Chapter 64: Trishel and Military Genius

It was a bizarre sight.

"Understood. Take three people and move out immediately. After this, no further communication is necessary until the situation is resolved."

"Stay on standby. Do not let anyone descending from the upper levels slip by. Among them, there will be agents of Salem."

"Maintain surveillance. If they make a move, killing is not permitted, but injuring them slightly to secure them is authorized."

Riven’s instructions were relayed flawlessly to his subordinates, and from there they spread to others hiding throughout the city.

He didn’t even glance at a map. His grasp of the city’s layout, the speed of his judgments—impressive. But what surprised me most was their method of transmitting information.

A subordinate tapped his fingers against Riven’s arm. Just that, and Riven instantly understood the message.

Apparently, their unit always trains with the assumption they may be fighting under any conditions. So, when smoke signals or couriers can’t be used, they’ve even mastered signals through light flickers. They’ve converted the timing of those flashes into tapping rhythms, enabling communication without relying on sight or sound.

He could process signals from about three people at once. Without confusion, he interpreted their messages, made snap decisions, and gave orders.

…Honestly, he seems better suited to being a strategist. If he had displayed this composure and processing ability from the start, maybe he wouldn’t have barged straight into Salem’s territory. Then again, he didn’t have enough intel at the time, so maybe it was inevitable.

I quietly pulled out a map and traced their movements in my mind.

Riven’s chosen course of action was to ignore Charlotte for the time being.

It might sound cold, but it was logical. After all, our ultimate goal lay with Salem. If we structured the situation properly, we’d be sure to reunite with her. More importantly, if Salem was neutralized, the chance of Charlotte being kidnapped by her would drop dramatically.

Rational. Even while driven by emotion, he was making decisions unclouded by it.

Hearing about such tactics and actually watching them unfold were two very different things.

I took Riven’s hand and drew letters on his palm to pass along my words.

"Hm? Trishel. What is it?"

『Why didn’t you do this from the beginning?』

"…Rosalind told me the same thing. She said I need to fix my tendency to act on impulse. That unless I get it out of my system first, I can’t keep calmly analyzing the field."

"Heh… ahaha."

I couldn’t help laughing.

I thought the same thing during the auction—he’s a little too straightforward for his own good. Probably the way he was raised.

That’s the complete opposite of Charlotte. She grew up twisted, but at her core she’s honest.

"Well, being like that makes you the kind of person worth supporting."

"Uh… and you are?"

"Neil. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

As I was still laughing, a grinning man spoke to me.

Neil. So this was his right-hand man. Even when I was told to fetch Riven, they told me to find this man first.

I studied him carefully. He looked careless, but that wasn’t the truth. He wasn’t built for fighting—his strength was in escaping. Most likely he was more valuable in espionage than on the battlefield.

Makes sense. Since Riven himself could fight, it was logical for him to rely on someone else to be his ears.

"You’re staring so intently, it’s making me blush."

"Ah—sorry about that."

"Not that I mind. So? What do you think? How do I look in the eyes of someone trained in real stealth?"

"…Let’s just say you’re not bad."

"Why, what high praise. I’ll gratefully accept it."

We probed each other, testing how far we could push and whether trust was possible.

This guy was used to exchanges like this. That easygoing manner—it was calculated, meant to get others to lower their guard.

I could smell it on him—he’d been through hell more than once. Survived death’s door at least two or three times.

…It brought back memories. Watching him made me think maybe I should sharpen myself again.

As I was thinking that, Neil beckoned me over and pointed at the map laid open.

Apparently, he was going to share Riven’s orders with me.

All right, I’d happily hear them.

"For now, we’ve set up our forces mainly at the transit points between the mid and lower levels of the city."

"And the reason for that?"

"Because we already control all of the lower levels."

That surprised me a little. They’d already driven out Salem’s people?

Of course, it might not be airtight, but to state it so firmly meant they had already shifted the situation in their favor.

If they really had secured the lower levels, there was something I needed to ask.

"Did you find any trace of Charlotte?"

Neil shook his head. As expected.

"Most likely… she’s hiding in the backstreets. Even we aren’t reckless enough to just waltz in there without consequences."

"The backstreets, huh…"

More or less as I expected. If Charlotte had decided to handle things on her own, she wouldn’t choose to go through the front.

I had no idea what she planned to barter or risk in the backstreets, but whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good. If I could get ahead of her, I wanted to shut that down too.

I had my own contacts in the underworld, but starting trouble there in this situation would make things far more complicated.

We were already dealing with Salem’s forces—if we stirred up the backstreet gangs and Riven’s troops at the same time, it would spiral into chaos. Unless we were already on the brink of losing, making things harder on purpose was a mistake.

We couldn’t afford any more confusion.

"Hey, what do you think about me going into the backstreets alone?"

"You want my opinion, not the boss’s?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm… all right."

He put a hand to his chin, pretending to think.

It wasn’t that all the decisions were left to him—he had the leeway to make some judgments himself. And clearly, he was trusted enough to be allowed that freedom.

I glanced at Riven. He was still issuing orders. Watching people scurry in and out of the windows at his command was almost funny.

"You’d better not. It’s a bad idea."

"I thought so."

"Oh? Same opinion? That boosts my confidence."

Behind that ever-present grin, I caught the serious look in Neil’s eyes.

He was worried I’d force my way into chasing Charlotte alone. And at the same time, he seemed to be considering how he’d stop me if I tried.

"There are a few reasons, but the simple one is this—you’d be leaving a piece off the board. To be frank, no one in our group is as suited to operating alone as you are. We’d rather keep that in reserve for when it’s truly needed."

"Yeah. I thought the same."

Not overconfident, either. Hm. Maybe clashing with Rosalind over and over had stripped away their arrogance.

If so, they’d become even more reliable—and more troublesome—than I imagined.

"And besides, the odds of success are too slim."

"She’ll run if pursued. That much is obvious."

"More than that… if my hunch is right, that girl’s in a dangerous place."

"Dangerous?"

I hadn’t expected someone to look at Charlotte and call her dangerous.

What exactly did he see?

"How do I put this… she reeks of death being close."

"And what’s that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, don’t misunderstand! I don’t mean she’s about to die or anything."

Sensing my shift in mood, he quickly backpedaled.

Then what did he mean?

"…Normally, people don’t grasp death until they’re on the verge of it."

His words came haltingly, as if he were forcing vague impressions into shape.

"But she carries the air of someone who already knows death. Not secondhand—she’s lived it."

"Isn’t that just because she’s been wandering and taking risks?"

"I’d like to think so. But it’s my gut feeling."

He scratched his head sheepishly.

But it felt less like modesty and more like he was trying to smooth over a truth he’d spoken too bluntly. And I hated that.

Charlotte valued her own life. I knew that much.

"Either way, she’s someone who’s brushed against death and can still walk straight into danger without hesitation. Better not to provoke someone like her."

"…Don’t you think you’re overestimating her?"

"Maybe. As long as we agree it’s unwise to pursue her right now, that’s enough."

Yeah. Charlotte wouldn’t do anything reckless. She had to be somewhere safe, beyond Salem’s reach. That was all that mattered.

"By the way, Salem doesn’t have her hands in the backstreets, does she?"

"Hm? Ah, no. That part came later, after the city was built."

Salem had only been involved in constructing the city—its layout, not its later developments.

The backstreets in particular had sprung up long afterward. I’d never heard of her being tied to them.

And if anyone was… it wasn’t Salem. But that wasn’t something I needed to share with them.

"Hey, Trishel! You there?"

"Looks like the boss is calling. That’s all from me."

I realized most of Riven’s subordinates had already cleared out. Only Neil remained, sitting boldly in his chair.

『What is it?』

"The plan is decided."

The plan?

He’d been giving orders nonstop, so I thought it was already set. Why call me over now?

"There’s a job I want you to handle."

『And what exactly do you want me to do?』

"Take the ones who’ve been living like moles—and trap them in their own holes."

He wore a battle-hungry smile.

Just how far ahead was he seeing?

I couldn’t tell.