Free Web NovelSoutheast of the Old District, about four hundred meters from the Crossroads.
The roof of a three-story brick building.
Lieutenant Graf knelt on one knee behind the parapet wall, his left eye pressed against the eyepiece of a brass-cased monocular ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) observer.
The observer was a custom-made item; its lenses had been specially treated by a Wayfarer of the Path of Temperance, allowing it to capture the faint spectral fluctuations produced when Return Power was released.
Through this instrument, he could see things ordinary people couldn't—such as every line of the golden formation in the air above the Crossroads, or the rapidly fading ghostly blue halos on the four Iron Teeth Society members.
"Lieutenant."
The voice of his deputy, Klaus, came from behind him, kept very low, his white breath quickly dissipating in the cold air.
"The last of the residents from the East District have been evacuated beyond the blockade; the evacuation work is complete."
Lieutenant Graf gave an "mm" in response, his eye never leaving the eyepiece.
The Old District didn't have a large permanent population; most were poor people who couldn't afford housing in the New District, retired old craftsmen, and a few holdouts who refused to move no matter what.
But no matter how few, they were still people. Launching an arrest operation against a Wayfarer in a place like this always carried the risk of affecting civilians.
So they had begun their operation since dusk.
Under the cover of heavy snow and night, plainclothes Gendarmerie knocked on doors one by one under the pretext of "steam pipe maintenance requiring temporary evacuation."
Residents of the Old District were long accustomed to such excuses—the steam pipes in this area were indeed dilapidated and burst once or twice every winter.
No one was suspicious.
Five hours of work included helping an old woman carry her dozen or so jars of specialty pickles that "would explode if they were too far away," and carrying a retired veteran, who was missing nearly half his limbs but hadn't lost an ounce of weight, down from the fourth floor.
Thirty-seven households, over fifty people, all safely moved to the temporary shelter outside the blockade.
And without alerting any members of the Iron Teeth Society.
"The three unconscious Iron Teeth Society members found in the North and West Alleys have been recovered and handed over to the rear Custody Team."
Klaus continued his report, "All are Way of Strength Sequence II. One was knocked unconscious by a blunt instrument to the back of the head, one went into traumatic shock after a comminuted fracture of the right wrist, and the third was tripped by a tripwire and then subjected to a precise strike to the neck, losing consciousness temporarily."
"None of the three have fatal injuries?"
"No, all were precise suppressive strikes, controlled force, leaving them alive."
Lieutenant Graf nodded.
"The formation is also fully activated," Klaus said. "It covers a radius of three hundred and fifty meters. All eight nodes are functioning normally. Return Power other than the Path of the Magician has been completely suppressed."
"Very good."
Lieutenant Graf moved the observer away from his eye, rubbing his left eye which was sore from prolonged use, then turned around, leaning against the parapet wall and looking at the six team members surrounding him.
The Special Operations Group, a full complement of twelve people, had eight deployed tonight, with the other four positioned at firing points around the Crossroads.
"The situation is going much more smoothly than expected."
He said, his tone carrying unconcealed relief.
"A total of seven people from the Iron Teeth Society came. Three were already dealt with in advance by that person, and the remaining four are suppressed by the formation, having lost their Return Power. They are now like turtles in a jar."
When he said "that person," he tilted his chin toward the Crossroads.
"To be honest, if it weren't for this person, tonight wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Lieutenant Graf raised the observer to his eye again, looking through the lens at the young girl wearing the Royal Knights Academy uniform, covered in blood.
She was standing in the center of the Crossroads, surrounded by four Iron Teeth Society members.
"She alone attracted the attention of all the Iron Teeth Society members, and even managed to knock out three of them without taking their lives."
He shook his head, his tone filled with sincere admiration.
"I had long heard that General Margaret had a group of Ferrymen specifically for special missions, each one the elite of the elite. Today has truly been an eye-opener."
He lowered the observer and gave Klaus a small smile.
"Look at how she's acting heavily injured, it looks so real—the blood on the uniform, the dislocated shoulder, the limping gait. If I didn't know she was one of the General's people, I would have been fooled."
Klaus's expression was a bit subtle.
"Lieutenant... we didn't receive any notification from the General about this person."
"I know."
Lieutenant Graf waved his hand.
"The General never lays all her cards on the table; she has her own rhythm."
"This person wasn't mentioned in the operation plan. Perhaps she's a last-minute addition, or maybe she's a hidden hand arranged from the start, just not told to us."
He pressed the observer back to his left eye.
"In any case, the result is good. The Iron Teeth Society members are all caught, there are no civilian casualties, and the formation is working normally. Next, we'll go in to wrap things up—" freeweɓnøvel.com
He stopped mid-sentence.
In the lens, the situation changed.
The silver-haired girl raised her left hand, her finger tracing an arc in the air.
A golden light screen appeared in front of her.
Lieutenant Graf raised an eyebrow.
Isn't she a Wayfarer of the Path of the Tower?
She also has the power of the Path of the Magician?
It must be some hidden trump card General Margaret prepared for her?
The axe the Short Axe Man swung at her was blocked by the light screen, shattering, the blade coming to a halt.
Then she took a step.
Walking toward the Short Axe Man.
Lieutenant Graf saw her mouth moving.
Across the distance of four hundred meters and the falling snow, he couldn't hear what she was saying.
But he could see her expression.
She was smiling.
Then he saw more light screens.
The Archer's arrow was blocked.
The short one's pounce was blocked.
The tall, thin cloaked figure's dash was blocked.
Simultaneous attacks from four directions were all blocked.
Golden fragments constantly bloomed and dissipated around her. She stood in the center of those fragments, walking toward the Short Axe Man step by step, unhurriedly.
Lieutenant Graf's fingers unconsciously tightened around the barrel of the observer.
"...Lieutenant?"
He didn't answer Klaus.
He was watching.
The Short Axe Man was retreating.
One step, two steps, three steps.
With every step he retreated, she advanced.
The Short Axe Man's back hit the wall.
She was still walking forward.
"Lieutenant, what's wrong?"
Lieutenant Graf slowly lowered the observer.
His expression had changed.
"Something's not quite right."
He rubbed his eyes and raised the observer again.
In the lens, the Short Axe Man had been backed into a corner.
His axe had been kicked away.
He had fallen onto the snow.
The silver-haired girl's knee was pressed against his back.
The tip of a dagger was held against the back of his neck.
"Not good!"
"She's going to kill him!"
