WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 50: 10. Stalker vs Stalker (5)

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Contrary to what many people believed, Ivan was an exceptionally sensible man.

Just as it was common sense for terrorism to occur during an academy entrance ceremony, this world was full of obvious truths and uncivilized premodern citizens who refused to believe them.

Ivan did not blame them, though. He was an educated modern man with an open mind.

Instead, he took an axe and a handgun with him.

In most cases, action was more helpful than persuasion when it came to resolving a situation.

That was how Ivan became entangled in the Pritchenkaya bombing incident.

* * *

It began, as usual, with him following Aesidis.

Ivan had been trailing her as always. His stealth was perfect, the target was safe, and no other threats were nearby, so it was another ordinary day.

'Hmm....'

She eats cookies often. Ivan decided that he would set aside time to explain the usual problems caused by the fats, carbohydrates, and sugars in chocolate cookies.

Aesidis already had excessive fat around certain areas. That would not be a problem if she became a bard, but if she ever had to wield a weapon in the future, it would put her at a serious disadvantage.

He should prepare dried carrot chips as a replacement snack. Ivan nodded to himself and continued following Aesidis.

After doing so for a while, Ivan suddenly felt someone's gaze and turned his head.

"Mister, what are you doing?"

"Work."

Isabelle had appeared, glaring at him with somehow murderous eyes.

Her gaze slowly shifted, and she spotted Aesidis in the distance directly ahead of Ivan. Isabelle frowned.

For some incomprehensible reason, something seemed to have upset her. There was no need to worry, though.

Ivan ran an orphanage. That meant he was an expert at soothing children whose moods had soured for no apparent reason. Besides, he had never done anything that would upset Isabelle.

"Why are you watching Esi?"

"...What?"

"Esi. You're peeking at Esi right now."

"You're mistaken."

He had not peeked at anyone. He was carrying out protection duty proudly and confidently.

The only thing he had not expected was for Isabelle, who should have been in class at this hour, to appear on campus.

"What about class?"

"I saw you outside the window, Mister... No, is my class important right now?"

"...? Of course it is. Students should not skip class."

If she were one of his orphans, he would have dragged her into the lecture hall by force. Had Isabelle forgotten that her home country was fully funding her tuition?

Ivan clicked his tongue.

"If you're not on a full scholarship, you need to focus on class. Saint Yansk University is expensive."

"Th-that... urgh...! That's true, but still! Are you going to keep changing the subject?! I asked why you were peeking at Esi!"

"That is not something you need to concern yourself with."

"Wha...?!"

Isabelle looked deeply hurt. It was incomprehensible. Why would she be hurt when he had simply told her not to concern herself with his protection duty and focus on her studies?

Still, Ivan was a kind person, so he knew how to look after the heart of an adolescent child. (He did not.)

What a confused adolescent child needed most when troubled by an inexplicable problem was time alone. (That was obviously not true.)

As a considerate adult, Ivan decided not to nag her about returning to class. He nodded and stepped back.

"No, where are you going? Explain yourself, explain it before you go! At least make an excuse! Aaaah!!"

Leaving the panicked Isabelle behind, Ivan vanished in an instant. Isabelle could not even think to chase him. She stared blankly at his retreating back, then let out a hollow laugh.

"Do I really need to tie him up somewhere? Tie him up and teach him how to talk to people...."

She had spotted him outside the classroom window during class, so she had slipped out for a moment.

Then there he was, trailing after Aesidis as she walked by and scribbling something in a notebook.

Knowing that man's personality, she could believe he was doing something important, but still.

Still...!

"He's following my friend around when I've been coming on this strong...?"

Isabelle gave a soft laugh and scrubbed her face with both hands several times.

Fine.

She had a goal now.

'The realm of superhumans'? Right. That meant she had to reach that realm before she could even trade blades with that lunatic.

She would get there as quickly as possible, somehow become strong enough to beat that man, grab him, subdue him, and tie him up. Then, slowly. Thoroughly. She would teach him the common sense of the world one thing at a time.

Volunteer work. Yes, she would think of it as volunteer work. If not her, who would take in that poor elderly man living alone? (He was not.)

* * *

Aesidis was wandering around again today, unable to find the ensemble practice room.

Orchestral ensemble class, which included a group performance assessment, was the most dreadful class for her. No one was ever willing to include her in their group.

So she trudged along in sorrow.

"The ensemble room missing one member is Room 154."

"...?!"

Ivan suddenly appeared beside her and approached.

"Eek!?"

"Your class is [Ensemble Practicum 1]. If you miss much more of it, won't your attendance become a problem?"

"H-how do you know that...?"

"This is not the time to worry about that."

Ivan took a suspicious notebook from inside his coat and spoke quietly.

"Your midterm grades were D in Ensemble Practicum, C in Harmony, B+ in Sight-Singing and Ear Training, C in Chamber Music, D in String Ensemble, and B+ in Counterpoint. Your theory grades are generally better than your practical grades. Still, having an average GPA in the mid-twos is a problem."

"Ah, ah...."

"Why did you apply to the music department?"

Ivan looked at Aesidis with deep-set eyes.

She had never imagined hearing such words from the man she had thought was only a stalker. Aesidis swallowed and lowered her head.

Why? Because, because... she wanted to.

Because she wanted to hold an instrument instead of a weapon.

Aesidis fidgeted with her fingertips as she chose her words.

"Instruments, instruments are... they are bridges that connect p-people...."

"Excellent."

Ivan smiled gently.

Aesidis's eyes widened at the unexpected smile.

She stared blankly at Ivan's face, then flinched and hesitated.

That low, husky voice. Those neat eyes that curved softly.

It was familiar.

Without realizing it, she raised her hand. She spread her palm wide, slowly.

She covered that thick, attention-grabbing beard with her palm, leaving only his nose bridge and eyes visible through the gap.

Aesidis's trembling eyes met Ivan's deep gaze.

"Could it be...? No, but Uncle died...."

"Take care of your health."

Ivan was an efficient person, so he did not waste time entertaining Aesidis's strange thoughts.

What the little girl was thinking was a secondary matter. Did he not have something more important to do?

She needed to stop missing classes if she wanted to make up for those disastrous grades.

Ivan led Aesidis to the ensemble rooms in the main building of the Orchestral Department. Then he gave a lunchbox to Aesidis, who was still muttering blankly to herself.

It was a snack box filled with dried carrot chips.

"Take care of your health. Einar will care more about your health than your studies. Still, students cannot neglect class. You are late. Go in."

Ivan put the stammering Aesidis into the string ensemble room, then checked his watch.

By the time the ensemble class ended, Mord's lecture would be over as well. Then he would no longer need to protect Aesidis.

He would be busy.

Ivan gave a small laugh and started walking. He only needed to protect Isabelle during the night, then he could go home from work.

It was another ordinary day.

On the third day of those ordinary days, the peaceful routine of a bodyguard who protected Aesidis during the day and patrolled near Isabelle's home at night came to an end when the Pritchenkaya Central Bank, Satera Amphitheater, Saint Yansk University, Saint Chereta Cathedral, and the North-Pratchenko Central Police Bureau exploded at the same time.

That night, Pritchenkaya burned white.

* * *

Ivan walked slowly, conscious of the handgun inside his coat.

It was the third night of patrolling in front of Isabelle's home.

"Hmm."

After circling her house three times, he realized he had encountered the same passerby for the third time.

Each time, the person had been at a different point but at a similar distance from Isabelle's house.

'Their center of gravity is shifted right. Right-handed, with a handgun at the left hip. The chest is bulging, so they are wearing a ballistic plate.'

Ivan passed casually by the passerby and shifted his gaze.

'Wearing a ballistic plate means they do not have Line-of-Fire Detection. This one is a low-level operative.'

The suspicious man scanned the area, then melted back into the darkness of the street.

Ivan counted slowly to ten, then quietly closed his eyes.

Following an alert target directly from behind was amateur work. A trained agent would never conduct surveillance that way.

Mana circulated through Ivan's body. Slowly, it felt as though chains were wrapping around his bundles of nerves and pulling them taut.

When he opened his eyes again, he stepped into a perception of time where falling leaves drifted slowly through the air.

-Ssshhh....

He inhaled slowly and deeply. His activated senses began separating the scents in the air.

They said a rat could identify every animal on an entire mountain from the winds sweeping down its slopes. That was how an animal's sense of smell worked. It was a sense far beyond the density of human olfactory epithelial cells.

But a superhuman could come infinitely close to that level. It was the ability to forcibly activate the sense organs themselves, then parse each awakened neural pathway in split-second intervals.

Not every superhuman could make use of such senses. This was not a matter of talent, but training. Most people who awakened a superhuman's senses devoted their training entirely to combat ability.

Ivan was different. He had specialized in this sort of field more than combat itself.

No, to be more precise.

He had honed his ability in this area beyond that of any other superhuman.

Tracking and assassinating targets, small-unit combat, seizing objective positions, and disrupting enemy reconnaissance.

Even among the group called the Allied Kingdoms' finest reconnaissance unit, among the carefully selected elite, he had stood head and shoulders above the rest.

-Hoo....

Ivan slowly exhaled the breath he had drawn in and began walking.

Countless scents flowed along the city wind that slipped between the buildings.

Extremely developed senses caused synesthesia. Ivan walked through the darkness, looking at the vividly shining threads of scent.

Slowly, without rushing.

Straight toward his prey.

Within Pritchenkaya, anyone he had encountered at least once could never escape his senses.

Ivan walked on.

Like a snake lying in wait in the darkness, patient until his target crawled into the heart of his territory.

* * *

Footnotes:

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