Fortunately, the parachute was a simple device that could be used with just three minutes of training.
All I had to do was grab the two dangling lines at chest level with both hands and push them forward as hard as I could.
No matter how panicked I was, it wasn’t something I couldn’t handle.
Perhaps it was because jumping out of an aircraft several kilometers up while relying on a parachute wasn’t easy.
After following Raven and landing on the rooftop, my legs were trembling like a newborn calf.
Hey, if this was going to happen, they should’ve warned me to prepare myself before getting on the plane!
I wanted to praise myself for showing such patience in not using telekinesis!
“Hoo, thankfully we’re in the outskirts, so it doesn’t seem like the police noticed us. Hey, part-timer, come here. Let me take off your backpack.”
“…”
I turned my back on Raven who was rolling up the parachute that had fallen to the ground.
Even if I’m mad, there are things I need to do.
Right now, I want to help Greg as soon as possible. This isn’t the time to complain about it.
Of course, I won’t forget this grudge. I’ll definitely get revenge someday.
Biting my lip, I secretly built up my hatred towards Raven.
After taking off my parachute backpack, Raven hid it along with his own parachute nearby.
Since we’re planning to walk around the city, carrying these bags would be quite cumbersome.
It’s true that we probably won’t need the parachute backpack again. I would’ve done the same if I were him.
Nodding in agreement with Raven’s decision, I approached the nearby rooftop railing.
‘This place… definitely feels very different from Night Haven.’
The scenery of Belmont reflected in my somewhat calmer gaze.
Indeed, it was different from Night Haven, which was full of neon lights and unique skyscrapers.
If I had to describe it, it was a forest of concrete filled with extremely boring and uninteresting buildings.
Not a single trace of beastmen could be seen in the shadows of people below.
As expected, unlike Night Haven, which is full of beastmen, this place only had ordinary humans.
A strange sensation washed over me, like waking up from a dream, leaving a cold feeling in my chest.
“Part-timer. There’s a ladder over here. Let’s go down from here.”
“…”
“Tsk, what’s with that defeated look? Are you scared now?”
No, this is a completely different issue…
Unable to express my emotions, I shook my head while gripping the railing.
Leaving Night Haven and seeing a world I know nothing about…
How can I convey this strange feeling, and how can I make someone understand it?
Therefore, all I can do here is pretend it’s nothing and act nonchalant.
Whether he knows it or not, Raven patted my head and said as if he wasn’t worried.
“Don’t worry about Greg. That guy won’t die even if he gets shot directly. He’s a tough person. His life probably isn’t in danger right now. Though, it’s highly likely he got involved in some complicated and troublesome situation.”
“…”
“So… I mean, don’t be too gloomy. If you waste your energy worrying about such things, it’ll be awkward when we meet him later.”
Staring blankly at Raven’s somewhat awkward demeanor, I suddenly realized one thing.
He’s trying hard to act like he’s not, but he’s actually comforting me right now?
Doing something he usually doesn’t do. A hollow laugh escaped me unintentionally.
Well, it’s not like I’m pathetically worrying about Greg up here on the rooftop.
I can’t pretend to ignore him after he said all that.
Feeling somewhat refreshed, I stretched my slightly hunched shoulders as if doing some light exercise.
Alright. Now that we’ve come this far, I shouldn’t hold us back, at least.
I tried to shake off the negative feelings and thoughts that had been festering in my mind like mold.
“…!”
Let’s go! I’ll follow you with all my might wherever you go!
As if saying I won’t worry anymore, I raised both arms high above my head.
Seeing my gesture, Raven seemed to be quite pleased.
With a smirk, he turned around with a very light movement.
“Alright, let’s go help that wretched orc who left a cat in charge and didn’t come back to pick it up!”
“…?”
Who’s being treated like a cat left in charge right now.
I pounded Raven’s waist with my fist for making such an unsatisfactory analogy.
But as expected, my punches without telekinesis were utterly pathetic. He didn’t even flinch and just walked towards the ladder.
Not even reacting… He’s twice as annoying now.
*
Was it thanks to flying over by plane?
It was still a bit early to call it night; it was late evening.
So we decided to change clothes first at a clothing store that was still open.
While Raven’s regular suit was fine, walking around in a maid outfit with a mask was quite eye-catching.
“Hmm, it’s better to be as plain as possible. How about this? A very ordinary hoodie with fur inside. Even a kid like you wearing it wouldn’t draw any attention.”
“…!”
“Then I’ll just throw on a plain coat.”
I changed from the maid outfit into a hoodie with a hat.
If I cover the mask with the hoodie’s cap, it won’t stand out much. It should be sufficient as a temporary measure.
I carefully packed the maid outfit and placed it in a paid locker at a nearby station.
It was a precious outfit given by Greg. Losing it would hurt deeply.
If it got stolen, I’d make sure to punish the thief severely. That’s how I felt.
“Good. Now we can walk around without drawing much attention. The question now is how to find Greg in this vast city…”
Raven, wearing a fitting baker’s cap, took out his terminal and tapped on the screen.
He looked serious, as if doing something important. Did he have a method?
Surprisingly, Raven didn’t disappoint my expectations.
After checking the terminal, he led me to a deserted alley and declared success.
“I’ve hacked into the Belmont police radio. By listening to this, we can quickly find out where disturbances occur in the city.”
“?”
“How did I do it? Hmph, before David arrived, this was my job.”
You hacked the police radio?!
If we do that, we can immediately know when something happens anywhere in the city.
I clapped my hands in admiration of Raven’s impressive skills.
But he casually shrugged it off and stuffed the terminal back into his pocket.
“Well… it’s not like I have specialized knowledge like David. I’m just using a hacking tool given to me by an acquaintance according to the manual. Hacking a regular police radio like this is a piece of cake.”
Raven made an awkward expression, as if he didn’t quite deserve the praise.
Then he furrowed his brows slightly, focusing on the hacked radio content.
Hacking the police radio was merely to gather information about incidents happening across the city.
We still needed to personally verify whether each incident was related to Greg.
Of course, it was a troublesome task. How could we possibly check every single place in this vast area?
But to find someone in need of help who couldn’t be contacted, there was no other way.
‘It’s going to be quite a long night.’
Following behind Raven, I quietly steeled myself.
Finding Greg in this city would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
And once we find him, solving whatever problem he’s in won’t be easy either.
But it’s something I’ve already set my mind to. Giving up now is unimaginable.
So we wandered around the city tirelessly through the cold winter night with no results.
Whenever we followed up on the police radio reports, most incidents turned out to be trivial and not serious.
No matter how much we looked around, we couldn’t find any trace of Greg or any beastmen.
Well, this isn’t Night Haven. Maybe it’s only natural.
But Raven and I were quite persistent. We weren’t tired at all and could keep going all day.
With fiery determination burning in our eyes, we continued roaming the cold streets.
“Is it not here either? Then… let’s eat first. In a prolonged search like this, eating on time is crucial.”
“!”
Finally, as evening had long passed and late night approached,
we decided to take a short break and buy food from a street food truck.
I got a hot dog with a plump smoked sausage inside, while Raven had a rather filling taco.
Perhaps because we had been walking around outside for so long and our bodies had gotten cold,
the warm food felt like it was replenishing our energy.
“Should we go deeper into the alleys? But considering Greg isn’t on the beastmen registry and no one has reported seeing a beastman without a collar… it seems he’s hiding somewhere inconspicuous.”
Crinkle crinkle.
As I crumpled the empty hot dog wrapper,
I heard Raven muttering to himself after finishing his taco earlier.
He seemed deep in thought, unable to find any trace of Greg despite searching the entire city.
Moreover, since beastmen in human cities must wear devices that limit their magic power,
considering this, Raven likely believed that Greg had secretly entered the city unnoticed.
“From now on, let’s go deeper into less crowded alleys. Follow closely. Don’t get lost and cause trouble.”
“…”
As if you wouldn’t notice immediately if I strayed away. Scaring me unnecessarily.
After throwing away the leftovers, I obediently nodded as if to say I understood.
Thus, we headed into an even darker and more deserted alley than before.
This place didn’t seem well-maintained; even on this cold day, it felt damp and smelled bad.
Still, no matter how much we searched, we found nothing. Just as I was thinking that,
suddenly, Raven swiftly pulled out a pistol from his pocket and fired at a wall without hesitation.
BOOM!
The blunt silencer softened the sharp sound of the gunshot.
Before the sound even dissipated, a pain-filled scream came from behind the wall.
…Wait, I didn’t see that coming at all.
He even hit someone through the crack in the wall?
I was so surprised by Raven’s skill that my eyes widened in shock.
But he shrugged as if it was nothing and suddenly lifted me up by the waist, gently hopping over the wall.
On the other side of the wall lay a man clutching his stomach, writhing on the ground.
Raven carefully set me down as if I were a fragile glass artifact, then rested his pistol on his shoulder and spoke.
“Aaagh! Ugh…”
“Don’t be dramatic. I intentionally used rubber bullets. Wait a moment… You’re a beastman, aren’t you? And you’re not wearing a collar.”
Surprisingly, the man lying on the ground was a werewolf with clearly visible fur on his sideburns.
Moreover, he was a beastman without a collar, which was highly suspicious in a city full of humans.
Even I, an amateur, could distinctly smell something very suspicious.
