Gun of Ashes

”Torture?”

Lorenzo asked suspiciously.

”How could that be! She fell on her own!”

Red Falcon explained loudly from the side.

In such a short time, he had no idea how many times he had explained this. Several hours ago, Erin woke up and then fell down again, and Red Falcon immediately called for the ship’s doctor.

After that, Eve rushed over from the side.

”Did you hit her?” Eve asked.

In Eve’s eyes, Red Falcon was quite suspicious. After all, in a way, Red Falcon could also be considered to have been toyed with emotionally; doing something strange wouldn’t surprise Eve.

Red Falcon explained that she fell on her own, but looking at the unconscious Erin, Eve couldn’t believe Red Falcon was telling the truth.

Then, Hebdo returned from a hallway patrol, and Red Falcon explained once more.

The ship’s doctor arrived, and Red Falcon explained again.

And now it’s this moment.

Red Falcon couldn’t quite understand why he was so determined to explain, perhaps he didn’t want to be seen as a strange guy? But ever since joining the Purification Mechanism, he had long stopped caring about those looks.

Somehow, he was feeling uncertain now.

”I fell myself, stop teasing Mr. Moon,”

Erin said slowly, her voice somewhat weak but still smiling.

Lorenzo looked at her; the woman’s condition was still dire, but at least she was alive. Even though she was so weak, Hebdo still tied her hands and feet.

”Mr. Moon?”

Lorenzo asked again, more bewildered by the name.

”Moon Naredo.”

Red Falcon quickly approached with a displeased look on his face. He extended his hand and shook Lorenzo’s, as if greeting a new friend.

”I remember mentioning my name to you.” Red Falcon looked displeased about Lorenzo forgetting his name.

At Red Falcon’s words, Lorenzo suddenly remembered.

He first met Red Falcon on that demon-filled train.

”Oh oh oh!”

Lorenzo made a rooster crowing sound, trying to ease the embarrassment of forgetting a teammate’s name.

”Oh what!?” Red Falcon yelled.

”I rarely mention that name because when I was a kid, a group of bastards would use it to tease me,” Red Falcon said.

”What’s there to laugh about?”

Erin asked; no one knew what kind of magic power this woman had, she blended into the atmosphere just like that.

”They would always say, ’Moon! Moon!’ with that ridiculous voice… Honestly, I don’t know what’s so funny about it, but ever since I beat them up, no one brought it up again.”

Red Falcon continued, then seemed to realize something and shouted at Erin.

”Wait, what’s going on with you?”

”Me?”

Erin’s hands were tied together, she tried to point at herself but couldn’t move.

”Yeah! You’re a captive, you don’t speak properly, you might just be thrown out the window into the sea!” Red Falcon pointed to the open window, annoyed by Erin’s calm attitude. ”You act just like one of us! Please adjust your attitude!”

Ignoring Red Falcon’s shouts, Erin laughed heartily.

”Oh dear, I didn’t expect to meet you here. Is this fate? Moon?”

Erin looked into Red Falcon’s eyes, deliberately emphasizing ”Moon.”

In that comfortable afternoon, Red Falcon liked Erin calling him that way, always saying ”Red Falcon” repeatedly. Many times, he forgot who he was; being called Moon gave him a peculiar sense of calm.

But now it was different; she was Erin, not Gloria; she was a bad person with a lot of trickery.

Hearing Erin emphasize his nickname, Red Falcon felt like he was being played, recalling that afternoon, he felt like a clown.

Imagine Erin was probably holding back laughter as she schemed, what a damned fishing trip, those knight novels, that damned resonance, all disguises of the woman before him.

Hebdo had mentioned before, she was skilled at misleading men, preemptively understanding his hobbies, preparing in advance… and he naively thought he had found some sort of soulmate and went back holding that fish like a fool.

In an instant, Red Falcon felt a surge of unnamed fury, he wasn’t usually an easily angered person, but now he thought about terribly violent things.

Yet before he could act, Lorenzo stopped him, then walked over and sat opposite Erin.

”Erin Adler.”

Lorenzo looked at the weakened woman before him and spoke her name.

”Lorenzo Holmes.”

Erin clearly knew the identity of the man before her and replied with a smile.

At that moment, everyone in the room sensed the change in atmosphere; if earlier was playful, now they had entered the main topic, and everyone became serious.

Hebdo stood coldly watching from the side, while Red Falcon clutched a pillow tightly, feeling extremely uncomfortable as the anger he had just felt was suppressed by Lorenzo, preventing him from acting.

Eve remained silent; this was her first time experiencing such difficult work firsthand. All she saw and felt were parts of her internship.

As for the one almost forgotten by others, Heracles stared at the ceiling, feeling his stomach churn, and shed tears of sorrow.

…

”We aren’t meeting for the first time, are we?”

Others might not notice, but with the enhanced senses of a Demon Hunter, Lorenzo could clearly smell the aroma.

”Winchester Law Firm, I tried to commission you once but was rejected,” Erin freely admitted. She looked around and then continued, ”Though what I want to commission now isn’t much different.”

”What did you want to commission me back then?”

Lorenzo asked, these consecutive encounters certainly weren’t coincidences, he wanted to know why.

”I want to commission you to rescue a friend of mine, Ivar.”

Erin said.

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent; the event’s cause could be said to be due to Ivar, and the current situation was created by Erin, yet now she spoke of rescuing Ivar.

”You scoundrel, you don’t deserve to mention that name!”

Hebdo rarely showed his anger, lashing out at Erin.

Erin then noticed Hebdo’s presence, as he stood behind her, in her blind spot.

”Hebdo?”

Erin recognized the familiar voice, her expression shifted slightly for a moment, which Lorenzo observed precisely.

Lorenzo recalled seeing Erin at night; despite nearing death, she maintained a calm demeanor, seemingly confident even if the Death God came, she would ask for time to touch up her makeup.

But at the moment of hearing Hebdo’s voice, Erin’s composure shattered; she showed rare signs of panic or even terror.

Such expressions lasted only briefly; if Lorenzo hadn’t been watching her closely, he might not have noticed them.

”Long time no see.”

Erin said as she returned to her previous state.

”Please give me some time, Hebdo.”

Lorenzo looked at Hebdo behind Erin; Hebdo had never shown anger previously, but now he was like a furious bear.

It seemed their relationship was more than what appeared, Lorenzo was curious about what else Hebdo might be hiding.

”Rescue Ivar?”

Lorenzo repeated Erin’s words; he appeared somewhat confused.

”Leaving that aside, how did you find me, Erin?”

Lorenzo had many questions about the woman.

”You were faster than Nordro and the Purification Mechanism, you found me before anyone else, hoping I could assist you. At that time, I guessed you had started being pursued by the Iron Law Bureau; relying on just your own capabilities, how did you get my information?”

Erin anticipated Lorenzo’s question and smiled.

”To thank you for saving my life, I’ll tell you everything. But before that, could you untie me?” She raised her hands, ”Being tied up feels uncomfortable…”

Before she finished speaking, a cold sword light flashed past, as if a chilly wind swept across her hands, severing the binding rope, the sudden release caused Erin to let her hands fall.

Opposite her, Lorenzo gently placed a folding blade to the side; he possessed absolute strength and absolute authority.

”Continue,” Lorenzo said.