"Silvia! What happened to you?!"
Kail's heart nearly stopped. Silvia was sprawled on the floor, her dress torn and stained with crimson. Her neck was marked with dark, ugly bruises—someone had tried to strangle her.
"K-Kail..." she rasped, her voice barely a whisper. "He... went that way. I couldn't... hold him. He knew. Did you save the Professor?"
"Yes, he's safe," Kail said, kneeling beside her and gently lifting her head. "Don't talk. I'm taking you to the hospital right now."
"N... No..." She gripped his sleeve with surprising strength. "No hospital... please..."
"Silvia, you're badly hurt!"
"Don't... want to go... to the hospi—" Her eyes rolled back, and she went limp in his arms.
"Wake up! Silvia! Hey!" Kail shouted, but there was no response.
Outside the Casino
Kail emerged from the building, carrying Silvia's unconscious body. Eden and Erina rushed toward them.
"Eh?! What happened to Silvia?" Eden gasped, his face turning pale.
"She was like this when I found her," Kail said, his jaw set tight.
"Are we going to the hospital?" Erina asked, her eyes wide with worry.
"No. I'm taking her to my place. I'll call a private doctor there. It's safer." Kail looked at them. "You two, go back to the base. Make sure the Professor is settled, then go home. We'll contact you soon."
"Alright," Erina whispered.
Kail didn't wait for another word. He placed Silvia in his car and sped toward his mansion.
The Mansion
Kail paced the hallway as the phone rang. "Ben, get to my place right now! No, this isn't a joke. I have a patient in critical condition. Just get here!"
An hour later, Ben, a trusted military doctor, emerged from the guest room, wiping his hands.
"How could such a beauty get injured so badly?" Ben asked, looking at Kail suspiciously. "Don't tell me you did this, General?"
"Of course not!" Kail snapped. "I don't hit women. And besides, this is Silvia—she's usually the one doing the hitting. She's a professional."
"A professional?" Ben arched an eyebrow. "Well, she's lucky she's tough. She'll be fine, but those bruises on her neck are deep. You need to change her bandages every two hours and keep an eye on her fever."
"I'll handle it. Thanks, Ben."
One Day Later
Silvia's eyes fluttered open. She saw a high, ornate ceiling and smelled the scent of expensive sandalwood.
"Mmm... where... where am I?" She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her ribs.
The door opened, and Kail stepped in, carrying a tray of water and medicine. "You're finally awake."
"Where are we?" she asked, her voice still scratchy.
"My house. You've been out for twenty-four hours." Kail sat in a chair beside the bed. "Now, tell me. What happened with Chris?"
Silvia leaned back against the pillows, her gaze distant. "He got a call. His face... it just transformed. He knew the Professor was gone. He looked at me and said, 'Are you behind all this?'"
"And you?"
"I denied it, of course. I played the confused girlfriend. He didn't believe and snapped. I'm a good fighter, Kail, but I'm still in a body that's recovering from a two-month coma. I underestimated his strength. It's... a pathetic mistake."
"You took on a high-level target alone while injured," Kail said firmly. "There is nothing to be ashamed of. But Silvia... why were you so afraid of the hospital?"
Silvia looked at her hands. "If I go to a public hospital, my father's intelligence network will find me in hours. And I can't go back. Not yet."
"Why not? He's your father. He'd be relieved."
"You don't understand," she said, a bitter smile touching her lips. "My parents never wanted this for me. They hated the idea of me joining the Military Academy. I had to fight for every rank, every promotion. I made a deal with my father: if I ever failed a single mission, I would resign immediately."
Kail listened in silence.
"Before this... I never had a single failure. My record was perfect. But look at me now. I 'died' on a mission, lost the data, and had to be rescued. If I go back now, my career is over. My father will take my rank, and I'll be forced into a life I hate. It's better if they think I'm dead until I can finish this."
Kail looked at her—not as a soldier, but as a person. He saw the fire in her eyes, the same fire he had when he started his own career.
"I see," he said softly. He reached out and placed a hand over hers. "Then I'm with you."
"Eh?"
"We will finish this mission together, Silvia. I promise you. We'll get the data, we'll take down Dragon K5, and then you can walk back into your father's office with your head held high. You won't return as a failure. You'll return as a hero."
Silvia stared at him, her eyes shimmering for the first time. "Together?"
"Together," Kail repeated. "Now, get some rest. We have work to do tomorrow."
~ to be continued