Honestly, everything was perfect. Everything flowed in the exact way that I had envisioned it would. From the scene that occurred outside of the building, to the major fight, and the eventual appearance of the ’backup’ that Osvald had called.
But if there was one thing that I had not taken into account, it was...
"I’ll be taking her with us."
Soran’s sudden kidnapping.
This was something that I would’ve never imagined in a million years. Her of all people...? I understood that she was talented, but she was injured.
Unless...?
’Ah, that makes sense now.’
Everything clicked when I was suddenly reminded of the individuals that I was dealing with.
Of course, the way he managed to kidnap her was also quite amusing as he muttered something like, ’She’s in critical condition. I’ll bring her to a facility that can stabilize her condition and cure her.’
He took her right before everyone’s eyes.
Given that he was a so-called ’Enforcer,’ he had the ability to do so, and before I could even process what was happening, he had already picked me up as well. For a moment, I even thought he’d kill me. But thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
The space around us distorted, and my surroundings vanished completely.
When the world settled, we were no longer outside.
Through the narrow gap in my eyelids, I was able to see what was around me.
We appeared inside what seemed like a large white room. The kind of space that felt more like a sterile laboratory than a medical facility. The walls were a clean, almost blinding white, lined with various pieces of equipment that I didn’t recognize.
Some of the equipment hummed softly while others displayed flickering readings on faint blue screens. The floor was polished to such a degree that I could see the faint reflection of the overhead lights, which cast everything in a cool, clinical glow.
There was a faint, antiseptic smell in the air, mingled with something else. Something more metallic. Not quite blood, but equipment?
Several people were already waiting, as though they had been expecting us. They stood in a loose formation, dressed in white coats and uniforms, their expressions mixed with curiosity and what appeared to be fear.
A few of them moved immediately, wheeling forward a pair of stretchers without needing to be told.
"Treat the patients."
The Enforcer didn’t waste a single second and handed the two of us over to them.
"Make sure to take care of them. Put more priority on her. She’s in critical condition. At least stabilize her condition first. Don’t do anything unnecessary. Her life comes first. As for him..."
His attention turned towards me as I slowly opened my eyes and met his gaze. He eventually turned away.
"Give him a minor check-up while I go take care of things. I’ll have a private talk with him later. There’s a lot that I need to figure out from this incident."
He left shortly after that, silence taking over the place for a short moment before Soran was suddenly escorted away for ’treatment’. Honestly, I didn’t know what they were planning on doing with her, but I was certain that it wasn’t going to be any good.
’At least for now, I’m certain that she’s safe.’
Their goal was to stabilize her condition, which I was fine with, considering that she was very likely in a terrible state. I hadn’t seen the entire scene, but I knew that whatever she had done hadn’t been good for her already bad condition.
As Soran disappeared from view, one of the figures that had remained behind stepped forward.
He was a middle-aged man in a pristine white coat, his presence standing out compared to the others. He had to be somewhere in his late forties, with neatly combed salt-and-pepper hair and a closely trimmed beard that gave him a refined, almost scholarly appearance.
A pair of thin-framed glasses rested on the bridge of his sharp nose, and behind them, his pale grey eyes studied me with the mild curiosity of someone who had seen far stranger things walk through these doors.
The name tag pinned to his coat read ’Dr. Veyra’.
He offered me a small, yet calm smile. It wasn’t warm, but not cold either. Just professional.
"Let’s have a look at you, shall we?"
His voice was smooth, carrying the faintest trace of an accent that I couldn’t quite place. He gestured towards a nearby examination bed.
"I’ll try to be quick. I’m sure you’ve had a long day."
Several of the people in white moved behind me, but I raised my hand and stopped them.
"I’ll... be fine. I don’t need any major treatment. Just my shoulder hurts."
I exposed my shoulder, displaying the wound that appeared there as I took a deep breath and covered the wound again.
Honestly, I didn’t want anyone to get too close to me. I was worried that they might see through my camouflage. This wouldn’t do me any good. Hence, I put on a bit of a tantrum.
"I’ll do it myself. I don’t need any of this stuff. Just patch up my things."
"...But it could be dangerous! Don’t refuse the treatment."
"I’m good."
"But...!"
"Let him do as he wishes."
To my surprise, the doctor was the one who went along with my tantrum, his hands in both pockets as he stared at me with the same smile as before. Feeling his smile, I found myself licking my lips.
He didn’t seem quite strong, and yet... for some reason, something about his smile and gaze seemed to almost see right through me.
I licked again.
Did he notice something?
Taking a step forward, he moved closer to me. Strangely, I felt rather calm despite the sudden tension that rose in the air. Staring at his smile as he looked me in the eyes, his smile still the same, I found myself pursing my lips, trying my best to stop myself from licking my lips for the third time.
And eventually, his lips parted⎯
"The wound is quite deep, but it doesn’t seem to be anything serious. Despite this, I would like to keep you here. After all, your safety is my responsibility. I hope that you won’t mind that much."
"...Well, fine."
I answered back, my tone flat. Honestly, even if he did want to kick me away, I probably wouldn’t have left since Soran was being kept here.
With her presence here, my original plan had to be scrapped.
But at the same time, something else churned inside my mind as the doctor nodded at me and ordered the other people present to escort me to a resting room.
His gaze remained on me as I left, but I forced myself to pay no mind to it.
From the start, I knew that the place I was in didn’t have ordinary individuals. This much was still something that I expected.
My next set of actions was clear, though.
’I think the situation might’ve turned out better than I expected.’
Well, maybe.
I wasn’t sure.
I didn’t really have much time, to be honest.
Turning my wrist, I looked at the time.
’It probably shouldn’t take too long for them to figure out the true identity of the Butcher.’
I had to be done by then.