Chapter 840: Handover (8)

The situation that unfolded at the fighting arena had largely been brought under control.

The dark sky was nearing midnight.

Lennok sat perched on the mansion’s rooftop, phone in hand, listening to Murphy’s explanation.

“-The project is on hold for now. The specific evaluation has been postponed until all the Designers who were on-site have evacuated.”

“What about the clients?”

“-Most of them agreed. Probably because of you.”

The young man’s voice, tinged with a weary, almost cloying quality.

“-There were many clients who wanted to get acquainted with Adamant Thunder, so things smoothed over better than expected. For the time being, there won’t be any gossip about this incident.”

“For the time being?”

“-There were thousands of eyes watching your rampage right there. Won’t rumors start once the money we paid for their silence runs out?”

“You didn’t need to hand out money. It’s not like some great secret was exposed.”

So, they silenced all the other spectators in the underground fighting arena by giving them a suitable amount of money?

Considering the caliber of the clients who were watching the match, securing the funds wouldn’t have been difficult.

At Lennok’s words, Murphy finally let out a grim chuckle.

“-Right. Considering your notorious reputation, even the biggest blabbermouth will keep quiet for a while.”

“……”

“-I’ve heard the rumors to exhaustion, but seeing it in person was quite novel. You certainly can’t help but attract all sorts of monstrous tales if you cause such havoc everywhere you go.”

“It wasn’t my intention. You know that, don’t you?”

“-Indeed. But that makes it even more intriguing.”

Murphy’s voice, which had been soaked in exhaustion, seemed to regain a touch of vigor.

“-You don’t deny that you’re broken to some extent. That’s a completely different kind of madness than what arises from going insane due to the backlash of ascending hierarchies.”

“……”

“-I’m no expert in psychiatry, but I do understand that it’s an extremely peculiar form of self-hypnosis.”

“What are you getting at?”

“-Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.”

Murphy spoke while Lennok remained silent.

“-I underestimated the ‘standard’ of talent that exists between you and me. I admit it. It was my miscalculation. An arrogance born of wanting to rush when I had the chance.”

“……”

“-I’m relieved it was resolved well in the end, but perhaps today I might have had to betray the trust I’ve painstakingly built with my clients. That would have been…”

What was Murphy’s true objective in delving into the doping business, including blood selling, and building connections with powerful figures across the continent?

Could it be related to the fundamental motive that has kept him alive since his escape from Ars Nova?

What did Murphy witness that made him flee from the ruined central city? What remains at the heart of a continent that has lost its meaning?

As Lennok was lost in thought, he heard the sound of Murphy moving away from the receiver.

“-I’ll send the examination records via a later communication. As promised, I’ll leave enough capacity for you to use the database one more time, so come whenever you wish. I’ll be waiting.”

Click!

The call was cut off without waiting for an answer. He probably wouldn’t pick up even if Lennok called back.

It was even doubtful if he had ever initiated a call from his end in the first place.

This must be proof of how important this business is to Murphy himself.

But instead of pondering Murphy’s past, which he couldn’t ascertain immediately, Lennok put away his phone and turned around.

At the end of the mansion’s reception room balcony, bathed in soft moonlight, the guest who had come to find him was waiting.

Lennok walked out, looking at the emerald eyes shining clearly under the moonlight, and smiled.

“Long time no see, Evelyn. How have you been?”

Even in the dark room, her emerald eyes glowed faintly. A presence as ethereal and indistinct as a ghost.

No, if anything, her skill at concealing her presence was even more perfect than that of Yorta’s Military Spirits.

So much so that even Lennok only sensed her presence the moment he stepped into the reception room.

“Nice house.”

Evelyn spoke first, leaving Lennok standing there, leaning against the balcony.

“It’s a good distance from the central district, yet close enough to the residential area that it doesn’t unnecessarily draw attention.”

“……”

“It’s an old mansion illegally remodeled, so it doesn’t even show up as a tradable property. It must have been exchanged only in physical assets for quite some time.”

She said, sitting upright on the sofa.

“These days, the city government is meticulously processing resident registrations up to the 30th district, so a place like this must have been hard to acquire. You’re resourceful, aren’t you? Quite skilled.”

“You pick up tricks after doing it a few times.”

Securing a hideout to live alone was something Lennok had consistently done since he first arrived in Vulcan.

Now, with Davi’s help, he’s even evading digital tracking and records, so it’s not strange for Evelyn to feel that way.

“It wasn’t difficult.”

“…I suppose not.”

Evelyn, who had been silent, conceded.

“You always handled things resourcefully, no matter where you were or what you were doing.”

“……”

Evelyn’s words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.

Lennok put down the bag of groceries and sat across from her.

He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, leaned back comfortably, and lit it.

Hiss!

“How did you know to come here?”

Lennok exhaled a puff of smoke and asked.

“As you said, this property isn’t recorded in any ledgers. I took considerable care to acquire it.”

“……”

“Whether it was transaction details or physical assets, it went through several rounds of laundering, so it must have been difficult to track. Are Agents really different?”

“Ah, not exactly.”

Evelyn replied calmly.

“I got help from Lapis and used the Lighthouse. When I told him I couldn’t reach you, he helped right away.”

“…What?”

As Lennok countered, somewhat dumbfounded, Evelyn calmly explained.

“Knowing you, I figured you wouldn’t leave any traces at all when moving residences. And that you’d want a property with a relatively large plot for your personal research, and that you’d handle the move-in process without attracting any attention.”

“……”

“It sounds grand, but I just walked around Vulcan’s central area, doing legwork.”

Evelyn’s lips pursed for a moment.

“I never imagined you’d separate the mansion and the lab, though. That must have taken five times longer than I expected.”

Did she mean she used the Lighthouse’s abilities to survey the 20s and 30s districts all at once, searching for properties Lennok would likely want?

It was undoubtedly almost the only way to find Lennok’s address, as he left virtually no trace, but it was also clear that even that would have taken a considerable amount of time.

“Five times longer, you say.”

Lennok, whose thoughts had reached that point, slowly nodded with the cigarette still in his mouth.

“Well, you certainly have plenty of time, so it must not have been difficult.”

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“Of course not. In a way, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say you’re the strongest NEET in the world—I’m joking.”

Lennok subtly averted his gaze from Evelyn’s suddenly cold expression.

Lennok coughed lightly, the cigarette still in his mouth, and leaned on one knee as he chose his words.

When was the last time he had worked with Evelyn? Looking back, it felt like a long time ago.

It was even easier to recall the memory of when he fought Evelyn.

He hadn’t really seen her in person since the time he first created the random box.

“I was away handling a lot of personal matters. I apologize for not responding for so long. I’m fine now.”

“Really?”

Evelyn gazed steadily at Lennok with clear eyes and asked.

“Are you really okay?”

“…What are you trying to ask?”

A quiet silence fell over the unlit living room.

Evelyn, who had been silently watching Lennok, gestured with her eyes.

“You’re still hurting, aren’t you?”

“……”

“It’s not just because of Onnion anymore. A significant portion of your problems stems from yourself.”

“That’s…”

“You keep traveling the continent, destroying yourself—what exactly are you trying to find?”

Lennok, who had been about to say something, gave a wry smile and closed his mouth.

The Archer sitting before him wasn’t someone who knew Lennok so little that he could gloss over things with clumsy lies.

Making vague excuses would be meaningless against a skilled individual like her.

She knew that Lennok regularly left Vulcan, and that the reason wasn’t simply due to his injuries.

There are things visible even without being spoken directly, even without being shown outwardly.

Instinctive suspicions and certainties felt inadvertently just by talking and sharing a drink.

Evelyn was asking about that subtle gap and sense of unease that Lennok had deliberately ignored and turned away from.

“…It’s not just because I’m hurting.”

Therefore, Lennok felt he needed to tell her some of the truth.

“Of course, that’s an important reason. It’s not wrong. But what’s most important is… I’m searching.”

“The Black Consumer Project?”

“No, the reason.”

“……”

Lennok said.

“Who I am, and who I was. There are dilemmas there that cannot be resolved merely by transcending hierarchies.”

“Such things…”

Evelyn couldn’t easily answer, her voice trailing off.

Because Evelyn also knew about Lennok’s talent and capabilities, and his potential.

From when he first started taking freelance requests, when they met at Charlotte’s factory. Up until they faced each other as an 8th-level Archwizard.

Even if his battles and experiences were on a different trajectory than others, she couldn’t possibly be unaware that Lennok’s growth had been unparalleled and transcendental.

Evelyn knew this as well but had simply refrained from directly pointing it out or asking about it in front of Lennok.

Lennok, too, knew her thoughts and had tried not to answer, but an unavoidable moment was now approaching.

Yorta and Machina were shaking one after another, and major figures from across the continent were beginning to move in earnest.

Vulcan too, and the people living mixed within its districts.

Even Lennok’s comrades and Lennok himself wouldn’t be able to avoid it.

“Who you are, and who you were…”

But instead of agreeing with his words, Evelyn murmured, her eyes gently closed.

“Well, I… I can’t believe those words anymore.”

“…Evelyn?”

“When Yorta fell, where were you and what were you doing?”

An abrupt accusation, so sudden that even Lennok was momentarily speechless.

Evelyn had, by then, opened her eyes wide and was staring intently at Lennok.

“When I got Lapis’s help and borrowed the Lighthouse, I saw what happened in Yorta.”

“……”

“I saw someone I thought was an enemy, and yet also suspected, fighting against Croken Asylus.”

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a single black glove and placed it on the table.

“Just like when we first met at Charlotte’s factory.”

A glove made at Black Palace Workshop, and an item Lennok had favored for quite some time.

And it was an item he had left behind during their mid-term settlement, when he clashed with Evelyn under the identity of Victor.

“I know you don’t like to be bound by a single identity. Helping Lapis under the name Evan was probably for that reason too.”

Evelyn said.

“But if you’re sharing two identities and living different lives, would it be strange to think you have a third?”

“……”

“Would it be strange to think that I already know your third face… even if it’s just a slim possibility?”

Lennok couldn’t answer her words and remained silent.

Because Lennok knew better than anyone why Evelyn thought that way, and why she couldn’t help but think that way.

Indeed, many things had happened.

Navigating countless hours across the three identities of Van, Evan, and Victor, amidst intertwining causes and connections.

Evelyn was one of the very few acquaintances who had witnessed Lennok’s life journey from its earliest stages.

That’s why she had carefully gathered, one by one, the clues and circumstances that only she could know, holding them precious in her heart,

until she finally arrived at an answer that even she could no longer deny.

Evelyn twisted her lips and asked.

“Are you hiding the Obsidian Mask inside that coat?”

“……”

“Who are you? Where do you stand now?”

No answer came. Evelyn didn’t expect one either.

“I didn’t come to find you today just to explain what’s happened so far.”

In the darkness, a vivid green light flashed from her eyes.

“The truths you told me, and yet didn’t tell me. The secrets you deliberately averted your eyes from and pretended not to know.”

“……”

“If you won’t say it, then I will.”

Whoosh!!

A black arrow grazed Lennok’s cheek.

Evelyn, now clad in a full-body suit, stood before Lennok, looking down at him.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t truly fought since we each transcended our hierarchies.”

“…Evelyn.”

“Come outside, Van.”

Evelyn’s expression, as she gripped her visor, was coldly hardened.

“If there’s an answer that can’t be conveyed with words, then there’s only one way.”