Chapter 130

“Sniff… hic….”

Maria Rodriguez sobbed throughout the entire funeral.

Sergeant Lindbergh, who had been at the scene, looked hollow.

A man whose name no one knew, sitting in the far corner, gasped like someone being strangled and ran out of the chapel.

After Giselle died, several changes occurred in the city.

― Black Pistols’ motorcycle has been found abandoned. A helmet and leather jacket were left beside it….

― The city’s hero has abandoned Black Pistols. Was it too much for him to keep struggling alone? With the last piece of justice gone from this city… what hope is left?

― They called him an anti-hero, a villain hunter, but in the end Red Shadow was an executioner of evil. Look at how the crime rate has surged since he disappeared! This alone proves that what this city needs is harsh punishment!

― Breaking news. The Duke of Valkenstein has been found dead.

No matter how the world turned, Black Cloak, Liam, didn’t care.

“Ah… Giselle. Giselle… Giselle… If it means I can meet you again, I’ll do anything.”

In a world where the heroes had disappeared, Liam found a way to meet Giselle again.

He sacrificed his own lifespan to turn back time.

The date he aimed for was a few days before he was injured by the Death Adder siblings.

But there was one thing he overlooked.

That was Oscar Jacknife. His absence.

“W-why isn’t the magic— No! Aaaah!”

The point in time Liam returned to was one where Oscar should have existed, but his soul had already moved to another dimension.

Because of Oscar’s absence, the world, turned back several months, lost its balance since a soul that should have existed was gone.

So the world had to make Oscar’s absence into something that had never existed.

As a result, it took an even greater price from Liam and rewound further, to before Oscar was even born.

Because of that, Liam lived without any of his memories until the moment he awakened as a mage.

As an ordinary boy who secretly admired a girl famous in the neighborhood for being pretty.

The girl fell into a coma after being beaten by her father, and Liam paced in worry.

Not long after, news broke that the girl’s older brother had killed their father at the hospital while he was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.

The girl was sent to a facility, and after that, no one ever saw her again.

Liam missed the girl alone.

The bright smile she showed her friends, the occasional cynical tone that didn’t match her, and her beautiful face.

Then, four years ago.

Liam, who was working at a bakery, suddenly awakened as a mage.

At the same time, he regained all his memories and chose to act carefully.

Because the world had taken most of his magical ability, he could no longer turn back time.

After much deliberation, Liam entered Death Adder himself so he wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Giselle. I’m Liam Fabian.”

He gradually grew closer to Giselle over time.

“Call me Deva. I don’t like the name Giselle.”

After gaining Raphael’s recognition, he eventually became his right hand.

Giselle opened her heart to him.

Meanwhile, Liam approached Sunshine in the guise of Black Cloak to prevent Raphael from killing the escaped convict.

Since Sunshine was bound to escape anyway, he helped with the escape to put him in his debt, and supplied blue gas to plunge the city into chaos.

Only when the city fell into chaos could Giselle persuade Raphael to leave Mist Island.

‘The day the city becomes the loudest will be the day we leave together.’

He could become like a brother to Raphael, and a good husband to Giselle.

While he was immersed in that sweet dream, Tristan Lindbergh and Johan appeared.

― If there hadn’t been external problems, we would have dated normally and reached a happy ending.

Liam pressed the doorbell.

Ding dong— Ding dong—

Logan Goldman.

The superior Tristan Lindbergh trusted.

Perhaps the one who knew Giselle’s whereabouts.

If Tristan’s plan was to lure him in, then all he had to do was twist the obvious move.

Ding dong— ding ding ding dong!

‘Giselle. This time, I’ll properly show you who you should be standing beside.’

He would find Giselle, deal with Tristan, and then leave with her.

Beyond the hole in the world, to a new one.

***

“Do you think something like that would shake Black Cloak? I don’t think so.”

“I’ve got a plan, so just follow along quietly.”

“But even if your brother is like that, how did you get information like that? Giselle Moltke?”

“Ah, well… I have my ways.”

When Tristan dodged the question, the team leader only narrowed his eyes and didn’t press further.

Anyone who’s worked in Organized Crime has at least one or two informants.

So he let it slide and spoke as usual.

“But how much did you drink? You reek of alcohol.”

“I had a bit.”

“With who? Don’t tell me you drank alone again.”

“No. Uh… a friend. A friend.”

Is he really a friend?

After a brief moment of thought, Tristan nodded half-heartedly.

Better to call that bastard a friend than be tied to him as a colleague.

After living under the same roof for a month, maybe it’s leaning more that way.

“We checked everything from smuggling routes to fake ID makers, but there’s no escape route, no, not even a movement path anywhere.”

“I’ve submitted approval for a magic tracker. Wait a bit.”

He got chewed out for not contacting him all this time, but when Tristan returned, Team Leader Logan Goldman welcomed him with tears.

Of course, he didn’t return to work immediately.

There was still a lot left to handle, so Tristan was taking care of necessary matters through Logan.

They had swept through one organization thanks to Giselle before, but even so, there were still many informants inside the police.

But the remaining ones would be dealt with soon.

Thanks to making a deal with Raphael, he had obtained a list of those colluding with the underground organization.

“Once the interview is published tomorrow, something will happen on Sunshine’s side. I’ll contact you after checking the situation.”

That interview would drive a wedge between Sunshine and Black Cloak.

Sunshine needs White Hands, and Black Cloak is Giselle’s stalker who knows she is White Hands.

“If my assumption is correct, Black Cloak has no choice but to know about my ability. He’s seen me use it.”

So once he sees the article saying Sunshine’s older brother was in a relationship with Giselle, Black Cloak will inevitably clash with Sunshine.

The team leader glanced around and handed a small box under the table.

“These are three newly developed anti-mage ampules.”

Sunshine and Black Cloak.

When they first joined forces, they were probably after different people.

But it turned out the person each of them needed was the same.

They’ve fallen out, so there’s no way they’d share it equally. Sunshine won’t share the existence of the safe house.

Because Giselle has hidden herself too perfectly, Black Cloak, who’s been driven to the brink, will imagine something like this.

‘The breakup was a lie. Tristan, who’s a cop, got involved and moved her somewhere.’

So Black Cloak has no choice but to come looking for him.

Or he’ll go after Logan Goldman, a close colleague and superior he meets even while on leave.

“Don’t die. And don’t get hurt.”

“Don’t worry, sir. Who do you think I am?”

“Ugh. If only you could keep your mouth shut. More importantly, about White Hands. Are you sure you didn’t see his face?”

Ah. Even this guy, seriously….

Seeing the way he was subtly probing, Tristan frowned and answered, “I was half dead. How would I have the energy to look at his face?”

“That thing, you know. There’s been talk lately about a passenger on some ship who had a broken neck and was fine the next day. They say it was a misdiagnosis, but something about it feels off.”

“A ship? Tell me in detail.”

Logan Goldman explained the rumor he had heard.

“Anyway, it’s just something I heard secondhand.”

Tap. Tap.

Tristan, who had been tapping the bottom of his empty cup with a straw, suddenly let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha. Haha. Wow— seriously…….”

Impressive.

Who would’ve imagined she’d boldly flee on a cruise.

It was insanely relentless.

A ridiculously daring choice.

Enough to make him briefly feel sorry for Johan, who loved Giselle like a madman.

“Haah.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Tristan picked up the receipt and stood.

As they stood side by side to pay, Logan asked, “…By the way. About Giselle Moltke. Did she really break up with you and go see Red Shadow? Hey. Tell me. I’m really curious about this.”

“Haah. Team leader, please… ha. Let’s not talk about it.”

“I heard rumors you got dumped.”

He looked like he wanted to add, ‘Is that true?’ but held it back, and Tristan just wanted this to end so he could be forgotten along with this damned scandal.

***

An uncomfortable companionship with Johan began.

While I washed my hair and cleaned up, Johan sat crookedly on the sofa, pressing his forehead with his fingers.

I wanted to ask if he was okay not washing up, but it wasn’t the kind of mood for that.

“…I need to go to the cafe.”

There was no response.

He followed a couple of steps behind me the entire way from the hotel to Cafe Paradise.

Did he sleep at all? His complexion was beyond pale, almost bluish, which made me worry.

“You’re here, Jean.”

“Hello.”

I heard the owner of Cafe Paradise doesn’t work on weekends, but maybe because there were a lot of customers, he was there making drinks himself.

“Is that a friend behind you?”