Chapter 26
I swallowed hard and adjusted the position of my uniform tie.
‘For now…….’
It would be best to act as naturally as possible.
I gave a single cough and walked toward Lucy.
“I didn’t expect to meet anyone in a place like this, so I was a little surprised. More importantly, there’s blood on your coat. Did something happen here?”
Lucy paused for a moment, then answered casually.
“There was a disturbance.”
“……A disturbance?”
“Yes. To explain what happened, I’m an emergency medicine specialist and surgeon working at Central Hospital. I was walking home after work when I came across a citizen who had been robbed and was bleeding, so I administered emergency first aid to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, some blood got on my coat.”
Her tone was astonishingly calm and matter-of-fact.
Moreover, less than thirty seconds had passed since our eyes met and I asked my question, yet she rattled off a plausible excuse at lightning speed. It was almost astounding.
‘As expected of a spy.’
As I approached her, inwardly impressed, Lucy asked me a question in turn.
“May I ask why you’re here, Captain?”
Unlike Lucy, I had no need to lie.
“I’m a little embarrassed to say this, but I heard a new dessert shop had opened on the outskirts of the capital. I got lost while taking a shortcut there.”
“……A dessert shop?”
A strange sense of shame welled up when Lucy asked that as though she couldn’t believe me.
Judging from her reaction, it seemed that men going to a dessert shop alone was not considered normal in this era.
But I couldn’t give up the things I liked just because I cared about other people’s opinions.
“Is there a problem?”
Lucy hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
“No. I was merely a little surprised. I mean, it’s hard to believe that Captain Daniel Steiner, who is famous for being heartless, eats the sort of junk food children like.”
That stung a little.
“Watch your words. Desserts aren’t junk food.”
“……My apologies. More importantly, if you’ve lost your way, I can guide you.”
A guide? It made me uneasy, but if she was only accompanying me until we left the alley, I didn’t mind.
“It wouldn’t be proper for an officer to refuse a citizen’s kindness. I’ll gladly accept your help. As you seem to know already, I’m Captain Daniel Steiner of General Staff Headquarters.”
“I’m Myrin Seabrite, a surgeon at Central Hospital.”
Lucy and I exchanged a brief handshake, then walked down the alley.
I walked about half a step behind her, following her pace as I took another look at Lucy.
Perhaps she thought throwing away her coat in front of me would arouse suspicion, because she had turned it inside out to conceal the bloodstains and was carrying it over her arm.
She was carrying a shoulder bag, and no matter how I looked at it, it seemed to contain a pistol and various other assassination tools.
‘……I must make sure she never opens that shoulder bag.’
Who knew what kind of carnage would unfold the moment she opened it?
Lucy Emilia’s martial prowess was beyond imagination for a mere intelligence agent.
She might not realize it yet, but if she brought all her abilities to bear, she could wipe out a small battalion on her own.
That was why I had wanted to avoid encountering her as much as possible. Not only had she become my adjutant, she was now pretending to be a doctor right in front of me. It was enough to give me a headache.
One fortunate thing was that Lucy must have felt uncomfortable being with me as well, so we could part ways cleanly once we left the alley.
“Here we are.”
As Lucy and I emerged from the alley, a boulevard with a streetcar passing along it stretched before us.
It had become a full-fledged evening by then, and all the streetlamps had been lit.
A cool breeze drifted by, mingling softly with the chatter of passersby.
I was enjoying the pleasant view of the street when I was about to speak to Lucy and part ways, but I suddenly stopped.
“Oh! Captain Daniel? Are you Captain Daniel?”
A passerby in a police uniform walking along the boulevard had recognized me and called out.
The passerby approached while examining me closely, then exclaimed in admiration.
“Ah! You really are Captain Daniel! Good heavens! I never thought I’d see a hero of the Empire on the street!”
I had expected someone to recognize me, but running into a police officer while I was with a disguised Lucy gave me a bad feeling.
‘Besides…….’
As far as I knew, that navy-blue police uniform could only be worn by members of the Security Bureau.
People from the Security Bureau were commonly called the ‘secret police’ or the ‘thought police.’
In other words, they were people trained solely for counterintelligence.
Lucy seemed to know that as well, because she adopted a somewhat tense attitude.
Of course, the passerby had no idea what our circumstances were. He chuckled and extended a hand to me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain Daniel. I’m Chief Inspector Katman Schultz of the Security Bureau.”
Since he had even offered me a handshake, I couldn’t ignore him, so I smiled and took his hand.
“I’m Captain Daniel Steiner of General Staff Headquarters. It’s unusual to meet someone from the Security Bureau on the street.”
“Ahaha. This isn’t my jurisdiction, but I made a reservation at a nearby restaurant. By coincidence, it happened to be during quitting time, so I came here in uniform.”
After ending the handshake, Katman snapped his fingers as though he had just had a brilliant idea.
“Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we have a meal together? Of course, I’ll pay. If you don’t mind, I’ll invite the captain’s friend beside you as well.”
This was bad. Should I say she was just someone I knew?
No. If I did that, he would ask why we had come out of the alley together despite not even being acquaintances.
Suspecting everything was an occupational hazard for Security Bureau police officers.
So, to keep the situation from becoming more complicated, the best option was to pretend she was an acquaintance for now while refusing the dinner invitation.
As I searched for a natural way to decline, I opened my mouth.
“I’m truly grateful for the invitation, but I spent a long time wandering around on my way here, so I’m extremely tired.”
“Ah. If that’s all, you don’t need to worry. The restaurant I’m going to is right in front of us. Do you see it?”
Katman pointed, and the restaurant was literally only one block away.
Realizing I could no longer refuse, I nodded.
“If you’re going that far, I can’t refuse. Let’s go.”
I saw Lucy, tense beside me, secretly swallow, but there was nothing I could do.
This was simply unavoidable.
*
The restaurant we entered with Katman was an upscale establishment frequented by the upper class.
The tableware, interior, and even the waiters’ uniforms were all so luxurious that my eyes feasted on the sight.
Following the waiter’s polite guidance, we sat at a window seat overlooking the city. After placing a simple order, Katman looked at me with a gentle smile.
“It’s amazing no matter how many times I think about it. Seeing the hero I’ve only watched on the news and television right in front of me is almost moving.”
“Hero? That’s far too grand a title for me.”
“There’s no need to be modest. In fact, quite a few people at the Security Bureau are fans of yours. I’m one of them, too. Haha. I’ll brag about meeting you for generations to come.”
As Katman continued our warm conversation, he cast a puzzled look at Lucy, who was sitting beside me.
There was a questioning look in his eyes.
“……But your friend doesn’t seem to be taking off her sunglasses. Since we’re indoors, there shouldn’t be any need for her to keep wearing them, should there?”
He wasn’t wrong. But the moment Lucy took off her sunglasses, her red eyes would be exposed.
Once she judged that she could no longer conceal her identity, there was no telling what she might do.
“She hasn’t said a word since earlier, either. You do know that continuing to act that way at a gathering like this is considered rude, don’t you? If you’re having trouble with your hands, I can take off your sunglasses for you……”
Katman reached toward Lucy’s face.
Lucy seemed to have decided that she couldn’t deceive both the Security Bureau officer and me, because she was moving her hand beneath the table, trying to open her shoulder bag.
The situation was on a knife-edge. Sweating coldly, I hurriedly seized Katman’s wrist.
“……Hm? Captain?”
I gave Katman, who turned toward me, an awkward smile.
“Oh dear. I forgot to introduce her. This lady beside me served as a military doctor on the Eastern Front. Unfortunately, she suffered an eye injury from an enemy soldier at the time…… You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
Katman let out a sympathetic groan.
“Good heavens. I had no idea something so horrible had happened. I’m sorry. You’re wearing sunglasses to conceal your injury, and I nearly committed a terrible discourtesy. But as for the fact that she doesn’t speak……”
As expected of a Security Bureau police officer.
He did not readily let go of his suspicions.
After mentally running through the possibilities, I spoke with a sorrowful expression.
“She developed aphasia because of the shock. Even when she wants to speak, she’s unable to.”
Katman withdrew his hand and fidgeted guiltily.
“……Now that I hear the circumstances, I realize I committed an appalling rudeness. I’m truly sorry. My profession does involve suspecting other people, after all. Hmm. I’ll go to the restroom for a moment to clear my head.”
Katman pushed back his chair, stood, and politely bowed toward Lucy.
After watching Katman walk toward the restroom, Lucy turned her head toward me.
She looked rather confused.
I gave a single cough, then whispered just loudly enough for Lucy to hear.
“I know. I know that you’re an innocent doctor. But our opponent is a Security Bureau police officer. You’ve heard of their special arrest authority, haven’t you? It means they can arrest you based on mere suspicion.”
For now, the important thing was to dispel the suspicion Lucy currently held about me: ‘Does Daniel know who I really am?’
“Considering he’s risen to the rank of Chief Inspector, he must have arrested quite a few innocent people. Would there be a saying like, ‘Even an innocent person goes into the Security Bureau and comes out a spy,’ if there weren’t some truth to it?”
I shrugged once.
“I was only trying to help a doctor avoid unnecessary trouble. So, Myrin Seabri—what was your name again?”
In response to my question, Lucy remained silent.
Somehow, she seemed angry.
Seeing that, I snapped my fingers as though I had done well.
“Exactly. That’s it. You have aphasia. That’s a very good attitude. Until we’re away from the Security Bureau officer, you need to keep up this act. Understand?”
Lucy still did not answer. Feeling frustrated, I said it again.
“Answer with actions. Actions.”
Perhaps her pride had been hurt, because Lucy turned her head away from me and merely bit down hard on her lower lip.
This was troublesome. Wanting a firm answer from her, I tapped the table and said,
“Answer.”
Only then did Lucy let out a low sigh and give a small nod.
She had decided that following my method was the safest option for now.