Chapter 219: Surprisingly Normal
"We’re here."
The man called Cyan Hawk glanced out the window, then opened the carriage door with a quiet click.
"Ugh…"
For Rachel, who had been running away for so long, the light shining through the open carriage door should have felt like freedom. But right now, she was still under the effects of some kind of drug. Her mind was awake, but her body felt unbearably heavy.
"So this is the place Grey Dove picked, huh? At least it looks like a proper building."
Blue Sparrow seemed to notice that Rachel still couldn’t move properly. She gently picked her up and carried her out of the carriage.
Just as Blue Sparrow said, although Grey Dove called this place her “home,” it was really just a simple building that kept out the wind and rain. It couldn’t be compared to Armand’s fancy estate at all.
But thinking about it more deeply… a “home” doesn’t need to be anything more than a place that keeps you safe and dry.
"Put her down here. We’ve got other things to do. Stop wasting time playing house with Grey Dove."
Cyan Hawk, as usual, sounded cold. Even though he wore a cloak, Rachel could still feel his icy stare. In his eyes, she was nothing more than a package someone had asked him to deliver.
"But there’s no one here right now, right? Someone should stay and look after her."
"Isn’t she still drugged? She can’t run."
"I don’t mean guard her. I mean take care of her."
Compared to Cyan Hawk, Blue Sparrow sounded much gentler. Even though she didn’t actually help Rachel, her tone was easier to accept. And because she had a soft, curvy figure, Rachel found it oddly comfortable resting against her.
This woman named Blue Sparrow didn’t seem that old, but she gave off a strange, motherly feeling.
She’s really different from Evelia…
Rachel couldn’t help thinking that.
Still, no matter who these people were, Rachel really just wanted to see Evelia, someone she actually knew.
She didn’t know where she was right now, but if these assassins were using the place, it probably had something to do with the House of Nightingales.
Red Crow, come on! You’re famous around here! Hurry up and figure out a way to save me!
Of course, that was just a desperate prayer in her heart. She couldn’t even open her mouth to say it out loud.
Next time I make a new body… I really need to make sure it has better resistance to drugs…
"Wasn’t White Dove assigned to stay here? Where is he?"
Cyan Hawk mentioned a name that sounded familiar to Rachel.
White Dove, Rachel remembered that code name. He was some kind of researcher. Back when the Second Prince had summoned her, White Dove had been wearing a white cloak that looked like a lab coat.
That guy had even approached her while she was working part-time at the House of Nightingales. He wanted to study deeper forms of alchemy.
He even said he was especially interested in creating new bodies through alchemy.
After all, those science-obsessed people were always fascinated by that sort of thing. Once they reached a certain level of knowledge, they would start diving into human-body-related alchemy. Rachel herself had once been part of that world.
But back then, she didn’t reveal her own research results. That kind of alchemy was her secret, and both logically and morally, it was something she couldn’t share. It was too dangerous.
Not many years had passed since then, but now that White Dove had the Second Prince’s support, maybe he had made some big breakthroughs.
But… Rachel had no way of knowing for sure.
At the time, Rachel only knew that White Dove specialized in researching all kinds of special potions through alchemy. She didn’t know whether he had shifted his focus to human transmutation.
But the anesthetic used on her this time was probably made by White Dove. A fast-acting, highly concentrated, and not-quite-deadly sedative like this… In this assassin group that looked like a professional team, he was probably the only one capable of making something like that.
"You know how White Dove is. There’s no way he’d sit around guarding an empty house. Who knows where he’s gone."
"......"
Cyan Hawk let out a very obvious sigh, like he was saying, ‘Ugh, White Dove bailed on us again.’
"Forget it. Doesn’t matter whether he’s here or not. Let’s just leave her here and go. There’s no reason to waste half a day babysitting a kid and losing time."
Even though they now knew the house was empty, Cyan Hawk’s decision was still firm. He looked over at Blue Sparrow, signaling her to put Rachel down.
"Okay~" Blue Sparrow nodded, but didn’t put Rachel down. "You go ahead. I’ll stay here for a bit."
"What do you mean by that?"
His tone sounded exactly like a boss scolding an employee for slacking off. Rachel could now clearly see their relationship, Cyan Hawk was probably the leader or captain of this assassin group.
Just imagining Cyan Hawk having to manage this bunch, each of whom seemed to have their own quirks, made Rachel feel kind of sorry for him.
"I meant what I said."
Blue Sparrow replied cheerfully, moving closer to the man whose face was hidden but who clearly gave off a heavy, serious vibe.
"I’ll stay and keep the kid company. You go on ahead to the meeting spot. You know I don’t care for those boring meetings. You know me, I hate anything that’s not practical."
Rachel thought, ‘Wow… Blue Sparrow is unexpectedly laid-back.’
"I don’t like them either."
Just like most adults instinctively hate meetings, when Blue Sparrow heard the word “meeting,” she made a noise in her throat that clearly showed her dislike.
"Then let’s both ditch it. If anyone asks, we’ll just say we’re out on field work. Look, I’m still holding the mission target, right? No matter how you spin it, it still makes sense."
As she said that, she lifted the drowsy, half-limp Rachel up slightly to show her to Cyan Hawk.
"You’ve skipped meetings with me plenty of times already, one more won’t hurt."
Rachel, watching these two complain about meetings, suddenly felt a weird sense of familiarity.
She remembered two people she knew who also got headaches just from hearing the word “meeting”. One of them, she’d heard, even liked to tap their fingers to disrupt the whole meeting.
"...Fine. One last time."
Cyan Hawk’s reaction surprised Rachel. She had thought he was a strict and rigid leader, but just a bit of explaining from Blue Sparrow, and his attitude softened.
Rachel guessed that Cyan Hawk was probably the type who always said no at first, but if you gave him a chance to back down, he’d take it every time. She figured that this “one last time” line had been said at least ten times before.
"Alright, little one. Feeling a bit more relaxed now? Don’t be scared of Cyan Hawk. He’s actually a really kind guy. He only joined us because he wanted to create a peaceful society—"
"You talk too much."
"Haha, okay, okay, I get it. But come on, everyone knows you’re a softie. Don’t keep frowning like that. Smile a bit, show us what a kind leader looks like!"
"...You never stop talking."
Grumbling under his breath, Cyan Hawk turned and walked away in big strides, without even glancing back.
"He’s just shy," Blue Sparrow said softly near Rachel’s ear, as if trying to comfort her.
After seeing this strange interaction, Rachel couldn’t help but feel a bit confused.
Was Red Crow the only weirdo in the House of Nightingales?