Chapter 139

It was evident that the machine was swapped with the real Lenia when she was accompanied to the Bureau of Investigation and Security, or from the moment she departed Angelic.

A cold shiver ran down Noah’s spine at her eerie speculation. Lenia Valtalere, the culprit who stole the dragon’s egg and the only witness to all the strange events of recent years was missing.

“Mu…” As she whispered, a little kid as small landed next to her. “Let’s hide these things out of sight.”

“Yes!” Muell opened his palms, creating a narrow entrance to a subspace, and began to suck every fragment that scattered on the floor. As soon as he cleared the place, Noah took his arm and left the Imperial Palace in a haste.

Their pace gradually accelerated and eventually turned into a marathon. Noah crumpled herself and Muell into a tram in front of the Imperial Palace that was just about to depart and confirmed their destination.

“Second Ward. Lendia. Fifth stop, in front of the Fifth Avenue, Bureau of Investigation and Security.” 

Noah bit her lips nervously. Kyle. Kyle Leonard. Have you gone already? 

Apparently, he had said he was leaving for Noviscosha this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Before he left, Noah had to tell him what she had discovered about Lenia, and review the records he had recorded. 

Then, the image of the fake Lenia, which she had broken into pieces only a moment ago, flashed in her mind. The machine had the same face and voice as Lenia; it was a perfect replica. No one would notice that it wasn’t Lenia Valtalere who they’re talking to.

Noah recalled the black alphabet engraved behind Lenia’s ear, and suddenly an illusion of a chilly wind blowing around her appeared.

‘r.’

All of the machines resembling humans that emerged in the ship, including Lenia and those that attacked Kyle, had a lowercase ‘r’ stamped on the back of their ears’; like a token from the same factory. 

The letter ‘r’ could not have been written without any meaning, so it must be an abbreviation. If so, what could it be?

An idea crossed Noah’s mind, but it was only her guess. She needed evidence to support her claim, and the proof, of course, was in Kyle’s office – the Bureau of Investigation and Security.

While she anxiously bit her bottom lip, thinking over and over again, the tram was slowly speeding down. A sign reading “Lendia 5-Street” flashed through the window, and a gray building of the Investigation Security Bureau Annex appeared at a distance.

However, it wasn’t Kyle who greeted Noah when she was about to storm into the Bureau of Investigation and Security. Before she could step into the building, her shoulder was jerked sideways and her body was swept away by the strong grip.

“……!”

“Be quiet, come here.”

It was not until Noah heard the familiar voice that she knew who the person was. 

Penelope.

She was an undercover investigator for Kyle. Muell, who had spurted black flames in both of his hands in alarm, managed to extinguish the flames.

Penelope gripped Noah’s arm and dragged her up to the old stairs in the corner of the hallway. Nervousness was apparent in the woman’s face and every step she took was laced with caution; it was as if someone was watching them.

In addition, Muell, who was carried in Noah’s arms, also stiffened. Noah couldn’t face Penelope properly until they arrived inside the lab on the second floor, where she and Kyle had been the previous day. 

Before she could even ask the reason for her actions, an urgent question fell from Noah’s lips. “Sir Leonard… Is he on his way?” 

“He left last night.”

“Last night? Why did he leave so early…” Oh, lord. I can’t catch someone who has already left. 

Then, Noah bombarded Penelope with a series of questions like a waterfall.

“How long will it take to get back from Noviscosha? No, how long does it take to get down to Noviscosha? I’d like you to make a call to the Noviscosha Substation. As soon as possible!”

“The captain…”

The room of the lab was dark, casting a shadow on Penelope’s face. Noah suddenly felt an ominous premonition as she saw Penelope avoiding her gaze. 

“He’s gone to Central Edman, Lady Asil.”

“Edman…? But yesterday he said he was definitely going to Noviscosha.”

“That’s…”

“Why Edman all of a sudden?” Noah asked in bewilderment. Not long after, she grasped the situation at once after hearing Penelope’s explanation.

“That’s crazy. So he was demoted and was sent to Edman because of a scandal with me?”

“Similarly, I have an order from the Minister not to return to the capital for a while.”

“Wow, I’m really going crazy.”