Chapter 163. Recruitment (3)
The very next day after the business at the Holy Séjour was finished.
Enoch was on his way out alone early in the morning. His schedule was very busy, just as he had planned in advance.
Fortunately, there was nothing to check as Amelia had promised to prepare and send the ampoules she had promised to support before the mission yesterday.
Enoch, who was walking down the street, looked around once.
The holiday in the Elsyde Domain was peaceful as always.
The glass windows of the cold high-rise buildings reflected the midday sunlight in a pale blue, and sedans and trucks whizzed past on the gray asphalt road.
There wasn't much time left until the appointment with April.
Since April was a freelancer, it would be good to make the contract clear. In the first place, since the family had promised support, that way was more certain.
Just then, a notification rang on his terminal. When he checked the screen, April's profile was displayed.
[April: I've arrived at the cafe]
[April: I was nervous so I came a little early]
[(Unknown): You're fast.]
[April: ㅋㅋ Faster than your CodeTalk reply speed]
CodeTalk, come to think of it, was that the name of this instant messenger app? Enoch was about to ignore it without replying, but another message came right away.
[April: By the way, who am I contracting with today??]
Enoch answered simply.
[(Unknown): Directly with Enoch Elsyde.]
For some reason, the loading message ‘April is typing a message…’ was displayed for a while, and then the next moment, messages started pouring in.
[April: That Enoch Elsyde?]
[April: Wait, really?]
[April: fr?!]
[(Unknown): Is there a problem?]
[April: No, that's not it]
[April: I thought at most they'd pass on a subcontracted mission from the Elsyde family]
[April: It was a mission proposal from the direct lineage Enoch Elsyde himself?]
[April: And not just anyone, but the direct lineage himself is coming to the contract signing?!]
[(Unknown): ㅇㅇ]
[April: Wow, no wonder the meeting place was a cafe in the Elsyde Domain, that's crazy]
Actually, it was also because I had no choice but to go in person.
It wasn't like Enoch had a full-fledged manager or an administrator like other direct lineages with a lot of experience.
He was in a position where he had to sign the contract himself.
Besides, since they were going to be working together on this operation anyway, Enoch wanted to meet April in person beforehand as himself.
But April's impression seemed a little different.
[April: Is this for real wtf??]
[April: You're not lying, are you? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[April: Where on earth did you fish something like this from?]
April's messages were full of bewilderment, even from outside the display. Well, it would be normal for an outsider to have this reaction.
These were the reactions I had already expected up to this point.
But the real problem started from here.
Just as I thought. Another message came up again.
[April: But the more I think about it, the stranger it is]
[April: The SIEG incident last time, and now Elsyde. And to bring a request for a mission from a direct lineage just like that]
[April: Who on earth are you?]
Enoch narrowed his eyes as he looked at the terminal.
As expected, her intuition was good. Well, given the situation, it might be stranger if a veteran freelancer like April didn't show this kind of reaction.
However, I had already thought of a response to deal with it.
Enoch nonchalantly sent the reply he had prepared in advance.
[(Unknown): It's an internal matter, so it's a secret.]
[(Unknown): But I have some connections with the direct lineage since I've been active in Elsyde for a while]
[(Unknown): I recommended you for this mission.]
If you mix truth and lies, it sounds plausible enough. I made a roundabout excuse, letting her interpret it as she wished, and it seemed to work.
Of course, the only truth here was that it was an internal matter and a secret, but this was enough.
No matter how good April's intuition was, she wouldn't easily figure out my true identity this way.
But just as Enoch was thinking that,
A new message appeared in CodeTalk.
[April: So, what's your real identity?]
The finger that was about to reply stopped.
Soon, April's grumbling continued on the screen.
[April: I don't know enough about you]
[April: The radio communication quality was bad when we were on the mission together last time]
[April: Plus, because of the metal mask you always wear, your usual voice echoes a lot]
[April: I don't know your face or your voice properly]
[April: Your texts are always short]
[April: Ugh, it's annoying when I think about it]
Enoch, who was staring at the terminal, tilted his head slightly. It was quite a sight to see her suddenly blow up, but why was she doing this all of a sudden?
[(Unknown): What's so annoying?]
[April: You're not asking because you don't know, are you?]
[April: I'm the one who texted firts agian]
[April: I'm the one who texted first again]
[April: You said you'd contact me first this time??]
Judging by the grand typo she made, it seemed she was really annoyed. I could almost feel April's pouting face glaring at me.
But that didn't mean I had done anything wrong.
I did say I would contact her first, but this was no different from April just pestering me.
After thinking for a moment, Enoch replied briefly.
[(Unknown): The sniper can't wait.]
[April: Ah]
[April: You're so annoying]
[April: (Sticking tongue out emoticon)]
An emoticon sticking its tongue out and wiggling it popped its head out in the chat window. Seeing that, Enoch gave a faint smile and put away his terminal.
─By the way, my identity.
Certainly, April's words had a great implication.
Enoch Elsyde and the mysterious, hood-loving freelancer active in the outsourcing district were two different identities.
That was something I must not forget.
In order to survive, I had to erase any connection to black magic, so I had to hide any unnecessary information exposure as much as possible.
The same went for April.
At least, now was the time for that.
***
After crossing the crosswalk a few times in time with the flashing blue light of the traffic signal, he saw April waiting at a cafe in front of the alley.
The fact that people passing by were glancing at her made her stand out even more.
Along with her pretty appearance, the long weapon case leaning against the wall particularly drew attention.
But for some reason, she looked no different from usual.
A light tank top, an oversized jumper with the zipper wide open to show her slender shoulders, and short pants that brightly revealed her slim legs.
Was there not much of a difference between her casual clothes and the attire she wore for missions?
It dawned on me anew that she was a person with a laid-back personality.
As he approached her, April, who was leaning against the wall, widened her eyes when she saw him.
And then she let out a small exclamation of admiration.
“Wow, a celebrity.”
“I am not.”
Unlike when he was acting as a freelancer, he skillfully changed his tone of voice and replied immediately. April took her hands out of her jumper pockets and smiled faintly.
“Well, let's just say it's similar? It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Enoch Elsyde. I am the freelancer, April.”
“I am Enoch Elsyde.”
It seemed she hadn't figured out they were the same person.
Fortunately, she had said she couldn't recognize my voice properly because of the mask's echo. It seemed I had managed to hide my identity by a hair's breadth.
In the first place, Enoch also knew that the sound echoed quite a bit from the metal mask, so he had bet on that point as well.
Just then, April came closer and asked abruptly.
“So, where is that person?”
“That person?”
April glanced at me and leaned her upper body forward slightly. Then, with a pout, she added in an ambiguous voice.
“Uhm, well, that person……!”
“I'm sorry, but I don't know who that is.”
April sighed deeply and added.
“Ah, really. I have to ask for his name next time. I mean the freelancer who introduced me to you, Lord Enoch!”
Her eyes were slightly filled with anticipation. Perhaps she thought he had come along with me. Enoch slowly shook his head.
“It's just me today.”
“Ah.”
For some reason, at that answer, April's expression became a little disappointed, and she shrugged her shoulders slightly.
“No wonder there was no word of him coming. Geez, would it kill him to come along? I thought I'd finally get to see inside that stuffy-looking hood this time.”
I was thinking of asking him to hang out later if he came─, April grumbled with a pout. Enoch lightly shrugged his shoulders.
“Shall we go in first?”
***
“Wow, the mission reward is so much it's making my head spin!”
Contrary to the calm classical music playing inside the cafe, April's eyes were sparkling with excitement.
Then, she suddenly lifted her head and smiled brightly.
“The Main House is really different, huh? Is it okay for a freelancer to receive this much?”
“The conditions should be fine. When I received the recommendation, they rated your skills as a freelancer very highly.”
“There's no doubt about the reward, that's for sure.”
April commented as she lifted her glass of melon soda.
Clear droplets of water formed on the cold glass and then trickled down. April, who was stirring the ice inside with a straw, lifted her gaze to Enoch and opened her mouth.
“To be honest, I was a little surprised when I heard who the client for this mission was.”
“Surprised, because the client is a direct lineage?”
“That's part of it, but it's a little different.”
April turned her head and looked out the window.
“Hey, look over there.”
The view of a modern city was spread out, filled with brilliant sunlight pouring down.
Just then, a little girl who had come out on an outing holding her family's hands was passing by the cafe window. A smile was blooming on her face.
“Doesn't she look incredibly happy?”
April, who was looking at the scenery outside the window with her head turned to the side, spoke calmly.
“People are usually busy taking care of themselves. For people in this sparkling Elsyde Domain, this is probably the whole world.”
She muttered as she brought the straw to her lips.
“They're not interested in the outsourcing districts, are they? Usually.”
“……”
“That's why I'm surprised. You are a direct lineage of Elsyde, and someone who is getting a lot of attention everywhere right now because of all the buzz, right? But you're trying to get involved in the affairs of an outsourcing district like this.”
April glanced at me with just her eyes. Her pink eyes had become sharp.
“It's the policy of outsourcing district freelancers not to interfere in the client's business, but I have a question. If I'm not convinced, I won't participate.”
It was a unique condition.
As I remained silent for a bit, April tilted her head slightly and added.
“If I were you, Lord Enoch, I would have thought it was the perfect time to raise my value and would have started showing my face in high society here and there, not taking on a dirty and uninteresting mission in the outsourcing district.”
“Is it that strange?”
“This world is originally far from goodwill, isn't it?”
It was a pointed remark. Was she trying to see if I had some other ulterior motive?
Or perhaps, even if it was a request from the Main House, as a free-spirited freelancer, she didn't want to be swayed without knowing the reason.
Either way, I quite liked April's response, and I met her gaze calmly and replied.
“It's simple.”
“Pardon?”
“It may be an irrational thing for a direct lineage of the Main House to do.”
Enoch added calmly.
“But that doesn't become a reason to be a bystander.”
Silence flowed for a while.
As if she found the answer a little interesting, April's eyes sparkled and she gulped down her drink with a straw, then gave a bright smile.
“……Well, since he's ‘that kind of person,’ he must have recommended you, Lord Enoch, right? I guess I asked for nothing.”
“……?”
“I'm accepting the mission, Young Master Enoch!”
April looked at me and giggled softly.
“To be honest, the freelancer who recommended me seems a bit strange, but at least he's not someone I can't trust. He's not the type to push me into a strange contract either.”
“You trust that nameless freelancer quite a lot, don't you?”
“Of course? Originally, being able to screen clients is also a talent of a freelancer. In my opinion, that person is definitely trustworthy.”
She playfully pointed at Enoch with her straw.
“Just look at the fact that you came here in person. A mage belonging to Elsyde, and a direct lineage at that, came out in person after being introduced to an outsourcing district freelancer. Usually, they're not this straightforward!”
Certainly, as April pointed out, Enoch had the option of just throwing the family's official documents at her and pressuring her to accept the mission.
Enoch answered simply.
“At the very least, I wanted you not to approach this mission carelessly. I am simply treating you accordingly.”
“Ahaha, I like that answer!”
No matter how busy my schedule was, given the difficulty of the upcoming mission, I wanted to hear April's resolve in person at least once.
“Oh, and you know.”
April looked around for a moment, then leaned her head toward me and whispered softly.
“Next time you have time, please tell me about that person in the hood. I'm honestly a little curious!”
April's white cheeks were slightly flushed as she leaned in and whispered. It seemed it wasn't a lie that she was quite interested.
It seemed she was more interested than I had intended.
Enoch just nodded his head silently.
“If possible, I will.”
…The truth is, that person is right in front of you.
Enoch swallowed a bitter laugh, feeling a bit strange. The very situation where she was facing the face inside the hood she so desperately wanted to see, right in front of her nose.
She clinked her glass and gave a bright smile.
“Then for this mission, I'll do a good job as a freelancer, so don't you worry!”
At April's words, Enoch nodded.
Lily, who would join the squad as a sub-healer, and April, a sniper who could reliably cover long distances.
With this, he had succeeded in recruiting almost all the necessary temporary core supplementary personnel for the squad.
But this was by no means the end.
Especially April, in addition to carrying out my mission, had one more thing to do.
Enoch slowly opened his mouth.
“Oh, and there's one more thing I want to ask.”
“Yes??”
“About the freelancers of the 37th outsourcing district.”
Enoch slowly opened his mouth.
“Can you put out a dispatch request to all of them?”