"Y-You two, sirs… may I ask what you need?"
The middle-aged tavernkeeper trembled, eyes tight with caution as he faced the two white-clad figures. His voice shook; his hands wouldn't stop. For a mere CP peripheral like him, even a regular CP0 operative was a distant terror—
let alone these two, who looked every bit like officers.
To meet men of this rank in person? That was a once-in-a-lifetime shock. On any other day, he'd never get within ten streets of them. The gap in status was a canyon.
"I'll ask you," one of the white masks said, voice flat, emotionless. "The CP member who left earlier—what direction did he go?"
"He's about thirteen."
Behind the strange animal mask, his gaze fell on the tavernkeeper like a heel on an ant. To someone of his standing and strength, the man really was that small.
"Y-You mean Mr. Lucci?" the boss ventured, head down.
"So it's him," the officer replied. "Do you know where he went? We have business."
"M-Mr. Lucci headed toward the Rosset Kingdom's palace," the boss answered quickly. "Just now—maybe a quarter hour ago. They probably haven't reached it yet."
"Toward the palace…?"
The two exchanged a look, puzzled but unwilling to waste more questions on a low-level peripheral. This man knew little and mattered less.
"That brat Lucci… the palace?"
"Why?"
"What's he planning?"
They weren't here to hinder Lucci, nor to help him. They were here to watch him.
"Another question," the other officer said suddenly. "The Marine who's partnering with Lucci on this operation—who is it? Do you remember?"
Clearly, these CP0 officers knew the mission inside and out—including the fact that Lucci had a Marine partner.
"Honored sirs," the boss said, bowing deeper, "the Marine is… a four-year-old child. Just now, that child left with Mr. Lucci."
"A four-year-old?"
"Are you sure?"
The pair frowned deeper. Had the Marines run out of people? Sending a child to a live operation—were they defying orders?
A four-year-old would only drag Lucci down.
"Troublesome," one muttered. "What are the Marines thinking? This isn't a playground—it's a death sentence."
"I've got a bad feeling. That kid won't just get himself killed—he'll get Lucci killed."
"This is outrageous," the other hissed. "Have they gone soft-brained?"
"It's true," the tavernkeeper insisted. "I saw Mr. Lucci take the child himself. They headed palace-ward."
"Damn Marines," one officer said coldly. "They must not take the order from above seriously."
"We'll be reporting this. The Marines have grown bold—brazenly flouting the will from on high. This time, the Fleet Admiral will answer for it."
He paused, thinking, then asked, "When Lucci left with the child—were there any arguments? Any discord?"
From what they knew of Lucci, he wouldn't choose to work with a four-year-old. He wouldn't suffer deadweight.
"No," the boss said after a moment. "Mr. Lucci and the child never argued. Their cooperation seemed… very smooth."
"Very smooth…?"
Now the two officers looked genuinely thrown. With Lucci's personality, how could he be amicable to a four-year-old?
"Unless…"
"That child isn't simple."
"And Lucci acknowledged his strength."
It was the only explanation that fit. And yet—how strong could a four-year-old be? At best, still a burden.
"That kid will slow Lucci down," one concluded. "This mission just got a lot harder for him."
Having wrung the tavernkeeper dry, the two officers turned and swept out. Conversation in the room resumed only in nervous whispers; no one dared breathe too loudly until the white masks were gone.
"Haaah…" The boss wiped the sweat from his brow, knees weak. "Finally…"
—
Armed with what they needed, the two CP0 officers headed toward the palace as well.
They were, as guessed, CP0 officers—one named Joelf, the other Reis—both standouts among CP0's command ranks. With status like theirs, even a Marine Admiral wouldn't automatically demand a bow; they served directly beneath the Celestial Dragons and wore that superiority plainly.
"Let's move," Joelf said. "Find the brat."
"He's CP's once-in-eight-centuries prodigy. We can't let a Marine's four-year-old liability get him killed."
"If something uncontrollable happens, we pull Lucci out immediately," Reis added. "As for the Marine child—if he dies, he dies. A weakling has no business on a mission like this."
They shared a look and nodded.
In truth, they hadn't come to execute the rescue. They'd come for Lucci.
Because Joelf and Reis were CP0 examiners—
graders.
They scouted for talent, shadowed fieldwork, and issued confidential evaluations after observing performance in live scenarios. Their score—and their written assessment—would shape Lucci's future path.
Put simply, this "World Government emergency rescue" was also Lucci's personal trial.
"Go," Joelf said.
The two white silhouettes slipped into the flow of the city, tails in the shadows—
following the paths of Kai and Lucci toward the palace.
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