Chapter 139 (1/2)

It was evident that the machine was swapped with the real Lenia when she was accompanied to the Bureau of Investigation and Security, or from the moment she departed Angelic.

A cold shiver ran down Noah’s spine at her eerie speculation. Lenia Valtalere, the culprit who stole the dragon’s egg and the only witness to all the strange events of recent years was missing.

“Mu…” As she whispered, a little kid as small landed next to her. “Let’s hide these things out of sight.”

“Yes!” Muell opened his palms, creating a narrow entrance to a subspace, and began to suck every fragment that scattered on the floor. As soon as he cleared the place, Noah took his arm and left the Imperial Palace in a haste.

Their pace gradually accelerated and eventually turned into a marathon. Noah crumpled herself and Muell into a tram in front of the Imperial Palace that was just about to depart and confirmed their destination.

“Second Ward. Lendia. Fifth stop, in front of the Fifth Avenue, Bureau of Investigation and Security.”

Noah bit her lips nervously. Kyle. Kyle Leonard. Have you gone already?

Apparently, he had said he was leaving for Noviscosha this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Before he left, Noah had to tell him what she had discovered about Lenia, and review the records he had recorded.

Then, the image of the fake Lenia, which she had broken into pieces only a moment ago, flashed in her mind. The machine had the same face and voice as Lenia; it was a perfect replica. No one would notice that it wasn’t Lenia Valtalere who they’re talking to.

Noah recalled the black alphabet engraved behind Lenia’s ear, and suddenly an illusion of a chilly wind blowing around her appeared.

‘r.’

All of the machines resembling humans that emerged in the ship, including Lenia and those that attacked Kyle, had a lowercase ‘r’ stamped on the back of their ears’; like a token from the same factory.

The letter ‘r’ could not have been written without any meaning, so it must be an abbreviation. If so, what could it be?

An idea crossed Noah’s mind, but it was only her guess. She needed evidence to support her claim, and the proof, of course, was in Kyle’s office – the Bureau of Investigation and Security.

While she anxiously bit her bottom lip, thinking over and over again, the tram was slowly speeding down. A sign reading “Lendia 5-Street” flashed through the window, and a gray building of the Investigation Security Bureau Annex appeared at a distance.

However, it wasn’t Kyle who greeted Noah when she was about to storm into the Bureau of Investigation and Security. Before she could step into the building, her shoulder was jerked sideways and her body was swept away by the strong grip.

“……!”

“Be quiet, come here.”

It was not until Noah heard the familiar voice that she knew who the person was.