17 Special Operations Departmen (1/2)
”Blackthorn Security Company.”
Upon seeing the signboard, Klein felt surprised yet found it reasonable.
Man... what do I say about this... He shook his head and laughed before walking up the steps and knocking gently on the half-closed door with his right hand.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The sound echoed slowly but rhythmically, but there was no response; only a faint sputtering sound could be heard.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Klein repeated, only to be met with the same outcome.
He switched to pushing the door, making the gap larger as he stared inside—a classic sofa which might have been for serving guests, a soft fabric armchair, and a burly wood coffee table. There was a girl with brown hair behind a table right across with her head drooped.
Even though ”Security Company” is just a guise, isn't this just... just too ”unprofessional?” How long has this place been out of business? Right, you guys don't need any business... Klein drew closer as he complained silently and knocked on the table just beside the girl's ear.
Knock! Knock!
The brown-haired girl sat up immediately and swiftly took the newspaper in front of her, covering her face.
Tingen City Honest Paper... Nice name... Klein silently read the title of the page facing him.
”The steam train service 'Soaring Express' that directly reaches Constant City is starting operations today... Oh come on, when will there be one that goes straight to Brindisi Bay. I really don't want to take the ship there again, it's too awful, really awful... Hey, who are you?” The girl with brown hair read pretentiously and gave her opinion. As she spoke, she lowered the newspaper and revealed her bright forehead and light-brown eyes, looking at Klein with a fawning and startled look.
”Hello, I am Klein Moretti, and I am here at the invitation of Dunn Smith,” Klein said as he took down his hat to his chest and bowed slightly.
The brown-haired girl looked to be in her early twenties. She wore a light green, Loen-styled dress. She was set off with beautiful laces on her sleeves, collar, and chest.
”The Captain... alright, wait here for a moment. I'll go get him.” The girl scurried up and went into the room beside her.
She didn't even serve a cup of water or anything... The level of service awareness is worrying... Klein smiled faintly as he waited at his spot.
After two to three minutes, the brown-haired girl opened the door and came out. She said with a sweet smile, ”Mr. Moretti, please follow me. The Captain is on watch at the 'Chanis Gate' and is unable to leave at the moment.”
”Okay.” Klein quickly followed behind. In his mind, he pondered to himself.
Chanis Gate, what could that be?
Going through the partition, the first thing he saw was a small corridor, with only three offices on each side.
Some of these offices were locked tight, while some were opened, revealing someone on the inside who typed non-stop on a heavy mechanical typewriter.
At a glance, Klein noticed a familiar figure: the young officer that had investigated his apartment, the one with the black hair and blue eye and romantic vibe of a poet.
He was not in official wear; his white collared shirt was not tucked in, making for quite an unruly appearance.
Perhaps he really is a poet... Klein nodded in greeting and was greeted with a smile.
The brown-haired girl pushed opened the left office door at the end of the room and pointed inside, chirping, ”We still have to go down a few levels.”
This office had no furniture in place, only a grayish-white stone staircase that extended downwards.
The two sides of the stairs were lit up by gas lamps. The stable glow dispelled the darkness and gave a sense of harmony.
The brown-haired girl walked in front, staring at her feet while walking carefully.
”Although I walk here often, I am still constantly afraid of falling down, tumbling down like a barrel. You don't know, Leonard did such a folly. On the first day of becoming a 'Sleepless'—the first day where he had not mastered his new powers—he tried to rush down the flight of stairs. And-and he became a cartwheel. Haha, it was hilarious if you think about it. Oh yes, it was the guy that greeted you just now. This was about three years ago. Speaking of which, I have been with the Nighthawks for five years; I was only seventeen when I joined...”
The girl watched her steps as she spoke. Suddenly, she smacked her forehead and said, ”I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Rozanne. My father was a member of the Nighthawks, who sacrificed himself in an accident five years ago. I suppose we are colleagues from now on— Err, yeah 'colleague' is the right word... we are not teammates since we are not Beyonders.”
”I hope to have the honor, but still it depends on what Mr. Smith has to say,” Klein said as he sized up the enclosed surroundings. He felt that they were going underground—dampness seeped out from the stone walls, dispelling the summer heat.
”Don't worry, the fact that you came so far means the Captain has agreed. I've always been a little afraid of him, even though he is amiable, a fatherly figure. I don't know why but I'm still afraid.” Rozanne spoke as though there was a piece of sweet in her throat.
Klein answered humorously, ”Isn't being afraid of a father normal?”
”True.” Rozanne said as she held the wall around the bend.
As they spoke, the two finished walking down the stairs and reached a stone-paved floor.
It was a long aisle; both sides of the walls were mounted with gas lamps surrounded by metal gratings. Klein and Rozanne's shadows were elongated under the illumination.
Klein keenly noticed that there was a ”Dark Sacred Emblem” every few meters—the symbol of the Evernight Goddess. A deep black background dotted with sparkling embellishments, as they clustered precisely half the crimson moon.