Chapter 55
Anschel gripped the steering wheel after turning on the navigation. Meanwhile, the two who had come as his aides naturally sat in the back seat.
‘Damn it all…’
Anschel, who wanted to use proper and refined language, adjusted the HUD while cursing internally. As he naturally gripped the steering wheel and pressed the accelerator, the car smoothly moved forward.
Since this was Ender McGuire’s personal vehicle brought directly from his residence, it must be expensive and solid.
Anschel surveyed the surroundings while wrapping a psychic barrier around the car body. He repeatedly turned the steering wheel all the way to the left and then back again.
“Did you like sashimi, Sunbae?”
“Mm.”
“…I really didn’t know that.”
Ender mumbled in a somewhat dejected voice. Harriet smiled slightly and tapped Ender’s cheek with his fingertips.
It wasn’t a forceful touch that would make the recipient uncomfortable, but rather seemed like flirtatious affection. Anschel was horrified at the sight, which resembled someone trying to cheer up a sulking child.
“I ate it when I was nine and haven’t had it since.”
“…Is that so. If you had mentioned it earlier…”
“I just remembered it now that we’re here.”
Ender sighed as if truly upset and unbearably distressed. His face flushed with burning shame and embarrassment at the fact that there was something he didn’t know about his sunbae.
He had been proud of knowing even the count of his sunbae’s sperm, but failing to notice such basic information as his sunbae’s favorite food was inconceivable. He felt unworthy to live.
Ender’s reddened face and trembling appearance looked so pitiful and gaunt.
“Oh my… poor Ender.”
Harriet muttered without understanding why Ender was so shocked and trembling. He simply wanted to comfort Ender because he looked so sad and devastated.
Ender’s reddened eyes looked strangely decadent and seductive. Tears welled up in his sparkling red eyes.
“……”
What the hell are you two doing?
Anschel felt the urge to pick his nose but focused on driving instead. Though he felt bad about interrupting, Anschel smoothly and gently cut into their conversation, much like changing lanes.
“…There’s a famous sashimi restaurant by the dock, about 30 minutes away.”
“Let’s go.”
In response to Ender, who didn’t speak at length to anyone except his sunbae, Anschel gently turned the steering wheel. Meanwhile, the melodrama continued in the back seat.
Ender grabbed Harriet’s hand with reddened eyes, looking like he might cry. Harriet, who had been seriously staring at Ender’s seductive eyes that looked as if they were painted with red rouge, raised his hand to caress Ender’s reddened eyes.
“Please tell me what you liked before you turned ten.”
“Hmm.”
“Anything is fine. Food you liked… or anything else you particularly enjoyed.”
Ender whispered. Harriet made a significant effort to recall the past as he listened to Ender’s desperate voice. Harriet at the orphanage wasn’t much different from how he was now. He had no greed and no obsession with his possessions. Everyone thought that’s why he was able to receive Alcita Maxim’s guardianship.
Alcita’s son had died, and he wanted to give the affection and attention he should have given his son to someone else. When Harriet first met Alcita, Alcita was a Peace Council member, and his father was a presidential candidate. At that time, Alcita taught Harriet many things.
Actually, he wasn’t sure if he liked sashimi, but he remembered enjoying the corn dish that came with it when Alcita first took him out. It was sweet, rich, and delicious. As he eagerly ate only that, Alcita asked if it was tasty. When he replied that it was, Alcita smiled and wrapped some sashimi for him, telling him to eat that too.
Unable to recall anything immediately, Harriet gave a troubled smile and reached out again to press firmly on Ender’s eyes.
“I like your eyes.”
“…Haa.”
A hot moan escaped Ender’s lips. I like your eyes. That’s what his sunbae was saying. So these eyes appear beautiful to his sunbae, who is more noble and beautiful than anyone. Ender spoke without realizing it.
“Would you like to have them?”
“Mm. No… they’re most beautiful when they’re with you.”
Goodness, Ender now trembled all over, consumed by passion. Harriet’s white fingers felt like balls of fire.
However, he could also clearly sense the damned interlopers approaching closer and closer. Anschel must have felt the same, as he sharply turned the steering wheel and hit the brakes.
HONK-!!!
This wasn’t a wide-open highway. Despite the blaring horns from behind, Anschel paid no attention and veered left several times to pull onto the shoulder.
“Can you confirm how many vehicles there are?”
Anschel shouted through gritted teeth. Ender, who was embracing his sunbae’s shoulders while trying to stabilize his swaying body, replied.
“Seven, no, just now eight.”
“Damn it!”
There were so many. It seemed that while the President might forgive Anschel for coming directly into the heart of enemy territory, the President’s dogs wouldn’t.
They were dogs that Dante Maxim had trained for over 20 years. They were old-fashioned types who couldn’t stand the sight of Anschel, who wasn’t even a fledgling, challenging his authority.
Such people wouldn’t allow Anschel to leave the capital unscathed. And both Anschel and Ender had already anticipated this situation. They would have to use their powers before even eating. Anschel clicked his tongue and completely changed lanes.
“Hey, you crazy bastard!!!”
“Drive properly, fuck!!!”
Anschel moved erratically and turned the car completely in the opposite direction. There was a horrifying screeching sound, and due to the spin, dark skid marks were left on the road.
This caused drivers to curse and jump out of their vehicles. The busy road quickly turned into chaos.
Anschel gritted his teeth and continued changing lanes. Eventually, he started driving completely against the flow of traffic. Oncoming vehicles slammed on their brakes or frantically honked their horns, but it was useless.
Anschel drove with godlike skill, avoiding all the moving vehicles.
“I heard insurance doesn’t cover driving against traffic.”
Harriet remarked while nestled in Ender’s arms. Anschel was gritting his teeth and darting his eyes around while driving against traffic, and here they were making such deflating comments.
“Sunbae, your knowledge is truly impressive.”
I should just stop talking.
Anschel mercilessly twisted the steering wheel, performing the reckless act of driving against traffic on the road. With the car swaying in all directions, he felt his insides shifting to one side.
“How many have we shaken off?!”
“Not a single one.”
The hellish road became even more chaotically damaged. When Harriet turned to check, indeed eight black cars were following without even trying to hide.
BANG-!
“Those crazy bastards!”
It was still a time when civilians were out and about, but the pursuers were completely reckless. A gun gleamed as it was loaded through the sunroof, taking aim at Ender’s vehicle.
BANG-!
With another gunshot, screams erupted from people on the road. The sudden gunfight left everyone visibly stunned. Bullets, blocked by Anschel’s psychic barrier, spun in the air before dropping.
Nevertheless, they continued firing indiscriminately. Anschel’s barrier ability ranked among the top even among ability users. Bullets alone couldn’t destroy his barrier. But Anschel turned the steering wheel with a chilling feeling.
SCREECH-!
The car made a half-turn, leaving chaotic skid marks on the road.
BANG-! THUD-!
Surprisingly, a hole appeared in the barrier that had been blocking bullets until just now. Only ability users could destroy a psychic barrier.
“This seems more than just a threat… it’s getting serious.”
Anschel muttered, feeling chilled. Ender, who had been indifferently observing the situation from behind, slightly moved his hand when he saw that their path was blocked by enemy cars. The vehicles rose into the air and flew up. But the opponents were not to be underestimated either.
“Ugh!”
“Fire, how annoying…”
The engine caught fire. Fortunately, it didn’t explode, but Ender couldn’t use his ability either. Fire burns better when wind blows.
Ender frowned as if annoyed. As soon as the tires touched the road again, Anschel pressed the accelerator and resumed driving. Meanwhile, it seemed the other side had a wind ability user too, as several vehicles stuck close behind them.
“Stop, Anschel. Just let me wipe them out.”
Anschel shouted as if horrified.
“You’d blow away half the city?!”
No matter how exceptional his ability was, would he really blow away the capital? Harriet thought lightly, but Anschel looked truly serious.
“The dock is just a little further ahead.”
Ender wore an indifferent expression. But Anschel turned the steering wheel while sweating profusely. Judging by the blood on the steering wheel, it seemed his palm had been torn from gripping it too tightly.
SCREECH-!
Anschel let out a small groan as he made a U-turn. Ender, who had been holding Harriet’s shoulder, suddenly flung open the car door. His hair, which had been neatly swept back, swayed chaotically in the swirling wind.
Before he could open his mouth to say “Ah,” Ender had already jumped out of the car. The car, which had come to an abrupt stop with emergency braking, halted precariously at the edge of the dock. If they had gone just a little further, they would have plunged straight into the sea.
Without even time to catch his breath, Anschel deployed his psychic barrier. Not just one layer, but an impressive five layers. Only then did Anschel catch his breath.
“You’ve deployed a lot of barriers.”
This would buy some time against the enemy’s attacks, but conversely, it also meant no attacks were permitted from their side either. Harriet, who was preparing to jump into the sea if necessary, expressed his confusion.
It seemed he wasn’t particularly planning to attack but was genuinely curious. Harriet was an artificial merman, and the sea before them was a source where Harriet could exert power stronger than anyone else. A blue mist briefly appeared and disappeared in Harriet’s eyes as he saw the sea after a long time.
“…Colonel Ender was able to achieve his greatest accomplishments at sea because the sea is so vast.”
“……”
“Ender’s unit is mostly composed of barrier ability users and exploration ability users.”
Anschel muttered while breaking out in a cold sweat. Harriet lacked enough intuition to understand, so he waited for Anschel’s next words.
“…The unit members are there to clean up after the Colonel.”
No matter how great an individual’s ability, could it really bury the vast sea and solid city in one blow?
But now it seemed that prediction might be possible. An enormously huge tornado began approaching at a tremendous speed, engulfing the vehicles that had been following them.
If that massive tornado were to head toward the city, it really seemed like half the city could be blown away. But Anschel knew that this was just one.
The massive tornadoes that had attacked the Southern Sea numbered five. They were massive, terrifying, and magnificent like judgments plunging from the sky. Even though they were far away, the car carrying Anschel and Harriet shook violently.
With a crash, one of the barriers deployed at the front shattered with a sound. The cars on the opposite side had already risen high into the air and plunged into the sea before the ability users could even use their powers. The cars spun round and round as if they had become small toys.
Anschel shed tears of blood while maintaining the barrier against the raging typhoon. Judging by the intensity of the tornado, Ender was currently very sad and displeased.
All this over some sashimi.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
