hotmtlnovel Chapter 45
Chapter 45
"Until you figure out what you want to do in the future, how about sticking with me?"
"!"
Clara froze, her body stiffening at the unexpected suggestion, but her mind quickly raced with thoughts.
Rohan's words seemed to carry multiple layers of meaning.
Clatter!
Rohan disposed of his nearly empty plastic cup, now filled only with melting ice, and let out a faint laugh as he glanced at Clara.
The sight of himself, anxious at the thought of her leaving, struck him as oddly comical.
"Ah, I really need to stop rushing ahead like this."
"...?"
"Since this is important, I should explain it properly to you, Clara."
The girl, still bewildered, gave a small nod.
With that, Rohan resumed his slow steps, his voice measured and steady.
"After graduating from Orion Academy, settling in Elysium within Academy City and aiming for a job with the Security Bureau is a stable path. But I've been leaning more toward freelancing."
"What do you mean by freelancing...?"
"I mean hunting monsters and selling materials like hides and fangs. Or, when necessary, taking down beasts masquerading as humans."
Rather than offer vague explanations, he opted for clarity.
Rohan added another thought as he concluded.
"I also have legitimate clearance to enter the southern regions without any bureaucratic hassle. That's a significant advantage."
The south, teeming with monsters spawned by the Void Whale, wasn’t far away.
And Academy City's location, nestled between powerful nations, was prime real estate for selling rare materials.
"If I set up an office, I could probably settle for something affordable outside the central area."
When Rohan finished speaking, he turned to Clara, his gaze asking if she found the plan intriguing.
Clara pulled the straw from her lips and shared her impression.
"I'm surprised by how detailed your plan is...!"
"Detailed? It's just a rough outline, really. But thanks for saying that."
"I-I don’t know much about this kind of thing..."
As Clara listened, she imagined it. Even if it was tough work, she felt she’d enjoy it if it meant being by Rohan’s side.
To the girl, who was focused solely on the present, such thoughts were like a beacon illuminating the pitch-black uncertainty of her future.
Rohan felt the same.
As he spoke, he noticed and was reassured by one detail: Clara showed no surprise or discomfort at his talk of handling monsters or humans alike.
"B-but aren’t there a lot of people at Orion Academy who are better than me...?"@@@@
The unspoken question dangled at the end of her hesitant words: Why would you invite someone like me when I haven’t proven myself?
Rohan shook his head firmly.
"Not everyone at Orion Academy is at Noah's level. You know that just from looking at me or the cadets on the streets, right?"
"..."
"And what’s more important than skill is finding someone whose body and mind are in sync with yours."
Clara’s heart thumped unusually hard at those words.
Summoning her courage, she asked a question that left her more nervous than ever.
"Do you... think we’d be a good match...?"
"Of course."
Rohan’s casual response sent joy blooming in Clara’s heart.
And it bloomed brightly.
"It’s still a while off, so if you find something you’d rather do in the meantime, you can pursue that instead."
"Mm..."
Even though she understood it as a considerate remark, Clara couldn’t help but feel strangely saddened by the idea.
Why am I like this... just with him?
Clara couldn’t understand why her emotions felt so unsteady and turbulent, like a flickering flame.
The sound of shattering glass and someone screaming pierced the air.
Men who had been dozing in a nearby shipping container bolted out, scanning their surroundings in alarm.
Each bore a toad tattoo on their hand or neck.
“What the hell was that noise?”
Their eyes shifted toward an unlit building.
One of its windows, perfectly intact just before they went to sleep, was now shattered.
"Don’t tell me we’ve been caught already? This is our first job since we relocated."
"Come on, maybe the boss just lost his temper. He’s been on edge ever since we got kicked out of the district."
“Watch your mouth, idiot! Don’t say stuff like that in front of the boss.”
"I know, I know. I wouldn’t dare."
Their exchange was filled with wishful thinking.
But guesswork wouldn’t solve anything. They knew they had to check for themselves.
Just as they headed toward the building to investigate, they saw a woman blocking the staircase.
Her long, purple hair was tied into twin-tails, and her striking appearance captivated their attention immediately—even before they noticed the open basement door behind her.
Her beauty was disarming.
Instinctively, the men almost made lewd remarks but swallowed them back.
The fact that someone so out of place was standing there heightened their suspicion.
And how had she gotten this far unnoticed? Not even her presence had been felt, let alone her magic.
“Who the hell is this chick? Did you call her?”
“Of course not, boss!”
“Maybe she’s with the Security Bureau? I heard some of them are real lookers.”
“As if! Even if they’ve got sharp noses, we’ve barely started. No way they’d be onto us already...”
Their conversation grew tense as they each drew weapons.
The guns and blades in their hands were menacingly sharp.
"Y-you’re all bad people who deal in human trafficking, right...?"
“What the hell is she saying?”
“Maybe she’s just nuts? But hell, even if she’s crazy, she’s pretty enough to sell for top dollar...”
As the girl avoided meeting their eyes, her timid demeanor emboldened the group.
In the underworld, half the fight was about intimidation.
Her shrinking posture only made her seem like she’d already lost.
“I’ve already checked everything inside...”
The girl tapped a small rock on the ground with the tip of her shoe, sending it rolling.
The men’s eyes naturally followed its movement.
"Don’t cross that line, okay? You can’t go in right now..."
Even as she spoke, the sound of shattering glass echoed from upstairs, followed by a scream.
***
Crash!
“AARGH!!!”
The voice unmistakably belonged to one of their own—the guard watching over the "goods."
“What the... This is insane.”
“Boss is still here, right? Something feels off.”
One man, sensing danger, began to back away, but another cursed and stepped forward, his expression twisted with frustration.
And then it happened.
Thwip!
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air.
The man who had ignored her warning fell to the ground, a bullet hole clean through his head.
In the girl’s pale hand was a silenced pistol, the weapon having appeared as if out of nowhere.
"I told you... not to cross the line."