"The accident investigation? Don't tell me it was a gang shootout~"
Having been in this city for a while, he was very clear about the existence of underground forces in this city, but those so-called underground forces were nothing more than moss that grew attached to the city. Lancer didn't think they had the guts to do something like this.
"Neither. It was a firefight between the Republic's and the Empire's intelligence organizations..."
When he said that, Guy was gritting his teeth, but there was more helplessness than anything.
The matters concerning the Republic and the Empire have always been something that every native of Crossbell is most reluctant to mention. After all, as the area in the middle of the two, the biggest role of Crossbell is to ease the conflict between the two sides, but this is not without cost. Not only do they have to pay a large amount of taxes to both sides every year, but at the request of both sides, Crossbell does not have an army, only a 'police department' and a 'defense force'.
And every so often, the intelligence organizations of the Republic and the Empire would have a fight. The ordinary civilians who were affected would get nothing more than a not-so-small compensation, and not even an official condemnation. In the end, it would just be handled quietly.
If it were just a few incidents, it might have passed, but as the two countries have become more and more reckless in recent years, most residents of Crossbell can guess some things. And for Guy, who is a law enforcement officer, this is the greatest humiliation!
Not to mention, if Lancer hadn't happened to be at the scene this time, his friend's wife and daughter might have also been in an accident.
Although he had temporarily lost his sight, he had gained a sense of hearing far beyond that of ordinary people. Lancer heard every single trace of anger, pain, and helplessness in Guy's voice, but he didn't know how to comfort the other party. After all, this incident was no longer something that an ordinary person could handle. If Lancer could still create a 'window of opportunity' with his personal strength in the previous world, then in this world with 'stigmas' and 'apostles of the Snake', he would probably be beaten to a pulp in minutes.
And although Lancer could hear some things, Guy himself might not have even noticed them. But in the end, he took a deep breath and composed himself.
"Let's not talk about that. Lancer, when do you plan to go with me to test your attributes?"
"Test attributes?"
It was obvious that Lancer's understanding of tactical Orbments came entirely from games, and he had long since forgotten most of the game's settings. He only knew that he could use quartz to cast magic. And seeing Lancer tilt his head, he shivered, not sure if it was a deliberate act of cuteness.
"You don't even know this, do you? To be honest, I'm starting to believe what you said before... Let's talk as we walk."
Guy took Lancer directly towards the department store in the central square, and along the way, he didn't forget to explain some common knowledge about 'tactical Orbments' to Lancer.
"The biggest problem with the popularization of 'tactical Orbments' is the cost, and the second is the versatility. In theory, no two tactical Orbments are exactly the same. Everyone's attributes will affect the effect of the tactical Orbment... I'm not too sure about the rest either, after all, I only found out about these things recently by checking documents."
When he added that last sentence, Guy didn't forget to give Lancer a look of disdain. After all, he, an 'outsider', had checked the documents, but Lancer, the 'owner', knew nothing. He really didn't know how to complain.
The so-called 'test' was actually just placing his hand on a special instrument. He then felt a tingly sensation in his hand, and after that... he wasn't sure. After getting the reply from the staff member, 'You'll know if you come tomorrow', Lancer felt a bit like he was giving blood at a hospital.
It took almost an hour to get from the hospital to Crossbell, and the time spent in the store was not even half of the travel time. Both Lancer and Guy felt a little strange, so Guy simply suggested that Lancer stay in the city.
"It's getting late. Are you going back to the hospital or staying in the city for the night?"
"I'll stay in the city, I guess? My situation isn't as bad as you think."
If it weren't for the bandages on Lancer's head, he would look almost the same as usual. But as the two of them were walking and chatting towards Guy's house, Lancer suddenly put his hand on Guy's shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just that my previous injuries haven't fully healed..."
The conversation between the two seemed completely normal, but in reality, Lancer's fingers were writing words on Guy's shoulder.
'We're being followed.'
Guy's first reaction to Lancer's words was that it was impossible because he didn't feel anything, but then he nodded silently.
Regardless of whether Lancer had really discovered the other party, it was better to be safe than sorry. He originally wanted to reach for the weapon at his waist, but his shoulder suddenly felt a sharp pain. There was no doubt that Lancer was stopping him.
Although he didn't know what was going on, he chose to trust Lancer. The two of them seemingly unintentionally walked into a small alley.
After the two of them went in, several figures followed closely behind, and then——————
"Bang~!"
"Slap~!"
The first figure to enter was directly hit hard in the abdomen by an elbow strike from Guy. The person behind him was about to flee, but found a figure holding an ice spear standing at the entrance of the alley.
"Still trying to leave?"
"..."
Facing Lancer's slightly mocking voice, the other party took out a short knife without saying a word and pointed it at Lancer.
As an agent who was good at tracking and assassination, they were not good at frontal combat. If it were in a normal situation, he would have chosen to commit suicide to hide the information, but this blind man in front of him gave him a glimmer of hope. The moment he held the hilt of the knife, he rushed towards Lancer without hesitation, and the short knife was aimed at Lancer's wrist.
There was no doubt that he knew Lancer's strength. Even if he was blind, he was not someone that an ordinary person could deal with. The unlucky people who were captured alive in the central square before were the best evidence. So his target was Lancer's wrist!
In his opinion, if he lost his sight and one of his hands was injured, he would have a better chance of escaping.
'Whoosh~ Whoosh~'
'Da~ Da~'
In the pitch-black world, the heavy but urgent breathing and the sound of shoes hitting the ground were extremely harsh, and Lancer barely managed to construct a blurry human figure in his mind. Suddenly——————
"Snap~!"
With a crisp sound, the footsteps disappeared, and the breathing also stopped, leaving only the sound of something cutting through the air. There was no doubt that the other party was not an idiot and was planning to use the brief airtime to launch a sneak attack on him, but——————
Even just the sound of the wind could give him a rough coordinate, and the rest was to be solved by experience!
"Here!!"
The ice spear shaft was stabbed fiercely to the side...
"Pfft~!"
With the sound of torn cloth, the front end of the spear shaft suddenly felt a lot heavier, and a confident smile appeared on Lancer's face. It seemed his luck was good.