. Creepy as hell," Konji said, but his voice was still playful as usual, not showing any seriousness with the statement.
"It's strange... why aren't they invading the museum?" Konji asked Enklas with an analytical curiosity. Although still slightly playful, his tone revealed a genuine desire for the reason.
Suddenly, 'Enklas's' eyes narrowed, as if some thought was welling up deep in his mind. He replied with a polite, yet cold voice, as he always displayed
"The museum is a forbidden place."
"Destroying any property or items inside the museum is considered a serious criminal act under the law."
The moment the gentle breeze blew in, amidst the murmur of people in the daytime with sunlight streaming, Enklas's words stopped for a moment, before he stuttered out the word he was trying to say...actually...
But suddenly, 'Konji' interrupted again before Enklas could say the word. It was an unexpected and somewhat contemptuous piece of information
"You don't need to look for Sinhe Rophalia anymore... she's just a Sorcerer museum staff member, that's all."
...When Konji finished saying those words, he quickly cut off the radio communication without waiting for an answer. As for 'Enklas', he maintained his composure and continued to focus on looking outside to observe the ongoing situation.
Konji was inside the Ancient Gem and Artifacts Exhibition Zone, where all items were securely encased in special glass. The display cases were filled with necklaces, rings, and swords made from rare special minerals. He slowly sneaked closer to those items, an unauthorized intrusion into the area by the museum.
Konji used his eyes to survey the numerous display pedestals to search for 'Serlenum', his main target. Inside this zone, some gems were brightly glowing, as if magical energy was circulating within them.
...Footsteps rang out rhythmically from the entrance. 'Konji' immediately sensed the danger signal. There was a beautiful chandelier hanging on the ceiling above. Suddenly, he leaped up to stand on the chandelier quickly and easily, revealing superhuman skill. The unexpected thing was that he was too light to describe. The chandelier didn't move at all, as if he had lost his weight in that moment.
Four museum staff members entered the area for a thorough patrol. One walked to the far right corner, another entered the room on the left, and the third went to the adjacent room. But no matter how closely they searched, they did not notice Konji hidden on the chandelier above. These staff members were completely silent, not even showing emotion or talking, as if they were well-trained.
...Although 'Konji' appeared calm on the outside, the veins on his hands pulsed periodically, indicating the hidden pressure. His pulse quickened the longer he had to hide up there. During this, 'Konji' was forced to think rapidly. His brain analyzed the situation unfolding. Suddenly, his expression changed abruptly, as if a thought or a solution to the situation had flashed into his mind.
He slowly moved his mouth, chanting an incantation faintly. But this time, he was focusing intently on the floor of the room. The words chanted were
"Mystical Sorcery of Light... I ask to receive the darkness temporarily, please..."
.....When the final word of the incantation ended, everything remained as normal. Nothing changed at all, as if the Mystical Sorcery that 'Konji' used... had failed.
...Black energy rushed in quickly from the door. It accurately darted towards each staff member. Everyone fell to the floor instantly as the black energy passed through them. Konji swiftly jumped down from the chandelier, but the black energy immediately surged towards him. Konji quickly ran to press his back against the wall, and the black energy stopped dead right in front of him.
"Who are you...!!" Konji asked quickly. His eyes were violently shaking, and he blinked rapidly with a panic he had never shown to anyone before.
In a blink of an eye, the black energy moved to envelop the area behind him. Konji quickly stood up and turned to face it in shock. The feeling was as if it was invading and doing something to his thoughts.
'Konji's' consciousness slowly returned as the black energy gathered behind him. The panic he once had subsided surprisingly. Then, a woman's hand emerged from the black energy behind him and gently rested on his shoulder.
What appeared was a young woman with pure white hair like snowflakes, a result of genetics, not age. Her golden eyes indicated formidable power. She wore a black suit, a short black skirt, and stockings as black as darkness, yet maintaining a mysterious beauty, along with a smooth black cloak. She was embracing 'Konji' from behind by holding his neck.
"Who are you!!..." Konji asked. His heart was pounding fiercely, as if his body was being covered by the power of darkness, but at the same time, a sudden chill rushed into his body from this mysterious woman.
She leaned her face down to look at Konji seductively, but her eyes were cunning and dangerous.
"The purest lineage.... you are the pure blood of the Kamerian people."
Konji did not look at her willingly at all. He struggled and fought against the mysterious power of the young woman that was consuming his body and mind.
"Who are you..." 'Konji' asked, his voice trembling with anger. "How dare you invade and consume my heart like this...!"
"So this is it... the tenth generation of pure blood," she said with a smile full of hidden intentions.
"Bold and brave, just as my grandmother told me," she hugged 'Konji' even tighter, with teasing and cunning words, as her right hand gently touched his cheek. It was an act to confirm their connection and increase the danger of the touch.
'Konji' slowly turned to look at her. Their faces were too close to pull away. Konji's eyes were stern and sharp, as if the fire of rage was erupting in his thoughts. The woman's hand still rested gently on his cheek.
"...I'm just a scrap engine collector..." Konji firmly and decisively denied. His eyes, close to hers, stared unflinchingly.
The woman's body was not touching the floor, but she was floating slightly above it. Furthermore, the black energy that had covered the area behind 'Konji' flowed back into her body completely. The woman's forehead was pressed close to 'Konji's' face. Both of her hands firmly held his head.
"I am merely a spoiled young lady..."
she teased " Winters.. and all Sorcerers need you..."
The darkness faded from Konji and flowed back into her body, covering her and turning into a black mist, before she disappeared with the darkness. The last words left behind were: "...Jinkeon... Colinvek... my Knights."
Every event that happened seemed to be just a seductive act to weaken 'Konji's' resolve. When Vintes disappeared with the black energy, he lowered his head slightly with an emotionless expression, revealing the return of Konji's coldness. Then, he slowly walked back to continue his mission of finding 'Serlenum'...
Stay tuned for the next episode....