Chapter 348 Volume V - Chapter 66: Emotions Before Reason
?I read the report in front of me again, and then again. And then once more.
In the silence that descended on my office, I moved my hand aside, and as it did, the holographic report slid to the side. My eyes slowly rose, looking up at the man standing across the office.
"They just disappeared, is that so?"
The man swallowed, seemed to avert his eyes for a moment, but was able to keep looking at me.
"Y- yes, Ms. Melany..."
I looked at his face for a while, into his eyes, and as he was sweating with nervousness with each passing second, I finally closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"You can leave."
The man didn't say anything. He just turned around, walked out of the office, and closed the door back. A deep silence fell over my office again.
I leaned back in my chair, threw my head back, and as my eyes slowly opened, all I could see was the ceiling.
"I... I can't understand anything anymore."
I brought the report in front of me again, and then I watched the videos of the incident.
A maniac who could control the 'darkness'... a dome that covered the whole street and that no one could break no matter what... and then the destruction of this dome and the death of everyone in it except three people...
One of those three is my own daughter, Lucia.
I should be worried, shouldn't I? I should be looking for her everywhere, worrying...
No, it's not that I'm not worried. It's not like I haven't been looking for her. After all, I ordered everyone working under me to stop what they were doing and look for her.
So why... why do I feel so... so unresponsive? Am I becoming numb? Or... do I not want to think about the thought of something happening to Lucia? Am I waiting for a miracle like with Aiden?
"Haaaaaaaah..."
Adrian and a girl named Olivia, two other people who disappeared along with my daughter. Why did these three just disappear instead of being found dead like all the other bodies? This... murderer... whatever his motive was, someone who deliberately left traces behind. If he really killed them, wouldn't he have left their bodies too?
Hah, look at what I'm desperately hoping for...
I was jumping from one thought to another when suddenly a completely different screen appeared in front of me. There was a name on it, and underneath... a text that implied that someone was calling me.
I quickly straightened myself up, trying to calm my inner feelings as I answered the call, but... I wasn't having much success.
"Prince Lucas? What happened? Did you find a trace?"
The prince sighed lightly. And the moment I heard that, all my anticipation and excitement quickly vanished.
"Calm down. We found a trace, yes, but it's not what you think it is."
Oh, they actually found something!
"I'm listening."
"Aiden and I were attacked a few months ago, remember? We suspect the same person is behind this."
He paused for a moment, then sighed again.
"No... I'm sure of it. That dark dome is exactly the same as before. At least in look and feel. So the two events are the work of the same person. But other than that, we don't know any details about his identity yet."
That's... useless?
"Ms. Melany, don't misunderstand. I know that one of the lives in question belongs to your own daughter, but... there is another issue here. And this is the most obvious difference between the two cases."
I didn't say anything, I just waited for him to continue. Maybe... maybe he could say something useful.
"This man... has gotten stronger. He has a rate of development that would leave behind Adrian, Aiden, or Zayden, some of the highest potential people the kingdom has ever seen, let alone normal. The amount of mana that dome radiates around it, the depth of the darkness, the way there is never any unnecessary release or absorption, as if everything is in perfect harmony... Not only that, but this man is most likely responsible for the unexplained murders of recent months."
I could imagine him clenching his fist on the other end of the call, his voice cracking slightly as he said the last sentence.
"This man could be dangerous. No, every second we don't find him makes him even more dangerous. At this rate of development, he could be one of the most powerful people in the kingdom in just a year or two. So... finding this man and killing him as quickly as possible is now a necessity for this kingdom."
A brief silence fell over the room, and I couldn't help squinting when I realized he had no intention of continuing.
"So... you're saying this is the man who caused my daughter's disappearance?"
Ah, people will now be able to foresee what happens when they see me... The terror on their faces...
Maybe letting my face be known isn't as bad as I thought?
Besides... I'm getting stronger and stronger. I'm constantly getting stronger. After a while, there won't be anyone who can beat me, will there?
I paused for a moment, my face soured.
Wouldn't that be... as boring as it would be fun? If there's no one left to beat me... nothing would be fun. People lose hope, and when hope is gone... they become numb.
I lowered my eyes slightly, and then a blue glow appeared in the nothingness. Then a floating window opened in front of me.
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--Per??n?l In?or?at??n--
Nam?: R?von
La?? N?me: Sc?l?s
R?ce: Hu??n/Fa?
A?e: 20
--S??tis??c?--
Ge??ra? Le?el: A-
?tr??gt?: A+
Ag?l?ty: A-
?italit?: A-
E??ur?nce: A-
L?ck: B
Ma??c Pow??: A+
?ana E??icie?cy: A+
C??rm: A-
--A??stle of D???ness--
???
--A??ive Sk??ls--
???
--?a?sive S?ill?--
???
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How long has it been since I reached A-? A couple of weeks? I feel like I'm already close to A... Once I get to S or beyond, the number of people I'll be able to meet will be lower than ever. Then everything will be easier... Unnecessarily easy...
'We're hungry... You're hungry...'
After a deep sigh, I let myself fall back into my seat.
"Nothing will change. I can keep doing what I'm doing. But..."
The image of the trio came back to me. One is an unnecessarily beautiful blonde girl, the other... an ordinary girl, and the last is a guy with silver hair and emerald-green eyes.
How could I have made such a mistake? I'd better be more careful now. There is no room for more mistakes. I will make up for my mistake.
I visualized the trio again. I memorized the way they looked, the way they called each other. The guy's name... Adrian. The blonde's name was Lucia. They didn't say the other girl's name, but I can find her somehow.
Their names, hair color, eye color, height, who they were... I went over it all over and over in my mind and then sighed.
If you show up again... I'll find you. I'll also find that duo that got away from me a few months ago. I'll tie up my loose ends.
The fact that someone can get away from me...
"Annoying."