Chapter 428: Tailing The Wrong Group (Bonus)
She burst into laughter. "Oh, husband, it’s not like that."
She nudged his shoulder. "while I’m capable of saying something like that, I’m also the same person who would do everything possible to make sure nothing ever happened to you in the first place."
Her smile softened. "So, you see... obtaining that third requirement was always going to be difficult."
They both smiled, the conversation went quiet.
Ethan looked at her for a moment before asking, "So how do you plan on fulfilling that requirement?"
Dark Bella let out a little laugh and shook her head. "Other than waiting until I naturally recover the other half of my power...I honestly don’t know."
For a moment, neither of them said anything. Then Ethan smiled and said, "Thank you for telling me."
She nodded, and after a few seconds passed, she suddenly spoke again. "Alright. You can have Isabella back now... she’s been yelling in my head all day."
He laughed, while she rolled her eyes. And with that, the dark veins beneath her eyes gradually began to fade.
The intensity in her expression softened as Isabella returned.
She linked a few times, as though she were readjusting to her surroundings after being absent for a while.
Then her eyes landed on Ethan who was already looking at her with a smile while extending his arm towards her.
She placed her palm on his, then stepped closer to lean her head on his shoulder.
And they both stared into the quiet of the night...
***
__
That same night, Eduardo was on his way back home.
Valerie occupied the passenger seat, while seated in the back was Joe Sanderberg, Ethan’s hitman summon.
They were returning from Stark Industries’ former company location, which was now one of the corporation’s distribution branches.
Joe’s presence with them was a direct result of Ethan’s earlier decision to deploy his summons across different parts of the city to keep watch over those who could potentially become targets.
Their vehicle moved through the roads of Grayforte, weaving between the steady flow of traffic as the lights from buildings and passing cars illuminated the night.
However, among the vehicles traveling behind them was another car driven by Olaf Marsden, the blond-haired agent from the Western Coalition who had come to Gritnia to investigate those responsible for Norman’s death.
Despite his earlier discussion with Beatrice, it seemed he had ultimately chosen to continue working on his own.
After all, he hadn’t traveled all the way to Gritnia to sit around with his hands folded or play pawn to Beatrice who had offered him money to follow her every whim and instructions.
Olaf genuinely meant what he said when he declared that he preferred to work alone. And so, while Beatrice pursued her objectives, Olaf had begun doing things his own way.
He followed them from a distance, carefully observing and slowly piecing things together.
Because if he intended to separate people from the group and draw them out individually, which was his current objective, then the first thing he needed to understand was their routine. He needed to know where they went, how they moved, and the patterns that governed their daily lives.
Unfortunately for Olaf, the vehicle he had chosen to follow carried a Master-Class assassin who possessed the highest kill record in the entire city.
And as a Ranger-Class summon, noticing when someone was following him was one of the easiest things Joe could possibly do.
Even with several vehicles positioned between them, he had already caught sight of the same car appearing in Eduardo’s rearview mirror multiple times.
More specifically, he had noticed the blond-haired man behind the wheel.
There was also something about the way the man kept looking at them; his gaze carried an unusual level of focus.
Of course, Joe could have been mistaken, but years of experience had taught him to trust his instincts.
"Eduardo.." the hitman began, "Two cars behind us. Blond hair. He’s been following our direction for a while now."
Eduardo’s eyes drifted toward the rearview mirror several times before he finally caught sight of Olaf’s vehicle.
Thankfully, his enhanced vision made identifying details like that relatively easy.
Valerie also maintained her posture, staring forward "You think we’re being followed?"
Eduardo who also kept his eyes on the road, then said. "Well, there’s one way to find out."
A few moments later, as they approached an intersection, the butler suddenly turned into a side street instead of continuing along the main road.
Of course, a few other vehicles made the same turn as they entered the adjoining street, Olaf’s vehicle included.
He maintained what he believed was a reasonable distance between himself and Eduardo’s vehicle ahead, convinced that he wasn’t attracting any attention.
Joe then spoke with more certainty. "Yeah. We’re being followed."
Eduardo glanced at the rearview mirror again. "He’s pretty good at suppressing his mana, but I can still tell that’s someone strong."
"You think he’s one of those Blessed?" Valerie asked.
"Most likely." Eduardo said, "Unfortunately for him, he’s dying here tonight... I just need to get us somewhere without the audience."
Right then, Joe gave out the new directives that came through the bond connection between he and Ethan. "I’ve just received new instructions from my summoner... We’re to subdue him and, if possible, bring the Blessed back alive."
Eduardo heaved a sigh. "Very well."
He pressed down on the accelerator, moving the vintage sedan forward down the street as Olaf continued following from behind.
Eventually, Eduardo made another turn, and after several minutes, suddenly pulled over and brought the vehicle to a stop.
Olaf who followed behind instinctively eased off his own accelerator and narrowed his eyes.
Something didn’t feel right.
The car ahead had stopped, but no one was getting out. A second later, suspicion flashed across his face and his eyes widened in the realization that they possibly knew.
Olaf then turned the steering wheel and attempted to reverse away from the area.
However, the moment his vehicle changed direction and began moving toward another street, a figure suddenly dropped from the sky and landed directly in front of his car.
The impact shook the ground, causing the blonde to slam on the brakes.
The creature standing in front of him was a massive ferocious werewolf, with vampiric wings extended from its back.
Eduardo’s hybrid form.