AOTP - Chapter 19

"Tha..."

Perhaps that was why her voice came out cracking ridiculously. She took a deep breath and pretended not to notice her heart beating wildly.

I thanked you for saving me and said I would do anything I could as a reward. So, I begged you, couldn't you just let me go?

I had to say it like that.

Seo-a took another deep breath and lifted her head.

"Thank you for saving me...”

The words trailed off, unable to finish.

Something splendidly sparkling was attached to the black suit. In the center of the golden metal, which resembled a star, was an engraving of a bared beast.

"The wolf is coming."

It seemed as though she could hear her master's voice. And above that, a voice mixed with laughter was heard.

"Do you know what this is?"

Seo-a blinked blankly and shook her head.

"No...."

Then, as he was checking something, he leaned in and whispered again.

"Shall we chat for a moment?"

***

Throughout the early morning hours, real-time communication came from the wolf planted in the Felphe Bank. The identification document presented by the woman was presumed to have been issued by a small Eastern nation called 'Danguk,' and Herod was currently the only country on the Norfolk continent that had established diplomatic relations with Danguk. 

Since there was an embassy of Danguk in Herod's capital, King Felphe reportedly ordered the woman's identification document to be sent to Herod's capital, Harolington, for verification.

From Felphe to Herod, and after undergoing verification there, back to Felphe.

"That alone will take three months."

Simon nodded at Oscar's words.

Even if the verification was passed, there were still more procedures to follow. The safe could only be opened after going through the process of investigating how the key was obtained and publishing an announcement in major national daily newspapers.

"If we go through all the procedures in the current state, it is expected to take at least six months to a maximum of two years to open the safe."

"Two years is too long. What is the plan to reduce it to the minimum?"

"There is one solution that does not violate the Felphe Banking Act."

As Oscar stared at him as if to say, Simon quickly opened his mouth.

"The plan is to marry a woman to a man with a clear identity. The reason we estimated the process to take a minimum of six months to a maximum of two years is that we considered the possibility, in the worst-case scenario, of having to send the woman's identification documents back to her home country for verification. The only way to reduce this risk is to have the woman marry a local man to clarify her identity."

"..."

Of course, even with those measures, it is difficult to dramatically reduce the minimum required time of six months, but the maximum time will not exceed one year at most. Furthermore, since spousal inheritance is possible, the safe can be opened without difficulty even without a wife.

“The risk is...”

"As for now, he is a woman in his own right. Since we know absolutely nothing about a woman's disposition or background, we cannot predict how she will accept marriage, which gender will be affected by coercion, and so on. It could become problematic if she were to mention during the face-to-face interview at Felphe Bank that the marriage was forced."

"So, is it whether it's from half a year to two years, or from half a year to a year? That is the difference."

"Yes."

Oscar lowered his gaze and stared at the key. The human heart is funny; looking at the options, a year did feel like a long time. However, now that the key was in his hands, there was no reason to rush. Had he ever imagined the key would end up in his grasp today, just like this?

Oscar stood by the window and watched as a faint light blended into the pitch-black darkness. As fine streaks of light seeped into the darkness that seemed as though it would never disappear, the outlines of the world began to reveal themselves little by little.

Someone described this time as the dawn when light arrives, while someone else described it as the blue hour where one can be intoxicated by an enchanting atmosphere.

How blessed are those who can express themselves in that way?

For Oscar, this was a time of dogs and wolves. An ambiguous time where it was impossible to tell whether the approaching force was an enemy or an ally.

Come to think of it, is it only like this at this time? For one thing, isn't he acting ambiguously himself?

It's still the same now.

How to deal with women?

Should I intimidate her to naturally make her hand over the safe, or should I coax her gently and use her as much as I can?

Oscar stopped thinking at that point. As Simon had said, it wouldn't be too late to decide after getting to know the woman a little better.

And three or four hours later.

Facing the woman who had woken up, Oscar could not stop the hollow laughter welling up from deep within his chest.

Just as he had first imagined, she was white, small, and a mysterious woman.

A clear face that seemed to struggle even to catch the hazy sunlight. The boundaries of things are usually supposed to be distinct, but the boundaries that defined this woman felt as indistinct as a pencil mark rubbed once with an eraser.

The only thing vivid on a face that seemed like it would be forgotten the moment he turned away was her watery brown eyes. Even those seemed to be resting on the floor, refusing to rise, as if terrified.

I suppose so.

No place to hide; that worn-out coat that seemed to have been used to set up a household is gone, and she doesn't know where she is...

"Don't just stand there, look at me."

Even though he had gone to the trouble of being polite, speaking to her kindly, her head, which had been hesitantly rising, stopped abruptly at a horizontal level. It was a half-impulsive act to bend down instead of telling her to lift his head higher.

"...!"

Before he could react, their eyes met, and the round, transparent eyes widened dramatically. The moment he thought he saw his own face reflected in those pupils that looked as if water would rub off if touched, the woman bowed her head in surprise.

Laughter was bitter.

I haven't done anything yet, so why is she so scared?

After the feeling of being small in retrospect, the next thing was 'easy.'

The gaze of the woman, who seemed afraid of everything, lingered on his eyes for a moment.

"Do you know what this is?"

However, the woman soon shook her head

"No..."

Oscar checked the time once, then whispered softly to her.

"Shall we chat for a moment?"

If she felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff the whole time, now she felt like she had taken a step away from it. She must maintain her balance to avoid falling.

Seo-a nodded, her jaw clenched.

"Yes."

He turned around and walked back up the path he had come from, and the men lined up like a folding screen bowed their heads once again. Just as she straightened her legs, feeling as if she were stepping on thin air, he turned around.

Is this what it feels like to walk on the edge of a cliff that could collapse at any moment?

As she followed the man, cutting through the heavy gazes pouring down from both sides, tens of thousands of emotions poured down like torrential rain.

The most vivid feeling was by far fear. Although the thought crossed her mind that the man before her was a wolf waiting to find her, she was afraid because she hadn't confirmed it.

He led her to a place that looked like a room for receiving guests.

"Sit somewhere comfortable."

Seo-a sat down in the spot closest to the door, but it closed behind her. In the meantime, a man walked to the window and asked.

"Is there anything you like? We have coffee and tea, as well as light sodas."

Of coffee, tea, and soda, the only one she knew was tea, but even then, she wasn't sure if it was the same tea she knew.

"Um... anything is fine."

She felt the man personally holding a cup turn around in front of the cart loaded with drinks.

"Then drink soda. At least that's refreshing."

Seo-a glanced up and saw a man putting ice into a clear glass. He filled two tall glasses side by side with ice, then soon filled them to a consistent height with a light green drink.

He approached unhesitatingly, as if offering a friend, and held out a glass; Seo-a reflexively rose from her seat to accept it with both hands. That familiar, airy laugh rose above her head.

"Sit down."

As she carefully sat down, he sat opposite her. The cold drink inside the delicate, transparent glass sparkled in the light. Seo-a kept her eyes fixed on the rim of the glass, bowing and then raising her head.

"...Thank you for saving me."

"Do you remember?"

"As far as you were standing by the door..."

"Ah, up to that?"

"..."

"Does your tongue hurt?"

Come to think of it, her left tongue did hurt. Had something happened while I had no memory...?

"What's your name?"

The middle of the continuing thought was abruptly severed.

Seo-a hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“It’s called Seo-a.”

“Seo-a?”

"Yes."

“Seo-a.”

He pronounced the name again, as if savoring it. Although it wasn't a difficult pronunciation for Norfolk people, he seemed to pronounce it particularly well. Even his intonation was natural.

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