Selena had asked the question with a "nothing to lose" attitude. After all, she had already failed twice before. But hearing Marco's response, she paused for a beat before reacting with pleasant surprise.
"You know him?"
Marco teased, "Of course. I'd recognize him even if he were turned to ash. So, tell me, why are you looking for him?"
Receiving a definitive answer, Selena pressed her right hand to her chest and took a deep breath.
"It's like this: Maurice saved my life three years ago, and that means a lot to me. For the past three years, I've been searching for his whereabouts, wanting to thank him in person."
So that's why she wanted to become a tax collector.
Standing to the side, Byrne finally understood Selena's motivation. However, for some reason, he didn't sense any heartfelt gratitude or joy from her. To him, her explanation and demeanor felt more like a self-vindicating performance.
Marco chuckled. "So that's it. Maurice is the captain of the Fifth Squad, Seventh Action Group. But that guy has a terrible memory. Never mind someone he saved three years ago; he can barely remember teammates he went on missions with three months ago. His strength is undeniable, though. In the entire Blackstone City branch, his psychic intensity ranks in the top five, and his experience with heretical incidents is world-class. You're lucky to have been saved by him."
"Heh, so he's a captain. That's impressive. Can I see him now?"
Although Selena spoke complimentary words, Byrne felt something was wrong. Her reaction wasn't normal. Logic dictated that if one truly wanted to repay a debt of gratitude, finding out their benefactor had a poor memory and might have forgotten them should elicit a sense of disappointment. Yet, Selena didn't look disappointed at all; instead, her slightly tense shoulders relaxed.
To Byrne, it seemed Selena's goal in finding Maurice was likely more complicated than a simple "thank you." However, Marco didn't seem to notice anything.
Hearing her request, Marco spread his hands. "Sorry, Selena. Maurice is currently out on a mission. If you want to see him, you'll have to wait until at least next month."
The expectation on Selena's face instantly shifted to disappointment. "I see. Well, thank you for telling me this. I'll find another chance to thank him in person when he returns."
Her posture was elegant and appropriate; every expression was flawless. But in Byrne's eyes, this looked more like a meticulously choreographed act. Specifically, when she lowered her eyes, her eyelashes fluttered rapidly—not at the frequency of disappointment, but as if masking a sense of relief.
Marco didn't catch these subtle changes and simply waved them off. "Alright, save the gratitude for later. Let's go. I'll introduce you to the other members. Don't keep them waiting."
With that, Marco led the way out of the office. Selena followed quickly, her footsteps lighter than before, her previous steadiness seemingly dissipating. Byrne followed behind them, his gaze occasionally drifting to Selena's back.
Selena was a noble lady from a powerful family. If she simply wanted to thank a captain of the Heresy Investigation Bureau, she shouldn't have needed to go through the trouble of joining the bureau herself. Unless her purpose for finding Maurice was something that couldn't be known by outsiders—not even by her own family.
Marco turned back to look at Byrne, who had fallen behind. "Byrne, what are you thinking about? Keep up."
"Oh, right." Byrne snapped out of his thoughts and quickened his pace.
The Heresy Investigation Bureau was scattered across various cities in Corol. Aside from the headquarters area where the group leader resided, each action group's squad had its own territory. For instance, the Third Squad's base was located beneath an inconspicuous bookstore.
Currently, Byrne was beneath this bookstore. He had just walked out of the Captain's office and was moving through an underground passage toward another location.
Marco spoke as he walked. "Counting the two of you, our Third Squad has nine members in total. Three are currently on missions, so today I'll introduce you to the remaining three."
Marco's pace was brisk, showing his familiarity with the environment. "The rooms along this path are either lounges, equipment vaults, or intelligence rooms. Each room has independent authorization. Your identity information has already been recorded; you can enter most places except for one or two rooms with the highest encryption levels."
Selena looked at the sides of the passage, curious. "Captain, which areas is our squad responsible for?"
Since there were six squads in Blackstone City, there had to be a division of labor to avoid chaos.
"The range isn't small—nearly half of the Old Town and a dozen streets in the Lower District. Of course, there are times when multiple squads cooperate on high-difficulty tasks."
Minutes later, Marco stopped before a door labeled "Combat Briefing Room." He swiped the scanner by the door. With a beep, the door unlocked and slid aside, revealing the interior.
The briefing room wasn't large, with an oval long table in the center. Three people were already seated. Hearing the door open, they all turned to look.
"Yo, Captain's here. These two must be the new recruits?"
A slightly stout man with a buzz cut spoke first. He had a bright smile and was fiddling with a silver mechanical part in his hands. Marco entered the room, pulled up a chair, and gestured toward the stout man.
"This is Oliver. He's our squad's technical expert. He's a master of mechanical structures. No matter how badly something is damaged, he can fix it for you."
Oliver waved at Byrne and Selena with a grin. "Hello. If any of your gear fails during a mission, just come to me. Guaranteed fix."
Marco then pointed to a tall, dark-skinned man. "This is Luca, our combat specialist. He's top-tier in close-quarters combat and firearms. If you ever run into an unavoidable frontal confrontation on a mission, follow him."
Luca stood up and gave a slight nod, his voice deep and powerful. "Hello. Welcome to the Third Squad."
Finally, Marco pointed to a woman sitting in the corner. "This is Renee. She specializes in psychic tracking and investigation. No residual heretical energy trace can escape her eyes."
Renee was tall with delicate features. She wore a black bodysuit and had her long hair tied in a ponytail. Straight bangs covered most of her forehead. She looked up and said flatly, "Welcome to the team."
Just as she finished, Renee seemed to sense something. She pointed at Byrne and turned to look at Marco.
"Captain, the psychic fluctuations on him are... strange."