[148]
Yuri’s former tutor shuffled away like a corpse drained of blood.
It was surprising that he left on his own feet before being physically forced out.
“Should we have him followed?”
At Chris’s question, Yuri shook his head.
“There’s no need. They’ll retrieve him on their own. But we should change our base.”
Chris nodded without further questions.
Now that they had let the tutor in, their location would be exposed to the Thorns Order.
These were people who committed acts of terrorism in the heart of Orum City and Northern light.
There was a possibility they might use extreme measures at any time, so it was necessary to secure minimum safety.
“Yes, understood.”
Chris felt thankful for Peter’s presence.
Even if the Thorns Order was watching, they could move to a different location in an instant.
Even after Chris returned from making arrangements, Yuri remained silent for a while.
“At last, we know the Thorns Order’s motive.”
“…So it wasn’t revenge. I wonder if that’s fortunate.”
Yuri neither confirmed nor denied this.
“I always expected Rosenhauser’s remnants would make a move someday.”
Chris stared at his master with wide eyes.
“But it’s later than I expected.”
During that time, Baekyah and Northern light had been erasing Rosenhauser’s influence.
“I thought they might have disbanded, but I’m glad I didn’t let my guard down.”
Yuri’s reflections were relatively plain.
“Aren’t you angry?”
“Not particularly. After all, they too have lives controlled by Rosenhauser, just like us.”
After a brief pause, Yuri added,
“But I have no reason to sympathize with them either.”
An unfamiliar look crossed Yuri’s face. It was probably the closest to regret that Chris had ever seen in him.
“I understand.”
When Chris waited quietly without showing any sign of rushing out, Yuri’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.
“I expected you to ask something. This is unexpected.”
It wasn’t that he was suppressing his curiosity; it was compliance.
‘Not blind loyalty. If I had to define it, perhaps trust.’
Yuri narrowed his brow slightly in thought, then shook off his musings.
It was partly due to Chris staring at him.
“We finally know the leader’s name.”
When their eyes met, Chris reflexively brought up a topic.
“Is there anything more we can find out based on this?”
“Well.”
Yuri frowned.
“The Spring Continent has a relatively better administrative system than the Winter Continent… but this happened decades ago, so I’m not sure. It would be good if there’s someone who remembers the leader among those who stayed at an orphanage before becoming independent.”
Still, the situation was better than just hoping for luck.
If the other side had thrown bait, it meant there was something to uncover.
“For now, let’s resume the investigation after we relocate.”
Yuri nodded at Chris’s firm words.
His dog was unyielding when it came to safety issues.
With Yuri’s permission, Chris quickly called Peter on his device.
He packed their few belongings and swept through the room, removing any traces.
After finishing the tidying, as he got up, he saw Yuri just packing his cigar case. And beneath it, there was a book that had been in the accommodation.
.
It was the Iliad.
Chris paused at the familiar name.
Memories returned of when he had been dispatched to the November Continent as a Northern light agent, having lost his memories.
He had visited an antiquarian bookstore and, falling for the owner at first sight, babbled about wanting book recommendations.
Looking at him, Yuri had recommended five books, starting with the Iliad.
, , , , .
Books whose first letters spelled out “IDIOT.”
‘…Could this also be considered a memory?’
When Chris smiled faintly, Yuri checked the direction of his gaze.
Upon discovering the Iliad, Yuri clicked his tongue.
From that reaction, Chris realized that Yuri too had recalled the incident from that day.
“…I was a bit slow, wasn’t I?”
Chris began awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
“I was stupid to show such irritation in a situation where I shouldn’t have given anything away.”
Yuri denied Chris’s words. What followed was quite self-deprecating, especially for Yuri.
“To be honest, I was angry.”
He murmured, recalling that time.
“My dog, who left home without a word and whose fate was uncertain, appeared with a naive face.”
If Chris had at least remembered him, Yuri would have taught him a harsh lesson. But at the time, Chris didn’t even know who Yuri was, and had the face of someone smitten at first sight.
With his mind completely blank yet emotions vividly clear, Yuri found him somewhat pathetic, somewhat startled, and somewhat relieved.
His dog, who had slipped through his fingers, had come back on his own and offered his leash.
“Wagging your tail when you came back, not even understanding what it meant.”
Yuri muttered, wrinkling the bridge of his nose.
“I was angry, thinking, ‘Did I raise him to be this loose?'”
“…Was I loose?”
Chris asked, a bit tense.
“Well.”
Yuri slowly scanned his face, then smiled bitterly.
“No. You were just being honest.”
In the past, controlling Chris was a kind of compulsion. If a berserk Esper without memories, and thus without loss, started acting on his own, there would truly be no way to handle it. Cleaning up the resulting accidents would be near impossible.
So Yuri put Chris in a square frame and demanded he not go outside it. To some extent, Yuri was responsible for his once innocent dog growing into a rigid person.
Thus, in the bookstore, Yuri encountered Chris’s raw emotions.
It was as if he was meeting human Chris, who walked steadily according to his own judgment, for the first time, not the ‘dog’ Chris under his control.
It was a very unfamiliar experience.
To the point where he felt spiteful because he didn’t want to acknowledge it.
“Um, Yuri.”
Chris tensed at Yuri’s purple eyes directed at him.
He tried calling that name to say something, but almost simultaneously felt the man’s gaze deepen.
“The real idiot that day was me.”
One corner of Yuri’s mouth lifted. It was a sneer, but directed at himself, not Chris.
As Yuri turned his attention toward the Iliad, he suddenly paused.
“…Why had I forgotten this?”
“Pardon?”
Chris tensely questioned Yuri.
“The reason I was at the antiquarian bookstore Magnolia.”
Yuri looked up at Chris and added,
“The International Standard Book Number. Chris.”
Understanding belatedly, Chris slightly opened his mouth.
“Certainly… Rosenhauser made drug ingredients into something like paper and bound fake books with it.”
Yuri muttered as if entranced,
“Yes. They didn’t attach separate markings to those books, but distinguished them by assigning country-specific numbers that didn’t exist in the year the books were produced.”
That was why Yuri had been posing as the owner of an antiquarian bookstore at the time.
To find one of the routes through which drugs were flowing into the Winter Continent, to understand that flow and block it.
“Certainly, that damned book wasn’t produced in the Winter Continent.”
They only imported the books from outside. So not from the Winter Continent, but from another continent where Baekyah’s reach didn’t extend…
“There’s a printing house somewhere.”
Yuri murmured. Unlike his usual self, he seemed almost excited.
This was a completely new lead.
‘I’ve been stuck in that bookstore because of those books, and yet I’ve forgotten all about it.’
At some point, guiding drugs began to be distributed as finished products, and the matter had almost been erased from his mind.
The same would be true for the Thorns Order.
“Could it be in the Spring Continent?”
“I don’t know. But considering that the Thorns Order’s factory was in the Spring Continent, there’s a high possibility that the raw materials also come from this region.”
“Just in case, it would be good to ask Northern light to scan the Summer Continent.”
“We’ll request cooperation from the Barrel Society for searching the Autumn and Spring Continents.”
Chris nodded at Yuri’s words.
Yuri realized that they could now exchange plans quite flexibly.
The change in their relationship became increasingly tangible. While Yuri found this change awkward, he didn’t entirely dislike it.
“…By the way, the key-maker is late.”
Just as Chris spoke, a black door opened in the air.
“Garrett Airways. We’ll carry you safely today as well.”
Peter, who emerged from the other side, landed on the floor while deliberately making a joke.
Having greeted them in an exaggerated manner, he froze under the gaze of the two who stared at him.
“Why, what’s happened now?”
He seemed tense, probably because the Barrel Society had been taking too many hits lately.
“There’s something you need to do.”
At those words, Peter’s face fell.
“Oh please. I’ve just decided to select new executives and have a lot to do.”
Finally, it was decided to elect new executives in a way that had never been tried before. As a result of a meeting of three executives, they decided to give voting rights for new executives to those affiliated with the Barrel Society.
As a result, they had to confirm candidates’ intentions and prepare for voting. Since Barrel Society personnel were scattered across all continents, it was no small task.
‘First, representatives will be elected from each continent, and those representatives will participate in the final executive vote.’
Even simplified, the procedure was still increased.
Peter caught himself thinking they should have done things the way they always had, and smacked his own head.
“Even though we’ve found out the leader’s name?”
“What?”
Peter had heard about the visit of Yuri’s former tutor. But he didn’t know what the tutor came for. He was a ‘guest’ sent by Northern light.
“If the new lead helps, we might be able to strike the Thorns Order from behind.”
As he said this, Yuri smiled like quite a formidable villain.
‘It actually makes him look more reliable.’
Perhaps this was only natural. After all, the Barrel Society he belonged to was an organization specializing in smuggling and illegal immigration.
Having made up his mind, Peter spoke with tears in his eyes,
“…Leave it to me.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
